S4 Episode #9- Rebecca Woodman
THE ONE WITH REBECCA WOODMAN
Rebecca Woodman is a daughter of the Most High King, passionate about loving other people and watching them find Jesus in their story. Secondarily, she is a wife to her hilarious Canadian husband, John, and mommy of 4 kids on earth (Lila 15, Hali 13, Ella 11, and Justice 5) and 2 in heaven. Rebecca is an ordained minister and Licensed Mental Health Professional Counselor. She has served on senior leadership staff at Forest Hill Church in Charlotte, NC for over 20 years, as Pastor of Care and Counseling, and now Pastor of Community Development and Pastoral Leadership.
She is finding much joy in founding and leading TRUE CLT community bible study during Covid. Other roles in ministry have included, but not been limited to, currently managing a small private counseling practice, serving on board of Agape Christian Counseling for 7 years, founding LUMIN monthly memory verse/art bible plan, serving as keynote speaker for Mecklenburg County employees, consultant for Proverbs 31 ministry, leading bible study for NFL wives and numerous marriage bible studies. For fun, you can find Rebecca taking a bubble bath (“her sanctuary”) every night, hosting theme parties with her family (annual Cheesy Christmas Sweater Party, Woodman Chicken Wing-Off Party, Easter egg hunt, etc.), and driving lots of carpools as a cheer mom, baseball mom, lacrosse mom, and softball mom. She will sleep when she gets to heaven! :)
LISTEN
READ
True on Tour
During COVID, Rebecca was feeling very disconnected from God and others. She decided to throw out an invitation for a small Bible Study on Instagram. She expected a few people to show up, but within 48 hours, over 200 women responded! Their first session was virtual and reached over 800 women across the world!
True now meets at local churches in different areas around Charlotte. Rebecca had no idea what she was doing when she started this, but God is expanding it beyond her wildest dreams!
God can do things that people cannot. The Bible tells us what God can do with faith as small as a mustard seed. This is how Rebecca felt about her faith. God has been drawing her to the book of Habakkuk…
Habakkuk
Everything was in devastation– nothing was working. The people were being closed in on all sides.
“Look at the nations. Watch and be amazed for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe if you were told.”
This is what God is doing now! Yet, at the end of the book, things are still not perfect. Habakkuk says, “Though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no fruit, YET I will rejoice and praise my God.”
God is going to do something that we would NEVER believe!
Two Turning Points of Pain
ONE. At age 22, Rebecca was date raped. It was traumatic and the enemy tried to use this to take away her confidence and faith.
Rebecca no longer lives in the trauma of this experience, because of God’s grace. She absolutely sees restoration, but there are still scars. When you walk through pain and suffering, God heals and restores like ONLY He can. However, this does not mean that it’s completely removed from your life and story. Scars leave marks on our lives.
TWO. In 2012 Rebecca was pregnant with their 4th child. At the 18th week ultrasound appointment, there was no heartbeat. She had to deliver the baby. It was devastating to lose this child, and through it all, God kept reminding her, “When you are weak, I am strong.”
Shortly after this experience, Rebecca got pregnant again. Her new due date was exactly one year after the baby that they lost. She felt like God was redeeming the loss of her first son. They ended up losing this baby boy at 21 weeks. Through this time, she began journaling and learning that God does His best work in the deep end.
God has something for you in the deep end.
“I have promised redemption, but I have not promised that you will get to see it on this side of Heaven.”
God WILL restore, but it might not be in the way you want in this life. We may not see full redemption or restoration until we see Jesus face to face.
Fresh Scars
God will not leave it broken. He cannot leave it broken.
Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you cannot see.”
Often we stay in our pain because we don’t believe that God can really do something about it, but don’t be afraid to ask the big things of God and let your faith lead you blindly to say the words of Hebrews 11:1. God wants good things for you and He cannot leave things broken– it is outside of His character.
Don’t be afraid of therapy. Ask people to pray for you. Pray for people in return. Pray on the spot. Ask big things of God
What Is True About You
We can often get our identity twisted up in what we do or who we are with. The Bible is clear that our identity is rooted in the fact that we are a daughter of the Most High King.
You are loved. You are chosen. You are pursued.
When things happen to us in life– good or bad– we often want an immediate answer. Where is God? Why did He allow this? However, often God’s plan takes time, but when we look back at the hard times in our lives, we can see God’s fingerprints all over it.
What is True About God
He is the most loving. God writes love stories for each one of us. They are beyond our comprehension!
He is in constant pursuit of us. He will leave the 99 for the 1. He will go to whatever lengths He needs to in order to make sure you feel known and loved. Sometimes this comes in unconventional ways, but God is constantly pursuing our hearts. He knows the scariest, darkest and most secret parts of us, AND YET He still chooses to chase after us. There is no one in the world who will love you as completely as God does.
Gratitude is a spiritual disciple. When we are feeling wracked with anxiety or fear, try changing your mindset to one of gratitude. Each hard piece is part of a much bigger, more beautiful story of healing and redemption.
WATCH
Sadly we don’t have a video this week! We hope to be back up and running next week!
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The Collected Podcast is produced by Jes Biondo and edited by Jacob Early. Cover art designed by Ben Biondo.