S5 Episode #4- Heather Crawford
THE ONE WITH HEATHER CRAWFORD
Merry Christmas! This week I’m so excited to bring you my conversation with news anchor and Emmy Award winning journalist, Heather Crawford! Heather’s passion for Jesus and The Word shine through in every aspect of her life. Tune in for a powerful reminder that God called you by name and loves you with an everlasting, radical love! When we keep our eyes focused on Him, we can see Him do extraordinary things in and through us!
A Little More About HEATHER
Heather Crawford is an evening news anchor at First Coast News in Jacksonville, FL. She is a seven-time Emmy Award winning journalist and National Edward R. Murrow Award winner who has a passion for telling stories that make a difference. Two decades of experience as a television news anchor/ reporter and a heart for people. She graduated with honors from North Carolina State University and is a homeschool mom to two amazing kids.
LISTEN
READ
Isaiah 43:2
I have called you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze
This is the message that The Lord has put on Heather’s heart to share. God has called you by name! He loves you more than you can ever imagine. He knows how many hairs are on your head. Nothing you’ve done could ever discount you from the love of God.
God often gives us just the next step. If He were to give us the whole plan, we might start to trust more in the plan than in the God of the plan. He often gives us just what we need for the current moment– step by step and day by day He shows us the way.
Six years ago Heather started reading through the Bible each year. Everytime that she reads through it, something new about God’s character jumps out at her.
God’s Word is living and active, it is sharper than a double-edged sword.
LESSON FROM THE BOOK OF ESTHER
Esther was an orphan and she was put in a very specific time and place in history for God to use her for “such a time as this”.
When you look at where you are in your life– regardless of whether you are on a mountain or in a valley– God wants to use you right where you are.
Heather has spent 20 years in a career that she loves, sharing the news, but she now feels like God is leading her to share the “Good News”.
We all have a faith calling– to love God and love people. We all also have a vocational calling, which can change from season to season. Many people often make their vocational calling their identity, however our true identity is rooted in being a Child of God– regardless of the role we are filling in a job in a particular season.
We don’t have to have all the answers in order to be obedient to God. Sometimes we just need to give him our “yes” and take the next first step without fully knowing where it will lead.
Heather decided to step out in faith and start a book club, which grew over the next couple of years and turned into Sisters in Christ International. Now, women from all over the world are reading the Bible together in a year! When you put in the dedication to read the Bible, God will reveal himself in ways that you could never have imagined!
One random Facebook post from a friend on Heather’s feed was what encouraged her to start reading the Bible more, and now God has grown it in ways she would never have imagined. We often will never know the impact that our faithfulness can have on those around us. Heather’s friend might never know that her post radically changed Heather’s life and the lives of countless women around the globe.
Your obedience will impact the Kingdom of God in ways that we can’t even imagine. We plant the seed and the Holy Spirit does the rest!
THE CHARACTER OF GOD
He is our guide, our counselor, our healer, our rock, our redeemer, or Savior, friend and Father. His love is unfailing. He is full of grace and He is full of mercy.
His mercies are new everyday! He is a God of indescribable love. He wants good things for you! He is always there– through the good and the bad.
He is our rock. He is our everything. He is our foundation.
He has called you by name!
Start each morning with the prayer, “God I’m available, use me to do your will.”
Heather shared how in her career, she sees people in their highest highs and their lowest lows, but she sees God working through all of it.
Everything that we walk through can be used by God to help someone else. God can use every bit of our “mess” for His glory!
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.
COMBATING LONELINESS
Pick up your Bible. Order the Daily Walk Bible here!
Be part of a community. Join Sisters in Christ International here!
You are not alone!
HEROES OF THE FAITH
No one was perfect…
Look at who God used in the Bible!
Abraham was old.
Moses was a murdered with a speach problem.
Elijah was depressed.
Joseph was betrayed and abandoned by his own family.
Job went bankrupt.
David had an affair and then had his lover’s husband killed.
Esther was an orphan.
Paul killed and persecuted Christians.
AND YET, God used all of these people for the glory of His Kingdom!
Nothing you’ve ever done is bigger than the cross. The battle is already won. We just have to make ourselves available. You may not feel qualified, but God will give you what you need in the moment.
It’s the small, step by step decisions every day to put God first will bring about true transformation.
REMAINING ROOTED
Sisters in Christ International
Great tool: “The One Minute Pause” App by John Eldridge
INTENTIONALITY
Keep your eyes focused on The Lord and center your day around that.
“Lord, help me to take my eyes off of my situation and place them on You.”
Give yourself grace– if you slip up or get behind, that’s ok!
Pray about your Word of the Year and Scripture of the Year… what word is God laying on your heart?
FINAL THOUGHTS
God wants a relationship with you! He has called you by name. If you’re scared, depressed or hopeless, God is full of unfailing love and mercy! Fix your eyes on Jesus. Commit to spending the next year digging into God’s Word. It will change your life!
WATCH
CONNECT WITH HEATHER
Sisters in Christ International Website
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The Collected Podcast is a production of Collected Ministries, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping disciples of Jesus discover and live from their true identity in Christ, recognize and walk in their divine purpose within the Kingdom of God, and experience growth in their capacity for mature, healthy relationships.
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The Collected Podcast is produced by Jes Biondo and edited by Jacob Early. Cover art designed by Ben Biondo.