Episode Transcript

Do you have a question you'd like us to answer? Email us at podcast@austinstone.org.

Episode Transcript

Do you have a question you'd like us to answer? Email us at podcast@austinstone.org.

Episode Transcript

Do you have a question you'd like us to answer? Email us at podcast@austinstone.org

Episode Transcript

Do you have a question you'd like us to answer? Email us at podcast@austinstone.org.

Episode Transcript

“Practicing Lament” is a 30-minute audio guide that walks you through five movements of biblical lament. We pray this resource helps you draw near to God in suffering, grief, or loss.

Join us each week for the Chasing Shadows podcast—new episodes available on Thursdays throughout the Ecclesiastes series.

Do you have a question you'd like us to answer? Email us at podcast@austinstone.org.

Watch on YouTube

Join us each week for the Chasing Shadows podcast—new episodes available on Thursdays throughout the Ecclesiastes series.

Do you have a question you'd like us to answer? Email us at podcast@austinstone.org.

Watch on YouTube

Join us each week for the Chasing Shadows podcast—new episodes available on Thursdays throughout the Ecclesiastes series.

Do you have a question you'd like us to answer? Email us at podcast@austinstone.org.

Watch on YouTube

Join us each week for the Chasing Shadows podcast—new episodes available on Thursdays throughout the Ecclesiastes series.

Do you have a question you'd like us to answer? Email us at podcast@austinstone.org.

Watch on YouTube

Join us each week for the Chasing Shadows podcast—new episodes available on Thursdays throughout the Ecclesiastes series.

Do you have a question you'd like us to answer? Email us at podcast@austinstone.org.

Watch on YouTube

Join us each week for the Chasing Shadows podcast—new episodes available on Thursdays throughout the Ecclesiastes series.

Do you have a question you'd like us to answer? Email us at podcast@austinstone.org.

Watch on YouTube

Join us each week for the Chasing Shadows podcast—new episodes available on Thursdays throughout the Ecclesiastes series.

Do you have a question you'd like us to answer? Email us at podcast@austinstone.org.

Watch on YouTube

Join us each week for the Chasing Shadows podcast—new episodes available on Thursdays throughout the Ecclesiastes series.

Do you have a question you'd like us to answer? Email us at podcast@austinstone.org.

Watch on YouTube

Join us each week for the Chasing Shadows podcast—new episodes available on Thursdays throughout the Ecclesiastes series. 

Do you have a question you'd like us to answer? Email us at podcast@austinstone.org.

Watch on YouTube

Join us each week for the Chasing Shadows podcast—new episodes available on Thursdays throughout the Ecclesiastes series.

Do you have a question you'd like us to answer? Email us at podcast@austinstone.org.

Watch on YouTube

Join us each week for the Chasing Shadows podcast—new episodes available on Thursdays throughout the Ecclesiastes series. 

Do you have a question you'd like us to answer? Email us at podcast@austinstone.org.

Watch on YouTube

Recommend Resources

• A Summer in the Psalms: Psalm 127, John Manning

Join us each week for the Chasing Shadows podcast—new episodes available on Thursdays throughout the Ecclesiastes series. 

Do you have a question you'd like us to answer? Email us at podcast@austinstone.org.

Watch on YouTube

Join us each week for the Chasing Shadows podcast—new episodes available on Thursdays throughout the Ecclesiastes series.

Do you have a question you'd like us to answer? Email us at podcast@austinstone.org.

Watch on YouTube

Join us each week for the Chasing Shadows podcast—new episodes available on Thursdays throughout the Ecclesiastes series.

Do you have a question you'd like us to answer? Email us at podcast@austinstone.org.

Watch on YouTube

Yes, we’ve seen the waves of chaos,
felt the wind ravage and rip.
Our anchor in the depths is Christ.
His peace steadies the ship.

Now joy has filled eternally,
the void within the chest;
No one but the Man of Sorrows
makes the mourners blessed.

The crooked, crafty enemy
could never overcome
the power of the Father’s love,
displayed in Christ the Son.

From heaven’s throne to virgin’s womb,
in humble form He came
to wear the burden of our sin,
disrobing us of shame.

For perfect peace and hope and love
and joy we wait no more.
He is here! He has come!
so come let us adore!

The Word made flesh, Emmanuel,
Savior, Prince of Peace
Mighty God, Holy One,
Jesus, King of Kings.

A million books a million pages long
would fail to tell in full the love that’s come.
Take ev’ry word in thought, in print, in song,
the Word made flesh is greater than their sum.

Eternal God appeared in humble mode:
the needless one in form of helpless child.
His ev’ry breath a step along the road
which finds its end at majesty reviled.

No greater love can any of us know
than Jesus Christ who gave Himself in death.
The only measures adequate to show
His perfect love, its height and depth and breadth.

The love that all words fail to fully frame
is manifested here in Jesus’ name.

Where could this endless rejoicing be found?
Is it somewhere within, buried deep down?
Would it be foolish or wise to presume
that the passing of time makes our happiness bloom?

No, we look to the child chosen and cherished
born to die that His people not perish.
We look to the one who endured such a loss,
who for joy set before Him suffered the cross.

Joy inexpressible only in Jesus.
He finds us in sorrowful shackles and frees us.
He is acquainted with all of our sadness
and turns all our mourning to glorious gladness.

Look and you’ll see Him, just open your eyes.
Seek and you’ll find Him, delight will arise.
He is here. He has come. Let rejoicing abound.
For He is where joy at its fullest is found.

Friends and family, strangers, neighbors
poised at odds opposed.
At worst, attempts to reconcile
ignored. At best, disposed.

Greater still, hostility
stands towering between
the sin-filled man and Holy God,
the traitor and the King.

The world awaits with anxious pause
for rest and restoration.
Yet perfect peace could not prevail
without a confrontation.

A son was sent through virgin’s womb
to pay the ransom’s cost.
The Righteous One would buy our peace
by blood of His own cross.

Our peace has come to dwell with us
His life and death to bring
the sin-filled back to Holy God,the traitor to the King.

Friends and family, strangers, neighbors
have peace in which to live.
For God Himself has died to prove
His enemies forgiv’n.

While chaos rips and ravages,
we see His plan unfurled.
The Prince of Peace declares, “Take heart,
I’ve overcome the world.”

What gives us hope amidst life’s despairs
and grief that comes with them?
None but the one who takes all our cares
the truest, most faithful friend.

For we have seen what can’t be seen.
This hope, He has a name
Jesus Christ the King of Kings.
In death, he bore our shame.

The God of hope has come to us
and as we trust in Him,
the Holy Spirit fills us up
and brings our hope to brim.

The image of the unseen God arrived in flesh to show
He is the brighter day to come. He alone, our hope.

During the pandemic, many dreaded that certain text—the one where you learn that someone you were with has tested positive for COVID-19. In the summer of 2021, after a fun night of socializing with a few friends, Tobin got that text. Within a few days, he started to feel sick and continued to worsen until two weeks later, Tobin was unable to breathe and was admitted to the hospital. Even as a chaplain came to perform last rites and Tobin said goodbye to his wife over the phone, the Lord was with him, and he recalled John 14:6: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” 

What a powerful reminder. What a powerful testimony. And what a powerful and sovereign God we serve. Today, Tobin’s life is forever changed, and we’re grateful to share Tobin’s message today that “God’s not finished with us yet, because we’re still here.”

Peter and his wife left to be goers in Southeast Asia with the deep conviction from Scripture that God wanted all tribes, tongues, and nations to worship Him. But those first two years in the field were tough; in fact, they were two of the hardest years he and his wife had ever experienced. When they returned, Peter felt God urging him to reprioritize his marriage and something else too—God began showing Himself to Peter in a fresh way. After a season of exhaustion, God met Peter and his wife with the care that they needed, as their Austin Stone community stepped in to care, empathize, and give them the space to rest and recover.

Peter’s story is ongoing. Through his life and his testimony, we see a God who’s not shy about changing our plans and setting us on new paths—all to see His name made great in our lives and the lives of others!

During her residency at The Austin Stone, Lauren became more deeply rooted in the firm foundation of Christ. But it didn’t happen overnight. Her journey to grow those deep roots started in 2016 when she started attending The Austin Stone. Her heart for ministry quickly grew, and Lauren began discerning whether or not God was calling her to full-time ministry. Through fear but plenty of faith in God’s hand on her life, Lauren left the comfortable world of students and college ministries to apply for the worship ministry.

But Lauren’s residency didn’t end in the worship ministry. The Lord walked with her through a surprising ministry career shift, producing more faith and holiness along the way.

When Carmen’s husband passed away six years ago, she began attending The Austin Stone. At that time, she was struggling with a growing reliance on alcohol. Carmen felt burdened with responsibility, and like many of us, and used alcohol to find some peace. But the Lord used a sermon about idolatry to explicitly call her back to Himself, and from that day forward, despite ups and downs, she was never the same.

Carmen’s is a story of God’s relentless love for us. It’s a story of relapse and recovery. Of a mother who wanted a brighter future for her children. And it’s a story of God’s unending pursuit of His children and His children’s children.

In 2014, Candy and her husband separated, and shortly after, a friend invited her to The Austin Stone. Transitioning churches is always hard, but Candy was committed to link arms with a body of believers that aligned deeply with her love for truth. So she gave The Stone a try, first by listening to a Matt Carter sermon on divorce. “It was probably one of the hardest messages I’ve ever listened to, but also one that felt the most true to me,” she remembers.

In the months to come, Candy experienced the deep loss and pain of divorce. But in God’s kindness, she also experienced countless examples of God’s love for her through her small group and leaders who were active and present with her and her daughters as they searched for hope after divorce. Through all of it, Candy heard the Lord share a consistent message she’s now sharing with all of us:  “Nothing you go through is wasted. Even the hard things we walk through, God uses all of it. No matter how hard it is, God uses all of it for His glory.”

God was faithful to bring these women together to experience His love through one another. Barbara says, “God has continued to knit us together in this relationship. It’s beyond explanation—because all of us are different. All of us have different things going on in our lives. And yet, God has said, ‘This is something I’m giving you.’”

Watch "Celebrating 20 Years of The Austin Stone"

Emancipation Park lasted for over 20 years until the City of Austin seized the privately-held land through a process called ‘eminent domain’ and constructed the first federally-funded housing projects named Rosewood Courts, which still occupy the space today.

To comply with the city-enacted mandate, enforced by the ‘Separate but Equal’ doctrine of U.S. law, the Negro District was created in East Austin, east of East Avenue, which is present-day I-35. The Negro District would house all of the segregated facilities within the city, including a park—a park that we now know as Rosewood Park.

From that point on, the limited resources that the city would invest and put into Black recreation, leisure, and services went into Rosewood Park. But despite all of the violence that created Rosewood Park for the Black population, Black people in Austin still made it their own.

They were united by a shared history of being reduced to a condition, being ‘enslaved’ and never ‘a slave,’ and they were determined to be someone—to become citizens of the United States of America on their own terms. And that's what they did.

When the City of Austin made the decision to become what is renowned for today—a place of pristine green natural spaces, the center of knowledge production and innovative technology—they faced a problem. Black people and their communities dispersed in various parts of the city, stood as a challenge to them achieving their goals.

The city’s solution to this challenge was the creation of the 1928 Master Plan, which designated the area east of East Avenue, or present day I-35, to become the ‘Negro District,’ where all services for Black people were to be located. It was a deliberate and strategic decision to force Black people to move into East Austin. Those residents and community members that decided to remain in place were denied services and public investment.

His presence that day would ensure that I would be here today sharing with you their story and how they organized one of the largest independent associations of Black people within the state of Texas following the emancipation of enslaved Africans in the U.S. The St. John Regular Baptist Association went on to have over 200,000 members in its earlier years.

In a 1904 editorial of the Austin American-Statesman, they predicted that the association and the Negro race will become extinct. It read, ‘When the shackles of slavery were thrown aside, the Negroes, yielding to licentiousness and ignorance will soon disappear.’

Well, they were terribly mistaken because the St. John Regular Baptist Association continues until this very day. Upholding the same determination as those men who sat under that large canopy of the oak tree between 25th and Leon Street that decided they would take the future into their own hands and uplift their people.

The Gospel Coalition and The Austin Stone share a deep Scripture-based love for all of life—including the unborn. Scripture tells us we’re created in God’s image, foreknown, knit together by God in our mother’s womb—fearfully and wonderfully made. From conception to the grave, all life is precious.

So, how should followers of Christ view the sanctity of life and love our neighbor and the unborn in a way that honors God’s creation? Margaret Gibson, the Director of Development at The Source Texas and leader at The Austin Stone, explores the necessity of the whole body of Christ to engage in the pro-life cause and how we are to compassionately engage in supporting the unborn and their mothers.

We must remember one thing, that during that time African people were considered ‘property, not people’ by the broader population. However, enslaved African people in the U.S. actively resisted this notion in demonstrative ways. This is evident in all the ways Africans and their descendants pursued higher learning and made historic contributions in all fields against all odds.

Although HT’s history, like many HBCUs in the U.S., are rooted in the agendas that discounted the interest of Black communities, Black people fought and lost their lives in the very literal sense to take control of their education and their institutions. During every phase of Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ existence, prominent men and women emerged from these institutions and went on to do great things within their communities.

Austin is no different.

It is our hope that this audio tour opens a door for us to see our city in a new way—that it educates us on the history of systemic racism and injustice and prompts us to be advocates for God’s justice and agents of meaningful change. We pray that this tour would arm us with the knowledge of the origins, results, and ongoing effects of injustice in our society and drive us to display the glory of the gospel in new ways.

Please help us spread the word about the podcast by rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts—or wherever you found this episode—and by sharing this episode with your family and friends.

If you have a story to share with us during this time, please visit https://austinstone.org/share.

Finally, for up-to-date information on how The Austin Stone is responding to the new coronavirus, please visit https://austinstone.org/coronavirus.

Click here to read the transcript of this story.

Please help us spread the word about the podcast by rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts—or wherever you found this episode—and by sharing this episode with your family and friends.

If you have a story to share with us during this time, please visit https://austinstone.org/share.

Finally, for up-to-date information on how The Austin Stone is responding to the new coronavirus, please visit https://austinstone.org/coronavirus.

Click here to read the transcript of this story.

Please help us spread the word about the podcast by rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts—or wherever you found this episode—and by sharing this episode with your family and friends.

If you have a story to share with us during this time, please visit https://austinstone.org/share.

Finally, for up-to-date information on how The Austin Stone is responding to the new coronavirus, please visit https://austinstone.org/coronavirus.

Click here to read the transcript of this story.

Please help us spread the word about the podcast by rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts—or wherever you found this episode—and by sharing this episode with your family and friends.

If you have a story to share with us during this time, please visit https://austinstone.org/share.

Finally, for up-to-date information on how The Austin Stone is responding to the new coronavirus, please visit https://austinstone.org/coronavirus.

Click here to read the transcript of this story.

Please help us spread the word about the podcast by rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts—or wherever you found this episode—and by sharing this episode with your family and friends.

If you have a story to share with us during this time, please visit https://austinstone.org/share.

Finally, for up-to-date information on how The Austin Stone is responding to the new coronavirus, please visit https://austinstone.org/coronavirus.

Click here to read the transcript of this story.

Please help us spread the word about the podcast by rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts—or wherever you found this episode—and by sharing this episode with your family and friends.

If you have a story to share with us during this time, please visit https://austinstone.org/share.

Finally, for up-to-date information on how The Austin Stone is responding to the new coronavirus, please visit https://austinstone.org/coronavirus.

Click here to read the transcript of this story.

Please help us spread the word about the podcast by rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts—or wherever you found this episode—and by sharing this episode with your family and friends.

If you have a story to share with us during this time, please visit https://austinstone.org/share.

Finally, for up-to-date information on how The Austin Stone is responding to the new coronavirus, please visit https://austinstone.org/coronavirus.

Click here to read the transcript of this story.

We’ve all been called to be faithful in this season, but in many different ways. Today, across Austin and around the world, doctors and nurses, restaurant owners and delivery drivers, singles and students, moms and dads, artists and accountants, and more, are loving God, their church, their city, and the nations in the midst of this season.

We might be spending our days apart, but in Jesus the church will always be united. These are stories of God’s people—alone, together.

Please help us spread the word about the podcast by rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts—or wherever you found this episode—and by sharing this episode with your family and friends.

If you have a story to share with us during this time, please visit https://austinstone.org/share.

Finally, for up-to-date information on how The Austin Stone is responding to the new coronavirus, please visit https://austinstone.org/coronavirus.

When Hannah Mae was sexually abused at five-years-old, she only remembered feeling confused. Confusion developed into shame, self-loathing, and loneliness that haunted her for years. She became addicted to masturbation and started working in the pornography industry, thinking that these things would make her feel valued.

But deep down, Hannah Mae knew that they wouldn’t save her, and she cried out to God for help. He answered—through a slow, patient process of recovery. Hannah Mae learned that God’s forgiveness is eternal, that she is no more a sinner today than yesterday and tomorrow. She clings to the truth that God calls her His bride, holy and pure. She is His beloved, always and forever.

For more information about the Recovery Ministry of The Austin Stone visit https://austinstone.org/soul-care/. The Austin Stone Counseling Center offers gospel-centered, church-based, clinically-informed counseling. For resources, appointments, and more, visit https://www.austinstonecounseling.org.

The Austin Stone Worship Story team identifies, empowers, and equips artists in the local church to utilize creative storytelling as a means to exalt the name of Jesus. We are a group of photographers, writers, editors, and filmmakers who use our gifts for His glory. For more stories, go to https://austinstone.org/stories.

For more information about the Recovery Ministry of The Austin Stone visit https://austinstone.org/soul-care/. The Austin Stone Counseling Center offers gospel-centered, church-based, clinically-informed counseling. For resources, appointments, and more, visit https://www.austinstonecounseling.org.

The Austin Stone Worship Story team identifies, empowers, and equips artists in the local church to utilize creative storytelling as a means to exalt the name of Jesus. We are a group of photographers, writers, editors, and filmmakers who use our gifts for His glory. For more stories, go to https://austinstone.org/stories.

During her recovery journey, Judy realized how her need for perfection overruled her need for God. She knows now that her purpose in this world is to serve God as His ambassador, loving His people and sharing the gift of compassion. Jesus, her perfect Savior, will always be enough for her.

For more information about the Recovery Ministry of The Austin Stone visit https://austinstone.org/soul-care/. The Austin Stone Counseling Center offers gospel-centered, church-based, clinically-informed counseling. For resources, appointments, and more, visit https://www.austinstonecounseling.org.

The Austin Stone Worship Story team identifies, empowers, and equips artists in the local church to utilize creative storytelling as a means to exalt the name of Jesus. We are a group of photographers, writers, editors, and filmmakers who use our gifts for His glory. For more stories, go to https://austinstone.org/stories.

For more information about the Recovery Ministry of The Austin Stone visit https://austinstone.org/soul-care/. The Austin Stone Counseling Center offers gospel-centered, church-based, clinically-informed counseling. For resources, appointments, and more, visit https://www.austinstonecounseling.org.

The Austin Stone Worship Story team identifies, empowers, and equips artists in the local church to utilize creative storytelling as a means to exalt the name of Jesus. We are a group of photographers, writers, editors, and filmmakers who use our gifts for His glory. For more stories, go to https://austinstone.org/stories.

For more information about the Recovery Ministry of The Austin Stone visit https://austinstone.org/soul-care/. The Austin Stone Counseling Center offers gospel-centered, church-based, clinically-informed counseling. For resources, appointments, and more, visit https://www.austinstonecounseling.org.

The Austin Stone Worship Story team identifies, empowers, and equips artists in the local church to utilize creative storytelling as a means to exalt the name of Jesus. We are a group of photographers, writers, editors, and filmmakers who use our gifts for His glory. For more stories, go to https://austinstone.org/stories.

For more information about the Recovery Ministry of The Austin Stone visit https://austinstone.org/soul-care. The Austin Stone Counseling Center offers gospel-centered, church-based, clinically-informed counseling. For resources, appointments, and more, visit https://www.austinstonecounseling.org.

The Austin Stone Worship Story team identifies, empowers, and equips artists in the local church to utilize creative storytelling as a means to exalt the name of Jesus. We are a group of photographers, writers, editors, and filmmakers who use our gifts for His glory. For more stories, go to https://austinstone.org/stories.

For a long time, Laura stayed in the dark with her struggles and secrets, thinking that she was too far from God for help. The pain of it overwhelmed her. But when she reached out for help and embarked on a journey to recovery, she realized that she could truly heal from her trauma, and the only way was through Christ. Because of His salvation, she feels free to walk in the light and experience the fullness of His joy.

For more information about the Recovery Ministry of The Austin Stone visit https://austinstone.org/soul-care/. The Austin Stone Counseling Center offers gospel-centered, church-based, clinically-informed counseling. For resources, appointments, and more, visit https://www.austinstonecounseling.org.

The Austin Stone Worship Story team identifies, empowers, and equips artists in the local church to utilize creative storytelling as a means to exalt the name of Jesus. We are a group of photographers, writers, editors, and filmmakers who use our gifts for His glory. For more stories, go to https://austinstone.org/stories.

Click here to subscribe and listen to the Recovery trailer now! You can also subscribe to the Stories from The Austin Stone podcast in your favorite podcast player.