Seasons of Life with Ashley Earwood #24 REAIR

Hosts Dan, Terry, and Brian are joined by a very special guest, Terry's daughter Ashley Earwood, to talk about navigating the seasons of life!

They will help you live your life with purpose, change someone’s life for the better and leave a lasting impact on those around you. Everyone starts the race... but only the Fearless Finish Strong!
 
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Verses Referenced:
Ecclesiastes 3
James 4:13-16
Proverbs 1:3
Jeremiah 17
Proverbs 31

Transcript

Terry Steen: 0:02

I don't want to take all the credit but

Dan Wheeler: 0:10

Well, that leads to the next question actually has your dad ever giving you any helpful advice? After the age of seven?

Terry Steen: 0:17

You don't have to answer that actually.

John Matarazzo: 0:21

Live your life with purpose change someone's life for the better, and leave a lasting impact on those around you. Welcome to finish strong the podcast designed to help you discover your unique purpose and develop a plan to leave a powerful legacy. In this episode, Dan, Bryan and Terry are joined by a special guest to talk about the different seasons of life. Now let's get started.

Dan Wheeler: 0:45

In Psalm 31 of the Bible, David says my times are in your hands, of course he's talking about in the hands of the Lord and all of our times are in his hands. Today, we're going to talk about the times we go through and the seasons of life that we all experience. We have a special guest, who has earned her master's degree in marketing. She is the co founder of color outside marketing and branding company. She's a mother of three, a communications director at her church. She's the head of the women's ministry. She is 37 years old, and yet she's accomplished so much. She also happens to be the daughter of one of the founding members of fearless faith. My name is Dan Wheeler Brian Rowland is here and Terry Steen is here. We are the founders of fearless faith. And Terry, I'm going to have you introduce this special young lady that I just described.

Terry Steen: 1:42

It, of course, would be my pleasure. She's an exceptional woman. She's mature beyond her years. In fact, I think about the time she hits seven, she and I hit the same maturity level and hasn't changed too much since she wrote.

Dan Wheeler: 2:00

Yeah, you know, I didn't say her name. So could you say her name?

Terry Steen: 2:04

Yes. Ashley Yearwood. Ashley, welcome to finish strong.

Ashley Earwood: 2:10

Thank you so much, guys. I'm so glad to be here today. I'm so honored. And honestly, it's been such a treat and a privilege to watch fearless faith grow over the years, I got to see you guys starting out and just stepping out in faith. And it's been such a privilege to watch God bless your ministry and just get to kind of be on the sidelines cheering you on. It's really exciting.

Terry Steen: 2:35

Thanks, Ash. And, you know, we appreciate you coming on with all these old men. So you may need to provide the energy, we tend to doze off here and there. So you've got a lot of responsibility. So

Ashley Earwood: 2:49

I have a feeling you bring enough energy, as,

Terry Steen: 2:54

hey, we want to talk about in this session, seasons of life. And as you know, there are so many seasons that come and go and with you being a young woman, you have different seasons in life than the three of us to, and we were I was thinking that just a few weeks ago, you actually have the opportunity to speak to your church, your your, your husband's the pastor of the church, you so you're a pastor's wife on top of everything else you're doing. And you got that opportunity to speak on seasons of life. So I thought it'd be perfect to have you on here and share your heart share some of the information that you learned and gained through your scripture study. So why don't you just open up and start with what made you do that sermon? What was the impetus that got you reflecting on seasons of life?

Ashley Earwood: 3:55

Sure, it's honestly, it's a it's a topic that I'm really passionate about. Not only because I've seen the Lord teach me a lot through the various seasons that I've walked through being only 37 years old, I know I have a lot more ahead of me. But I, anybody who's lived just a couple years can can kind of figure out that God works. And God has designed our lives, to be lived through seasons. And I feel like if we can kind of grasp that and understand that we can learn to be much more fruitful, and much more productive in each season of life. And so it's something that I'm passionate about. And as you mentioned, my husband and I are our pastors. And so being in ministry, I've run the gamut of working with different generations. So we've we've been youth pastors where I've had the opportunity to mentor young teenagers all the way to we've we've pastored a church of retirees to now pastoring a more multi generational church. And so I have a lot of respect for the gamut of the seasons of life and all the different challenges and all the different things that come along with being different ages and things like that. And so that was really my heart behind my message to our church was the importance of seasons and truly how every season of life has significance. That was something that I really found to hit a nerve with people as every season is significant. And God's word really tells us that that's not just something, you know, I'm giving lip service to, because in Ecclesiastes three, Solomon, the wisest man ever wrote, there's a season for everything. Yeah. And it's time and a purpose for everything under heaven. And so that was really the gamut of and kind of the purpose behind that of understanding the seasons of our life. And that God is not limited by the season that you're in, God's not limited by your environment, your soil, your fruit, he can do anything, no matter the season, and he can produce fruit in your life, no matter where you're at. Yeah,

Terry Steen: 6:16

that's good. That's good. Well, you've been you've been able to minister to you've mentioned all these different age groups. So what would you say was the common misconception that you see when it comes to how people approach their individual seasons of life?

Ashley Earwood: 6:32

That's a great question. I think, typically, when, when you're in a maybe younger season of life, it's easy to want to rush through. And I found working with older women more recently, some of those later seasons in life, it's hard to perhaps find or believe the significance in them. And that's, that's a general blanket statement. Obviously, that doesn't apply to everybody. But I think I have seen that the people that will slow down and recognize and look for the ways that God is trying to develop them in every season. And I can speak from experience in myself, there certainly may be seasons of life when I was raising babies that that could not go fast enough. There was so much to be developed in me and so much that I learned in that season, that now I wish I could go back. And so I think that's that's kind of a common challenge for all of us.

Brian Roland: 7:42

lashes, they're still story or a passage from the Bible that was say, really, as illuminated this idea of seasons for you.

Ashley Earwood: 7:49

Yeah. When you think through the book of Ruth, there's this story of Ruth and Naomi, her mother in law, right. And they found themselves at the beginning of the book, married women, and then very quickly became widows, that was an immediate, drastic change of their season of life. Yeah, then they traveled to a new land, a new place, and again, found themselves in a brand new season of life. And so I love that story. Because I see partnership and mentorship Between a younger and an older woman. And really watching this younger woman who's finding herself in a brand new place, doesn't know anybody learning about this God that she doesn't know. And yet, allowing the older woman to speak into her life to guide her to lead her. And ultimately, the story has an incredibly happy ending. And these both of these women find themselves in a brand new season of fruitfulness, and generations to come.

Brian Roland: 9:00

You said something that was really hit me there. I always thought of seasons of life, like my 20s, my 30s, my 40s, my 50s. But suddenly, they lost their husbands. And they were in a new season. So it could have been she's in her 20s Or the ones in her 50s. And yet, they're out. They're both in a new season automatically, and not just the generation.

Ashley Earwood: 9:20

Exactly. And I think that's what's so beautiful, is that seasons really aren't limited to our age, right? Yeah. Many times it's based on circumstances. It's based on your environment. And so there's, we limit ourselves so much generationally to be able to learn and grow from one another.

Terry Steen: 9:41

Ashley, you mentioned the mentoring part there and you know, we have a number of ladies that are let's just say not your age, that listen to this podcast, what would be your challenge or your thoughts to share with them how How important is that mentoring? How has that impacted you personally? Have you had an older mentor that's been helpful to you?

Ashley Earwood: 10:08

Absolutely. I really believe there's some misconceptions about mentorship, that really make it a challenge for for people, perhaps women or men even, to get over. And so I've really been able to find mentors in my life that maybe not, don't, don't speak to every aspect of my life. But I can learn one thing from, you know, maybe I can learn about mothering from this woman, maybe this woman is going to teach me how to be a better cook, maybe this woman is going to teach me how to be a better wife, or how to study the Bible more, you know. And so I don't think we can limit that idea of mentorship. But it's also so important. And so I really encourage the older ladies in our church, to not believe that lie that their fruitful years are behind them. But there's actually a lot more investment that God really has. For them. There's a lot of purpose, I believe in the older generation to really speak life into perhaps ladies my age, or even a younger generation.

Dan Wheeler: 11:16

You mentioned earlier that you kind of wanted to rush through the early stage with your kids, the baby stage, and it reminds me I used to always say to my girls, you're growing up too fast, slow down. And now my oldest daughter is saying the same thing to her kids. There's a song by Kenny Chesney called Don't blink. And he talks about how fast it goes. And I think Brian Terry and I, at our age, we look back and we realize that our life is but a vapor. So it is important to really cherish each season and find a purpose in every season. How have you been able to do that?

Ashley Earwood: 11:54

That's a great question. I don't know that I've done it well, in every season. But I think a lot of the success of that comes from again, just that close walk with the Lord, and constantly reevaluating your surrender to the Lord to say, you know, man, God, I don't really like this season. I don't like the environment that I'm in right now. But would you change my heart? Would you help me see what I can't see? Would you change my perspective? Would you would you let help me learn what I need to in this season. And sometimes it's as simple as help me learn quickly so that we can move on from the season. And then you know, other times, there's seasons, you don't want to end. But either way, I think that, that surrender to the Lord and in searching his well and his purpose.

Terry Steen: 12:46

Yeah, I think as we as the three of us have gotten older, it's a little bit easier to reflect back and think about some of the different seasons. And while we were in them, we did not want to be in. But now as we reflect back, it's like, oh, so that that was first season, it was only for a certain period of time. And there was some benefit to that. And until you get past it, and be able to look back and reflect on it, you can appreciate that Kenya,

Ashley Earwood: 13:22

my husband and I live in Northern California, and we live in an agricultural area. And so there's grape vines everywhere and cherry trees, there's groves of almond trees. I mean, there's, there's so much agriculture, and so we have fruit trees in our backyard for the first time ever. And it's been such a joy to watch, especially with our children, the process of these trees bearing fruit, and watch the change in these plants through the seasons. And I see now, why so many of Jesus's examples have to do you know, with the vine and the branch and the seasons of life, because even though you might not see, the final product of the fruit on the tree doesn't mean that there's not a lot of work and activity happening behind the scenes and under the surface and within the roots. And I think if we can see our lives and our spiritual lives that way, there's a lot more fulfillment and purpose. And each season.

Dan Wheeler: 14:27

David mentions in Psalm one three, that if we are following the Lord walking in his ways will be like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season. And as you mentioned, important to find that fruit and each season I'm wondering how you would describe a season of life because it's not necessarily a certain period of years. It's kind of where you are in your development with your children and and as time goes by, but as Brian mentioned, with Naomi and Ruth, you know, you lose a spouse suddenly that's the new season. I've experienced that it's a whole new season, when suddenly you're alone after you've been with someone for 36 years as I was, how would you describe a season?

Ashley Earwood: 15:10

That's a hard question, right? Because I think much of our seasons are circumstantial, I would consider our circumstances or our environments can sometimes dictate our seasons. And so just like you said, our relationships, how our relationships change. And that means that at any point, within an hour, within a day, within a week, your season could change. Definitely less based on your age.

Dan Wheeler: 15:41

Good answer. Yeah.

Terry Steen: 15:42

Yeah. You know, who comes to my mind. And it is Joseph, when you look at his life, and you look at the different seasons, he was the dad's favorite with a great coat. He was hated by his brothers. Next thing, you know, he's in the pit ready to be killed, then he's sold us and I don't need to go through the whole story. But the reality is when you see the seasons he went through, where he had the huge highs where he was basically running Pharaoh's entire household. And then the next thing you know, he's in prison, then he's back running the country. And it's just He's all over the map. And each one of those is a season. And in each of those times, he learned when he was in the pit, he learned, oh, man, I better not be so boastful. I better be a little more humble. Then he's in prison. And he and he learned administrative responsibilities, he learned to hear God through vision and dreams. And so each step was a learning process. But Joseph is a great example of going through the different seasons of light. And I see

Brian Roland: 16:53

to over in Proverbs 31. I love that because I remember she says to my mom all the time about the wife of noble character, and we talked about that. And I always reflect that. And I would go verse after verse, because this is your mom, this is you. But she was the same what you were saying she was rooted, and she kept renewing her strength to the Lord. And I think that this verse I really like is 31, verse 25, where it says, She is clothed with strength and dignity, she can laugh at the days to come. And I think that is great, because it's like, whatever is going to come at you next, she's ready for and it's a new season, which is going to be able to handle and that's that's what I take out of that to what you were saying about the tree and the root of the how perfect that was.

Ashley Earwood: 17:35

I love that Brian, that actually reminds me of Jeremiah 17, that talks about being a tree planted by the water, and says that it spreads out its roots by the river. And it will not fear the heat when it comes. But its leaves will be green and moist, and it won't be anxious and concerned in a year of drought, nor stop bearing fruit. And I love that picture of it doesn't matter the season. It doesn't matter if it's summer, winter, fall spring, if you're planted in the Lord, if you're a person who trust and relies on the Lord, then you're always going to be bearing fruit no matter the season.

Dan Wheeler: 18:14

Yeah. Ashley, do you think there's a way people can prepare for the next season that could be coming? Are you starting to prepare for a next season in your life?

Ashley Earwood: 18:24

Absolutely. I mean, particularly being a mother and having young kids in the house and I'm kind of halfway through that mothering journey, my oldest is 12. I'm, I'm really realizing in the in these moments in in these days, how quickly time goes. And so it's really awakened me to be in incredibly purposeful and incredibly intentional. And what I would say maybe the second half of my parenting journey before my kids are at that age where they're leaving the house or graduating high school. And so even now, I'm having conversations with the Lord about God, what do you what do you want to do in me, so that I can be a better mom and this next season of parenting teenagers? What? What do I need to change in my life, so that I can be a better model to my soon to be teenage daughters, you know, what, what are the things that we need to work on in our marriage so that we're a better example, as our kids get older and older. So I think whether it's parenting or work or whatever it may be, there's always opportunity to make sure that we're preparing ourselves in our walk with the Lord, to be ready for whatever that next season is.

Terry Steen: 19:43

And if I could just add, she has some exceptional children. And I don't want to take all the credit but

Dan Wheeler: 19:58

Well, that leads to the next question. To the actually has your dad ever giving you helpful advice? After the age of seven?

Terry Steen: 20:05

You don't have to answer that Ashley

Ashley Earwood: 20:11

was, I am so blessed to have him as my father. And I was thinking about it. Dad has lived his life in such a way that we didn't necessarily have this relationship where he was just constantly giving me advice. I really believe he set the example for me to learn by living his life. Well, you know, he is he is an absolute follower of Jesus, He is the quintessential servant. And I learned so much from him just watching how he lived his life. And I believe that, again, going back to just that seasons and generations, I believe that is how we can invest in one another. And the importance of learning from others in their seasons is having that community and having those relationships where we can learn just by watching other people's lives.

Terry Steen: 21:02

So if somebody's cutting on you, and you

Dan Wheeler: 21:04

can't see it, but Terry's tearing up, he needs a box of tissues. Must make you proud, Terry, seriously, we tease you a lot. But I agree with everything. Ashley says I don't know if Brian and John do but I do.

Terry Steen: 21:21

Yeah. If if we have some of our listeners that may be going through a tough season. It's it's much easier to handle going through a great season when everything's high. You don't need too much input on how to handle that outside of don't get prideful. But what what would you have to say for someone who is going through a challenging season right now. And like Dan had said earlier, we had gotten some prayer requests and that people, there's some people that are just ready to throw in the towel and give up. And they're wondering if this season will ever end? How could you encourage,

Ashley Earwood: 21:59

I think I would say two things. One is that seasons change. And that's the beautiful thing about seasons is that they're not permanent. They're not forever, you're not always going to be in this season. And in this situation. I know it feels like it when you're when you're going through the valley. But you're not going to be there forever. And the second thing I would just say is to in every season, but particularly those hard ones, you've got to lean into Jesus, you've got to lean into the Lord and His Word. And if there's nothing else to do, but read the Psalms and pray, you know, praise him through the pain, then fight to do that, because he will meet you where you're at. And he will, he will encourage you and he will walk with you through that.

Dan Wheeler: 22:49

Well, that's a great conclusion. Ashley, thank you so much for being with us, Terry, thanks for sharing your daughter with us and her time, she's taught us a lot about seasons in life. And now, guys, as we wrap up, I think there's a passage in James for 13 and 14, which is really critical. It says Now listen, you who say today or tomorrow, we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money while you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life, you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes? Instead you ought to say if it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that. So guys, you know, we need to finish strong by realizing that every day of every season we are in as a gift. What are your thoughts about that? So

Terry Steen: 23:44

true. So true. And and I think it's just I think something I've taken away from this conversation is just to realize, and be more reflective that we are going through seasons. And if we acknowledge them, then I think we can focus in and deal with them a little bit better.

Dan Wheeler: 24:01

Yeah. And we realize that Karen did do a really good job with that. You did. You did have some input there. Brian, what are your thoughts as we wrap up?

Brian Roland: 24:10

Oh, I was thinking that, you know, when you're going through a season, and if you're walking with the Lord, and then you get out of that season in, you know, get away from them, and then get back into it again, how much you've lost and that time that that you've given away, you basically just gave it up. And so it's really critical that you stay in the word like Ashley was saying you dig deeper and get those roots.

Dan Wheeler: 24:32

Thanks again, Ashley. It's been a pleasure having you.

Ashley Earwood: 24:35

Thank you for having me. Yeah, thank you so much.

Dan Wheeler: 24:38

I'm gonna end by going back to something Ashley said at the very beginning, every season is significant. And God has planted each of us for a purpose and that purpose is to bear fruit. God bless you. Thanks for listening. And please join us again for our next episode of finished strong with fearless faith.

John Matarazzo: 25:01

Thank you for listening to finish strong. For more information about finished strong and fearless faith, check out their website F faith.org. Make sure that you rate and review this podcast to help more people accomplish their God given purpose so that together we can finish strong