In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, Christine Chappell interviews Jen Oshman about her book, Enough About Me: Finding Lasting Joy in the Age of Self, exploring how the gospel of Jesus Christ calls us to look away from ourselves in order to find the abundant life God offers us. During the conversation, Jen explains how the western worldview of "self" has developed over the centuries, and why the progressive shift of placing "self" above all else has reaped devastating consequences in our relationships and communities. She unpacks statements such as, "Do what makes you happy" and "God will never give you more than you can handle," and explains how a biblically-informed view of self contradicts popular approaches to personal purpose and fulfillment. Jen also touches on the panic surrounding the global spread of the coronavirus and offers insights into what the outbreak reveals about the nature of the human heart.
Like the alluring but destructive creatures in Greek mythology, self is a Siren. We are indeed attracted to ourselves. But rooting ourselves in ourselves has led to our ruin. The I-can-do-this self-talk and building ourselves up from the inside has exhausted us. We see now that there is no rest for the one who depends on herself for everything.
About the Podcast
The Hope + Help Podcast offers compassionate biblical conversations about life's challenging problems. The purpose of the podcast is to share Christ-centered comfort and clarity for those seeking biblical solutions for the struggles they face. The podcast accomplishes this by offering a mix of interviews with seasoned biblical counseling professionals and ministry leaders on a variety of topics. Listeners can expect to receive biblical wisdom as well as practical steps for facing suffering, struggling, and sin with courage and grace. Hosted by author/writer Christine M. Chappell.
About the Guest
Jen Oshman is a wife, mom, and writer, and has served as a missionary and pastor’s wife for two decades on three continents. She currently resides in Colorado, where her family planted Redemption Parker, an Acts29 church.
About the Book
Women today feel a constant pressure to improve themselves and just never feel like they’re “enough.” They live their daily lives disheartened, disillusioned, and disappointed. That’s because joy doesn’t come from a new self-improvement strategy; it comes from rooting their identity in who God says they are and what he has done on their behalf. This book calls women to look away from themselves in order to find the abundant life God offers them—contrasting the cultural emphasis on personal improvement and empowerment with what the Scriptures say about a life rooted, built up, and established in the gospel.
About Your Host
Christine M. Chappell
Author • Writer • Podcast Host • Speaker
Christine Chappell is the author of Clean Home, Messy Heart, Help! My Teen is Depressed, and is the host of IBCD's Hope + Help Podcast. She is passionate about advocating for biblical one-another care and discipleship in the context of the local church. Her writing has been featured at Desiring God, The Gospel Coalition, Risen Motherhood, Servants of Grace, and other Christian platforms. Christine blogs regularly at christinemchappell.com and lives in South Carolina with her husband and three children.
Recently on the Hope + Help Podcast
Click to learn more about my weekly resources.
Every week, a different topic.
Carefully curated Christ-centered resources designed to equip you to face life's spiritual challenges with courage and clarity.
Helpful for sufferers, strugglers, and supporters alike.
Click the picture to the left, or the mail icon above to learn more about my weekly deliveries.
Or, if you know you want to receive them already–complete the form below.
Helpful for sufferers, strugglers, and supporters alike.
Click the picture to the left, or the mail icon above to learn more about my weekly deliveries.
Or, if you know you want to receive them already–complete the form below.
