Living the Grace Life

Jennifer Sakata
  • 5.0 (43)
  • Christianity
  • Weekly

Welcome to the corner of real grace for your real life. Join Jennifer Sakata and special guests to navigate forgiveness, belonging, and empowerment as faithful expressions of God’s generous grace.  But what is God’s grace? What is it not? What does grace look and sound like amid a busy and full-plated life? Through stories, authentic conversations, and biblical teaching, Jennifer helps bridge the gap between what we think about grace and how we live through it. Each episode helps shift our understanding of grace from a Sunday morning concept to an everyday lived experience. God’s grace is that forward movement that restores connection and rebuilds relationships. Living the Grace Life is a solo and interview podcast committed to transformation, helping you replace the overwhelm of doing more and living less with a slower pace that nurtures God’s real grace in your real life.  Grace for you. Grace for them. Listen in now and let’s grace this life! Connect with Jennifer at https://jennifersakata.com/

  1. 20h ago

    Getting to Gratitude When It's Hard with Jennifer Sakata | Ep. 99

    What do you do when gratitude doesn't come naturally, or when you simply don't feel like being thankful? When the holidays arrive with chaos, disrupted routines, and a turkey that's running behind schedule, getting to gratitude can feel like a challenge. But it isn't impossible. In this solo episode of Living the Grace Life, Jennifer Sakata explores what it looks like to move toward gratitude when real life doesn't cooperate. Gratitude doesn’t erase or change a challenging reality, but it can reshape how we experience and move through it. In this conversation, Jennifer talks about: How the brain's neuroplasticity helps explain the impact of gratitude, even in difficult circumstances. circumstances. Four 'on-ramps' that can help us move toward gratitude when it feels out of reach. Why gratitude isn't another thing to perform well or 'get right' How gratitude is a journey rather than a destination The takeaway? We don’t force our way into gratitude. We make room for it. If gratitude feels hard this season, you're not doing it wrong. There's grace for the journey to simply start from where you are. 💬  Getting to Gratitude Quotes: "Gratitude doesn't alter some hard reality, but it shapes the way you move through it." "Gratitude grows when you give it real estate on your calendar." "The more time you offer to gratitude, the more it displaces ingratitude."   Scripture Mentioned:  Philippians 4:8- Think on things that nurture gratitude.   Resources Mentioned: 🌿 Jennifer Sakata's weekly newsletter, with a digital download of Make Room for the Quieter Voices of Christmas 🌿 The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence and One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp 🌿 Jennifer Dukes Lee's The Every Morning Journal Experience sign-up 🎶 Jennifer's Go-to grace Song, Abide by Aaron Williams   Related Episodes: Ep. 87 I Don't Have to Hold It All Together with Nichole Suvar Ep. 92 Awaken Delight: God is Delicious with Stephanie Rousselle Ep. 90 The Art of Vinemaking with Bette Dickinson   Stay Connected with Jennifer Sakata: 🎁 My FREE gifts to you: Go-To Grace Songs to Deepen Your Faith & Prayers That Change Us 📩 Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive content & episode updates ⭐ If this episode resonated with you, leave a review and share it with a friend!   👉🏼Living the Grace Life is the place where real grace meets real life. Host Jennifer Sakata helps us bridge the gap between grace as a theological idea and lived practice in everyday moments of faith, encouraging listeners to experience forgiveness, freedom, and trust that they then extend to others.   Website | Instagram | Facebook

    Getting to Gratitude When It's Hard with Jennifer Sakata | Ep. 99

  2. Oct 27

    Healing from Trauma: Moving from Survival to Wholeness with Lisa Saruga | Ep. 98

    Where is God when life around you is dark—when trauma has turned your life inside out? Healing from trauma is possible, even when pain runs deep and hope feels out of reach. But moving from survival to wholeness often means facing what has been buried and inviting God into the places that hurt most.  ⚠️Trigger warning: This episode includes discussion about sexual assault and deep trauma. Lisa Saruga is a licensed professional counselor who knows firsthand how trauma can leave pain hidden between layers of fear. Thirty-five years after she was assaulted on her college campus, Lisa's cold case was reopened—and with it, deep wounds she had carried for decades. In her book, The Trauma Tree, Lisa explores the difficult journey of recovery and what it means to welcome God into our deepest pain. Her story offers hope that even when the world doesn't offer a happy ending, we can discover God's presence with us through the darkest places. In this episode, we talk about: Lisa's journey from condemnation to grace How the amygdala responds to trauma and affects mental and physical well-being EMDR and its role in trauma treatment Three questions Lisa uses to help identify personal "property lines" Developing "beautiful boundaries" during healing from trauma Why Lisa uses the term PTSI (Post-Traumatic Stress Injury) Lisa's RAW journaling technique Practical steps for moving from survival toward wholeness Healing from trauma can feel like throwing a mountain into an ocean. The journey is intense, and healing doesn't always come with the happy ending we hope for. But Lisa reminds us that we don't have to walk through the darkness alone—or remain stuck in survival mode.    💬  Healing from Trauma Quotes: "There's nothing wrong with your brain. We just need to figure out how to heal it." "There's something powerful about seeing God write brightness into our future." "It is well with my soul because Jesus is there."   Scripture Mentioned:  Psalm 27:13- I am confident that I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Resources Mentioned: 🌿 Lisa's book The Trauma Tree 🌿 Lisa's grief resources 🌿 Boundaries by Townsend and Cloud 🌿 Newsletter sign-up for Lisa's RAW Journaling Techniques + Trauma Tree Playlist 🎶 Lisa's Go-to grace song, It Is Well by Hillsong Chapel National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-HOPE (800-656-4673) online.rainn.org En Español Llame al 800-656-4673 Connect with Lisa Saruga: Website: LisaSaruga.com Instagram: @LisaSaruga Facebook: @LisaSarugaAuthor   Related Episodes: Ep. 86 How to Forgive When Forgiveness Feels Impossible with Johanna Henderson Ep. 60 Healing from Life's Deepest Hurts with Kim Haar Ep. 36 Don't Hoard Your Healing with Nancy Manassero Stay Connected with Jennifer Sakata: 🎁 My FREE gifts to you: Go-To Grace Songs to Deepen Your Faith & Prayers That Change Us 📩 Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive content & episode updates ⭐ If this episode resonated with you, leave a review and share it with a friend!   👉🏼Living the Grace Life is the place where real grace meets real life. Host Jennifer Sakata helps us bridge the gap between grace as a theological idea and lived practice in everyday moments of faith, encouraging listeners to experience forgiveness, freedom, and trust that they then extend to others.   Website | Instagram | Facebook

    Healing from Trauma: Moving from Survival to Wholeness with Lisa Saruga | Ep. 98

  3. Oct 20

    God's Presence in Grief: Finding Comfort with Lisa Appelo | Ep. 97

    Where is God's welcome in weakness and wreckage? What happens when God's mercy doesn't arrive the way you want it? Where is God's presence in grief? Lisa Appelo went to bed happily married and woke up a widow and single mom to her seven children, ages 4-19. In the wake of tremendous grief, she discovered that many of us are grief-illiterate, with little understanding of how to begin putting the pieces of a shattered life together again. Lisa believes that the way through grief isn't a method; it's a person—the God of all comfort. As we lean into God's character, He meets us at every point of our pain and becomes our comfort in the middle of it.  In this episode, we explore how God's Presence in grief offers comfort, sustaining grace, and hope when life feels undone. We talk about: Lisa's devotional, God of Comfort: A Devotional Journal for the Grieving Heart Moving from being "grief naive" to navigating the messy emotions of grief Why lament matters in the grieving process Sustaining grace and God's Presence during grief The three most important words to hear when grieving How to compassionately support someone who is grieving Grief is disorienting and can leave us feeling isolated and undone. But you don't have to navigate it alone. Let today's conversation remind you that the God of all comfort meets you in your pain—not with a formula to fix your grief, but with His Presence in sustaining you through it.   💬  God's Presence in Grief Quotes: "The way through grief is a Person—our God of comfort." "God never expects us to show up all put together or fake that we’re fine. He says, ‘Come to me. Bring it all to Me.’" "God’s goodness does not start and stop. There are seasons where life doesn’t feel good. But His goodness has not stopped for us."   Scripture Mentioned:  Psalm 147:3- God heals the broken-hearted and bandages wounds Resources Mentioned: 🌿 Lisa's book God of Comfort 🌿 Lisa's grief resources 🌿 Daughters First Retreat and information 🎶 Lisa's Go-to grace song, Held by Natalie Grant Connect with Lisa Appelo: Website: LisaAppelo.com Instagram: @LisaAppelo Facebook: @LisaAppeloAuthor   Related Episodes: Ep. 84 Grateful for COVID? with Evelyn Sherwood Ep. 34 How to Live on Both Sides of Desperate Prayers with Rachel Wojo Ep. 42 God, Can We Chat? with Niki Hardy Stay Connected with Jennifer Sakata: 🎁 My FREE gifts to you: Go-To Grace Songs to Deepen Your Faith & Prayers That Change Us 📩 Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive content & episode updates ⭐ If this episode resonated with you, leave a review and share it with a friend!   👉🏼Living the Grace Life is the place where real grace meets real life. Host Jennifer Sakata helps us bridge the gap between grace as a theological idea and lived practice in everyday moments of faith, encouraging listeners to experience forgiveness, freedom, and trust that they then extend to others.   Website | Instagram | Facebook

    God's Presence in Grief: Finding Comfort with Lisa Appelo | Ep. 97

  4. Oct 13

    Overcoming Emotional Hoarding: How to Let Go with Laurie Davies | Ep. 96

    What do you do when you discover the disconnect between you and Jesus? If a cluttered or hoarded home mirrors a hoarded heart, how do you address emotional hoarding? Laurie Davies, speaker and author of Emotional Hoarding: Letting Go of the Stuff That Keeps You Stuck, believes we can live free, but cleaning house is hard. Laurie helps us recognize the emotional clutter that keeps us bound and discover how God's grace invites us to let go. In this episode, you'll discover: How to deal with regret and the shame that often accompanies it The key question that distinguishes genuine conviction from false guilt How regret can become an invitation to God's grace and welcome  The two questions Laurie asks herself when dealing with anger How the story of Joseph invites us to yield when anger feels easier to grab If regret, anger, bitterness, shame, or false guilt have gotten too cozy in your life, let Laurie's relatability, biblical wisdom, and authentic sense of humor lead the way from emotional hoarding to living free. 💬  Overcome Emotional Hoarding Quotes: "Let God's love go where you don't think it belongs." "If the invitation is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, then I want to free up every bit of capacity that's in me to love Him that way." "When we look at people the way God sees them, that's when we can tell grace has gotten into us. It's in our inner workings now."   Scriptures Mentioned:  Genesis 4 - The Story of Cain and Abel Genesis 37-50 - Joseph's story and waiting in the unfairness Resources Mentioned: 🌿 GIVEAWAY: Enter here through October 19 for your chance at a free copy of Laurie's book 🌿 Laurie's book Emotional Hoarding 🌿 Laurie's Five Days of Living Lighter, FREE 🌿 Daughters First Retreat and information 🎶 Laurie's Go-to grace song, Jesus Paid It All by Fernando Ortega Connect with Laurie Davies: Website: LaurieDavies.com Instagram: @LaurieDaviesAuthor   Related Episodes: Ep. 87 I Don't Have to Hold It All Together with Nichole Suvar Ep. 88 How to Live in the Freedom of Surrender with Mary DeMuth Ep. 86 How to Forgive When Forgiveness Feels Impossible with Johanna Henderson Stay Connected with Jennifer Sakata: 🎁 My FREE gifts to you: Go-To Grace Songs to Deepen Your Faith & Prayers That Change Us 📩 Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive content & episode updates ⭐ If this episode resonated with you, leave a review and share it with a friend!   👉🏼Living the Grace Life is the place where real grace meets real life. Host Jennifer Sakata helps us bridge the gap between grace as a theological idea and lived practice in everyday moments of faith, encouraging listeners to experience forgiveness, freedom, and trust that they then extend to others.   Website | Instagram | Facebook

    Overcoming Emotional Hoarding: How to Let Go with Laurie Davies | Ep. 96

  5. Oct 6

    How to Trust God on the Unwelcome Days | Ep. 95

    How do you trust God when your heart is breaking? When you can barely breathe, afraid after your life has changed irreparably? Learning to trust God on the unwelcome days isn't easy. In this episode, Jennifer Sakata shares three ways to trust God when life turns upside down—through honesty with God, recognizing His Presence, and finding courage to take the next step when the way forward doesn't make sense.  In this episode, you'll discover: Jennifer's journey learning to trust God through her husband's extended unemployment How honesty with God grows trust What we can learn from the Israelites as they crossed into the Promised Land The risky prayer Jennifer has learned to pray on the unwelcome days What we risk when we don't learn how to trust God Why struggling to trust God isn't necessarily a lack of faith Sometimes learning how to trust God isn't about trying harder to have faith. It's about adjusting the direction of our faith—recognizing where God has been present all along, risking honesty with God, and receiving courage to step forward with God when it doesn't make sense.    💬  Grace Quotes: "Trusting God means leaning into the promise that God and His Presence never leave." "Learning to trust God in the unwelcome places requires stepping into situations and circumstances that don't make any sense to us—things we can't control and don't understand." "We have to close our eyes to all the impossibilities and still ourselves to the small quiet voice Who says, 'You are safe with me.'"   Scriptures Mentioned:  2 Corinthians 12:9 - God's response to Paul's thorn in the flesh Matthew 28:18-20 - The Great Commission and Jesus' promise never to leave Joshua 3 - The Israelites crossing into the Promised Land Resources Mentioned: 🌿 FREE downloadable: The Welcoming Prayer by Father Thomas Keating   Related Episodes: Ep. 18 Sometimes I Forget with Julie Sunne Ep. 87 I Don't Have to Hold It All Together with Nichole Suvar Ep. 89 The Art of Vinemaking with Bette Dickinson Stay Connected with Jennifer Sakata: 🎁 My FREE gifts to you: Go-To Grace Songs to Deepen Your Faith & Prayers That Change Us 📩 Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive content & episode updates ⭐ If this episode resonated with you, leave a review and share it with a friend!   👉🏼Living the Grace Life is the place where real grace meets real life. Host Jennifer Sakata helps us bridge the gap between grace as a theological idea and lived practice in everyday moments of faith, encouraging listeners to experience forgiveness, freedom, and trust that they then extend to others.   Website | Instagram | Facebook

    How to Trust God on the Unwelcome Days | Ep. 95

  6. Sep 29

    Struggling to Pray? Don't Try to Pray Like Her with Shellie Tomlinson | Ep. 94

    Do you ever find yourself struggling to pray? Or compare yourself to that friend for whom prayer seems to come effortlessly? If God wants me to pray—and I want to pray—why is prayer so hard? What if struggling to pray doesn't mean you're doing something wrong? Shellie Tomlinson, author of Don't Try to Pray Like Her, invites you to experience prayer, not as a formula to master, but as time spent with a God who actually wants to be with you.  In this episode, we talk about: Shellie's journey from struggling to pray to loving prayer Two ordinary analogies for prayer that lead to actually praying How to respond to unanswered prayer The church's sad secret—and the hiding it can lead to Prayer as an inheritance for those who pursue life through Jesus The surprising impact Shellie's book has had on men Through her desperation, Shellie learned to embrace prayer. Through her words and this conversation, she invites you to do likewise. Because prayer isn't about getting the words right or unlocking some secret pathway. It's about spending time with God, who wants to spend time with you. 💬  Grace Quotes: "God always loves first." "It's not my desire for God that transforms me. It is being in His actual presence that's transformative and prayer takes us there." "Our inheritance as children of the Most High is communion with Him."   Scriptures Mentioned:  John 7:37 - An invitation to bring your thirst to Jesus Ephesians 3:20 - God accomplishes more than you can imagine Resources Mentioned: 🌿 Shellie's book Don't Try to Pray Like Her 🌿 Shellie's FREE resources 🎶 Shellie's Go-to grace song, No One Ever Loved Me Like Jesus by Stephanie Gretzinger Connect with Shellie Rushing Tomlinson: Website: BelleofAllThingsSouthern.com Instagram: @ShellieTomlinson Facebook: @ShellieRushingTomlinson   Related Episodes: Ep. 92 Awaken Delight: God is Delicious with Stephanie Rousselle Ep. 91 Grace and Belonging: Welcome to the Grace of God | Season 3 Opener Ep. 83 The Pursuit of Holy Leisure with Cara Ray Stay Connected with Jennifer Sakata: 🎁 My FREE gifts to you: Go-To Grace Songs to Deepen Your Faith & Prayers That Change Us 📩 Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive content & episode updates ⭐ If this episode resonated with you, leave a review and share it with a friend!   👉🏼Living the Grace Life is the place where real grace meets real life. Host Jennifer Sakata helps us bridge the gap between grace as a theological idea and lived practice in everyday moments of faith, encouraging listeners to experience forgiveness, freedom, and trust that they then extend to others.   Website | Instagram | Facebook

    Struggling to Pray? Don't Try to Pray Like Her with Shellie Tomlinson | Ep. 94

  7. Sep 22

    Uniquely Made in Newness of Life with Mary Rooney Armand | Ep. 93

    What does it mean to be uniquely made by God—and how might embracing the person He created us to be open the door to newness of life? Psalm 139 reminds us that we are beautifully and wonderfully made. But sometimes, the life in front of us tells a very different story. We're impatient and tired, overwhelmed and distracted, distant from God, and unsure of where we belong. We may love the idea of belonging, yet still decide that belonging must be somebody else's story.  Author Mary Rooney Armand wants us to see ourselves differently—as beloved, forgiven, and freed children of God. In this conversation about her book Uniquely Made, Mary and Jennifer talk about what it means to receive the identity God has already given us and walk forward in the newness of life Christ offers. In this episode, we talk about: Walking in newness of life with Christ What we need to turn over to embrace our new identity Strengthening your spiritual C.O.R.E. What forgiveness is—and what it isn't The dual impact of forgiveness and unforgiveness Receiving the welcome of God as His beloved daughter or son Mary Rooney Armand is one of those people who lights up a room with her Southern smile and genuine welcome. Listen in to discover what it might look like to welcome the identity God has given you as a uniquely made daughter or son of the King.   💬  Uniquely Made Quotes: "God didn't just use flawed people. He used their stories to build His Kingdom, and that's the nature of grace." "We are all extended the same cup of grace." "There's no expiration date on God's grace, forgiveness, and on His ability to use you for His purpose."   Scripture Mentioned:  Romans 6:4 - Walk in newness of life Resources Mentioned: 🌿 Mary's books Uniquely Made + Life Changing Stories 🌿 4 Lessons on Surrender and Grace by Jennifer Sakata 🌿 How to Forgive and Surrender with Mary + Jennifer on YouTube 🎶 Mary's Go-to grace song, The Goodness of God by Cece Winans Connect with Mary Rooney Armand: Website: ButterflyLiving.org Instagram: @ButterflyLiving_ Facebook: @ButterflyLiving2022   Related Episodes: Ep. 91 Grace and Belonging: Welcome to the Grace of God | Season 3 Opener Ep. 90 Grace Says You Belong Here with Jennifer Dukes Lee as Host Ep. 83 The Pursuit of Holy Leisure with Cara Ray Stay Connected with Jennifer Sakata: 🎁 My FREE gifts to you: Go-To Grace Songs to Deepen Your Faith & Prayers That Change Us 📩 Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive content & episode updates ⭐ If this episode resonated with you, leave a review and share it with a friend!   👉🏼Living the Grace Life is the place where real grace meets real life. Host Jennifer Sakata helps bridge the gap between grace as a theological idea and lived practice in everyday moments of faith, encouraging listeners to experience forgiveness, freedom, and trust that they then extend to others.   Website | Instagram | Facebook

    Uniquely Made in Newness of Life with Mary Rooney Armand | Ep. 93

  8. Sep 15

    How to Awaken Delight: God is Delicious with Stephanie Rousselle | Ep. 92

    How do you know a fake from the real thing? Think imitation vanilla versus that luscious flavor scraped straight from the vanilla bean. One is manufactured; the other contains the substance to awaken delight.  What if the same is true of our spiritual lives? What if delight isn't something we produce—but something we receive as we awaken to the goodness and Presence of God?  Stephanie Rousselle is a former atheist who once resolved to live inside the fullness of God's grace for seven days. Thirty years later, she is still proclaiming the life-changing truth she discovered: God is delicious. In her book Awaken Delight, Stephanie invites us to rediscover delight as a gift from God and a way of experiencing His Presence.  She describes delight as "the quiet revolution that reshapes how we endure pain, love others, and understand our own heart." Stephanie invites us to a fresh awakening and a deeper understanding of what it means to "taste and see that God is good." In our conversation, we explore: The staggering claims God makes on our lives The "fake vanillas" we reach for instead of the real thing How delight and deliciousness invite us to taste and see the goodness of God Spiritual practices and disciplines as an extension of God's welcome to us The surprising relationship between pain and delight How pruning can become an invitation to trust God If you've ever found yourself exhausted trying to manufacture spiritual feelings or make yourself "better" at faith, this conversation offers a different way. What if delight begins, not with striving, but with receiving? What if God Himself is the deepest joy we've been looking for?   💬  Awaken Delight Quotes: "God has used the way he has wired us to welcome him." "There's absolutely nothing you can do for God to make him love you more. And there is nothing you can do for God to make him love you less." "True happiness is found in delighting in God, not in the fleeting pursuit of happiness our culture endeavors."   Scripture Mentioned:  John 15 - Abide in the Vine Resources Mentioned: 🌿  Awaken Delight 5-Day Devotional 🌿 Awaken Delight book 🎶  Stephanie's Go-to grace song, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus by Helen Lemmel Connect with Stephanie Rousselle: Website: GospelSpice.com Instagram: @GospelSpiceLife Facebook: @GospelSpice   Related Episodes: Ep. 90 Grace Says You Belong Here with Jennifer Dukes Lee as Host Ep. 67 Awakening to the Spirit of Christmas with Cynthia Ruchti Ep. 39 God's Steadfast Love in Daily Life with Rachael Adams Stay Connected with Jennifer Sakata: 🎁 My FREE gifts to you: Go-To Grace Songs to Deepen Your Faith & Prayers That Change Us 📩 Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive content & episode updates ⭐ If this episode resonated with you, leave a review and share it with a friend!   👉🏼Living the Grace Life is the place where real grace meets real life. Host Jennifer Sakata helps bridge the gap between grace as a theological idea and lived practice in everyday moments of faith, encouraging listeners to experience forgiveness, freedom, and trust that they then extend to others.   Website | Instagram | Facebook

    How to Awaken Delight: God is Delicious with Stephanie Rousselle | Ep. 92
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About

Welcome to the corner of real grace for your real life. Join Jennifer Sakata and special guests to navigate forgiveness, belonging, and empowerment as faithful expressions of God’s generous grace.  But what is God’s grace? What is it not? What does grace look and sound like amid a busy and full-plated life? Through stories, authentic conversations, and biblical teaching, Jennifer helps bridge the gap between what we think about grace and how we live through it. Each episode helps shift our understanding of grace from a Sunday morning concept to an everyday lived experience. God’s grace is that forward movement that restores connection and rebuilds relationships. Living the Grace Life is a solo and interview podcast committed to transformation, helping you replace the overwhelm of doing more and living less with a slower pace that nurtures God’s real grace in your real life.  Grace for you. Grace for them. Listen in now and let’s grace this life! Connect with Jennifer at https://jennifersakata.com/

Information

  • Creator
    Jennifer Sakata
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    99
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Living the Grace Life

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