Wake Her Soul Podcast

Camille Campins Adams + Shawna Brea Kalamatas

A space for women to peel back the layers of culture and conditioning so they can wake up to God’s truth, live their faith with courage, and walk boldly in their purpose. wakehersoul.substack.com

  1. 4d ago

    Between Seasons Week 3: What Has First Place?

    We’ve spent the last two weeks looking back at the first half of Season 2. Pressure asked what life was revealing in us. Purity asked what God was asking us to surrender. And then we moved into Priorities. This is where things get practical. Because most of us already know what we’re supposed to say matters most. God. Family. Faith. Calling. Relationships. Health. Purpose. The problem is that priorities are not really proven by what we say matters. They’re revealed by what consistently receives our life. Our time. Our attention. Our emotional energy. Our money. Our thoughts. Our yes. That is what makes this mini arc so useful to revisit. Because the question is not: What do I say is important? The question is: What does the way I’m currently living say is important? Priorities leave evidence You can learn a lot about your priorities by looking at what gets the first and best of you. What gets your first thoughts in the morning? What gets the best part of your energy? What receives the most emotional investment? What occupies your mind when no one is asking you to think about it? What consistently gets your money? What consistently gets your time? What gets your strongest reaction when it is threatened? That last one can be especially revealing. Because we often discover what matters most to us not only by what we pursue, but by what we panic over losing. And sometimes what we find is uncomfortable. We say God is first, but He gets whatever is left. We say our family matters, but our attention is always somewhere else. We say we want peace, but we feed anxiety all day long. We say we value rest, but we treat exhaustion like a badge of honor. We say we want to live on purpose, but we give our best energy to things that do not actually matter very much. And none of that means we are terrible people. It means life drifts. Priorities drift. Attention drifts. And every once in a while, we need to stop long enough to notice where everything has gone. The soul always follows something When Shawna and I built these mini arcs, we kept coming back to the movement of the soul. Mind. Emotions. Will. And I think Priorities made that progression especially clear. The mind asks: What occupies me? The heart asks: What am I emotionally attached to? The will asks: What repeatedly receives my yes? Those three questions together tell us a lot. Because something can take up very little time and still occupy enormous emotional space. Something can look harmless on a calendar and still have a grip on our heart. And something can matter deeply to us in theory while rarely receiving an actual yes. That gap is worth noticing. Not with shame. With honesty. First place is not always obvious Jesus says in Matthew 6 that where our treasure is, our heart will be there also. I think we often read that only in terms of money. But treasure is broader than that. Treasure is what we protect. What we prioritize. What we invest in. What we keep returning to. What we believe we cannot live without. And sometimes the things that move into first place are not bad things. That is what makes this tricky. Work can be good. Family can be good. Ministry can be good. Ambition can be good. Planning can be good. Serving can be good. Even productivity can be good. But a good thing in the wrong place can still disorder a life. The question is not only: Is this good? It is: Is this in its proper place? That distinction matters. Because God is not simply asking for a place somewhere in our priorities. He asks for first place. Not because He is insecure. Because everything else works better when it is ordered beneath Him. What does your life say? So here is a simple audit. Not theoretical. Actual. If someone looked at the last thirty days of your life, what would they conclude matters most to you? What gets your: First thoughts? Best energy? Most emotional investment? Most money? Most time? Strongest reaction when threatened? And then ask: Does the answer match what I say is most important? That question is not always fun. But it is clarifying. Because priorities are eventually visible. They show up. And if what we see does not match what we believe, that is not a reason to spiral. It is an invitation to reorder. Reordering is not punishment I think sometimes we hear the word “priorities” and immediately brace for a guilt trip. Do more. Wake up earlier. Be more disciplined. Stop wasting time. Get your life together. But that is not what I mean. Reordering is not punishment. It is stewardship. It is making sure the life God actually gave you is being spent on what He is actually asking you to care about. That may mean doing less. It may mean saying no. It may mean releasing something good because it is consuming too much. It may mean giving attention back to a relationship that has been living on leftovers. It may mean making space for quiet. It may mean changing the way your mornings begin. It may mean admitting that something has become more important than it should be. It may mean choosing faithfulness over efficiency. This is where Priorities stops being a productivity conversation and becomes a spiritual one. WAKE through Priorities So let’s take this mini arc through WAKE. W — WONDER Start by noticing without immediately trying to fix. What does my current life reveal? What receives most of my attention? What do I think about the most? What do I protect most fiercely? Where does my emotional energy go? What do I keep saying matters that rarely receives time? What would surprise me if I looked honestly at the evidence? Wonder is not accusation. It is curiosity in the presence of God. And maybe the prayer is simply: Lord, help me see my life clearly. A — ADMIT Then tell the truth. Maybe: I have said You are first while giving You what is left. I have allowed work to take more of me than it should. I have been distracted in relationships that deserve my presence. I have given too much emotional energy to things I cannot control. I have said yes because I wanted approval. I have confused busyness with faithfulness. I have neglected something You already told me matters. I have let a good thing move into the wrong place. Admission is not about creating guilt. It is about ending denial. K — KNEEL Now ask what needs to be reordered. Kneeling says: God, You get first place. Not just in what I believe. In what I build. In what I schedule. In what I protect. In what I spend. In what I pursue. In what I say yes to. And maybe the surrender is very specific. This ambition. This schedule. This relationship dynamic. This need to be needed. This fear of disappointing people. This habit of filling every empty space. This thing I have gripped too tightly because I am afraid of what will happen if I let it go. Kneeling puts everything back under His authority. Not because everything needs to disappear. Because everything needs its proper place. E — EMBODY And then: What changes practically? This is where Priorities becomes real. Maybe you put your phone somewhere else in the morning. Maybe you block off time for prayer before the day fills up. Maybe you protect dinner. Maybe you say no to one thing. Maybe you say yes to something you have been neglecting. Maybe you move money. Maybe you make the appointment. Maybe you stop treating rest as optional. Maybe you ask the person closest to you: Do you feel like you are getting what is left of me? That question might tell you a lot. The goal is not to overhaul your entire life in one week. It is to ask: What one thing needs to move back into its proper place? And then move it. The priority audit If you want to sit with this more deeply, take five minutes this week and write down what currently receives your: First thoughts. Best energy. Most attention. Most money. Most time. Strongest emotional reaction. Then ask one final question: Does the evidence of my life reflect what I say matters most? If the answer is yes in some places, thank God for that. If the answer is no in others, do not panic. Just pay attention. Because awareness gives us somewhere to begin. Where marriage makes this interesting This is another place where I am already thinking about Season 3. Because one of the things marriage does is complicate priorities in a good way. You are no longer ordering only your own life. Two people bring two histories. Two personalities. Two ways of making decisions. Two sets of expectations. Two callings. Two ideas about time. Money. Family. Work. Rest. What deserves attention. What can wait. And then somehow you learn how to seek God together. That has not always been simple for David and me. There have absolutely been seasons where we were not valuing the same things in the same way at the same time. Seasons where work took too much. Seasons where one of us was carrying something the other did not fully understand. Seasons where our priorities had to be renegotiated because life changed. And those conversations have shaped us. That is one of the reasons I am excited to have David sitting across from me in Season 3. Not because we have figured out the perfect order for a life. But because we have had to keep asking the question: What matters now, and how do we honor God in it together? We will get there. For now, stay here. Before we move forward Pressure asked: What is being revealed? Purity asked: What needs to be surrendered? Priorities asks: What needs to be reordered? So this week: WONDER: What does my current life reveal about what I value? ADMIT: What has moved out of order? KNEEL: What am I gripping too tightly? EMBODY: What one thing needs to move back into its proper place? Do not try to fix everything. Pick one thing. One shift. One yes. One no. One place where what you believe and how you live can move a little closer together. Because priorities are not proven by what we value in theory. They are revealed by what consistently receives our life. And the beautiful thing about noticing that somethi

    Between Seasons Week 3: What Has First Place?

  2. Oct 6

    Between Seasons Week 2: What Purity Requires

    Pressure. What happens when life gets loud.What rises in us when we feel squeezed.What pressure reveals about our fears, our reactions, our need for control, and ultimately what we are anchored to. And one of the things I keep coming back to is this: Seeing something is not the same thing as surrendering it. We can become aware of a pattern and keep living in it. We can recognize fear and continue to let it lead us. We can hear conviction and agree with God completely…and still delay obedience. Which is why the second mini arc of Season 2 moved from Pressure into Purity. Pressure reveals. Purity refines. And I think this is where the work gets a little more uncomfortable. Because awakening asks: Can you see it? Purity asks: Now that you see it, are you willing to let God touch it? We like revelation more than refinement I think most of us genuinely want God to show us things. We pray: Search me. Speak to me. Reveal what I’m missing. Give me discernment. Show me what You want. And then sometimes He does. And we think… Well. Not that. We want revelation until revelation asks something of us. Until God puts His finger on the belief we have defended for years. The habit we have excused. The relationship dynamic we know is unhealthy. The comfort we do not want to give up. The opinion we have fused with identity. The plan we have already decided He should bless. The version of ourselves we have worked very hard to protect. There is a difference between asking God to reveal something and giving Him permission to change it. That was really the tension underneath the Purity arc. Not: Can I identify what is wrong? But: What am I willing to place back in God’s hands? Purity is not about looking perfect I want to pause here because even the word purity can carry baggage. It can sound like performance. Clean yourself up. Get it right. Become more impressive. Hide the messy parts. But that isn’t the kind of purity I mean. Purity is not pretending there is nothing mixed inside us. It is becoming increasingly willing to let God separate what belongs from what doesn’t. Truth from fear. Conviction from pride. Faith from cultural conditioning. Obedience from comfort. Love from control. His voice from all the other voices we have absorbed along the way. The Purity arc asked whether some of what we call faith has actually been shaped by things other than Jesus. Culture. Tradition. Preference. Fear. Identity. Comfort. Even our own desires. And that is difficult work because those things are not always obviously bad. Sometimes they are deeply familiar. Sometimes they have been part of us for so long that we no longer know where they end and faith begins. Which means purification often starts with a very simple prayer: God, show me what is You…and what isn’t. Savior is easier than Lord There was another tension in this arc that I think is worth returning to. We are often very comfortable with Jesus as Savior. The One who rescues. Forgives. Restores. Comforts. Carries. But Lord is different. Lord implies authority. Lord means He gets to disagree with me. He gets to confront me. He gets to redirect me. He gets to ask for something I would rather keep. He gets to say no when I wanted yes. He gets to change the plan. He gets to put His finger on something I have justified and say: This cannot come with you. That distinction matters. The question is not simply: Does Jesus have a place in my life? The deeper question is: Does He have authority over it? That reaches into everything. My thinking. My relationships. My habits. My sexuality. My ambitions. My money. My time. My reactions. My politics. My plans. My comfort. My future. Lordship means there is no little room in the soul marked: Mine. Do not enter. And if there is… Purity eventually brings us there. Conviction is not condemnation This is also where I think we can get scared. Because when God reveals something that needs to change, we can immediately hear accusation. Look how badly you’ve failed. You should know better. How did you not see this? But conviction and condemnation do very different things. Condemnation pushes us away from God. Conviction draws us toward Him. Condemnation says: Hide. Conviction says: Come closer. Let Me heal this too. Purity is not God standing at a distance pointing out everything wrong with us. It is God loving us too much to leave us fragmented. There are things we hold onto because they feel protective. And God can see what they are costing us. There are things we defend because surrender feels frightening. And God knows what freedom exists on the other side. The question is whether we trust Him enough to let Him refine what He reveals. So let’s WAKE through Purity Just like last week, I want to take this through the WAKE framework. Not because we need another acronym to remember. But because it gives us a way to move from recognition into response. W — WONDER Wonder begins with openness. Lord, where am I still blind? Not: Show me what is wrong with everyone around me. Show me what the culture is getting wrong. Show me what they need to change. But: God, where am I still blind? What have I normalized because it is familiar? What belief have I never examined in Your presence? What part of my life have I quietly declared off-limits? Where have I confused preference with conviction? Where have I assumed that because something feels deeply like me, it must automatically reflect You? Wonder also brings us back into awe. Because if God really is who we say He is, then being corrected by Him is not something to fear. It is a gift. He sees what we cannot. He knows where the mixture is. And He is trustworthy enough to lead us through it. A — ADMIT Then we tell the truth. This is the point where vague spiritual language stops helping us. Maybe the admission sounds like: God, I have justified this. I have known You were asking me to let this go, and I have delayed. I have wanted You to affirm something You were actually trying to confront. I have obeyed selectively. I have followed You in the places that felt comfortable and resisted You in the places that cost me something. I have called preference conviction. I have protected an identity that You are asking me to surrender. I have said “Your will be done” while quietly hoping You would choose mine. Admission is not self-punishment. It is agreement with God. And there is freedom in finally stopping the argument. K — KNEEL This is where Purity becomes surrender. Because seeing the thing is not enough. Naming the thing is not enough. At some point, we place it back under His authority. Kneeling says: God, You get to be Lord here too. Over this belief. This habit. This desire. This relationship. This plan. This identity. This part of my future. This thing I have protected because I am afraid of who I will be without it. You get to have this too. And I think one of the hardest prayers we can pray is still the prayer Jesus prayed: Not my will, but Yours. Not because our desires do not matter. But because His wisdom is greater than our sight. Kneeling is the place where we stop trying to negotiate the terms of obedience. E — EMBODY And then once again: What changes? Because repentance is not simply feeling differently about something. It turns. It moves. It bears fruit. So maybe embodiment this week means having the conversation you have been avoiding. Maybe it means apologizing without defending yourself. Maybe it means changing a habit. Setting a boundary. Ending something. Beginning something. Opening your Bible before opening another voice telling you what to think. Maybe it means stopping the sentence: “I know God says…but…” and allowing obedience to become simpler. Not easier. Simpler. What has God already made clear that I have not yet acted on? That might be the question to carry this week. What did God confront that you still haven’t released? If you listened to the Purity arc when Season 2 originally released, I want to invite you back into those conversations. But this time, don’t listen simply for something you missed. Listen for something you may have heard perfectly clearly the first time. Something that made you uncomfortable. Something you knew was for you. Something you agreed with intellectually. Something you even highlighted or wrote down. And then life moved on. Ask yourself: What did God confront that I have still not released? That is a very different question from: What did I learn? Because learning can remain safely in the mind. Surrender reaches the will. And maybe that is where God wants to meet us now. A small glimpse of what’s ahead One thing marriage has shown David and me over and over again is that God does not only refine us in quiet times, Bible studies and church services. Sometimes He uses the person standing right in front of us. The person close enough to see the patterns we can hide from almost everyone else. Marriage has exposed things in both of us that probably would have been much easier to keep hidden on our own. Expectations. Pride. Fear. Control. Communication patterns. Old wounds. Different ways of seeing the world. And while I certainly would not say we have mastered any of that, I can look back and see how often God has used our relationship as part of our formation. That is one of the conversations I’m looking forward to having with David in Season 3. Not “here is how to have a perfect marriage.” Definitely not that. 😂 More like: What does it look like when two imperfect people keep letting God refine them while they are trying to build one life together? We’ll get there. But first, there is still work to do Between Seasons. This week, stay here Last week we asked: What did pressure reveal? This week: What still needs to be surrendered? And maybe that is enough. You do not need to find ten things. You do not need to manufacture conviction. You do not need to go digging around your soul trying to prove ho

    Between Seasons Week 2: What Purity Requires

  3. Sep 29

    Between Seasons Week 1: What Pressure Reveals

    I’ve been thinking about how quickly we move on. We finish the thing.We release the thing.We learn something.God puts His finger on something. And then almost immediately, we start asking: What’s next? I’m especially aware of that right now because Season 2 of Wake Her Soul is finished. And if I’m being completely transparent, I did very little to promote it while it was coming out. So there is a decent chance that unless you were a regular listener, Season 2 happened rather quietly in your world. Shawna and I recorded it. We released it. We had conversations that I still believe were deeply timely. And then life kept moving. So before I move Wake Her Soul into Season 3, I don’t want to rush past what God already gave us. For the next four weeks, I’m calling this little space Between Seasons. Not a replay. Not exactly a Bible study like the series we did between Seasons 1 and 2. More like a return. Each week, I’m going back to one of the larger conversations from Season 2 and asking: What was God trying to wake us up to here—and what might we still need to sit with? And we’re beginning where Season 2 began. With pressure. Season 2 actually had a progression to it: Pressure. Purity. Priorities. Pursuits. We started by noticing what pressure reveals, moved into what God might be refining, looked at what needs to be reordered, and ended by asking what we’re actually pursuing. So over these four weeks, I want to walk that path again, but from the other side of the season. Not What did we talk about? so much as What has actually changed because we talked about it? When everything feels urgent The first mini arc of Season 2 was really one long conversation across three episodes. We started with the question of why everything feels so intense. Then we moved into what happens when that pressure gets into our emotions—when disagreement becomes offense, when conviction becomes defensiveness, when faith starts getting loud but not necessarily loving. And finally, we went deeper into allegiance. What has our loyalty? What has our emotional attachment? What has enough authority in our lives to determine whether we feel peaceful or threatened? Looking back, I think the movement of that whole arc was something like this: What shakes me.What I protect.What I serve. And there is one thought from that first conversation that has continued to stay with me: Intensity is not the same thing as importance. I need that reminder. Maybe you do too. Because we live in a world where everything seems to arrive carrying the same message: Pay attention to me. React to me. Have an opinion about me. Be afraid of me. Fix me. Defend this. Condemn that. Say something. Do something. Now. And because something feels urgent, we can very quickly assume that urgency itself is an instruction. But it isn’t. There are things God absolutely asks us to care about. There are moments when obedience requires us to speak. There are things happening in the world that should grieve us, move us and call us into action. But not everything that enters our awareness becomes our assignment. And not every intense emotion is discernment. Sometimes it is fear. Sometimes it is offense. Sometimes it is our desire for control. Sometimes it is the uncomfortable realization that we have attached part of our identity to an outcome, a belief, a group or a sense of being right. That’s why pressure can be so revealing. The storm tells us something Jesus gives us that picture at the end of Matthew 7. Two houses. Two foundations. One storm. The storm hit both. The difference was not who managed to avoid bad weather. The difference was what each house had been built upon. I would much rather spend my energy trying to manage the storm. I want the uncertainty resolved. I want the conflict fixed. I want the answer. I want to know how everything turns out. But sometimes God seems far more interested in what the storm is revealing about my foundation than He is in making the storm disappear on my timeline. Pressure has a way of showing us things. It shows us what we reach for when we feel unsafe. It shows us where we have confused information with wisdom. It shows us when concern has quietly become false responsibility. It shows us how quickly we move from conviction into offense. And eventually, it can reveal what actually has our allegiance. That is uncomfortable work. But it is good work. Because exposure in the hands of God is not meant to humiliate us. It is an invitation back into alignment. A little WAKE-up call One of the things that came out of this season, and something I want to keep developing, is the WAKE framework. It gives us a way to do more than listen to a conversation and think, Well, that was interesting. It asks us to let the conversation move somewhere. So, as we revisit the Pressure Arc, I want to walk through it this way. W — WONDER Wonder begins by getting curious before getting defensive. What has pressure been revealing in me? What makes me feel immediately responsible? What makes my body tense? What subjects seem capable of hijacking my peace? What am I afraid might happen if I don’t respond, fix, explain, defend or prepare? What pressure am I currently under that may actually be revealing something God wants to address? And then there is another side of Wonder that matters just as much. Awe. The fear of God. Who is God in the middle of the thing that feels so enormous to me? What have I forgotten about His character because I have been staring so closely at the problem? Sometimes the world does not have to get smaller. God simply needs to become bigger again in our awareness. A — ADMIT Then comes the part where curiosity has to become honesty. Maybe my admission is: God, I’m afraid. I’ve been carrying something You never gave me. I’ve been using information to create the illusion of control. I have allowed urgency to decide what gets my attention. I have become defensive because part of my identity is attached to this. I have called fear wisdom. I have called offense conviction. I have said I trust You while behaving as though everything depends on me. There is no benefit in giving God the polished answer. He already knows. Admit simply gives us the humility to agree with Him. K — KNEEL This may be the part of WAKE I love most. Kneel. Because kneeling puts things back in their proper order. I am not God. I am not responsible for holding all of this together. I can care without carrying everything. I can participate without believing the outcome depends entirely upon me. I can have convictions without allowing them to become my identity. I can care deeply about what happens in this world while remembering that my ultimate allegiance is not to an earthly kingdom. Kneeling says: God, You are God. I am Yours. This matters. But You are greater. So I give back what I have picked up that You never asked me to carry. That is humility. And it is also freedom. E — EMBODY Then comes the question that keeps all of this from becoming another thoughtful thing we heard and forgot. What changes? What does an anchored woman actually do differently? Maybe she doesn’t begin the morning with the news. Maybe she waits before answering the message that made her angry. Maybe she asks one simple question before picking up another burden: Is this actually mine to carry? Maybe she stops confusing adrenaline with discernment. Maybe she becomes a little harder to bait. A little slower to speak. A little quicker to pray. A little less dependent on an outcome in order to remain at peace. Maybe she becomes harder to rush. I really like that idea. Not disengaged. Not indifferent. Not passive. Just anchored. If you missed the Pressure Arc If you were listening during Season 2, I’d love for you to revisit these conversations with fresh ears. And if you completely missed Season 2, this is a really good place to begin. The first mini arc spans Episodes 1–3. We move from pressure and reactivity, into offense and identity, and finally into allegiance and Kingdom authority. I’ll link all three below. As you listen, you don’t have to take notes on everything. Just carry these four questions: WONDER: What is this revealing in me? ADMIT: What do I need to tell God the truth about? KNEEL: What needs to come back under His authority? EMBODY: What would obedience look like now? Stay there awhile. We have four weeks Between Seasons. We do not need to hurry. And speaking of between seasons… There is also a change coming to Wake Her Soul. If you heard the end of Season 2, you already know this. But some of you may not. Shawna is taking a step back from being a regular co-host. And I want to say plainly how grateful I am for what we created together. Shawna brought so much wisdom, honesty, depth and perspective into these conversations, and Season 2 exists in the form it does because the two of us built it together. She isn’t disappearing from my life, or necessarily from Wake Her Soul. I fully expect there will be moments when she wanders back behind the microphone for a cameo. 🤍 But moving forward, I’ll be hosting Wake Her Soul on my own. Well… Sort of on my own. Because for Season 3, I’m bringing one particular guest with me for the entire season. My husband, David. Those of you who listened all the way through Season 2 already know that. But now you get to hear what that actually means. David and I have shared life since we were teenagers. Marriage. Faith. Calling. Family. Work. Disappointment. Change. The things we thought our lives would look like. And the things we never could have predicted. Season 3 is going to be one long conversation about what happens when faith has to move out of theory and into an actual shared life. I’ll tell you more about that soon. But not yet. For now, I want to stay here. Between seasons. Looking backward long enough to notice what God has already been saying before we ask Him what comes next.

    Between Seasons Week 1: What Pressure Reveals

  4. Sep 22

    Season 2 // Episode 12: Finish The Race God Has Given You

    In this final episode of Season 2 of Wake Her Soul, Shawna and Camille close out the Pursuits mini awakening arc by moving into the final part of the soul: the will. Throughout this arc, they’ve been asking what we’re pursuing, what has captured our hearts, and whether the life we’re building is actually aligned with what God has created us for. But eventually, discernment requires a decision. Will I actually go where God is leading me…even when His direction requires me to change mine? That question becomes deeply personal in this episode as Shawna and Camille share a transition happening within Wake Her Soul. After seeking God separately, they discovered He had been revealing different pieces of the same picture: Wake Her Soul was meant to continue, but the way forward was changing. Their story becomes a real-time example of the very thing they’ve spent this season talking about: Surrender isn’t only releasing things that are wrong. Sometimes it means releasing something good because God is redirecting you toward what He has for you now. Together, they explore the “collision of our callings,” why our gifts were never intended to build our own kingdoms, how God can use different people and seasons to move His purposes forward, and why changing direction doesn’t necessarily mean you got it wrong. Sometimes each surrendered step simply brings you closer to where God has been leading you all along. And when other people don’t understand the pivots? We remember that we aren’t running their race. We are called to finish the race God has given us. So the final question of Season 2 becomes: Am I willing to hold my plans loosely enough for God to continually redirect my pursuit? Takeaways * God has prepared good works for each of us to walk in; our role is to continually seek Him for what those assignments are. * Discernment eventually requires action. It isn’t enough to recognize God’s direction if we refuse to follow it. * Sometimes obedience means beginning something; other times it means releasing, repositioning, or changing how we participate in it. * A change in direction doesn’t necessarily mean the previous direction was wrong. God can use one season to prepare us for the next. * We don’t always receive the entire vision individually; sometimes God gives different people pieces that become clearer when we come together. * Our gifts and talents aren’t ultimately for building our own careers, platforms, or identities. They are meant to serve others and glorify God. * Busyness—even with good things—can keep us from having the space to pursue what God is actually asking of us. * We cannot carry every assignment forever simply because we don’t want to let something go. * Following God requires holding our plans, roles, projects, and even our sense of identity loosely. * Fear of what other people think can keep us tied to a path God is asking us to leave. * We don’t have to understand the entire road ahead. We can trust God to reveal the next step as we walk with Him. * Each person has a unique race. Comparison and outside opinions cannot determine what obedience looks like for someone else. * The ultimate pursuit isn’t a calling, ministry, business, platform, or purpose. It is God Himself. Chapters 00:00 — Welcome Back: The Final Episode of Season 2 02:30 — The Will: When Discernment Becomes a Decision 04:00 — Ephesians 2:10 + The Good Works God Prepared for You 05:00 — A New Direction for Wake Her Soul 07:00 — When God Gives Two People Pieces of the Same Vision 09:20 — Why Wake Her Soul Is Continuing 11:00 — The Collision of Our Callings 13:00 — What Season 3 May Look Like 15:00 — Shawna’s Next Assignment + Following God’s Redirection 17:00 — The Beginning of We the Word 19:00 — When God Plants Something Years Before It’s Time 22:45 — When Something Has to Give 25:25 — Looking Back and Seeing How God Connected the Threads 27:00 — Holding Your Calling Loosely 29:00 — Stop Living According to What Other People Think 30:00 — Your Race Is Not Someone Else’s Race 31:00 — This Isn’t Goodbye—It’s an Intermission 31:15 — Closing Prayer: Finish the Race God Has Given You (Timestamps follow the flow of the transcript and may be adjusted slightly once final audio is live.) Scriptures Referenced * Ephesians 2:10 — We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for the good works He prepared beforehand for us to walk in. * Philippians 4:6–7 — God’s peace guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus; a passage Shawna shares as foundational to the first We the Word project. * Acts 20:24 — Our aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given us. These passages bring the entire Pursuits arc back to something important: God did not create us merely to find something meaningful to pursue. He created us for Himself. Our assignments may change. Our roles may change. Our seasons may change. Even the way we use our gifts may change. But if our deepest pursuit remains Him, we can allow everything else to remain open-handed. Dive even deeper this week by downloading the Bible Study worksheet: Reflection Questions * What assignment has God placed before me in this season? * Is there something I know God is asking me to begin, release, or reposition? * Am I carrying something simply because I’m afraid to let it go? * Where might the opinions or expectations of other people be influencing my obedience? * Have I confused consistency with faithfulness—assuming I must keep doing something simply because I started it? * Am I using my gifts primarily to build something for myself, or am I allowing God to use them for His purposes? * What would I do differently if I stopped comparing my race to everyone else’s? * Am I willing to let God redirect me again—even if I cannot yet see where the new road leads? Closing Season 2 began with an invitation to wake up. To recognize the pressure shaping us. To allow God to purify what has become mixed with the world. To reorder our priorities. And finally, to examine our pursuits. But perhaps the deepest awakening is realizing that following Jesus will never be a one-time decision about the direction of our lives. It is a continual willingness to say: “God, if You move, I’ll move.” Shawna and Camille began Wake Her Soul together in obedience, and now obedience is asking them to hold even this beautiful thing with open hands. The podcast will continue, their friendship and collaboration will continue, and Shawna will return…but the form is changing as each follows where God is leading next. This week, spend time in prayer asking: “Lord, what am I holding too tightly to follow where You are leading me now?” Ask Him to reveal where you’re being invited to begin. Where you’re being invited to stay. Where you’re being invited to release. And where you’re simply being asked to take the next step. Because faithfulness isn’t about choosing one road and refusing to ever turn. It’s about keeping our eyes fixed on the One leading us—wherever He goes. We make our plans. We hold them loosely. And we keep pursuing Him. With love in Christ, Camille & Shawna This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wakehersoul.substack.com

    Season 2 // Episode 12: Finish The Race God Has Given You

  5. Sep 15

    Season 2 // Episode 11: What Are You Waiting For? How To Pursue What Matters

    In this episode of Wake Her Soul, Shawna and Camille continue the Pursuits mini awakening arc by moving from the mind into the heart…and asking what happens when God uses something deeply personal to wake us up to the way we’re actually living. Sometimes awakening comes through conviction. Sometimes through obedience. And sometimes through a moment that suddenly reminds us: We don’t have forever. Camille begins by sharing the story of her family’s baptism: a step of obedience she had felt drawn toward for years, but one that never seemed quite urgent. It becomes a powerful reminder that some of the most important things God asks of us may never compete for our attention the way the demands of everyday life do. An email feels urgent. A text feels urgent. A deadline feels urgent. But spending time with God? Following through on something He has placed on our heart? Pursuing what He created us to do? Those things can quietly keep getting pushed to tomorrow. Then Shawna shares one of the most personal moments of the season: a conversation with her young son that left her confronted with a question she couldn’t shake: If I knew I only had seven years left, would I be living differently? Not because she suddenly became afraid of dying…but because the possibility exposed something much deeper. There were things she wanted her children to know. Things God had placed on her heart that she had barely begun. Ways she wanted to love, disciple, serve, create, and obey that had too easily been delayed by everyday life, excuses, and fear. That experience brings the conversation to Psalm 90:12: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Together, Shawna and Camille explore what it means to live with that kind of wisdom…not anxiously counting how much time we have left, but allowing the brevity of life to clarify what deserves the life we have today. Because God rarely gives us the entire roadmap. He gives us the next step. And perhaps part of pursuing Him is learning to stop waiting until something feels urgent before obeying what He’s already made important. Takeaways * Not everything that is important will feel urgent. * God is patient with us, but delayed obedience can cause us to continually postpone things He has already placed on our hearts. * Baptism is one example of an outward act of obedience that can mark a significant moment in our walk with Christ. * God can use difficult, emotional, or unexpected moments to radically reorder how we see our lives. * Remembering that our lives are temporary isn’t meant to create fear—it can give us wisdom about how to live today. * We don’t have to wait for tragedy, loss, or a diagnosis to ask what actually matters. * God rarely gives us the entire roadmap because dependence keeps us in relationship with Him. * Pursuing God’s will often means asking for the next faithful step, rather than demanding the full plan. * Our children can sometimes reveal things God wants us to notice; humility allows us to remain teachable regardless of who He uses. * Worldly intelligence and godly wisdom are not the same thing. * Our gifts aren’t proof of our superiority; they are something God has entrusted to us to steward for His glory. * Pride can quietly attach our identity to intelligence, achievement, our children, success, or other God-given gifts. * Humility remembers the Source of every gift. * Ultimately, the question isn’t simply, “What do I want to accomplish with my life?” but “God, what did You give me this life to do?” Chapters 00:00 — Welcome Back: Pursuits + the Heart 01:25 — Picking Up Where Episode 10 Left Off 02:05 — Camille’s Baptism Story 03:00 — When Important Things Don’t Feel Urgent 05:20 — A Family Step of Obedience 06:10 — Baptism, Community + Following God’s Conviction 08:00 — Why Hearing God Matters to Our Pursuits 09:00 — Shawna’s Story: A Moment That Changed Her Perspective 11:00 — When a Child’s Words Wake You Up 12:00 — “What If I Only Had Seven Years Left?” 13:30 — Why Wait for Something Bad to Reevaluate Your Life? 14:45 — Teach Us to Number Our Days 16:00 — Why God Doesn’t Give Us the Whole Roadmap 17:00 — Life Is a Mist: What Are We Actually Pursuing? 19:00 — A Heart of Wisdom vs. Worldly Wisdom 22:00 — Are You Living the American Dream—or God’s Dream? 23:00 — Humility, Pride + Our God-Given Gifts 25:45 — When God Keeps Giving Us Opportunities to Humble Ourselves 27:00 — Closing Prayer + Pursuing God With a Humble Heart (Timestamps follow the transcript and may be adjusted slightly once final audio is live.) Scriptures Referenced * Psalm 90:12 — “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” This becomes the central Scripture of the episode: remembering the brevity of life can help us discern how God wants us to spend it. * James 4:13–15 — Our lives are a mist; rather than presuming upon tomorrow, we learn to hold our plans beneath the will of God. The transcript references James’s teaching that life is a mist. * Matthew 23:12 — “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” * Matthew 28:18–20 — The Great Commission reminds us that our lives have a Kingdom purpose: making disciples and sharing the good news. * 2 Corinthians 11:14 — Satan masquerades as an angel of light, underscoring the need for biblical discernment as we determine what to pursue. The episode references this principle while discussing discernment. These passages bring the episode back to one central truth: We don’t need to know how many days we have left to begin living them differently. God has given each of us a life. A family. Time. Abilities. Opportunities. Influence. Spiritual gifts. And wisdom isn’t merely knowing that these things came from Him. Wisdom asks how He wants us to use them while we’re here. Download the Bible Study to dive even deeper this week: Reflection Questions * If I knew my time was shorter than I expected, what would suddenly matter more? * What would suddenly matter less? * What has God placed on my heart that I keep postponing because it doesn’t feel urgent? * Is there a step of obedience I already know God is asking me to take? * Am I waiting for God to reveal the entire plan before I’m willing to take the next step? * What gifts has God entrusted to me, and am I using them for His glory or allowing them to become a source of pride or identity? * Where might God be asking me to become more humble and teachable? * How would my days change if I genuinely prayed, “Teach me to number my days so I may gain a heart of wisdom”? Closing We often imagine we’ll have more time. More time to obey. More time to pursue the thing God placed on our heart. More time to tell our children what matters. More time to use our gifts. More time to become the person God is calling us to become. But Scripture doesn’t teach us to fear the brevity of life. It teaches us to let that reality make us wise. This week, spend time with Psalm 90:12 and ask: “God, if You taught me to truly number my days, what would You have me do differently with the one You’ve given me today?” Don’t demand the seven-year plan. Ask Him for year one. Or maybe simply today. What deserves your attention? What needs to be released? What have you delayed? What gift needs to be used? What act of obedience is already in front of you? Then take the next step. Because pursuing the life God created you for isn’t ultimately about accomplishing everything before you die. It’s about faithfully using the life He’s given you while you’re here. With love in Christ, Camille & Shawna This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wakehersoul.substack.com

    Season 2 // Episode 11: What Are You Waiting For? How To Pursue What Matters

  6. Sep 8

    Season 2 // Episode 10: Are You Building A Life That Feels Good...Or What God Created You For?

    In this episode of Wake Her Soul, Shawna and Camille begin the final mini awakening arc of Season 2 by asking a question that reaches beyond what we prioritize into what we are actively building our lives toward: What am I pursuing—and is it actually what God has for me? After walking through Pressure, Purity, and Priorities, this final arc turns toward our pursuits…the dreams, goals, accomplishments, responsibilities, opportunities, and assignments that consume our time and move our lives in a particular direction. And they begin with the mind. Because one of the hardest things to discern isn’t the difference between something obviously wrong and something right. Sometimes it’s the difference between something good and what God says is better. In Luke 10, Martha wasn’t doing anything sinful. She was serving. She was being responsible. She was taking care of the people in her home. But Jesus tells her she is distracted by many things while Mary has chosen what is better. That distinction becomes the foundation for this conversation. Shawna and Camille explore how easily our own good intentions, ambitions, careers, businesses, parenting decisions, responsibilities, and even ministry can become pursuits we assume God wants simply because they appear worthwhile. But a good opportunity isn’t necessarily a God-given assignment. Through their own stories of releasing careers, businesses, income, expectations, and plans, they talk honestly about learning to hold the things of this world loosely—and allowing God to redirect pursuits that once seemed completely right. Because ultimately, the question isn’t simply: “Is what I’m doing good?” It’s: “God, is this what You are asking me to do?” And sometimes discovering the answer requires becoming quiet enough to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen. Takeaways * Not everything good is necessarily God’s assignment for us. * Our intentions and personal preferences can feel right while still leading us somewhere God never asked us to go. * Martha wasn’t distracted by something sinful; she was distracted by something less important than what Jesus was offering her. * Busyness can make us feel productive while quietly pulling our attention away from God. * Following Jesus requires learning to distinguish between what seems good and what He says is better. * Careers, businesses, achievements, parenting goals, sports, ministry, and other worthwhile pursuits can still become distractions. * We are called to hold earthly pursuits loosely and remain willing to place them back on the altar. * God may ask us to release something for a season before entrusting it back to us from a different posture. * Our work still matters—but we are called to do it for God’s glory rather than allowing it to become the ultimate pursuit. * An eternal perspective changes how we evaluate success, achievement, and productivity. * Hearing God requires humility, relationship, prayer, Scripture, and a willingness to be corrected. * Anything we believe we hear from God must remain consistent with His Word. * Obedience will not always make sense according to worldly measures of success. * Following God may mean choosing something that produces no obvious financial, social, or personal reward. * Our pursuit is ultimately not a platform, career, accomplishment, income, or perfectly constructed life. Our pursuit is Christ. Chapters 00:00 — Welcome to the Final Mini Awakening Arc: Pursuits 03:20 — What Are You Pursuing? 04:30 — Mary + Martha: When Good Things Become Distractions 06:10 — Choosing What Is Better 07:45 — The Mental Load of Busyness 09:00 — Developing an Eternal Perspective 10:00 — Holding Good Things Loosely 11:30 — Motherhood, Responsibilities + the Pressure to Keep Going 13:00 — Glorifying God Through the Work We Still Have to Do 14:45 — Running the Race Without Losing Sight of Jesus 16:40 — When God Begins Redirecting Our Pursuits 17:45 — What Are Our Choices Teaching Our Children? 20:00 — Baptism, Conviction + Beginning to Hear God Differently 22:00 — Releasing Careers, Businesses + Income to God 24:00 — How Do We Discern What God Is Saying? 25:20 — Obedience vs. What Makes Sense to the World 26:30 — When Even Ministry Requires Surrender 28:20 — “Lord, Lord”: Relationship Over Religious Activity 30:00 — His Will Is Greater Than Our Will 31:15 — Humility, Blind Spots + Self-Deception 32:00 — Using the WAKE Framework to Examine Our Pursuits 34:30 — Closing Prayer: Keep Your Eyes on the Heavenly Prize (Timestamps follow the transcript and may be adjusted slightly once final audio is live.) Scriptures Referenced * Luke 10:38–42 — Mary and Martha and the difference between being distracted by many things and choosing the one thing Jesus calls necessary. This serves as the primary anchor for the episode. * Matthew 7:21–23 — Jesus’ warning that outward spiritual activity is not the same as truly knowing Him and living according to the Father’s will. * Matthew 7:7–8 — The invitation to ask, seek, and knock as we turn toward God for wisdom and direction. * Philippians 3:12–14 — Pressing forward toward the heavenly prize and keeping our ultimate pursuit centered on Christ. * 1 Corinthians 9:24–27 — Running the race with purpose and keeping our eyes on the prize. * Colossians 3:23–24 — Doing our work for the Lord rather than allowing earthly accomplishment to become the goal itself. * James 5:16 — The power of confession within trustworthy Christian community, referenced as Shawna and Camille discuss bringing what God reveals into the light. Together, these passages challenge us to move beyond asking: “Is this a good thing?” and begin asking: “Is this the thing God is asking of me?” Because we can spend years climbing toward something worthwhile only to discover that our definition of success was different from His. Reflection Questions * What am I actively pursuing in this season of my life? * Which goals, responsibilities, dreams, or achievements occupy the most mental space? * Is there something I have assumed God wants simply because it seems good? * Where might I be like Martha—doing something worthwhile while distracted from what Jesus is actually inviting me into? * Is there a career, dream, business, activity, expectation, or outcome I am holding too tightly? * Where am I measuring success according to the world rather than according to obedience? * Have I become so busy doing things for God, my family, or others that I am neglecting simply being with Him? * What might God be asking me to place back on the altar? * If income, recognition, productivity, or achievement were removed from the equation, would I still pursue what I am pursuing? * What would it look like to choose the better portion in this season? Closing Some of the hardest things God asks us to surrender aren’t bad things. They’re the things we worked for. The things we dreamed about. The things we believed were part of our future. The things that seemed successful, responsible, helpful—even purposeful. And sometimes God asks us to loosen our grip long enough to ask: “Is this actually what You have for me?” Download the Bible Study to dive even deeper into this week’s conversation. This week, spend time with God asking: “Lord, what am I pursuing that You never actually asked me to pursue?” Then become quiet enough to hear the answer. Maybe He confirms the path you’re already on. Maybe He changes your motives. Maybe He asks you to hold something more loosely. Maybe He redirects you entirely. But whatever He reveals, remember: His will is greater than our will. We don’t have to figure out the entire path. We simply have to remain humble enough to ask, surrendered enough to listen, and obedient enough to follow. Because awakening isn’t simply realizing that God should be part of our plans. It’s waking up to the possibility that He may have an entirely different pursuit for us. With love in Christ, Camille & Shawna This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wakehersoul.substack.com

    Season 2 // Episode 10: Are You Building A Life That Feels Good...Or What God Created You For?

  7. Sep 1

    Season 2 // Episode 9: What Does It Mean To Crucify The Flesh?

    In this episode of Wake Her Soul, Shawna and Camille close out the Priorities mini awakening arc by moving from the mind, through the heart, and finally into the will—the place where what we say we believe becomes the choices we actually make. Because eventually, our priorities have to become more than thoughts and intentions. They become actions. Every day, we make hundreds of seemingly small choices: what we eat, where we spend our time, what we reach for when we’re uncomfortable, what we avoid, what we pursue, and whether we obey God when our flesh would rather choose comfort. And those choices are forming us. This conversation explores what it means to present our lives as a living sacrifice…not through one dramatic moment of surrender, but through the ordinary, repeated decisions of everyday life. Shawna and Camille continue using health and fitness as a practical example, examining the tension between discipline and comfort, stewardship and idolatry, awareness and obsession. But the conversation reaches far beyond our bodies. Because the same question applies to every area of life: What is actually driving my choices—my flesh, my preferences, my desired outcome…or the Spirit of God? They explore how thoughts become emotions, emotions influence our will, and repeated choices eventually become patterns. But they also discuss the hope found in realizing that a different choice can begin breaking an old pattern. Our will is powerful. But freedom isn’t ultimately found in strengthening our willpower. It’s found in surrendering our will to His. And perhaps that is what being a living sacrifice really looks like: Remaining available. Remaining surrendered. And continuing to say yes to Jesus, one choice at a time. Takeaways * Our mind, emotions, and will work together; what begins in our thoughts can eventually become our actions and patterns. * Our priorities become visible through the choices we repeatedly make. * The flesh naturally gravitates toward comfort, preference, and immediate gratification, while obedience sometimes asks us to choose differently. * Even ordinary comforts can reveal unhealthy dependence when we begin feeling like we need them. * Repeated choices can create habits that eventually feel automatic. * One surrendered choice can begin interrupting an old pattern. * Biblical transformation involves the renewing of the mind, but that renewed thinking must eventually affect our heart, will, and actions. * A living sacrifice isn’t a one-time surrender; it is remaining available to God every day. * Obedience often requires continuing to show up before we can see the fruit. * The ultimate goal of discipline isn’t simply achieving a desired outcome—it is drawing nearer to Jesus. * Our gifts are meant to serve the body of Christ, not become the source of our identity or personal glory. * Success in God’s Kingdom can look less like reaching a goal and more like becoming increasingly obedient, surrendered, and close to Him. * Examining the why behind our choices can reveal whether something has become a misplaced priority. * Awareness helps us recognize unhealthy patterns before we automatically repeat them. * Our free will finds its proper purpose when we continually surrender it to God’s will. Chapters 00:00 — Closing the Priorities Arc: Mind, Heart + Will 02:20 — What Does It Mean to Crucify the Flesh? 03:00 — When Comfort Starts Driving Our Choices 04:15 — Can Everyday Habits Become Idols? 05:15 — The Power of Repeated Choices 06:30 — How Thoughts + Emotions Become Actions 07:20 — One Choice Can Begin Breaking an Old Pattern 08:35 — Romans 12: Becoming a Living Sacrifice 09:30 — Renewing the Mind Changes the Heart + Will 12:00 — When Spiritual Habits Become Boxes We Check 13:30 — Relationship With Jesus vs. Religious Routine 14:20 — Daily Surrender When You Don’t Feel Like Showing Up 16:00 — Moving Forward Without Shame 17:00 — What a “Living Sacrifice” Actually Looks Like 18:00 — Sacrifice Is a Daily Choice 19:00 — What If Jesus Became the Goal? 20:15 — A Simple Prayer for Surrendering Your Will 22:30 — Stewarding Our Gifts Without Idolizing Them 23:30 — Saying Yes to Jesus 27:25 — Redefining Success: Obedience, Surrender + Nearness to God 29:55 — Examining the “Why” Behind Our Choices 32:10 — Asking God to Reveal Hidden Idols 33:20 — Awareness, Obsession + Recognizing Our Patterns 35:10 — Closing the Priorities Arc + What’s Coming Next 35:50 — Closing Prayer (Timestamps follow the flow of the transcript and may be adjusted slightly once final audio is live.) Scriptures Referenced * Romans 12:1–2 — Presenting our bodies as living sacrifices, refusing conformity to the world, renewing our minds, and discerning God’s will. * Ezekiel 14 — The danger of allowing idols to take root within the heart. * 1 Peter 4:10 — Using the gifts we’ve received to serve others as faithful stewards of God’s grace. * Galatians 5:16–17, 24–25 — Walking by the Spirit rather than allowing the desires of the flesh to direct us. * Luke 9:23 — Denying ourselves, taking up our cross daily, and following Jesus. * Romans 8:5–6 — Setting our minds on the things of the Spirit rather than allowing the flesh to govern us. Romans 12 becomes especially significant as this mini arc comes to a close. The mind is renewed. The will of God is discerned. And then our lives become a living sacrifice. In other words, transformation doesn’t end when we think differently. Eventually, renewed thinking becomes surrendered living. Our priorities are ultimately revealed by what we repeatedly choose. Reflection Questions * What do my everyday choices reveal about what actually has priority in my life? * Where do I most often choose comfort, preference, or immediate gratification over obedience? * Is there a habit or pattern that has begun to feel automatic or controlling? * What is one different choice God may be inviting me to make? * Where have I been focused more on achieving an outcome than drawing nearer to Jesus? * What is the deeper why behind something I am currently pursuing? * Is there an area where discipline has become obsession—or where surrender has become an excuse for neglect? * What would it look like to remain available to God as a living sacrifice in this season? * Where is God asking me to stop relying on willpower and instead surrender my will to His? Closing We can renew our thoughts. We can recognize what has captured our hearts. But eventually, awakening reaches our will. It reaches the moment when we have to choose. Comfort or obedience. Our preference or His direction. The outcome we want or the relationship with Jesus we were created for. Download the Bible Study to dive even deeper on this topic. This week, before making a decision—especially one connected to an area where you feel resistance, attachment, or temptation—pause and ask: “Why am I choosing this?” And then take it one step deeper: “Is this choice drawing me closer to Jesus?” You may also begin your mornings with the simple prayer Shawna shares in this episode: “Thank You, my Father. Thank You, my King. I submit to Your Spirit that lives within me.” Not because surrender happens once. But because a living sacrifice remains living—available to God again and again. Our goal isn’t perfect discipline. Our goal isn’t finally controlling ourselves well enough. Our goal is Him. And when our minds are renewed, our hearts are reordered, and our wills are surrendered, our everyday choices begin becoming an act of worship. With love in Christ, Camille & Shawna This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wakehersoul.substack.com

    Season 2 // Episode 9: What Does It Mean To Crucify The Flesh?

  8. Aug 25

    Season 2 // Episode 8: The Difference Between Stewardship & Control

    In this episode of Wake Her Soul, Shawna and Camille continue the Priorities mini awakening arc by moving from the mind into the heart…from what occupies our attention to what has captured our affection. Because our thoughts don’t stay isolated in our minds. Stewardship requires open hands. God entrusts us with things that matter: our bodies, families, homes, work, resources, gifts, and opportunities. But stewardship changes when we begin treating what He entrusted to us as though it belongs to us. The question becomes less: “Is this thing good or bad?” and more: “Can I hold this with an open hand?” Can I care for it without being controlled by it? Can I enjoy it without finding my identity in it? Can I work toward it without needing a particular outcome? Can I thank God for it while remembering that He is still greater than the gift? That is where the heart reveals the difference between stewardship and control. And perhaps the strongest line to carry into the episode: I can deeply value what God has given me without needing to possess it as my own. Through honest stories about body image, family expectations, health, homes, business, motherhood, possessions, and identity, Shawna and Camille explore how subtly stewardship can turn into attachment—and attachment into idolatry. The distinction often isn’t visible from the outside. It’s a heart issue. Because God sees what other people cannot. He sees what we treasure. What we fear losing. What we use to define ourselves. What we cling to when He asks us to open our hands. And sometimes surrender isn’t God asking us to throw something away. It’s simply Him asking us to stop treating it like it belongs to us. This conversation isn’t about rejecting the gifts God has given us. It’s about learning to hold them with open hands. Because healthy stewardship requires a certain level of detachment—the ability to say: “God, this matters to me…but You matter more.” So this week’s question becomes: What has my affection—and is my heart free enough to release it if God asks me to? Takeaways * Our attention can reveal what has begun capturing our affection. * What we repeatedly think about can become something we emotionally attach ourselves to. * Good gifts can become idols when our identity, security, or worth begins depending on them. * Our identity cannot ultimately live in our bodies, appearance, possessions, work, success, or any other temporary gift. * God sees the hidden idols of the heart even when our outward lives appear surrendered. * Stewardship and idolatry can look very similar at first; over time, the fruit reveals the difference. * Healthy stewardship requires the ability to hold God’s gifts with open hands. * Surrender doesn’t always mean losing something; sometimes God releases our attachment so He can reposition how we steward it. * Earthly possessions cannot provide lasting security because everything we accumulate here is temporary. * Our priorities shift when we move from an earthly perspective to an eternal one. * We were created to worship, which means something will eventually receive our deepest affection and devotion. * Putting God first frees us from needing earthly things, people, achievements, or approval to define us. * Radical devotion to Jesus should not feel strange when we recognize how readily culture celebrates radical devotion to celebrities, sports, success, and entertainment. * The Great Commission reminds us that eternal priorities matter more than temporary accumulation. * A heart centered on Christ can enjoy God’s gifts without allowing those gifts to become its god. Chapters 00:00 — Welcome Back: From Attention to Affection 02:55 — Shawna’s Health Journey + Breaking the Cycle of Obsession 05:00 — The Moment Surrender Changed Everything 07:00 — “We Do Our Best Without Being Obsessed” 09:30 — Where Your Treasure Is, Your Heart Will Follow 10:20 — Body Image, Family Messages + Identity 12:30 — Why Your Identity Cannot Live in Your Body 13:35 — Ezekiel 14: Idols Hidden in the Heart 16:00 — Stewardship vs. Idolatry: When the Fruit Reveals the Difference 18:00 — Stewardship Requires Detachment 18:30 — Releasing Homes, Businesses + What We Thought We Earned 20:00 — Holding God’s Gifts with Open Hands 21:15 — The Rich Fool: What Are We Storing Up? 22:50 — “There Is Nothing on Earth I Desire Besides You” 24:00 — Moving from Earthly Priorities to Eternal Priorities 26:00 — What Are We Actually Worshiping? 27:00 — Can You Be “Too Radical” for Jesus? 28:00 — Celebrities, Sports + Misplaced Worship 29:45 — The Great Commission Is Not a Personal Preference 32:00 — What Radical Faith Actually Looks Like 33:35 — Why Wake Her Soul Moves Through Mind, Heart + Will 34:30 — Closing Prayer (Timestamps follow the flow of the transcript and may be adjusted slightly once final audio is live.) Scriptures Referenced * Matthew 6:21 — “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” What we treasure reveals the direction of our hearts. * Ezekiel 14:3 — God exposes the idols people can quietly set up within their hearts while outwardly appearing to seek Him. * Psalm 139:23–24 — Inviting God to search our hearts and reveal anything within us that needs to be surrendered. * Luke 12:15–21 — The Parable of the Rich Fool and Jesus’ warning against building our lives around earthly abundance. * Psalm 73:25–26 — Remembering that nothing on earth can ultimately compare with God, who is the strength of our hearts and our portion forever. * Matthew 6:33 — Seeking first the Kingdom of God rather than arranging our lives around earthly priorities. * Luke 9:23 — Denying ourselves, taking up our cross daily, and following Jesus. * Matthew 28:18–20 — The Great Commission and the eternal priority of making disciples and sharing the Gospel. Reflection Questions * What has the strongest emotional pull on my heart right now? * What would I be most afraid for God to ask me to release? * Is there a gift from God that has quietly become part of my identity? * Where am I clinging instead of stewarding with open hands? * What does my emotional response to losing, changing, or surrendering something reveal about its place in my heart? * Have I become more focused on building a comfortable earthly life than living with eternity in view? * What would it look like to genuinely say, “God, this matters to me—but You matter more”? Closing Sometimes we don’t realize how tightly we’re holding something until God asks us to loosen our grip. The house. The body. The dream. The business. The relationship. The future we thought we were building. The awakening happens when we become willing to ask whether our stewardship has quietly turned into attachment. Download the Bible Study to dive even deeper on this topic. This week, spend time in prayer asking: “God, what has my affection?” Then go one step further: “Is there anything I’m holding so tightly that I would struggle to give it back to You?” You don’t have to stop loving the gifts God has given you. But you do have to remember who they belong to. Open your hands. Let Him search your heart. And trust that whatever God asks you to surrender, release, or reposition will never be greater than what you gain by having Him first. Because awakening isn’t about caring less. It’s about loving everything else from its proper place beneath the One who loved us first. With love in Christ, Camille & Shawna This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wakehersoul.substack.com

    Season 2 // Episode 8: The Difference Between Stewardship & Control
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About

A space for women to peel back the layers of culture and conditioning so they can wake up to God’s truth, live their faith with courage, and walk boldly in their purpose. wakehersoul.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Camille Campins Adams + Shawna Brea Kalamatas
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    76
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Shawna Brea & Camille Campins-Adams
  • Show Website
    Wake Her Soul Podcast