Your Story, Your Style, His Ending, with Cindy Egger
Artist, author, and speaker Cindy Egger continues to encourage and equip listeners to share their story of faith. She reminds us there's not one "right way" to introduce people to Jesus and we're not responsible for outcomes, only faithfulness.
Small acts of kindness, striking up simple conversations, meeting for coffee, and opening one's home can have a more profound impact on someone than we may know!
Cindy is the author and illustrator of the 31 Day interactive devotional journal, "Time with the Lord," available here:
Connect with Cindy to learn more about her speaking, classes, and resources at:
Visit Stephanie Presents for resources, to book speaking engagements, and get the weekly newsletter, Hi(Impact)!
Click here to order your copy of The Great Brain Remodel of Adolescence or purchase from Amazon
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Links referenced in this episode:
Transcript
If your desire is to become spiritually stronger, emotionally healthier, and relationally smarter, you're at the right place.
Speaker A:Speaker and writer Stephanie Smith inspires and equips you to achieve these three key aims.
Speaker A:If you're a parent, you also learn how to raise empowered kids ready for adulthood.
Speaker A:Let's get started.
Speaker B:Welcome back.
Speaker B:I'm delighted that you are here today.
Speaker B:Thank you so much for giving your time and just investing in this podcast.
Speaker B:Hey, if you haven't already, would you just take 30 seconds?
Speaker B:Yeah, it only takes 30 seconds.
Speaker B:I mean, a minute tops.
Speaker B:And leave a rating and review.
Speaker B:You don't have to write a book report.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:It's not like you're back in fifth grade and you've got to write a three page book report or three paragraph or whatever.
Speaker B:Just a couple of sentences.
Speaker B:First of all, it helps me to know what's resonating with listeners.
Speaker B:And also it helps other people to find this podcast and to know that it has value and it's worth listening and subscribing to.
Speaker B:Okay, we're going to continue today with our conversation with Cindy Ager.
Speaker B:Cindy's story is such an encouragement on so many levels.
Speaker B:The encouragement for us to know that our impact on each individual is something that we never really fully know.
Speaker B:But we aren't called to be responsible for outcomes.
Speaker B:We're just called to faithfulness.
Speaker B:And part of that is just sharing the good news, the great love that God has that we have discovered and that he so wants other people to know as well.
Speaker B:And when these episodes air, it's going to be right around that Easter season and what a better time.
Speaker B:There's just no better time to be able to say, you know, I'm just going to start sharing my story, my journey with people.
Speaker B:That does not mean you have to start with I was born on or even the very beginning of your faith journey, whether that was something that you grew up with or it was something that, like Cindy, you came to later in life.
Speaker B:Either way, there are simple things that you can do.
Speaker B:And I love how Cindy shares this in, in our conversation about simple ways that you can just invite people to become curious and know a little bit more about your journey of faith.
Speaker B:Because that's not just a set of beliefs.
Speaker B:That is something that guides all of what we do and how we live and our purpose and our meaning and our ethics and morality.
Speaker B:And all of those things are connected back to our foundational belief on why am I here?
Speaker B:What is the meaning of life?
Speaker B:And those essential questions that everyone asks sooner or later and does answer either intentionally or by default, but everybody does ask and answer those questions.
Speaker B:Okay, so we're going to jump back in and we're going to pick up and continue the conversation with Cindy Egger.
Speaker C:I love the fact, you know, that you're talking about this not as, okay, this is what you have to aspire to, but what I'm hearing is you saying, you know, we're called to faithfulness and those, the outcome, we're not responsible for outcomes because people, you know, have their, their choices, but we are called to faithfulness and then trusting God with whatever someone does with what we have sewn or nurtured or watered, you know, in, in their life.
Speaker C:What would you say to the, the person who's listening who says, you know, I, I do want to be able to start sharing my faith in, in a more natural way, but I am so scared.
Speaker C:And I love the fact of what you just shared with.
Speaker C:A practical example of that is just saying, hey, you know, this is this brand of coffee I love, and I just really enjoy it.
Speaker C:In the morning when I do my devotions, somebody can listen to that and the conversation can go on something else.
Speaker C:And there's nothing weird or awkward or.
Speaker C:It provides that door for someone to say, what do you mean devotions?
Speaker C:You know, what are you talking about with that?
Speaker C:But you haven't put someone in an awkward position where they're, they're like, I don't know what to say next.
Speaker D:It doesn't need to be a yes or no question.
Speaker D:You know, it doesn't need to be yes or no.
Speaker D:It's you sharing your story.
Speaker D:You have just told them that Jesus is important enough in your life that you, you talk to him and read about him every morning.
Speaker D:That was your message.
Speaker D:You, you didn't say that in those words, but you gave the message.
Speaker D:And, and, and that's my goal is to just.
Speaker D:I'm, I'm working on, like, a questionnaire that you would just fill out the questions, and I, I hope that maybe that resonates with somebody.
Speaker D:Oh, yeah, well, my neighbor, you know, I know she didn't go to church, but we drink.
Speaker D:You know, everybody has some neutral territory, I guess would be a good way to look at it.
Speaker D:We all have neutral territory with people we come in contact with.
Speaker D:You can be shopping at Kohl's now, if the Lord leads you, that doesn't mean you have to go hit every customer in Kohl's over the head.
Speaker D:But because I work at home alone, I do find myself alone.
Speaker D:You Know, walking around and I noticed there's other women you just got to get out of the house sometimes you got to have a reason to put on your makeup and do your hair, you know, know.
Speaker D:And you know, you can talk about the sales.
Speaker D:You're a sale rack and you're like, oh, what a blessing it would be if I could find this shirt at half price.
Speaker D:I've been watching this shirt, you know, I mean, it's the little keywords because like you said, I also remember some forms of people sharing that weren't subtle.
Speaker D:But just like when I said, when somebody told me, you need Jesus and I'm think, you know, no, they said, you can't live without him.
Speaker D:And I'm thinking, you know, I got a heartbeat, I'm breathing.
Speaker D:Well, yep, I am, you know, but I didn't understand.
Speaker D:And so, and, and I have to say, for someone else, that might be the perfect way to minister.
Speaker D:Some people might like the over the head, but one of the things that the Lord delivered me from was self control, self reliance, self everything.
Speaker D:And so as that self person that didn't, that didn't help me, but I still remember it.
Speaker D:And I admire now I look back and admire their boldness.
Speaker D:I admire their willingness to be obedient.
Speaker D:I admire, you know, I admire all that.
Speaker D:I don't know who it was.
Speaker D:I don't hold a grudge and I hope that that works for the next person that they, they do it to.
Speaker D:But I do believe that everybody.
Speaker D:We talk about everything.
Speaker D:We talk, we're just big talkers that talk.
Speaker D:We talk about football, we talk about the weather, we talk about, you know, we talk about recipes, we talk about our k.
Speaker D:And I just think that people.
Speaker D:And I've heard this working behind a booth for all these years, for hundreds of shows, I hear people say, well, I just, I just don't know how to do that.
Speaker D:I just don't know how to tell people about Jesus.
Speaker D:So I know the fear is real.
Speaker D:I know it's out there.
Speaker D:Now, are those going to be the people, do they want to change?
Speaker D:I don't know.
Speaker D:My hope is the Lord will put people in my path that do want to make a change is how they share but don't know how.
Speaker D:Because I do believe it can be very simple, it can be very elementary, it can be non.
Speaker D:What's that?
Speaker D:I'm trying to think of the certain word, you know, we don't want to offend anyone, but we also want to share.
Speaker D:And I would get a little defensive sometimes because I knew or I felt like they thought they were better than me, that they were going to heaven and I wasn't.
Speaker D:And nowhere in.
Speaker D:In our conversations until down the road does that even have to enter.
Speaker D:You know, you're not.
Speaker D:I have been on Wednesday, back in the old days, I love to go on visitation on Wednesday nights.
Speaker D:I love to go and share Jesus that way.
Speaker D:And we had a.
Speaker D:What we called a dream team.
Speaker D:So we had three people, and we each had different skills.
Speaker D:Well, my skill was not quoting the scripture.
Speaker D:My skill, because of my years of doing hair and my comfort level with strangers, was just loosening up.
Speaker D:You know, hey, what are y'all, you know, how long y'all been living here and all that.
Speaker D:And then when the time was right, my friend who could quote anything and you could ask him any question, he had a biblical application for it, but he didn't hit him over the head.
Speaker D:But I just think that we all are hurting.
Speaker D:I mean, even as Christians were hurting.
Speaker D:But thankfully we have Jesus.
Speaker D:And I think we all suffer from a lot of social issues, from the isolation that we're coming out of.
Speaker D:I just think communication is key.
Speaker D:And if that's your desire to share the Lord, that simple.
Speaker D:Well, my new little saying for that is just simply share your story.
Speaker D:It's just like in this.
Speaker D:I feel bad using this example because I think it oversimplifies the Lord.
Speaker D:But if you sat here, Stephanie, and told me about a new restaurant you heard about in town, and it was delicious, and you told me about it.
Speaker D:Okay, thanks for the info.
Speaker D:If you sit here and tell me, you would not believe the service we got, you would not believe how delicious it was.
Speaker D:If you shared your story with me about that restaurant and your experience with me about that restaurant, I'd probably be dragging my husband there the next day.
Speaker D:So, you know, I just think it's about relating to people and them being able to relate back.
Speaker C:Right?
Speaker C:And we don't need to be afraid of having even those initial conversations because of the, well, what if they start asking questions I don't know the answer to?
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:There's nothing wrong with saying, you know what?
Speaker C:That's a great question.
Speaker C:I.
Speaker C:I don't know the answer to that, but I'm going to do some research and find out if I can come back and, you know, and answer that.
Speaker C:So just sharing our story does not require us to have an answer prepared for every single question that a person might, you know, might ever ask.
Speaker C:You know, one of the things that, that you've said is that you Know, small acts of kindness that are paired with a heartfelt message can lead to a lasting impact.
Speaker C:And the combination of those two things, the kindness and the message that comes with it, really is something that is powerful in a person's life.
Speaker C:You know, one of the things that you've also done with your, with your art that you've, you've made available.
Speaker C:And I want to come back to the work that you're doing now also as a speaker.
Speaker C:But share with us a little bit about your interactive journal that listeners can find on Amazon.
Speaker C:You know, just finding the Lord every day in unexpected ways.
Speaker C:Share with us what that's about.
Speaker D:That is, again, because of my personality, I ended up writing a journal that fit me.
Speaker D:It's very interactive, it has prompts and questions.
Speaker D:But the main focus is to concentrate on seeing Jesus every day.
Speaker D:Somewhere you may see him like I did in that cup, in that teacup.
Speaker D:You may see, you may hear him.
Speaker D:The sound of a baby giggling might be how you hear Jesus that day.
Speaker D:The smell.
Speaker D:And this is funny.
Speaker D:I'm gonna go back to coffee, but I don't even drink coffee.
Speaker D:But some people, that time, that moment, that smell brings them peace.
Speaker D:I mean, you can, you know, and I'll go the total opposite.
Speaker D:What if you're at the zoo and that smell, but it reminds you of a beautiful time with your children, you know, so the book, the journal, it's not a daily journal because it's too much work for daily and it's really kind of like homework.
Speaker D:I want people to go out that day and instead of sitting and having their lunch and just, you know, as guilty as I can be times watching Facebook or something, kind of mind numbing, just look at your surroundings.
Speaker D:Even the formation of the clouds, you know, that all sounds so cheesy, but I just feel like in our busy worlds, at least for me, I need something that challenges me.
Speaker D:The why?
Speaker D:The why is the Lord God of all creation.
Speaker D:You know, I can take that for granted.
Speaker D:And that's one of my designs is a flamingo and it's got standing on the promises of God.
Speaker D:Because that's what I saw.
Speaker D:And I saw.
Speaker D:We went to the zoo for the Christmas decorations last year.
Speaker D:And it's like that's what I saw was, you know, the Lord just gives me.
Speaker D:I see things different.
Speaker D:I'm just different.
Speaker D:And it's taken me 62 years to accept that I'm different, you know, but.
Speaker C:You know, I love the fact that you are just.
Speaker C:And this journal, the beauty of this is it can Continually bring us back to be present with our thoughts and intentional, to just step away from all the things that, you know, we get caught up in and to just recenter.
Speaker C:Recenter our mind and our perspective on the presence and the goodness and.
Speaker C:And the leading of God.
Speaker C:And so this isn't like a.
Speaker C:A hard tool that somebody has to use every single day or it's not going to have any value.
Speaker C:It's a beautiful way to bring somebody back into the.
Speaker C:The mindset that really keeps God and His goodness and his beauty and his love for us at the forefront of our minds, because the world definitely does not default to that, pulling us in a lot of other directions.
Speaker D:And we are all mult.
Speaker D:Multitaskers.
Speaker D:So while we're multitasking, instead of being overwhelmed, let's just see the Lord in it because he's there because we're using, you know, the, The.
Speaker D:The feeling, the touch.
Speaker D:Just sometimes something you touch.
Speaker D:And that always brings me back to that.
Speaker D:My first tree.
Speaker D:Like just to stand and feel.
Speaker D:Tree bark is.
Speaker D:Can be.
Speaker D:I mean, that's tree bark or a plant or the, you know, the softness of a rose petal.
Speaker D:God made that.
Speaker D:And I can take things.
Speaker D:I take a lot of things for granted.
Speaker D:This book and my life journey certainly isn't perfect.
Speaker D:It's.
Speaker D:I still, I mean, every day I struggle to keep the Lord first, to be obedient.
Speaker D:And you know, sometimes my life.
Speaker D:Well, a lot of times my life gets in the way.
Speaker D:But, you know, you just can start over every moment of every day.
Speaker D:You can, or you start out good and then you fall and you get distracted or vice versa.
Speaker D:But I just really have to.
Speaker D:To be able to stay obedient to what he's called me to do.
Speaker D:I can tell when my time with him is slacking because I'm kicking and screaming like a little kid.
Speaker D:But I don't want to do that.
Speaker D:I'm tired.
Speaker D:I don't want to do that.
Speaker D:I don't want, you know, I don't want to put on a happy face.
Speaker D:I don't want to.
Speaker D:But I think too, one thing I have learned, and this has happened more if someone engages longer or when I share my testimony at events.
Speaker D:When you testify to someone else, you testify to yourself.
Speaker C:Absolutely.
Speaker C:You are reinforcing that.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker D:You might be going in there, you know, kicking and screaming and you might have had a bad day, but when you start sharing, it testifies to you too.
Speaker C:Exactly.
Speaker C:Exactly.
Speaker C:I've come home and so you do share.
Speaker D:Sorry.
Speaker C:And.
Speaker C:No, no, no.
Speaker C:You're you're good.
Speaker C:So you do share.
Speaker C:Not just individual, you know, one on one, but as a speaker, you have a real heart and passion to encourage and empower other women to be able to step into the, wherever their life takes them and to have that preparation, not just to have that desire, but then to have that preparation that they can share their stories and their own unique and creative ways and, and then with their gifting.
Speaker C:So for people who are listening, who would like to invite you, get more information, because this is a topic that applies for every single person.
Speaker C:It's not limited by age.
Speaker C:It's not limited, you know, by circumstance.
Speaker C:How do people get in touch with you?
Speaker C:What are the types of places where you speak?
Speaker C:You know, let us know more about this so people can take advantage of what you are bringing.
Speaker D:Okay, thank you.
Speaker D:You can email at Cindy, Cindy Morton egger.com But I do, I think that we can really have a movement here.
Speaker D:I think that it's a great lesson.
Speaker D:I think it's a great tool for Sunday school classes, for ladies events.
Speaker D:And I'll tell you one thing, I think it's great used in home environments.
Speaker D:When I first started my business, I had people that would come and have me bring some of my products and share my testimony.
Speaker D:And they would say, I can't get my neighbor to come to church, but I can get her to come to my house.
Speaker D:And I still believe in that.
Speaker D:And even way back then, that was proof that our story matters.
Speaker D:Her friend would come to her house and listen.
Speaker D:And then, you know, some people have reasons that the word church and the, the church, the institution of church.
Speaker D:I'm not going to say that sometimes people have valid reasons.
Speaker D:I hope, I mean, I hope that doesn't come across too harsh.
Speaker D:But there are, there are sometimes that people are going to have to get back into church.
Speaker D:They may have been in church, but I'm going to tell you, I'm honest with people.
Speaker D:Some of my greatest pains and hurts have been in the church.
Speaker D:And thankfully.
Speaker D:But you can pray your way through that and realize that that was a person, not Jesus and not the church.
Speaker D:But a lot of people in their mind have valid reasons.
Speaker D:A lot of people see Christians that are fallen and they're.
Speaker D:They get a little bit hung up on hypocrites.
Speaker D:I mean, I'll be the first one to tell you, you spend 20 minutes with me, I'm going to do something that you're going to, you know, I'm going to say something, I'm going to do something.
Speaker D:Trust me, I am going to mess up your vision of the perfect Christian really quickly.
Speaker D:So, you know, just don't carry that weight around.
Speaker D:And if you are carrying that right away, wait around.
Speaker D:Jesus does want to take it from you because there are people still carrying it around.
Speaker C:Absolutely.
Speaker C:And, and I'm glad that you, you know, pointed that out that it's not just always about people getting into a church building right away, but it can just even be inviting people into your home and you also being willing to do that.
Speaker C:So, Cindy, thank you so much for being here today and being a guest.
Speaker C:I love the fact that you have such a heart.
Speaker C:For every individual to first of all, to value their own story and then to see the value that they can bring to others doesn't have to be in some big dramatic auditorium.
Speaker C:It can be standing there behind the hairdresser's chair.
Speaker C:It can be in the grocery store.
Speaker C:It can be in a store.
Speaker C:It can be in a, in a marketplace.
Speaker C:You know, anywhere that, that we are present, we have the opportunity to just show up and to share Christ just in creative ways.
Speaker C:So thank you very much for, for coming and sharing today.
Speaker C:One question that I have you.
Speaker C:What are you excited about?
Speaker C:What's one thing you're excited about that's in the works in your life?
Speaker C:It can be personal, it can be professional, but what's something that you're excited about?
Speaker D:I really think the thing I'm the most excited about right now is transition.
Speaker D:Oh, excuse me, I'm tongue tied.
Speaker D:Transitioning from sharing my story.
Speaker D:I think everybody's heard my story.
Speaker D:I think I can use my story to show other people.
Speaker D:It's just.
Speaker D:I'm excited about getting this literature written and put together.
Speaker D:I'm just excited to see people that do want to make a difference and help them because.
Speaker D:And my number one thing I'm excited about is for people to realize you're not wasting your time.
Speaker D:You may never remember my dogwood bloom.
Speaker D:You may never know the fruits of your labor.
Speaker D:But the most important part is when Jesus says, did you do as I called you to do?
Speaker D:You can say, yes, sir, I did.
Speaker D:I did it.
Speaker D:And then I believe it will be revealed to us that we did make a difference.
Speaker C:Absolutely.
Speaker C:Because again, we're not called to outcomes.
Speaker C:We're not responsible for outcomes.
Speaker C:We are responsible for our faithfulness.
Speaker B:Hasn't this just been a delight?
Speaker B:You know, I've had the privilege of spending some time in person with Cindy.
Speaker B:And I will just tell you, she is charming, she is fun, she is talented, she is kind and I welcome you to check out the links in the show notes and consider inviting her to come and to speak to your women to help encourage them how to share their faith.
Speaker B:I guarantee you this is not going to be a guilt trip for your women.
Speaker B:It's not going to be someone who's like why aren't you out there sharing, sharing their faith?
Speaker B:This is someone who's going to be able to encourage women wherever they are, whatever stage they are in life, whatever career, whatever challenges that they have, whatever their story and journey.
Speaker B:Cindy's going to be able to give them some practical tips and she's going to be able to share out of her own experience, both as someone who wasn't a person of faith until like you said, like in about 30, but then as she came to faith, how she was able to to in a gentle way that was unique and specific to her and just flowed out from her in a natural way to be able to share with so many other people a message of faith and hope.
Speaker B:And sometimes those messages might have been like 30 seconds long, but that still planted or watered or nurtured a seed.
Speaker B:So check the show notes, look for the links that are there and while you are doing that, if you haven't already, make sure to go to the website Stephanie presents.com Sign up for my weekly newsletter, High Impact.
Speaker B:I want to help equip you with not just encouragement, but with resources with information so that you and your family can truly become spiritually strong, emotionally healthy and relationally smart.
Speaker B:And I want you to be those things.
Speaker B:I want you to have peace.
Speaker B:I want you to have purpose.
Speaker B:And I want you to recognize and then to multiply and develop your immeasurable, eternal and irreplaceable impact.
Speaker B:All right, my friend, I'll see you next time.
Speaker A:Thank you for listening.
Speaker A:Visit the website stephaniepresents.com and sign up for High Impact to join the mission of building spiritually strong, emotionally healthy and relationally smart women and families.
Speaker A:You can also book Stephanie to speak at your event and check out additional resources.
Speaker A:Together we can invite and equip generations to engage fully in God's grand story.
