The day Jesus fed five thousand people from almost nothing — he was also grieving the violent death of his best friend and cousin. He'd tried to get away to be alone. The crowds followed him anyway. And instead of sending them home, the Bible says "he had compassion on them." Out of his grief. Out of his exhaustion.

In this episode, Linda and I walk through Matthew 14 and what was actually happening to Jesus during this wild 24-hour stretch — the grief, the exhaustion, the interrupted attempt at solitude, and the back-to-back miracles that came out of it. We also talk about what Linda walked through after her mom died last year, and why the moments when you feel least able are sometimes the moments God does his most visible work.

If you enjoyed this, we'd love to send you a free copy of our book — you just cover shipping. It has over 1,000 5-star reviews on Amazon. Grab it at seedtime.com/free.

Here's a little of what we cover in this episode:

• Why the feeding of the 5,000 hits completely differently when you know what Jesus was going through that day
• What it means that Jesus "had compassion on them" right after learning his cousin was killed
• How grief and exhaustion didn't disqualify Jesus from doing miracles — they may have been the condition for them
• What Linda experienced leading and speaking through the grief of losing her mom last year
• Why your weakest moments might be the ones where God gets the most visible credit
• What it actually looks like when you show up empty and God shows up anyway
• The three o'clock in the morning detail — and why the story doesn't end after the feeding

Matthew 14:13

Matthew 14:14

Matthew 14:23

Matthew 14:25

Obligatory legal disclaimer: I'm a financial educator, not your financial advisor, investment advisor, tax pro, or lawyer. This channel is for general education, not personalized advice, and nothing here should be taken as a recommendation to buy, sell, or use any specific investment, account, or financial product. I'm just sharing what I'm doing, what I'm learning, and what I find interesting.

Markets can be humbling. Investing involves risk, including the risk of losing money, and my results are personal, may not be typical, and are not guaranteed. Do your own research, use wisdom, and talk with a qualified professional before making financial decisions.

Some links are to our resources and some are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That helps keep the lights on around here, so thanks for the support.

She prayed for seven years for a breakthrough. The more she prayed, the worse things got. And she ended up on the bathroom floor saying she didn't want to be alive anymore. What the Holy Spirit showed her in that moment — about control, about fear disguised as faith, about the difference between begging and believing — is something I haven't been able to stop thinking about.

In this episode, Linda and I sit down with Alex Seeley — author of The Divine Counselor — for one of the most honest conversations we've had on this show.

Alex shares how a 20-year eating disorder rooted in unforgiveness, a $23 last-dollar miracle when she and her husband gave everything to move to America, and a word from a stranger about a "tissue box" that just keeps refilling shaped her understanding of what it actually means to walk with the Holy Spirit.

We also talk about why Linda used to go shopping when things got tight financially — and what the Holy Spirit revealed was really going on underneath that.

Here's a little of what we cover in this episode:

• The difference between praying from fear and praying from faith (they can look identical from the outside)
• How a 20-year eating disorder rooted in unforgiveness was never going to "just work itself out"
• Why there's a 24/7 counselor available to you right now who's better than any therapist you could book an appointment with
• The $23 miracle: what happened when Alex and Henry gave their last dollars before moving to America
• Linda's confession about going shopping whenever money was tight — and what the Holy Spirit revealed about why
• The difference between conviction and condemnation (this reframes a lot)
• What it looks like when your seed goes into the next season — not just into an offering bucket

Acts 1:8

Isaiah 1

John 14:16

Romans 8:28

1 Peter 5:7

Philippians 4:13

Obligatory legal disclaimer: I'm a financial educator, not your financial advisor, investment advisor, tax pro, or lawyer. This channel is for general education, not personalized advice, and nothing here should be taken as a recommendation to buy, sell, or use any specific investment, account, or financial product. I'm just sharing what I'm doing, what I'm learning, and what I find interesting.

Markets can be humbling. Investing involves risk, including the risk of losing money, and my results are personal, may not be typical, and are not guaranteed. Do your own research, use wisdom, and talk with a qualified professional before making financial decisions.

Some links are to our resources and some are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That helps keep the lights on around here, so thanks for the support.