The Sojo Show
The Sojo Show makes Bible Study fun with spontaneous conversations between Arabah Joy and Jen Evangelista. Together we discover how the study of God's Word can impact our everyday lives.
New Episode Every Week!
The Sojo Show
From Foundations to Finish Line: Your Spiritual Formation Roadmap
Ready to embark on a transformative spiritual adventure? Discover how 2025 could be the year you deepen your faith, align your actions with your beliefs, and overcome challenges like fear and anxiety.
We're back on the Sojo Show after a long hiatus and are excited to share our journey, insights, and the ambitious plans we've laid out for this season.
Join us as we candidly talk about the highs and lows of running a podcast driven by passion, not profit. Our return episode is packed with reflections and revelations from our seven-year journey with the Sojo Academy, and we're eager to explore biblical wisdom that translates into actionable steps for spiritual growth.
This year, we're diving deep into themes of trust, faith, and transformation. As we journey together, we will also focus on purpose-driven living, bold leadership, and, eventually, leaving a meaningful legacy.
We’re so excited to grow alongside you in 2025. Whether you’ve been listening for quite some time or just discovering The Sojo Show, welcome to the journey! Let’s make this year one of deep spiritual growth and bold action for Christ.
Connect with us: www.instagram.com/sojosociety
Become a member: www.sojoacademy.com
Sojo Academy is an ongoing membership for Christian women that provides a practical, streamlined, spiritual growth plan for every woman.
Support the Podcast: www.sojohub.com/support
Help us continue making great content for listeners everywhere.
hello, welcome to the sojo show. How are you?
Speaker 2:I'm here with I kind of feel like we should have something special to say after being gone for like months we're back.
Speaker 1:Well, we're back. Our next season coming up and we wanted to chat with you guys before that happens absolutely yay.
Speaker 2:So it kind of feels like we should say happy december, happy almost 2025, and welcome back to the sojo show. We basically we want to give you an overview of where we're headed, but first let to let you officially that we are back and we will be kicking up our next season, the first season of 2025, on January 7th. Is that the right date, did I get?
Speaker 1:that right. 7th yes, that will be our first episode Exciting.
Speaker 2:Yay, so if you are like diehard fans like there may be one or two of you out there, diehard, you can.
Speaker 1:You can write it down on your calendar, I know you all been waiting with bated breath to hear our voices again in your ears.
Speaker 2:I know Right, I'm. I'm hoping somebody, somebody does want to hear from us. I don't know about debated breakfast.
Speaker 1:Somebody comment on the Apple podcast. Is that what it's called now? I don't know. But go ahead and comment that you're excited to have us back. Let us know that somebody is looking forward to yes, yeah.
Speaker 2:Because if it's crickets, we're going to be like, okay, we just made it idiot ourselves.
Speaker 1:It's fun. Well, we enjoy doing this. We've. So AJ and I in the in the off season quote unquote have been really trying to decide what next year is going to look like for our podcast and whether we're going to continue it. Whether you know, it's because it's a labor of love. I got to be honest with you it's purely a labor of love.
Speaker 2:It is. Yeah, can we just be honest about that for just a second? Because, guys, if you, if you have a podcast, if you've ever like tried to record one, you know that it's a lot of work. It's a lot of work, it takes a ton of time because you have to record and money, yeah, yeah, it costs. It costs us money. And here's the thing like we get no money from it, none like zero, zero pennies, zero pennies.
Speaker 1:You have a podcast that you aren't able to support financially?
Speaker 2:let us know how right, yes, please do, because we we would really like to cover our expenses for this but regardless.
Speaker 1:Regardless. We're not whining because, as we're thinking through this, we decided that this is one of our favorite things to do.
Speaker 2:We just yeah, it is. We love it. We love the back and forth discussion and, honestly, we get comments from people all the time. When we don't do a podcast episode, we get people in real life asking us where we're at, and we get people in our inboxes asking us where we're at when the podcast is coming back, and so we see this as a ministry. So, for the one or two of you who do listen, this is for you. So for the one or two of you who do listen, this is for you.
Speaker 1:I was going to say, hey, mom, but my mom doesn't even listen. Mine doesn't either. That's okay. That's okay, we want to hear. If you're listening, please let us know. Leave us a comment, let us know, okay no-transcript.
Speaker 2:This is our clarity session.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what you guys don't realize is that we're working things out in the background together.
Speaker 2:We are we're?
Speaker 1:always hot messes. So with that really amazing introduction, everyone's so excited. Now. We really did not do a good job introducing that. But you know what, if you're new to the podcast, I'm Jen, my voice is Jen and I'm AJ and I say J, and we are not physically together today. You can usually tell when we're physically together, because the flow is much easier when we're together, but we are virtually together much easier when we're together, but we are virtually together and we want to tell you what we're going to be doing next year because we have like we actually have a plan, which we do have a plan.
Speaker 2:This guys y'all should like be celebrating right now, because we normally, I mean, we do plan, we do plan we don't plan for a whole year at once, like that is really kind of crazy. This is the first time we've ever done that. Yes, so and we've been doing this for now we're going into our is it into our seventh year or into our eighth year?
Speaker 1:We're going into our seventh year with Sojo Academy. This is our third year with the podcast, but seventh year with Sojo. Yes, so we co-run Sojo Academy again for those of you who are new and it is a membership for Christian women where we go through different aspects of spiritual growth with women, and this is our seventh year. We're starting our seventh year.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, that's a pretty big deal. So I mean, obviously we've done a lot of planning in those seven years. Some of it has had to do with podcasts over the past three, but we've never done this where we've actually planned an entire year's worth of like a spiritual development path. That's what we have planned for this year and the podcast is going to reflect that and we're super excited about it.
Speaker 2:And, honestly, this is one of the reasons why we're bringing back the podcast, because it does give us clarity as we go through this spiritual development path we have for 2025. It gives us clarity and it's just like okay, what is the most important things? It helps us to zone in and kind of dial in on what is most important and then try to put those things into practice in our lives. Because, as we all know, it's not just knowing the Bible. That's important, it's actually taking action on it, it's doing it, and that's what our community is all about. We're not just a Bible study community, we're like a take action community, and so this podcast is going to help us. Just, jen and I, really nail down okay, out of all of the scripture we're consuming this month, what are the most important things Like what are the things we need to take action on, what are the things we need to hide in our hearts and so we're excited about?
Speaker 1:this. What are the things we need to hide in our hearts and so we're excited about this? Okay, so are we going to like, like, bear our own reflection on the podcast. Like, are we going to.
Speaker 2:We will. I mean, we're always like TMI, so you know we're going to.
Speaker 1:So you're going to get the down and dirty with how we need to grow spiritually and how we're failing Probably will be better. Dirty with how we need to grow spiritually and how we're failing Probably will be better.
Speaker 2:I mean there might be, there may be some of that, you know, there will probably be some, like self-reflection, I'm sure. But I mean just knowing, like knowing where we're headed this year and, spoiler alert, for the first month. We're looking at the character of God, the attributes of God. Like that is an awe inspiring view when you just look at his glory, you look at his faithfulness, you look at his compassion I was just thinking about this over the past 24 hours just how compassionate and slow to anger. You know, the verse that I was meditating on yesterday comes from Joel, where it says he's willing to relent. You know, even now it said he's willing to relent if you just repent and turn from your ways, like just thinking about the glory of God in his compassion, that's enough to change your life, you know. And so I I'm really excited about where we're going in this new year and how we're kind of setting it up the right way, I think, in in the very beginning, in January, by focusing our hearts and our eyes on God.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so we're calling this, I think. I don't know if we've officially decided to call it this or not, but we've sort of temporarily been calling this Foundations to Finish Line. That is sort of the working title for the year. But, regardless, we did want to share with you kind of what like the path, the path that we're taking. Yeah, let they do it. We're starting with the bedrock, with the foundation, and so the so, yeah, so the first path is indeed foundations.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the foundations of everything, of everything, everything of our, of our lives, yeah, the foundations for the Christian living. Well, and I think it's important to note, cause I don't think we spelled this out super clearly but what our approach for the, for the year, is going to, we're going to have like a quarterly approach. So maybe, you know, you can call it a quarterly sprint or whatever. So each quarter we're going to focus on one thing, one topic, and then, within that topic, each month we're going to have like a sub focus. So it's all very organized. I mean, I'm really excited about that. It's. It's like so I don't know, is that right brain or left brain? I don't know, it's definitely not the creative brain. So whichever one is opposite of creative, but there is creativity within the structure too.
Speaker 2:But so the first quarter is our focus on foundations, because I think without this you have, you know, it's like a house without the foundation, you have nothing to build on. And, honestly, this is something that we can sometimes relegate to new beginners, new believers, you know, and beginners in their faith. But it's something we need to come back to over and over and over and over again. It's like when we talked about in the spiritual growth accelerator, where, Jen, you gave the illustration of the, the, the football story.
Speaker 2:I can't remember who it was. I was like back to the basics. You know, it's like we're, we're gonna, we're gonna do drills on, like throwing the ball and like doing the basics that make up the sport. And and there are certain things in the Christian life that we just need to have as our foundations, and knowing the character of God is one of those. Knowing the word of God is reliable and trustworthy In a world that is shifting, in a world that tells us XYZ is right today and ABC is right tomorrow. The Bible is what tells us what's true, and these are foundations that we have to stick to. So this first quarter we are going to talk about our foundations and, yeah, I don't know if you want to give any more detail on that or not, jen.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, I can just briefly say that in January you will hear about, as AJ already mentioned, knowing God, understanding who he is, and I know that, for those of you listening, you will hear about, as AJ already mentioned, knowing God, understanding who he is, and I know that, for those of you listening, you probably already kind of know these characteristics of God. But I think that it is so critical for us to be reminded over and over again Because I mean I don't know about you, but I have been a believer for a very long time.
Speaker 1:I mean I don't know about you, but I have been a believer for a very long time and yet I find myself like almost forgetting on a daily basis of some of these really important truths because I get so overwhelmed by my own circumstances.
Speaker 1:So we're going to talk about God's characteristics, his holiness, his sovereignty, his love, his mercy, his faithfulness, all these things that will ground us and, as we discuss it on the podcast and in our membership, we're going to really be reminded of those truths. And then we're going to shift. We're going to go through the Gospel of Mark, we're going to encounter Jesus in a real way and really look at the life and the truth of the Son, of the Son, and so that's going to be really important and who we are in Christ, right. And then we're going to talk about our faith in March as far as understanding what this means, what does this word mean, what does this whole mean? So these are just sort of foundational concepts that you know as a believer. You know them, but if you are not constantly reminded of them, then it's really easy to allow our circumstances and our everyday lives sort of swallow us up a little bit, and I say that from experience.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I mean, it's always good to be reminded of who God is. That's one of the questions that Jesus asked. You know, he's like who do you say that I am, and then who do others say that I am? And it's like that is a core question that we have to remind our hearts of. That is a core question that we have to remind our hearts of.
Speaker 2:Who am I acting like? Jesus is right now. Who am I believing him to be? What do my actions say about what I believe about God? Is it? Do they say, that he's trustworthy, that he's a good shepherd, that he's a father who takes care of his own, that he's a redeemer? You know, even when I fall to the pit of the earth, like, do my actions reflect that? And those are the kinds of questions that we need to constantly be asking ourselves, and so I'm really excited about this first quarter of the new year. I just have to say you guys know I'm a really big trust person, because I struggle with that. I struggle with trusting God, I struggle with trusting people, and it's something that I've studied a lot on in God's word. So when we get to March, I'm really, really looking forward to that we will be looking at. Hebrews 11 is one of the passages we'll be diving into, looking at others who exercise faith in scripture, and so I'm really excited. That's probably the highlight of the quarter for me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. So we're going to transition at that point from the foundations which obviously we're never going to really transition out of that completely because we'll continue to focus on those things but in the next quarter, we're going to start looking at transformation. So, basically, growth, our sanctification and how our sanctification prepares us, and this is what AJ was talking about as far as our knowledge is super important, but our knowledge has to translate into action and this is where we're continuing to gain knowledge of who we are, in Christ, for example. That's happening in May, but we're also going to turn that into what that means for us going forward and what we need to be doing as we prepare for action.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I really love this quarter as well, because we talk about God's promises to us in times of fear and uncertainty. We're going to hit on anxiety and replacing that with prayer, battling our fears with scripture, so there's just so much. In here, again, we'll touch on identity in Christ and we have a biographical study A good one, yes, yes, a really really good biographical study. So you guys are going to get in on that on the podcast that will be in June.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, that's going to be good. All right, so you want to talk about what's next, because we got two more quarters after that.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So then, third quarter, we're looking at mission and really focusing in on what God has called us to do, like we're. We're called for a purpose. We're not called to just sit and and make the best of our lives and now go out and, you know, find our best selves. You know we are called for a purpose, and so this is going to be the quarter of living out our faith with bold action within authentic community and also empowered leadership.
Speaker 2:How are we going to take what we have learned and lead others? We'll talk about living in a hostile world with hope and holiness. We'll look at Peter a little bit during that section of the quarter and his personal journey from fear and failure to bold leadership. Because I mean, just think about that, peter royally failed and yet he was one of the pillars of church growth, and so, no matter what failure we have in our past or even in our future, god's not done with us, like if we're breathing air right now. It means he still has a purpose for us to fulfill, and so that's kind of going to be one of our, one of our topics during the third quarter.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this is a quarter that's going to focus a little bit as well on discipleship and multiplication of ourselves, sort of in the in the, in the matter of like. So we've looked at the foundations, we've looked at how we're going to grow ourselves and then now we're going to see how we can grow others Not we, but how we can encourage others in their faith. So I think this is a very practical quarter and hopefully you guys will stick around for it as we discuss it on the podcast. And AJ and I both have a lot of personal experience in quote-unquote ministry. But it's really important to note that these commands for discipleship of others and teaching and encouraging others in the Word are for all of us, it's for you as well, and so kind of knowing that and being empowered to do that is it is transformational. It really is. Even though this is our mission quarter, it will continue to transform. So I love that.
Speaker 1:And then we're going to end the year on with the we're calling the quarter perseverance and basically this is just again, this is that finishing strong part and that is going to be really important for us to focus on, I think in this day and age, even more than any other time is going against the culture and finishing our lives with what God, who God wants us to be and what he wants us to actually be doing. We're going to do a book study on the book of James, we're going to do topical studies and we're going to end the year with praise and worship. We're going to worship throughout the year, obviously, but understanding how important that is for our lives, so strengthening our faith, finishing well In Sojo. We have some core characteristics, some core disciplines that we work through, and one of them is finishing well, beautiful emptiness, leaving this life empty in a beautiful way, leaving it all on the field. To go back to football reference, and that's what we're going to be talking about in quarter four.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so that's a really brief probably more than you wanted to know overview of where we're headed in 2025 here on the podcast and, as we have said, we're going to be studying several books throughout the new year, several topical studies as well. As we have said, we're going to be studying several books throughout the new year, several topical studies as well. We're going to do at least one biographical study. So if you want to dive more into what we're doing in Sojo, in the Academy, you can find more about that at sojoacademycom. This is a great time to join, because you will get in from the start in in 2025 from day one and, if not, this is something that you can follow along with us on the podcast. We hope that it will be a blessing to you to hear the discussions that we have and the insights that we learn throughout the year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yes, we're excited about it and we look forward to sharing this with you all through 2025. So welcome back to the Sojo Show.
Speaker 2:Welcome back and welcome to the new year.
