Do you feel wiped out at the end of every day, feeling like you're a day late and a dollar short? Like there's some invisible list of expectations that the world has hung over your head and is double checking to make sure you're measuring up? Like you're supposed to master the art of balancing it all? Like maybe everyone you know is in on the secret of how to do EVERYTHING while simultaneously laying everything down right at the feet of Jesus?

Insert a sea of raised hands right here.

In today's special LIVE episode, Kayla, Kristi, Shannon, and Lindsy  chat about what it looks like to live like Jesus, who modeled grace, rest, and intentional sacrificial living.

There's freedom in Jesus, y'all, and that freedom makes space for abundant life, not busy life.

Come join us around the podcast table and then join us over on Facebook and Instagram for the rest of the conversation!

With love {and boiled peanuts} from Rocky Mount,
Lori

Hey do you guys remember how in the first 3-5 episodes of UpsideDown Podcast I talked about my love for Justin Timberlake? Every time? Sometimes I sang, sometime I just worked it in super naturally to bug Shannon, sometimes it was simply because I have this weird feeling JT and I'd be friends? (And Jimmy Fallon, and Tina Fey, and all of these other totally over my head, talented famous people?)

​I have another JT love to share with you, and it happens to be our March sponsor.

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This is all perfectly timed because for many of us, spring break is just around the corner and I know in my family, that means our rest times get a little thrown off. Whether we're traveling or stay-cationing, all the rhythms get a little wonky.

My girls are 7, 5, and 3, and they all need rest in different ways, and often at different times. So anytime we're all home and I find a one-shot wonder that will get all their attention, I consider it a win. JellyTelly has become a major win for us!
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JellyTelly is the only streaming video app designed JUST FOR KIDS where the message is that God is real, and his Word is true. Those of you familiar with VeggieTales® will recognize some of the voices and a lot of the wit and humor; it was co-developed by Veggietales® creator Phil Vischer. 

We're very carefully about the autonomy we give our kids when it comes to screen time in our house. There are a few okay-ish options out there. Netflix has a great kids option, but once I opened it up to find Orange is the New Black listed on my daughter's channel. MAJOR whoops on their part, and it reminded me that I can't trust filters to do what's ultimately my job. We've taken Amazon and Safari off our iPad, and have several other security settings. But part of our job as parents is also to help our kids understand how to use media responsibly. That means it's okay to pick a show and see if you like it. It's fun to have favorites, and when it comes to my kids, it's a double bonus if those programs are supporting Truth we're already teaching them in our home. 

So we've put the JellyTelly app on the iPad, and quite often I hear theme songs from What's In the Bible and a show called Come On Over playing from around the corner. (You can also watch it through the Apple Store, Google Play, via Roku, and supported Kindle devices.) Plus, these shows don't stay on the screen, they foster more conversation after they're over. And honestly, when it comes to What's In the Bible, I usually learn something too! The "Why Do We Call it Christmas" episode was super helpful in December!

JellyTelly is super reasonably priced at only $4.99 a month, or $49.99 for the whole year. Every new subscriber gets a free first week.

We've loved having JellyTelly as our sponsor this month. If you'd like to learn more, head here to browse the catalog, and here to sign up for a FREE weeklong trial (SPRING BREAKERS, REJOICE!). While you're there, use the code UPSIDEDOWN to receive a free download for a 10 page coloring book (SPRING BREAKERS, WE ARE ON FIRE, PACK/PRINT THESE TOO). Be sure to check out their great library of devotionals, faith-based parenting blog posts, and growing marketplace of thoughtfully curated products for Christian families, including videos, books, games, toys and more while you're there. 

Thanks so much for continuing to support our sponsors! 

with love from Asheville,

Kristi

In episode 16, Shannon and I (Lindsy) interview Amber Newberry. Amber is a wife, mom and pro-love advocate. At the age of nineteen, Amber had an abortion. She graciously shares her story of heartache and redemption with us and it's one you won't want to miss.

You can find Amber on her website Beautiful and Beloved and learn more about her and her work with Save the Storks there.

Articles and podcasts mentioned in this episode:
On Being: How Trauma Lodges in the Body with Bessel van der Kolk
​Christian Post Survey

If you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to rate and review us on iTunes. Ratings are how other people find us when looking for new podcasts, so you're not just stroking our egos, you're helping others join our upside down conversations. Also, join our private Facebook group, Upside Down Tribe. Send a request and we'll let you in. There's always room at the foot of the cross. And on Facebook.

Blessings from Miami friends!
Lindsy

​We’ve been mulling over this topic for a while, and it seems especially timely right now.

We’re talking about a comprehensive ethic of life.

We’re asking how to be comprehensively, collectively, and compassionately Kingdom-minded from womb to tomb, because all humans were made in the Image of God, and ALL people are loved deeply and pursued by the creator of all things.

So: How do we care for the unborn and the refugee? The hungry child and the criminal? The uninsured and the homeless? The one who doesn’t look like me and the one who doesn’t believe like me?

How do we live an upside-down kingdom life that supports life in all facets of our very messy world?
We know this can be a loaded topic with a lot of loaded keywords that bring a lot of feelings, and as we discuss what can be very sensitive topics, we just want to be an example of friends gathering around the table to talk about life through a Kingdom lens.

This isn’t a conversation about politics, or about us vs. them, but about God’s kingdom.

As always, these honest conversations are unscripted and we come to the table with a lot of prayer that through our own brokenness, we will somehow help you start the conversation in your own contexts. We ask for your grace and for ears to hear our heart, and what we believe to be God’s heart, as we dive into this topic in this episode.

In this episode, we ask:

• How have your views about what it means to be “pro-life” or “pro-choice” evolved and changed?
• How have Christians gotten it right?
• How have Christians done more harm than good?
• How do we stop vilifying those who see things differently and find common ground?
• How has your view of life impacted you?

We’re humbled to wade through these murky waters with you, and we hope and pray that our conversation will be life-giving as you continue to work through these thoughts.

If you want a space to process in, we’re loving our new private Facebook group. If you want to join us, just search Upside Down Tribe, and one of us will let you in!

Grace and peace from the muddy Midwest,
Kayla