Episode 87 - Rooted in Grace: Trusting God's Plan with Lana Stenner

Welcome back to the Sojo Show Podcast! Today we would like to introduce you to a new friend of ours: Lana Stenner. And we must say, this episode is pure JOY! Recognizing the grace of God in Lana's life and adventures will definitely speak to you!

We met her when we were on her podcast a few weeks back. We had such a sweet conversation that we had to invite her to come to our show as well!

Lana is an author, entrepreneur, podcast host, college professor and unlikely homesteader. Slow living chasing fast goats is what she is known for. Her books titled The Grace-Filled Homestead – Lessons Learned on Faith, Family and the Farm and The Grace-Filled Homestead Cookbook can be found on Amazon and wherever books are sold. 20 years ago, Lana and her husband CJ decided to ditch the fast-paced hustle for the simple life. They found a small farm on the edge of town, moved their four little children into a 100-year-old fixer upper and began to focus on God, goats, and gardens at the Grace-Filled Homestead.

She is what she calls an unlikely homesteader, which is really cool because this experience allowed her and her family to focus on the gospel and God.

For those of you who are familiar with what's going on in Sojo Academy right now, we are actually in the process of studying the book of Galatians. The law vs. grace is one of the themes of Galatians and today we’re discussing some lessons that Lana has learned along the way related to the grace of God.

We began by discussing our dependence on God. How we depend on Him in our everyday life teaches us to be dependent on Him in deeper spiritual matters. 

Lana named her farm the Grace Filled Homestead, and it stemmed out of her not being good at grace. She's always struggled with that. A lot of us that have grown up in the church and are used to lists of things we can and can't do. We have these rules that are basically unattainable and then Jesus comes along and he turns it all upside down. 

Everything boils down to God wanting a relationship with us. He doesn't want checkoffs of what you did right and what you did wrong, and to do that you have to cultivate it.Do we truly know him? Are we worshiping every morning? Are we in our Bible? Are we doing all these things in such a way that we know him just like he knows us? 

That's where the relationship happens. It's not just a list.  When we compare it to a garden, if we're doing all these things like Bible reading, prayer, worship, there's no room for the weeds to get in. Our relationship is so strong that we thrive and we grow in that.  

When we are not filled with the grace that is the gospel, we can't fulfill the law on our own.

We talked about purpose, and that your purpose may not be quite as visible as someone else's, but yet just as important. Like the marigolds from Lana’s garden, they're beautiful, but maybe  they're not producing fruit right now. 

Maybe somebody listening to us today feels like the garlic or the marigold, feeling like their purpose is not as visible or important. If you're in a season of life where you don't feel like that you are contributing as much to the kingdom,  recognize that your role to play is IMPORTANT! 

From dependence on God, Lana and Jen moved on to talk about the fruit of the spirit, particularly PATIENCE. Jen shared that she suffers from a lack of patience, and likes her instant gratification.

These days everything is about instant gratification, but God is on a different timeline. The hard thing is to recognize that His timing is better.  

We think we deserve something so quickly but patience is truly where the growth happens. It's in those mornings before the sun is up and you're sitting there reading your Bible.

It's being patient, but it's also  the action of taking those tiny little steps and doing the next right thing every single day. 

We need to be in the Word every single day. And whether that's four minutes and you're just reading one chapter, or if that's a true study, we have to do that every single day to prepare for the future.

Spend the time in the Word. Get that worship music in your house. If you're doing those things, you will know Him like He knows you. You will hear his voice. You will know what your purpose is, and you will know you're right where you're supposed to be, and you will know when there's a moment to shift and pivot into something else. 

And you will be confident in that because you know Him, you know how he works, you know his words, you know His scriptures and His love for you.  

Ask yourself: Where would I be today if a year ago I had started these small habits? If you're in His word, it clears your brain to allow you to know His heart for you and what is right on how to spend your time.  

These things that we're talking about as far as the disciplines are things that the Holy Spirit grows in us, like the fruit of the Spirit. And our desire to be more and more like Christ and be closer to Him will grow as we practice them. 

Let’s remind ourselves of the work of God in our lives to restore and redeem by His grace. 

Meet our Guest

Lana is an author, entrepreneur, podcast host, college professor and unlikely homesteader. Slow living chasing fast goats is what she is known for. Her books titled The Grace-Filled Homestead – Lessons Learned on Faith, Family and the Farm and The Grace-Filled Homestead Cookbook can be found on Amazon and wherever books are sold. 20 years ago, Lana and her husband CJ decided to ditch the fast-paced hustle for the simple life. They found a small farm on the edge of town, moved their four little children into a 100-year-old fixer upper and began to focus on God, goats, and gardens at the Grace-Filled Homestead.

Lana writes articles and shares photography on gardening, beekeeping, goats, family, scratch recipes, faith, and the home. She is also a contributor to American Farmhouse Style Magazine and the YouVersion Bible reading app. You can follow Lana’s fun barnyard animal videos on social media as well as her website lanastenner.com. There you will find farm to table recipes, a DIY blog, the Backyard Farm Academy classes, and the Grace-Filled Grit Podcast. Lana is intrinsically grateful for God’s grace and uses her time this side of heaven helping others build their faith, family, and farm.

Cook Book: anastenner.com/cookbook

Website: lanastenner.com

Instagram: @lanastenner

Tiktok: @lanastennerandgoatgang

Podcast: Grace-Filled Grit

For Further Study

If you want to go even further, we have a full Bible study on the Law vs. Grace You will have access to a Scripture Reading Plan, Workbooks, creative elements for journaling and much much more. 

Get the details here: sojoacademy.com/lawandpromise-study