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Hello, everybody. Welcome to another episode of Christ with Coffee on Ice. I am your host, Ali Yost. It is a joy and honor to be back with you guys on another Friday. Happy Friday, everybody. I hope that you guys have been having the best week ever. We are back. I am so excited. I can't wait to just get into this episode with you guys today. And obviously, as we always do, per protocol, we have our coffee on ice, but first and foremost, we have our Christ. I brought my little travel size journal with me today. Typically, you guys will see me with my big navy blue one, which I do love, but today I just felt the compact Bible. I actually do gravitate towards this one a lot more. It's just easier to carry around, obviously, and put in my hand. And I love it. I have the NLT translation for anyone that may be asking. And we'll be referring to some scripture throughout today's episode as well. So. So that is the translation that I read from. Also, both of my Bibles. I haven't mentioned this in a while. Are from a brand called Hosanna Revival, which is such an incredible company if you're a girly. They have the cutest Bibles and journals and all sorts of stuff actually. And so they're the best. They're so generous. They did send me this Bible and the other one that I own, my navy blue one is from them as well, which they also gifted to me. So I'm very grateful for their generosity. They have the sweetest hearts ever. I love their PR team. Like, truly the most kindest people. And I do have a code with them. So if you guys ever are interested in shopping their website for whatever reason, you are welcome to use it. I think it should save you anywhere from 10 to 15% off. And it's just my first and last name Alioost. So make sure to use that at checkout if you ever want to shop their website. And yeah, so I'm so excited. Also, haven't mentioned in a while our merch is still very much available. I know that I mentioned. Did I mention that I wanted to do like a little revamp for the spring? Well, it is now fall and that never happened. So we still have the OG merch up and available, including our coffee cups, which I love so much. Literally use them all the time. Yeah. It's fall, guys. Happy October. I'm like, okay, I'm officially in the October fall vibe. Okay. It took me a while, I think. Also, it's just hard in California because if you're not Living where you can really get all the seasons, like the east coast, where I'm born and raised and from, it's harder to kind of get in the mood of, like, fall and winter and all of those things, because we don't really get the same kind of seasons that you get on the East Coast. And so it's still fairly warm here. It is. But I am. I do have the bug. I have the fall bug. I have the itch now. And we also switched up our decor on the back shelf here. I don't know if anyone noticed. I don't know if you like it. It took me literally 20 minutes to try to figure out if I liked it or not. So if you don't, please don't tell me because I'll start crying. But I think it's. It's going to. It's cute. It's giving fall. Right? It feels festive. Also, the coffee of our choice today is a pumpkin spice latte, but it is still iced because I live in California, So hot would just make me hotter. But it's good. And I had to do decaf today because I technically already had cough. I don't like the decaf, actually. Ew. No, that's not good. That's okay. I had to get decaf because I already had a cup of coffee today. And with putting it in my cute little CWCOI cup, I spilled it all over my arm. So if you see stains on my. Please, guys, keep up with me today. Have actually just have patience with me today. I don't know what. I don't know what I'm on. It's the joy of the Lord, actually. That's what we're on. It's the Holy Spirit. Also, guys, hopefully you don't mind me giving you, like, a little life update. I don't know. Some of you guys enjoy this. Some of you guys are like, get on with Jesus content. Which, honestly, I want to be more like you because you're obviously very hungry for Jesus. Where you're like, that's why we're here. But you can fast forward. I just wanted to give a little life update. It shouldn't be long of. Just. Yeah, life has been kind of crazy lately, and so I just want to chat with my girls about it. So, yeah, I don't know. It's been. First off, I haven't even been in the studio, though, that frequently lately. You guys won't see the difference because we're still uploading weekly, which is great. And I was batching a lot last Month, but I feel a little rusty. I feel a little rusty coming in today. So hopefully this podcast. Holy Spirit, I will need to fully depend on you. Hopefully this podcast episode speaks well to you guys, regardless of whether ally. The vessel is rusty or not. More glory to God. Honestly, if. If it speaks to you. But, yeah, I am in the midst of a lot of change right now, and it's all really exciting change. A lot of them are stuff such answered prayers, and they are things that I am very, very excited about. I am moving, which is so exciting. Stressful, but fun. Like, moving is actually mostly exciting for me because I feel like it's just the best excuse to kind of just start over and, you know, get rid of all the things that I've collected over the last, like, year and a half of living in the house that I've been in. And so it's just a really fun time to just kind of like, purge all the things that I don't really need. I've really simple, simplified my life. The Holy Spirit's helped me with that, where he's like, hey, but do you actually ever use this? I'm like, well, no, but I feel. I think I will use it again. But the truth is, like, I haven't used it in the last year, so it's like, do I really need it? Probably not. So, yeah, it's fine. Actually. I like simplifying. Now, granted, do I still have a lot of clothes in my closet? Yeah. Do I still have probably too many shoes? Yes. But I had a lot more. And so I've gotten, like, rid of bags and bags of clothes and shoes and accessories and even just, like, products. Like, I just don't need so many skincare products. I don't need so many makeup products, which I think is a little bit easier for someone like me because brands, it's a blessing, and I'm grateful for it. And I really, honestly just end up donating a lot of the stuff that I don't need because it feels like a waste to throw anything away that isn't used. Of course. But it is a bit more tempting for me to hoard things when I have things being sent to me. And I'm like, well, wait, I don't know, maybe I'll want to use it. And then I, you know, months go by and I still haven't used the product. So very exciting stuff with moving. And I won't be living in the Los Angeles anymore. And so, yeah, you never really know when a season that you're in is going to quickly change. And honestly, it can happen in the matter of a moment. It can happen in the matter of a day, a month, a week. Like, things can change overnight for us sometimes, you know, where all of a sudden something happens or something shifts in our lives. And now it's not what it was even a week ago. So, if anything, I think a huge lesson in it too is to just be so, so grateful for the season that you're in, because you truly never know when that can change. And typically the Lord has us entering another season because it. And there is fruit in it. And a lot of it is such answered prayers for me. And so I'm really excited about it. And yeah, with that being said, it's been crazy though, because moving is exciting, but it's also a little stressful. And you know, I have my dogs too, so there's like a whole dynamic with that, with finding a place that's dog friendly. Anyway, this is all such a boring information that I'm sharing with you right now. I'm sorry, but that's just a little glimpse of what's been going on in my personal life. Lots and lots of pruning and refining. Let me tell you that though. God has really been doing a number on me in such a good way. Like, I honestly would go through it all over again. I don't think I'm quite out of it. But yeah, he has grown me so much through the process of it. He's revealed a lot of things in my heart that needed to go as well, just through change, you know, Like, I think that that's a normal thing is a lot of times things can kind of come up out of us that we're like, ooh, didn't know that was there. So, yeah, it's been such a beautiful season. I'm actually so grateful for it. What else is going on? I'm also is probably fun, exciting information that you guys would like more so than hearing about. My moving process is I am writing a book right now, which is so exciting. I don't have a date for you on when it'll actually be available for purchase, but I can confidently say that you guys will be able to get your hands on it within the next few months. The goal is by the spring, so we will see. But I'm still in the very early stages of finishing my manuscript, which is basically in book world. That is the. The first initial rough draft of the book. And so there probably will still be a bit of a process with editing and maybe taking things out or Adding things, you know, we're in the very beginning stages of it, but I figured it was worth sharing with you guys because that's another big thing that's been taking up a lot of my time. And I can confidently say that it is a book that I'm going to be really proud of. I'll say, too, guys, like, this has been in the works for the last year, but not because it's taken me a year to write, but because it took me about 10 months of procrastination where I honestly didn't try to write a whole lot yet. And I think that was just because I was so convinced that it was a cool opportunity and it was something that I knew that you guys would love. And at the time of signing, I was like, yeah, this is like such an incredible opportunity. Obviously it's from the Lord, and I still believe that, but I was doubting myself on whether I was actually capable of writing a book or not. I don't know. I just think I was letting the enemy kind of sneak in and tell me a bunch of lies, that I'm not smart enough, I'm not equipped enough, I'm not theologically sound enough to be writing a book about God and, you know, all those stupid things that he tries to fill my head with, like that I haven't been a Christian long enough. And it's just silliness, right? You know, it might not be the most profound writing that anyone has ever read in their lives, but that's not the goal of why I wrote it. The goal of why I wrote it was because I really just wanted to share with people the love of Jesus. And honestly, just my story, a lot of it is testimonial where, you know, each chapter we're touching on a certain topic, and then I back it up with a story from my life. And even chapter one is my entire testimony, like the detailest of details of my testimony of where I've come from and then how I encountered the Lord and who he's created me to be and how he changed my life and how, honestly, the love of God changed my life. And encountering his love for the first time changed my life. And so I'm really proud of it. A lot of tears. A lot of tears were shed over this book. And yeah, I'm just really. I'm really proud of it so far with what I've written, and I think you guys are really going to love it, so. So just be on the lookout. I don't know when that will actually be published. But I am very excited and it is coming soon. Yeah, I'm really excited about it. I think you guys are going to love it. So that's another really exciting thing that should be coming soon. But, yeah, so I don't know. Aside from all of that. Guys, let's just start talking about Jesus. I'm going to be honest, kind of a roadblock that I feel sometimes with this podcast is I'm like, geez, God, I feel like we've talked about so many different things. But also I do recognize that we have a lot of new listeners that might not be necessarily, necessarily going back to, like, a podcast episode that I did back in 2023 when we first started the podcast. And I think that's fair. I also believe that obviously the Lord has walked me through so much more since then. So even if we're kind of touching on similar topics or the same topics, I do believe that God has revealed to me, walked me through, and taught me so much more since 2023. And so anyway, I know that we've kind of touched on this topic before. I think we had titled it something along the lines of like, what do I do if my friends and family aren't believers? Or something like that. But I would to talk about, because I keep getting this question a lot from you guys. And I ran a poll a couple weeks ago of you guys asking, you know, kind of putting in some ideas and topics that we could do for the podcast, and a really popular one was how do I minister to the people around me who aren't believers? And so we have kind of touched on that topic. But I think this is worth another conversation and, and a little refresh because I think even with what's going on, you know, we touched on this a few episodes ago. We talked about what had happened to Charlie Kirk. I just think there's a lot of tension right now between people who do not believe and the church, you know, and I think that that is a very real question for the church is like, okay, so how do we love the people who do not agree or do not believe in what we believe? You know, that Jesus died for our sins, that he rose from the grave three days later, and that we now get to live in freedom through his sacrifice and through his blood, and also just being able to have access to his holy Spirit. And, you know, there are people who don't believe that, and that's okay. So whether it's a stranger or somebody that you love and door, we obviously don't want to be The Christians that are just forcing, you know, our beliefs down people's throats. But also there is a frustration of, like, knowing the truth and knowing what we were made for and being like, gosh. But I literally, like, I. I have the antidote for all of the pain and suffering that you are going through, because I know that. I know that, like, I may not be experiencing the exact things that you're experiencing in life, but I know someone who was able to deliver me and help me through the hardships, the pain, the suffering, the shame, the regret, the sick sin of my life, Right? I know somebody, the only person actually who could successfully deliver me from these things and give me true peace and joy, and that's Jesus. And so a lot of times as believers, it's like, it's so frustrating when, you know, so scales have been lifted from your eyes, right? Like, if there was a point in your life where you were blind and now you can see, all you want to do is tell the people who are blind how to receive their sight, you know, but you don't want to be somebody who's just, like, forcing it and throwing it in people's faces. And I think that's always been something for me is like, especially when I first discovered the power of Jesus and what his Holy Spirit was doing in me and in my life and how he was truly, like, renewing me, refreshing my mind, renewing my mind. I. It was all I was talking about. It was all I was talking about because I could not shut up about the goodness of God because I couldn't believe where he had taken me, honestly, even in such a short amount of time. And so, yeah, I think in the beginning, maybe I was a little intense about sharing the gospel and who Jesus is, but it really came from a good place. And I think it really comes down to discernment of, like, okay, Lord, how much should I be saying right now? And how much do you. Do you want me to be speaking on your goodness? And how much should I just hold back? Because I do believe that there are times that even Jesus, like, I think about Jesus sitting at these tables with, you know, these tax collectors and these criminals and, you know, these prostitutes, and we know the scriptures, most of us are familiar with the scriptures where Jesus would invite these people over for dinner, and then it was the Pharisees and the religious leaders who were like, how could you ever sit with people like this? And I think about how Jesus would sit with these people, and I don't. This is just Ally. Okay, I'm not saying that I've read this directly out of Scripture, because the thing is, is, like, Scripture has so much in it, and there's so much in it to process. But something that I've learned as I've read Scripture is to challenge myself to also partner with my imagination and inviting the Holy Spirit into that, too, because I think the Holy Spirit can help guide our imagination, too. But being like, all right, Holy Spirit, as I'm reading the Scripture, like, I want you to show me, like, a movie in my mind as I'm reading the Scripture, and even reading in between the lines of Scripture, where Scripture is pretty straightforward, you know, where it's like, Jesus sat with sinners, great. But there isn't a whole lot of, like, in between the lines, because if that were the case, the Bible would be a bajillion times thicker than it. I mean, it's already gigundous. But there's probably so many more details and so many more things that could have been written in this Bible about the conversations that Jesus had. And even just like. I mean, I'm sure there's pages and pages and pages that could have been written even in that one statement of Jesus sitting with sinners at the dinner table. You know, and it's like, I've been sitting so challenged to just sit and try to use my imagination to be like, okay, when Jesus was sitting with these sinners, what do I think that he did? Like, yes, he was breaking bread with them, and yes, he was eating with them, but what else do you think he was doing? And so, with using my imagination, I would imagine that Jesus listened to them and he'd ask them questions. I believe that Jesus was very, very observant. I believe that Jesus was quicker to listen for long periods of time than to talk at these people who were, you know, in the world, sinners, like, living unholy lives. Right. I just see him, like, sitting at the table and asking really, really just intentional questions to these people and letting them talk. I also see him looking at them with such love in a way that, like, pierced their souls, and it made them feel really safe. And I also see these people potentially even sharing more with Jesus, who was technically a stranger or somebody that they were just starting to get to know in that moment, sharing more with him than they, you know, maybe even the people closest to them or sharing things that they never thought that they would share. And I think that would be because of the kindness that was overflowing through Jesus's eyes and the way that he looked at Them and the way that he clung onto every word that they said. I believe that when Jesus would sit with these people, he would listen to everything that they said and was just so loving and intentional and kind. He would let them talk about their perspectives and their beliefs and even the ways that they live their lives and the things that they believed were okay. I think Jesus would sit there and just listen more than he would preach at people. Now, of course, I do believe that Jesus also brought a lot of truth to those tables, but I think that he, if I were to imagine, right we're going off my imagination right now, that he would discern with the Father on what he should be sharing and saying versus when he should listen. And so I think for me personally, with just talking to people who do not share the same faith as me, whether it's, you know, like I said, somebody that you don't know personally or it's a friend of mine, I've always stayed really discerning with the Lord. Even before. If I, like, know that I'm going to be hanging out with somebody, or if I'm going to be around a certain group of people and not every single person in that room is going to be a believer, the biggest thing I'll do is pray for discernment. I'll be like, lord, I pray that you give me the wisdom on how to navigate this and also to allow me to have the freedom to not put a bunch of pressure on myself to make sure that I say all the right things or that the gospel is completely known in that, in that moment, I think sometimes there could be a pressure to be like, okay, God, I'm going to be hanging out with a bunch of non believers tonight, so I better make sure to mention your name as much as I can, and I better make sure to give you all the glory. Every time I talk about my life and God, I just want to make sure that every single person knows of your goodness and your love. And I love, like, that is such a. You care so much. So first off, if that's, that's, if that's where you, you know, if, if you relate to that, I just want to validate you in that and say, okay, your heart is in an incredible place. And I don't think that that's wrong. And I'm not here to say that that's wrong. And I am also speaking from experience where I think when I first was navigating, being saved and being taken out of the world, still in it, but not of it anymore, it Felt like I didn't really know how to talk to the world anymore because my whole life was about Jesus. And so I'm like, okay, well, it's really hard for me to have any conversations without at least mentioning the name of Jesus one time. And, and it's not that that was a bad thing, but I think sometimes we can put a little too much pressure on ourselves. Like we are the sole thing that needs to make sure, like God, his spirit, like he can work in such mysterious ways. And so I think even with Jesus sitting at these tables, I don't believe that it was always the words that came out of his mouth. I think it was also in the actions of how he walked and how he operated and how he looked at people and how he listened to them. I think it's more than just the words that can come out of our mouths. I think it's even the underly tone in the way that we speak as well, where maybe we're not directly talking about the gospel or talking about Jesus, but for some reason when we're sitting down with that friend who doesn't believe in Jesus and they're, and they're venting to you and they're talking to you about the hardships of their life or, or the things that they're facing or the mental health things that they're struggling with. And instead of saying Jesus, you're giving them feedback or even maybe just being an ear to listen and validating them and being like, I am just here to, to come, like, however way I can be a comfort to you and you know, can I for you or whatever that looks like. But like, I think a lot of times it could even be in the, in the peace that we carry in our voice. God can do so much more with us as vessels than even just the words that come out of our mouths. And so I don't say that to excuse us ever talking about Jesus, because we need to be talking about Jesus. We need to be talking about his goodness and his faithfulness. And if we have the antidote to the pain and suffering that people are facing, we better tell them. But I just think sometimes we can put too much pressure on that aspect where we don't have faith that God can do more than just in the words that we speak. I think that he can use a lot in the way that we live our lives. One major thing that I have, I have learned in my walk with the Lord is that the way that I live my life was actually a lot louder than anything that I could have said about what Jesus was doing in my life. And I think a lot of times, us as people, we want to see the results before we commit. You know, we want the Yelp reviews. We want to know that this place, this restaurant has five stars before we go and experience it. Because God forbid we go and experience it. And it's not a five star experience. You know, like, we want to know what we're getting ourselves into. And so I think a lot of times that applies to the Lord. We do that, you know, where we're like, well, I don't know. I mean, this person says that Jesus, you know, is the way truth and life and yeah, I think that's all great for them and everything. And I think sometimes it's like a lot of people just want to see the proof in the pudding. They do. They want to observe. And I think a lot of times something physical in front of people can speak so much more volumes than anything that you could ever say. And so again, I'm not saying that to excuse preaching the gospel and talking about the goodness of God. And even as you're talking about your life and the things that are happening, like giving glory to God and being like, thank you, Jesus, for this breakthrough. Like, you know, I was struggling with this and now I have peace and like, it's supernatural. There's no other reason for me to have this peace other than through Jesus. You know, I've never received this kind of peace in my life before God. And so saying those things is to. Is fine, but it's been cool because just from my own experience, I actually have seen the impact of letting people witness what the Holy Spirit is doing in my life and what God is doing inside of me, rather than anything I could have ever said. Because I. The truth is, is like, I know who I was before I met Jesus and I know who I am now. And I. And I. I can only imagine even from the outside of people, I guess we're talking specifically to people who know me. I guess a stranger would never know that. But, you know, somebody who knows me and knows who I was, you know, four or five years ago versus who I am now, it is undeniable that I am a different person. And so I think that is worth a million words more than what I could ever say. Because I think again, that. That a testimony in itself. That's a testimony, you know, and God says that in scripture too. He says it's the power of our testimony. And so just letting the Lord kind of prepare that table in Front of people who don't believe the table of. Of your life transforming and changing. You're going to become, you probably already have, too, a better friend, a better stranger, a better mother, a better father, like a better daughter, a better sister, like whatever that looks like. But there is no doubt in my mind that you have allowed the Holy Spirit to transform you into just a better person. You know, and I know that I've become a lot more reliable. I know that I've become more faithful to the people around me. Not that I believe I was like the worst friend or the worst sister or the wor. Daughter, but I know I'm better now. I know I am. And so I think even in the ways that we can show up for people, denying our flesh, picking up our cross, that will speak volumes. That is preaching the gospel to people. Being a better. Whatever that is will speak volumes. And I think those are the things that are going to set you apart from any other person that that person could encounter and have a relationship with. There are times that my team. And this isn't me boasting in myself, this is me boast in my heavenly Father. Amen. This is not me again, glory to God. Like, I did not make any of these changes myself. These are changes of the Holy Spirit and what God has done in me. But you'll notice it too, where people who do not know Jesus, they're going to go, you're like my favorite client to work with my team, my management team, everyone actually is not a Christian, from what I understand. I actually have a couple really incredible girls who are Jewish. I'm obsessed with obsessed with my team. I need to tell you guys that, like, I'm obsessed with my girls. They're the best. They fight for me, they believe in me, they love me. I love them. I'm so grateful for my team. Even though they're not all Christians, I love them and they're the best. And anyway, it's so sweet because I get a lot of feedback from them. Sometimes where they're like, you know, don't tell anyone. Here I am telling the whole world. They're like, you're literally one of our favorites. Like, we just love working with you, Ali. And it's rare, actually, barely existent, to ever hear a client tell us how grateful they are for us. And I think, unfortunately, a lot of times people, especially if you don't have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of you, act very entitled. There's a bit of a culture of entitlement and selfishness that's in the world that Jesus teaches us to deny, I think that's in our nature as people. Even I am not off limits to that. I'm sure I operated in a lot of that as well before I knew Jesus. And so, yeah, there's a lot of temptations of self righteousness and selfishness and ego and people feeling like they deserve. And so I think that that's what they're referring to is like, we've never really had clients acknowledge our hard work. You know, I think there's a lot of entitlement. It's like, of course you're supposed to be working this hard for me, it's your job. But the Holy Spirit has convicted me to genuinely let the people know around me who are working for me. Yes, like, yes, it's their job, but I have always felt a conviction to let people know that. I'm so grateful for their help and their, and their time because sure, they're getting paid to do it, but like, I'm still grateful. And I think also that that is just a really great way of loving people and seeing them. I think something that Jesus, the character of Jesus is, is, is to see people. And so even as, you know, I'm using my imagination to imagine Jesus having these conversations with people at dinner and encountering and having, you know, dialogue with people who he technically shouldn't be having dialogue with. I think the underlying message of even what I tried to describe was he was allowing them to be seen. He saw them even in all of their sin, even in all of their messiness, even in all of their mindset and the things that they believed in that were not true. He saw them anyway, regardless of that. And so that I believe is a huge characteristic of Jesus which is rooted in his love, his unconditional love. And so that is something that I, I have always made a priority. I'm not going to be perfect at it because I'm not Jesus, but it is a priority of mine is like truly seeing people and letting them know that they are seen in the things that they do. And I think that's all we actually need and want at the end of the day, like, whether you believe in Jesus or not, I think everyone just wants to feel seen. And I think that we all want a little bit of validation in the sense of like, hey, I work really hard and you know, not a lot of people recognize that or like even seen in a way of if somebody is hurting. You know, going back to the example I just used where if you had a close friend that was coming to you about some things that they were going through. And even if it was just you sitting there to listen to them, just as I would imagine Jesus would do the same thing and say, you know what? This isn't the time for me to say, here are the solutions. Jesus is the way, truth and life. You know, these are all the things that you're doing wrong in your life. You need to turn from these things. These are open doors in your life. You shouldn't be doing these things. Things. There's a time and place. Again, if there's a. If you feel a grace to do those things, Holy Spirit, activate, then. Then do those things. But I think even in that, it's like, I think somebody could just simply need to be seen. And so even the way that you look at them and you interact with them and you say, I'm here for you, you know, and you let the Holy Spirit just flow even tangibly, like on your voice. Yeah, I think that's a huge way that we can be set apart from the world. I think that's a huge way to minister to people and spread the gospel is the unconditional love of seeing people.