Christ With Coffee On Ice – Episode Summary

Episode: "if reading the bible is hard for you, watch this"
Host: Ally Yost
Date: June 27, 2025

Overview

In this heartfelt and candid episode, Ally Yost invites listeners into her bedroom for a vulnerable and relatable conversation about finding joy, comfort, and hope in the midst of life's obstacles—especially when reading the Bible feels difficult or overwhelming. The episode is centered around reading and reflecting on the early chapters of 2 Corinthians, exploring their themes of suffering, comfort, reliance on God, and the transformative power of the new covenant in Christ. Ally reads scripture aloud, offers her own insights, and encourages listeners to participate, fostering a sense of community and authentic faith.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Mood: Gratitude, Authenticity, and Prayer

• Opening moments (00:00–04:40):
  • Ally warmly welcomes her audience, sharing lighthearted moments about her tank top and lip balm to set a personal, relaxed atmosphere.
  • She leads a vulnerable prayer, emphasizing the omnipresence and intentional love of God, and prays specifically for joy and hope over listeners regardless of their circumstances.

“Even in the midst of the things that could be happening… Thank you that there's always joy to be found even in the uncertain seasons.” (03:10)

2. Owning the Day’s Imperfections and Choosing Joy

• Ally admits her day had challenges but chooses to focus on hope, sharing encouragement that resonates with anyone experiencing turbulence:

“There have been some things that have happened where I'm like, ooh, don't love that… but today is a good day and it will continue to be a good day.” (05:10)

3. Practical Talk: Bible Reading Struggles & Tools

• Scripture as the episode focus (08:35):
  • Ally highlights the difficulty many experience in reading the Bible and creates a safe space:

“If reading the Bible is hard for you, watch this. That’s what I’m going to name this episode.” (09:26)

• She talks about her favorite Bible translation (NLT) and Bible/journal brand (Hosanna Revival), seamlessly providing a sense of accessibility.

4. Deep Dive: 2 Corinthians 1–3

(Reading & Commentary interwoven, starting at 13:20)

a. Comfort in Suffering

• Reads 2 Corinthians 1:3–7, emphasizing God’s comfort in trials and the reason we experience it:

“He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others when they are troubled…” (15:40)

• Ally expands:

“When we've experienced that comfort from God, we actually are able to extend that same comfort to others… If we resist the comfort of God… we're robbing others from being able to experience that through you as a vessel of the Lord.” (17:25)

b. Receiving in Order to Give

• Applies the concept to forgiveness and grace, encouraging listeners to accept these gifts first in order to share them:

“Anything that the Father gives us is not only for us, but also so we can extend those same things to other people and reflect his character.” (19:39)

c. Learning Reliance Through Hardship

• Reflecting on 2 Corinthians 1:8–10 about being “crushed and overwhelmed”:

“Sometimes… God allows us to endure such suffering for this very statement. Because as a result… they stopped relying on themselves and learned to rely only on God.” (22:23)

• Ally shares her own testimony about hitting rock bottom before turning to God and encourages others who might feel similarly:

“If everything was going great for me in my life, I would have never turned to the Lord. I would have no reason to rely only on God and not on myself anymore.” (25:35)

d. Building Confidence in God Through Experience

• Discusses how trust in God becomes easier as we see His faithfulness:

“The more that you put your faith in God and your full trust in God, relying only on Him, the easier it gets… once you see that one time, it helps you kind of step out in faith again.” (29:11)

e. Sincerity vs. Self-Promotion

• Ally highlights the importance of preaching with sincerity and humility, not for profit:

“We are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ's authority, knowing that God is watching us.” (2 Corinthians 2:17, read at 38:40)

• She reflects:

“There are people in the world who preach for personal profit. We're not gonna look at people like that, like they're below us… the only reason we can preach the word of God with sincerity is because there is a knowing that God is watching us because there's a fear of the Lord over us.” (39:20)

f. The New Covenant & Spiritual Transformation

• Focuses on 2 Corinthians 3:1–18:
  • Contrasts the Old and New Covenants, law vs. Spirit:

“It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant.” (3:04)

• Explains that the law acted as a mirror, exposing sin, while the Spirit in the new covenant brings true life and freedom:

“So the New Covenant could only come because the Old Covenant first exposed how sinful we really were. It was a mirror.” (48:47)

• Emphasizes transformation:

“And the Lord, who is the Spirit, makes us more and more like Him… as we are changed into his glorious image.” (2 Corinthians 3:18, 52:00)

5. Encouragement and Next Steps

• Plans to continue reading 2 Corinthians in the next episode (ending at 2 Cor. 3:18 this week).
• Calls listeners to reflect Christ daily:

“Can we show somebody how cool Jesus is? Can we walk more like him, talk more like him, be more like him, reflect his characteristics, be comforted by him… Let's show his comfort as well.” (53:45)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On comfort:

  “If you're not allowing the Lord to comfort your heart in things… you're also robbing others of experiencing that through you. Because we can only give the things that we also have received from God.” (17:55)

• On hardship leading to faith:

  “That very feeling is the very thing that points us back, back to the truth, which is Jesus, which is God.” (25:02)

• On authenticity in ministry:

  “We are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.” (38:40)

• On transformation:

  “So all of us who have had the veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord, who is the Spirit, makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into his glorious image.” (2 Corinthians 3:18, 52:00)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 – Opening, prayer, vulnerability, and joy
• 09:26 – Discussing Bible reading difficulties; introducing 2 Corinthians
• 13:20 – Reading and reflecting on scripture (2 Corinthians 1–3 begins)
• 17:25 – Comfort in suffering, giving what we first receive
• 22:23 – Reflecting on hardship and learning to rely on God
• 29:11 – Building confidence in God through experience
• 38:40 – Preaching with sincerity vs. for profit
• 48:47 – Old covenant as a mirror; Spirit gives life
• 52:00 – Transformation: being changed into Christ’s image
• 53:45 – Encouragement to reflect Christ; episode wrap-up

Tone & Takeaways

Ally's style is heartfelt, relatable, and earnest, marked by gentle humor and deep vulnerability. The episode is a companion for anyone who feels discouraged or "stuck" in Bible reading, reminding listeners that encountering God in scripture does not require perfection—only an open, humble heart. It closes with a commission to let God’s comfort and transformation flow through us into the lives of others.

For Next Week:
The reading will continue from 2 Corinthians chapter 4.
Ali encourages listeners to “walk more like Him” and to return for the next episode for more communal reflection and encouragement.