Christ With Coffee On Ice
Host: Ally Yost
Episode Theme: Should We Pray to Saints? + Listener Q&A
Date: May 23, 2025
Episode Overview
In this vulnerable and heartfelt Q&A episode, host Ally Yost invites listeners into a candid conversation about walking with Christ, life’s challenges, and popular questions about faith—including the episode’s main theme: Should Christians pray to saints? Ally navigates tough topics with honesty, warmth, and a spirit of encouragement, drawing on both personal experience and Scripture to offer clarity and hope. The episode also touches on nature, consistent faith habits, food and body image, spiritual dryness, peer pressure within Christian circles, overcoming sin, legalism versus passion, emotional sensitivity, and more.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Celebrating Milestones Without Idolizing Them
(Starts at ~02:00)
- Ally expresses gratitude for surpassing 100,000 YouTube subscribers, reflecting on the tension between celebrating success and keeping Christ at the center.
- She encourages listeners to celebrate God’s work in their lives without allowing achievements to become idols.
Quote: "We're not here for the numbers, we're here for Jesus... but it's still okay to celebrate the fruit of what God is doing." (Ally, 03:10)
2. Extending Grace vs. Compromising Convictions
(Starts at ~07:45)
- Ally shares her ongoing journey with understanding how to balance grace with maintaining personal convictions.
- She notes the difference between loving someone through grace and feeling the need to lower spiritual boundaries.
Quote: “Compromise is not the same as extending grace. You don't have to compromise, but you can still extend grace...and invite change.” (Ally, 09:00)
- She vulnerably admits to putting up walls out of self-protection, sharing how God is revealing deeper roots of fear in her heart.
3. Seeing God in Nature vs. Worshiping Nature
(Listener Q: 14:30)
- Ally unpacks the healthy enjoyment of nature as God’s gift versus the error of seeking from nature what only God can give.
Quote: “The line is believing that nature can do things for you that only God can do... Only God can be God, you know?” (Ally, 16:35)
4. Staying Consistent in Faith
(Listener Q: 18:00)
- Ally is transparent about not being perfectly consistent in her faith, despite outward appearances.
- She encourages listeners to create sustainable spiritual routines, extend grace to themselves, and avoid striving for overnight change.
Quote: "I try to spend more time with God offline... I don’t ever want to talk more about Jesus than I’m actually spending time with Him.” (Ally, 19:30)
“There’s grace for the days where we don’t show up the best for Jesus.” (Ally, 21:45)
5. Healthy Eating, Body Image, and God’s Grace
(Listener Q: 25:05)
- Ally discusses her journey toward eating healthier with the help of her friend Ashley Hetherington.
- She debunks the idea that healthy eating must be complex, shares tips for simple, clean meals, and points to God’s patience in the process.
Quote: “Lord knows, overnight transformation is just setting his children up for failure… there are simple recipes that do not take long and are healthy!” (Ally, 26:14)
6. Feeling Distant from God
(Listener Q: 31:10)
- Ally shares personally about navigating spiritual dryness and emotional pain, emphasizing the importance of honest prayer and worship as steps back toward God’s presence.
Quote: “If you’re not feeling His presence, it’s a lack of awareness of His presence—not a lack of His presence. It’s okay to say ‘I’m mad, God,’ out loud... it breaks whatever kept me feeling far from Him.” (Ally, 33:40)
7. Being ‘Too Christian’ in Christian Circles
(Listener Q: 38:45)
- Ally responds to concerns about being seen as “too Christian,” calling out the distinction between true devotion and religious legalism.
Quote: "There’s no one in your life more dedicated to you than Jesus... there’s no such thing as being too in love with God.” (Ally, 40:25)
- She encourages listeners to keep loving Jesus boldly, despite judgment or pushback.
8. Believing God to Remove Sin
(Listener Q: 44:55)
- Ally affirms the power of God to deliver from sin, highlighting the necessary partnership between our choices and God’s supernatural aid.
Quote: “There is free will… but God will give you the supernatural power to support you in that decision.” (Ally, 45:30)
9. On Fire for God Without Being Legalistic
(Listener Q: 48:50)
- Ally points to "childlike faith" as the antidote to legalism—approaching God with innocence, fun, and genuine love.
Quote: “Children don’t think legalistically… That’s why God says to have faith like a child, so things don’t get so serious.” (Ally, 49:50)
10. Emotional Sensitivity: Is It Okay?
(Listener Q: 52:20)
- Ally tenderly reassures listeners that having strong emotions is part of being human and reflects God’s own heart, while cautioning not to be led primarily by feelings.
Quote: “God did create emotions… but we’re not supposed to put emotions in a place of dependency that only Jesus deserves.” (Ally, 53:00)
11. Should We Pray to Saints?
(Featured Theme: 54:35)
- Ally addresses the episode’s central question directly, rooting her answer in Scripture and personal conviction.
- She explains her belief that prayer should be directed to God alone—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—because of Jesus’ role as the cornerstone of access to the Father.
- She is respectful of differing traditions, but firmly shares her biblical stance:
Quote: "I believe the only thing we should be praying to is God. Jesus died so we could have direct access... and the Trinity is all we need." (Ally, 54:40)
"Now, because of Jesus, we can go straight to God. We don’t need to go through other things… we don’t need to relay the message through saints or Mary. We have direct relationship, every single one of us." (Ally, 56:30)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “Fear can be so buried… you don’t even see it’s there until the Holy Spirit operates and digs it out.” (10:45)
- “It’s not wrong for us to need nature… But the moment we think nature can give what only God can, we’ve crossed a line." (16:20)
- "You don’t have to fight with people who think you’re too Christian—just keep being a light and pray for them.” (41:30)
- “The success of being delivered from sin is not just up to you—God partners with you supernaturally.” (45:50)
- "We are supposed to love God with all of our heart. That is our love story!” (42:30)
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 00:00 – Introduction, podcast milestones, community gratitude
- 07:45 – Extending grace vs. compromising convictions; vulnerability about fear
- 14:30 – God in nature vs. worshiping nature
- 18:00 – Staying consistent in faith
- 25:05 – Healthy eating and body stewardship
- 31:10 – Spiritual dryness and how to approach God
- 38:45 – Being "too Christian" for friends
- 44:55 – Believing God for deliverance from sin
- 48:50 – Passion without legalism; childlike faith
- 52:20 – Is it okay to be emotional?
- 54:35 – Should Christians pray to saints? (Main theme response)
Tone and Style
Throughout the episode, Ally maintains a big-sister warmth—humble, relatable, and deeply encouraging. She’s honest about her own imperfections and shortcomings, welcomes community feedback, and consistently points listeners back to the sufficiency of Jesus, celebrating grace over perfection.
Summary Takeaway
This episode of "Christ With Coffee On Ice" models a faith that is honest, grace-filled, and centered solely on Christ. Ally’s thoughtful responses offer practical advice, spiritual encouragement, and biblical clarity—especially on the central question: Christians, according to Ally, should pray directly to God, empowered by Jesus’ sacrifice and the presence of the Holy Spirit, rather than through saints or intermediaries.
End Note
Ally invites her audience to keep engaging, keep asking questions, and most of all, to reflect Jesus in everyday life:
“Let’s just be the light that only Jesus can give us.” (01:04:30)