Kay 0:01
Welcome to the life and mission podcast. I’m Kay Helm, and this week I have a very special replay episode for you from about a year ago, just as my friend Ronnie Rock’s new book, One Woman Can Change the World was just about to come out. And Ronnie is such a great encourager, I thought you know, with the year we’ve had, who couldn’t use a little Ronnie right about now. Also, at the end of this interview, I have a little update from Ronnie with what she’s going to be up to this summer. And you know what, she’s inviting us to be a part of it. One of the biggest obstacles we face is in our own minds, the stories we tell about ourselves and others, what we can and can’t do what we should or shouldn’t do or be. And that’s why I love Ronnie because she is not only a wonderful storyteller, she is a truth teller. So we desperately need the truth. her new book is just out, one woman can change the world reclaiming your God designed influence and impact. right where you are. Here’s our conversation. Hey, Ronnie is so good to have you back.

Ronne 1:14
I’m good. And it’s good. I love your voice. So it’s just good to hear your voice is really great to sit and chat with you a little bit.

Kay 1:22
We talked a long time before we ever turned on the record button. But good to catch up. Ronnie, you have written a book, but tell us a little bit about who you are. Okay, then a little about the book and then we’ll go from there. Okay,

Ronne 1:39
well, I am I am Ronne Rock. And that is a legitimate name. Ronne is a nickname for Veronica, that I’ve had it since eighth grade. It’s not going anywhere. I am a woman, I am a friend on a sister. I am an orphan. Both my parents have passed on an orphan, a wife and a mom and a gg and a safe lap for Pearl, the rescue pup. And I’m just uh, gosh, I’m just a big old bag of feelings. Most of the time, if you’re an enneagram person, I’m a four wing three. If you’re a Myers Briggs person, I’m in a in F j that just switched to J from P. So now I’ve got feelings about that too. And, and I work for a global nonprofit. Named orphan outreach, we focus on care for orphans and vulnerable children in eight countries around the world. And a lot of the women that you’ll meet in the book, I had the opportunity to meet through my work with orphan outreach. It wasn’t an intentional meeting, or I thought that the book would come from my meeting those women that they have taught me so much. And I’m honored that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book will go back to support the ministries of orphan outreach. In fact, a little bit of money has already been provided to Auntie who is one of the people that you’ll meet in the book who lives in the Himalayas. The book itself is called One Woman Can Change the World, reclaiming your God designed influence and impact right where you are, which may sound like it’s going to be a really great self help book, for you to be a real tough woman. But it is anything but that it is not a book about tips and tricks to help you be a really strong leader. What it really is, is an amazing group of women from around the world, who are gentle leaders, they’re very grace filled leaders who focus on who they are, and how they were designed from the very beginning, and how God designed women from the very beginning to be leaders. If you look in Genesis one, God didn’t say He created man, and men was going to be the leader. And then here comes Eve. Genesis one says that he created them, the man and women, and he looked at humanity and said, Wow, this is good. And so and then he said, Okay, I want you to lead. I’ve given you I have created this universe for you. And you know, God is he’s not an idiot. He knew exactly what he was doing, even as he formed the heavens and the earth, and the way he designed it and the stages in which he designed it, to get it all ready for human life to be able to live and thrive on it. And then he said, I want you to take the lead now. I’m here. I want to walk with you. We are going to have great conversations. You are my own. And, and we are in this together, I want you to lead. And so that’s what you’re going to read in the book. It is not a, like I said, not help self help book, not a bootstrapping book, it is a reminder, and hopefully a conversation starter between you and the Lord of who you are in his design in you, and your identity in him. And then your entire story, and how it is worked together. All our does work together to glorify Him, and to do good on this earth.

Kay 5:40
Yeah, it’s beautiful. I have been reading it. And and just you take us on a on a journey, and you just you allow us to meet these incredible women who are, you know, they’re just they’re living life. They’re there. They’re taking what’s been put before them. They’ve made decisions. I mean, it’s just amazing. It’s, and it’s reminded me to have women that I’ve met around the world and in the work that I do, but I think, you know, we’ve talked some on this podcast, about purpose and calling. And, you know, what is it that God is has called me to do? And one of the earlier episodes we looked at as ganus, his book, The call, and he says, you know, there is no calling without a collar. Yeah. And you talk about the Lord talking to these speaking to us, and how often we see it kind of as a, well, he’s calling me to this one thing, you know that he’s asking me to give up. this other thing, but you say He’s the God of the ampersand.

Unknown Speaker 6:52
He is I will, I will say if you if you came into my office, the first thing that you would notice is I do have actual, literal ampersands everywhere it is my favorite symbol. And I don’t want that thing that looks like an E with a line through it. I want the curly super wavy, full out ampersands there on my wall there on my desk. I have a pillow. I think they’re beautiful. And I love because the thing that I love about an ampersand not just the shape, I think it is a glorious punctuation I just really beautiful. But what makes an ampersand so glorious, as far as its place in our language, is that it means and in itself. And if you were to look at what it means and per se, and so you get ampersand that it’s and in itself. And so what it really says is it is going to connect to things, but it’s not going to diminish the value of either thing. So if this was the ronnie ampersand k show, right? Then it would mean that there’s fully Ronnie’s here and fully K is here. And both of their personalities and their gifts and their talents are here. But that ampersand brings them together, unifies them, and makes them stronger, right together, but it doesn’t diminish. And so when I look at God is, as he really is the God of the ampersand is that he takes our story, right, it may be the story of our childhood, the story of a difficult time, the story of a glorious moment, the story of our time, if we when we get married, or when kids into the picture, or it could be any of those things. And sometimes we have a feeling it’s like, I want to be in ministry. But first, I need to have a career, I want to do something unique for the Lord, I’ve got an idea even of what it might look like. But first I have to raise the kids and send them off to school and let them get married. And then once all of that part of my life is done, then I can focus on ministry in God. In fact, in the story or in the chapters, you’re going to meet someone who actually felt that agony and really felt as if the Lord was saying, I have this new glorious thing for you. And that means that today, it’s over everything that has brought you joy from a ministry standpoint, to this day. Now give it up, it’s over. You got anything. And I’m not saying there are times that the Lord does when he says I’ve got a new thing. He really does lay something brand new You’re laugh at that does still doesn’t mean that what has happened in your past all of a sudden diminishes and has no value. I really believe that an ampersand is inclusive. Right? It’s not exclusive. It’s inclusive. And if you look at God’s story over and over time, if you look at stories in Scripture, those stories are inclusive. They, God adds to a person’s life. He doesn’t say, okay, you know, Paul, even a new name, everything still the his past his understanding of who he was, as a leader, who he was, even as someone who hated Christianity, he still use that information. He was still a tentmaker. He’s still used that vocation. And he used those because God’s didn’t say, give it all up. Not ever gonna do it again. He used those things in ministry, those wouldn’t Jesus called fishermen. He didn’t say you’re never going to pick up a poll again. Right? Right. In fact, you find out that’s the first thing they went back to it was like, Well, I know how to fish. I guess I’ll fish. And Jesus never said, okay, you’re never gonna pick up a poll again. Matthew, I know you were a tax collector, but you’re never ever gonna count a coin again. He just said, No. Your story, wrapped around gospel purpose and wrapped around a beautiful redemptive destination becomes this incredible sentence filled with ampersands.

Kay 11:50
Yeah, you know, I was thinking actually about this earlier this week, about the disciples. And God, you know, Jesus calls them from fishing, and he uses fishing terms. Mm hmm. To bring them in to the new thing. Fisher. I’ll make you fishers man. Yeah. And I think that’s it was something, I marked it as something to go back to and study more, because I really feel like it’s more than he wasn’t just using the language that they understood. It was more than that. He was keen. They were always fishermen. And they were always going to be fishermen. But now there were fishermen who had encountered Jesus. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker 12:37
No, often we look at our stories. And we’ll say, Well, the only way I could do something, the only way I could really do ministry or whatever is that every part about my life, we have a tendency to look and say, Well, if that’s a glorious future, then everything here stinks. Right? Instead of saying, Oh, wait, God is going to use what’s happening right now. He has gifted me even with a past that may not be a beautiful what I consider a beautiful past. He is a God makes all things new. He is a God who redeems in the book, I talk about Joel 225, which a lot of us will use a lot when we talk about that God, he makes things new, and he heals and things. But he will take years that have been ravaged, he will take years where it feels like had been wasteful years. And he will show that those years were not wasted at all. Right? He will bring life to those to equip you. And I’m not talking also about Oh, yeah, you’re supposed to literally go out and change the world. Wouldn’t that be fun? Yeah. But few of us are ever going to be on a platform large enough to have a global voice, right? It’s what is it less than 2% of the global population actually is known by many, many people. That’s not the purpose of this at all. It is that we live in a world right around us and that world might be our home, our neighborhood, our church, our community, our city, a people group inside our inside our community, a neglected group are hurting human being. That is the world that God places in front of us and says, okay, Genesis one, don’t you remember? I called you very good. You’re the apple of my eye. I’ve equipped you. Have equipped you. I just need you to trust me on this to say do you trust me on this? And so, but again, our culture in case you and I both because we work in other global populations, there is a lot, there’s a lot difference between the culture that we live in the US and the culture in a developing country. And it’s not just about socio economics, it is also about how time is viewed. I remember Kate, you talked about we are a, we are a time based culture, right. One of the things you taught me were a time based culture. we thrive on filling a calendar and bragging about a bullet journal, and showing how productive we are by how much we can accomplish in a day. And God is not he’s not asking us to accomplish things. He says he accomplished thing is he accomplishes things through us, that means that we need to trust him to actually do that, instead of us thinking, Oh, the only way a change is going to be made in my life or anybody else’s life. Is it better be big, different than anybody else? Because oh my gosh, if if I feel like well, you know, I love to teach, but there are a million teachers. So what kind of difference can I make? Or? Well, I, I’m a marketer, me personally, and I go ahead, anybody can market. What I just told God is, you know, what, I’m worthless. And pretty much everybody else that you designed with that gift is worthless to because we’re not doing something that is so unique, or so different. That that will make us big Rand and I make that confession in one of the first chapters of my book, like I wanted to do ministry, but more than I wanted to do ministry, I really wanted to be significant. We do we do. That’s something we it’s, it’s, yeah, I wanted to be significant. I wanted to be able to put my head on the pillow and go dang early, he did fine. And the whole time will work. Like, I that’s my job, just to tell you that you are fine. That’s not your job, to try to convince yourself that you that you’re fine.

Kay 17:13
So we’re already significant because He created us. And he has a purpose for us. Not just like the, that sounds almost limiting, you know, in this conversation, a purpose for us. Purpose is a really big word

Unknown Speaker 17:33
it is and then we try to limit it right? Well, his purpose for me must be this one thing. Instead of No, his purpose for me is to is to love him, walk with Him. And then watch how he reveals gifts and talents and opportunities and things throughout the days and a number of ways. And to be actually pleasantly surprised by how creative he is. He’s a creative. And a pastor a long time ago said that we are creative creations created by a creative creator. And it is a cheeseball alliteration. But Dang, it’s good, right? Yeah. Do I actually believe that, though? Do I believe that I am a creative creation. That when he designed me, he designed me fully with his he said image and likeness. And it wasn’t just that I can look in the mirror and go my guest God has freckles in the summertime, when that? Right, He created us with the image and the likeness of the gifts that are manifest when he lives through us. He gave us personality that because he has personality gave us emotion because he has emotion. Those things are not flawed in us how we respond to them. And yes, I’m not discounting sin nature, because trust me, it’s alive and well in this broken soul. It’s very easy for me to go dark pretty quickly and get pretty selfish and get pretty whiny. But in the midst of that he still looks at us and sees us dressed in white as a bride who is beautiful and has an incredible personality and has gifts and talents to be made manifest wherever she walks. Yes,

Kay 19:31
yes. We we’ve heard a lot, especially women in the church about the Proverbs 31 woman.

Ronne 19:38
Mm hmm.

Kay 19:38
And then you in this book, you refer back to her but you’re also showing us living flesh out proverbs 31 women that may not look exactly like what we pictured. Can you tell us about that?

Unknown Speaker 20:00
Yeah, well for the end, and I came, I came into a passionate love of Jesus. I was the late comer. It was the day after my 21st birthday. But one of them I mean, I’m one of the first things I’m told is like, oh, Proverbs 31. Woman, and it is, it is stated as this ideal of who we are supposed to be. Right? And we don’t of course, we don’t give anybody the whole chapter. We only use about the last 11 you know, the 11 verses like what is the woman? And then you start reading it and it’s like, okay, so a proverbs 31 woman in order to be a true, Proverbs 31 woman, this woman after God’s own heart, this woman or vice got holed up in in the marketplace are going to go Woo. And it’s going to say that she is finer than all the gemstones. Let’s see. Okay, Proverbs 31. woman, she got her, okay, she’s going to be a guest. So she has to get up early. Oh, that’s a tough one right there. Okay, she needs to be married. She has to have kids, she has to have her own business. She clearly must make her own goods to sell in her own store. So she’s not just buying stuff. But she’s also probably turning her own butter, and then negotiating a deal at whatever specialty shop she wants to be in. She has to be brilliant financially, she has to be fearless in the marketplace. And so you look at all those things. And you’re like, Okay, so she is smart. Always put together houses immaculate, married with kids. No, I have failed before I’ve started. And half the women. More than half of the women who are in the book are single. Yeah, there are women in the book who don’t have kids. There are women in the book who don’t have husbands. There are women, the book who had never turned better. There are women in the book who had never gotten a college education. Some of us have not even made it all the way through high school. So if we were to set proverbs 31 is a checklist of what idealism is for a woman after God’s own heart? Well, first of all, we all fail to do it all fail. But it was never It was never supposed to be that way. If you read proverbs 31, from the beginning to the end, you find out first of all, it was written by a dude. Okay. And it was written by a dude because he says, This is what my mom taught me. And it is a book about leadership. It isn’t a book about Okay, let me Well, I really, this is the only woman for you and dad and I are just not going to approve until you find her right. It was not. It is a book about leadership that then it transitions and you realize that the Proverbs 31 woman is not this checklist. It is it is these character qualities. Third, love their character qualities. And in that you’re like, Oh my gosh, it’s okay. So she tends to the things that are in front of her. She Okay, she wakes up early. The reason why she wakes up early is because she wants to prepare herself for the day. So she, she gives time to the ward she gives time to, to set the day. And, and you know what, she is creative, but she’s creative, not because she can have her own business. Maybe she’ll want her own business. She’s creative, because she’s receiving ward. She has a voice. And she’s, and she’s not afraid to use her voice. She’s not afraid to negotiate. She’s not afraid to defend people to stand for people. When it’s appropriate, she is willing to nurture and care for people that are her circle, could be family, could be friends, could be co workers could be strangers, but she looks at people and is willing to provide care and to nurture. And so you you’ve Look at her look at her with the qualities that she presents instead of this tightly defined checklist that says, Oh, well, unless you’re married to just a little off. Oh, no kids. Well.

Kay 24:55
Yeah. And then we exclude ourselves,

Ronne 24:57
Right? We are Oh, you don’t own your own. business you, you don’t have a cottage industry on. Right? And so we discount and we disqualify ourselves time and time again, because we use that should we use her as a point of comparison? Which is sin, right? That there is a friend Rochelle aperam has written a great book called mythical me. She talks about healthy comparison. Right of I once was here, and now I’m here I’ve, you know, I’m in school, I’m learning. I’ve learned more setting markers, seeing where you’ve gone. And then the unhealthy comparison where our identities we start to place value on our own identity based not on who God says we are. But through the lens of others around us. In Proverbs 31, that woman was never supposed to be a comparison for us. Never.

Kay 25:58
Right? It can be you can be an example without being somebody that, you know, held up as the ideal. Yeah, the perfect unattainable.

Unknown Speaker 26:07
Yeah, we’ll always have people that are good examples for us that that fire up in us a desire to grow and things. If somebody is if what is being fired up in us, though, is self condemnation or condescension, those things as well, we just got to take it. And the Lord says, you know that that’s bad imagination, woman, take it captive, put it in its rightful place, be reminded of who you are. Have you always been?

Kay 26:41
Yeah, it’s good. You you’ve you’ve written in the book, too, that the trouble with women is us. Huh? Is it stemming from all that comparison that we do? Is that really

Unknown Speaker 26:55
it is we get in our way, we really get in our own way. We I would say it’s social, I’d say social media because I do believe that social media has tremendous opportunity for good but then it also has done a lot to harm us through ideals of influencers and and lifestyles and journeys. It’s very easy for us to look at a tiny box with a pretty picture and a few words and say that person’s life is cooler, more significant. She does or she doesn’t know what life’s really light. She’s never gone through pain right so we we have those Barb’s that long before that their media has always there’s magazines, there’s catalogs, and being a person in marketing and advertise that can tell you all about glamour, the whole ideal of luxury advertising, right, that says, You’re not quite good enough unless you have this car. You are not caring for your family enough unless you have this kind of home, or those things. So that comparison is always been there. But it was no, it was there. There. Adam and Eve walking in Eden in God’s presence. No, he talked about this. He is walking with them. Like literally walking, holding hands, talking about the day. And what happens? They hear a whisper quiet whisper that says I bet. I bet there’s a whole lot more out there. You know? Sure seems he wants to have a tight rein on you guys keeping you in the garden. Wonderful, right? So it is and so we still we still have those things like well, I wonder what my life would be like my life was like theirs. I wonder, you know, and so we have a tendency, then we start to lay just layers and layers and layers of self condemnation of that we we claim our lives worthless. We claim our talents worthless. We say again, it’s the well unless I’m doing something that is significantly different. Or unless I’m doing something that is impacting 1000s or millions. Well, I just doesn’t really count for anything.

Kay 29:47
You give us some great examples. In the book you introduce us to all these women. Can you just tell us a little bit about some of the women in your book

Unknown Speaker 29:59
Wow. If I do if I start crying? Where do I start with the women, I’ll start with Lourdes and Teresa. Because they were the women that wrecked me first and made them in the introduction of the book, you get to in your, and then they make an appearance at the end, too, which is great. But when I, as I said, I do marketing, and so I had been in the corporate world, I had decided to take the leap to ministry, because I wanted to do something more significant. With my marketing, I wanted to bring all my corporate expertise, help. So I moved over to work for a nonprofit. And part of what we got to do is to do mission trips, which I still do. And that’s again, I’ve met a lot of women on mission trips, and then other forms travel. But it was my first mission trip now I was gonna lead it and it’s great. I went through training, I got like five stars and training because I was really, really good at all the things right because being an achieve high achiever, I, I just wanted to be perfect. And so I had everything down, I was ready to go, I had my team, I was writing beautiful, flowery things it sounded, I was really trying to sound a lot like an voskamp. I wanted to be real poetic. So you would be drawn to my words, we get to Guatemala, we go to this children’s home that had that the organization had never had anybody go to before we get there. It is beautiful on the side of a mountain. It felt really much like Middle Earth, Lord of the Rings, the environment, we get there. We have our bandanas. And we have our games, and we have everything planned. And we are so organized. And we bring so much stuff in duffels. And that’s, that’s what I call it the buck stuff. Yeah, we had stuff. We have all the stuff in duffels, that we thought that I was gonna sound so bad that we thought that poor people needed. Right, right. But clearly, we’re going to this third world country, and they just don’t have much. So we stopped stuffing doubles, to come in, make sure that they had everything they needed. And we went and we taught the kids got to the end of it. And then we were amazed at how fast the kids were learning. We’re just so proud of ourselves, pat ourselves on the back. And these whole time, these two women, these sisters who had come with their dad from Mexico to start a ministry, and it was not originally going to be a children’s home. But the things changed when they got there. And they realized that there was a need. So dad had passed away with the two sisters still running this place and they were so quiet. And I would look at them. And they’d have like the concerned look on their face standing in a corner that oh my gosh, they hate us. They don’t trick they if they just knew if they just knew how great we were, they’d be okay. And so we get to the end of that first day and I walked up to them so proudly, I’m like, Hey, we’re leaving. We’re going to go to our comfy hotel. And is there anything that you need? And I don’t know why I asked that question that I don’t even couldn’t even begin to tell you what I thought they were going to say if they’re really go like yeah, a steak sounds Yeah. Yeah. I don’t know that. They looked at me really quietly and told me they had no milk. And yeah, and the floor fell out from underneath. Because we had brought a duffel of stuff that they did not need.

Kay 33:58
Right.

Unknown Speaker 33:58
Everything that we brought to them. They did not we brought brads. Do you remember those little metal things?

Kay 34:05
Yeah.

Unknown Speaker 34:06
And pipe cleaners. We brought the most random stuff in a whole lot of lice shampoo because we had been told Well, you know, it’s a third world country and all those kids have to be filled with lice. Most kids were clean they that. So like I said, just we were way late. I went into the bus where the team was we bawled like babies, we pooled our money together, and we got them what they needed. And they first the first thing they taught me was that I could come with my big self made plans, right and my assumptions of what I thought was wrong in somebody else’s life. And so then my preconceived solutions of how I was going to fix that life. And they stripped that from me in one day, and taught me that the only way I’m really going to understand any body story this is to ask and then to listen. And to be with them for a little bit. And then to find out what their real needs were both physical if there was a physical need, but then also what were the felt needs that they had, what were things that they couldn’t have told you what it felt like to be two women in a country that was not your own. Running a ministry that your dad started, I, I didn’t know the mountains and come and save the day. Because I wanted to be significant.

Unknown Speaker 35:33
So then, over time, what they taught me was – and one was a doctor and one was a teacher. And they left those professions. So it wasn’t they were an educated women, they chose to step into, and they continue to use those skills and that expertise in this children’s home. Yes, but they they taught me about this God of the ampersand. Right, they taught me about a God who is bigger than all of the great plans I may have. And they taught me to, to take a breath. And to appreciate what was around me. At their children’s home, they have these this flooring that honestly looks like a beautiful, intricate mosaic. And we were so impressed by it. And then they said, yeah, we just got the scraps that nobody else wanted the broken pieces, because we couldn’t afford beautiful things. But we could afford pieces of things. And so they took the mosaic in then themselves turned it into artwork into this unique design. And I thought How many times have I looked at something and when it’s not boxed up in an bright shiny bow, I think, Oh, it’s just pieces. Nothing good could come of that. Right? That’s a waste. But how much time are you going to have to take to figure that one out? And they so they started this journey with me? Like, oh my gosh, I don’t look around enough. I need to look around there might be pieces that I’m missing. Beautiful pieces. Yeah, that I have ignored because they weren’t bright, shiny box. Beautiful. And then they have this faith that was unlike any faith that I had ever seen before. That was like the Albert we’re going to God will provide he will take care of us. It’s okay. When the time at the right time. When some somebody will come at the right time, a conversation will happen at the right time. in me, I was the go getter like I’m going to initiate it. I’m going to get it all done. Right? Instead of instead of Oh wait, I how many times I’ve probably blown past a beautiful moment because I’m so I was just hell bent on getting to the point what I thought was the perfect thing. Or the the clever thing? How many times have I tried to take a problem and solve it with three steps? Yeah. When the Lord was saying, you know what, it’s just you just step with me. Just following my step. That’s really all the steps you need. doesn’t mean that you can’t be smart, we want to see is our brains. He wants us to be creative, that I really thought everything had to be solved quickly. That it was gonna be buttoned up, solved. Done, you check off well, there’s that humanitarian problem done. I’ve moved on. And they they had a faith that I hungered for. Yes, they had a relationship with the Lord, and I love Jesus. And they had this relationship with the Lord that was like, wow. They make me hungry for more. Yes,

Kay 39:21
yes, that happens a lot. And we get kind of beyond our world here.

Unknown Speaker 39:26
So so there’s lorrison Teresa in Guatemala, there is there’s Lisa, Grand Rapids, Michigan, who has an incredible ministry to teen moms and their babies. And her story started by being a teen mom and then realizing that everybody cheered for her to not have an abortion. And they all told her she did the right thing by choosing life. But then she had to walk the road what choosing life meant and she felt really all alone. Yeah. So it wasn’t as a child who say, you know what, when I grow up, I’m going to be, I’m going to minister to teen moms. It was I’m in crisis, I remember what it was like, I’m still walking, rode. I remember that pain. And because I know what that pain feels like, I’m going to reach out to somebody else that might be walking that route. And it wasn’t that she started it thinking that she was going to have a huge ministry started with Hi, I’m here, and I’m willing to talk. Because I know what it feels like.

Kay 40:34
To look those simple starts, like you said, one step at a time. Yeah, following him.

Ronne 40:43
While we, the Lord says, don’t despise the day of small things, right. And we that we want the Hague, I think unless it is a big thing, then it’s not a day, it’s it’s not a good thing. It has to be big has to be polite, bold, super colorful, going to men, I have a big launch and blow the roof off. And I will tell you, every single one of the women in this book will remind you that it starts with a nudge. And it starts with right where you are. That you take one step. Then you take the next step. You take the next step, and those steps may happen. Just one right after the other it might be step in pause, yes, in pause and dwell in set intent. And then a step. There’s Lucy, who she was a nun, das nun wanted to be a nun that was her life. She her brother was a pre sister like dogs, just the thing that you did wrong, he was going to be a nun. And so when she felt all of a sudden it 14 years down the road of sisterhood. She felt this need to to step away now. I just think I need to step away. Not from not from faith or anything like that. You’ve been faithful and stuff, but I have I have something coming coming. And she said, she literally said it’s like, she’s you don’t know what you’re talking about? I’m so sorry. You don’t know what you’re talking about? Like No, I but you know, you called me to this. You can’t change your mind supposed to be in this ministry. And it has to look like this or else it’s not ministry. And so her story. I don’t want to spoil it for folks. It is a it’s an incredible story. And it also shows that God doesn’t waste a thing. He did not take her from 14 years of sisterhood and burn it. It is. Oh my gosh,

Kay 43:04
he didn’t change his mind. He just brought her to the next steps, which you see, because we you know, we have this such a finite view. Yeah, of everything. And yet he’s outside of all that.

Ronne 43:19
Yeah, he was like, Oh, he goes, Oh, you’re still a sister. We’re still married. I just need you to move from the convent right now. And again, her story is, is phenomenal. There’s there’s Elizabeth, who lives in Kenya. Oh, talk about a joy Bringer. She’s great. She’s another one. And she’s one that thought that she had a million she had a huge plan. A huge plan, thinking she knew exactly what God wanted her to do as a social worker and a counselor. He turned that idea on its head, but it’s still using every idea that she came up with, in her big plan, using them in a fresh way. There’s so creative. There’s so many good, they’re just beautiful. People don’t have to get this book and read about it do and then what I hope to do, because folks are like, well, now what are you gonna write another book? Like, I don’t know, you know what? I’m of an age. I don’t know if I’ll write another book. But I tell you what I want to do is I want to keep sharing stories. Because K is you shit, right? You read and it sparks in your mind. I’ve never looked at that person in that light before. Right? But I know somebody. I know somebody who embraces God’s design like that. And I just want to share those stories to continue to remind us all that we really are his delight. We are we are shaped this ethically and emotionally and spiritually in a way. Yeah, that is that that is a delight to him. He did not. There was there was a social media meme that has gone or been floating around the past week. And it’s like, you’re, you don’t annoy me? Love God? No. It’s not like He created us and then went, well, that was garbage. What else can I do? Right? He didn’t he still. And that is in the midst of us rejecting him telling him we’ve got better ideas, telling, you know, I’ll call you when I’m in big trouble. Or all the things that we do that indicate our lack of belief. Right? Right. We want to believe that. But then we reveal the areas that we’re still struggling to believe, Lord, I believe Help my unbelief. Best prayer in the Bible. Yeah. So that’s the extent that’s what I hope I want to be able to. That’s what I really hope this book does. I hope it starts conversations with us in the Lord and with us and others. I hope it opens eyes to help us see how gloriously we really are designed by the father, he did not make a mistake. We are not the exception. We’re not at an all Saran women were not an afterthought. Women were not a well, I don’t know, somebody needs to pick up the trash. I’ll just make like a trench bigger upper. If we were designed from the beginning to be glorious, and we were designed from the beginning man and woman to really harmonize well as in just beautiful leadership of the space that we are given. And this time that we are given.

Kay 46:58
Yeah, that’s good. Just as we wrap up, I want to ask you a little bit about I had asked some of my friends, you know, I told him I was going to talk to you. And all they had was the title of the book. You know, and I asked for so. So the big question was, what are the most useful tools or stories you use to inspire those who you teach?

Ronne 47:25
You know, what tools and tips again, if I was teaching you how to have a really successful meeting, I would have some great tips and tools. And I at one point worked for General Electric when I worked for NBC and the television network. And I can do a purpose process payoff and have a meeting start and finish in 20 minutes, I can get all those things out and teach you today how to do that. But when it comes to relationships, in the long road, walking with other people and the suffering together, right, that can ration brains, I’m probably not going to have a lot of great three step tips. But what I am going to tell you is what I have come to understand time and time again, when it comes to caring for other people. First of all, we care the most when we close our own mouth, and listen first to what the true needs are, even if it takes a while for that person to express their needs. And Henry now and talked about hate and I will completely mess up his quote that about what true friendship looks, looks like and how suffering together with somebody. And it is being quiet when they want to be quiet. It is talking when they want to talk. It is basically truly being empathetic to stepping into their lives instead of it being okay, fine, I’m gonna bring you into my life for a little bit. We’ve got 30 minutes, it is saying no, I’m gonna step into your life. And I want to understand your life more. And so it is it is taking time. I’ve also seen it’s probably the best tool that any of us ever have, if you want to call it a tool to talking about what true transformation looks like in a life is we can sit and I love scripture. But I will also tell you that there are times that we use scripture as a quick fix. Right instead of having the hard conversation. If somebody is in pain, let me spout off about a song to you just to be here this way. You know what God says? Instead of saying, you know what, it stinks right now what you’re going through and I don’t fully understand it. But I’m, I’m willing to listen, and I want to walk the road with you. And then we’re both going to pray together about it and see what God tells us together. We’re walking this road. But this is what I do know. And I can say with confidence, I can tell you about what God has done in my life. And the transformation that he’s made in my life in certain areas, knowing that is covered by the power of Jesus Christ. And so if you like, that’s revelations, 1211, my testimony, testimony of our lips of the transformation, it’s in our lives, I can’t, I can’t tell you how to fix your life all together. But I can sure show you what God’s done in mine. And I have confidence that Christ was is in is to come the Redeemer. And that will help overcome time and time again. Now, when it comes to stories that I share, you’re gonna find out most of the stories that I share just personal stories about my life. It’s not like, Well, let me tell you, I did this. And then I did this, then I did this. What I’ve seen is that God is so gracious to speak to us in a variety of ways. In small interactions with other folks I use in what you find in the book is that I talk a lot about God has taught me that through history, or what he’s taught me through nature, and things that that sometimes when you’re trying to share, and help somebody taking it out of a personal story, I guess taking it from Well, you know, yes, I had to flee badminton. This is what I did, I did these three steps, and it was all done. What I can also though, when the big story is, is to encourage someone to walk the hard road toward healing.

Ronne 51:51
I don’t know for me, I might talk to you about two volcanoes in Guatemala, one that has is furious and just destructive. And then the other one that storm it, but the fire of the one actually fertilizes the soil of the other. So the best coffee is on this dormant volcano that standing next to this really nasty, vile, long Kino that has destroyed lives and homes and futures. And that reminds me of like, okay, no matter how bad it gets, there’s a redemptive destination. Right? Right.

Kay 52:32
So I actually took a highlighted apart from that chapter where you talk about those two volcanoes. And I had a friend who needed some encouragement. And I might not have been allowed to do this because it was a pre release, copy. But picture this paragraph at the end of that chapter, I

Ronne 52:50
see. contraband care is still good care. It is now that I’m I’m honored that that story. There are several stories and I just love I love how God’s again, he speaks to us through Scripture, but he confirms all he confirms is truth, in a sunrise, in the quiet of the sunset, in seasons in the behavior of a baby. He He just has so many he’s such an excellent teacher and reminder of His grace and mercy and kindness and fact that he does teach us he, he says that he is not going to, he’s not going to let us down. He says he’s the author and the perfecter he is going to finish what he started. Yeah, he’s really going to finish what he started in us. And so it goes back to that if I really see myself as designed by him as a as a beautiful reflection of his character, and His grace and His mercy. And I know that he is not going to ever leave me or forsake me in that gives me confidence when the times are not great, because he also promises in Scripture that there’s going to be suffering that it’s not going to be easy. And I would give anything to if I was an editor right now in a development editor, like in a novel I be so stripping those things out of Scripture and saying I’m sorry, they just they don’t advance the narrative. They just need to be stripped out. We’re just gonna have a single narrative but they’re, they’re there. Which to me and what I pray that this book and just our lives in your podcast k are just reminders that he he designed us with purpose. He designed us for purpose. He designed us on purpose. It was not an accident. His purpose is far bigger and far more imaginative than we could ever lay claim to. And just to, to hold on to those things to reply, say reclaim them because they were there. They’ve been there since the beginning. I think we’ve we’ve sacrificed so many because we, we don’t believe that he might actually love us that much. And that’s some truth right there. Right?

Kay 55:30
Our truth. We don’t want to admit that. But we find it because it just kind of ekes out. Yeah, in those moments. Yeah.

Ronne 55:41
And I’m still learning. I am no expert, man. I’m no expert. And I have lived with this book, probably 15 times during the writing of it. And now the launching of it like, Oh, here it is, again. That’s okay, though. At least I recognize them like That’s right. Holding on holding on now, cuz we’ve been through this before. I felt this before. When you’ve been here before, you’re here. So yeah,

Kay 56:15
yeah. It’s gonna be exciting to see what he does with this, this book, because I know you have we it’s been two years since we talked on this podcast. I mean,

Ronne 56:28
Well two years ago, I had just did I just,

Kay 56:31
we talked about it in teeny, teeny tiny bit. It was kind of like a mentioned that you were working on a book.

Kay 56:38
It’s here.

Ronne 56:39
I had just because at that point, it was like, Oh, my gosh, it’s a real book. It’s not. It’s not just the my original idea, which was I’m just gonna share these great stories about these women. And I’m going to try to raise a little money with it. And Yay, but it was the idea that it was actually going to end up being a book of transformation. Two years ago, I don’t know if I still believing it. I was just walking the road of realizing that. Oh, wow, they’re they’re just really much something here.

Kay 57:14
Yeah. And

Ronne 57:19
it’s been a vulnerable journey, and it’s in so it shall remain. That’s okay. Right. Yeah, the Lord’s like, Come on, take her bring your vulnerability to me. It’s fine, girl. I got you.

Kay 57:31
He does he Yeah. Yeah. I tell us how we can find you on the on all the internet things all the way. Well, maybe not. I’ll let it you know, all the all the places because you, you it’s you write wonderful words, words of encouragement and truth. That are just always a nice sweetener for my Facebook feed.

Ronne 57:56
You know, you were crying. You know, I just I have told people I am addicted to hope i because God’s hope does not disappoint. hope does not disappoint. And I really, I see, when I see the future in a person or whatever. I always see a redemptive destination in in for the longest time I tried to hide that because it felt, I don’t know kind of fell I in some ways. I thought, oh, gosh, it sounds like Pollyanna. But it’s not it is not the it’s not effortless, effervescent. Yay. It’s not going to be good guys. stuff. It is this gritty? Hope that goes to war. Yeah, right. That isn’t afraid to get messy. If that’s how God is right. He is not afraid to get in the trenches with us so

Kay 58:50
well, so they think when when the Bible describes faith, its substance. So if you were you know, if you look up faith and you try to like if you do an image search for faith, you get pictures of churches and angels and clouds. What you should really get is a rock.

Ronne 59:12
It’s true. big boulder. It’s got a grip on it site. So I it’s Ronnie rock pretty much everywhere and that is our o n e. Even though autocorrect will misspell It’s okay. And again, short for Veronica and Ronnie. The with the know is just just to be different, I guess. But it’s Ronnie rock calm. Also on Instagram on Ronnie rock on Facebook, just slightly different. It’s running rock rights to my author page. And then if someone wants to buy the book, One Woman Can Change the World . Easiest way to do it. You can find it anywhere books are sold or you can go to onewomancanchangetheworld.com. And the links are all there everything is there for you to make it easy. But yeah, it’s available. People right and in it will be released. Yes. into the, into the homes of kind souls everywhere.

Kay 1:00:23
Absolutely. For sure. And I’ll have those links in the show notes for for everybody who’s driving, they can come back later. Do not use your phone right now to make a purchase. So Ronne, it’s always such a pleasure to talk with you

Ronne 1:00:46
Oh this was so good. I wish we lived close to each other just so we can hang out and have coffee all the time.

Kay 1:00:51
Yes, that’d be awesome. I’ll be right over.

Kay 1:00:56
You know, we talk a lot about on this show, you know, find your voice and tell your story change the world, right. So what Ronnie does just falls right smack into the middle of this, I really encourage you to connect with her show notes and contact information are in the show notes at life and mission.com. But here’s a little update. Ronnie sent us a little voice memo with what she’s doing this summer. And I will see you there.

Ronne 1:01:21
Hey there friends. It’s Ronne. And I would love for you to join me on a very special adventure this summer. All you have to do is email me and Kay will give you my email address. But it’s Ronnie at Ronnie rock calm. And all you have to say is yes. A simple Yes. Well, let me know that you want to join me. As we walk through the 15 thought starters that I’ve got on my website that talk about how to discover your God designed influence and impact. I created these 15 questions. Eight years ago, as I was asking myself, what was my purpose? What was my calling, there had to been more than calling as a job. And purpose is just the thing I did. And so these questions were born out of that. And from that came changes to the way I viewed myself and others. And also, what was born out of that was the book One Woman Can Change the World. And I want to ask myself those questions again, but I don’t want to do it alone. So I’d love for you to join me again. Just send an email to me right now. And all you have to say is yes. And then I will send an email your way with all of the details of how we’re going to go through this big team thought starter challenge together. I look forward to having you be a part of my journey as I’m a part of yours.

Kay 1:02:58
I’m Kay Helm, and this has been the life and mission podcast. Find your voice tell your story. Change the world.