4/4/22 - Working and Walking with Courage: Krystal Stewart, author of Claim Your Courage

Intro: As a Christian working woman, you have many roles from your responsibility with family and friends to community and work. How do you connect all that you do with all that you are, and still have your face shine through. It's a challenge, but you are up to it. The, sheWorks4Him podcast at the gathering place to empower Christian working women, to live out their calling at work.

By connecting them to God resources and each other through powerful face stories from other working sisters in Christ. Welcome to sheWorks4Him.

Martha: You've tuned into, sheWorks4Him, where we connect Christian, working women to God resources and to one another. We are your host today. Martha Brandbenburg and Nadya Dickson.

Remember, you can always go to our website. sheWorks4Him.com that's she works the number 4 Him.com and there, I just want to encourage everybody. If you haven't told. You will find right there on that main page that you can sign up for our weekly podcasts, email, that way you get it in your inbox.

In case you forget to go to your favorite podcast app, or your notifications are turned off, which I know in more and more of us are doing all the time, because there's just so much out there on the emails. That just a kind reminder that when, when the timing is right, you've got some news stories, some new inspirations.

Encouragement for you to listen to in the aspect of the, sheWorks4Him podcasts. So remember our website, sheWorks4Him. Dot com. We'd love for you to sign up and connect with us on social media. And on Instagram or Facebook, or watch the podcast on our YouTube channel, which is just such a fun way.

I know for me, I love to see expression. I love to see personality come through visually, which is what God created us to have. So our, you can follow our YouTube channel by subscribing there, but thank you for being here today. And we look forward to having this show with you.

Nadya: Thank you so much, Martha.

Well, here we are Christian working women and we all. At least I can speak for myself and the women that I know and do life with. We always have a deep desire to walk in a spirit of faith regarding everything that we do, how we function in all our roles at work and at home. But for the last two years, especially there really has been an overarching message of fear coming from the media and all kinds of different outlets.

About the pandemic and now, you know, the threats of war here and abroad. How do we continue to walk in the assurance of our faith and maintain resilience at our work and our home for our family and our colleagues? Well, today we go to Maryland to have a conversation with Krystal Stewart. Krystal has had firsthand experience looking into the face of fear.

And through her relationship with God, she has overcome fear and rage and she determined to march forward. And discover her true self in the process. And she has a lot of great things to share with us today. I know you're going to be encouraged, Kristen. Welcome Krystal. Welcome to sheWorks4Him.

Krystal Stewart: Hi everyone.

So excited to just have this opportunity and thank you guys just for what you're doing and just putting that out there and encouraging people because we all need it. Wherever we are, especially business women out there, right.

Martha: Krystal. We are so excited to have you as our guests today. And I'm very much looking forward to what God has done in and through your life.

And the first thing I want to know, as I get to know you is for you to tell me a little bit about yourself, through your faith journey and why you became a follower of Jesus.

Krystal Stewart: Well, for me, I'm a pastor's kid. And again, don't re you know, if you've heard all of the stories, half of them are true. Half of them are not true, but everyone always has stories about pastor's kids.

But I say all that to say I was blessed to be raised in the church. And that was a blessing for me. My father was in the business world himself, and at the age of five years old, my parents were looking for a place that had the best and longest afterschool program. And it just so happened to be a Christian private school.

So they placed us in a Christian private school, came to the Christmas play and gave their hearts to the Lord, which was amazing. So it was from the age of probably seven on my dad went into full-time ministry and I was blessed to be able to be raised in the church world. And so I started having experiences as a young age with the Lord and you know, at camps in different times, I, I, everybody usually has like a date or a time, like October 5th is my date that I got saved.

And for me, I can't really trace it back to a moment. I grew up as a, you know, as a young child, just having those moments. And it was like, he, not that he was always part of my life, but I've always had that close relationship. So.

Martha: That's so powerful. And I would love to, I mean, we could just camp on this whole idea of your dad and the church and, you know, just that exposure, but what a great thing.

We never know when the heart is going to be ripe and what the path is going to be, that intersects people with Jesus Christ. And that's why it's so important for us to be so intentional. In our daily life. So tell me then, so fast forward a little bit, when did you discover, because of having grown up as a PK, right?

When did you discover that your work mattered to God outside of just the ministry that you saw happening in the local church through your parents work?

Krystal Stewart: Well, I'm a PK married a PK. So that, you know, kind of developed into, you know, at a young age, I got married very young. I was 17 years old. My husband was a 20 years old.

We went into ministry as youth pastors at a young age. And so it was just, again, always part of our life for both of us working in the church, being able to have that opportunity to encourage people, whether they were teenagers, you know, our kids all the way. So I have only been in the actual, I guess, quote unquote business world for the last three years which, you know, we'll get to a little bit later.

But for me again, the church is also still like that business world. You're, you're getting people that are coming from all walks of life and needing to meet them where they are and minister to them. So that's just always been that blessing for me to have that opportunity to have everybody come to you that were from, you know, every different place.

Nadya: Wow. So Krystal, I know that you and your husband spent a season as pastors in Florida, and there was an opportunity that came to you.

You were talking about opportunities and people that come, and this one literally landed at the church door. Do you want to share a little bit about that?

Krystal Stewart: Yeah. So we planted a church in Florida.

We were there for 12 years and we planted a church called refuge church. We had a large feeding ministry, the place that we were in had just a great need in the community. And it just so happened. I went through a season of having cancer, which was horrible. It was, you know, not planned, of course, nobody planned something like that, but I was in such a. you know, questioning place of like, God, this doesn't make sense right now what's going on. And at that time, our church was at its height of growth. We were doing a huge feeding ministry. So one day my husband said, can you come to the church with me? And while I redo the tile and let's just kind of restart, you know, and see what's going on.

So I was sitting there with him. I couldn't do anything at the time I had just had surgery. And we didn't have a feeding ministry that day, but there was a family outside of our church that was homeless and they had these two small children. I had three children already at the time. But they had these two small children and I share about it a lot more in detail of my story and it actually hit the news.

But we ended up taking them home for a night to make a long story, really short a storm was coming. The parents asked if we could take them home for a night. And I just remember in that moment saying. God, what are you doing? This makes no sense, but that moment, and I talk about courage. Courage is again, part of my life in all areas of life.

It was that moment of courage for me in hindsight, which made no sense in the moment. And for any of us overthinkers really made no sense when you're looking at the future, but turned into one of the most beautiful blessings and miracles of my life because those two boys are now my sons, my fourth and fifth children.

And that was gosh, that was six years ago. So they are now six and eight years old, which is amazing. So again, long story short, there's so much more to it that I share about in my book and it hit the news, but it just shows. When you're in those moments and you say, yes, to God, and then sometimes you don't have a lot of time to think about it.

But it can turn into something much bigger than what God was originally wanting to do with your life.

Nadya: So, so good. Well, I know, I know more about that story and I'm glad that you teased the listener's ears about it because it truly is a miraculous journey. But you also then eventually made a transition.

And this is where I met you in the DC area. And you went from that full-time pastoral role into taking territory naturally. And so you became a realtor, you got licensed as a realtor. How has your faith impacted you in this new kind of work?

Krystal Stewart: Well, again, is everybody can relate and, you know, faith is not just something that we experience in church.

Faith is our life. It's something that we have at our home. It's something we have in our marriage. It's something we have as mothers. It's something we have in business. It's in all parts of our life. So whether we're actually able to be preaching the gospel with a microphone or not our lives are preaching and everything that we do. But a really crazy transition for me, always working in the church and now just strictly working in the business world. And it's funny because Nadya, when we first met, at the beginning of that journey for me I was struggling at the beginning, I struggled. And I remember sitting at a restaurant with you and I'm pretty sure I probably cried at that restaurant experience, but I was just saying at that time, Like, oh my gosh.

I work in in the DMV area. So I have my DC real estate license, Maryland real estate license of Virginia real estate license. When I was working in, you know, top producing companies and, you know, the pressure was great, but of course the teams and, you know, different people that I work with, which is fine, but they were not, you know, Christians or, you know, faith filled people.

And I was trying to really find my place in being able to still be. Who I am, you know, in those environments. And you encouraged me so much in those moments, because I just remember thinking I don't fit here. I don't know how to do this. This is, I mean, I've always worked in the church literally, and now I'm out with your, you know, on these teams and dealing with them, you know, pretty hard stuff, but you encouraged me.

You said Krystal, if God opened those doors for you and he told you to walk through them, then you know, let's just keep praying. And at that time I was functioning with a team, but there was a lot of different things that were just not working. And you prayed and was like Krystal, let's just pray and see if God starts giving you wisdom on what to do next.

And it was shortly after our conversation that God opened another door for me to switch to another team. And from that point on, it has been just like, boom, boom, boom, amazing. Just incredible favor, incredible open doors and just total expansion. Even in my business. So, again, it just shows the power of prayer, but still being who you are in those situations, but reaching out for wisdom when you get in those types situations,

Martha: oh, there's so many good nuggets there, Krystal, because you exactly, you hit on it.

You know, sometimes we need to seek that wise counsel of other people. And knowing that you were pressing into this in a conversation that I need to still be who I am, which is who, you know, your past was always built on your maybe identity in the church, but it was deep down at your faith and it's, how could you still live that out and seeking that wise counsel and praying into that and seeking the answer.

And sometimes it isn't a move. Sometimes it isn't a transition to something different, but Clearly open doors for you. And we're going to touch talk about that more. And I'm excited because in the next segment, I really want to talk about your book and hear about this whole conversation of courage, because so many of us need that on a daily basis.

You're listening to, sheWorks4Him with our guests today, Krystal Stewart, and we'll

be right back.

Break: Did you know that God has a calling on your life? It's true. He's called you to bring Jesus to the world. For some that may look like a pulpit or a foreign mission field, but for most of us, it looks like a construction site, a cubicle, a hospital, or a classroom, wherever it is that you work with volunteer and invest.

That is your mission field. To learn more about integrating your faith into your work in retirement. Check out our books: iWork4Him. sheWorks4Him and iRetire4Him by going to iWork4Him.com/Bookstore.

Martha: Welcome back to, sheworks4Him with your cohost, Nadya Dickson and Martha Brangenberg.

We're here today with Krystal Stewart and krystal. The theme of your conversation really is about courage. And I love that. This little snippet into your life, where you were in a point where you didn't feel like you could be authentically who you were and who God made you to be and your faith, and just the struggle with the team that you were with and through a conversation with Nadya and prayer together, you said that it's like that catapulted a lot of change that has really had a positive impact. And I want you to just speak to that just a little bit more because. So many of us it's like that first step. What do we do? I'm frustrated, but I just keep showing up every day. And so what happened then once that opened some new doors for.

Krystal Stewart: Yeah. So for me again when I met with Nadya, I was so frustrated and I really felt led from God to step into the business world. It wasn't just, oh, I want to go into business. I specifically heard a word from God at that point of saying this is going to be an arc for your family. And when we think of arc, we think of a safe place.

We think of perfect. And I was stepping into this and that was not happening. I mean, I was, you know, spending money. I was not making money and everything was just kind of going wrong. So again, after you know, praying with her and I was praying, do I need to make a change? Do I need to stay there? And then I just kept compiling confirmation that no, this change needed to be made.

So it was with that small change that I made and all of a sudden doors just started to open for me and in the business. I went from, you know, not meeting any of my goals to the next year, you know, breaking six figures in business to the next year. Multi-six figures and stepping into the commercial world.

I mean, last year I was able to sell over 120 apartment buildings, which is incredible. So, and that all happened going back to my courage story of my first client, when I didn't have anyone, they were saying, Hey, does anybody want to take anyone who might be interested in commercial? Well I had never done commercial, but I thought, again, my, who I am is that person of courage and Hey, if somebody else can do it, I could do it.

So I said, I'll take them. I had no idea what I was doing, but I just stepping into that and favor and, you know, different people came up alongside me and it just started opening doors. So again, courage, you know, who you are in the church can be the same person who you are there. It's not that you're preaching with what you do, but that's what people say.

I don't understand. How do you say yes to stuff? How do you believe that, you know, different stuff will come up and be able to help you, but it's again, just walking by faith and being able to, sometimes you don't see the step ahead of you, but you just step or you say yes.

Martha: So talk to me about this theme of courage. And then what led you to writing the book, claim your courage? I'm very curious, like had you always felt like you were, God created you as a courageous woman?

Krystal Stewart: So in general, I'm probably definitely a risk taker. I'm the sky diver, the, you know, little adventure person. If you give me something they're telling me, I can't do it, I'm going to do it.

So, you know, courage is definitely a thing for me, even in the natural of it, I like to push myself. I like to push my limits. And again, if somebody else can do it, that's not, you know, it doesn't show favoritism. If you did it for them, he can do it for me. So usually the only thing holding us back is ourselves, our limitations, what we think about ourselves and you know, what we step into, but courage for me and writing a book became a whole thing because God spoke that to me over 10 years ago.

And when I first started stepping into that, Closed door closed door. It just was not happening. So the word courage came to me through even writing a book. I share about it even through walking through my cancer journey, walking through challenges in my marriage walking through challenges with the church and the spirit of religion.

And, and then, you know, of course in the business realm. So I find it to be something that has definitely came to every area of my life. Courage, claiming your courage in those situations. You know, and I mean, we talk about faith. Of course, we walk by faith, right. But what, and this was, you know, that epiphany I had with God, okay, God, I maybe I don't have enough faith.

And then one day he said, Krystal, with a faith of small of a mustard seed, you can move a mountain. So no matter what, you have enough faith, but it's that you yourself is holding yourself back from activating your faith. And I found that courage was that bridge builder, taking those steps of courage is what activated.

Martha: So talk to me just quick about the book. Like who, who do you think should pick up the book and what are you hoping that they get out of it when they spend their time reading it?

Krystal Stewart: Yeah. Oh, look at it. That's right here. Right.

Martha: So if you're watching on YouTube, you can see it.

Krystal Stewart: That's awesome. Yes. So again, you can order it on Amazon, but I like to just be very open I'm very vulnerable and sharing stories.

Like I said, from being, even down to being a pastor's kid and watching, you know, different situations that happened in the church that, you know, kind of jaded me a little bit, not so much with my relationship with God, but my relationship with the church. Down to marriage situations and being able to say, Hey, this is not okay.

And having the courage to be able to say, everything's not okay right now. And there's probably some things that we need to work on and took courage or having the courage again, to bring my boys home and then step into adoption that took courage, taking the courage to say. When I felt God urging me to step into business and I felt so long qualified.

And then when I felt like I was failing having the courage to continue you know, taking those steps until, you know, things started working out. So for me, courage is definitely a way of life. I hit on so many multiple areas in that you know, the path to courage and, you know, I love the last four letters encourages actually raised.

So that's where the rage comes from. Cause sometimes for me, courage, didn't start as courage, courage started as rage and as anger. And I thought I was totally sending and going to hell at that point. Like I know anger is wrong, be angry and sin not. And I was mad for a lot of things.

Martha: So we want people to be able to get a copy of your book and Krystal, you have generously offered to give one away as to a listener.

So listeners, if you are intrigued by this book, Claim Your Courage, you can call our listener line at eight six six seven one three nine six seven five eight six six seven one three work. And we'll have that in our show notes. So you don't have to memorize it right now, but call and leave us a message.

We'll get back to you. This may be an opportunity for you to read it and then pass it on to a friend. Or you may know someone who really needs this message right now, but then people, you can all buy it for yourselves as well. So Krystal, thank you for that generosity and Nadya why don't you close this out with another question for this segment,?

Nadya: Sure, let's just take a couple minutes before we go into the next segment, but Krystal for our listeners today.

We know that most of them are Christian working women. And what kind of encouragement would you leave with them in a, you know, a minute, a minute and a half nugget. How to walk and courage in their workplace.

Krystal Stewart: For me, I would say, just continue to be who you are. Don't let the environment that you're in change you, you be someone that, you know, changes that environment and be courageous. Be courageously who God's created you to be, be who you are. You're unique, you're different. You're not gonna fit. But that's okay. So you can be you and still do it, even with kindness and with generosity. It doesn't mean that we have to be hard, or we have to be, you know, brash about who we are, but just, you know, having that boldness and that confidence and knowing who God's created you to be, who, where he has placed you to be, and then being able to just walk through.

Martha: That's so good. And, you know, sometimes I think that, we think that courage means we have to be like a bull in a China shop and it really doesn't have to be that way. Just having that confidence that comes through Christ. Maybe that next step that we need to take. We're going to have more of this, this conversation and just a little bit, we're going to take a quick break.

We're talking with Krystal Stewart today. Claim Your Courage is out there for you to get, if you want to call our listener line (866) 713-9675. We'll be right back in just a moment.

Break: Hey listeners. One of the huge projects Martha and I have been working on for years is making it easy for every workplace believer to find all the voices speaking, encouragement, and equipping into the faith and work movement, presenting the Awaken podcast network.

Online and Awaken podcast network.com with over 130 different podcast. Voices speaking truth into you. The workplace believer, including over 30 podcasts, dedicated to Christian working women. Go online to awaken podcast, network.com that's Awaken podcast, network.com.

Martha: Welcome back to sheWorks4Him with your co-host Martha Brangenberg and Nadya Dickson today. Krystal Stewart, you have been able to open our eyes a little bit to this idea of courage and through your book, claim your courage. We can learn more about the different ways that we can really walk in that ourselves. And for some people that may look like confidence for some people, it may look like, you know, many different things, but listeners, remember you can call and get a copy of that book or go out and buy it on your own and share it with your friends.

But thank you so much for being our guests here today. And I can't wait to hear the next question. Nadya is going to ask you.

Nadya: Well, Krystal you really are giving us an authentic, you are an authentic model. If somebody that's walking in courage and going into new frontiers new places, just doing it in confidence in Christ, but not feeling confident, maybe in.

In your own natural self without being informed by the spirit. So saying that you came from a pastoral role as a city impactor, and now you are really focused in the marketplace. How can other women feel like they're playing a role in impacting their city, perhaps towards God's redemptive plan for that city from a marketplace perspective?

Krystal Stewart: Well, for me, I always say, find the needs in your city and then be a part of it. So don't shy away from it. What I've, you know, like to go back to myself as saying, as love looks like. And many times we're all in our own cities, but, and there's there's needs in everybody's cities, but sometimes we just don't see it, or we choose to stay in our little box of what's comfortable, what we want to see.

But a lot of times people think it has to be some big thing, but really love looks around. If you ask God, God, give me eyes to see. You know, if even the person that you're working with, that you don't even understand, that's who your assignment is, maybe it's on a bigger scale and you need to get involved in, you know, another ministry or something going on.

But I don't think it's the same thing for everyone. And I don't think it's the same place for every city and every season, I think it always changes and we don't need to get stuck in a box like. But I just want to challenge you to look around and see what the current needs are around you. And just understand if you're there out of 7 billion people on this planet, God's placed you there.

It's not coincidence. So be who you are in those situations.

Martha: Love looks around. Well, that is so profound. I I'm thinking there needs to be a t-shirt line when I hear things like that. I'm like, I can embrace that idea because you know, so many times we look we're so tunnel vision, we're so focused on, but if we really love those around us, we're looking around to see what those needs are.

And that applies in our workplace that applies in our city that applies in our own families. So wow. What a powerful nugget. So one last thing, Krystal, just before we go, I just am curious. Is there like a life verse that drives you or something that is speaking into you right now in this season? Go either way.

Krystal Stewart: My life versus definitely John 16:33. I say it every day. I say it to everybody in some point, and in this world, you'll have trials and tribulations, but take courage for, I have overcome this world. So in every situation, I mean, life has its way, whether it's even a business or with your kids, or, I mean, look at the news.

It has this way of having this rollercoaster. You can have the highest of highs and then the lowest of lows. And if we let our emotions or who we are playing into, that we find ourself on that roller coaster. But when we put it into perspective to say, Jesus warns that subprime and this world you're going to have, you're going to have good days.

You're gonna have bad days. You're going to have days where things are going good and they're not take courage. Take courage is every day. For, I have overcome the world, we know the end of the story. We know the end of the book, and if he gave us the promise, then we just have to keep walking through it.

So that's my life verse. I say it all the time. I love it. John 16:33.

That's

Martha: so powerful. Thank you so much for sharing that with us. And I'm guessing that it's probably

referred to in your book claim your courage. So listeners, again, just a reminder, this is a generous opportunity for you to get a copy from Krystal by calling the listener line, that number will be in our show notes.

Krystal. It has been a pleasure to have you on the show today. And I hope that you know I'm encouraged by the courage conversation and I'm sure that the other women are too. So thank you for this.

Nadya: Thank you so much.

Krystal Stewart: Thank you. Thank you.

Martha: You've been listening to, sheWorks4Him with your hosts, Martha Brangenberg and Nadya Dickson we're Christian working women, helping other Christian working to live out their calling at work,

as sheWorks4Him

Outro: As Christian women, we have many roles from daughter, sister, friend, wife, and mother to analyst, accountant, executive or educator. Is it possible to balance our roles at work and home in a way that honors God? The answer is yes. And our new book, sheWorks4Him will help show you how.

Written to celebrate, encourage and equip women in the workforce. sheWorks4Him. Discusses the diverse experiences of today's Christian working woman. Pick up a copy by going to, I work for him.com/bookstore. You've been listening to the, sheWorks4Him podcast with your host, Catherine Gates, Nadya Dickson, and Martha Brangenberg.

Please like us on Facebook and subscribe on YouTube under sheWorks4Him and to access any of the resources we mentioned on today's. See the show notes at sheWorks4Him. Dot com that's she works the number four kim.com. This podcast was created to empower you to live out your calling at work so the world knows sheWorks4Him.