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Welcome back to the Fierce Calling podcast! In this powerful episode, host Doris Swift is joined by her longtime friend and award-winning author Maria Morgan, whose latest and soon-to-be-released book, Hope Ignited: Set Free from the Grip of Anxiety and Depression, offers a faith-centered, holistic approach to healing. Maria Morgan opens up about her own journey through seasons of anxiety, depression, and psychosis—sharing how past trauma collided with present challenges and led her to some of her darkest moments.

Through raw honesty and deep vulnerability, Maria details how faith, community, and surrender to God became the keys to her freedom. Their candid conversation touches on the importance of breaking stigma, finding safe spaces to share our stories, and the transformative power of accountability and God’s love.

Whether you or someone you know has walked through similar struggles, this episode brings hope, encouragement, and a reminder that you are never alone. Get ready to hear a testimony of restoration that will challenge, inspire, and equip you to take your own next steps toward healing and rediscovering joy.

Highlights From This Inspiring Conversation:

• Real & Raw Story: Maria shares her journey through devastating seasons of anxiety and depression. She courageously discusses how these battles resurfaced during 2020 as she cared for her mother-in-law with dementia.
• Day of Truth: The turning point came when Maria opened up to her husband and church family, experiencing unconditional love and hope. She says, “That unconditional love… was something that opened my mind to just a bit of light, which was hope.”
• Healing & Surrender: Through accountability, prayer, and supportive friends, Maria found freedom. She urges us to recognize the power of surrender — letting go and trusting God.
• Practical Steps: Maria emphasizes the holistic nature of healing — tending to physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. She encourages accountability and reaching out to friends, reminding us we are not alone.
• Hope Ignited Events: Inspired by her journey, Maria and her husband now host events to help churches support members struggling with anxiety and depression.

Connect with Maria!

Maria I. Morgan is the award-winning author of the Louie the Lawnmower children’s series and
Outrageously Fruitful, a women’s Bible study. Passionate about helping women find freedom
from anxiety and depression, her book Hope Ignited: Set Free from the Grip of Anxiety and
Depression (available early 2026), offers a faith-centered, holistic approach to
healing—addressing body, soul, and spirit. Maria lives in Georgia with her husband, Steve, and
their playful pets, who bring laughter and creativity to her journey.

Website: https://www.mariaimorgan.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maria.morgan.10

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariaimorgan/

Email: morgan.maria.i@gmail.com

What Threatens to Steal Your Joy?

Check out Surrender the Joy Stealers: Rediscover the Jesus Joy in You 6-week Bible study rooted in John 15. You can find more info at https://dorisswift.com/book/

Let’s Stay Connected!

Find my free resources including Fear Fighting Bible Verses, Simple Tips for Sharing Your Faith, Surrender the Joy Stealers, Step Out of Your Doubt and Into Your Calling ebook, and more on my dorisswift.com homepage!

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Need a Speaker for Your Next Women’s Event? Now Booking for 2026!

Check out my speaking page, grab my flyer, and let’s talk about me speaking at your next women’s event…

Thanks for Listening!

I hope this episode encouraged, inspired, and challenged you to cultivate community, live and walk in the value, purpose, and worth God gave you, and take action where your passion, compassion, and conviction intersect.

If you’re looking for a speaker for your next women’s conference, retreat, luncheon, or workshop, reach out and connect with me on my speaker page at https://www.womenspeakers.com/florida/edgewater/speaker/doris-swift

Let’s have a chat about your next event!

Stay tuned for more amazing content and remember to check the show notes for all the links mentioned.

Thank you for being a part of our community. We are grateful for your continued support and encourage you to embrace the unique gifts that make you magnificently you.

I hope you’ll join me next time when I talk with another guest who is taking action where her passion, compassion, and conviction intersect …

Until then friend, have a blessed week, and I’ll talk to you soon.

With love and joy,

Doris

Transcript

Doris Swift [00:01:55]:
What is threatening to steal your joy? What is it that feels so heavy right now that you could barely stand? God has a plan, and his plan is to surrender it, surrender it to Him. It might be a prodigal, it might be a relationship, a marriage, something with your job. So many things. We have so many amazing blessings, but there are so many things in our life that threaten to steal our joy. I’m Dara Swift, author of the award-winning 6-week Bible study Surrender the Joy Stealers: Rediscover the Jesus Joy in and it helps women rediscover the overflowing, ever-present Jesus joy within. Using personal and biblical stories, I share how you can identify your joy stealers, surrender them to God, reawaken the joy within, and share the joy with others. You can do it on your own or with a group. Check it out, friends.

Doris Swift [00:02:58]:
Surrender the Joy Stealers: Rediscover the Jesus Joy in You. It’s available on all the online retailers. It’s time to take your joy back. Welcome back to the show. Today, I’m excited to welcome my good friend, Maria Morgan. She is the award-winning author of the Louie the Lawnmower children’s series and Outrageously Fruitful, a women’s Bible study. Passionate about helping women find freedom from anxiety and depression, her book that we’re gonna be talking a lot about today, Hope Ignited, Set Free from the Grip of Anxiety and Depression, which is going to be coming out soon, offers a faith-centered holistic approach to healing, addressing body, soul, and spirit. Maria lives in Georgia with her husband Steve and their playful pets who bring laughter and creativity to her journey.

Doris Swift [00:03:49]:
And I’ll have to say, I have known Maria for many years, and I just— I have her Bible study here, Outrageously Fruitful. I always love this cover. It just is like so refreshing. I always thought it looked so refreshing, so I love that. And I also have Louie the Lawnmower and some of the books somewhere. I think I might have given some out. And also, when our house flooded, I lost some books, so I’m not really sure. But I think— I’m pretty sure I gave your Louie books to some friends with kids.

Doris Swift [00:04:21]:
So I just enjoyed those so much, and I’m so happy to have you on the show. I was blessed to endorse your latest book, and we’re going to talk about that. Maria, welcome.

Maria Morgan [00:04:33]:
Thank you so much, Doris. What a blessing you are.

Doris Swift [00:04:36]:
Thank you.

Maria Morgan [00:04:37]:
Great to be here.

Doris Swift [00:04:37]:
We have been— yeah, we’ve been trying to plan this for a while. And so I, I loved reading your manuscript of your book, and there’s been a season between your other books and this book, and a lot has happened in that season, or many seasons, or some seasons, and which is really what prompted your writing this new book. So I would love if you would share, you know, some of your story and then where the Lord is presently calling you in your fierce calling and where you’re taking action, where your passion, compassion, and conviction intersect.

Maria Morgan [00:05:20]:
Absolutely, Doris. Yes. And I believe we met back so many years ago in a writing course. And back at that time, I was working on both the Louie the Lawnmower series and Outrageously Fruitful. And prior to writing that Bible study, um, I had experienced one season of anxiety and depression. This was back in 2006. And it was something that took me by surprise. I had no idea what was really going on, but I recovered from that in about 9 months.

Maria Morgan [00:05:56]:
So I, I didn’t really get to the root issue of what was going on, but because I came through it, I just kind of thought, okay, that’s over and continued on with my life. At the time I thought, you know, maybe I should write something about anxiety, but I felt like there was a flood of information about anxiety and depression on the market. So who needs to hear more, right? Well, we can go ahead and advance to 2020. Everybody knows 2020 was an extremely difficult year, not only with, you know, everything going on with COVID and all of those things. For us personally, my husband and I were caregivers for my mother-in-law who had dementia. And as you know, or can maybe can imagine, when you’re dealing with somebody with dementia, there can be some conflict. And, you know, for reasons that I didn’t really understand at the time, the conflict was overwhelming to me. And I started feeling a little bit anxious and even a little bit down.

Maria Morgan [00:07:10]:
So I thought, okay, we, we had my mother-in-law for 3 months and we dropped her off with my sister-in-law. And I thought, oh, this, this feeling will leave. And, uh, I was surprised when it did not. I thought, okay, I’ll just jump into all the things that I was doing previously. Uh, started teaching a Bible study again, co-leading a prayer team, doing different ministry things with my husband, but it only got worse. So at that time, I ended up in pretty much full-blown anxiety.. And my thinking was super distorted. Um, I was condemning myself in just about every area of life that you could imagine.

Maria Morgan [00:07:54]:
So slowly over the course of about a year, I was finding it difficult to engage with friends, slowly began backing up from not only relationships with family and friends, but even with my husband, it became really difficult to, to talk to him about what I was experiencing. And I began to isolate myself. Classic flag for somebody who is in anxiety or depression. So with that, um, I also stepped back from all those ministries. I was having a hard time even reading my Bible, to be honest, because I would see things through a distorted lens. So everything seemed to be condemnation to me. And it got so overwhelming that it eventually led to me attempting to take my life. Um, even after a state mandated stay, which was a week, um, my husband, um, did a lot of research, got me into a really highly accredited, uh, it was a program that— a 12-week intensive outpatient program.

Maria Morgan [00:09:11]:
I finished it in 10 weeks because I, I was really trying to get through it. But to be honest, at the end of that 10 weeks, I was really no better. But I hid how I was feeling because I just wanted things to get back to normal. Almost a year to the day of that first attempt, I found myself even lower and attempted to take my life a second time. And after that attempt, I ended up in psychosis, which your listeners may not be familiar, but it’s a state of mind where you’re disconnected from reality. And by that time, I was really consumed with irrational thinking. So everything was distorted. And I think back on that time, and the enemy really attacked me in two different areas.

Maria Morgan [00:10:14]:
One was my identity in Christ. And the second, he planted seeds of doubt about who my Heavenly Father was. And just really planted seeds of doubt about his character, about God’s character. And again, the connection here is really interesting. We didn’t determine this until really after I came out of this, the second bout with anxiety, depression, But it was interesting because I grew up with an alcoholic dad and his words and actions, uh, created a lot of conflict in my life. So when I was confronted with those angry outbursts when I was a kid, I would try to be quiet. And really my body was shutting down at that point because I wanted to avoid being the target of that anger. Um, those emotions resurfaced all these years later in 2020 when I saw my husband and his mom arguing or, you know, having conflict.

Maria Morgan [00:11:29]:
She would try to do things that were very dangerous, and my husband would try to warn her and she would get upset. And that conflict just took me right back to that place where I was a little girl. And I had no control of what was going on around me. So that’s kind of where I was. I transferred that mistrust that I had of my earthly dad onto my husband and then to those around me and ultimately to my Heavenly Father. The beautiful thing is Two words, but God, you know, it was through a series of steps that only he could orchestrate that he assured me not only of his love, but also of his forgiveness. And he set me free from the grip of anxiety and depression. And that happened through a series of steps.

Maria Morgan [00:12:34]:
So I remember the evening that, um, kind of everything that I had been suppressing with my husband, I had not told him all of the thoughts, the irrational thoughts that I had, but all of those came out one evening and he made note of them. And he said, you know what, we need to get our pastor and the pastor’s wife and a few couples from our church to come over. And we’re going to have a day of truth. He wanted them to come over and share God’s truth with me and pray with me. And I was terrified. I thought, oh, this is the worst thing that could possibly happen. Because all this time, over about 2 and a half years, I had tried to keep the game face on. Even when we would go to church, I would try to pretend.

Maria Morgan [00:13:29]:
Like nothing was wrong, even though I felt like people were— it was obvious that I was struggling. But anyway, the, the day of truth came, and it was the first time that I was able to share the fact that, yes, I had attempted to take my life twice. And, you know, just all of the guilt and shame surrounding that. In addition to, um, just my faith, I was struggling with, am I really saved? So I was able to share that with these people that came over. And you know what, Doris? It was, it was so freeing to not be condemned, to not be ridiculed or made fun of. Instead, I was met with unconditional love. And that unconditional love, that gift from God, was something that opened my mind to just a bit of light, which was hope. So it was really at that point that I turned a corner..

Maria Morgan [00:14:51]:
And from that, um, those discussions that day, my husband set up, he, he told me, you know, you need to be accountable for your thoughts. So we split up all of my irrational thoughts on paper and we assigned them to different ladies that had come that day. And it was my responsibility to get in touch with them. Once a week and just go through those, that thinking pattern. How are you doing? Uh, you know, I’m struggling here this week. This is going well. So it was through that accountability, and then over the next, I guess it was about 2 and a half weeks, that the Lord just continued to flood light into my mind and, you know, it came down to September 1st of 2023. And I went to a ladies meeting at our church and the gal was speaking on redemption of all things, something that I had heard so, so often, but I just didn’t feel like I was redeemed.

Maria Morgan [00:16:08]:
Because of what I had done. So at any rate, I heard her message. And it wasn’t so much the message as one of my friends who had been faithful to send me text message after text message, and send me cards throughout that 2.5-year time period. She came and sat down at the table where I was, and she began sharing a little bit about what she had been struggling with over the past year or so. And I noticed some similar thought patterns. And it was as if God was telling me, you’re not the only one who struggles in this area. And that’s something that the enemy had really, had really gotten me to believe. Is that you’re the only one.

Maria Morgan [00:17:02]:
You can’t let anyone else know. This is shameful. So when she told me that, it was kind of a confirmation that, um, no, in fact, you’re not the only one. So after that meeting, I went out to my Jeep. I was just sitting there in the car and I had the list. Of irrational thoughts with me. And I remember just holding that up and saying to the Lord, Lord, I trust you. I don’t want to live this way anymore.

Maria Morgan [00:17:43]:
I trust you. And it was in that moment that I felt the— just the weight of that anxiety and depression leave. And it was immediate. It was like clarity after being in the dark for a long time. So the Lord just did a miraculous work. And he really, you know, looking back on it, I can see his fingerprints throughout that season, even though I couldn’t at the time. I can look back now and see his wonderful deliverance. So for me, it was trusting God.

Maria Morgan [00:18:28]:
Um, you know, that the mistrust that happened early on in my life was something that I had to surrender, surrender back to the Lord and just tell him, I trust you.

Doris Swift [00:18:46]:
Yeah, open my hands and surrender. Surrender, so key. There’s just— thank you for sharing all of that, and you just laid it out so beautifully. And what a difficult season that you went through, and it must have been very scary when you were going through, especially the psychosis and those kind of things, because I know we talked about that a little bit when you were going to be coming on the show, because that is just something that I don’t think a lot of people really understand what that actually is. And then the fact being that it can happen really to anyone, and how this is something too that was connected with your past, and there were some things suppressed in there that kind of, um, you know, when you saw that the struggle and the, I guess, the conflict kind of unlocked a little secret door that had been locked, and it just opened up, and, you know, all of that came through. But I just, I love how you talked about the day of truth, and I think that it’s just— that is so precious, the day of truth. And for us, you know, to feel safe with people to share our story. I know a recent episode I had with Mary DeMuth, she had said, you know, an untold story never heals, kind of thing.

Doris Swift [00:20:15]:
Um, or I think that’s how she phrased it. And so it’s just so beautiful that you were able to share that, and that also that your husband was just so compassionate and recognized when there was some things happening and was able to have that wisdom from the Lord and clarity to get that going and really, yeah, kind of change the trajectory of your path.

Maria Morgan [00:20:47]:
But it took a little while still, right, Maria? Oh, definitely, yes. So, so the day of truth happened in August of 2023. So my husband had been through it with me for Goodness, almost what, 2 years and 5 months. Wow. So, and he was so such a gift from the Lord. You know, he continued to keep truth in front of me. Yes, he would get frustrated with me, but he also made the decision to walk beside me. Through the whole thing, which it could have been, you know, an easy decision to have me put into a facility.

Maria Morgan [00:21:38]:
And to be honest, he was about, um, you know, he was at a crossroads when we had the day of truth. Um, you know, he was forced to make a decision. And because he saw a little bit of a change in me at the Day of Truth, he was willing to give me a little more time. Oh yeah. Wow. So, you know, God’s ways are just so amazing. Yes. Wow.

Maria Morgan [00:22:15]:
The Lord, you know, the Lord really used him as such an example to me. Even, even during what I went through, I could see his Christlike attitude. And it was difficult for me because I was in that place of guilt and shame. And I would, you know, I would be angry with him. So it was a, you know, it was, it was definitely, I’m just so thankful for him. Yeah. And for his, the way God used him and continues to use him.

Doris Swift [00:23:01]:
Such a beautiful part of your story, too. Because, you know, the how marriage was meant to be, you know, how God created marriage. And, you know, it’s, it’s hard, you know, things are hard. And, but The fact being, too, that he saw that glimmer. So the day of truth was really very impactful and powerful for him too, because there was— yeah, there was definitely a breakthrough of sorts in that, in that day. And, you know, because you, you know, it’s like we try to say encouraging things to people, right, when they’re going through hard times. But it’s like, you know, oftentimes they know the truth. It’s just something is disconnected.

Doris Swift [00:23:50]:
And so it can be frustrating. It’s like, well, you know, you’re a child of God, or maybe you need to pray more, maybe you should have more faith, or, you know, all of those stigma things, you know, that come. And I know, like, what you were talking about when, when you were going into church and you were trying to kind of put on airs and, and like pretend everything was okay. And so it’s such a I don’t know, it— you, you can kind of like express it as almost, for one thing, you, you try— you probably want to be invisible because you don’t want people to talk to you or ask you questions because you, you might like crack, you know, or something right then. And then also you feel like either you’re doing it so well nobody can tell, or your hair’s on fire. It’s like both of those things at.

Maria Morgan [00:24:39]:
The same time, right? Yes, absolutely. Yeah. And I remember that it was, um, it was kind of a point where I had been, I had been a leader. Okay. So not only helping my husband teach the middle school Sunday school class, but I had spoken a lot for the women’s group and done some teaching. I had actually taught through my Bible study for 12 weeks. So this was, this was something that I was ashamed of. Yeah.

Maria Morgan [00:25:14]:
Uh, you know, because I did buy into the, the lie that, oh, if I only pray more, if I only read more, um, or I over-spiritualized things thinking, okay, there must be something that I need to confess. There has to be a sin thing here. So instead of looking at how God created us. Which I go into in the book, you know, body, soul, spirit, that there are other things that can potentially cause anxiety, depression. I focus solely on the spiritual. So yeah, absolutely. I was at the point when I would attend church thinking, and I got to the place where I did, couldn’t even go. But I did I went and spoke to very few people and got out of there as quickly as the service was over because I felt so guilty that my life is not matching up with what I say I believe.

Doris Swift [00:26:24]:
Yeah. So, like, feeling a bit hypocritical, like a hypocrite or something, that I’m not practicing what I preach. I’m not living living it. You know, I’m saying it, but I’m not living it. But, but in fact, God was doing such a miraculous thing within you and in your heart that you didn’t even realize was going on when the healing was actually starting to begin in that way. And, and how you can now recognize that in other people, and how the Word tells us that, you know, we receive comfort from the Lord, and in turn we can share that comfort with others because of the comfort we’ve received from him, and that he can use us in in a powerful way, and he is already using it in a powerful way. And your book is beautiful, and it is encouraging, and it is real and raw. I mean, we’ve got to be real, especially, you know, in these, in these times, because people don’t want to hear the fluff anymore, you know.

Doris Swift [00:27:25]:
They need to hear, hear really like the real raw things and know that they’re not alone, like you had said. Knowing that you’re not alone. And so, yeah. And so that was a powerful, powerful thing, a powerful moment in your Jeep. You know, that’s so sweet.

Maria Morgan [00:27:45]:
And do you have little ducks on your Jeep? We actually do. We have one tiny little duck on our, on our dashboard.

Doris Swift [00:27:55]:
Just one. I could just— because I was kind of picturing you in your Jeep with all this happening and the surrender and there’s like a duck or something there. And so I just, uh, and if, if you all don’t know what I’m talking about, you probably do know what I’m talking about, but you know the whole Jeep thing when you have Jeep, and you can Google that, it’ll come up. Um, but anyway, I just— it is so sweet too, that surrender part. And it is encouraging, I think. Well, so much of all you said was encouraging today to someone who is listening. And it’s not by accident that you are listening to this episode today. God had you tune in and hear Maria’s story because you needed to hear it, but also to know that you’re not alone.

Doris Swift [00:28:41]:
And also the fact being that we’re— we need to share our stories, and we need to do it at the right time when he leads us to share it. And so this is— this has been a time where, you know, you were like ready to, to share your entire story, but we have to come to a place of that healing and surrender first before we can start sharing.

Maria Morgan [00:29:04]:
Do you find that true, Maria? Absolutely. I think, I think it was Lisa TerKeurst who said you have to heal before you reveal. So yeah, that’s, that’s something that, you know, it’s been now a couple of years. Yeah. And it’s just tremendous to see how the Lord has continued to grow me. Yeah, and I love the, the verse, verses in 2 Corinthians that you shared about comforting others, because that has been such a, um, a powerful part of the ministry and the compassion, passion, I guess, that the Lord has given me to, um, you know, help other women break free from anxiety and depression and really to be reignited in that place of purpose and joy and freedom in who God intended them to be. So that has been amazing. Yeah.

Maria Morgan [00:30:11]:
And I think it is so crucial for us to realize that, you know, there is body, soul, spirit. So we have to make sure that the physical part is taken care of. So, you know, whether that’s nutrition, sleep, hormones, all of those things can play a part in our mental wellness. And then there’s also our soul, which incorporates or includes our thinking and our emotions, our will, a lot of our thought processes. And that’s the piece for me where I had to understand the mistrust and where that came from and how that had affected my decision-making and my reactions to conflict and begin to work through those. And it’s, it’s a multilayered step, kind of like an onion where you have to peel, you know, the Lord was peeling back those layers. Yeah. And then moving on to the spiritual as well.

Maria Morgan [00:31:22]:
So again, it’s so crucial to know that we’re in a spiritual battle. We have armor that we can put on, Book of Ephesians. And then also thinking about the battle plan. And that was something that the Lord really ingrained in me following what I went through from the Book of James. Yeah. And just thinking about submitting ourselves to him. Resisting the devil and he’ll flee from us. Draw near to God, he’ll draw near to you.

Maria Morgan [00:31:52]:
Yeah, and just staying in his word, worshiping, um, all of those things.

Doris Swift [00:31:58]:
So beautiful. I mean, I’m like getting emotional. I don’t know where this is coming from, but I’m just sitting here and— sorry, the sniffy is kind of new, but anyway, I’m just like, the Lord, you know, I’m looking at you and I’m just like you can just see the freedom and the peace that is just— God has brought to your life. Like, this peace, it’s just all over your face, you know, and such a sweet spirit. I mean, you’ve always had a sweet spirit, okay? You always have. And, you know, to think that how this all happened, but how he brought you through, and it brings hope to other people, but also hope to you, continual hope, because you don’t have to fear that this will be something that you have to continually be afraid of, that this is going to happen again, that this is going to come back. Like, you don’t have to fear that because God is with you and the truth broke through. And the enemy— it just reminds me of when you were sharing about how this kind of began and all.

Doris Swift [00:32:58]:
It just reminds me of Eve in the garden, you know, how it all stems way back, you know, trying to make us doubt God’s character, God’s truth, God’s word. Did he really say that? You know, it’s like, what What are we really believing coming down to the lies of the enemy? And, you know, we can know the truth and it does set us free, but there are times where we have to believe and grab hold of that truth is for us too. I mean, it’s easy for us to share it with other people, but to grasp it for ourselves, sometimes there is that, that block. But like you were saying, it’s the whole holistic thing. You know, it could be something going on physically emotionally something from the past or even something from last week. Like, we don’t— we don’t know sometimes unless we really allow the Lord to bring those things to light. So I appreciate that so much. And I was going to ask you, like, this book is so beautiful, you know, your original book, um, the Bible study that you wrote.

Doris Swift [00:34:00]:
How do you feel about that now? Like, if you were to go back, would there be places where you might.

Maria Morgan [00:34:08]:
Want to revise? Absolutely. Yes. I have not, you know, I’ve not revisited it in several years. Yeah. But I believe it was maybe at the 10th anniversary of the book being out. I did look back at a few things and I thought, you know, those are things that I guess what the Lord has shown me is that things are not as neat and prettily packaged as, as we like it, as I like to think that they are. Yeah, um, it’s not a Pollyanna world. No.

Maria Morgan [00:34:52]:
And even, even in the, um, context of anxiety and depression you mentioned something really important. It’s not, it’s not that I fear going back into that place. Now, have I experienced any anxiety or depression since being healed? Yes. Um, but it’s, it’s more from a place of, okay, I’m beginning to maybe shift back into that thinking pattern that I was before. So now that I’m aware of the root, I can, I can go back and revisit. Okay, I’m safe. Yeah, that is I’m okay. And Lord, show me more of you.

Maria Morgan [00:35:56]:
Show me where I’m maybe getting tripped up. And a lot of times it comes with comparison. You know, things that we just struggle with on a daily basis.

Doris Swift [00:36:09]:
Yeah, it’s like every day is a day of truth, right? And so, and now that you, you recognize it, and you have the tools, you know, that God has provided for you to cut it off and change the thought patterns. Because, you know, as we know, they actually physically can change pathways in our brain. Um, I think it was what Dr. Caroline Leaf, you know, talks a lot about that. Um, so, um, I have to always be careful how I say her name because I have a friend named Elaine Leaf, so it’s like Dr. Elaine Leaf. But anyway, uh, Caroline Leaf. And, um, and so recognizing it, and then— but now also recognizing it in others in the work and ministry that you have.

Doris Swift [00:36:57]:
And it really has transformed your ministry. It’s, it’s a lot different than it was, you know, when you think of it in those terms. And I don’t know if maybe when you look at the, you know, the book that you wrote before? If it kind of makes you think of in terms of a before and after, you know, sometimes we have events in our life and we think of it as before and after. But how does that make you feel? Like, do you try to avoid thinking.

Maria Morgan [00:37:30]:
In those terms? I think that’s a— I like that you brought this up because I think the, the difference is principles, sharing true, sharing truth and principles that we know are true, but living some difficult things that allow us to actually put those truths into practice, if that makes sense. So taking the messy things and seeing that the truth still applies, but that it’s— that, that there’s not always a bow to put on the top of it. Yeah, that we’re still in process.

Doris Swift [00:38:18]:
Yep, work in process for sure. Yes, you know, sanctify day by day. I mean, until we get to glory, we’re just still living in this broken world. And, and so thank you for being honest too about the fact being that not to have the expectations of everything’s going to be okay now, perfect. Or even when people, yeah, you know, like become Christian, or some of the false gospels out there that try to portray, you know, once you accept Jesus, everything’s going to be great, you’re going to be blessed beyond measure— which we are blessed, but not material kind of blessings. We get those, sure we do, but not to focus, because sometimes the focus is in the wrong place. So focusing on you know, what— who Jesus is and why he came. And this is, you know, we’re kind of just getting into the season right now as we’re recording about, you know, the Christmas season.

Doris Swift [00:39:15]:
This will come out, you know, after. But it’s just like every day, like the day of truth. I just love that. Now I’m gonna think of that every day. And, um, so it’s just like the perspective that we have on things and how we can. And when we compare— because I always like to say, instead of comparing ourselves to others, compare ourselves to where we were and where we are and how God has brought us through. Like, what— how his faithfulness has changed us. So this is— oh wow, what a powerful episode of you sharing your story.

Doris Swift [00:39:53]:
And if there’s anything that you would like to share before I have you share how the listener can connect with you and find your your book and everything that’s coming out and all. Um, is there anything else on your heart that you really would love to.

Maria Morgan [00:40:06]:
Encourage someone with today, Maria? Yes, one of the things that I would love to share that the Lord has done, not only, you know, maybe as an extension of Hope Ignited, the book, is Hope Ignited events, which came about as a result of our pastor asking us to share at our church. So my husband and I have come up with these events that will both be, um, in, you know, live events as well as something that could be on a video, um, that gives us an opportunity to share with the church our story from the standpoint that, you know, God has told us in His Word that we need to bear one another’s burdens in Galatians 6. And it’s something that I believe the church would like to do, but maybe doesn’t know how to do it. So this kind of equips people, equips churches to be able to come alongside those in their congregation who are struggling with anxiety and depression. So, you know, I feel like that would be a helpful tool for a lot of individuals as well as churches.

Doris Swift [00:41:37]:
Yeah, so needed, so needed in the church, you know. And, and because sharing our stories helps other people have the courage and bravery to share their story and know that it’s important to do that. And as the Lord leads and as he brings us through healing, and surrender is so key. It just is. It is surrender and trust. And, um, and so I just love how you shared putting that trust in the Lord and how The lies can cause us to mistrust, and that’s not, that’s not the design and plan that God has for us. And he has work for us to do, and as long as we’re breathing, there’s, there’s more for us. And you know, sometimes we just don’t see it, but other people see it in us and encourage us in that way.

Doris Swift [00:42:37]:
And I just know that there’s people listening right now that are struggling, and you know, the enemy will try to take us out because they— he doesn’t want us to share God’s truth. He doesn’t want us to share our stories. He doesn’t want us to bring hope to others. And he doesn’t want people to accept Jesus, walk with him, follow him. Someone, my friend Donna, um, Amadon, who wrote a Bible study recently, we were reading through it, a group and I, some friends. And, you know, she talks about how Jesus came so that we could follow him. Like, you know, follow me. How many times did he say that, you know? And so So that’s encouraging, Maria, so much that you are following God’s plan for your life.

Doris Swift [00:43:24]:
And that sometimes we feel like if our life has gone off the rails, it’s something God redeems and he uses it. So it’s not like— as I, as I always like to say, our past story doesn’t discredit or disgrace our grace story. It becomes part of it. And part of it to share, you know. And so I would love if you, speaking of share, would share how the listener can connect with you, that cool resource you have available, and anything else that you might want to share for.

Maria Morgan [00:43:58]:
The listeners to connect with you. Yes. Wonderful. Yes. So your listeners can connect with me at my website. Which is mariaimorgan.com. So that’s M-A-R-I-A-I-M-O-R-G-A-N.com. And right now, your listeners can get 2 free chapters of my book, Hope Ignited: Set Free from the Grip of Anxiety and Depression.

Maria Morgan [00:44:30]:
So I would love for them to do that, to get that resource.. And I just wanted to share, um, an important thing for them to understand as far as the, uh, root cause of their anxiety. It’s so important for them to really understand that because until they can really identify why it’s happening, they can only treat the symptoms and not the source. So really asking the Lord, you know, what’s underneath this? What wound, maybe it’s a belief or an experience that might be fueling that root. You know, God does not expose the root to shame us, but he exposes it to heal us. And that is just such a beautiful truth. You know, I think of, you mentioned it earlier, John 8:36, if the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. So his, his plan is to free us.

Maria Morgan [00:45:33]:
And God loves you, listener, so much. He has good plans for your life. So don’t let the enemy drown out his truth. There’s always hope, not because your circumstances are easy, but because the Lord is with you. And he will and has promised to.

Doris Swift [00:45:55]:
Walk with us every step of the way. Amen. Amen. Thank you so much, Maria. That was beautifully said. And I’m looking forward to the actual physical book coming out so that I can grab copies and share them with friends and go through it, you know, with, with a group of gals, you know, do it like a book club or, um, you know, because you, you have things in there to, to think about and discuss and, you know, those kind of things. And so That is a really fantastic resource that shares your story, but also is a resource to help others in what they might be walking through. Or maybe they have a loved one that’s walking through it and they just don’t know what to do.

Doris Swift [00:46:38]:
And so it’s so important to understand what might be happening or how we can best encourage them. So thank you so much. And I’d love to have you back on again.

Maria Morgan [00:46:50]:
This has been so amazing. Wonderful. I look forward to it, Doris.

Doris Swift [00:46:55]:
You’re a joy. Oh, thank you. You are too, friend. And oh, and what— I should know this, but what is the I? Maria I. Morgan.

Maria Morgan [00:47:01]:
What does that stand for? It stands for Inez. So I was named after both grandmothers.

Doris Swift [00:47:08]:
Oh, beautiful. I love that. I used to have a friend I worked with in banking named Inez. I think she’s gone to be with the Lord, probably. I’m not sure. I kind of lost connection with her, but But that’s beautiful. So you’re, you’re carrying on the legacy of your grandma’s names. That’s right.

Doris Swift [00:47:26]:
That’s sweet. So friends, thank you so much for listening today. And as you know, as we always say, that it’s not by any accident, you know, that you listen to a particular episode. But not only that, but at a particular time in your life that you might need it. So we just thank you for listening in. And I know that what Maria shared did encourage, inspire, and challenge you, because I love how you also said you had to be accountable. So you had to take action, like you couldn’t just sit back and, you know, you had to take action. You had steps that you had to take to contact people, to be accountable.

Doris Swift [00:48:04]:
So that’s really important, and we should be doing that anyway.

Maria Morgan [00:48:08]:
We should have people— yeah, and that for me has continued to this day. I still, uh, once a week reach out, and I’ve got a prayer the same ladies that were part of that original Day of Truth. Yeah. So the Lord just continued to use.

Doris Swift [00:48:24]:
That in my life. So beautiful. So if you have never thought about having an accountability partner or a group of friends, you know, maybe, maybe two, you know, two that might be good accountability partners with you that you all can share and reach out and just check in with because we need to check in with people, especially if we haven’t heard from them. Or so I’m sure you had some people that were trying to check in with you, Maria, when they might have recognized that you hadn’t been to church for a while. Or, you know, and so let’s be aware of those things because sometimes we can get so caught up in our own life stuff that we might fail to recognize the fact that, oh, I haven’t seen so I haven’t talked to so-and-so in a while, you know. And so reach out, send a card even, you know, or something. Bring a meal, do something like that to just let them know that they’re not forgotten, that they’re seen and loved and known, and, and that God knows them and sees them and loves them too. So great.

Doris Swift [00:49:28]:
Well, friends, thank you so much for listening in today, and I hope you’ll join me next time when I talk with another guest who is taking action where their passion, compassion, and conviction intersect. Until then, friends, have a blessed week, and I’ll talk to you soon.