Date: Tuesday, July 30, 2024
Podcast Show Notes: Interview with Donna Jones
Story Highlight: Welcome to The Women Behind the Words. Today, we’re excited to welcome our guest, Donna Jones, to share her insights from a difficult season in her life titled “Hope When the Body of Christ Hurts You.”
Donna’s husband was a pastor, she taught women’s Bible studies, and their family thrived in their church community. When conflict e...
Date: Tuesday, July 30, 2024
Podcast Show Notes: Interview with Donna Jones
Story Highlight: Welcome to The Women Behind the Words. Today, we’re excited to welcome our guest, Donna Jones, to share her insights from a difficult season in her life titled “Hope When the Body of Christ Hurts You.”
Donna’s husband was a pastor, she taught women’s Bible studies, and their family thrived in their church community. When conflict erupted, the Jones family was blindsided by lies and cruelty from people they loved. Donna faced immense pain, feeling isolated and struggling with sleep, with no safe place to turn. Googling for help yielded no results, adding to her confusion and pain. In her distress, God reminded her of Jesus’ own betrayal and suffering.
Realizing that where there are humans, conflict is inevitable and that the enemy uses these conflicts to attack unity, Donna focused on Jesus and His truth. Journaling became a tool for processing pain, and inviting Jesus into her struggles brought profound healing. She learned that pulling back from the church often leads to pulling back from Jesus, and that her own response and obedience to God were critical.
Donna initially believed resolution required others to change and apologize. However, she realized that focusing on what God wanted her to do was essential. She avoided bitterness, fulfilling her responsibilities while dealing with pain privately. Donna taught women in her Bible study, understanding that conflict, when handled correctly, can bring us closer to Jesus. She learned that forgiveness is not a free pass but a release from hurt, and it’s a choice and process.
Key quotes from Donna include: "Jesus, I invite You into my pain," "Forgiveness is NOT giving the other person a free pass to hurt you again,” and “Forgiveness IS releasing yourself from the hurt that person caused you and saying 'That was so bad it cost Jesus His life.'"
Donna’s journey through church conflict has taught her deep spiritual lessons. No matter where your pain comes from, seek to do the right thing, and God will pour out His grace. If you’ve been hurt by the Body of Christ or are dealing with conflict, remember that Jesus understands your pain and is there to guide you through it. Thank you, Donna Jones, for sharing your story and insights with us today. Stay tuned for our next episode, where we’ll continue to explore the stories and wisdom of women who have walked through challenges and found hope in Jesus.
About the Guest (Bio): Donna Jones is a deeply passionate Bible teacher, known as a "Bible explainer," who helps listeners understand and live out God’s Word. With a lifetime of Bible knowledge, real-life wisdom, and a touch of wit, Donna propels her audience forward in their journey with God. Described as “a pro on stage, but with the warmth of a friend,” she is practical, biblical, engaging, and real.
Donna’s mission is to equip, encourage, and inspire others to know, love, and follow God more deeply. Whether speaking to seekers, young believers, or seasoned veterans of the faith, she aims to make God's truths accessible and impactful.
In her own words: “Whether I’m speaking to a room full of seekers and young believers, a room full of veterans of the faith, or a combination of both, I seek to equip, encourage, and inspire others to know God more, love God more, and follow God more. I want to know, love, and follow God more myself.”
Donna is also just a regular gal who enjoys her morning coffee, sometimes struggles with dinner ideas, and always loves to laugh. If you lived next door, you'd likely be friends.
Book Spotlight: Healthy Conflict, Peaceful Life by Donna Jones
Author, speaker, and pastor’s wife Donna Jones provides women with a practical, biblical blueprint for making regret-free choices amid real-life conflict, allowing them to exchange relational turmoil for personal and relational peace.
We’ve all had moments where we look back on a conflict, shake our heads, and think, "Why did I handle it that way?" With three decades of ministry experience, Donna Jones has seen—and experienced—all kinds of conflict. She understands the regret, guilt, heartache, and hurt conflict can produce, but she also knows it’s possible for God to transform those chaotic, painful moments into opportunities for better connections with those around us.
With encouragement, warmth, and wisdom, Donna shows readers how to navigate the stressful confusion conflict can bring. She helps them to:
- Discover the single most important quality necessary to handle conflict well;
- Communicate thoughts, feelings, and opinions with grace, truth, and zero regret;
- Handle conflict in a God-honoring way by exchanging conflict styles that hurt for conflict styles that heal;
- Identify common conflict mistakes and prevent unnecessary disagreements and defeat;
- Remain calm in the midst of chaos and avoid being pulled into other people’s drama.
Whether dealing with daily disagreements or occasional blowups, Healthy Conflict, Peaceful Life offers a new paradigm. Readers will learn how to honor God when they’ve been hurt, communicate when they’d rather retaliate, and move toward others when it seems easier to run away.
Connect with Donna:
www.donnajones.org
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