We are excited to share with you all another episode of the Rooted Rhythms podcast as we are joined by a voice that will be familiar to many of our NRCA students – Elizabeth Thompson, who recently served as one of our Chapel speakers in Middle School and High School Chapel during our series on the book of Jonah.

We speak often at NRCA about what it looks like to walk with Jesus – establishing the rhythms of our lives in pursuit of the Lord’s direction on our next steps. Elizabeth has a heart for teenagers and parents, and a strong desire to see both pursue Jesus throughout their lives. As an author and speaker, she has the opportunity to share with others the truth of God’s Word – and specifically, has encouraged countless people in the areas of friendship, waiting on the Lord, and obedience to when God calls us to “Go!”.

But for today, I asked Elizabeth to join us to talk about another aspect of life that she is passionate about – how we as followers of Jesus navigate the ever-changing world of our emotions.

Regardless of what age or season of life we are in, we all have emotions. We might experience or process them differently than those beside us, but we all have them. In today’s episode, Elizabeth and I walk through a Biblical understanding of how to identify and navigate our emotions as our desire is that these very emotions would lead us into a deeper understanding of who Jesus is and who He has called us to be.

I pray that today’s conversation encourages and challenges each of us to think deeply about how we process our emotions and begin to establish rhythms in our lives that help us navigate them in way that pushes us closer to Jesus.

From Elizabeth:

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Books:

All the Feels for Teens

All the Feels

When God Says, “Wait”

When a Friendship Falls Apart

Preorder In Season: A 90-Day Devotional for Female Student Athletes to Build Faith, Strengthen Confidence, and Train a Growth Mindset (coming July 14, 2026)

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:” – 1 Peter 4:10

As followers of Jesus, this calling on our lives is one that rings true for each of us – to use the gifts that the Lord has given us to serve those in our sphere of influence; and by doing so, bring honor and glory to the name of Christ.

This episode of the Rooted Rhythms podcast is a conversation that gives each of us an opportunity to hear how one family has used the gifts the Lord has given to them to impact both their immediate community and communities across the country. Michelle Norwood is the founder of “A Little Something Extra, Inc.” which is an event based, ice cream truck that she and her husband created as an opportunity for her son Hunter, who has Down Syndrome. Through today’s conversation, you will have the chance to hear how the Lord orchestrated the creation of this company and the ways that their ministry is now impacting families and communities all over for the sake of the Gospel.

This episode will also be our first episode of the Rooted Rhythms podcast that is hosted by NRCA’s Christian Life Director, Ms. Lilly Wooten, whose personal connection to the work the Lord is doing through “A Little Something Extra, Inc.” is sure to be both a blessing and encouragement to you.

I pray that this opportunity to hear of how the Lord is working through the Norwood family will encourage each of us to reflect on the rhythms of our own lives as we seek live a life of faithful service, using our gifts to bring glory and honor to the One in whose image we are made.

Season Three of the Rooted Rhythms Podcast is officially underway!

This year’s school-wide theme at NRCA is centered on this word, “Worthy”; specifically, talking about the worthiness of Christ. As we kick off this season of the podcast, we wanted to start by spending some time diving deeper into our understanding of the worthiness of Christ and what it looks like to live a life of obedience to Him.

For this conversation, we have invited a new friend to the NRCA community, Nick Hurst to join us! Nick is an evangelist with a heart for preaching the Gospel to the nations and most recently, served alongside his wife Chelsea as our speakers at NRCA’s Spiritual Emphasis Week. Through his faithful preaching of the Word, the Lord did some incredible things in the lives of our students!