The Live Worthy Podcast

Episode 32: The Cost & Calling of Ministry

This week on the Live Worthy Podcast, Erin sits down with Pastor Paula Chewning for a powerful and honest conversation about the assignment of ministry.
From stepping out of the marketplace into full-time ministry to planting and shepherding a church, Pastor Paula shares what it really looks like to say “yes” to the call of God. Together, they talk about counting the cost, the unseen weight leaders carry, and the beauty of laying your life down for others.
This episode pulls back the curtain on the parts of ministry people don’t always talk about—while also highlighting the deep joy, purpose, and eternal impact found in serving God’s people.
You’ll hear wisdom on:
What it truly means to be called into ministry
The challenges and sacrifices of leadership
How family and ministry can move together in unity
Encouragement for those currently leading or discerning their call
Whether you’re in full-time ministry, serving in your local church, or simply asking God what your assignment is—this conversation will ground you, challenge you, and remind you that your “yes” matters.

Episode 31: The Ministry Assignment — Living the Gospel on Mission

In Episode 31 of the Live Worthy Podcast, Erin Arruda continues the conversation on the Kingdom assignment of ministry with special guest Andre DeVries, evangelist and founder of Africa4Jesus. Originally from South Africa, Andre shares his story of responding to God’s call and living as a full-time minister of the Gospel.
Together, they explore the role of the Evangelist within the fivefold ministry, what it looks like to faithfully carry the message of Jesus across cultures, and how a life surrendered to God becomes a life on mission. Andre reflects on the realities of ministry—the joys, the challenges, and the importance of guarding your heart from mission drift while staying anchored in your calling.
In this conversation you’ll hear about the role family plays in ministry, how the marketplace can influence Kingdom work, and the encouragement Andre offers to leaders who are serving faithfully in their own assignments.
To learn more about Andre’s work and ministry, visit https://www.africa4jesus.com/.

Episode 30: The Way Into His Presence — Worthy Encounter Teaching

This week on the Live Worthy Podcast, we are sharing a special teaching from the first night of the 2025 Worthy Encounter. Instead of our regular episode, we’re revisiting this powerful time of teaching for those who were with us—and sharing it with those who couldn’t attend.
The evening walks through the Tabernacle journey of drawing near to God, revealing how each sacred space ultimately points to Jesus.
Sarah Ronne begins by teaching on the Holy Place—the lampstand, the table of bread, and the altar of incense—unpacking how these elements reveal God’s design for worship, provision, and prayer.
Pastor Chuck Ammons continues by leading us into the Most Holy Place, exploring the Ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat, and what it means to encounter the presence and mercy of God.
Karen Brooks concludes by pointing us to Jesus, the Living Sacrifice, revealing how Christ fulfills the entire journey of the Tabernacle and opens the way for us to draw near to the Father.
Whether you experienced this night in person or are hearing it for the first time, this episode is an invitation to reflect on the beauty of God’s presence and the sacrifice of Jesus that makes a way for us to come near.

Episode 29: The Marriage Assignment — Faithful in the Waiting

In the final episode of our Marriage Assignment series, Erin sits down remotely with one of her closest friends, Mariangel, for an honest conversation about living worthy in marriage — when you’re not married.
If marriage is an assignment, how do you walk it well in a season of singleness? How do you live with desire without letting it define you? And how do you carry a promise you haven’t yet seen fulfilled?
Mariangel shares vulnerably about her current season, what she’s learning about dating, how her love life has shifted as she’s grown in the Lord, and what it looks like to trust God in the waiting. They also talk candidly about the comments single women are tired of hearing — and the deeper truth that steadies the heart in the in-between.
Whether you’re single, dating, divorced, or simply learning to trust God with unmet desires, this conversation will remind you:
Your assignment is not your relationship status.Your faithfulness in the waiting still counts.
 
And before you go, don’t forget to grab our very own Worthy Ministries children’s book, Mabel and the Overflowing Oil — available now on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0fXoG92j

Episode 28: The Marriage Assignment — A Conversation with Sandra Tolsma

In this episode of the Live Worthy Podcast, Erin sits down with Sandra Tolsma, founder of Anna’s Circle (https://www.annascircle.org/), for one of the most honest conversations in our Marriage Assignment series.
Sandra has spent years teaching and writing about biblical marriage — and then found herself walking through the pain of divorce after decades of covenant. In this episode, she shares what it looks like to live worthy not just in flourishing seasons, but in devastating ones.
We discuss biblical grounds for divorce, the greatest lies attacking marriages today, why many women stay longer than they should, and how Sandra experienced the love of Jesus in the midst of heartbreak. She also offers wise, compassionate counsel for women who are considering divorce — and hope-filled truth for those rebuilding after it.
If you are fighting for your marriage, grieving one, or starting over, this conversation will meet you there.
Marriage is an assignment.But so is healing.
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And before you go, don’t forget to grab our very own Worthy Ministries children’s book, Mabel and the Overflowing Oil — available now on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0fXoG92j

Episode 27: Laid Down Love - Living Worthy in Marriage

In Episode 27, Erin is joined by her husband Mickey to talk about The Marriage Assignment — what it really means to live worthy inside covenant.
Marriage isn’t about self-fulfillment. It’s about two laid-down lovers choosing obedience to Jesus together. From Zechariah and Mary to Ananias and Sapphira, we explore what surrender looks like for husbands and wives — and how obedience draws a couple closer to the Lord and to each other.
If you’re married, preparing for marriage, or healing inside it — this conversation will challenge and steady you.

Episode 26: Where Calling Meets Assignment

This episode serves as a brief introduction to the next series we’re entering together. Erin shares a foundational framework that shapes the heart of Worthy: the four key assignments women carry. Rooted in created identity and surrendered calling, this episode sets the stage for a new series exploring Marriage, Motherhood, Marketplace, and Ministry—not as labels, but as places where God builds His Kingdom through our lives.

Episode 25: Kingdom Building in You — Healing the Mind, Attuning the Heart

I’m your host, Erin Arruda, and in this episode I’m joined by Certified Christian Neuroscience Counselor Vanderly Cillo for a timely and deeply grounding conversation centered on Kingdom building in you.
Vanderly brings a beautiful integration of neuroscience, faith, and the finished work of the cross, helping us see how God designed the human brain for connection, healing, and transformation. Together, we talk about her journey into this work and ministry, the relationship between brain design and discipleship, and why true transformation requires more than information—it requires connection.
We explore the power of attunement—being seen, protected, and received before being “fixed”—and how this practice reflects the heart of the Father. Vanderly also shares why so much modern discipleship has leaned heavily on teaching and strategy, while lasting change happens through joy, attachment, and shared emotional life. We unpack how joy becomes “locked up” in us and what it looks like to live out the truth that the joy of the Lord is our strength in practical, embodied ways.
If time allows, we also touch on the mind’s greatest adversary in this hour, what our minds most need right now, and one simple next step toward lasting transformation.
To learn more about Vanderly and her work, visit https://vanderlycillo.com/.
Professional Disclosure: Vanderly Cillo is an ordained minister and certified coach. She does not provide psychotherapy or mental health diagnosis or treatment. Her services are offered as pastoral care, neuroscience coaching, and faith-based support and are not a substitute for licensed mental health care.

Episode 24 — Becoming in the Kingdom: Faithful Through Transition (Part 2)

In Part 2, host Erin Arruda continues the conversation with Nicole Hathorn, anchoring the beginning of the year in Luke 4—just after Jesus’ baptism and at the inception of His ministry.
Moving beyond the familiar reflections of Luke 2, this episode explores three defining movements in Luke 4: temptation, rejection, and reception, and how these movements mirror the way God forms His Kingdom within us during seasons of transition.
Together, Erin and Nicole discuss Jesus’ choice to begin His ministry not in comfort, but in wilderness, fasting, and testing—and why this matters deeply in our modern culture. They reflect on how temptation detaches us from earthly measures, how rejection can refine and strengthen faith, and how reception follows obedience as the Kingdom advances through healing, authority, and surrender.
This episode invites listeners to approach the new year not as a blank slate, but as a sacred threshold—one where God is attentive, present, and faithful through every transition. As we learn to walk with Him through testing, rejection, and reception, we discover what it truly means to become in the Kingdom.

Episode 23 — Becoming in the Kingdom: Understanding Seasons (Part 1)

Season 2 opens with host Erin Arruda welcoming listeners into a new year and a new season of the Live Worthy Podcast—a space created to urge and equip you to live worthy of the calling you’ve received, because you have been called by God.
In this episode, Erin is joined by longtime friend Nicole Hathorn for a thoughtful conversation on spiritual seasons and the Kingdom God is building within us. Nicole is a mom of three, environmental engineer, Bible teacher, Worthy Blog content director, and devoted disciple-maker known for her curiosity, steadiness, and love for truth.
Together, they reflect on what we carry from God’s Kingdom into the rooms we enter, Nicole’s journey back to Jesus, and why the New Year holds such meaning as a marker of spiritual transition. They explore how seasons shape formation, how awareness brings clarity, and how God works intentionally within our linear experience of time.
This episode sets the foundation for Season 2—inviting listeners to slow down, name their season honestly, and trust that God is purposeful in every phase of becoming.
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