How to Keep Your Faith Flowing and Gratitude Growing (w/ Author, Pam Reid)

Gratitude is a work of art that becomes more beautiful when it’s used. In fact, the more gratitude we pour out, the more we have to be grateful for. We can truly become God’s masterpiece when we allow faith to flow through our hearts, minds, and souls. Our guest Pam Reid, Author of FLOW, The Devotional for Grown Folks, highlights how everything flows and grows when we stretch our faith muscles and start searching for the good things in life. Spoiler alert: we will learn that there’s always something to be grateful for.

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Imagine Yourself is hosted by Lanée Blaise and Sandy Kovach. Lanée is a TV writer and producer, motivational speaker and podcaster. Sandy is a radio personality, voiceover artist and podcaster. They come to you from the Detroit Metro area and invite guests from all over the world to help encourage you in your health, career, faith journey and more!

Transcript

Lanée Blaise [00:00:00]:

Thanks for joining us at Imagine Yourself. I'm Lanae.

Sandy Kovach  [00:00:03]:

And this is Sandy. And what are we imagining today?

Lanée Blaise [00:00:07]:

We are imagining ways to be thankful, but with the 2020 twist.

Sandy Kovach  [00:00:13]:

Well, I would say 2020 as a negative twist in my mind, but you're probably gonna prove me wrong, aren't fair.

Lanée Blaise [00:00:19]:

I'm going to do my best to prove you wrong because here's the situation. Everybody's lives look very different than we planned. There's lots of negative things going on. But because we're at Imagine Yourself, we always try to find and search and dig for good things. And so this time, We, first of all, have to say we're thankful because we have a guest today named Pam Reid, who's a best selling author. She's the founder of a ministry brand called flow. Feel, love, over worry. And so that's the flow.

Lanée Blaise [00:00:52]:

She's the CEO of FLOW Consulting and Coaching, and she is lovingly referred to as the FLOW boss, as She helps people transform their lives and their businesses. And so we want to welcome her to the show today and try to get all the goodness and juiciness a flow in order for us to find ways to be thankful. So we welcome you, Pam Reid, to Imagine Yourself.

Pam Reid [00:01:17]:

Hello, Lanee. Hello, Sandy. Thank you for having me. I really appreciate this opportunity to share with your listeners, And I too am hoping that some hearts will be pricked today.

Sandy Kovach  [00:01:28]:

Yes. And I know it's gonna have a good flow already. So, Pam, you know, touching on a little bit of what Lanee said. With that 2020 twist, We're kinda thinking of 2020 in not such a positive light. Like, you see all the memes if 2020 was, this. For Instance, if 2020 was a slide and we see that big cheese grater. So the 2020 twist is kinda making me feel like It's something that is getting in the way of us being thankful, but I'm guessing you're gonna tell us the way that 2020 has made us more thankful or could make us more thankful.

Pam Reid [00:02:06]:

Oh, most definitely. There are so many people today that have found themselves in situations that they would've never dreamed of. Right? One of them is just being out of work or, having to pivot and do something different with their lives. People are challenged mentally right now feeling lonely and depressed. There are people who are looking to 2021 like it just can't come soon enough. But here's the other side of that. The people who aren't working are some finding themselves blessed. Because I've had people say to me, you know, I can't believe it actually took a pandemic for me to leave a job that I really wasn't feeling fulfilled in in the 1st place.

Pam Reid [00:02:49]:

It took a pandemic for me to actually embark upon starting my own business and just launching towards these endeavors that I was afraid of. You know, you have people who are more giving, more loving. And Even though there is just so much rhetoric and so much noise around the hate or the civil unrest and all those other kinds of things, There's so much in the undercurrent that people are tapping into, and that is the part that I am focusing on. Even for myself, I mean, just being what I call on a sabbatical with God during this during this pandemic. I have literally for the past, was it 10 months now, just been saturating myself in his presence, in his word, and the results of that have been amazing. And one of them is I've written a devotional. Wow. And it's just been an amazing journey.

Sandy Kovach  [00:03:45]:

So this 2020 was that's why you wrote the devotional? Because you had time or because it caused you to wanna go into a deeper relationship.

Pam Reid [00:03:52]:

Sandy, I I gotta tell you, and just to be honest and to be transparent, I had no intentions writing a devotional. I had 2 very different ideas about what I was going to do. And when I sat down at the keyboard, I have to tell you, this piece of work is certainly God inspired. It was not what I had planned. But I had spent so much time praying for the world, praying for community, praying for people, praying for leadership, just praying and saturating myself in scripture and and just in fellowship with thought that it's what was birthed out of this time. And sometimes, you have to go and I know this is gonna sound, but you have to go with the flow. You you you're gonna do. You know? Just allowing life to unfold before you and responding to it in a way that serves you well.

Pam Reid [00:04:44]:

Oftentimes, people respond to things in a way that just doesn't serve them well. It causes them additional stress and angst and impacts other relationships, whether it be personal or professional. And so you say, well, Pam, you know, that's easy to say, but how do you really do that? And you just have to have a method or a discipline or some consistency by which you do that. And it's what my flow book talks about. Flow is a way, a means, a reminder to bring god into every aspect of your life. He wants to be in the details. He wants to be in your stressful situations. He wants to be in your good stuff.

Pam Reid [00:05:23]:

He wants to be in your family, in your partnerships. He wants to be everywhere you are, and Flow is a reminder of that.

Sandy Kovach  [00:05:31]:

Wow.

Lanée Blaise [00:05:31]:

So I purchased the flow devotional and fell in love with it because of the stories that you explained. Like you said, where you talk about your 6 month sabbatical that you were able to write the book, and then it has been something where I'm trying to spread love in little ways. I can't go over anybody's house right now, really, and do a whole lot. But even as simple as I sent the book to one of my dear friends who I've known since I was, like, 13 years old. And speaking of flow, you think about the circulatory system. This friend of mine had a heart transplant.

Pam Reid [00:06:05]:

Mhmm.

Lanée Blaise [00:06:06]:

Not just heart surgery, but a heart transfer. She has a brand new heart placed in her body, which is very, I don't know, significant and very symbolic of just a new heart in general. If we can all have new hearts and new minds and be transformed, but sending this book about flow and about trying to move through your life better, and you even talk in the devotional about starting your day better. Sandy and I talk a lot about setting the tone for your day. It's so important. You can get so many more things done. You can get through so many frustrating events. You can feel love over worry in so many different ways.

Lanée Blaise [00:06:44]:

If you start your day better, you start your focus better, you think about love, think about others, there are things to be thankful for even in this, and that's why we had to do this segment in time for Thanksgiving and everything. We had to do something to help people focus on some good because because there's a lot of bad. And we wanna focus on good as well.

Pam Reid [00:07:07]:

Oh, most definitely. Every day when someone wakes up. They have an opportunity to make a decision. It's so easy with your cell phone by your bedside to instantly get consumed and sucked in to all that you have to do or all that you're responsible for or all the things that are going on in the world today because It's right there at your disposal. But I would encourage people that before they pick up their phone, that the first thing that they do is that they have that quiet time for themselves even if it's just 10, 15 minutes. Quiet time for yourself. Set your day in your mind. Set your day with your thoughts.

Pam Reid [00:07:49]:

Set your day with your heart. A spirit of gratitude just emits such amazing energy that it just can lay an amazing foundation for the rest of your day. I mean, I'm no different than anybody else. Right? I've got deadlines and responsibilities and all kinds of things. This is about a choice. And, you know, when people say I just don't have enough time to I was one of those people. I'll never forget walking into my office, actually running into my office. And I ran into, one of my assistants, and she was ready to tell me who was waiting for me and how many phone calls I had that day.

Pam Reid [00:08:24]:

And I said, you know what? There's just not enough hours in the day. And she looked at me and she said, now miss Pam, Are you telling me that when God made 24 hours, he didn't know what he was doing? Oh. Well, I tell you what, I have never made that statement again.

Sandy Kovach  [00:08:42]:

Wow.

Pam Reid [00:08:43]:

There are enough hours in the day. There is plenty of time. God gives us the option of choosing. He's like, here is my gift to you. Now what kind of steward are you gonna be of it?

Sandy Kovach  [00:08:55]:

Both you and Lanee have said this, and I have tried to practice. I mean, I'm afraid I'm not as good as you ladies at getting the time at the beginning of the day. And I'm gonna work on that. I promise. But I you also said something interesting about everything being a choice and a decision. Now in every circumstance that happens to us. No matter where we are in our day, we do have a choice in how to look at it. Correct?

Pam Reid [00:09:20]:

Absolutely. You know? And I I don't wanna lose sight of the fact that there are some very tough and challenging things going on. It's very challenging for a mom to be worried about how to feed her children. It's very challenging for a mom to have to decide or dad having to decide. Do I go to work or do I put my child in childcare when we're in the midst of a pandemic? Where's my next paycheck coming from? I would suspect that in the sharing of, Lanee's friend who had the heart transplant, I can only imagine what the feelings were while she was on the waiting list for her heart. What the feelings were going into the cert I mean, there's some big things going on. And so, yes, I'm making it sound easier than it is. I've gone through my own journey.

Pam Reid [00:10:08]:

So even now today, when things are challenging, I fit in it. I know that on the other side of that, there's something amazing. You know, god brings us through things for a reason, for our growth, for our development, for our maturity. James one one says, count it pure joy when you experience trials of all kinds. Now when you think of that scripture, you think who in the world is gonna feel joy about a challenge or a trial? But when you've been through enough of them and you've been through them with God and you can reflect back on all the ways in which he's brought you through, Then you'll know that you know that you know that there is something amazing that is on the other side.

Sandy Kovach  [00:10:51]:

Absolutely. That is a tough scripture. And I've always said, I wanna be somebody that can, like, say that and mean it, instead of just glossing over it and saying, yeah, somewhere in la la land. This is true. For somebody else, it's true. But to own it. And maybe with us going through all of these things, maybe it's teaching us a lot of resilience and reliance on God. And as you were saying, you never know what path that's gonna lead people on.

Sandy Kovach  [00:11:18]:

It led you to right, devotional that was probably life changing for you and, by extension, life changing for many other people that are gonna read it.

Pam Reid [00:11:27]:

Oh, most definitely. There were so many moments that while I was writing the book, God revealed himself in so many ways, not just the words, not just the scriptures that he gave me. Not just the stories and examples to just really drive the message and understanding home, but in my personal life, life. Bringing my my father back into the fold of my life after 3 decades. What? The thing that folded that were revealed to me amazing expressions of love. They come about when you allow yourself to be still, having a still spirit. Going back to Lene's friend with a heart, 2 scriptures automatically come to mind for me. Ezekiel 26:26 where he says, I will give you a new spirit and a new heart.

Pam Reid [00:12:16]:

I will replace that stony heart with a tender, responsive heart. Filled. Don't you love that? Yeah. A heart that is not only full of life, but a heart that is understanding and compassionate and open and just all of those things. And then the other scripture that I think about is guard your heart. Guard in your heart for out of it flows the issues of life. So every single morning, getting back to the start of your day, there countless books on morning routines. There are countless scientific studies on the value and benefit of morning routines.

Pam Reid [00:12:48]:

That time in the morning when it's quiet before the rest of your house wakes up, that's between you and God. Did you hear me? Yes. Right? And so that is special time where you can set the course for your day.

Lanée Blaise [00:13:02]:

I wanna jump on that as well because another thing is to be grateful for the things that you do have because we realized that in 2020 also. Nothing is guaranteed. We could lose something or someone very valuable, and I'm starting to try to train my mind to understand the twist is I wanna go ahead and make use of the twist and begin to savor the things and the people and the relationships that I do have because I now understand that it's just not guaranteed. I wanna do a scripture too. I wanna be like Pam, the flow boss.

Sandy Kovach  [00:13:39]:

We all wanna be like Pam. Like be like Mike, be like Pam.

Lanée Blaise [00:13:45]:

But this one is from Philippians, and it's very popular. But whatever is true whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable. If anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. So I want to think about some of the good things. I want to think about some of the good people in my life. I want to think about some of the good activities that I'm still allowed to have. I wanna read books that will bring me up. I want to really be intentional about being grateful for and focusing on the things that we do have.

Lanée Blaise [00:14:25]:

You could lose the weirdest things. People who've lost taste and smell, people who've lost loved ones, people who've lost the ability to go to school and go out and about. It's there's lots of loss, but I think what you're trying to teach us, Pam, is that There can be a lot to gain even in the midst of the loss.

Pam Reid [00:14:44]:

Well, I have to tell you that scripture in Philippians is one of the scriptures that I use in my coaching and in my training, and I use that to help people replace thoughts and to overcome triggers. Oftentimes, there's triggers. Right? You see them. You hear them. You smell them, and then they take you back to a place that was not very pleasant or a situation that you just really find yourself feeling a great deal of stress or hurt or pain or something. And that scripture is so foundational because there are amazing and joyful and happy and excellent and noteworthy things that have happened. And when you can take those and use those to replace those thoughts, it takes time, but you can certainly be intentional with it. And it is just an amazing thing that can happen.

Pam Reid [00:15:35]:

Right? It's like those studies that show if you just start smiling, even when you don't feel like smiling, you'll just start to feel happy. Mhmm. I know it sounds corny. I know it sounds kooky and kokie, whatever. But here's the thing, when you're in the midst of full that is going on today. And there are things that you're worried on worried about. You can choose, it goes back to that choice, to focus on something else. And I encourage people to decide in advance what those things are.

Pam Reid [00:16:07]:

It's like going to the supermarket hungry. Right. When you haven't decided in advance that, a, you need to have a snack before you go, and b, what is exactly gonna be on your grocery list, then you find yourself just spending more money than your plan, buy a bunch of stuff you didn't need.

Sandy Kovach  [00:16:22]:

Oreos.

Pam Reid [00:16:23]:

there you go. Oreos. Double stuff Oreos. Yes. But but but here's the thing. The same is true with your thought. If you took the time, I don't know how many of your listeners journal or write things down, but If you just took a page and you just wrote down all of the amazing experiences and all the people that when you think about them. You just feel such a tremendous amount of love.

Pam Reid [00:16:48]:

If you just had a list of those and had them ready in advance, Then when those other things come up, right, they bubble up and surface. You could say, you know what? I'm gonna remember my wedding day. I remember what I was wearing. Oh, you could tell me nothing that day. I was a bitch. Right? Or the day my 1st child was born or the day my son graduated from college. I remember what he said to me. He says, mom, I'm wearing the bow tie that dad wore on your wedding day.

Pam Reid [00:17:17]:

Found. I mean, there are so many nuggets, and everybody has them, to just keep just kind of a resource list focused on those. Meditate on those things. You'd be surprised that the energy can change and your thoughts can change.

Sandy Kovach  [00:17:33]:

I love that. And another thing I was thinking about too, just that scripture alone. I am gonna print it out and put it somewhere where I can see it prominently right on my computer screen or behind it or someplace. So that when I flip out on something, I can just even look at that. And then I love the journal part because that's going even deeper. It reminds you to take in and remember things like your wedding day or the different things that you're talking about.

Sandy Kovach  [00:17:58]:

But just the power in that scripture alone. I really needed that today, and I'm thinking a lot of people did.

Pam Reid [00:18:04]:

I'm so glad. You know, with the flow book, there are 52 different devotionals. Right? 1 for each week of the year. So flow is feel lovable worry, but it's also feel lovable weariness and wrongdoings and every other w word you can think of, right, for every area of our lives. And chapter 33 is feel love over worst case. So that's feeling love over worst case scenarios. Right? We all do that. Right? We play over and over these things or these outcomes that aren't even gonna come true.

Pam Reid [00:18:36]:

Right. So we have a tendency to do that. And there are so many other things that you could focus on. There's some very specific scriptures, which is the love part. Feel the love over the worst case to help you re shift your focus.

Sandy Kovach  [00:18:50]:

I love that. Can we learn a little bit more about how to get the devotional before we get too far into this?

Pam Reid [00:18:54]:

Absolutely. So right now, listeners can get the flow book on Amazon. I would just suggest you just type in flow and Pam Reid, and my last name is spelled r e I d, And it'll come up. It's a beautiful white cover book. Flow is the devotional for grown folks. So the devotional the devotional is not rated r, But it's not raging either. I mean, we I there is feeling love over withdrawal. Right? I mean, there are people who who suffer from addictions.

Pam Reid [00:19:24]:

They're just feeling love over wilderness, people who are feeling lonely and lost. Flow, the devotional for grown folks, Can be found on Amazon.

Lanée Blaise [00:19:35]:

So Sandy and I, of course, have the pleasure of knowing you now. And crazy enough, I gotta say real quick, the way that I even met you, Pam, was because all of this stuff with the pandemic has brought about so many virtual and Zoom things. I met you on a Zoom prayer call, and we just started talking. And then I started following you on Instagram, and then I got your devotional. Even though, of course, now I just wanna keep you to ourselves here. But at the same time, anyone who does want to explore this whole flow concept even more, there's several things going on. Of course, like on Instagram, you're at the flow boss, and then you have a Friday flow on Facebook Mhmm. Under the flow boss.

Lanée Blaise [00:20:22]:

And then, I believe you have an event that's coming up in FLOW February. Tell us a little bit about that too.

Pam Reid [00:20:29]:

I like that FLOW February. Yeah. That's it. So We're having a flow event in February. It's the 1st week. It's February 1st through, 5th. It's an intensive. It's a flow demic, you know.

Pam Reid [00:20:42]:

And and I have to be honest, I I gotta give credit where credit is due. I had my 1st SMIC in August, and it was a sold out event. Amazing, wonderful, transformational. Things happen that no one could have ever expected, but God showed up every single day. But I remember sitting in church, online church. Right? The early days of the pandemic, and the pastor was talking about the pandemic. And because we were virtual at home and everyone's sheltering in place, a congregation member sent me a text, and it said what we really need is a Flodemic. Yes.

Pam Reid [00:21:19]:

Yes. And so the Flodemic was born, and it is a virtual event. The first one, again, was a 7 day intensive, and we touched on everything from relationships to health, to finance, to spirit, to just every area of importance, especially when it comes to, you know, how do you fun. How do you navigate some of the challenges? How do you engage other people in what you're doing? And it like I said, it was a sold out amazing event. And so at the event. Everyone was like, oh my god. I should've invited friends. I should've invited mind you, you couldn't have because we were sold out.

Pam Reid [00:21:53]:

We'd only handle but so many people, you know, in a virtual event. So I'm having the 2nd flow demic in February, and I I feel that it is going to be so instrumental for many people. And so if people follow me on Instagram or they check me out on Fridays on Friday flow, they'll get all the details as to how to register stiffer for the February fludemic.

Sandy Kovach  [00:22:18]:

Okay. So the best way to do that is to follow you on social media, and then you just keep us posted on our way. And we will put the links as we always do with, our special guests on our website, imagine yourself podcast.com. So in case people forget, you know, because sometimes you're driving, you're listening in in one ear and, like, oh, oh, darn it. So we'll make sure and put it on our website. And the link to your book too, which you can buy on Amazon.

Lanée Blaise [00:22:44]:

Wonderful. I strongly recommend it. We always like to have a segment of our show called takeaway time where we kind of reflect back on some things that we need to make sure that we really walk away with. There's a few things I just wanna make sure, but then I'm gonna ask you, Pam, to give some things that you might wanna walk away with too. The thing that keeps coming to my mind, though, I can't even stop myself. It's back with that scripture about think about such things. Think about things that are precious to you. We all are starting to realize now how precious our health is, how precious time is, how precious our relationships are, how precious people are.

Lanée Blaise [00:23:25]:

And I really hope that whether we get to spend time in person with our family members or not during these holidays. We still can reach out to them. There's so many beautiful ways to reach out to people. We still can pray for them. We still can talked to them. We still can savor them while we're here because nobody's gonna be here forever. So I just wanna think about what's precious to us. But I know, Pam, that you probably got even a different layer for us to walk away with today too.

Pam Reid [00:23:59]:

Yes. I would like to encourage people in a slightly different way. Right? Because people don't have to feel the stress that they feel. They don't have to feel anxious or overwhelmed. Life is such where sometimes you just do. Right? But something like technology. I remember when cell phones first came out and I was thinking, I don't need one of those.

Pam Reid [00:24:27]:

Right? And but because I worked in New York and worked at the World Trade Center, I was there for both terrorist attacks. Wow. So after the first one, our company bought cell phones and gave each of us 1, little leadership. And I remember thinking, I don't need this. Well, then I find myself stuck on the highway, and guess what I used to call somebody by cell phone. Fast forward to today. You know, I remember having some frustrations around the Internet when it first came out and just all of that. And today, I am so grateful for the technology.

Pam Reid [00:25:04]:

And I wanna encourage people who are intimidated by the technology, especially our silver and gray haired people who just really struggle with it. If you are savvy with technology, connect with a neighbor, connect with a loved one who may not be, and help them along because this is a way to connect with people today. You wanna be mindful of your health and stay safe. Technology is there for you as a resource. And I gotta tell you, I never even felt that way. But yet I have my 1st virtual event, and it was the Flodemic, and it was amazing. And what was really amazing was how hearts were pricked through the screen.

Pam Reid [00:25:49]:

So it's possible to stay connected fit that way. So I wanna encourage people that way. And then when you talk about things being precious, your time and how you spend your time, if you just gave God just the first little bit of it. The first little bit of your day. The first little bit of just whatever it is. Right? And what I mean by whatever it is. So you have to deal with the situation or you have.

Pam Reid [00:26:15]:

And maybe you haven't been working since the pandemic and you don't know what to do. Just give God that. Give it over to him. Father, I I don't know what to do. I've got children. How do I make it joyful for them? There are so many creative ways to bring joy and the gift of love and the gift of happiness into your lives. Yes. But you've gotta ask.

Pam Reid [00:26:37]:

Right? You've gotta put yourself in a way where you're open to listening and to hearing. And I know we're called to walk by faith, right, and not by sight. Not the things that we see, not the things that we hear, but we're to walk by faith. And I know it's not easy to have faith in a God we can't see. But you know what? We can see. If you have eyes to see, there are expressions of love every day. And you can feel him. You can feel him as well, but like with any relationship, the relationship that the 2 of you have with each other, the relationship you have with your loved ones, You gotta have time.

Pam Reid [00:27:14]:

You and you gotta be willing to make it.

Sandy Kovach  [00:27:16]:

Wow.

Lanée Blaise [00:27:16]:

Tell it, Pam.

Lanée Blaise [00:27:19]:

This has just been a delightful day, delightful conversation, very informative. And part about technology too is not lost. I love the way you said, if you're good with it, help those who maybe are not good with it. If you're not good with it, try not to be afraid of it and really get into it because I've developed friendships now through Zoom. I met you through Zoom. Sandy and I have been able to continue this podcast because of the ability to do things through technology. Again, we just thank you so much for being on the show.

Pam Reid [00:27:55]:

Oh, it has I gotta tell you, I've enjoyed the conversation safe as well. Meeting the 2 of you has been a joy. And I'm just hoping that your listeners have been touched as well, because everybody needs love in their lives. And God is love. Yeah. And so if they're not feeling it today, he's there. You know, one of my favorite scriptures is, here I am, and I love it because there's an actual an exclamation point. Here I am.

Pam Reid [00:28:21]:

I'm standing at the door and knocking. And whoever hears fit. If they open the door and let me in, I will come in and fellowship with them and they with me. That is it right there. So he's there. He's waiting, fling, and he's knocking, and all you have to do is say yes.

Sandy Kovach  [00:28:38]:

I love it. It's a life changer, literal, and eternity changer.

Lanée Blaise [00:28:42]:

Absolutely. Overall, I just wanna say to everyone listening, imagine yourself transformed, renewed, able too focused on some of the wonderful things that god has given us, able to focus on the good that abounds, and just being grateful and thankful no matter what year it is.

Sandy Kovach  [00:29:05]:

Thanks for listening, and we'd love to hear from you. Just go to imagine yourself podcast.com, and there are all the links there to hook up with us on social media Or shoot us an email. Until next time when we have something new to imagine. Stay grateful.