Sep 20, 2022
Are you looking for a glimmer of hope during a dark time right now? You’re not alone! Kathy Tschida joins Mark to share with you some powerful, practical tips from her own God-story as well as the song that came about as a result. It could be just what you need today!
(Mark) Well, you remember last week that I told you that my friend Kathy Tschida and I wrote this song called Impossible is Possible, and I told you that next week she was going to be a guest on our show.
And so she's here today and I'm so glad to have Kathy with us, Kathy. Welcome. I'm so glad you're here.
(Kathy) Glad to be here. Thank you.
(Mark) Absolutely. So we've written quite a few songs together already, and we've got another write scheduled and I'm really looking forward to that. I love writing with you.
I just wanted to ask you a few questions about this particular song, Impossible as Possible. So if you wouldn't mind telling us a little bit about maybe an end of the rope story that you've got, do you have one?
(Kathy) Okay. Yeah. So the, the one that came to mind was a little over a year ago, we went through what I like to call all the things at once.
We had a situation, a legal situation with my daughter and her biological dad. My dog was attacked. I had a best friend stop being friends with me and my husband was going through job stuff. So like, it all happened at the same time. And it literally felt like it was the end of the rope. It felt impossible.
It felt like only God could pull all this through. And He did. He completely did. He completely got us through it. And without Him, I don't know how I would've handled it all. Cause it was all the things at the same time, everything all at once.
(Mark) That sounds terrible. So would you put that as one of the biggest challenges that you've had to overcome?
Do you have others?
(Kathy) Yes. I feel like I have quite a few of those. That was one, the divorce was another one that was quite a few years ago now. Cause it came out of nowhere. My dad passing away. That was a definitely a big challenge. I've had some current things that are really kind of hard to talk about, but definitely some of the biggest challenges. So I feel like you go through one big challenge and then somehow another one comes up and they kind of feel like they don't end sometimes.
(Mark) Yeah. I, I can totally relate to that. You know, I think everybody, if they stop and think about it has had these end of the rope moments we hear.
And I think it's important for us as believers to be able to share these with other people because somebody who knows maybe even right this minute might be going through an end of the rope moment. One of those impossible moments, you know, as I said in last week's episode, I had come to the point that I didn't wanna be here on earth anymore.
And yes, I said that somebody might be at that particular point right now. So I think it's important for us to be able to share our stories with other people. And that's kind of the purpose of, of this podcast is to be able to give people hope and help. So let me ask you another question here. How did you overcome the fear and maybe that little voice in your head that said you couldn't do this or you couldn't do that or you get to the point that you're at today?
How did you overcome all those things to get to where you are today?
(Kathy) There was a lot of prayer, a lot of taking a specific Bible verse. Last year when I was going through all those things, I literally had a note in my phone with all sorts of Bible verses and I would go through them when those fear and the doubts and stuff would come.
The other thing that really helped honestly, is counseling. Talking to someone who is a licensed therapist, who could help me figure out what was really bothering me, how to go through it. I went to a Christian so that they used the Word and stuff that was really important. And all of those things combined helped me change my thinking. And I think that's really what it is,
is like you have to change your thinking from fear to what God says. And that's where it's simple. Like put a, you know, put a verse in the memo of your phone so you can look at it. You don't have to memorize it. Just look at it every time that thought comes, it's like, nope, God didn't give me a spirit of fear.
That was one I used a lot. God did not give me a spirit of fear, but power love and a sound mind. I could cast all my anxieties on Him because He never leaves me. Yeah. Those kind of things and put them where you can see them. And so you don't have to try to rely on your own mind to come up with them.
You have a tool, we all carry it around in our pocket. So use the tool that's there. And that honestly really helped me. So that little tool is my phone. Yeah. The Bible app and others. There you go. Memos your notes, those voice memos you can leave yourself, those things you have with you.
And you know, I mean, obviously you can talk to Jesus. You can pray at any moment of the day and He's there. You can reach out to people. And I have all sorts of people that I can reach out to. And they'll pray for me when they get the text message. But there are things that I have to do. Like God, can't put the thought in my head for me. I have to, you know, I have to take the word and I have to chew on it and I have to put it in my head and that over and over again, changes the fear and makes it less and less until it's not your first reaction anymore. You know, I think, I think a lot of people think that we as Christians don't have any fear whatsoever.
And I would say that I still struggle a little bit with some fear, but I don't want to have happen. And you probably feel the same way. I don't want that fear to dictate the path that I'm gonna take. So I want to do the right thing, despite the fear that might be there because the enemy, all the enemy wants to do is put something up in front of us.
(Mark) And you know, 90% of the things that we worry about don't even come true. They just don't even happen 90% of them. And so they're like, as my wife says, they're like a paper wall. So we have a wall up in front of us. That's really just paper in the enemy says, "you can't do this.
You can't do that." Then you just kind of poke your finger through the paper and you realize that you can, it's just a matter of acting, doing the right thing, despite the fear. And then like you said, the fear becomes less and less, less and less direction in her own lives. Would you agree with all that?
(Kathy) Yes, I would.
And I would, I would call it what Joyce Meyer calls it, "doing it afraid". That's what she calls it. The feeling is still there. That's what courage is - doing it in the face of fear. It doesn't mean the fear went away. Courage is just, "Nope, I'm gonna do it". Even though I feel afraid I'm gonna walk through these hard things and I will get to the other side, even though I feel afraid, even though I'm not sure how it's gonna turn out, even all of those things, I can still keep going. God is on the other side of it. He's here with me too. So I can keep going. Even though the fear, the feeling wants to tell me I can't.
(Mark) So you know, about 11 years ago now when I had repressed memories and those all came back in a flood of some sexual abuse that had happened to me as a child, by an extended member of the family, nobody in my immediate family. And it went on for quite some time. And when those came back, it, it came back in such a fashion that it felt like it just happened to me.
I didn't know that I had all the memories exact as they were some 40 years later, but, but they were pretty vivid and fear became a big part of my life where I didn't even want to go out the door. And so I too got some counseling and I found that the Christian counselor that I went to gave me a number of tasks that I had to do to be able to push past the fear.
You know what I mean? "So you need to tell your wife what happened". "No, I'm not gonna tell my wife what happened". And then I walk out and I went and told my wife what happened. And, and so it goes on like that. But every time she gave me a task and I said, my initial thought was no, but then I went on and did it, despite the fear, I found that it got easier. And that's what I'm hearing from you is that just the more that we push through these particular things, and I don't know how we can encourage other people in the same fashion, you know, to not let fear guide their lives. The only way I know how to do that is to tell these stories.
(Kathy) Yeah, exactly. And we all have moments where we feel terrified. I love the Bible cause it makes all of these things, very real. Job went through all of the things that he was terrified, whatever happened. And he survived. There are so many that went through so many things. God doesn't tell us to never feel anything.
(Mark) That's right. He does tell us to keep going.
(Kathy) And he does tell us he will be with us while we keep going. So I don't want people to think that they have to deny what they're feeling. The first step you can really take is honestly just tell someone you trust that person. You know, you can tell anything to that. They're not gonna judge you. That's the person you go talk to.
Whether that's a counselor, whether that's your best friend, whoever that is, talk to them. Because what happens is when you tell someone the fear loses its power. Yeah, it does. Because now you have someone to stand with you and now you're not alone. That's the biggest fear everyone has anyway is that, I'm the only one I've been through this.
No one's gonna understand how I feel with all the crazy stuff that I've been through in my life. I'm still surprised at how many people are like, yeah, I've been through that. I know somebody's been through that. Wow. I'm so glad you said something cause now I realize that I'm not alone in it. You know? So we need to stop listening to the lie that we're the only one going through it and that no one can relate to how we're feeling.
So my encouragement would just be tell somebody, even if it's just that one person, like I said, even if it's nobody else call a pastor, they legally can't say anything. A counselor can't either like, if you're scared about it, coming out, talk to one of those kind of people who who know they have to legally even keep your secrets.
(Mark) That's right.
(Kathy) So just to, and the fear will lose its power in your life, but you have to take those steps. And I know it's scary. We've all been through it. It's super scary to say it out loud, but you will feel better if you do.
(Mark) Did you have some people in your life that had gone through some heavy things that gave you encouragement that gave you that support that said, you know, it's, it's just paper. You can push through it. You can do this. Did you have people in your life that did that for you?
(Kathy) Oh, definitely. When I went through the divorce, I had people that came right alongside me who had been through divorces, the counselor I went to at my church at the time she had been divorced and she helped me walk through it and say,
Hey, you know what? There is life on the other side of it. I know this is hard right now. You know, some of the things we're walking through right now with my daughter, it's amazing how many people have come up to me and said, "yep, I'm going through something similar with my so-and-so family member" or whatever. And that kind of thing.
Seeing how much further they along in their journey really helps. And I really think that's why some of these Bible stories are there like Job, like, you know, I mean, Joseph look at all the crazy stuff he went through, you know, he went through prison and Potifer and all that crazy stuff. Right. He kept going and those kind of stories give you hope that your life isn't over just because something bad happens to you.
So yeah, there are definitely people I know licensed counselors really helped me a lot. That has been a great tool to just be able to process my emotions and you know, they can share things in their counseling sessions that they might not share in public, but they'll share with you because it helps you. So yeah, there are definitely people. My husband's been through a lot of stuff too, and he has been amazing to walk by my side and just be with me through all of it and prayer and faith and he's, he's a rock. He's awesome. That's awesome. Yeah. So how did you find your counselor? Okay. Well initially I found my church. I am blessed to be part of a church that actually has licensed counselors on staff.
They, if they can't see us, they actually have a list of people. So a lot of pastors will have a list of counselors. So if you can reach out to a pastor, I know there's plenty of websites, Christian counseling websites, licensed Christian counselors. I know, Focus on the Family has some resources. That's the one that really comes to mind.
I think that they, I know they have counselors that you can call and they have referrals and all sorts of stuff like that. So there are plenty of ways to find someone and yeah, like I said, even if it's just a pastor, you know, call them, they will help you definitely help is available.
(Mark) Yeah. And you know, the counselor that I used, I used her for years. As a matter of fact, it was the therapy sessions were lengthy and took some time to get me past the past. That point of almost no return for me, but I had to do that hard work, but then she ended up moving out of state, but she still does sessions for people via zoom in the state that she's in, she'll do 'em from here. And so I find it that recommendations from people like you, people like me are also big helps for people. So as, as folks are going through some tough stuff, they can just ask people. They can certainly reach out to you. And, and we'll towards the end of the show here.
We'll let people know how they can get ahold of you. And they know how to get ahold of me at gsspodcast.com. And so I'm happy to share any of the stuff that I've been through and some of the people that I've used to help with that. So when you look at the song itself, do you have a favorite verse or a favorite part of the song itself?
(Kathy) Hmm. I love the line. Your word fills my mind gives me life, gives me hope, gives me truth. Even in the dark of night, I rest in you. I love that part of the chorus because I feel like that's so much how I've had to do life. I have to put His word in my mind and that is what keeps me going.
That's what gives me hope. It gives me life even in the dark of night. Oh, I don't know how many moments I've had like that. Even just waking up at 2:00 AM, 3:00 AM, you know, all those thoughts come gracing through your head. And you're like, you know, you pull that one phrase from the Bible that you read that morning, that you remember, it's all it takes. One phrase. I read a lot of the Psalms because David is David and the Psalmist are so honest about their feelings. They don't usually leave it there. They turn to him. And just remembering that in and of itself, even if it's not a specific Bible verse, that concept has helped me a lot.
And so I just love that His word needs to fill my mind, not my own thoughts. And that's what keeps me going. And honestly, that's what gives me rest, real rest.
(Mark) And so there's an active part on, on your end to spend time with the Lord to spend time in the word of God to spend time praying. Not just to treat Him like the genie in the bottle and rub the magic lantern and get three wishes because that's not who He is.
My favorite part of the song and it feels like a Psalm-It's interesting that you mentioned that it feels like a Psalm- is the bridge. So the bridge says Your word never fails. Your peace conquers fear. Impossible is possible. You see my pain, your love overcomes impossible is possible. That feels like something right out of the heart of Psalms.
To me, it feels like a, a modern day Psalm bridge. And I just love it.
(Kathy) Yeah. It reminds me of the verse in, I think it's first John, that talks about how perfect love, casts out fear and that when we cast our anxiety on the Lord, he gives us peace beyond under all understanding that's in Philippians. So those two concepts are very biblical anyway.
And that's what God does. We give him our fear. He gives us love. That's not an even trade. Not by any means, not even close. However, that's how good he is. And that's why you can give it to him. Cause He's only gonna give you good stuff. That's right. Gonna Give you good things.
(Mark) So verse one says,
I think about your goodness, God, how you sustained me, how You've carried me. This is an active remembering of where we were and where we are. Even when I thought I was alone. I know you walked with me though. Worries, swelled and fear thrived. And the end seemed unknown, but You knew the end from the start.
I think this was such a heartfelt writing on mine and your part. I, I absolutely love it. I played this for a couple of other people and they have fallen in love with the song. It's just one of these easy listening, easy to absorb truth-filled, Word-filled songs. Verse two says, I hear You calling my name, giving me strength, even carrying me. I know I'm not alone. I know you walk with me. The worry, cease and fear leaves, but still the end seems unknown. Cause we don't know the end. We have no idea what the end is, but you know, my end from the start, there's a certain level of confidence in who God is and who we are.
I think written in this song. Do you have any other thoughts about that?
(Kathy) I just love the honesty about it. I think too, you know, God is really the one who's been carrying us. Even through the hard stuff we've been walking through lately. Yeah. We have unbelievers watching us go through all this and they're even amazed. I'm like well without Jesus, I couldn't do it. And I don't know how people do it without him. Honestly. He's the reason I can keep going cause I know he knows the end. Even if the end is not what I wanted it to be. That's right. He still knows the end and can help me through even that because eventually the end is,
and eventually the end is good. Life is hard. Even Jesus said, so you're gonna have problems. You're gonna have troubles. However, He is the peace. He is the reason we can keep going. Cause He is always good. He's always good. And if it's not good, just keep going. Cause it will be, it will be.
He promises that.
(Mark) So our chorus says this God is so good. God is so kind only God can do what God can do. Your word fills. My mind gives me life, gives me hope, gives me truth. Even in the dark of night, I rest in you. We, we had the title originally. I rest in you and it could still be that. But the impossible is possible. Seems to be a landing point for at least me on this particular song. And, and I love that only God can do what God can do. Well, Kathy, I cannot thank you enough for joining us today on the show here. I love our friendship. I love you and Paul.
Cindy and I would like to get together with you guys very soon. Once we can work out the details of that, but I hope you guys are continuing to, to move forward and trusting in the Lord and, and you can let us know if you guys need anything. Can you tell our folks how to get ahold of you?
(Kathy) Yes, I am on YouTube at Kathy Tschida.
You can find me there. I also have a website, KathyTschida.com. Also make sure to spell my last name correctly. And I do have a Facebook, a public Facebook page, KathyTschidaMusic. So you can find me on all those places. Eventually I will be releasing some stuff onto places like Spotify and some of the other streaming services. So keep your eyes out for that. On my website, there's a way to contact me. You can also subscribe to emails. I write a blog so you can get all of that stuff to find out about all my music and all of that other things. So love to hear everybody.
(Mark) Okay, well thank you again. And I look forward to our next time together and thanks folks for listening in with us. Hope you have a great week. Peace.