Shannon Popkin (00:00) Kara Seymour, welcome back to Live Like It’s True.

Kara Seymour (00:03) Thank you so much for having me again.

Shannon Popkin (00:06) Well, we have been having this awesome conversation. If you didn’t listen to part one, you’re gonna have to go back because ⁓ Carol was telling us about encountering, like being invited to somebody’s house, a women’s circle, which was like code for Bible study, but she didn’t know it. And entering that room, never having met a believer in Jesus, a follower of Jesus before in her life.

Kara Seymour (00:23) Ha ha ha!

Shannon Popkin (00:33) and feeling very disoriented by that and leaving that space 50 % curious, 50 % disoriented, like this is very confusing. So then she told us the story about how God gave her a Bible, miraculously. She was not open to going to Barnes and Noble, shopping for a Bible. God put it in her hands from one of his people. And so,

Kara Seymour (00:54) Hehehehe

Shannon Popkin (00:59) You just briefly told us about going back to that basement, back to that women’s circle and giving your life to Jesus a little over a year ago, February 2024. So can you tell us a little bit more about what happened?

Kara Seymour (01:15) Oh, it’s been the best decision I ever made. And I will say that…

The moment that I returned to that basement gave my life to Jesus.

accepted him as my Lord and Savior. All of these words, you I was not familiar with and I wasn’t even yet like comfortable with. But my friend is leading me in this prayer. And even though in my mind, I was a little bit scared because I, some part of me knew that my life was about to radically change. And even though I used to be like self-proclaimed transformation junkie, like I literally used to call myself that.

I knew this change was going to be drastic and long-lasting, and I didn’t know how that was going to look. And at the same time, I knew, like in my spirit, I knew this was the step that was next. So, I give my life to the Lord and an incredible amount, just… more peace than I’ve ever felt before. And I’m someone who, you know, if, if you’ve known me for long time, I am a peaceful person. I’m a positive person. Like I didn’t come from a terrible life and background. Like I’ve been like living a good life, but what happened just got so much more peaceful, so much more steady. And the best is like way more simplified because I, because I was coming out of the new age, actually I was, I was

I would say at this point I’m straddling because even though I had closed up my yoga business about a week and a half before I got introduced to Jesus, I was still practicing every single day at a studio. So I’m still doing yoga every day. I’m still dropping F bombs, but starting to get really convicted. Like it’s all of a sudden not feeling right when I speak like that. And when I gave my life to the Lord, which I think it was like mid February,

What happened in the next February, March, ⁓ within the next month and a half was probably like the most drastic of changes internally. Some of the so many of the things that I had been thinking, believing.

communicating like my vocabulary and I’m not just talking f-bombs I’m talking all these words like you know I use universe instead of God I ⁓

I mean, just my vocabulary in general just started to get transformed and certain beliefs and certain things about the world, it’s like, it just got flipped. I don’t even say, want to say upside down. It’s like right side up and things that I didn’t even, I had opinions about, but like weren’t really based in any sort of reality. I was just shown like, pay attention to this.

Shannon Popkin (04:37) Okay.

Kara Seymour (04:47) And actually you should learn more about this. And I’m not even talking about biblical stuff. Well, actually they are all biblical, but in like a worldly sense, like politically and abortion and these things that I had just like thought I was one way about and all of a sudden I’m being pulled to understand things in a deeper way. so things just got changed real quick and I’m starting to get, ⁓ do want me to pause there?

Shannon Popkin (05:18) I just think that is so intriguing because I think we go at it the opposite way when we’re trying to share Jesus with people. We try to give them the logic of why abortion would be wrong and like try to give them the facts and try to convince them. But I think it’s a spiritual matter. It’s like, and we’re not able to produce fruit. Fruit comes from the roots and where are your roots? If your roots are not in God, if you are not growing.

out of him, you’re not going to have that same fruit. You’re not gonna have that same mindset. So he’s transforming you from the inside out. And that is not something that you you tried really hard to see it. And this is happening without it’s happening. Yeah, well, and it’s happening. It’s happening to you. I read something in your bio where you said you experienced radical transformation without striving or trying to fix yourself. Right? That’s what I see happening here. It’s like,

Kara Seymour (05:57) It’s not intellectual at all.

Shannon Popkin (06:15) The spirit is taking root in your heart and everything is changing. And you’re as surprised as anyone else.

Kara Seymour (06:21) more… I

am more surprised than anyone else. Like, really. I mean, people were surprised, but ⁓ I was more surprised. For sure.

Shannon Popkin (06:33) Well, and this is a pretty, I mean, if we’re talking like mid-March, this is a pretty strong shift. but when you, let’s just go back to, ⁓ I wanna just hear how your sisters responded to that. Like when you gave your heart to the Lord, were they, was that something great for them to experience with you?

Kara Seymour (06:53) So yeah, I think that.

I think that it was, I mean, you’d have to ask them, you know, I think that it was extremely encouraging. And I don’t think they had yet had that kind of experience with someone, with someone who had no prior relationship with Jesus. Not like I wasn’t someone who had a relationship, then walked away and came back.

somebody that I actually don’t even think they knew somebody that deep in the new age before, even though they all live in, you we live in the new age Mecca. And, and I think in a way, and these are my words, but I think it actually gave them also a lot of confidence to keep sharing and keep inviting into the basement. And, and it’s been like, there’s been a little revival happening, you know,

Shannon Popkin (07:41) Yes.

⁓ I love it. So when you say you’re in the New Age Mecca, do you mean like where you live in North Carolina? Okay, so this is an area that is entrenched in New Age.

Kara Seymour (07:55) Yeah.

yeah, this

is Asheville, North Carolina, and I’ve lived in most of the meccas of the US, sorry, new age meccas of the US, what I would call new age meccas, and I’m pretty sure that this is like the heaviest, the deepest of new age, yeah.

Shannon Popkin (08:14) Really?

So I think, you know, we always like to play a statistics game. Like I want to live where I’m surrounded by Christians or I want to put my kids in, you know, look at how God took you in the middle of the new age Mecca and said, uh-uh, she’s mine. like reminds me of the Rahab story. Like she did not know anyone else who knew God. And yet God brought the people into her life, these two spies who

Kara Seymour (08:28) Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

Shannon Popkin (08:41) stayed in her brothel, right? And they led her out. And so, I mean, that is very encouraging. I mean, your story, I think the reason that your posts have gone viral, is because it is such an encouragement to those of us to, ⁓ you know, open our basement, just invite, and that you just don’t know. And so like, I just want to invite everyone who’s listening right now to say a prayer.

Kara Seymour (08:49) Mm-hmm.

Yes.

Shannon Popkin (09:06) Say, God, I’m available. My basement is open to you. You talked about a car ride with some women. You were the Uber driver. My ⁓ conversation in an Uber car, that’s available to you. My interactions with neighbors or in stores or restaurants, that’s available to you. Just opening our lives. And I loved, too, last time that you talked about what you met in the basement when we were talking about meeting Jesus.

Kara Seymour (09:08) Yes.

Shannon Popkin (09:37) you met him living inside these women. And you wouldn’t have known how to describe it that way, but that’s you were interacting with him inside of them. And all of us who believe and to follow him, we have him living inside of us and he wants to testify. He is always growing his church. He says he’s the good shepherd and he has other sheep who are not part of this fold. And he’s going after the one and he’s bringing them back to the flock. That’s you, Kara.

Kara Seymour (09:45) Mm-hmm.

Yes.

Shannon Popkin (10:05) God went after you and he brought you in. I mean, it’s just, it is very exciting. But ⁓ can I talk about the judgment that you have felt? ⁓ So let’s look at it two ways, judgment outside the church and then judgment inside the church. So first of all, you said in one of your Instagram reels, you said that ⁓ people were reaching out to you thinking you had joined a Christian cult.

And you said that was intriguing because nobody ever reached out to you concerned that you had joined Kundalini Yoga. And so like, why would they reach out with concern about Christianity, but not that? What are your thoughts on that?

Kara Seymour (10:38) You

So just to clarify, these aren’t people that I know personally. So I didn’t have, you know, these weren’t friends who know me and love me reaching out thinking I’m in a cult. But I will say, I’m sure that there are many of those people who think that not necessarily I’m in a cult, but like Kara’s going through another phase and wow, she’s like really going for it. But this is kind of what she does. Like she goes all in, blah,

But I had gotten multiple messages from people on Instagram basically telling me that I have just… I’ve joined a cult. And I found that absolutely fascinating because if you don’t know about Kundalini Yoga, Kundalini Yoga is the most cultish of all the yogas and…

Shannon Popkin (11:33) Uh-huh.

Kara Seymour (11:43) And really, it does pretty much qualify as a cult. So, not to go too deep into it, but basically, I was wearing all white, wrapping my hair in a turban, going by a Sikh, like Sikh religious spiritual name, even though I did not identify as Sikh, but a lot of Kundalini yogis are. And…

and doing these really intense and really bizarre practices that look nothing like normal kind of Western yoga. We’re just like chanting and doing bizarre hand movements and arm things. And I mean, it’s wild. And there’s so much more to that. But if ever I was in a cult, it was then. And I had a Kundalini yoga studio and in all the worldly ways, it was highly successful.

Shannon Popkin (12:26) You

Kara Seymour (12:35) So I’m introducing this practice to people and now they’re wearing turban and all white and going by spiritual name and blah, blah. Anyways, I found it so incredibly ironic that not one person in my life…

came to me with questions or curiosity. I’m not saying people didn’t have questions and I’m not saying people didn’t judge me. I know they did. But nobody warned me or questioned what I was doing. And what I was doing was extreme in my Kundalini season. So then I joined the Jesus cult. Just kidding. It’s not a cult. But then I started talking about Jesus and

sharing about how incredible my life has become, how simplified my life has gotten now that I’m not doing five million practices, ceremonies and rituals every day and thinking I’m my own God. And now people are warning me. But it’s also kind of like, you know, just the name Jesus alone held so much power. And we know that because of

the backlash that we get from some people or the mockery that the world makes, if Jesus didn’t hold power, that wouldn’t happen.

Shannon Popkin (14:05) Right. Well, think, correct me if I’m wrong, but I think there’s something about saying that Jesus is the only way, you know, to eternal life. He’s the only, yeah, there’s an exclusivity to that. It’s like that makes all the other ways wrong. And the world is guarded against that. And I mean, like you can understand it. Yeah, you can understand that. And so you can, like, you feel like the people coming to you saying like,

Kara Seymour (14:25) It’s super confronting.

Shannon Popkin (14:35) Kara, you are like joining a cult. this, it’s so exclusive. They’re saying this is the only way. And, you know, do you really want in on that? ⁓ And, and I, you know, I just, have compassion for ⁓ outsiders looking in on that. don’t, I don’t think I, but what I think is really interesting about your story is that you were following all these rituals.

Like you were saying, like I was doing all the things. I don’t know what that all involved, but now you’re not. And you’re talking about like, this is different. It’s not just a phase because you said it’s a relationship. So how is that? How is it like, because it’s a relationship, how has that been a diff, it’s not just a new fad for you.

Kara Seymour (15:39) That’s a really good question.

I know it’s not a fad.

because I don’t have to perform.

Shannon Popkin (15:54) Hmm.

Kara Seymour (15:56) in order to maintain this new identity or this new relationship. In my old life in order to maintain anything, I mean not anything, but you know, this identity as a yogi, as a yoga teacher, as a yoga student, as a goddess, quote unquote, like all the things, you have, it’s all works based, 100%. So if I stop doing those, then I’m no longer that thing. I no longer have that relationship. So.

Shannon Popkin (16:22) Yeah.

Good night.

Yes.

Kara Seymour (16:41) in this life, in this, my new life.

There is this presence…There is a steady peace and a steady presence in my life. There is a simplicity that I’ve never had before.

and

My only relationships before were either a relationship I had with myself and my own body, right? Like my world was yoga, so it’s like very me-focused, right? The new age is, it’s all self-focused. It’s like actually extremely narcissistic, but you don’t see it like that. And I didn’t see it like that until I was out. Yeah, exactly, exactly. ⁓

Shannon Popkin (17:35) You’re a goddess, so you, you know.

Shannon Popkin (17:45) Well, this is something that you’re receiving this relationship.

Kara Seymour (17:49) ⁓ I’m not

exact… Yes, I am receiving, but I’m also participating in. You know, like, I’m actually… I know. Okay. So, I’m actually building a relationship, whereas before, like, even when, yes, there was a teacher, but…

Shannon Popkin (17:56) Yes. Yeah.

Kara Seymour (18:08) It’s like these teachers are human and they were like on pedestals and every single one of them also came crashing down. And what was portrayed to us as the students and the world was not accurate. And I mean in a very extreme way.

I don’t-

Shannon Popkin (18:36) It was, they were gaining, right, from you. It was like a self-centered, like what they’re projecting. They were getting something from you. And that’s just completely different than Jesus. Like, he’s not gaining from us. He gave up his life for us. When we look at the cross, that’s how we know he loves us, right? Because he gave his life for our sin. He had no sin. He had nothing to gain, everything to lose. But the thing that he gained was us.

Kara Seymour (18:39) ⁓ yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Mmm.

Shannon Popkin (19:06) right? He gained us, we get to be in relationship with him because of his sacrifice. So yeah, anything else you would add though to your contrast?

Kara Seymour (19:20) It’s such a deep question. I’m like, I… I need to take this to my prayer time. So I don’t know if I have anything more. I just… The relationship is real, and the relationships in my previous life were fleeting and dependent on how much I did. Not just because of who I am.

Shannon Popkin (19:27) Okay.

Yeah, yeah. that’s, know, Christianity, the way that we’re set apart is like every other religion, you got to climb this mountain to get to God and you’re doing all the things, you know, like, and I think that’s maybe how you would describe yoga. Isn’t there like a, like you’re trying to maintain or get to some level, but what we believe or what Jesus has shown us about himself is he doesn’t ask us to come to the top of the mountain. He came to the bottom.

Like he lowered himself, he humbled himself, he emptied himself. That’s the words that Isaiah said, that he emptied himself unto death. Philippians two says that Jesus did not count equality with God, a thing to be grasped. he, I mean, he is equal to God, he, instead he emptied himself. He made himself a servant. You know, he put on human flesh and then he gave his life on that cross. ⁓ And he did that.

to the glory of God, but God sees what Jesus did and how he emptied himself and gives him the name that is above every name. This is how he is exalted in heaven, is a completely different way than on the earth. On the earth, you’re exalted by climbing that mountain, achieving, getting the steps. Jesus achieved his greatness by going low, by going to humility, by emptying his life out. so we don’t…

you know, when we walk with him, we’ve already been credited with his righteousness. So there’s nothing else to attain. You know, this is the beautiful story of the gospel. It’s we are just the recipients and yet still we do participate. I love that you added that, you know, it’s like walking and talking with him. So, so we talked a little bit about the judgment that you

you know, mean, felt from not not extreme judgment, but just maybe caution warning. And we we understand that from those outside the church. But I just want to close by talking about inside the church, because most of the people who listen to live like it’s true are believers. They read their Bibles. They love the stories. And we want to learn from you, Kara. So you have dreadlocks.

And you were sharing on Instagram this week that people have been messaging you like, okay, you have this new life and Jesus, how come you still have your dreadlocks? And that feels a little judgy to me. Does it feel judgy to you? ⁓

Kara Seymour (22:07) Yeah,

and they’re not a few comments. I’ve received hundreds of comments in the last three or four months about my dreadlocks. And I’m not referencing the genuine questions when people ask me why I have them and they’re genuinely curious. I always answer those questions. But people straight up telling me I have to cut them off, they represent, and there’s a slew of things that come after what they represent depending on who’s sending it to me.

yeah, so.

Shannon Popkin (22:42) I think when we talk about judgment, we’re talking about right and wrong. Like when we talk about criticism, criticism can be, you know, amoral, like we’re a critic of food or we’re a critic of decor or whatever. Judgment always has implicit, a morality, a right or wrong. we, those who follow God, we let him determine right and wrong. Like there are lines between right and wrong.

Kara Seymour (23:06) Yes.

Shannon Popkin (23:09) And so walking with Jesus, like you were saying earlier, it’s like, he’s opening your, giving you attention to like this thing that you always thought was right. Let’s look at that again. And he’s changing your heart and he’s changing your perspective on those things. But sometimes in the church, we take it upon ourselves to draw all the lines and let everybody know when they’ve stepped over the line.

And we add to these lines. I don’t know where the verse in the Bible is about dreadlocks, and I’m sure there are people who could find verses to support what they’re saying, but I think we need to be really, really careful about misrepresenting God, because our God, what I know about him is his heart is pent up with mercy. ⁓ And so,

Like what he’s like, let’s look again. Last time we talked about the story of the woman coming to Jesus’s feet, you know, she is likely a prostitute. So, and they had labeled her as a sinner. And, and I mean, a lot of people, think with you being in the new age movement would label you, you know, you’re a sinner. You’re like an outsider of the faith. those two are mutually exclusive, you know.

follower of Jesus, New Age movement. Like you would have said that, right? And so those inside the church, like the insiders look at someone from the New Age coming to Jesus, sort of the way that Simon the Pharisee looked at this woman who’s coming to Jesus’ feet during his dinner party. Like this girl is not, she ain’t cleaned up, you know? She’s still probably got the attire, like she hasn’t changed her clothing.

She lets her hair down. I don’t know if she did that consciously or it’s just something she did it all the time. You know, she’s trying to, she’s crying profusely. Like this is not just a little sniffle. her, so many tears coming off her face. She’s, they’re dripping on Jesus’s feet and they need to be dried off now. So she’s washing his feet with her tears. She lets down her hair to wipe his feet with her hair. This is a.

beautiful moment. would equate this moment with you in the basement. And I’ll bet in the basement that day, know, it’s likely that you let an F-bomb or two slip out. And so the equivalent in this scenario would be like how Simon was treating her is like, why isn’t he saying get out, get away? This is this beautiful moment, but she is not immediately transformed. That’s going to happen as she walks.

with the Lord. you, Kara, I mean, you are like in process here as we all are. You are not experiencing anything different than I am, right? And honestly, the more I walk with the Lord, I can say this with all genuineness, the more that I walk with Him, the more I see my sin. You know, there is sin that I was never aware of.

10 years ago, 15 years ago that God opens my eyes to. And I am more aware of my sinfulness now than I ever have been. And so that’s, mean, in Simon, in this situation, he’s the sinful one. And Jesus is gonna turn the tables and tell him this story and try to open his eyes to how sinful he is. how does that, I don’t know, what parallels do you see in that story to your experience? ⁓

of being welcomed by Jesus just as you are with, I don’t think dreadlocks, that is not a right or wrong issue. Like, I think you could make a case for the F word, you know, being sinful, right? But like this process of accepting someone who’s in process, yeah, what parallels do you see?

Kara Seymour (27:06) Just, I will

tell you that.

I didn’t really speak much about the women bringing… In the first episode, I did say that one of my prayers is that I would meet one woman who would bring me into this established community. that one woman invites me to the circle and then brings me into this large, incredible community of believers, okay? So I come in, these are all my closest people now, and I’m going to people, I’m going to some of these friends.

with so many questions and I’m, know, for the first three, four months, I’m going to them with still my new age language, my F bombs. ⁓

You know, and also for that first three, four months, my house was sure. I don’t even know if shouted is the right word covered in New Age paraphernalia. Twenty seven Hindu deity statues everywhere. Oracle cards everywhere. mean, you name it. Everything everywhere. And they were in my house. OK, not once, not once did anybody shame me.

Shannon Popkin (28:11) Wow.

Kara Seymour (28:22) judge me, tell me what I should or shouldn’t do. And when I went to them with questions like, is the devil real? Is sin real? These things that I did not believe in before. Or I went to them with all sorts of other questions I can’t even think of right now.

they were there for me. They either answered my question or we found the answer in scripture together. They just led me closer and closer to the Lord with love and had these people said right off the bat when I had my birthday party, so this is January 23rd, okay? So this is like very new in it and I brought all those women to my house.

Shannon Popkin (29:12) love that so much. I love that.

Kara Seymour (29:12) If they had said,

Tara, even if they were really kind about it, I really think you should consider getting rid of all these Hindu statues and all these new age books and all your oracle cards everywhere. You should really get rid of it because it does not represent Jesus and it’s really of the demonic.

I… Who knows where I would be right now because when you… When you shame someone and there’s condemnation and judgment, like, most of us are going to retract and move in the opposite direction. And I don’t like being told what to do. I have never liked being told what to do. And these women literally just met me where I was at and ushered me with gentleness, but also…

Shannon Popkin (29:51) Yeah?

Kara Seymour (30:07) like stability in their faith, like really rooted, never appeasing me. They weren’t like, yeah, that’s okay. They were always very honest when I asked questions, but they let me come to them. And I would not be where I am today in my faith without these women, like no doubt.

Shannon Popkin (30:24) That’s so good.

Tell me about, and we’ll close after this, but tell me about getting rid of one of those statues or one of those, you the oracle cards, I think you called them. How did you come to that conclusion? you know, how did Jesus lead you in that process? Because I assume they’re not in your house anymore. Am I right?

Kara Seymour (30:52) They are not in my house anymore.

And it’s been, it’s kind of been a two step process for me because I moved twice. So in the first move, it was in April of 2024. So I was physically moving houses. And at this point I had just got, gotten convicted to fully walk away from my yoga practice. And

I had watched some New Age of Jesus testimony, so I knew about like getting rid of things, but I was determined to not do something because someone on social media or even a friend told me I should. I was like, this is going to be Holy Spirit led. I’m not because I’ve already fallen for doing what, you know, someone I believe knew more than me telling me what to do. So in the first round,

Shannon Popkin (31:45) Yeah.

Yeah.

Kara Seymour (31:53) I got rid of 27, I just know that because I counted them, 27 Hindu statues and some Buddhist statues. Every Oracle deck, every book I owned except the two Bibles that I had at that point. So I got rid of every single book and then minus some cookbooks, but literally that’s it. And then anything that…

really ⁓ all like not all but some of my white clothing that was really connected to Kundalini and then whatever artwork and certain things I thought needed to go. Now I will be clear and honest that I have a large crystal collection and I had heard people say you just need to toss everything in the trash and I really didn’t want to do that. So

I said, okay God, like I will do what you want me to do, but like these crystals are of you, right? Like what do you want me to do with them? So I was guided in the first move to take every crystal I ever used for healing on myself and others and specifically the ones I had done in ceremony and toss them in a river. So I did that. And then, yeah, I’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars on crystals over the years.

Shannon Popkin (33:12) And that’s an, mean, those are expensive, aren’t they?

Kara Seymour (33:19) And then this, ⁓ it’s okay, there was a flood after that. So they are far away from there. And then this second move that I made, I just made in March. And this time was really interesting because in the previous one, I had gotten rid of them in different capacities. I sent a lot to Goodwill.

Shannon Popkin (33:19) Wow, wow. Don’t tell anybody where that river is. Okay, okay.

Kara Seymour (33:43) I will say that I did sell the statues and I know people have a lot of judgment about that and passing things on, but I sold all the statues to one woman for a very, very small fraction of the price and I got to share my testimony with her. And I did say to the Lord when I put them on Facebook Marketplace, I said, if you don’t want me to sell these, then when I wake up tomorrow morning, don’t let anyone have messaged me about these.

Shannon Popkin (34:01) when

Kara Seymour (34:12) statues and if you are okay with it the first person that messages me is the one I’m gonna give them to and I even had offers after I had made a ⁓ schedule with her for to come get them I had people messaging me telling me they would pay triple double triple and I felt like it was the enemy tempting me because I wanted to take that money I needed it but I was like no and the woman came

and I told her my whole testimony. So I feel like the Lord allowed it because I got to plant some seeds or possibly water some. But the second time that I moved just recently, he had me go through all sorts of things and everything went directly into the trash.

Shannon Popkin (34:56) Okay, I just, what I love about this is, you know, those of us looking into the life of another who feel that we know what they should or should not do. We clearly see the lines between good and evil and we’ve taken upon ourselves to let them know what needs to change. That feels like judgment to them. But when you are following the Lord Jesus and he’s guiding you, that doesn’t feel like judgment because

He laid his life down for you, right? And you know he loves you. Yes, and he wants freedom for you. And so I think that’s just really encouraging for those of us who are looking into the life of another, feeling like I really want to tell her this is wrong. I want to tell her this is hurting. We can trust the Lord to do that. We can trust him.

Kara Seymour (35:24) It’s love. It’s all out of love.

Mm-hmm. If… I would say

the only… Okay, I’m just thinking about this in the moment, so… But I think, like, the only real job of a believer with another person is to encourage intimacy with the Lord, because the Holy Spirit will do the rest, you know? And it’s so much more… Yeah.

Shannon Popkin (36:02) Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah, if we truly…

Go ahead, finish.

Kara Seymour (36:10) I was just going say it’s just so

much more meaningful and impactful if we are doing this out of obedience as opposed to like this sense of obligation or shame because someone said like what I have or what I’m doing is wrong.

Shannon Popkin (36:29) Yes, or even ⁓ not confirmation, ⁓ conforming, conforming, you know? Like if we’re conforming to some man-made whatever, that’s not as meaningful as I’m following, I’m walking with the Lord and He’s impressing this in my heart. Like do we actually believe that we’re walking with Him? Do we actually believe that the Spirit has this power in our lives and in the lives of other people? And can we trust Him with that? Right?

Kara Seymour (36:32) Condemnation? ⁓ yes.

Shannon Popkin (36:57) And it is a gradual, slow process. It’s not all gonna happen at once. Our Lord loves to receive us with his mercy. He loves to pour that mercy into our lives. He loves to change us and give us all the things that we’re looking for out in the world. I cannot even tell you how much I love your story. And I have had such joy following you on Instagram and hearing you tell the little pieces. I mean, I just get so excited when I hear it. tell us.

Kara Seymour (37:14) Aww.

Shannon Popkin (37:25) you know, your handle on Instagram. forgot to add that at the beginning. We’ll link to you though in the show notes. So tell us where we can find you and follow along.

Kara Seymour (37:33) The only place you can find

me is on Instagram. I don’t have a website. I don’t have anything else going on. Well, not that I don’t have anything else going in my life, but on Instagram, I am pasta and prayers, and it’s pasta underscore and underscore prayers.

Shannon Popkin (37:44) Sorry, yeah.

Okay, we’ll link to that. I love watching your pasta too. It’s so relaxing just to watch you use your machine and make the noodles and stuff. It’s really fun. So we’ll praise God for your testimony and thank you for sharing it with us today.

Kara Seymour (37:54) Thank you. Thank ⁓ you.

It’s such an

honor to have this conversation with you and for anyone who’s listening, I just pray that it

I just pray that it brings, no matter where anyone is on their walk or not yet there on their walk and they happen to stick around for this conversation, that it just… It brings all of us, and you and me included, into just deeper and deeper intimacy with Jesus. Yeah. Yes and amen. Thank you, sister.

Shannon Popkin (38:33) Yes, yes and amen.

Kara Seymour (38:43) Aww.