That Thing You Keep Tripping Over? Let's Talk About It.

You know that thing—that same thing—you keep stumbling over in your walk with Jesus? The one that makes you wonder if you're actually growing at all? Yeah, that thing.

In the latest episode of Coffee Chat, Amber and Lisa pull up chairs to the kitchen table for the kind of honest conversation we usually only have with ourselves (or avoid entirely).

When You Feel Like You're Circling the Same Mountain. Again.

"Why is it we have to circle the same mountain over and over again to learn and to grow?"

Amber drops this question early in the conversation, and honestly? It's the one so many of us are afraid to ask out loud. Because shouldn't we be "further along" by now?

This isn't one of those polished Christian conversations where everyone pretends they've got it all figured out. Instead, it's two friends getting real about those moments when the old patterns resurface—when despite our genuine love for Jesus, we find ourselves responding in ways that look nothing like Him.

The To-Do List None of Us Expected

In one of the most touching moments of the episode, Amber shares about finding her father's to-do lists after his passing. Among "paint front door" and "fix the pipes" were items like "be a better father" and "be a better husband."

"What a sweet mercy from the Lord for you guys to find notes like that," Lisa reflects, "knowing that he knew he struggled and he wanted to do differently."

Sometimes the most profound grace comes in realizing we're not alone in our struggles—that even the people who hurt us were fighting battles we couldn't see.

A Three-Step Path When You Feel Stuck

If you're tired of tripping over the same things, Amber and Lisa offer a refreshingly simple (but not easy) pathway forward:

1. Realize it's happening - Name that pattern you keep repeating

2. Actually want it to change - Pray for the desire if you don't have it yet

3. Put feet to it - Because good intentions without action keep us stuck

"I do believe that we have an enemy," Lisa reminds us, "there is a force out there who would like to see us really dwell in the old space we were lodging in before we knew Christ."

Grace For the Journey (Yes, Even This Part)

Perhaps what we need most in these moments isn't another strategy, but permission to acknowledge we're still in process.

"The enemy of our souls can allow us to feel so guilty for the things we still struggle with, that he tries to overwrite the grace and love and the saving of our Jesus," Amber shares.

Because here's the truth: transformation is happening, even when it doesn't feel like it. Even when you trip over that same thing for the hundredth time.

So What Now?

This conversation feels like sitting down with two friends who get it—who understand the frustration of finding yourself back in patterns you thought you'd outgrown, but who also remind you that growth isn't linear, and grace is still abundant.

Listen to the full episode below to join the conversation.

Questions to Sit With:

• What's that "thing on the floor" you keep tripping over in your relationship with God or others?

• If you were to write an honest to-do list like Amber's dad, what would be on it?

• When you mess up (again), is your first instinct to extend grace or to beat yourself up?

• Who could be your "code word person"—someone safe who helps you recognize patterns when they're happening?

• What's one small, practical step you could take this week toward changing a pattern?

New episodes of Coffee Chat with Amber and Lisa drop every other week. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or find them on YouTube to join this circle of sisters figuring out faith in real time.