Inner Views
BIO
Shauna’s passion for the inherent worth and dignity of every human life was deeply solidified when her third child was diagnosed with Down syndrome, a near fatal heart defect, and a slew of other genetic abnormalities. As a speaker, author, and disability rights advocate, Shauna shares the gift of viewing challenges through the lens of God’s Word and does so with incredible transparency and vulnerability. Despite the many trials of life, Jesus remains the anchor of her soul. Shauna became part of Joni and Friends over 16 years ago as a desperate mother in need of help and hope. She has been a staff member for 14 years now, currently serving as the Director of Direct Response and Radio Channel Marketing. The testimony she and her daughter, Sarah, share shines a spotlight on the never-ending love of Christ.
Over one million weekly listeners hear Shauna as she encourages radio listeners alongside Joni Eareckson Tada. Shauna has also lent her voice to Focus on the Family, Life Matters with Brad Mattes, Women of the Word Christian Conferences, the Dear Mom Conference, the Life Counsel Bible, and Real Families, Real Needs: A Compassionate Guide for Families Living with Disability.
INNER VIEW
Kathleen Cooke: The public stares at high profile actors and stars. They have to be aware of who is always watching them. As a single parent of a special needs child, you get stared at lots, too. What has God taught you about living in the public’s eye?
Shauna Amick: Recently, God reminded me that we always have an audience. People are watching what we do and how we live—whether we realize it or not. I had taken my daughter, Sarah, out for lunch. We had a lovely girls’ day out, full of joy and laughter. When it was time to pay the bill, the restaurant owner approached our table and explained that a woman sitting on the other side of the dining room had anonymously paid for our lunch. A complete stranger felt compelled to bless us that way, and she explained to the owner why… She saw the love between Sarah and me and found it unusual. Maybe she was surprised that the mother of a child with Down syndrome could be so happy and full of love for someone with a disability. Or perhaps what surprised her was witnessing Sarah glorifying God in the beautiful ways she does just by being who he created her to be. It was at that moment that God taught me once again: the way we live our lives and the way we love others influences people dramatically. We have the choice to influence others in such a way that they choose to love and lead like Jesus, or we can influence others to question the sanctity of life and doubt the goodness of God. What will you choose? Are you living life out loud in such a way that those who are watching you are inspired to spread the lasting aroma of Christ everywhere?
Kathleen: As professionals on secular sets or working in production offices, the culture can often be toxic and challenging to our Christian values and beliefs, leading to mistreatment, bullying, and sometimes being fired from work. What has God taught you about not backing down or compromising your faith?
Shauna: It’s taken me 50 years to fully comprehend that the Word of God and the individual mission that God has placed on my life are what should define my boundaries. Like all humans and, therefore, finite beings, I have limits regarding time, energy, and matters of the heart. God expects me to set and keep boundaries not only for my peace of mind but also for my daughter’s. Specifically, God does not want me to enable the mistreatment of my disabled daughter or myself. Matthew 18 instructs us to deal with mistreatment directly and gives us a plan for conflict resolution. First, we’re to have a one-on-one conversation. If that doesn’t help, then we should bring another person in for guidance. If that’s not successful, we’re to go to the church for counsel, and if there’s still no resolution, we need to take a very serious look at the relationship and decide if it’s healthy or safe to stay in it. Matthew 18 does not instruct us to endure mistreatment indefinitely. The Bible doesn’t say that if the mistreatment won’t stop, just keep putting up with it. Yet that was a misconception I had for many years. I allowed (even enabled) toxic behavior because I felt stuck. I didn’t understand the power of respecting my own boundaries until later in life. Other people don’t have to agree with our values and boundaries. Even when they don’t, we can still maintain our own boundaries and thus protect our mental and emotional health, as well as the health of those God has entrusted to us. Ultimately, setting and keeping boundaries determine our quality of life. Are you fearful that setting boundaries will bring consequences in your relationships that you don’t want to face? (more…)
Inner Views
BIO
Shayna Rattler, the Founder of A God Shift Movement, empowers believers to drive meaningful change in the world for the glory of God. She is passionate about helping others to manifest God’s image and likeness in the earth and to have dominion. She is on a mission to cultivate a powerful community of women leading in the media or marketplace, equipping them to harness their influence and authority to uphold Christian values and advance the purposes of God, plus guiding them to mobilize others to blaze the same trail. With her unique blend of wisdom, wit, and humor, Shayna has a remarkable talent for making God’s word relatable, and her straightforward communication style transforms it into actionable steps.
Shayna has helped celebrities, influencers, military officers, political dignitaries, pastors, seasoned entrepreneurs, and corporations achieve personal growth and organizational excellence. She and her businesses have received multiple awards; she has published several books and has been featured in over 450 media outlets. Shayna is the award-winning host of A God Shift Podcast and A God Shift with Shayna Rattler TV Show. She is a proud member of the Christian Women in Media Association, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Spark Media Collective and is a Co-Director for the Influence Women Dallas Chapter launching on September 17th!
INNER VIEW
Kathleen Cooke: Women in media, entertainment, music, arts, and leadership positions often feel powerless and in positions that seem out of control. What has God taught you about being in control?
Shayna Rattler: We are designed for dominion! When God created us in His image and likeness and gave us dominion, that allows us to operate like He operates and to be His representative on earth. This means we have control over every area of our lives, but unfortunately, we do not know who we are or why we are here, so the very environment we are created to dominate ends up dominating us.
Kathleen: What do you do when God seems silent and you can’t connect with Him?
Shayna: Learn to wait well. There were a few things the Lord promised me that were taking years to come to pass. I finally surrendered and recognized that He was not going to move until He was ready, so I switched my prayer from “when” to “Lord, help me wait well.” Waiting well consisted of spending more time quiet in His presence through worship and times of stillness to increase my ability to hear. It also consisted of focusing on the things I could control, like the assignments and platforms He trusted me with. I came to realize that just because God is still, He is always working.
Kathleen: The industry seems to be flooded with individuals who all want to look and sound the same. How can someone become unique and stand out from the crowd?
Shayna: Everyone in the world was born for an assignment – to solve a problem. Whatever God desires is relayed to the unseen, then manifested in the seen so the earth knows what heaven is saying. We execute this through our programs, platforms, and projects. Since God may be saying something different to each of us and we each have a different audience, there should be less pressure to worry about whether we are “unique enough.” Just focus on what God called you to do in the way He called you to do it, and do that with a spirit of excellence. If we’re looking to our left and right to make sure we’re different, we will not only trip but can confuse our journey with that of the other person, and it complicates the mission.
How do you find peace with whom God has called you to be? I’m clear that the world needs the gifts the Lord gave me, so that helps to push me even on the days I am full of doubt or want to throw in the towel.
Kathleen: We all impact others’ lives, but what’s the one thing you’ve learned about influence?
Shayna: Influence, to me, is the ability to inspire change and action in others by embodying authenticity and empathy. One significant lesson I’ve learned about influence is the power of leading by example. In my role as a leader, I’ve found that my actions often speak louder than words, and by modeling the behavior I want to see in others, I can effectively influence positive outcomes. Understanding influence has not only enhanced my leadership abilities but has also deepened my relationships and impact within my organization and community.
Connect with Shayna:
Join the movement: www.AGodShift.com
Instagram: @agodshift
Dallas Chapter: @InfluenceWomenDallas
Journal
Our culture is volatile. Just observe what often happens when a car accident occurs. In our present era of social media, it happens so easily for unintended or accidental incidents to “go viral.” Out come the cell phones. With social media, what might have been a simple local incident fifty years ago, can now incite a passionate global response. We were created by a passionate God to be passionate people. Jesus definitely was. We often refer to His life, death, and resurrection as “the Passion of Christ.”
What happens when our passions are not understood and they incite a wrong response?
I am reminded how often I have almost hit the car in front of me because it suddenly stopped, only for me to eventually realize there was something was in the road I couldn’t originally see. Perhaps it was an animal running across the road or debris that was in the way. The only thing I could see was my coffee cup or purse go flying in my car as I came to an abrupt stop. And I confess… my verbal responses haven’t always been pleasant ones! Similarly, social and political issues most often happen when we aren’t present. And our screens usually only show one perspective and not the whole picture. Yet, because of our human passion, we respond with an instant reaction that can ignite others’ views like a wildfire causing unrest and destruction.
Passionate responses cause disruptions.
In Luke 12:49, Jesus revealed His human nature and the burden of living in our broken world. He was both fully God and fully human and He was passionate to save us. He knew He would be “baptized” in suffering and wished He could just get on with it – be “kindled.” Yet God’s passion for us wouldn’t let Him until all that needed to be fulfilled in prophecy was done. It required Jesus to wait and walk the walk and talk the talk and trust in God’s perfect timing. And, I might add, it wasn’t easy. It required that He bring truth, and the truth is volatile. His passion would bring division. The truth of Jesus brought would pit one against the other – families would be divided because of their inability to see clearly who He was and God’s plan.
Our humanness limits our sight.
Jesus continually spoke clearly but He had to also use stories and ask questions that brought clarity and understanding because the hard truth stopped people. His mission was to enlighten us on God’s plan for our redemption. God saw what had to be done from the inciting incident of sin in the Garden. He knew how to solve the problem because He’s God. Yet, from our blind perspective, we only saw the punishment and not God’s redemptive plan for us. Our “car” (freedom) has been forced to stop and our personal stuff is flying. For those who have allowed themselves to believe in the truth of Jesus and whose eyes have been opened, we see differently.
We don’t have to know “the why” because God sees the why.
Instead of confusion and fear when challenges happen, we’re able to relax in the uncertainty and it’s unnatural. We weren’t at the inciting incident of sin in the Garden of Eden, but we don’t have to be. The Word of God is enough to trust that He’s got us. He sees us when we find ourselves suddenly stopped in our career or in life.
But we must choose.
We can become confused and frustrated when life’s disruptions happen, or choose the “peace that surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). The difference? Confident rest. There’s a clarity and assurance that permeates our being, knowing that in the unknown and “the wait,” God’s perfect will is ideal, and His vision for us is best when we let Him control our gas petals.
In Luke 12:57-59, Jesus challenged those who were listening to pay attention to the time they were living in. It was the most significant time that had ever happened on Earth. He had come to save us. Today, we even document time as before Christ (BC) and after Christ’s death (AD) because His life, death, and resurrection stopped the clock and then restarted it.
The times we’re living in seem to change at light speed with unintended incidents – stops that we never could have anticipated, but still manage to disrupt our lives. Yet, God never changes. His plans will be accomplished even if they unfortunately divide families and cause disruptive “fires.” Jesus knew He was the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jesus was confident in what He had been called to do on Earth by His Father. He willingly and passionately completed His mission, even if it incited division and disruption.
Are you willing to trust God’s plan and perspective for your life even if causes a fire?
News
Last week was a stunning example of the overall vision of The Influence Lab in action! Invited to speak at the Pentecostal World Conference held in Seoul, Korea, Phil Cooke shared during a Marketplace Ministry session, empowering pastors from multiple nations gathered for the event.
Hosted by the Yoido Full Gospel Church pioneered by Rev. Yonggi Cho, the setting was both historic and forward-looking as 20,000 pentecostal leaders gathered to “prepare for a fresh wave of revival in the next generation.” Korea is the world’s second-largest missionary-producing country in the world, which made it a prime location for this global conference.
Phil’s session, titled “Leaders: In a Post-COVID World, Where Do We Go From Here?” was geared to help leaders emerge from the pandemic positioned for a new and stronger future.
“The conference was a remarkable platform for me to be able to engage with media leaders from across Asia,” Phil states. “Korea has always been very open to using television, video, social media and other digital tools for evangelism, because they understand the importance of reaching the next generation.”
Cooke joined a lineup of speakers which included Dr. Younghoon Lee, general Superintendent of the Assemblies of God of Korea and Sr. Pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church, Rob Hoskins of OneHope Ministry, Christine Caine of A21 Ministries, Dr. Billy Wilson, president of ORU, Goodwill Shana, and many other influential international leaders.
Anticipation for the conference ran high, with a concluding global prayer meeting held at Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea.
“The impact of this conference will be far-reaching as pastors travel back to their congregations, better equipped for the challenges of the changing digital landscape,” shares Phil.
During the conference, he received invitations to conduct media training in Thailand, Kenya, Tanzania and India. The need is great and The Influence Lab is looking for patrons who recognize that need and want to support the effort.
Can you help? When you partner with The Influence Lab, you support the mission which helps make media training accessible to leaders in other countries. Give your generous gift today and receive a special gift as our “thank you.”
Give today and choose your thank you gift! Give here.
News
Recently, Phil and Kathleen Cooke, co-founders of The Influence Lab, were on the move in Nashville at the annual National Religious Broadcasters Convention (NRB). NRB is an international association of Christian communicators with more than 1,100 member organizations reaching millions with the use of media. Each year Christian media and entertainment leaders meet in a national city to teach leadership and technical workshops, share updates on media policies, listen to inspirational speakers, receive media and entertainment awards, and provide communicators with the opportunity to connect over their most recent content and projects.
Phil and Kathleen were hosted on several national radio programs, podcasts and TV shows. They also met with a number of national and global leaders to talk about the mission and vision of The Influence Lab and Influence Lab Women. (Read more here: Industry Experts Talk About the Power of Documentaries.)
What is the mission and vision of The Influence Lab?
Our Mission
Recognizing we live in a media-driven culture dominated by the influence of Hollywood, we engage Christians who are involved in media, entertainment, leadership, and the arts to encourage them to align their faith with God’s Kingdom purposes and become influencers and to use their talents and skills effectively to change the global culture.
Our Vision
To cultivate Christian thought leaders involved in media, entertainment, leadership, and the arts who are passionate to elevate the voice of God’s purposes and callings and bring about positive global change for the Church and the world.
What is coming next?
Save the date for April 29th in Los Angeles and June 10th in Atlanta for the next in-person Influence Lab Women gatherings. Details coming soon!
