Brigitte Donoho Ep 56

David W Ebel: Welcome to the God Says Yes Podcast. You are welcome here. Welcome to God Says Yes. This is another episode in the the saga of loving people where they're at. What you know, regardless of how you got to where you are, our our ministry of over fifty years has been loving people even when they struggle. So that's where we're here for is for those times that are struggling. Whether you're struggling and you've been through a rough rough a a bunch of difficult things, or you know someone who's struggling and they need some help, this podcast is for them. We've been ministering all over the world and we've And hope is always needed. So today we're going to share that hope with you. ⁓ we have with us ⁓ an amazing ⁓ musical guest. Her name is Bridget Donahoe, and Bridget's a recording artist and she's she's a a minister in her own right who does beautiful things with music and encouragement. And we're grateful to have her here. Bridget, welcome. Thank you so much for having me. Glad to be on. And tell us ⁓ just a little bit about yourself so we know who you are. Sure. Well I am a wife, a mom, a homeschool mom, so we're pretty busy with the kiddos and a lover of Jesus, a singer songwriter, and a worship leader. Thank you. I'm grateful. I'm grateful you're here. So normally we ask some simple questions as a foundation to get us started. The first one is, who were you before Jesus? Well, I came to the Lord pretty young. ⁓ I was six years old when I gave my life to Jesus. I remember being in the basement of one of the smaller churches in the Sunday school and giving my life to the Lord. And then when I grew up and got older, I hit my teenage years and I really wanted nothing to do with God. ⁓ I had seen a lot of hypocrisy within the particular denomination that I was a part of. And I just I said, if that's what Christianity looks like, if this is what God looks like, I really don't want anything to do with this. Now I had seen the hand of God move and so I knew that he was real. So I could never full I couldn't be an atheist because I knew that God was indeed real. I'd seen miracles. I had seen things throughout my lifetime that there was no denying the power of Christ. But I just I did not want to live for him. I was mad. I was ⁓ church hurt. And so I kind of just went my own way, you know, and I was living how I wanted to live. And I lived in Las Vegas at the time. And I remember my mom when I was fifteen fifteen years old, you know, going through all the things. And she said, you know what, you're gonna go to this youth conference in Sacramento. We had talked a little bit about Sacramento earlier. And I was, I mean, when I say drug to the conference, pretty much drug. Like she packed my suitcase. I I I said, I'm not going. I'm not doing this. I don't want this Jesus thing. I don't want to go. And so I went and I remember just feeling the power of the Lord come over me in that conference. And they had did this play, and it was one of those left behind plays. And I don't, you know, I don't care what your eschatology is, you know, whatever it is, but I believe God used that play to bring me closer to him because I remember sitting there thinking, okay, if if he does come back and you know, if I if I die tomorrow, I'm 100% not going to be with him because I fully rejected him. And I dedicated my life back to the Lord. And I remember it was I mean, almost like a release. You know, like I felt the Lord come over me and I felt whatever was oppressing me, whatever oppression that I was going through. I felt it leave. And when I stepped out of that building of that conference that day, it was like the sky was bluer, the gl grass was greener. And I've been actively seeking him and living for him ever since to the best of my capability. I've had my ups and my downs and all that, but I've always had him as the prize and the main goal. And so he has always been the center of my life since that point on. So I I want to say 15, 16 years old, I redid. to the Lord. Well, and it's important that ⁓ pe a lot of times I talk to people and say, Well, I gave my heart when I was was three, four, five, six, seven years old. And I was a kid's minister, I understand how important that is. But there's always that line in the sand where you've you've lived long enough that you desperately need Jesus. And at that point, that's to me, that's when the personal relationship begins. Yes. You know, God got God he deals with the innocent heart until we we aren't such an innocent heart. And then we need him. And that faith that he built us with, this custom built into us, comes into play at that point. And we c that's when we need Jesus. And I'm so glad that you you lived that life because that got that got you to the place where you are now. So question what how has it changed your life since you met him? ⁓ man, I in every aspect of my life, you know, I feel like the Lord is I I wanna say we we try to put worship music and I I I do too, you know, I'm a worship I I write worship music, all that stuff, but it's really not a genre, right? Like worship is a lifestyle in everything that you do and everyone that you encounter. And every like whether you're doing the dishes upstairs or you're preparing dinner for your family or you're you're evangelizing. Everything is an act of worship. And so I had when I had that revelation, it's like something just like snapped inside of me, like in a good way. Where I'm like, I don't have to do this. or the other, but I get to do it because he has given me the ability to do it. And so just being grateful and, you know, I I feel like being grateful in the little things and following him to the best of your ability with what you were given. Absolutely. So how's that changed your life? ⁓ I mean, in everything. I feel like I went from darkness to light. ⁓ when I was I I left parts of my testimony out. ⁓ I it was really paraphrased and and a short version, but when I was, it was it was a very very brief period of my life. You know, it was only a span of a few years where I started dabbling in alcohol and drugs and and various things like that. But it was I was I mean, I was suicidal when I was younger before I came back to the Lord. And so I remember just being in absolute darkness. Absolute darkness. And so when I think of how I used to feel and how just that depression and now that I know him, even when trials come and when val you're in valleys, you know, life is not perfect throughout my life. I've had ups and downs, lots of different things that I've walked through. But being able to walk through those things with the Lord, it changes everything because you know that you have you have the Holy Spirit inside of you. And so He is actively working on your behalf. And so knowing that I don't have to do life alone anymore because I was trying to do a life alone. I was trying to do everything, my own strength. I I didn't need the Lord, you know, and now I am so desperate for his presence every day. Like I can't go a day without his presence. And when I think about that, like Like literally, you know, if I'm starting to feel some type of way and I'm I'm going and I'm like, ⁓ checking myself in my spirit, I'm like, okay, like I need to go into my prayer room and I need to go and and spend some time with the Lord because I'm I'm feeling that c you know, feeling that plush rise up. And so being able to walk with him is I mean, it's everything. Mm-hmm. Well and and see that not everybody has come through that and i is is hit their their their high point yet. And a lot of us are still struggling. And ⁓ they what we what you're talking about seems almost h too hard to believe because they haven't experienced it. Right. But having experienced both sides of it, how can you speak to our ⁓ the viewers who are struggling to to give them hope? Well take your time. Yeah, there's there's hope in there's hope in Jesus. And so when when you surrender to him, like like I said previously, you have you have I mean your best friend to walk through life with. You know, the the only person who is absolutely never going to leave you or forsake you. And so having Jesus with you, it is absolutely everything. And I I can't I can't stress that enough. So no matter what your valleys are, I mean I've had You know, I've had significant trials through my life. I came out of the church that I gave my life to the Lord, and I would consider it more so a religious cult now looking back with some of the beliefs and some of the systems that I was brought out of. And so the Lord, even though I got saved in that, and I fully believe that I was saved in that because I I loved Jesus. But looking back, I'm like, wow, like the Lord brought me out of that. He brought me out of like strict legalism into freedom. And, you know, I've losing my dad a few years ago at a young age, you know, he was able to bring me out of that. Just every single trial that that I've gone through, ⁓ I can I mean I could just list so many with my youngest son, he's thirteen now, he's a straight A student, he's doing amazing. But years ago, when he was three years old, he was diagnosed with speech apraxia and we were told that he may never speak. Like ever. And so we were going through every single type of therapy we were going through. I mean, you you name it, we tried it and nothing was working. And then I felt the Lord say, I want you to take the report from the doctor and I want you to go and everything that is diagnosed over him, I want you to cross it out and write, he's healed in Jesus' name. So I did I did that. Every single thing, I was like, He's healed, he's he's whole, everything. And now we are walking in the fullness of that. And so I everything that was spoken over him, I would just say the opposite. I say, ⁓ no, he's actually doing great. He's doing this. He's doing that. And then like to see it play out in in real time, like I can't deny that God is real. And so I would say, I mean, just walking with Jesus and knowing that there is hope in him and that he is our ultimate comforter. So tell me about your son. How how does he speak now? ⁓ perfectly. He t he doesn't stop speaking. He he ⁓ he I mean he talks you would you would never know. And so even even going I'm going anywhere, people would never know. His pediatricians, his doctors, they would never know. There it there's not there's no residue, there's no no trace of it. So and all glory to God. Of course. That's that's the thing is it when you can do it, that's not God. Right. When you can kinda do it, that's not God. When there is no way and then God says it anyhow, that's not a coincidence. Right. Right. That's God. Fully. Yes. ⁓ I carried a card in my wallet for years. Finally it d turned into dust, but it said coincidence when God moves and doesn't get credit. Mm, that's so good. And and I then I've heard other people say, Well, God God healed my son. Well, didn't the doctors get involved? Yeah, well the d God healed and the doctor sent the bill. ⁓ And it doesn't mean that I'm not anti doctor by any means. Right. No. But I I think that the that healing comes from this when Jesus died and shed his blood, that sh that the stripes that he bore was for was for our healing. Right. And so we don't need to ignore God in the process of healing either. We need to give God all the room that he needs to do his part. And if he chooses to use a doctor in the process, Amen. But all the healing comes from God, regardless if it's through wisdom or through supernatural means or however, God moves, and that's what we want. Amen. And and Lord knows I tried the the the medical route. Like I was like, okay, we're gonna do this and this. We did ⁓ I mean thousands upon thousands of dollars hyperbaric oxygen therapy, speech therap like all the things. And I mean it was I can't emphasize how bad it actually was enough. ⁓ even in the speech therapies, his his therapist said we'd like to record him as a as a trial case because it's one of the worst cases we've ever seen. And so we would like to go and record him to just show some of our our students. And I was like, as a mom to hear that, I'm like, ⁓ like you want to record. Sorry I'm gonna get emotional. You want to record my baby because he's one of the worst you've ever seen. And then to know that God But he did that, you know. It's it's pretty. Amen. I it is it's amazing. we've you know, I've lived through s a b a whole bunch of miracles through my my life and so I can appreciate when God does something that just can't be done. Right. You know, I the doctors have told I've almost the doctors told me to get my family together seven different times. Because that my life was over and g God moved and I'm still here. Why? Because God is God is in charge, not me. Right. And I I I go to doctors, but the doctors I prefer to go to are ones of faith. So that they understand me when I say I'm I believe in God for this. They don't look at me like I have three heads. They go, Okay, that's what you believe. We'll s we'll believe with you. Yes. And you know, and and that's what you you want. You want you want to give God credit in every part of your life because God is the reason you love you live. That's your life. Yeah. Amen. So, you know, I I'm excited to have you on and and so w tell us about your music. Yeah, well, I I feel like I came out of the my mom tells me I came out of the womb singing. You know, she's like you've always just that's that was your thing. And I I remember ⁓ from a young age when Whitney Houston first came on the scene and I was like eight years old when ⁓ the bodyguard came out and I was too young to see it. But I remember listening to I Will Always Love You on repeat over and over and over again. So much to the point that my dad was like, I think that we need to just take that cassette tape and chuck it out the window, you know, because he was so done with it. But just so musical from a very early age. And then once I ⁓ hit my twenties, I want to say it was after I got married that I started really like diving into it and writing songs. And what's funny is my husband did not know that I played guitar. He knew that I liked played a little bit. He's like, ⁓ like knew I played when I was younger, but not really played guitar. And I didn't have a guitar. We were newlyweds and we didn't have two nickels to rub together, right? For a guitar. And so we had our college and career services and they needed a guitar player and someone to come and lead worship. And I was like, ⁓ well, I play guitar. And so the first time my husband got to actually experience he's heard me sing like forever I sang at our wedding, but to hear me like lead worship and play the guitar. was at that college and career night. So I I started leading worship from there and just really getting serious about writing songs. And I am more introverted by nature. And so he really had to like baby bird me out of the nest. Because he said, like this is not just for our church. This is for these songs are for many people to come to the Lord. And I really think you need to be recording them. You need to do this. And so He was really the wind beneath my wings to get that done and to really start running after this thing called music. And so I've been doing it like ever since there I started in my ⁓ mid twenties and I've been doing it for 14 years now. And I I I it's an honor to be able to do it. Every day that I get to do it, I say, wow, like this is I get to do this and I'm I I love it. I love music, is is my passion and I love writing songs for for Jesus. And I also love writing love songs. And I feel like the Lord has really expanded that these past few years where God created not just songs, He created love. So I write songs ⁓ to my husband, about my kids, about just different things that people are going through in life about loss after my father passed away. I wrote three songs about loss and trying to process grief. So I feel like healing music is so healing in general. And so it's wonderful to be able to help minister in that way. So that that that's a that's awesome. I mean, I'm just just soaking all that in. Question. How where is that music taking you? ⁓ so many places. I can't even I can't even begin. Like I when I first started, ⁓ my first event event was Big Ticket Festival here in Michigan. And that was like a huge outdoor festival worship event and got to meet tons of Christian artists. And then from there I've I've been on TV multiple times. I've I've played with some of the biggest bands in Christian music. And it's also taking me to the smaller churches where not a lot of people will go and taking me to different places where it's coffee shop type of things and and and bars. I have a funny story about a bar in ⁓ the bullfrog in Detroit years and years ago. They had a Christian music night and before we went I didn't really know much about it. I just knew that I was going to go there to minister, minister in a bar. And it was all the women were dressed in lingerie, had no clue. You know, I feel like if I know things beforehand, I'm gonna get in my own head. And so God sometimes will not give me all the details, which that's how he that's how he is, you know. And so he I don't have all the details, but when I get there and I step into it, I'm like, Lord, I don't know what you're doing, but I know that we're here. And so I was able to share the gospel and we were able to lead several of those waitresses to the Lord. And, you know. in in their lingerie, you know, come at come as you are. And so like we've been to so many places that I would never have dreamed or imagined. And I I'm s forever grateful. I understand. I I remembered recent or recently, I'm I'm a photographer, and I I had the privilege of putting some of my pictures in a in a in a gallery. Something I never ever imagined or dreamed would happen, happened. And they were having an open an open house night. So I was there as one of the artists greeting people as they came in. And another artist came in and he brought his girlfriend. And ⁓ I got to meet her for the first time, and this is a gal who's i her beginning was rough. And now she's she wants a good life and she doesn't know how to find it. So before the before the evening was done, she asked me to tell ⁓ introduce her to Jesus. So in the middle of of an art gallery, with people wandering in and out and reaching between us even as we're doing it, I led her to the Lord and she fell in love with Jesus and cried her heart out and had a a life changing experience right in the middle of the art gallery. ⁓ so good I never knew. I You know, but wherever you go, yeah, if you have the love of Jesus in you and someone needs it, how can you keep it to yourself? Right. Right. Absolutely. How can you keep I mean it's a light under a bushel, you know, you you don't want to keep it hidden. You wanna let your light shine before all men and make him known. Absolutely. ⁓ I I ⁓ remember someone was telling me that ⁓ that that they they they wanted to they wanted to s explain how how you share Jesus with people and I said, Well let's do it this way. Have you ever been to a restaurant and the food was that good? He said, Yeah, there's a steakhouse that I can't get over. It's the best steak I've ever had. I said, Do you keep it to yourself? Well no, I've told everybody. What have you done? I he said, I I took about a hundred of their business cards and gave them to everybody. I I put it on my Facebook account. I've told everybody. And I said, and and people were crazy about it. And I said, and how much have you told about Jesus? He said, ⁓ I said, is he better than steak? He said, yeah. Is he better than is he better than anything you've ever eaten? Absolutely. Is and you're shy of him? But I don't know where to start. ⁓ how do you start with a steak? Eat one bite at a time? What about maybe you start sharing Jesus the same way? Just a bite at a time. You don't expect them to swallow the steak whole. You expect to eat it a bite at a time. Why not trust God and bite at a time into faith? You d your job isn't to c to to count how whether you pray with them or not. It's your job to love them with God's love and let God do what He needs to do. It may not be their day to pray, but it is their day to feel your God's love. Right. And that changed his life. You know? It he's better than Green Bologna and he's and he's better than the the the best steak. He's better than anything you can think of. Absolutely. So now have you got a song you'd like to share with us? Sure. This is unusual for us. We don't normally get to do this. So ⁓ but I'm inviting you to ⁓ sing a song, something you think that would which would be something that you think God would want us to hear. Sounds good. Well, this song is called Pure Worship. And I feel like that's kind of along the lines of what we're talking about today, just worshiping in in spirit and in truth and just entering into his presence. So this is pure worship. As we feel you drawing near come and change the atmosphere as we respond to you, let your speech rain move. ⁓ from Lord. And take us to the place of pure worship where all other things fade away into that secret place we enter in our hearts consumed by you. Break our hearts for what breaks yours, your presence we long for Captivate us with your love. We can never forget enough. ⁓ Take us there and take us to the place of pure worship where all other things fade away into that secret place we enter in our hearts consumed by you. Come revive us, purify us, father of light, come feel ourselves inside, come revive us, purify us, father of light, come feel ourselves inside. And glory us purify us, Father of light, come feel itself inside and take us there, and take us to the place of your worship where all other things are. Fade away into that secret place we enter in our hearts consumed by you consumed by you ⁓ consume by you consume by you Amen. Thank you for sharing that. That's beautiful. Glory to God. I would love to have I would love to play that all the time at my house. That's a that's the kind of music I'd like to listen to. Amen. So ⁓ well thank you for coming on and making time for us. And we're going to ⁓ I get to pray now and and bring a challenge. So let's pray. Heavenly Father, we're grateful for the privilege we have to to know that you love us. That you always loved us, that you always will love us. You've given us gif or give different gifts and talents so we can serve you with the talents you've given us. Lord, I'm grateful for Bridget and her ministry of encouragement and music, and being a good wife and a good mom, and and being good at loving you out loud and not being ashamed. But Lord, for those that are struggling, we pray that you'll help them where they're at and meet them personally the way they are, just like you met with Bridget. That you can you can meet them where they are and help them get move from where they're stuck to where you like to set them free and bring them peace and hope and joy. Bless them and draw them to you through your Holy Spirit. Be real in their lives through the blood that was shed on the cross, Jesus, heal them. Change them and help them to to fall in love with you so that they can shine too. Bless them and let their lives be blessings to the glory of God. In Jesus' name. Amen. Well, the challenge is always the same. You want to know God? Seek after him. If you you really want to know him, seek Jesus, because Jesus said he was the way to God. So if you want to know how it'll be changed, you want to know I have a better life. You want all the things that God has promised, seek Jesus. He'll make sure you and God are connected and the beauty begins to starting right now. Be glorified in God's life in you. Let God shine through you. And watch the miracles happen as he does it in you. Bless you. This has been the God Says Yes podcast with David Evil. To connect with David, email him at GodsaysYesPodcast at gmail.com. You can get his latest book, When the Doctors Say No, God Says Yes, at Amazon.com.