Welcome to Beholder Beauty, where we explore the intersections of faith, beauty, and the challenging moments life hands us. Today, I'm delighted to share with you a profound conversation with Donna Bucher, the founder of Serenity and Suffering. Donna is a passionate writer, poet, speaker, and advocate with experiences that have beautifully shaped her unique perspective on life. Let's dive into the heart of our discussion, which is about embracing serenity amidst suffering, understanding the true essence of beauty, and recognizing God's transformative love in our lives.
Introduction music Everlasting Covenant by Don Rutherford.
Episode 20: Serenity and Beauty: A Conversation with Donna Bucher
This is what life looks like when you're 65, and you've lived life, and you've had losses, and you have laughed, and cried, and been abused, and bounced back, and you're still going, and there's no filters, no filters, no effects, no nothing, this is just what life looks like, and it's beautiful, it's beautiful.
Donna Bucher
Knowing that even though the suffering meant to break us, God reforged us into new creatures, and He doesn't remove those scars because those scars testify to the transformation and to His love. And so that is the serenity and suffering is seeing that.
Donna Bucher
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Summary:
In this heartfelt episode of Beholder Beauty, I sit down with Donna Bucher, founder of “Serenity and Suffering.” Donna shares her journey as a writer, poet, and retired missionary, reflecting on her blog dedicated to spiritual growth and finding purpose amidst trials. We delve into topics of authenticity and self-acceptance. Donna reads her poem 'Beloved,' inspired by Psalm 2, and emphasizes the significance of inner beauty and faith. The discussion moves through personal stories of loss and grieving, highlighting how suffering can shape and transform individuals, offering hope and strength through God's redemption and love. We touch upon Donna's experiences living in a third world country, her upcoming projects, and her aspiration to release a poetry collection centered on themes of redemption and hope. Throughout the episode, the importance of embracing both suffering and serenity is underscored, along with encouragement for listeners to find comfort and love in their faith.
Show Notes:
00:00 Introduction to Beholder Beauty
00:14 Meet Donna Bucher
00:47 Donna's Journey as a Writer
02:32 The Birth of Serenity and Suffering Blog
03:56 Donna's Poem: Beloved
05:37 Reflections on Psalm 2
06:45 Donna's Experience at the Cultivate Retreat
08:14 The Importance of Authenticity in Writing
09:35 Debra and Donna's Beauty Journey
11:31 Redefining Beauty Through God's Lens
17:07 The Struggle with Self-Image
25:28 True Beauty: A Life of Sacrifice
26:24 Redefining Beauty Beyond the Surface
28:40 Finding Purpose in Suffering
35:36 A Personal Story of Loss and Faith
43:07 The Intersection of Grief and Hope
48:14 Future Plans and Final Thoughts
Meet our Author, Donna Bucher
Donna is a passionate creative, writer, poet, speaker, retired missionary, CASA volunteer, experienced counselor and hospice and palliative care support personnel. Founder of Serenity in Suffering blog, and author of the Serenity in Suffering newsletter on Substack, where she shares articles, resources and counseling designed to help readers grow personally and find spiritual intimacy with Christ; ultimately finding purpose in the trials they face.
Her writings have appeared in various online sites, literary journals, digital and print magazines, and published devotional journals.
Follow her at:
https://serenityinsuffering.com/
https://www.instagram.com/serenityinsuffering/
Substack:
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Together, we delve into the beauty of life. Our God is our redeemer, and it is an ashes-to-beauty kind of story. STAY AWHILE.
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Serenity and Beauty