Pursuing a Dream with Dianne Jago
On this episode of the Journeywomen podcast I had the privilege of chatting with Dianne Jago. Dianne is a Christ-follower, military wife, mama of 3, and the founder of Deeply Rooted Magazine. She and her family live in an 1850's farmhouse located in Central PA. On a personal note, I’ve been itching to have a conversation with her about pursuing a dream since I began planning the launch of the Journeywomen podcast!
We talked about what to consider before pursuing a dream, how doing so impacts our families, and our ultimate goals for Journeywomen and Deeply Rooted Magazine. Dianne encouraged me to hold my dreams open handedly before the Lord, because there’s beauty in dreaming, but even more beauty in what Christ is doing to redeem his people. Below are the questions I asked Dianne as well as how you can connect with her on social media and through the magazine.
For those who don’t know you, tell us a little about who you are and what you do.
When did you start dreaming about creating a magazine?
At the time, would you say you felt called by God to start a magazine? How did you know you were within the Lord’s will to move forward?
Does the Gospel free us up to dream? If so, how?
How do you know when to move forward with pursuing your dream? What kind of things would you look for to determine whether or not you should shelve it for a different season of life or maybe even let it die?
Were there other elements in your decision making process before launching the magazine? Looking back, what things do you wish you would have considered or known?
Has pursuing your dream always been easy? If not, what kept you going when things became difficult?
A lot of people have told me that Journeywomen will take as much time as I want to give it. Do you find that to be true? How do you set boundaries with your work? How do you balance running the magazine, helping Ethan, mothering, and serving in your local church?
What encouragement do you have for someone who has a dream?
3 Questions I Ask Every Guest
What 3 resources would you recommend to someone who is pursuing a dream?
What are your 3 simple joys?
As a journeywoman, who is the most impactful person in your own journey with Jesus?
Note Worthy Quotes
“I believe he’s called me to it, but I don’t know if I necessarily felt called when the idea came to mind.”
“When I think about the gospel I think of dying to self. I think about submitting my will over and asking God to be the Lord of my life, which looks like dying to my ambitions. That is so counter-cultural in a world that screams self promotion, success, and showing your highlight reels. I believe that the Gospel completely changes our views on success and that gives us the freedom to be okay with whatever the outcome of our dream is. If our dream proves to be successful it’s to his glory. And if it doesn’t prove to be successful it is still to his glory.”
“When Jesus becomes our absolute delight, we’re free to follow wherever he calls us.”
Dianne’s clarifying questions regarding pursuing a dream:
Is this Biblical?
Have I seriously prayed about it and given myself time to consider it?
What season of life am I in?
Have we sought counsel in this?
What does my walk with God look like right now?
Am I willing to surrender this dream and this idea to God?
“You might be spinning a lot of plates and your family has to be on board with that, but as long as you’re keeping your first callings first and maintain your main priorities, there’s room to make mistakes and to figure out what works best for you and for you as a family.”
“It’s always shifting. Being a little bit fluid and flexible and having grace on one another and being open to saying, ‘Hey, I haven’t seen you in a little bit, can you close the laptop so we can get time together,’ or just me being lazy and him saying, ‘Hey you actually need to get work done, you’ve been hanging out on the couch watching Netflix with me too much.’”
“Something that I’ve learned over the years is that I don’t have to do everything.”
Tips for protecting her priorities:
Having a quiet time.
Scheduling time to spend with her spouse.
Being able to accept that she can’t do everything.
“Apart from Jesus we are nothing. We are just a withering branch. We have to be abiding in him. We have to be connected to him.”
“I am not better than what I’m calling other people to be. I need Jesus. Period.”
“Christ’s legacy is the only one that lasts.”
“There’s beauty in dreaming, but there’s more beauty in Christ and what he’s doing to redeem his people.”
Dianne's Resources
Ordinary by Michael Horton
Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung
A Passion for the Impossible: The Life of Lilias Trotter
Lilias Trotter Amazon Documentary
Dianne's Simple Joys
Her ducks
Mojito mint water with freshly squeezed limes
Simple spiritual questions from her kids
IMPORTANT NOTE
Journeywomen interviews are intended to serve as a springboard for continued study in the context of your local church. While we carefully select guests each week, interviews do not imply Journeywomen's endorsement of all writings and positions of the interviewee or any other resources mentioned.
Affiliate links used are used where appropriate. Thank you for supporting the products that support Journeywomen!
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