Jill McAlpine knows what deep emotional pain looks like - she has seen it in her practice as a Clinical Psychologist and she has felt it herself, acutely, through church-based ministry and the terminal illness diagnosis of her husband, Stephen. In this episode, Jill shares with Taryn her gratitude for the pain, hurt, sorrow and grief because of how God has shaped her and her husband through some of the more difficult moments in life and ministry. 

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Jill belongs to God, first and foremost. She is grateful for his gift to her of her husband and best friend, Stephen. Together, they embrace the challenges of loving and parenting two children (an adult and a teenager) and they are looking forward to retirement together.

As a psychologist, Jill has been blessed to meet and work with people from all walks of life in a diversity of settings, from schools to prisons; around the world, including in the UK working with Muslim women in a refugee centre; and currently in her clinical psychology practice in Perth with women (and men) across all life stages and contexts.

As someone involved in church-based ministry – that has included a couple of church plants – Jill has been entrusted with an intimate awareness (personally and professionally) of the struggles and pastoral care needs of congregations, of those who lead them, and of their families. Jill also enjoys teaching in Pastoral Care at theological college to help equip the next generation of students to care well for others.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Providence Church

Handle With Care

Every Moment Holy

SHOW SNIPPETS:

“I’m a huge introvert and so for me it was quite a challenge to open myself up, so instantly, to people.”

“We were told that our parenting was not up to speed, we were told that I should not be working as a psychologist-because it’s not good for the family.”

“We were told that Stephen was not cut out for ministry or for leading a church.”

“We felt that at that moment we were so deconstructed, we had nowhere to go then to seek God out.”

“We soothed our way through our suffering, just praying.”

“Even though we thought that we had let them down, there was enough grace there to continue to love us.”

“The clutter was more my despair and my disbelief, I knew I couldn’t fix this. I was trying to work out ‘how do I manage this?’ And I realised that it was beyond me.”

 “Everything just did not make sense and we were completely vulnerable and exposed to God’s plan for us.”

“We had nothing. It was a very pivotal moment for us in our ministry.”

“We are thankful for the pain and the hurt, the sorrow, the grief, we are thankful for how God has shaped us through it.”

“My time is very much with people-and sometimes those contexts blur.”

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.. The Lydia Project: Conversations with Christian Women is a podcast co-hosted by Tori Walker and Taryn Hayes. It features informal chats with Christian women around faith, life, ministry and the ways in which God is shaping their thinking and their lives. The views of TLP guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts.