The Love Offering: Recent Episodes
The Love Offering
Loving Fully and Living Faithfully Real stories of women who are living out their faith in love to God, others, and even to themselves. Tune in to discover how you too can be a love offering to those around you and learn to believe that what you offer matters.
It's easy to feel overwhelmed and limited by the demands on your life as a mom. Your heart's cry is for God to use you, but at the end of the day, you don't have much left to give.But what if the limits on your life could be overcome through the power of the Holy Spirit? Jessica Hurlbut is on the show igniting hope in the hearts of overwhelmed moms to believe that God has more. Revealing 12 limits that hinder mothers--very real things like exhaustion, distractions, and disillusionment--Jessica empowers you to respond in obedience rather than react in emotions. From there she will teach you how to recognize and follow the Holy Spirit's lead so you can experience the abundant life Jesus promised rather than the just-getting-by life we tend to settle for. No matter your circumstances, God sees you, knows you, and has more for your life--even amid the crazy season of motherhood.Connect with Jessica:https://www.jessicahurlbut.com
Change in our lives is inevitable whether it is a change we desire, like a new job or a new city, or one thrust upon us, like the loss of a loved one or a challenge to our health. Either way, we get to choose who we become as a result of these changes in our lives. Change is a powerful teacher, shaping and molding us more into the likeness of Christ as we let it do its work.Braving Change author, Andi Andrew is on the show helping us to: · recognize the transition you are in· recover from loss· reclaim your power to make healthy choices· rebuild after changeJoin us to make sense of the change you're experiencing so that you can grow through it and be prepared for the next change that comes your way.Connect with Andi:andiandrew.com
As women, we're often told that we're entitled or unrealistic when we want to create a life we love. We start hearing this message from a very early age, and by the time we're old enough to know what we want, we've also been taught to doubt our instincts and to see selfishness in all our longings.This episode is the antidote to those voices and the way forward.Writer, speaker, and podcaster Stephanie May Wilson is on the show helping us shrug off the pressure of what we think our lives are supposed to look like and take on the next big decision or life transition with intentionality and confidence.Join us to learn how to:Define yourself on your own terms by setting aside societal pressures that tell you who you're supposed to be.Feel empowered to make your next big decisions with confidence and clarity.Build security and peace in both who you are and the season you're in.On today’s show and in her book, Create a Life You Love, Stephanie will help you untangle your own expectations from the expectations of others and get inspired to at last pursue a life that you're excited to wake up to each day.Connect with Stephanie: https://stephaniemaywilson.com
The peace we long for begins with coming to the end of ourselves.There are inescapable aspects of life we are all marked by. We have less control than we want, more anxiety than we're comfortable with and just enough insecurity to continually remind us of our shortcomings. To experience these things is to be human. We aren't superheroes and invincibility isn't an option.But humility is.Whether we've incorrectly defined it or underestimated its relevance to our daily life, humility is the missing piece for the security, strength and confidence we all want. It's time to stop trying so hard to avoid our limitations or overcompensate for them. God has better for us and it begins with bowing low in humility.Dr. Joel Muddamalle is on the show to help us:Overcome the fear of being "found out" or looking like a fraud by realizing God's intent for shortcomings and weaknesses.Walk through hurtful situations in the most God-honoring way by gaining a true understanding of biblical humility.Answer the question "why do bad things happen to good people?" by learning a perspective shift that will change how you process suffering.Know confidently that you're living with purpose and being used by God through seven ways to practically live like Him today.Be led by the biblical definition of self-awareness so you can experience the unexpected ways it brings safety and security to your life.Stop believing the lie that theology is out of touch or too difficult to comprehend as Joel shows you how to dig into scripture and study it yourself.Join us to discover weakness is not your enemy. Planted in the soil of humility, weakness becomes a means to gaining more strength and more peace.Connect with Dr. Muddamalle:https://muddamalle.com
Comparison can feel like a never-ending struggle. The whole measuring up to friends and influencers on social media? It's a lot. Everyone has their own idea of what we should be like. Shannon Popkin and Lee Nienhuis are on the show to help you break free from the comparison trap and embrace the incredible life that Jesus has in store for you. Join us to discover new freedom, confidence, and influence by adopting Jesus's "me-free" mindset in this crazy, measure-up world. Connect with Shannon and Lee:comparisongirl.com
Aging. Grateful. Those are two words you don't usually see in a sentence together. Culture tells us that aging involves wrinkles, extra pounds, arthritis, and graying hair. And its answer to aging's many problems? Fight back! And we do, wearing ourselves out physically, emotionally, and spiritually in the process. But the Bible speaks about aging differently—that each year is a gift from God. Join us as Heather Creekmore talks about Aging Gratefully. She is offering us humorous encouragement and sincere hope for this stage of life by pointing us each day to something we have to be thankful for in our current seasons. She guides you in prayer, giving words to your practice of gratitude, and then gets you moving to put your thanksgiving into action. Tune in to find reasons to laugh out loud, reminders to live abundantly, and a solid rationale for why aging and grateful really do belong together.Connect with Heather:@compared to who
You want to create a beautiful, livable home, but you feel stuck. House Rules is your guide to understanding why some rooms look great and other rooms don't look quite right. The Nester Myquillyn Smith is on the show sharing memorable, universal decorating truths that apply to every house, style, and budget. By guiding you to do what you know, use what you have, and finish what you started. Join us to· understand why you love (or don't love) your spaces· develop confidence to make rewarding decisions that feel risky· find satisfaction with small wins that combine to create big changes· receive inspiration and motivation resulting in finished, personalized roomsLearn how to make better decorating decisions with ease. Today's episode is packed full of simple, encouraging truths and quick takeaways for you to implement into your home immediately.Connect with Myquillyn Smith:https://thenester.com
In a world that expects near perfection from people in ministry, it is hard to be honest about struggles of being a pastor's wife or a woman in ministry--let alone have a sense of humor about it! Jessica Taylor, Stephanie Gilbert, and Jenna Allen are on the show sharing a safe place for pastors' wives and women in ministry to be their most authentic selves. Join us as we address topics such as how to smash stereotypes, deal with marital issues, make friends, and overcome parenting anxiety. They remind pastors' wives (and the people in their congregations) that God doesn't expect them to be superhuman. If you're a pastor's wife--by calling, by choice, or by circumstance--you'll find relief, renewal, and refreshment in today’s episode.Connect with PWTA:https://www.pastorswivestellall.com
Tired of trying to be enough? The truth is you were never meant to be, no matter what culture might tell you.Christian women today are bombarded with confusing messaging–they are supposed to do and be it all but also die to themselves. They are supposed to believe that women can do anything and also surrender everything to God. Adding to that pressure, many women feel stuck in their current reality–spinning on the hamster wheel of life. They scroll past images that tell them everyone else has it together and is experiencing a purpose-filled, adventurous, fun, loving, and God-honoring life. Overwhelmed and at a loss, most women go one of two places: defeat or self-help empowerment, even Christian self-help.Becky Kiser is on the show talking about her book But God Can. She's helping us realize this truth: on our own, we were never meant to be enough—that is the gospel message, that is why Jesus came. But God Can get you unstuck and find a purpose you have never known! You will identify the lies you've internalized, replace those with new truths, and find freedom through realistic, practical, and life-changing strategies.Join us to:find freedom from lies as she changes how she thinks,identify what God says is actually true,remember that God is more than capable of doing anything,discover how He has uniquely created her, andpropel her into the abundant life of deep purpose.Tune in to realize you don't have to be enough because God is more than enough! On your own, you can't, but God totally can!Connect with Becky:@beckykiser
In an age where everyone else's successes are flaunted in front of you on social media, it can be a struggle to feel true happiness and contentment exactly where you are. Throw in difficult circumstances--loss, heartbreak, change, midlife--and it's easy to understand why you feel lonely, lost, unsure of yourself, stuck, and, if you're honest with yourself, flat-out unhappy.Sarah Bragg is on today’s episode chatting about her book Is Everyone Happier Than Me? She provides practical and relatable answers to the questions you've probably already been asking about your life, and poses a few more, to help you figure out what's standing in the way of your happiness, peace, and connection. Join us as Sarah shares the valuable lessons she's learned in her own hard seasons to help you:Identify the unhealthy habits you do when you feel unhappy and how to overcome them.Discover simple ways to find peace even in the murky middle of hard seasons.Find new ways to connect with others and yourself.Embrace exactly where you are even as you try to move forward.It's time to let go of the ideal of a perfect life and allow yourself to be a work in progress. And there's no better time to find happiness than right here in the middle.Connect with Sarah:www.sarahbragg.com@sarahwbragg
What does it look like to love in this situation? As a mother to children navigating chronic illness and a guiding beacon in healthcare leadership, Juli Boit beckons us to shatter the chains of injustice and embrace the limitless realm of mercy. In today’s episode, Juli shares about her transformative hospice leadership in Kenya. Her story challenges us to fine-tune our listening, to fearlessly confront our doubts, and to wholeheartedly recognize the shared humanity that binds us together.Through her book Brave Love, a profound revelation unfolds: love is an ever-evolving journey. Her life invites and compels us to embrace discomfort, reimagine our perspectives, and resoundingly answer love's transformative call with unswerving compassion. In a world fractured by divisions, join us to bravely love.Connect with Juli:Juliboit.com
Likely you’re a good person living a decent life, making a living and working hard. You go to church on Sundays and pray before your meals. But you have a secret, a hidden part of your life that you’d be ashamed for anyone to find out about. The thing with secrets is that they eventually come out. Instead of hiding, let’s have a difficult conversation, a real talk about secrets and shame and sex and a lot of things in between. Difficult conversations don’t have to be difficult, but they do have to be honest. In today's episode and in her book, Don’t Tell Anyone You’re Reading This, Lina shares her own struggle with sexual temptation with openness and vulnerability. She points out where the church and purity culture have failed our communities. Lina gets real about the excuses we make and the lies we tell ourselves even when our behaviors point to a larger problem.This is a no-holds-barred discussion on why Christians still struggle with sexual sin and what the church needs to be doing to support Christians and the community at large. Most importantly, you’ll see that despite our constant failures as humans, Jesus doesn’t ask us to be perfect. He just asks us to be His.If you’re going to have a difficult conversation, you might as well have it with a doctor. Connect with Lina:Livingwithpower.org
Every marriage has its strengths and its stresses. There’s not one that can’t be improved, fine-tuned, made stronger — or even overhauled if needed.Dave and Ann Wilson are on the podcast talking about the Art of Marriage, a transformative marriage resource designed to help you explore new levels of intimacy, communication, and connection with your spouse.Whether you’re a newlywed or have been married for decades, FamilyLife’s Art of Marriage is your path to a stronger, more beautiful masterpiece of God’s handiwork.Connect:FamilyLife.com
When is the last time God called you to do something that felt terrifying? When God nudges us into the unknown, it can be thrilling and exciting but also overwhelming and risky. Whether you're a stay-at-home mom, a corporate leader looking to follow God's calling, or a retiree who knows you have more to give to the world, this episode is for you.Wife, mother, Bible teacher, and entrepreneur Rachel G. Scott loves to help men and women navigate their God-given callings. In her book Taking the 5 Leaps and in today’s episode, Rachel equips us to go from delay to action. What kind of leap are you being invited to make? And how can you prepare, plan, and execute that leap? This episode outlines five types of leaps you can take using illustrations from the Bible and personal stories. Taking a risk of any kind is often accompanied with feelings of fear, uncertainty, and hesitancy. It requires courage and wisdom. In the Bible, we meet several leapers who learned to make obedience to God a non-negotiable. Rachel introduces us to biblical characters who have paved the way to lead us into a greater understanding of God's heart and intentions for modern-day leapers. This is your invitation to take the leap and partner with God in living a leaping lifestyle! Taking leaps always includes risks and tons of unknowns, but remember that the risk is worth Heaven's reward.Connect with Rachel:rachelgscott.com
Whether you’re facing the ordinary, daily pressures of squaring away today’s to-do list or an unexpected season of suffering that seems to have no end, sometimes it feels like Jesus’s promise of “overflowing joy” is simply not within reach for your real life.But it doesn’t have to be that way.By journeying with you through Jesus’s words in John 15, author and Bible teacher Tara Dew reveals three surprising paths to a truly joy-filled life. If you’re willing to take Jesus up on His teaching, you’ll find that God’s pruning, God’s presence, and God’s commands have the power to deliver not just a taste of joy as a fruit God is developing in your life, but an overflowing bushel of it! The question is, are you willing?Join us to experience a truly, fully, and genuinely joy-filled life—no matter the season or circumstance!Connect with Tara:https://www.nobts.edu/President/about-tara-dew/default.htmlhttps://prepareher.com/team/tara-bio/
The Word of God would have been extinguished thousands of years ago if not for parents passing faith down to their children. “Her children arise and call her blessed…” (Proverbs 31:28) is the legacy of a mother who has put Christ in the center of her heart and home, and who has led her children to fall in love with Him.Casey Hilty has written Her Children Arise and she is on the show sharing stories of biblical moms who remind us that the home is and has always been a mission field for mothers to live out the gospel of Jesus Christ. Even in the throes of sleepless nights, toddler tantrums, and the challenging teen years, we can find our joy and purpose through guiding our children to see the heart of God. The secret is that it’s less about family devotions and more about our devotion to Jesus. Connect with Casey: https://www.caseyhilty.com/her-children-arise
Has your faith become stale? If you’ve been following the Lord for a while, our habits and routines can become commonplace to us, and we forget how amazing our God is! Stephanie Rousselle from The Gospel Spice is on the show today, inviting us to taste and see that the Lord is good! Through her ministry and on today’s conversation she hopes to spice up your time with God through in-depth Bible teaching. Join us in delighting in God’s glory and our practice of it. Connect with Stephanie:https://www.gospelspice.com
Most new moms know that the first year is going to be to be full of joys and challenges, peaks and valleys. But even though they've prepared themselves as much as they can, they still find themselves thinking, I knew this was going to be hard. But will it always be this hard? This wasn't what I was expecting, what if I don't know how to take care of this baby--or myself?Rachael Elmore has been there and knows on a personal and professional level how hard the early days and months of motherhood can be. In A Mom Is Born she takes her expertise as a licensed and clinical counselor and pairs it with her deeply personal story of overcoming postpartum depression after the birth of her first son. She comes alongside readers with practical tools--such as the New Mom Wellness Plan and a postpartum progress checklist--to help find the balance between taking care of their new baby and taking care of themselves. Using scripture and therapeutic insights, Elmore shows mothers how todevelop a biblical plan for navigating new motherhood, the baby blues, and postpartum depression;stop intrusive thoughts and triggers in their tracks and overcome postpartum anxiety;process and manage all of the new emotions they are facing; andstart implementing small acts of self-care that will lead to emotional health.A Mom Is Born gives moms the tools they need to stop spinning in the overwhelming emotions and anxieties of new motherhood and start taking care of themselves so that they can be the connected and emotionally healthy moms God designed them to be.Connect with Rachael:www.rachaelelmore.com
Life can be downright hard. Cynthia Yanof is on today’s episode inviting us to reframe our perspective on the challenges we face so we can see God at work—and laugh more along the way. In her book Life is Messy, God is Good and on today’s show, she reminds us God’s not surprised when we drop the ball, lose our cool, or struggle to put our Spanx on in the morning. He can use our ridiculous messes and even the really difficult I-didn’t-sign-up-for-this losses to shape us.Join us to discover how: We can be faithful to God’s purposes right where we are—baseball carpool, dog groomer, and even chaperoning the dreaded zoo field trip.We come to realize one of life’s greatest blessings is a handful of crazy, godly friends (who aren’t afraid to tell you to retire your outfit).When we let go of who the world says we should be, we are free to become who God created us to be. Whether you are navigating a difficult new season, working late on another deadline, or simply horrified that your morning routine now includes plucking chin hair, Cynthia offers an encouraging and hilarious reminder that God is at work in you—even in the mess.Connect with Cynthia:https://www.instagram.com/cynthiayanofhttps://cynthiayanof.comMessmerized podcast
Our culture has been lying to women. The world defines female empowerment as believing in yourself or looking within to find the power to succeed. But what happens when women grow weary from trying to do it all? Jesus offers a better way. Becky Beresford is on the show today and she's sharing how she used to believe and even promoted some of society’s lies to women. But in God’s kindness, Becky came to the end of herself and embraced healing truth found in the Bible. Tired and frustrated with self-dependence, Becky wants to be God-dependent. In her book, She Believed HE Could So She Did, Becky invites you to join her as she dismantles commonly held misconceptions and lies so we can live in real freedom and godly confidence. This is a brave journey toward freedom as we learn to experience Christ-centered empowerment–not by believing in ourselves . . . but by trusting in our faithful God. Join us as we chat about the most common messages promoted by our culture and dependable biblical truths grounded in the gospel: Believe in Your God vs. Believe in YourselfSpeak THE truth vs. Speak Your TruthFollow Your King vs. Follow Your HeartYou Be His vs. You Be YouThe Future is Found Together vs. The Future is FemaleTune in to discover how to rely on the Holy Spirit in order to battle cultural lies, put the enemy in his place, and live boldly for Jesus. We will be lifted of the burden to find strength in ourselves and reassured of the hope, joy, and power that comes from living in Christ. We don’t have to be the savior of our own stories. Connect with Becky:beckyberesford.com
Most mothers agree that prayer is part of their parenting dynamic, yet so many mothers, including myself, wonder if the way of prayer is as mysterious and challenging as it can seem. We often wonder if we’re covering all the topics needed with this little one, and we wish we knew what to pray in the struggles in hard parenting seasons. Bethany Kimsey walked through these questions and doubts in a season with her eight children in which she desperately needed to see God at work in her children’s lives. Seeking His Word for what praying intentionally looked like began to create ~ A Warrior Mama’s Prayers. The journal walks a mother through a full year of praying specific scriptures for her child every day, month after month. These prayers are divided into 4 main themes of prayer:• Praying the Gospel take root in our child’s life• Praying for their Character• Praying for the spiritual battle around them• Praying for their future as they learn to abide in Jesus Join us as we learn to anchor our prayers in very specific promises and truths from His Word, you and I will have front row seats to watch God work in the hearts of our children. He invites us to partner with Him – what a privilege! Connect with Bethany:Bethany Kimsey (mykajabi.com)
Life rarely goes as planned, particularly when we rely on our own plans rather than God’s. So when things go awry, our faith in His faithfulness may waver.And yet God’s faithfulness is not tied to our earthly circumstances but rather to His promises in Scripture.In Everyday Prayers for Faith: Finding Confidence in God No Matter What, author Erin H. Warren unpacks the precious promises of God that are worth far more than anything this world has to offer.You will learn how God:▫️Lifts your burdens to give you rest▫️Provides an abundance of comfort that you can extend to others▫️Sends rainbows and hope after every storm▫️Shares a steadfast love that never wavers▫️Gives us His strength to keep running the raceErin’s prayer is that by the end of this book, “women will fling their arms wide and leap forward to proclaim, ‘I trust in God!’”Connect with Erin:erinhwarren.com@erinhwarren @feastingontruth
All around the world, women yearn for a perfect life they can never grasp. They want to be successful, attractive, sexually fulfilled, and free from distress.Rather than turning to God, too many try to feast on everything under the sun—diet pills, pornography, shopping sprees, one-night stands, and social media—anything to hit that sweet spot.In the end, they are left with a deep sense of shame that can draw them further down into a spiral of bingeing, hiding, and emotional self-flagellation. They totally get Paul’s woeful lament, “I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (Romans 7:19).Consequently, these women build a wall between themselves and God. They fear divine retribution for their chosen form of gluttony while simultaneously operating under the false assumption that God doesn’t want to have anything to do with them.As author Angie Haskell notes in her book Sugarcoated, “This dangerous form of beratement worms its way into every facet of women’s lives. It burrows into their psyche, making them believe that demeaning treatment from others, as well as themselves, is perfectly normal. And if they dare throw caution to the wind, stepping out in their stilettos to stand up for what they need, it is often met with assumptions from others that their morals and values have flown out the window.”These women feel alone, unseen and unsatisfied, but Angie wades into their despair. Join us today as Angie empowers readers to take a hard look at their secret cravings, understand where they are coming from, and get on a path that leads to emotional and physical health.In a society that has become dangerously divisive, Angie reassures women that they’re still deserving of a relationship with God while also standing up for themselves and their needs.Connect with Angie:www.angiehaskell.com@angiehaskell
Sometimes, the women in our lives feel like enemies: The colleague who threatens your position at work. The friend who talks behind your back. The woman who seems to have it all together—while you are barely hanging on. But the real enemy is the one who is trying to defeat you with lies that lead to isolation, insecurity, and division. Jenn Schultz is on the show chatting about her book She’s Not Your Enemy. On today’s episode she is helping to equip us to battle Satan’s deception through the solid truth of God’s Word. Join us to explore: How we find true joy when we recognize our unique roles in God’s kingdomWhat we lose when we see other women as competitionWhat to do about envy, jealousy, people-pleasing, and perfectionismWhy we will never be “enough” on our own—and why that’s great newsHow our view of God affects our view of ourselves and others When we find our worth and identity in God, we can cultivate empathy and compassion for those we have labeled as the enemy—including the woman in the mirror—and live with greater joy.Connect with Jenn:Home | Jenn Schultz (jennschultzauthor.com)@jennschultzauthor
Do you feel stuck in cycles of brokenness? Many of us unknowingly repeat the mistakes of our parents and grandparents, passing on pain and suffering. No matter what has happened in the past or what mess you might be in today, you are not destined to carry on your family’s wounds, unhealthy behaviors, or toxic relationships. It doesn’t have to be this way. Your legacy can be different, and the change starts with you. Kristen Hallinan is on the show sharing the tools, truth, and hope offered in her book Legacy Changer. Join us to:- understand the brain and body science of emotional wounds.- heal from generational pain.- set boundaries in your relationships―the way Jesus did.- lead your family toward a more hopeful future.Connect with Kristen: https://www.kristenhallinan.com
In the space between no longer and not yet, you still belong somewhere.It catches most of us by surprise. Life is going along until suddenly, we find ourselves at the crossroads of what was and what is yet to be. This in-between space of transition often keeps us awake at night, asking questions like What am I supposed to do now? and Why do I feel so lost and alone? If a new direction doesn't come, it can feel like you're stuck in a cycle of purposeless days.Nicki Koziarz asked those same questions. Changes were coming in multiple areas of her life, and she struggled to navigate through them. But Nicki discovered how to find direction for today by understanding the types of seasons a transition can bring.In her book Your New Now and on today’s episode, Nicki walks us through the life of Moses from the perspective of four transition seasons he experienced: development, separation, cultivation, and finished. This episode will help you: ● Discern which transition season you're in and learn how to overcome its challenges ● Stop feeling lost in life by discovering where you belong on the road between what was and what will be● Protect your future by learning to utilize Scripture to fight fears of the unknownTransitions start with something ending, and waiting for a new beginning can be agonizing. But you can learn to be confident and optimistic, even when life feels like it's paused in an unfamiliar now.Connect with Nicki:NickiKoziarz.com
A Little Calm Goes a Long Way with Evelyn SherwoodLife comes at us fast. Sometimes, all we need is a lifeline tossed our way, reminding us that we can make it to the other side. Breathe deep. Take it slow. Keep it steady.Evelyn Sherwood is in the show talking about her book Just Breathe to give us practices to provide breathing space for our heart and mind when life feels chaotic. We pray today's episode brings calm to your weary heart. Connect with Evelyn:https://evelynsherwood.com
In today’s culture we hear: "Hustle!" or "Slow down!" We are either prodded into endless activity and productivity or told that what we really need is to prioritize rest, relaxation, and simply "being." Is it any wonder we feel torn in every direction, worried we're missing the opportunities God has placed before us while at the same time feeling guilty that we're doing too much?Through her book, Right Where You Belong, Heather MacFadyen encourages us to simply occupy our God-given space--a Hebrew definition of humility. God has given you talents and a sphere of influence. Your role is to fill that space, empowered by the Holy Spirit. In this episode, Heather presents four boundary lines to help you identify your unique God-given space and shows you how to evaluate your next steps with confident peace so that you can stop feeling exhausted and guilty and start feeling fulfilled.Connected with Heather:https://heathermacfadyen.com
We live in a loud, opinionated world of staggering distraction. It's not only exhausting, but immobilizing. You are tempted to zone out, binge watch, and doom scroll.With all of this distraction, it's hard to keep focus on what matters most: God and His nearness in this very moment. Katie Westenberg is on the show today helping to equip us to focus on what truly matters. Leaning on Scripture, scientific studies of memory, and the power of a renewed mind, she will help you uncover the ancient way of being un-distractible. Here is the wake-up call our hearts are longing for--and the clear-eyed focus our souls were made for.Connect with Katie:https://katiewestenberg.com
Sometimes our mistakes can leave us feeling like we're drowning in an ocean of regret. Thankfully, we are not alone. The books of First and Second Samuel help us realize that worship is the gift that leads us to encounter renewal in the Lord in spite of: The rejection we have experienced.The rebellion we have entertained.The regret we have endured. Modern culture demands tireless ambition and determination. Consequently, we sometimes become restless walking with God in a world that sprints. However, the men and women in First and Second Samuel knew this struggle too. Liv Dooley has written the Selah Bible Study and today she is revealing and reminding us of our access to the powerful presence of the Lord when we pause to pray despite the pressures we face.Connect with Liv:https://livdooley.com
Life often sends hard things our way: illness, financial struggles, broken relationships, and so many kinds of loss. Sometimes we can’t imagine a way forward. So how do we keep going when everything is going wrong? Rachel Wojo is on the show today sharing how hope rises to greet us when we find the strength to take One. More. Step. Like you, Rachel has faced experiences that crushed her dreams of the perfect life: a failing marriage, a daughter’s heartbreaking diagnosis, and more. In her book One More Step she transparently shares her pain and empathizes with yours, then points you to the path of God’s Word, where you’ll find hope to carry you forward. No matter the circumstances you face, through this episode you’ll learn to:· run to God’s Word when discouragement strikes· replace feelings of despair with the truth of Scripture · persevere through out-of-control circumstances and gain a more intimate relationship with Jesus Join us to find the courage to keep going, one step at a time. Connect with Rachel:rachelwojo.com
In the last five decades, Precept has created Bible studies and resources in over 90 languages, distributed in nearly 190 countries and on six continents. But CEO David Arthur felt they were missing an entire generation of people—namely millennials and Generation Z believers. Partnering with Barna Research, they discovered three important facts that helped them develop their brand-new Bible study resource named Yarrow.The next generation wants desperately to understand how the truth of the Bible connects to their daily lives and actual hardships. They long for a relationship with God and are interested in the Bible but don't know where to start. They need a guide who can help them get started and know where to go next. They are busy and deeply connected to technology. Yarrow is determined to meet them where they are with materials that speak to their way of life and fit into their daily routines and habits. So, the studies in Yarrow are designed to be relevant, guided, and flexible.David hopes to see a generation so in love with God and His Word that the culture around them is greatly impacted. Their vision is that every believer in Christ, lives out God’s Word every day. They know that’s a huge vision, but they also know we serve a big God.Connect with David:www.yarrow.org
“I am not enough.”Embrace the power of these four words that can free you from a lifestyle of striving.There are many areas in life where we strive to be enough: jobs, relationships, personal disciplines―the list goes on. In a culture that celebrates and encourages a work-to-earn mentality, it is no surprise that this same, formulaic pattern has bled into our faith. It is easy to become trapped in the exhausting cycle of trying to be good enough for God. But God is not after our well-polished performance but rather our full assurance in the sufficiency of his Son!As a longtime church gal, Kaitlin Garrison knows the struggle of feeling caught in a perpetual lifestyle of trying to please God and others through outward behavior. In her book Sweet Relief and in today's episode, Kaitlin tackles four prevalent false gospels that can keep us stuck in our cycles of striving. She reintroduces us to the simple gospel that banks on the grace of God rather than our own sufficiency. Join us to walk away confident that your standing with God is not centered on the good things you can do for him but on the finished work of Jesus who has already won it all on your behalf.We aren’t perfect people. We can exhale when we don’t measure up. Because our hope is not in what we do but in the reality that God is enough.Connect with Kaitlin:https://kaitlingarrison.com
At times, our chaotic world reveals hints of the utter brokenness in which we live. As people of faith in a powerful God, we want to lift our faces to heaven to cry out or bury our face in our hands to whisper prayers. Either way we utter things like “God, please help,” “God, what are you doing?” “God, those people are terrible!”And we aren’t alone in those words we lift to heaven.Taylor Turkington is joining us today to talk about her book Trembling Faith (B&H books). We chat about the timeless story of Habakkuk and look at the situation of our own hearts and world. Tune in to learn that the only way to not just survive, but find lasting hope is through gritty, trembling, wrestling faith in the God who works in our chaotic world. Connect with Taylor:https://bibleequipping.org
We all long for “friends forever”―but what happens when forever ends?They say friends are the family we choose. And that choosing―the joy of loving and being loved by someone who isn’t genetically obligated to share life with us―adds priceless worth to our days, but also great risk. Because hurt can happen even in the closest friendships, and sometimes friendships fall apart. The loss can be staggering. As we struggle to digest the pain and confusion, we wonder, How could this happen? And what do I do now?Elizabeth Laing Thompson is on the show today chatting about her book When a Friendship Falls Apart and helps us as we process our struggling friendships―the faltering, the fractured, and the failed. Join us as we chat about:How do we guard against the poison of bitterness so we can process the hurt and move forward?When and how do we seek reconciliation? What does forgiveness look like?How do we know when it’s time to leave a friendship behind?How do we open up again and entrust our wounded hearts to new friendships?If you find yourself in the midst of a friendship that’s falling apart, or you’re grappling with past hurts and regrets, this episode is for you. May it be a comfort and help, leading you closer to the Friend who will never leave.Connect with Elizabeth:https://lizzylife.com
The Bible is a collection of ancient texts written in different historical, cultural, and literary contexts. To interpret it accurately, we need to consider factors like the historical background, the author's intent, the audience, and the literary genre of each passage. Ignoring context can lead to misinterpretation and misunderstanding of the Bible's teachings. But this is easier said than done. Bestselling author and professor Kristi McLelland is on the show today helping us see the Bible through a new lens, from beginning to end. She shares about her book Rediscovering Israel, and helps us experience the living God and His Word as never before! Join us to explore the biblical narrative in the historical, cultural, geographic, and linguistic contexts in which it was written. Whether you are preparing for pilgrimage to Israel or you desire to experience a fresh encounter with Scripture, Kristi offers a welcome blend of biblical truth, faithful research, and personal reflections that will enrich your interactions with God’s Word.Connect with Kristi:https://www.newlensbiblicalstudies.com
There's an old joke that says, “Don't ask God for patience. He'll answer by testing yours.” But the reality is we are all waiting for something, so we might as well learn to wait patiently. Brooke McGlothlin from Million Praying Moms is on the show sharing how it's possible to learn how to wait for God's perfect timing, even when it seems like we've been waiting forever. In today's episode she's sharing insight from her book Everyday Prayers for Patience. The prayers will help you seek God's heart to discover surer ways to have patience with your children and yourself. Your life and theirs can become beautiful reflections of His great patience with us.Connect with Brooke and Million Praying Moms:www.millionprayingmoms.com@millionprayingmoms
Are nagging thoughts, anxiety, fear, and worry consuming you? Unfortunately, you're not alone. But thankfully hope and peace is possible. Keri Eichberger is on the show today chatting about how to Win Over Worry. She is no stranger to worry and its ill effects. As a teenager, she discovered the power of panic and anxiety after encountering her own struggles and suffering. She developed unhealthy and unreliable coping strategies of self-will over the preferred will and way of God. Join us to learn how to face the fears that have been holding you back from taking flight into the fullness of life you long for. God has planned a colorful, flavorful, chains-free future for you to enjoy. Right here, and right now.Connect with Keri:www.KeriEichberger.com
God is omnipresent—meaning He's here, there, everywhere all at the same time—so no matter what you're going through today or worried about facing tomorrow, He is closer than you can imagine, and His presence changes everything.The God of creation cares deeply about every detail of our personal lives. He's in charge of every galaxy and has named every star. He also knows about the hurts in our hearts and the hairs on our heads. He's near and far. His glory fills the universe, and yet He's up close and involved.Though we believe in our minds that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present, sometimes we don't feel his closeness. How can we walk boldly in our faith, expecting Him to draw near to us as we draw near to Him? Susie Larson is in the show today helping us experience God's trustworthiness and love—even when we feel far from Him. In her book, In Closer Than Your Next Breath, and through today's episode we chat about: How do I know if I'm hearing the voice of God?Is feeling good the same as feeling God?Is there anything I can do when God seems silent?How should God's presence impact me?There's nothing like God's presence in our lives, but sometimes we chase the sensational and miss the supernatural. Worship services, retreats or conferences, and mountaintop experiences are great, but too often we rush right by the nuanced, miraculous ways God shows up in our story every day. When we pursue the heart of God through the Word of God, that's when we experience the presence of God—and it makes all the difference in our lives.Connect with Susie:https://www.susielarson.com
The comforting bid of Jesus to the worn and weary soul:Come to me, all who are weary, and I will give you rest.You’re tired. Tired in your body. Tired in your soul. At times, life feels hard, chaotic, or just mind-numbingly ordinary. But what if our souls could find rest even amid the onslaught of chaos and confusion? What if we could exchange that heavy dread and disquiet for a peace that passes understanding? Author Sarah J. Hauser believes that while our outward lives are falling apart, our inner lives can grow stronger. Sarah is on the show sharing about her book titled All Who are Weary. It was born from Sarah’s own story—her depression, grief, and tears. Sarah, no stranger to weariness, invites us to join her in bringing our heavy burdens to Jesus and taking the light burden He offers instead.Join us to find deep, lasting rest by throwing off nine soul-crushing burdens: worthlessness, condemnation, worry, self-sufficiency, insecurity, comparison, perfectionism, insignificance, and despair. We were never meant to carry these things in the first place. We will no longer feel stuck, strained, and discouraged but instead, be equipped with Scripture and encouraged by personal stories that help us identify the burdens we need to release. Because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we can live with joy and endurance, come what may. If you’re craving rest for your soul, Jesus invites you to come to Him, because only there can true rest be found.Connect with Sarah:https://www.sarahjhauser.com
When she was only twenty-three years old, Rachelle Starr started going to strip clubs to share Christ's love with the dancers. Now, having founded a Christian ministry to people in the adult entertainment industry, she demonstrates the key to shining Christ's light into the darkness--love people one at a time and continue to love them no matter what.
Loving others like Jesus did has to be more than social media shares and likes--we need to meet people in their pain, growing in our empathy and love for those God has placed in our lives. But maybe you're afraid or unsure where to start.
On today's episode we are chatting about how a little vision goes a long way. As Rachelle shares about her book Outrageous Obedience: Answering God's Call to Shine in the Darkest Places (@bethanyhouse) she will light a fire in your soul to step out in greater ways and become fearlessly and outrageously obedient to the Lord.
Join us to be inspired by Rachelle's true stories and biblical encouragement, and discover the courage to say yes to God. Then witness the fruit and the blessings of your obedience to the vision God has given you. Connect with Rachelle: https://rachellestarr.co https://scarlethope.org
I like to think of the Bible as God’s love letter to us filled with wisdom and encouragement to refer back to again and again. His words meet us right where we are every time we open the Bible, and they serve as a reminder of His presence in our lives.
What would it look like to write a letter back to Him? A journal perhaps? Jennifer Dukes Lee is on today’s show chatting about her book Stuff I'd Only Tell God:A Guided Journal of Courageous Honesty, Obsessive Truth-Telling, and Beautifully Ruthless Self-Discovery. Join us as she shares why journaling is so therapeutic, how it enables us to connect with God, and how it helps you discover more about yourself.
Connect with Jennifer: @stuffidonlytellgod @jenniferdukeslee www.jenniferdukeslee.com
God has deposited a gift inside of you. Acclaimed angel artist Anne Neilson is on the show today sharing her personal story of passion and purpose and how faith radiates from every canvas of her life. Through her book, The Brushstrokes of Life she will help you see there are no coincidences with God.Anne Neilson believes that each of us begins our life as a blank canvas: clean and fresh and ready to find texture in our experiences. Each trial, each joy, each heartache, and each hope leaves an explosion of color and sweeping brushstrokes that shape us. When we allow God to take over as the Master artist, we will find that He carefully adds dimension and highlights to create a beautiful masterpiece in us. Often, though, it's hard to find the beauty when we are wading through mess.In this episode, Anne shares personal stories about why her faith is so important to her and resonates in all her work. Join us to learn how to:Open your hands to God's possibilitiesConnect your trials from today into hope for tomorrowTrust God's role in your storyGod is is the artist of our life. Creations are messy, but the divine artist never fails to reveal a masterpiece.Connect with Anne:anneneilsonhome.comanneneilsonfineart.com
Each of us was placed on this earth for a certain number of days. Time is precious, and you don’t want to waste it. You desire a life that has meaning and purpose but you find yourself caught in a current of non-stop rushing. When this becomes your existence, day after day, you find you’ve lived a series of months, even years, unintentionally. In the middle of all of this is the suffocating presence of anxiety. You want a life that matters, but how do you do that in the middle of…life?How do you use the struggle of anxiety as a path to a life of meaning? Join Nichole Suvar , author of Numbering our Days, as she encourages you to move out of maintenance mode and away from the spiral of anxiety and into a life lived with intention. Anxiety doesn’t have to define you. It can be what brings you back to Jesus, living a life that brings Him glory and points others to Him.This episode will help you take action to combat anxiety and start living intentionally, one moment at a time. Because small moments, day by day, add up to an intentional life.Connect with Nichole: www.livewithintent.org@MrsnicholesuvarGet Help:https://www.remedylive.com/chatA person can also text 494949 to talk to a SoulMedic
“Is your cup half empty or half full?” How would you answer that question today? Better yet, “What is in your cup?” Amanda Schaefer, from A Cup of Gratitude, is on the show today, sharing how she takes the time to stop and see the good around her. She is reminding us to fill our cups with the living water Jesus provides and overflow as we pour out to the empty cups around us.
Connect with Amanda: www.acupofgratitude.org www.instagram.com/acupof_gratitude
If you have been hurt, neglected, rejected, or abandoned by your father, it may feel like every aspect of your life is affected by that broken trust--even your relationship with God. But there is hope. Your father wounds do not have the last word in your life; God does. In this episode, Kia Stephens shares her own story of father wounds, along with examples from wounded women in Scripture who were transformed by the love of God.
Join us as she helps you identify your father wounds and offers practical tools to help you overcome insecurity, low self-esteem, and unforgiveness, so you can connect with God as your loving heavenly Father. Take heart, daughter. You can be made whole again. Connect with Kia: www.KiaStephens.com
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:12-13). While Jesus doesn’t intend for us to die for our friends in a literal sense, He does intend for us to lay aside our own selfish desires and put the needs of others first. This may mean sacrificing your sleep, resources, tastebuds, comfort, wishlist, hobbies, timeline, likes, dislikes, recognition, rewards, or other things you might find hard to give up. The key is learning to value others’ interests more than our own. Such love reminds me of our Savior, who not only taught the concept but demonstrated it.
Rebecca Lynn is on the show today chatting about her book Proud Police Wife. Rebecca is a mother of three, has a master’s degree in education, is a former elementary school teacher, and is a proud wife to a veteran law enforcement officer. She explains how when your husband is a police officer, you experience a unique set of challenges and fears that others may not understand and how every day is a sacrifice.
Living sacrificially feels impossible to do on our own, but it is possible because we have his Holy Spirit living in us. With His empowerment, we can act in ways contrary to our fleshly nature. I pray we follow his lead and surrender our will. Let’s not lose sight of the eternal impact our sacrifice can have. Jesus sacrificed so we could be with him for all of eternity. Could our sacrifice lead others to join him in eternity as well? Connect with Rebecca Lynn: https://proudpolicewife.com
While most of us don’t want to admit it, we crave attention. Our social media–obsessed society is proof that people everywhere want to be seen. But this self-promoting system leaves many women feeling overlooked. In today’s episode, Whitney Akin chats about her book Overlooked where she discovered how the human need for attention and approval is God’s intentional design and encourages you to live seen by the God who loves you. Join us to:
Understand why you long to be seen. Get real about the ways social media is hard on your heart. Tap into the true source of the attention and approval you long for. Implement practical ways to trade feeling overlooked for a lifestyle of living seen. You don’t have to live overlooked anymore.
Connect with Whitney: www.whitneyakin.com
Does what we do really matter? Can one person make a difference?
When we live intentionally, our choices impact every aspect of our lives. With that purposeful perception comes the conviction that jobs, homes, lifestyles and hobbies can and should be leveraged to their full potential and for a greater purpose than our own comfort.
Victoria Duerstock is on the show today sharing about her book titled The Story of Good (EndGame Press) which includes the individual accounts of more than 30 founders that were brought together under the umbrella of "the good MRKT" – a concept store driven by the executives of Vera Bradley to provide an opportunity for consumers to purchase with a purpose. Join us as Victoria shares stories about ordinary people who long to understand their calling. Not one day in the future, but right now. Not giving everything up and living in Africa but taking what they are doing today and leveraging it in such a way it echoes in the hearts of others in an extraordinary way forever. We pray you see yourself in their stories and see how a little kindness goes a long way.
Connect with Victoria: https://www.victoriaduerstock.com https://www.thestoryofgood.com/brands
Victoria and End Game Press are each donating a portion of the book sales to the Dare To Do Good Fund, a charitable initiative by goodMRKT that connects creators with the resources they need to support their mission driven businesses.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches" (Matthew 13:31-32).
The mustard seed is one of the tiniest seeds found in the Middle East, yet it is a fast-growing annual herb that grows up to ten feet tall in just a few short months. While Jesus used this parable to show his kingdom appeared to have small beginnings, it would grow into a worldwide community of believers.
Kristy Meinzer is on the show today sharing about her book "Playing in the Dirt: 90 Devotions for Crazy Plant Ladies." We chat about the Great Gardener who is tending to our souls — and how He fosters the fruitfulness in our lives. Join us to be encouraged to continue liberally sowing seeds no matter how small they seem and trust God to help them grow. Who knows who will end up benefiting from the fruit of your labor!
Connect with Kristy:
Playing in the Dirt on Day Spring: https://www.dayspring.com/playing-in-the-dirt-90-devos-for-crazy-plant-ladies
@kskristy on Instagram
Kristin Cortner's DaySpring devo: Miracle in the Making https://www.dayspring.com/miracle-in-the-making-the-devotional-for-expectant-moms
Aren’t we tempted to quit when things get hard or uncomfortable? I wonder how many times in our lives we would have realized our dream, the desire of our hearts, or the call on our lives if we had pushed through just a little longer.
I think about the way many of the heroes of our faith persevered despite difficult or long-lasting circumstances. Consider how their stories would have changed if they had quit too soon. What if Moses had stopped pleading with Pharaoh after nine plagues rather than ten? The Israelites would have remained in slavery in Egypt. What if Joshua and the Israelites had stopped walking around the wall of Jericho after six times rather than seven? They would have never seen the walls fall and entered into the promised land. What if Noah had only built half of an ark? That would not have floated very well, would it? Nor would his family and all of those animals have lived through the flood. And, what about you? What if you are on the brink of a breakthrough and stop too soon?
Lori Ann Wood is on the show today chatting about how a little perseverance goes a long way. She's sharing about her life detour that reordered her priorities and rattled her faith. Her experience inspired her book Divine Detour and she's encouraging us to believe that the path you’d never choose can lead to the faith you’ve always wanted.
I don’t know how long you have been circling the same problem or what difficult situation you are facing today, but if you are tempted to give up, I hope you will reconsider. Let’s not miss out on what God has for us by giving up too soon.
Connect with Lori Ann: https://loriannwood.com
God chooses and uses unlikely people. He proves it again and again through the stories in His Word. The life messages of women in the Bible whose lives were gloriously interrupted still powerfully change lives today. He uses their stories to change us. He uses our stories to change others. How about you? Are you willing to hear and heed His call? To answer His tap on your shoulder? Will you welcome Him into your story? Are you willing to share even the sometimes-raw places of that story so someone else can find the beauty of the with-God life?
Debbie Defuk is the author of Holy Interruptions and she is in the show sharing the stories of biblical women whose lives were interrupted as well as her own personal stories to help prepare you to be ready when God interrupts you. He has miraculously changed lives before. He can miraculously do it again. With your story. Connect with Debbie: DebbieDufek.com deb@debbiedufek.com
God’s Word is the greatest story ever told—and it’s true! But reading it can feel complicated and daunting. It can be hard to know how—or where—to start. Perhaps you just need a friend who follows Jesus to help. Trillia Newbell is on the show today sharing a joy-filled, thoughtful, and realistic pathway through the entirety of God’s Word.
Trillia is a trusted Bible teacher and lover of the Scriptures. She’s chatting about her book 52 Weeks in the Word. Join us as she guides us through God’s sacred and trusted Word, a greater knowledge of God, help for daily living, hope in times of suffering, and a deep abiding relationship with the God who loves you. Connect with Trillia:
TrilliaNewbell.com
Are our words a refreshing influence on others or a discouragement? Scripture says “the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Matthew 12:34 b) and our words can bring either life or death (Proverbs 18:21). Therefore, in order to share words that uplift rather than tear down, we must be intentional about filling our hearts with God’s Word. And, on occasions when we don’t know what to say to encourage the people in our lives, we can always use God’s words found in the Bible.
Mary DeMuth is encouraging us on today’s episode. She is an international speaker, a podcaster, and the author of over 46 books! She’s sharing how the encouragement from other people has impacted her ability to persevere in ministry and overcome a difficult past. She loves to help readers and audiences live uncaged, freedom-infused lives. Tune in to be encouraged in your faith and relationships as Mary shares her personal stories and biblical wisdom. Let us know how it encourages you or you need encouragement in the comments. Connect with Mary: https://www.marydemuth.com https://instagram.com/marydemuth
Look What You've Done, is a powerful song, now also a book by Tasha Layton. She’s on the show today sharing her journey of finding freedom in Jesus through life's twists and turns. Tasha talks about her early days in small town South Carolina, to her big breakthrough as background singer on stage with Katy Perry, to the mission field in Kenya and beyond. Across many countries and all her days, the truest constant in Tasha's life has been the presence of God in both the highs and the lows.
As her inspirational stories reveal the ways God has guided her journey, Tasha also shares vulnerable reflections on the struggles she's faced in her life of faith and music. Tasha describes the lies that she allowed herself to believe as she struggled with comparison, self-image, and the uncertainty of finding her purpose. Through challenges like these, God continues to bring Tasha wisdom and truth regarding who He is, and who she is meant to be.
Join us to:
Discern God's truth from the world's lies Find freedom, truth, security, and identity in Jesus Become increasingly bold in prayer Live as a Christian in an uncertain world See God's miracles in your life Begin to embrace seasons of waiting
Tune in to be inspired to walk in boldness and love, sharing the goodness of God revealed in your life. Connect with Tasha: @tashalaton TashaLayton.com
Dear Mushka is a Nashville-based company that pairs jewelry, apparel, and home goods with scripture. It was started by Katie and her husband Robert in 2014 as a blog turned into a way to raise extra funds for the adoption of the Lewis’ first child.
Since then, the business has allowed the family to bring home three sons through adoption (plus two more children biologically), as well as to donate to many others’ adoptions.
They are on a mission to help women store God’s truths deep in their heart and equip them to share them with those in need. Each Dear Mushka piece reflects scripture and comes paired with a corresponding verse card, thoughtfully designed to share hope and truth in a way that feels authentic, doable, and beautiful. Join us to discover how something as simple as a piece of jewelry or a piece of clothing can go a long way.
Connect with Katie: @dearmushka www.dearmushka.com Discount Code: 20% off your order by using OFFERING20
It’s time to take our thoughts more seriously. In the words of an ancient Chinese proverb, “Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words. Be careful of your words, for your words become your actions. Be careful of your actions, for your actions become your habits. Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character. Be careful of your character, for your character becomes your destiny.” There is so much at stake, and to think, it all starts in our minds.Dr. Michelle Bengtson is on the show today sharing her expertise as a board-certified neuropsychologist. She is the author of Hope Prevails: Insights From a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression, Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises, and Today Is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises From God to Start Your Day Off Right. Join us as she helps us learn to restore hope, renew minds and empower others to live in their God-given identity.Connect with Michelle:https://drmichellebengtson.comhttps://instagram.com/drmichellebengtson
Show NMany of us feel the pressure to be perfect, but what we really want is the freedom to be broken. We long to hear that our brokenness doesn't discount us, and we want a way out of the pain that threatens to overwhelm us. Toni Collier is on the show today sharing about her book titled Brave Enough to Be Broken. She shares a biblical road map you can use to heal from the pain, the shame, and the regrets that have tried to steal your joy, so you can rest in the unconditional love, healing, and hope of Jesus. Join is to discover how to bravely process your brokenness so that you can experience the fullness of God's restoration power. Connect with Toni:@tonijcollier
To last for the long haul and through the stresses and complexities of life, love has to be more than something we feel. It has to be something we do. We have to demonstrate it concretely in our marriages and families, among our friends and acquaintances, and, yes, even among our enemies. Dr. Gary Chapman is on the show today sharing wisdom from his books The Five Love Languages and Love is a Choice. Join us as we chat about stories of love in action, inspiring us to go deeper in every relationship. Connect with Dr. Chapman:https://5lovelanguages.com
Do you have any traditions, special dates, activities, or places that help you commemorate significant events in your life? Especially those events where God has done something for you? While traditions often revolve around major events such as the birth and resurrection of Jesus, they can also serve to celebrate personal moments—the little things maybe only you would recognize, such as how God answered a certain prayer, supplied for your need, or made himself incredibly known to you. Crickett Keeth is in the show today chatting about her favorite traditions and leaving a legacy. She asks us to consider what we are passing down to the next generation. Think about what heritage you want to give to your family and the significance your customs carry. How can you tell others of God’s faithfulness by creating a new tradition of your own or by continuing a tradition that was passed on to you? Whatever traditions you and I practice, I pray they are rooted in biblical truth and keep God at the forefront so future generations can connect with him and connect with each other. Because if there is anything worth passing on, it is Him. What is your favorite tradition? Connect with Crickett:https://www.crickettkeeth.comhttps://instagram.com/jkeeth52Crickett Keeth is the Women’s Ministry Director at First Evangelical Church in Memphis, Tennessee, where she writes and teaches the women's Bible studies. She is the author of Before the Throne (Moody), On Bended Knee (Moody), The Gift of Rest (CrossLink), and Sumatra with the Seven Churches (AMG, coauthored with Sandra Glahn). Crickett served on staff with Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ) for ten years and is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary. In addition to speaking regularly at her own church, she speaks and teaches seminars. In her free time she likes to read, play games with friends, travel, and love on her two cats. For more resources for ministry, visit her website at www.crickettkeeth.com.
What is your testimony? Have you ever had a hard time articulating it or believing in its power? While our experiences with Jesus may vary greatly, the impact of sharing them does not. In fact, Scripture tells us the devil is defeated by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11). Jesus already completed his part, and now, it’s our turn to follow through with ours.Consider for a moment how your life might have unfolded if someone hadn’t shared their testimony with you. Because those who have gone before us were faithful to their mission, we heard the good news and had the opportunity to believe. Now we have the same responsibility to tell others about his saving grace. Once we experience him, we are meant to become witnesses for him. Their eternal salvation is at stake. Joanna Weaver is on the show today sharing her testimony with us as she has learned to find intimacy with God in the midst of the busyness of life and embrace trust. What could transform someone’s life more than a relationship with Him? We don’t have to have any special skill to be a witness for Christ. Simply tell your God story and how he has changed your life. This is how the gospel is spread. Your testimony could be the reason someone else can have a testimony of their own.Connect with Joanna:Christian Author & Speaker - Joanna Weaver (joannaweaverbooks.com)The Living Room podcast@joannaweaverbooksFree 5 Day Challenge:Embracing Trust 5-Day Challenge | Join Today! - Joanna Weaver (joannaweaverbooks.com)
The biggest lie you will ever believe is the one that says you're unwanted. If rejection or betrayal has come crashing through your door - you know the emotional shattering this brings. You understand the brokenness.And you know the heartache of standing in the jagged fragments of a new normal you never wanted. But God is a Masterful Potter. He gently redeems and restores our broken pieces and brings beauty into the wounded spaces.If you’ve been shattered by rejection or betrayal, this episode is for you! Nicole Langman is joining us to talk about her book, You Are Wanted. Join us as Nicole walks us through her own steps to healing and cheers you on through the valley towards recovery.Connect with Nicole:https://www.nicolelangman.com
Are you tired of being at war with your body—and with your thoughts about your body? It’s time to extend yourself, and others, some grace!Rachael Gilbert struggled with shame when she didn’t measure up to her dream body image. Then, as a fitness instructor and licensed counselor specializing in disordered eating, she realized how many of us bury the same painful insecurities. But keeping up appearances is exhausting. We need restoration from the inside out. In this episode, Rachael offers invites you to see your whole self in a new way as you learn: A biblical perspective on eating, weight loss, fitness, and self-confidence rooted in God’s love.Counselor-inspired strategies to help you appreciate how God made you.How to reframe stories that formed your attitude toward your body.Tools for overcoming comparison and trauma.Ways to use thoughts and feelings so they help you rather than sabotage you. Join us to gain spiritual and therapeutic insights, as we chat about Rachael’s book, Image RESTored, to experience healing and wellness that starts with knowing God’s love for you—mind, soul, body, and spirit.Connect with Rachael:www.rachaelgilbert.comImagerestoredbook.org@rachaeljgilgert
Now more than ever, the world is hungry to gather and thirsty for connection.Many of us wish to share a meal, share our faith, and share our lives with others. We want to open our home to friends and neighbors for the sake of meaningful community, but we’re overwhelmed with hospitality hang-ups. How do I extend an invitation? What will they think of my house or the food? Our welcome has been influenced by the messages of the world that tell us hospitality is about our ability to be, host, live, and cook a certain way.In today’s episode, Amy Hannon shares insights through her book Gather & Give to inspire you to embrace the simple hospitality of the Bible that values connection more than perfection and people more than presentation. Amy shares scriptural principles and practical ideas to make everyday hospitality a natural, joy-filled part of your life. Join us to discover that the hospitality of the Bible is uncomplicated and effortless, that a welcome can be used by God to share His love and hope with the world, and that there is abounding joy in following the Lord in His hospitality command. Whether preparing shrimp and grits for a crowd or picking up barbecue with new neighbors, you can invite with intention, plate with purpose, and love others well. Connect with Amy:https://amyhannon.com/
A little money can go a long way to create beautiful memories. While big vacations and expensive purchases can be nice, so can things from the dollar store. When we use a little creativity and give gifts from our hearts, even items that are free can have a big impact.This principle is beautifully displayed in the life of a poor widow who gave all she had in the Gospels of Mark and Luke. While her donation was meager in comparison to those of the other givers that day, Jesus drew the disciples’ attention to her offering in particular. I love that Jesus valued her humble gift. From our earthly perspective, we question how in the world her minuscule donation could make any difference, but to Jesus, it made all the difference in the world. Jesus used the little money she had to teach a lesson about the heart of giving and show that any amount spent from the heart can yield an eternal dividend. Rachel Cruze from Ramsey Solutions is on the show today chatting about how a little money can go a long way through her books Know Yourself, Know Your Money: Discover WHY you handle money the way you do, and WHAT to do about it and Love Your Life Not Theirs: 7 Money Habits for Living the Life You Want. Join us to learn tips to give generously and steward your money well to create a life you love.Connect with Rachel:rachelcruze.comThe Rachel Cruze ShowSmart Money Happy Hour PodcastEpisode Sponsor: Crowned FreeCrowned Free is a fashion and gifts brand that’s on a mission to end the injustice of human trafficking. They give back a portion of all profits to organizations both in the United States and internationally that work to restore, rescue, and rehabilitate survivors.Crowned Free also creates sustainable jobs for girls who have been rescued from human trafficking to make over half of their products. This opportunity equips survivors with vocational skills that they can use to provide for themselves and their families.This month, spend $75 and receive this month’s ethically made, survivor made item at a 50% discount.To learn more, get involved or to start shopping, visit https://crownedfree.com/nicole
When we truly understand who Christ is, our self-importance melts away. This is true humility, the basis for greatness in any work we do for the Lord. But how do we live a life more focused on Christ in a me-centered world? Chelsey DeMatteis is on the show sharing about her book More of Him, Less of Me. In today’s episode, Chelsey points us to the cross and away from the trap of our self-centered culture. Join us to encounter a shift in the way you see the world and how God sees you. Your lens will go from a "me" perspective to a Kingdom perspective. Your heart will be shaped by the truth from God's word and the overflow will cause others to lean in, listen, and desire a life of more Jesus!Connect with Chelsey:Living with Less podcast ChelseyDeMatteis.comEpisode Sponsor: Crowned FreeCrowned Free is a fashion and gifts brand that’s on a mission to end the injustice of human trafficking. They give back a portion of all profits to organizations both in the United States and internationally that work to restore, rescue, and rehabilitate survivors.Crowned Free also creates sustainable jobs for girls who have been rescued from human trafficking to make over half of their products. This opportunity equips survivors with vocational skills that they can use to provide for themselves and their families.This month, spend $75 and receive this month’s ethically made, survivor made item at a 50% discount.To learn more, get involved or to start shopping, visit:https://crownedfree.com/nicole
It means so much when people make an effort for us, doesn’t it? God appreciates our effort too. As unfathomable as it seems, God chooses to use us to fulfill his purposes on earth. He could easily do it all on his own, and there is no doubt he is in control, but he often requires our participation before he acts. Throughout Scripture, we see that he works through those willing to make an effort for him. The same is true today. Rebecca George is on the show today chatting about her book, Do the Thing: Gospel-Centered Goals, Gumption, and Grace for the Go-Getter Girl. Join us as we talk about how to:See your gifts and talents from a gospel-centered perspective.Prioritize goals related to your calling as you move forward with gumption and grace.Overcome negative thought patterns to work and create with the confidence of a go-getter girl!Today is the day to take a brave step in a purposeful direction, using God’s Word as your compass to do the thing He has designed for you to do. A little effort goes a long way.Connect with Rebecca:radicalradiance.live@rebeccagesorgeauthorRadical Radiance podcast
You want more. You want to belong to a community that looks out for each other. You believe in your bones we don't have to live detached, distracted, and divided. The question is, how? Shannan Martin is on the show inviting us into deeper connection through simple resets. Through her book, Start with Hello, and today’s conversation we hope you’ll realize a life of security, camaraderie, and joy. There is no step too small.Connect with Shannan:https://www.shannanmartin.comToday's sponsor:https://crownedfree.com/nicole
Hebrews 11 is often called the Faith Hall of Fame because it celebrates the lives of those who were commended for their faith. They were commended for their faith in action. Yes, we are saved by faith alone, but I’m convinced that if we settle for mere acknowledgment of God’s existence, we are living an incomplete faith. Our faith grows and is made complete by what we do. Thankfully, even though faith is made complete by our actions, ultimately, it isn’t about us—it is about God. We can be certain God is who he says he is, and will do what He says He will do. Kelly Minter is on the show sharing about how a little faith goes a long way based on her book The Blessed Life. Join us as we chat about the mind, heart, and work of Jesus, so we might know Him more deeply and reflect Him more fully. May we too experience the blessed life now and in eternity. What will you do by faith today? Connect with Kelly:Kelly_MinterCultivate podcastTheblessesdlifebook.comKellyMinter.com
As unfathomable as it may seem, God allows our prayers to impact the world. We see the significance of prayers offered on behalf of others over and over again in the Bible. Even, Jesus modeled the importance of praying for others when he interceded for his disciples, for children, and for us as future believers (John 17). In fact, Jesus is still interceding for us at the right hand of God, advocating on our behalf (Romans 8:34). If we know God’s power is infinitely greater than ours, it only makes sense to rely on it, right? So, whether in public or in private, with many words or with few, with eyes closed or with eyes wide open, at morning or at night, we simply must talk to God and leave the results up to him.Niki Hardy is on the show today sharing her cancer story and the value of prayer to help women cope with the fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. Join us to experience God’s peace and provision through a little prayer.Connect with Niki:Nikihardy.com@niki.hardy
There is just something comforting about the touch of a loved one, isn’t there? An encouraging pat on the back, a reassuring squeeze of the hand, a playful rustle of the hair, a quick kiss on the forehead, or a lingering embrace—these kinds of touches can strengthen our connection, soothe our emotions, and communicate understanding without a word. From the moment we are born to the final days of our lives, touch is an integral part of the human experience, impacting our physical, mental, and emotional health. In today’s episode, Leighann McCoy is joining us to talk about her book Women Touched by Jesus and how He understood the power of touch. Jesus held children, washed feet, and healed the sick through physical touch. Just as He was moved by compassion, compassion can move us to reach out to others too. Your simple, wordless gestures could be exactly what is needed to strengthen a connection, soothe an emotion, communicate without a word, or heal a hurting heart. Does someone need a touch from you today?
The apostle James says, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14b). Psalm 90 shares something similar when the psalmist reminds us a thousand years are like a day to the Lord. Realizing our days are numbered helps us to steward the little time we have wisely and for eternal good. If we have something important we want to do, we must not put it off for a better day. Because life is short, we shouldn’t neglect what is truly important. Time is but a vapor and we can’t get it back. On today’s episode, Kerry Shook and his wife, Chris Shook, chat about their books One Month to Live and The Gift of One Day. Join us to find out how to make every day and every moment matter!Connect with Kerry and Chris: https://www.kerryshook.org
Celebration isn’t just reserved for the holidays and big milestone moments of our lives. We can chose to celebrate each moment and view every moment as holy. Leslie Thompson wanted an everywhere, anytime kind of prayer life. But how does a young mom and entrepreneur add one more thing to days filled with diapers, laundry, client meetings and dinner prep? Leslie needed a little boost – and she found it in a book of prayers which paired perfectly with the ordinary moments of her life. Today Leslie is a spokesperson for the Every Moment Holy brand. She’s on the show sharing how the prayers in this book have blessed her and how she believes they can do the same for you. Tune in to discover the sacredness of your everyday life. That’s something to celebrate! Connect with Leslie:https://www.everymomentholy.comhttps://www.leslieethompson.com
Our relationships have a profound impact. We need each other, yet so many of us are lonely. But friend, you are never truly alone. The Lord is ever-present and the best companion of all. And He has given us people to live life with, however sometimes these relationships can be difficult to navigate. Michele Howe is on the show today helping us to make thoughtful, prayerful choices about the friendships we develop and nurture through life. Join us today as we explore various facets of our relationships and how to cultivate community.Connect with Michele:www.michelehowe.wordpress.com
There is something special about music. It has a unique way of staying with us and speaking straight to our souls. Have you ever heard a song on the radio or at church play that was exactly what you needed to hear? I certainly have. I've even noticed whatever I've been listening to the previous day is what I wake up singing the next morning or humming throughout the day. Before I know it, the people around me start humming and singing along too. A simple song can have powerful effects.Hannah Anderson is on the show today sharing about her book Heaven and Nature Sing. Join us to experience the goodness of our Creator King and learn how the whole earth sings his praise. Find your soul renewed and your heart restored, and discover once again why heaven and nature sing. Connect with Hannah:www.sometimesalight.com
Do you believe your work is eternally significant? Perhaps you feel as if the work you do carries less eternal impact than the work of a pastor or missionary. But that’s not how God sees it. Whatever it looks like day to day, your work is ministry and central to God’s plans to restore fallen creation. As the days of creation reveal, God is quite familiar with work himself. He created humans with unique giftings and interests, specifically so we can pursue his redemptive work in partnership with him. Jordan Raynor joins us to talk about his devotional The Word Before Work to help you see how your work connects to God’s work in the world. In today’s episode we chat about:•what work means in light of the biblical narrative•why our work matters• five ways these truths inform how we should work todayWhether you’re an entrepreneur, barista, stay-at-home parent, CEO, or coach, God created you for work, it matters, and it holds significance both now and for eternity.Connect with Jordan:https://www.jordanraynor.comhttps://instagram.com/jordanraynor
What if your greatest heartbreak catapults you to your greatest growth? Jodi Rosser is no stranger to grief. She lost her best friend to pancreatic cancer, suffered a miscarriage, and endured a heartbreaking divorce. None of her stories got tied up with a red bow, yet God was faithful to bring purpose to her pain. She's on the show today offering hope to anyone with a hurting heart and encouraging us to discover spiritual depth as God redeems your pain.To the woman whose heart has been shattered into a million pieces, to the hurting heart whose whole world was changed in an instant, to the grieving soul who struggles to get out of bed—you are understood. You are seen. And this episode is for you. Connect with Jodi:www.jodirosser.com
Are you feeling adrift as you face transitions in the new year or in a new season of life? It’s time to start dreaming again. Shayne Moore and Carolyn Castleberry Hux are on the show today offering us the building blocks for getting unstuck and finding renewed joy and purpose. They know from experience what it means and how difficult it can be to navigate this territory. In their book Women at Halftime, Shayne and Carolyn ask key questions like:Whose voice in your head still silences your voice and your dreams―and what can you do about it?How can you evaluate the activities, people, and places in which you invest your time?Where do you need to embrace freedom from limiting beliefs, fears, perfectionism, or other obstacles holding you back?Know you are not alone. Transformative growth takes time, but the end result is worth it. Take heart, your best years are not behind you. The best is yet to come! Connect with Carolyn and Shayne:https://www.carolyncastleberry.comhttps://shaynemoore.comhttps://halftimeinstitute.orghttps://redbudwritersguild.com
My dogs and I take a walk most days. On one particular walk, I happened upon a close friend, named Trudy Lonesky. I invited her to join me for a writers conference and now three years later, Trudy has published two devotionals: Reclaim Her Heart and Confidently Crowned. Trudy is on the show sharing her perspective on our encounter as well as her heart for teen girls and their moms. While I know God can use many people and resources to lead us and encourage us, it does make me smile to think I might have played a small part in her story. Who will you encounter as you walk along during your day? You never know how a little walk can go a long way for the people who cross your path. Connect with Trudy:https://www.trudylonesky.comhttps://instagram.com/trudy_lonesky
Does your relationship with food come as a constant source of regret, frustration, and shame? Or does it feel like a God-given blessing? Do you bounce between the two sometimes, in a love/hate relationship with food?Whether it’s a warm croissant, a bright bowl of fruit, a piece of cake, or a steaming cup of coffee put in front of her, author and Bible teacher Erin Davis has experienced all sorts of complicated responses to food, too. She's discovered that God’s Word celebrates food as a gift while simultaneously inviting us to surrender every area of our lives— including what we put on our plates. Rather than the yo-yo of loving food versus hating it, Erin invites you to accept Scripture’s invitation into a different, nourishing, and refreshing rhythm.In today’s episode,you’ll learn just how satisfying it is to join in the biblical rhythms of fasting and feasting. Join us as we chat about how a little meal goes a long way.Connect with Erin:http://www.erindavis.org
Your Past Doesn’t Define You. Your Present Doesn’t Define You. But Who You Choose to Trust Does Define Your Future.We have all experienced a “meanwhile” in life when God is strategically laboring behind the scenes to work all things together for His good and for His glory. Sometimes a “meanwhile” can be an interminable and challenging “mean while.” Such is the story of Joseph – and it might be your life story as well!Joseph was a victim: of circumstances, of family dysfunction, of slavery, of unfair accusations, and of sexual harassment. However, none of those undeserved conditions impacted the ability of Joseph to walk in his destiny.Join Carol McLeod and I as she shares how you are the “Joseph” of your own story. There are relationships, abuse, and rejection that work against you but will never determine your God-ordained destiny. No matter what you are going through and regardless of how Satan has attacked your family, your productivity, or your freedom, you can trust that God is at work behind the scenes of your life. What the enemy meant for evil, your God will certainly use for good!Connect with Carol: https://www.carolmcleodministries.com
Have you ever wondered where God is when life is hard, joy is gone, and you have more tears than tissues? Does it feel like your circumstances are more than you can handle? YOU’RE NOT ALONE! What if in your darkest moments you could: • Embrace a clear sense of purpose• Stay grounded in God’s Word• Serve others with gratitude• Choose forgiveness—again and again• Discover the freedom of giving up control In today’s episode, Nicole Jacobsmeyer shares how she grew from defeated and ill-prepared for relentless trials, to living as a joy-filled reflection of God’s faithfulness. Tune in to realize how a little belief goes a long way and find joy again even where you least expect it.Connect with Nicole:@nicole.jacobsmeyernicolejacobsmeyer.com
A Little Group Goes a Long Way with Hal Donaldson
In 1994, when Mother Teresa asked a young Hal Donaldson what he was doing to help the poor and suffering, he replied “not much of anything.” She told him, “everyone can do something.” Her words lingered, and the (then) aspiring journalist, returned from India and began handing out groceries out of the back of a pickup truck, and went on to found the nonprofit organization Convoy of Hope.
Convoy of Hope is a faith-based organization with a driving passion to feed the world. With a long history as an early responder in times of natural disasters, Convoy of Hope has served more than 200 million people since it was founded in 1994. Join us today as we talk about the small beginnings of this non-profit, his book Disruptive Compassion, and how a little group goes a long way.
Connect with Hal and Convoy Of Hope: convoyofhope.org
Hal’s latest book: Disruptive Compassion: Becoming the Revolutionary You Were Born to Be
Being human is hard. Being in relationships with other humans is even harder. People are complex and relationships are messy but loving one another well is possible. We can actually grow closer to God and others through the circumstances we'd rather run from.
Grace P. Cho is joining us to talk about her contribution to Come Sit with Me. She along with 25 (in)courage writers help you navigate tough relational tensions by revealing their own hard-fought, grace-filled learning moments.
Whether you're in the middle of a conflict without resolution or wondering how to enter into a friend's pain, this book will serve as a gentle guide. Discover how God can work through your disagreements, differences, and discomfort in ways you might never expect through something as simple as your presence. Connect with Grace: https://www.gracepcho.com
God wants to use you right where you are through every single encounter you have. No matter who you are, what you do, or where you are, join Alice Mategora and I as we talk about How to Save the World. Tune in to discover practical ways to share your faith as you join God in saving the world right where you live—one encounter at a time.
Connect with Alice: www.alicematagora.com
Isn’t it time you said yes to God? What’s holding you back? The risk? The unknown? The unwillingness to shake up the comfortable status quo? Whatever it is, if you’re not in God’s best place, you’re missing out on something great. The Lord is calling you into a Promised Land. But it’s going to take some faith steps to get there. Jenn Hand wants you to be able to say to God, “My yes is on the table.” Not halfheartedly. Not half the time. Not halfway there. Jenn wants you to go all in with God—because God is all in for you. My Yes Is on the Table takes you into the story of the Israelites as they journeyed out of the wilderness and into the Holy Land that God had granted them. Each chapter will challenge you to move from a fear stop to a faith step. And once you’ve started taking those steps with God, there’s no telling where you’ll end up. For too long, you’ve been paralyzed by fear of the future. You feel God calling. You want to go forward with His plans. Yet fear has stopped you from taking the leap. No more! Instead of letting fear stop you short, let faith call you forward with newfound confidence and holy boldness. Put your “yes” on the table, and watch God do more in your life than you could have ever imagined.
“God said yes to me, so I pray I continue to say yes to Him.”
If you’ve never said yes to God, please reach out to Jennifer or me. We’d love share the Good News of the Gospel with you!
(comingaliveministries.com)
There is power in a simple invitation. I know I have experienced the effects of someone extending an invitation to me. Jesus also knew the power of the simple invitation and extended them often–to see, to dine, to rest, to renew, to be blessed, and to take up our cross. We are discussing the power of a simple invitation today on the podcast with my guest, Barb Hill. Barb is the author of Seasons of Waiting, and she is on the show giving us an invitation to hope. Join us today to be encouraged to accept that invitation and extend that invitation to others because as you will discover a little invitation goes a long way.
Connect with Barb: Barbhillauthor.com @Barbs_hill
What do you do when God seems to have vanished?
When you have a decision to make, when your stability is shaken, when your sure-fire plan fails—when everything is spinning out of control…
Esther is the perfect partner for seeing our invisible God in uncertainty. Though she lived centuries ago, Esther speaks to us when we run into limited control and resources. We find in her a strength and fortitude you and I need today. A strength we discover as we follow her process of listen, feel, do, and speak. We’ll see that Esther carved a pathway, not only with faith but with influence, for all women who find themselves walking through uncertainty.
In today’s episode, Lynn shares how to: Listen to wise people who fill our gaps of understanding Embrace your feelings as a catalyst for God-directed action. Do the work God assigns you even when in doubt. Speak up with confidence, knowing that God has a place for your voice in His story.
Join us to discover what God can do with a little vessel who is willing and obedient for Him. Connect with Lynn: Estherbookstudy.com Lynn Cowell.com
High school sweethearts who started out on shaky ground but through hard work and commitment decided that marriage is worth the work. Chad and Megan Lacefield launched Built for Two so they could inspire and empower couples of all ages and stages to pursue God and each other for the sake of their legacy They call themselves two people who have defied the odds stacked against them and in spite of it all, love all things marriage and family.
Megan is on the show today sharing their story and encouraging us to keep the main things the main things. She is honest to say that they didn’t arrive at a great marriage overnight but after years of practice and making little shifts they’ve learned how to love each other well, cheer each other on and deal with the junk when it gets in the way of all God has for them. Join us today to discover how a little love goes a long way.
Does Your Faith Seem Stuck?
Do you ever feel like you're not growing in your faith the way you're supposed to? It turns out, there are forces working against you--threats to your faith--trying to keep you from flourishing in your relationship with God.
One of Jesus' parables--in fact, the one that gets the most space on God's sacred pages--deals with this very issue. It's the story about the sower, the seed, and the soil (Matthew 13). Just as a farmer doesn't toss seed on the ground to get rid of it, God never brings you into contact with his Word for no reason. A farmer wants fruit, and God wants to help you experience more joy, peace, love, etc.
Mike Novotny is on today’s episode talking about his book, What’s Big Starts Small. In today’s episode we chat about the six threats Jesus lists in the parable of the sower and the seed--pride, pain, worries, wealth, wants, and not waiting--and the corresponding strategies to overcome them. If you're wondering why your faith isn't working in some aspects of your life, today’s episode is for you.
Connect with Mike: Time of Grace.org
As women in today’s world, we face extraordinary pressure to pursue a great calling and perform to prove our worth. This pressure breeds anxiety, and we often find ourselves “toiling and spinning,” as Jesus described.
After striving to find purpose in the competitive environment of Hollywood, Shari Rigby reminds us that our purpose and significance have already been spoken by God. Through her devotional Consider the Lilies and in today’s episode, Shari guides us back to the Scriptures to discover the will of God for their lives and remind us of our inherent value. Connect with Shari: The Women In My World @sharirigby
Have you ever questioned God’s leading when following Him costs you your greatest joy? Has your acceptance of God’s plan brought you grief instead of peace? Do you find that waiting for clarity is excruciating when you’re suffering in the present?
These are some of the questions Heather Anderson wrestled with. When her husband, Josh, left his professional baseball career in obedience to Christ’s calling, years of pain and brokenness followed. Not only did God require Josh to die to himself, but Heather also experienced a pouring out. Together, however, they learned that being separated from your dream doesn’t mean you’ve separated from God.
Through this episode you will:
▫️Take active steps to mend your relationship with God. ▫️Restore your trust in God when He changes your circumstances. ▫️Gain confidence to speak with the Lord after you’ve been disappointed. ▫️Overcome the urge to shrink back from your mission when your purpose is unclear. ▫️Discover satisfaction in your new phase of life.
Join us as Heather shares how to return to your first love. Because as she will show you, personally experiencing the Lord is how you obtain His light, because in Him there is no darkness. Your pain will grow dim in the light of your commitment and God’s glory.
“We can be love offerings by staying committed to the Lord and doing what He’s called us to do. Your faith and your commitment can change the world.”
Connect with Heather: https://instagram.com/_heatheraanderson https://kharispublishing.com/
No one gets to write the first chapter of their lives. But everyone gets to write their second chapter.
From birth, chapter one is written for us by those that have control. For some, that chapter is good, right, and positive. Thus, those people have a good foundation for writing their second chapter.
Over the last ten years of counseling, the word Vera Holloway hears from clients, more than any other, is “stuck.”
Do you know anyone that's stuck? Or maybe you're the stuck one. And no matter the source or severity of the "stuck," whether it's from past trauma, failed relationships, or unsuccessful attempts at personal growth, this book will help.
In today’s episode, Vera: · outlines what stuck looks like · helps you identify what holds you captive · gives you the tools needed to get unstuck · guides you in writing your second chapter with clarity
It takes courage and determination to get unstuck and out of the cycle of destruction to live the linear life God has for each of us. Your Second Chapter is an opportunity to write that new life chapter.
“We can be a love offering by not thinking we have to have it all figured out. It’s free to be kind, to encourage, and pray for someone else.”
Connect with Vera: https://veraholloway.com
Do you want to live a meaningful life—with very few regrets—and make a positive difference in the world? But is culture distracting you from doing so? Perhaps moments, days, and years go by without you stopping to ask yourself, Am I living out my true purpose? Even if that question whispers to you, are you brushing it aside because you don’t know what to change in life’s busyness?
Joshua Becker is on the show helping us identify the obstacles—such as fear, technology, money, possessions, and the opinions of others—that keep us from living with intention, and then he provides practical ideas for letting go of those distractions today so we can focus on what matters most. He uses practical exercises and questions, insights from a nationwide survey, and success stories to give us the motivation we need to:
• identify the pursuits that matter most • align our dreams with our daily priorities • recognize how money and possessions keep us from happiness • become aware of how others’ opinions of us influence our choices • embrace what we’re truly passionate about instead of planning that next escape • figure out what to do with all those emails, notifications, and pings • let go of past mistakes and debilitating habits
Today’s episode is about living well. It’s about overcoming the chatter of a world focused on all the wrong things. It’s about rethinking the common assumptions of today to find satisfaction and fulfillment tomorrow.
How do we get to the end of our lives with minimal regrets? We set aside lesser pursuits to seek lasting meaning. And we discover the joy of doing it every day.
“We become our best love offering by not being sidetracked from what we can offer the kingdom of God by what the world is offering.”
Connect with Joshua: https://www.becomingminimalist.com https://www.hopeeffect.com
Do you ever wonder, What would God want me to do in this situation? Whether you're seeking God's will in the big decisions or the small, the Bible is FULL of wisdom, direction, and encouragement to help us find and follow God's Will. Join us today as Brittany Ann teaches us how to confidently hear God’s voice, understand His Word, and determine His will for ourselves. Connect with Brittany: https://equippinggodlywomen.com/
September 13-15 Called to Act Conference https://rachaelkeckadams--equippinggodlywomen.thrivecart.com/2022-called-to-act-conference/
This life is real and complicated, messy, colorful, good, exhausting, and exhilarating—often simultaneously. It’s easy to feel overburdened by life’s demands. Looking out into the world as well as under the roof of our home may cause us to question, “How did we get here? And how will we get through?”
Jillana Goble has been there. She’s on the show today sharing what she's continually learning on the suspension bridge between reality and hope. A mom via foster care, birth, and adoption—in that order—for nearly two decades, Jillana has experienced life’s curveballs. Her come-as-you-are posture amidst a daily reality far different than she ever imagined reassures you that you’re not alone if your life isn’t tidily wrapped in a bow.
Today’s stories will stay with you as you strive to love and to love well, even when—and especially when—it’s hard. Whether you are widening your family circle or just trying to get through the day, we welcome you to the table and offer you an anchor of hope to hang on to as you navigate your own love-stretched life. Connect with Jillana: https://jillana-goble.com https://everychildoregon.org
When a friend or family member is struggling spiritually, do you ever feel uncertain about what to say? You may sense your loved ones need to hear biblical encouragement or advice but, feeling inadequate for the task, you might simply commiserate or say nothing. In today’s episode, Cheryl Marshall and Caroline Newheiser help you discern spiritual needs and give biblical, heartfelt guidance. We talk about their book When Words Matter Most as they speak about what to say to those who are worried, weary, wayward, or weeping. You’ll learn how to speak truth to others in your sphere of influence and strengthen the body of Christ as a whole. “Our life is to glorify the Lord. Our words can be a love offering to the Lord and a benefit to others.”
Connect with Cheryl: https://www.cherylmarshall.com
Connect with Caroline: https://carolinenewheiser.com
Design a life intentionally. Grow faithfully. Create something beautiful that will last!
Ashley and Dino Petrone are on the show sharing their adventures, mishaps, and joys of building a life together using an unexpected element: design. They are inviting us into their home and relationship and sharing the struggles and successes that come from intentionally staying committed to God and each other. Because when you build with faith, creativity, and love as the foundation . . . you build something designed to last! “God’s given us so much. We need to use what He’s given us for His glory.”
Connect with Ashley and Dino: https://www.arrowsandbow.com
“Where were you, God? I can't see your hand in my story. Have you ever really shown up for me? Your heart might be good, but just not to me.”
If you've thought these things, you aren't alone. Alexandra Hoover has been in that dark place too. On today’s show, she reveals that God offers a clear way out—by getting your eyes off your surroundings and raising them up to the Ebenezer stone moments in your life. Ebenezer stone by Ebenezer stone, God did this for Alexandra, helping her trace his grace. He lifted her eyes to see the places He had met her and helped her along, even in the darkest parts of the story, and on top of that, He casted vision for her mission and purpose as a member of His family. Join us to learn to:
Chart your own Ebenezer-journey with God, stone by stone Learn how to embrace God's sovereignty in every twist and turn of your life Enjoy the gift of confident faith, no matter what part of the story you face today Walk away with your own clear testimony of God’s faithfulness in your life to share with others who need help and faith right now Understand your place in God's family and His mission for your life
Are you ready to finally see God's hand at work in countless moments that lay behind you—and more than that, trust His heart and see His vision for the moments ahead? Then look up to the Ebenezer stones that God has not only built in your story, but wants to use in mighty, missional ways.
“We are called living stones. Because of Christ you are someone’s answer to prayer.”
Connect with Alexandra: alexandravhoover.com @alexandravhoover
Is it possible to face the darkest days of life with hope and joy and purpose?
The life of Colleen Chao was bright and beautiful—it was brimming with hope and possibility. She was a talented, confident, and accomplished young woman. So, Colleen never imagined that she’d swim through two decades of deep-water anxiety and depression. She didn’t guess that she’d marry late, suffer years of chronic pain and illness, and give birth to a child with health complications. And never in her life did she imagine hearing the words: “Cancer. Stage four. Terminal.”
In the Hands of a Fiercely Tender God is born of the suffering that on its own could have crushed Colleen. Her pain, instead, opened her eyes to eternal realities and has wrought a soul of indestructible joy. How do we suffer long and well? What do we do when we feel cheated? How do we face pressing darkness? One thing Colleen has learned is that we cannot bear the suffering alone. We need lots of help. To that end, Colleen is on the show sharing wisdom, hope, and encouragement for those who are suffering. Join us to embrace one day at a time, to trust and love Jesus more, and put yourself In the Hands of a Fiercely Tender God.
“To be a love offering, open yourself to risking love by the power of God's Spirit.”
Connect with Colleen: http://www.colleenchao.com
Are you tired of the unrelenting pressure to be the best at everything? Scarlet Hiltibidal was too.
For Scarlet, attempting to be the best at pretty much everything—whether that be the best wife or the best sub-sandwich maker or the best Christian—was her life story. But in the midst of all her striving and reaching to hit the mark, she somehow still couldn’t grab hold of the joy and freedom and life-change that’s supposed to come with the gospel’s good news. That is, until she realized something revolutionary—instead of the best, she might actually be…the worst. The “chief of sinners.” Poor in spirit and gone astray.
In today’s episode, Scarlet tells plenty of stories of her own “worstness” to help you see your own and rejoice in the reality that our goodness and badness aren’t what make God smile at us.
If you’re tired of hustling to be the best, take a load off with Scarlet and say the honest and laughable truth along with her: we’re the worst people in the world!
“Obey and make it about Jesus.”
Connect with Scarlet: https://www.scarlethiltibidal.com
Overwhelmed. Stressed out. Burnt out. Fried. However we name it, all of us know what it feels like to deal with circumstances and worries that drag us down and wear us out. Many of us experience persistent anxiety. Peace can be hard to find.
But it is in the middle of our stress and fear that God extends his unshakable peace to us.
In today’s episode, Ann Swindell shares how the biblical stories of eight women and men helped her realize that what she needed most in her own journey wasn't a stable job or healthy kids or good friends--it was God's peace.
Join us to:
· Experience God's peace in your daily life · Respond to challenges with faith rather than fear · Find hope in God's goodness and faithfulness toward you
The good news is that even if our situations don't change, we can still experience Christ's peace in our daily lives. The Path to Peace is for everyone who longs to experience a soul at rest.
“You have to first find your sense of security and your belovedness through Christ. How can we be His presence to those who are desperate for His peace?”
Connect with Ann: https://www.annswindell.com
Distractions can steal your joy. They can definitely steal your purpose.
Billie Jauss tried to overcome a season of feeling unsettled and uncertain by simplifying her schedule and taking control of life’s chaos. It didn’t solve all her issues.
She realized it wasn’t the external distractions but the emotional barriers producing feelings of discouragement and defeat.
Through detoxing from the emotional toxins, realigning priorities, and creating a spiritual health plan, we can claim confidence and find fulfillment not in adding one more thing but in realizing God’s best things.
On today’s episode Billie shares how to:
▫️Determine their internal distractions. ▫️Evaluate their emotional barriers. ▫️Terminate the toxins to hear, trust, and go. ▫️Outline a plan to identify God’s best things. ▫️eXecute the plan.
Join us to discover God’s best and release confidence, peace, and fulfillment within.
“We can be love offerings by shining Jesus’ light every day.”
Connect with Billie: BillieJauss.com
The world is shouting at us to be more. Strive. Achieve. Overachieve. Never stop pushing. As a family practice doctor, wife, and mother, Mikala Albertson appeared to be living a "perfect" life, but really her whole world was falling apart. Married seven years to an alcohol and drug addict while raising two young children and finishing residency, Mikala eventually reached a breaking point. And surrendered. In sifting through the shattered pieces of her life, she realized she had been chasing something that doesn't exist. Perfect is pretend. And what she desperately needed to embrace was ordinary. A good, hard, messy, gritty, lovely, ordinary life. In today’s episode, Mikala shares her heartfelt journey in a raw and revealing way as she invites you to lay down your own endless chase for perfection and embrace this beautiful, messy life exactly as it is with our perfect, loving God right by your side. What would it look like to stop pretending to be "perfect" and be ordinary? Instead of always feeling overwhelmed and alone, you might discover the beauty of a good, hard life grounded in the radiant hope of God's unending love. Life happens in the ordinary, after all. “We can be love offerings by being ourselves. If we understood our own belovedness and treated others like they were beloved, it would change the world.” Connect with Mikala: https://www.ordinaryonpurpose.com https://instagram.com/ordinaryonpurpose
Let’s face it: we all know we should be praying more. And we genuinely try to make it happen! But before we know it, the day’s worries and demands often distract us from conversation with God, and we’re left wondering why we don’t hear from Him. It happens to all of us.
Asheritah Ciuciu is on today’s episode chatting about her devotional titled Prayers of Rest: 365 Prompts to Hear God’s Voice. She is offering us a respite from our spiritual to-do list by providing guided prayers that will focus our mind and heart on Scripture. Using the memorable acronym REST and daily Bible verses, she guides us through worship, confession, stillness, and surrender.
We’ll learn to: • Recite God’s Goodness • Express Our Neediness • Seek His Stillness • Trust His Faithfulness
Don’t let distractions pull you away from God. When the duties of life begin to weigh on your mind . . . that’s exactly when you need to REST in the Lord.
“You can be a love offering by spending time talking with God.”
Connect with Asheritah: Prayers of Rest podcast www.asheritah.com
We may know the hymn I Surrender All and proudly sing it in church on Sunday. But do we really want to surrender all, or are there areas of our lives we are hesitant to release to God?
Michelle Lazurek knows what it’s like to want to experience full surrender as God intended, but be unsure how to start. She’s on the show helping us:
▫️Identify areas of struggle in surrendering to God ▫️Utilize practical tips and strategies to incorporate surrender into our everyday lives ▫️Learn how to trust God with every area of our lives ▫️Practically live out the truths in Scripture
Join us to discuss how to lay down every area of you life, in order to watch God do the impossible.
To be a love offering: “Normalize anxiety and mental illness within the church.”
Connect with Michelle: MichelleLazurek.com Wordwisemedia.com
Everyone believes life is a blank journal waiting to be filled with the culmination of dreams; instead, we deal with disappointments when the pages of our lives don't mirror those dreams. But we were not born with a blank journal in our hands. Life leads us into the wilderness, and we wonder if we will find our way back to Eden, or how to move forward towards the promised land.
While we can't rip out the pages of our lives, we are not narcissists of our narratives. What if the wilderness became our Eden? What if we could keep dreaming in a world of disappointments? Amidst the death or deferral of dreams, Emily Jansen is on the show today helping us reimagine our stories and pick up our pens again. She’s reminding us that God, the author of our stories, calls us to co-create with Him and keep dreaming despite our doubts. She shares how the wilderness might just be the very place of our greatest flourishing.
It’s not just a dream. It's your dream, and it matters because God put it inside you. Will you dare to dream again?
To be a love offering: “Sharing our pain, stories, heartache, and disappointments requires vulnerability. But from that brokenness and vulnerability comes a heart that can embody God’s radical love.”
Connect with Emily: www.emilyjjansen.com @emilyjjansen @awildereden
Who am I? Does God see me? Does God love me? What is my purpose?
So much is tied up in our longing to know who we are: our worth, whether we’re loved, what we’re meant to do with our lives. But there’s a powerful truth that settles every question: God has named us, and the names he has spoken over us settle every question and pain we have experienced in our search for identity.
Names help us know that we belong and to whom we belong. Names carry authority and power. But we also carry other names―painful, damaging names that we have spoken over ourselves or that others have branded on us. Too often, in times of low self-worth, grief, or failure, we exchange our God-given identity for those false names.
When we believe God’s names for us, we will discover a life lived with purpose and passion. Are you ready to accept God’s invitation to silence the inner voice that keeps you from living freely, joyfully, and confidently?
A lot is at stake in understanding the sacred truth of who you are. The names you believe about yourself impact how you live, how you love, and how you move and bear witness to the gospel.
Hear this: God has true names that he speaks over you and wants you to hear above the false banter.
Aubrey Sampson is on the show inviting us to understand and embrace what it means to be created and named in the image of God. In the process, it will ignite a passion to speak life-giving names over others, to bless them through the power of the Name that is above every other.
Join us to discover what it means to be powerfully and personally made and named in the image of God. Everything changes when you believe this incredible truth: You are known by God.
Connect with Aubrey: https://instagram.com/aubsamp http://www.aubreysampson.com Nothing is Wasted Podcast The Common Good Talk Show
The older we get, the less we find ourselves spending time in the company of good friends. Organic friendship becomes nearly impossible—after all, there are all sorts of obligations tugging at our attention. Or we find ourselves getting frustrated with shallow, draining conversations. Or, most painful of all, we feel like no one wants us—and who wants to be rejected? If you have found yourself desperately wanting connection but confused about why you are not experiencing it, you are not alone. And you don’t have to stay there. As Christian women, our faith calls us to support one another on the path of growing as a follower of Jesus—a call that will connect us, create a solid foundation for trust, and bind us together in Jesus’ love, no matter what struggles we face on the road of friendship. Bailey Hurley is on the show offering practical habits that are sustainable, deep, and valuable. Join us to: ▫️identify what makes a godly, lasting friendship; ▫️tackle lies and false expectations about what it takes to build lasting friendship; and ▫️learn to tackle the barriers to friendship and invite healthy friendship rhythms. It is possible to grow healthy friendships, starting now. Connect with Bailey: https://baileythurley.com https://instagram.com/bailey.t.hurley
Life is just . . . a lot. Relationships are hard. Responsibilities are piled high. And it seems like all the things are distracting you from the very best things of all. There's little time left for yourself--or for connecting with Jesus.
No wonder you feel anxious in your mind and hurried in your heart. You desperately long for calm amidst your clamoring duties, stacked schedule, and life's unexpected circumstances. But where do you begin?
More than anything else, your heart needs a refreshing encounter with God each day. Ruth Schwenk is on the show offering us a way forward so we can experience the confident calm we crave. Join us to face life with God's peace and renewed strength. Discover the calming reassurance of God, who is the only One who can truly be trusted in all the things.
To be a love offering: “In our pain we can offer comfort to others. Walk toward someone else’s pain instead of away from it. Pray for others and pray with others. Keep showing up.”
Reference: Better by Jen Wilken
Connect with Ruth: https://www.thebettermom.com https://forthefamily.org https://instagram.com/ruthschwenk Rootlike Faith podcast
Do you long to go to bed at night knowing you've done the best you could with what you have as a mom and made a difference in your child's life--even if you can't see it yet? It's easy to compare yourself to other moms and set unrealistic expectations that make you doubt you're doing enough. You need hope and encouragement to help you find a new place to start on the days you're tempted to quit!
Renee Swope is on the show helping us find purpose and meaning in the challenges and adventures of motherhood. By unpacking powerful truths of grace and love God used to rescue her from discouragement and guilt that buried her in the dirt of defeat, Renee shares hope, wisdom, and practical help every mom needs.
Join us as Renee talks about simple ways to give your child what they need most through the power of heart-centered parenting that is character-focused and relationship-driven. This episode will transform not only the way you parent but also the way you see yourself as a mom and as a child of God. “My love offering is to give my children back to Him. Then to offer God‘s love to my children in the way that He has loved me.” Connect with Renee: ReneeSwope.com
You know her. Maybe you are her. The woman who feels like she must always be "on." The one who is always performing. She walks into every room relentlessly hard on herself, always attempting to deliver an A+ performance, because she believes this is the bare minimum standard she has to achieve just to be invited to most tables. You would never know by looking at her the hard things she's had to overcome. She succeeds, almost compulsively, in this urgent attempt to outrun her own muddy story. But she is walking around now, reduced to this burned-out, brittle, fragile, ashes-to-ashes version of herself. She is, at last . . .exhausted.
When gold stars, highlight reels, and seeking approval from strangers on the internet are not enough, Mary Marantz is on the show giving us permission to stop running. Join us as she shares how to move from achieving, striving, and performing for your worth to the grace, freedom, and purpose that come from knowing your identity and calling are determined by God.
You are not in a race with anyone. Good things take time. REAL things take time. And slow growth equals strong roots. “We can be a love offering by getting over ourselves. Instead of thinking what if it fails, consider who could it help?”
Connect: https://marymarantz.com https://instagram.com/marymarantz
From energy and injury to surviving middle school, moms are asking questions. They want to know about training, role models, overcoming fear, dealing with ADD, how to talk to their teenagers and how to get them to have a conversation. Moms want to know if they have permission to take care of themselves, how to not act shocked, and how to experience God’s grace and joy in being a mom. Amy Bloye is on the show today sharing her wisdom she has learned through motherhood in her book titled Between Ball Games. Join us to feel more equipped to raise the boys in your life into strong men and the girls in your life into strong women.
Eph 3:19 We have to let ourselves be loved by God and then let that love overflow.”
Connect with Amy: Cultivate_women in ministry
The fruit of the Spirit isn’ t just something we display. It’s the way God loves us! Every Christian cherishes the famous passage in Galatians 5:22–23 that lists the fruit of the Spirit. Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. And self-control. These are the marks of godly character that we strive to display. But has it ever occurred to you that these are also the characteristics of God? Can it be that God loves us with the fruit of the Spirit? And only when we are secure in that love can we display it to others?
Jessica Thompson is on the show today talking about the deeper love that your Heavenly Father has for you. Focusing on the majority of the fruit of the Spirit, she shows how God Himself has these attributes and lavishes them on us. Join us as we behold who He is and the nature of His love. Then prayerfully, by the work of the Spirit, we will become like Him. “To be a love offering, remember that you are loved.”
Connect with Jessica: https://www.jessicathompson.co @thejesslou
Growing up as a Chinese American daughter of a mail-order bride and a busboy working in San Francisco Chinatown, Bonnie Gray had never truly felt beautiful or beloved. She had built her life to look pleasant and ordinary, with a wonderful husband, two amazing boys, and a thriving career. But despite these blessings, she still felt the tugging emptiness of a missing piece.
At 39, a long-forgotten birth certificate in an old file cabinet sparked a curiosity Bonnie couldn’t ignore. Determined to uncover family secrets and understand the home she was born into, Bonnie embarked on a journey that would leave her forever changed. Returning to the culture, places, and stories that shaped her, her search led her to soul-shaking discoveries about her identity, human kindness, and what it truly means to be loved.
Bonnie is on the show today sharing her memoir titled Sweet Like Jasmine. It is a profoundly moving account of how God uses our unique and broken stories to create a beautiful mosaic of His love, one life at a time.
Feel seen and valued, because you are worthy of loving, resting in God’s love for you. See the grace woven in each chapter of your life and embrace the wholeness of who you are. Learn to listen deeply to your life and feel empowered in your true worth. Find freedom, hope, and healing in rewriting your stories with faith. Through powerful truths and insightful reflection prompts, find beauty out of brokenness and belonging out of loneliness. Be love offerings by sharing with others what brings us joy and peace. But you first have to receive it yourself. Connect with Bonnie: https://thebonniegray.com
Is it just me? Am I the only one who’s lonely? Am I the only one without friends?
If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions, Amy Weatherly and Jess Johnston, founders of the widely popular “Sister, I Am with You,” are raising their hands to say, “Yeah, us too.” And they want to encourage, equip, and reassure you that you have what it takes to build the kind of friendships you want.
I’ll Be There (But I’ll Be Wearing Sweatpants) provides you with the how of cultivating deep relationships in this messy, chaotic, beautiful life. Through this episode, you’ll learn how to:
▫️admit you need friends—then go out and find them, ▫️dismantle the lies you’ve believed about friendship, ▫️love yourself so you can find people who will love you for you, ▫️be a good friend even though you can’t be a perfect one, and ▫️heal from a friend breakup—and find the courage to try again. It’s time you felt completely accepted as you are—from the top of your messy bun to the tips of your unpedicured toes.
Let’s start making friendships a priority—together. “To be a love offering view every connection as a gift from God.”
“Instead of working for love, come from a place where you’re working from love.”
Audio Book sample: https://soundcloud.com/harperaudio_us/ill-be-there-but-ill-be-wearing-sweatpants-by-amy-weatherly-jess-johnston-chapter-1?si=d0a7aa1b3d79484c9506ede89c5cf36e&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
Connect with Amy and Jess: https://www.sisteriamwithyou.com
All of us live with some sort of longing in our hearts—a gap between the life we want and the life we actually have. As we try to navigate this sense of longing and the circumstances we desperately wish would change, we try to hang on to the belief that God will fulfill our desires, while waiting to see the answers to our prayers realized.
For some, those prayers are answered. Yet for others, the longing persists, making us weary at best and debilitated at worst. Living this way leaves us asking the same questions: “How do I find God’s joy in this life when it isn’t the life I hoped for?” or “How do I deal with the gap between the life I want and the life I’ve been given?”
Elizabeth Woodson is on today’s episode equipping us for joyful living in that gap. You’ll learn to:
▫️Realize joy is possible ▫️Avoid emotional escapism and naïve blindness to reality ▫️Have your eyes opened to what “biblical contentment” really means ▫️Enjoy God’s unfailing presence ▫️Understand your divine calling
Elizabeth shares life-changing truth that has the heart-healing power you’ve been searching for, and helps you walk through your current life situations from a new perspective—one that embraces actual, real, deep joy in the midst of the inevitable longings of life.
“This week’s love offering is to see other people. No one is as strong as we think they are.”
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missjazzyliz/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/missjazzyliz Website: https://www.elizabethwoodson.org/
Our life journeys can be filled with steps of faith and adventure, but also difficulty and challenges. Ricky and Krista Ortiz are certainly familiar with both. After meeting in Bible college they married and then started Meta Church in NYC.
In today’s episode Ricky and Krista are honest about their personal and marital struggles. At the brink of divorce, they stood before their own Red Sea wondering how they would ever get across.
Join us as we discuss: ▫️Grief, loss, addiction, and depression ▫️How Jesus changed their lives ▫️Serving as pastors in NYC ▫️How they serve their community in tangible ways ▫️Living open-handedly with generosity ▫️Staying faithful despite difficulties ▫️Making an impact on our world
Ricky and Krista share their story in hopes that all who hear it will know God can work in the midst of theirs too. If you are standing in front of your own Red Sea today, do not be afraid. Stand still. The Lord will fight for you (Exodus 14:13-14). And when God helps you make it to the other side, we pray you stand in awe of Him. Just as Ricky and Krista continue to do.
“Be a funnel and be open handed. It’s our love offering back to God.”
“Be a love offering by telling your God story.”
Connect with Ricky and Krista: Meta Church - @metanyc - https://meta.church Krista - @krista_ortiz - kristaortiz.com Ricky - @rico6886 Faithbox - @getfaithbox
What if my hope only leads to disappointment? What if I embrace joy only to have it ripped from my hands? What if my celebration is the cause of others' sadness? What if my joy takes me away from the God I knew so well in my pain? Author and marriage and family therapist Nicole Zasowski knows what it's like to take a blow that makes it difficult to look to the future with expectation and ask herself these questions. Yet, as she found the courage to celebrate, she discovered God is as present in our joy as He is in our pain. Yes, God's purpose for us is worked out in our struggles. But what if it is also worked out in our dreams and our delighted joy? In What If It's Wonderful? Nicole helps you: ▫️overcome the fears that keep you from looking toward the future with joy; ▫️let go of the lies you've believed about happiness and embrace celebration as a part of spiritual growth; ▫️approach life with an expectant heart and courage to trust God's good gifts.
With a psychological and spiritual case for celebrating, Nicole challenges you to let go of the habit of practicing disappointment and fully embrace joy, beckoning you to ask yourself a new question: What if it's wonderful?
“This week’s love offering is to give affirmation. Express your thanksgiving and gratitude for others in your life.”
Connect with Nicole: https://www.nicolezasowski.com
Internationally bestselling author Francine Rivers is on the show today sharing the impact of a story and about God’s redeeming love. Francine had a successful writing career in the general market for several years becoming a born-again Christian; she then wrote Redeeming Love as her statement of faith. A retelling of the biblical story of Gomer and Hosea set during the time of the California Gold Rush, Redeeming Love is now considered by many to be a classic work of Christian fiction and it continues to be one of the industry’s top-selling titles year after year.
Since Redeeming Love, Francine has published numerous bestselling novels with Christian themes—including The Masterpiece, Bridge to Haven, and A Voice in the Wind —and she has continued to win both industry acclaim and reader loyalty around the world.
Francine and her husband live in Northern California and enjoy time spent with their grown children and grandchildren. She uses her writing to draw closer to the Lord, and she desires that through her work she might worship and praise Jesus for all He has done and is doing in her life.
“Be a love offering by allowing God to live through you. He makes all of us unique. Allow God to shine through you wherever you are.”
Connect with Francine: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrancineRivers Twitter: https://twitter.com/FrancineRivers Website: www.FrancineRivers.com
A true story about making the most of your one incredible life–With an overwhelming mix of pride, excitement, and terror, Stacey and her children held hands and watched the rocket ignite and lift off for a nine-month mission to the International Space Station.
This is the story of the astronaut’s wife—a journey full of unexpected twists and turns. While her husband orbited the Earth, Stacey was about to embark on a knock-your-socks-off adventure right here at home. Experience this deeply meaningful season with Stacey—full of unique challenges and surreal opportunities—and discover rich lessons in:
▫️preparing for any mission or adventure life throws at you trusting God when you feel weak or alone ▫️rediscovering your fun side when you’ve been trapped in survival mode too long ▫️choosing hope in the face of fear and uncertainty
Containing behind-the-scenes glimpses into a side of space flight that most will never experience, Stacey shares a funny, poignant, and meaningful exploration of living life to the fullest—no matter where you roam.
To be a love offering: “There are so many scary things in the world. The best thing we can be right now is something different. Let’s offer hope. Every day is one step closer to something new.”
Connect with Stacey: @staceymorgan2000 www.staceymorgan2000.com
To ask for help feels like defeat. Yet when we try to do life all by our own strength, we end up depleted, lonely, and ineffective. Heather MacFadyen wants you to know that you are not meant to go it alone. She's on the show sharing how we can be empowered by God, supported by others, and connect in our relationships. With encouragement and insight, she helps you foster the key relationships you need to be the woman you want to be. “Love one another is a command. Love one another as I have loved you. He did so with strength and vulnerability. If you are going to follow His command we must be willing to bravely be vulnerable too.”
Connect with Heather: https://dontmomalone.com @dontmomalone
Two's company, especially for those who love each other. So what happens when--due to retirement, working from home, or even running a business together--spouses find that being in the same space all the time is awkward, complex, annoying, and just plain challenging? How can partners co-exist without co-exhausting each other?
Cynthia Ruchti and Becky Melby have written Spouse in the House. They know all too well how adjusting to a new, all-the-time closeness can cause the bliss of marriage to form blisters. Drawing from their experiences, and from men and women across the country in the same situation, they take a deep breath and dive into the root causes of the discomfort. Join us in today’s episode as Cynthia digs into the ways God's Word addresses the topic, and offers practical tips for learning the spiritual, emotional, relational, and even physical steps that can help us replace irritation with peace. To be a love offering: “Have an attitude that keeps investing in making your relationships better. Here I am Lord. Show me today how to show love to this man I live with.”
Connect with Cynthia: www.cynthiaruchti.com www.hemmedinhope.com
As believers, we often struggle to let go of the things that keep us from reaching out to God. Valerie Woerner is on the show today teaching us that we don't have to limp through our prayer lives carrying the weight of every distraction. We can learn to pray boldly to the God of the universe who is beckoning us to come sit with him, share our needs and our hearts, and simply know him. Prayer invites action into our lives by the God who is more powerful than we are on our own.
What weights do we need to take off so they don’t hold us back from a deeper conversation with God? What distractions are holding us back from running freely with our Father?
Let’s get rid of the burdens that are suffocating our prayer lives and leaving us gasping for Jesus so we can experience true joy in prayer that we never thought possible. Because, ultimately, prayer changes everything. A vibrant, unstuck prayer life can begin for you right now. “We can love other people by lifting people up in prayer.”
Connect with Valerie: www.valmariepaper.com Prayer in a Noisy World podcast
Unfortunately, many people have a shallow, superficial idea of what marriage is. As a result, many marriages don’t last, and many more married couples are trudging along looking for something more.
Love Like You Mean It gives husbands and wives a biblical understanding of what real love looks like in marriage by unpacking the ten attributes of genuine love listed in 1 Corinthians 13. Bob Lepine, marriage and family expert and host of the nationally syndicated radio program FamilyLife Today, is on the show today helping husbands and wives discover that it’s not primarily emotions that define marital love, but actions and decisions that fuel emotions and cause marital love to grow.
“We can be love offerings by realizing our biggest issue is our addiction to self. Today is not about me. It is about serving God and serving others. That is my mission. Not my agenda, but God’s agenda puts us into position to be a love offering.”
Connect with Bob: www.familylifetoday.com www.redeemerlr.org
The enemy wants to steal and destroy your destiny, but you've already been made victorious in Jesus Christ. Now is the time, master the skills needed to defend your territory and walk in your full destiny by becoming a Victory Girl.
Amy Elaine Martinez is on the show today helping us to:
Suit up for battle, get your brave on, and walk in confidence as a warrior of victory. Pray with power, authority, and accuracy, hitting the mark every time by mastering the Art of the Aim. Stake, claim, and keep the territory you’ve conquered while staking your claim in The Kingdom. Bask in the bounty of the battle as you take back what the enemy’s stolen.
After this episode we pray you are more confident about your spiritual inheritance and spiritual identity and know Who’s really fighting your battles. As you battle to become who God made you to be and start believing in His Word, you’ll begin to see yourself as a Victory Girl.
“To be a love offering be the person you needed. Love like you needed to be loved.”
Connect with Amy Elaine: www.amyelaine.com @amyelainewrites
It is so hard to juggle work, home, and spiritual life. How can we be effective in our work, and stay committed to the Gospel? How can we be dedicated to our family, when our jobs are so demanding? Why are we working so hard, and still so unfulfilled?
We see a culture that promotes success at all costs, and working women are falling for it. It's happening every day. Priorities are shifting. Things are getting done . . . but are we doing what matters most?
She Works His Way founders Somer Phoebus and Michelle Myers are on the show today telling the story of how they traded the lies of the world for the truth of our loving Father--the lessons they learned that challenged culture's "good things" so they could find the greatest thing.
Join us for a conversation that pushes back against our culture with a Gospel-centered approach to work and womanhood, for the glory of God and the good of others. Let's get to work. His way.
“You have to consider Jesus and then practice His presence.” Somer Phoebus
“Love is the verb that keeps the church in check. Love is a decision and choice. If you want to increase your significance, increase your love.” Michelle Myers
Connect: Sheworkshisway.com @sheworkshisway
We were made for connection with other women. Yet too often our friendships are marked by drama, competition, betrayal, or unforgiveness. We can cause one another deep pain, creating wounds in need of healing, when what we really long to do is cheer each other on and fulfill our God-breathed purpose--together.
Andi Andrew is on the show today helping us to navigate the complications that can come in friendships with other women. Join us as she empowers you to do the work by first facing yourself and untangling the mess, then seeking reconciliation for genuine connection. You can build healthy, authentic friendships, even when it's been painful or complicated in the past.
“To be a love offering is when we think about what we need and hope someone would do for us and how we can do that same thing for someone else.”
Connect with Andi: www.andiandrew.com @andiandrew
When we are in the darkness--whatever that is in our own particular story--the temptation is to believe that it's over, it's always going to feel this way, we will never be anywhere else or feel anything other than we do now. We fear the darkness, and for good reason. But it is in the darkness that new life begins.
Leeana Tankersley is on the show sharing the darkest chapter of her own story, the thing she never thought would happen and could do nothing to prevent. Along the way she shares how waiting patiently in the darkness allowed something incredible to take root within her: a defiant and hard-won hope that is not dependent on happy endings.
If you have lost your faith, your family, your health, your home, your security, your business, or your very self, Leeana wants you to know that you are not alone or forgotten. You are not doomed to stagnation or stasis. You are not worth less than you once were. Against every last odd, you can hope anyway.
“We don’t have to show up with all of the answers or solutions. We just need to sit with each other without feeling the need to fix it.”
“Just checking in.”
Connect with Leeana: www.leeanatankersley.com @leeanatankersley
Soup recipe: https://www.thecandidappetite.com/spicy-sausage-potato-kale-soup/
Whether it’s a dream that isn’t coming true, a stretch of the journey that feels especially dark, or just the basic “busy and tired” each of us braves in the crazy chaos of the ordinary, have you ever faced a season where “life to the full” feels just out of reach, light seems like it it’s just over the horizon, or lies seem to crowd out the truth?
If you’re anything like Ellie Holcomb, the answer is yes. For her in these seasons, God’s Word has been a shelter, a comfort, a song, a balm, and an anchor. Ultimately, it’s been a light that has helped kick back at the darkness of the lies we so often believe. In her debut devotional, Fighting Words and in today’s episode you are invited to come alongside Ellie, as you ponder the power of God’s promises together and speak them into the darkest corners of your soul. We pray you find that little by little, you're fighting the lies with the truth, kicking back the darkness, and living in the light.
“I can be a love offering by spending time talking to the author of love Himself. My job is to be a conduit of the love I have received.”
Connect with Ellie: https://www.ellieholcomb.com
If you were to pick one word for the year, what would it be? Invite . . . Abide . . . Balance . . . Simplify . . . ?
Every January, many of us proclaim our word for the year, choosing something inspiring that will help us set our intention for the coming months. But what would happen if rather than choosing one word for an entire year (because let's face it, some of us forget by March), we focused on one good word each day―one thought-provoking, spiritually relevant, and encouraging word that reveals the many lovely and delightful truths of who Jesus is in our lives?
The Ruth Experience is on the show today talking about One Good Word a Day. This 365 day devotional offers simple, but deeply spiritual meditations that will help us linger on one word each day to identify and reflect on how Jesus as the Word influences our daily lives.
We pray you realize that Jesus is more than one word. He offers us abundance, hope, peace, kindness, courage, mercy, and so much more. One Good Word a Day reminds us that in Christ, we find all we need to live encouraged and uplifted every day.
“Keep your eyes open. God sends us in the places and spaces we already are.”
“Spend time with God and focus on Him. Remind yourself of His care and love for you. Then, out of that place, be aware of how you can love the people around you.”
“Be intentional and look for opportunities around you.”
Connect with The Ruth Experience: @theruthexperience
Our hearts and the hearts of others are so important. God wants our whole hearts, but so does the enemy. That is why it is essential we identify and stay in tune with the lies we may be believing and replace them with God’s truth.
Charity Rios is on the show today sharing about how to tend to our hearts and the hearts of the people in our lives. She is the author of My Heart's Garden, a children’s book to help kids discover their true identity in Christ, overcome anxiety, fear, and insecurity, by replacing lies with the truth.
On today’s episode we chat about: Her role as a Children's Pastor and church planter. Simple practices to connect our hearts to Jesus. Loving our children for who they are and not for who we think they should be. Giving our kids a firm foundation. Making reading the Bible and prayer part of our family’s routine.
We pray after joining us your heart’s garden is full of fertile soil ready to allow God’s seeds to flourish and yield a fruitful harvest for Him. Connect with Charity: https://www.charityrios.com Instagram @claritywithcharity Facebook @charityriosauthor
At the end of the day, can one person really make any impact at all?
When the world's problems loom large and your ordinary life stretches you thin, it is still possible to be a difference-maker--one small, intentional, extravagant act of kindness at a time.
Rather than telling you to do more, Becky Keife’s book The Simple Difference shows you how to see more: more of the people in front of you, more of God's lavish love for you, more of his power within you. Becky is on the show helping us to:
- stop getting buried in busyness and distraction and discover countless opportunities for impact right where you are
- remove your perceived limitations and learn to see that your "not-enough" is exactly what the world needs
- discard expectations of what it takes to make a difference and delight in the life-changing power of simple kindness
The Simple Difference isn't about totally changing the course of your life; it's about letting God change you and work through you in the midst of your ordinary days. Be a part of The Simple Difference movement--your life and the world will never be the same. Be a love offering by praying “Lord, as I go on my way, have your way with me.”
Connect with Becky: https://www.beckykeife.com Incourage.me Bethesimpledifference.com @beckykeife
When it comes to disagreement, we are in perpetual fight-or-flight mode. Rather than respond with a posture of compassion and connection, we are encouraged to "resist" others. Either we engage in fruitless arguments with people who refuse to see things our way or we retreat to our echo chambers where everyone agrees with us. But the real resistance, the kind that helps us grow, is learning to love others--especially those who disagree with us.
If you're tired of seeing your real-life and online communities in turmoil and you long to be an agent of peace, understanding, and reconciliation, it's time to join a new kind of resistance movement--one that pushes us toward personal transformation. Ashley Abercrombie is on the show sharing about her book Love Is the Resistance. Join us to develop confidence to communicate and connect with others, stop avoiding necessary tension, and resolve your internal and external conflicts.
This week's love offering is to be kind. “You can be in conflict and mad and still be kind.”
Organization mentioned: Treasures
Podcast: Why tho? Tiffany Bluhm
Connect with Ashley: https://www.ashabercrombie.org
As a trauma-informed professional life coach, Janell Rardon spends a good deal of her day-to-day work with brokenness--broken families, broken relationships, broken hearts and souls. In response to the pleas of her clients, she developed a set of emotional-health tools to help them repair the broken parts of their lives. In Stronger Every Day and on today’s episode, she shares these powerful tools with you, showing you how to:
▫️transform pain into meaning ▫️experience secure attachment with God ▫️shape healthy thoughts ▫️shift from shame to self-compassion ▫️practice healthy assertiveness ▫️set mental and emotional boundaries ▫️understand triggers and defense mechanisms ▫️regulate emotional highs and lows ▫️cultivate healthy human connection
With inspiring Scriptures, quotes, prayers, personal stories, and case studies, Rardon sets you on the path of emotional health so that you can be stronger than ever--every day.
“Your greatest gift to those around you is your emotional health. Your emotional health informs your spiritual health. They are inextricable.”
Connect with Janell: JanellRardon.com
Our bodies are designed to heal. We fall off our bikes and skin our knees―and without effort on our part, the skin looks like new in a few days. But while our skinned knees easily heal, it can sometimes feel like our emotional and relational wounds are left gaping open, broken beyond repair. If our bodies instinctively know how to heal physical injuries, could they also help us understand how to restore painful emotional and relational ruptures?
In their book Designed to Heal: What the Body Shows Us about Healing Wounds, Repairing Relationships, and Restoring Community, and on today’s episode, physician Jennie A. McLaurin and scientist Cymbeline Tancongco Culiat:
• address the immense felt need for reconciliation, wholeness, and function in our broken relationships and divided communities, • explain the science behind the stages of physical wound healing and how this reveals parallel insights into how people can recover from social wounds, • share current research on brain science as it relates to the damaging effects of trauma and the protective effects of positive emotions and experiences, • equip readers with new concepts and tools to use in resolving interpersonal conflict, and • offer hope and encouragement to readers as they pursue the healing of divisions within their greater communities.
Join us to learn how the body is created with mechanisms that optimize a flourishing recovery from life’s inevitable wounds. We pray after listening, you realize we are given a model for hopeful, faithful, and enduring healing in all other aspects of our lives. Our wounds don’t have to have the last word.
“We want people to be hopeful about healing and see it as the healthy design. We believe that readers can extract a lot of principles from the book so they can become better agents of healing in their lives/circles—offering themselves as agents of healing — to be essential components of the healing matrix in the circles they live in.” Cymbeline T. Culiat
Connect with Jennie and Bem: https://jenniemclaurin.com
What would you do if the unthinkable happened? Where would you find the strength to endure? The Gordon family was confronted with that very challenge when their five-year-old son, Sawyer, known for his big blue eyes and vivacious spirit, cheerfully pedaled his bike onto their busy road. Moments later, a distracted driver, someone the family knew, stood over the motionless child—the unthinkable had happened. Part memoir, part Christian apologetic, Hope Remains is much more than a self-help book on grief. It is a transparent story of loss, love, forgiveness, and the unshakeable goodness of God. Join Summer Gordon on today’s episode to realize that shattered hearts don’t have to mean shattered hope.
“To be a love offering we have to spend time with Christ. When we do we are changed from the inside out and we are better versions of ourselves. Apart from Christ, we have nothing to offer.”
Connect with Summer: https://summerandreppardgordon.com https://www.facebook.com/SummerEGordon
Do you feel crushed by your circumstances? How do we hold onto hope in the midst of despair? Jackie Aviles says, “Hope isn’t a thing we grasp for, it's a person we connect with.” She is on the show sharing her story of never meeting her biological father, becoming a pastor’s wife, and being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
On today’s episode we chat about:
▫️Marriage and motherhood in the midst of a diagnosis ▫️Judging God’s story before He reveals His hand ▫️Loving others well through a diagnosis ▫️Hope killers
As you tune in, we pray you feel more equipped with the disciplines to take your next step out of your pressing situations and to keep walking toward your purpose. Resources Mentioned: Go And Tell Gals with Jess Connolly Pressed Toward Purpose
“To love starts with listening. My prayer is that God makes us a people who want to hear.”
Connect with Jackie: Jackieaviles.com @jackie_aviles
If we're honest, that's a sentiment we’ve all shared. Prayer can be challenging and confusing. Often we feel abandoned, betrayed, and anxious. We don't know what to pray for, we don't know the words to say, and sometimes it just feels like there's no one on the other side.
Pastor and bestselling author Derwin Gray addresses all of these feelings and thoughts today on the show. Using his book “God, Do You Hear Me?” (B&H) as a guide, Derwin walks us through the Lord’s Prayer (Matt 6:9-13).
We also chat about:
▫️His time playing in the NFL ▫️God’s transformation process ▫️Partnering with God
Tune in to discover the prayer God always answers. We pray this episode helps you break through to a completely new and refreshing prayer life. “When we try to be good without God we end up being bad. So, the way you become a love offering is you let the unlimited, life-giving, sin forgiving, love of Jesus ravage you.”
Connect with Derwin: Derwinlgray.com @derwinlgray
Emotions—love them or hate them, we’ve all got them. And we’ve all got to figure out what to do with them. But wait—can we do anything about our emotions? Can we learn how to identify, express, experience—and yes, sometimes wrangle—our feelings in order to live a vibrant, healthy, fruitful life for Jesus?
Elizabeth Laing Thompson uses her experiences as a big feeler to encourage and equip different kinds of feelers with the biblical perspectives, practical tools, and scriptural reservoir they need through her book All the Feels (Tyndale) and All the Feels for Teens (Wander).
As a woman who has lived every day of her life having All The Big Feelings All The Day Long, Elizabeth knows what it’s like to live life through our emotions—and how important it is to understand, take control of, and grow from those emotions. Whether you have a sensitive soul with more feelings than you know how to name, a logical personality that doesn’t quite know what to do with feelings, or a steady flow of emotions somewhere in the middle, this episode will help you:
▫️discover your own God-designed “feelings style” and how it impacts your life and relationships, ▫️distinguish fact from feeling and figure out which feelings you can trust, and ▫️understand which emotional gifts God wants you to expand, explore, and enjoy.
Get ready to throw open the doors of your heart, bringing God to your emotions and your emotions to God—the One who invented feelings and who always welcomes yours.
Plus we chat about Elizabeth's other books When God Says No (Barbour), When God Says Wait, and When God Says Go (Shiloh)! So much goodness in one episode!
This week’s love offering is to “love someone else through their hard time. Comfort those who need comforted. That is how we redeem those difficult times.”
Connect with Elizabeth: http://LizzyLife.com https://facebook.com/alizzylife https://instagram.com/elizabethlaingthompson
The Lucky Few is a social awareness brand on the mission to make a more inclusive and loving world with an emphasis on shifting the Down syndrome narrative. Heather Avis is the founder and chief visionary officer of The Lucky Few and mom of three adopted children, two of which have Down Syndrome. She is on the show chatting about her children’s book titled “Different—A Great Thing To Be!” (WaterBrook & Multnomah, imprints of Penguin Random House). Join us as Heather shares about learning to value the "different" in all people, leading the way to a more inclusive, kinder world in which our differences are celebrated and warmly embraced. This week’s love offering is to say to ourselves and to say to those around us “who you are, exactly as you are, you are loved and you are worthy. Who I am, exactly as I am, I am loved and I am worthy to be loved.”
Connect with Heather: https://www.heatheravis.com https://instagram.com/theluckyfewofficial
Anxiety and depression are on the rise. Michelle Nietert is the Clinical Director of Community Counseling Associates in Dallas, TX. She is a mom of two and a former school counselor with over 20 years experience in private practice. She is on the show sharing her expertise on how to protect our mental health and the mental health of our children. We chat about:
Empowering our children to struggle well in hard seasons Managing difficult emotions and age-specific vocabulary to use Warning signs to look for & how moms can help 5 ways moms can protect their own mental health
We pray after this episode you are better equipped to handle the mental health challenges life brings.
This week’s love offering is “to be a vessel and be open to the moments to experience God. Let him do the work.”
People and Books mentioned: Sissy Goff Dr. Caroline Leaf Henry Blackaby - Experiencing God
Connect with Michelle: https://michellenietert.com
We live in a polarized time. Christians are quick to conceive of themselves either as theologically-minded or worship-minded; either thinking Christians or feeling Christians. The results are damaging: theology without worship is muted, stifled, and cold, and worship without theology is ungrounded, unrooted, and uninformed.
This is not the way it was meant to be. Amy Gannett is the author of “Fix Your Eyes” (B&H books) and she is in the show sharing how our theology (our study and knowledge of God) should always lead to doxology (our worship of Him). Worship should always be rooted in theology. When we study the nature and character of God as revealed in his Word, we are invited to respond in the affectionate, obedient discipleship of worship. How can we keep our theology from being mere head knowledge? How do we give our worship roots that will last? By fixing our eyes on God Himself—the object of our study and the object of our worship.
Join us to understand core doctrines of the Christian faith, apply them in our daily worship of God, and live them out in daily life. This week’s love offering is to “make your whole self available to God. So often we withhold a part of ourselves. There is a reason that God asks us to love Him with our whole mind, body, heart, and strength.”
About Amy: Amy Gannett (M.Div, Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary) is a speaker, writer, and Bible teacher. She is the author of several exegetical Bible studies, and her teaching and writing has been featured on Christian outlets like Well-Watered Women, The Gospel Coalition, JourneyWomen, Risen Motherhood, and Christ and Pop Culture. She is also the founder of Tiny Theologians, which offers training tools for parents and children’s ministries, equipping them to pass on the Christian faith to the next generation. You can find her online at amygannett.com, and on social media at @amycategannett and @tinytheologians.
Despite more ways to stay connected than ever before, our lives still feel less and less connected. We desire healthy friendships but feel less equipped to make and foster them. In this episode Amberly Neese discusses her book The Friendship Initiative. We dive into the friendships and connections Jesus made in the Bible and discover keys for building relationships. We also chat about her book titled Common Ground. Through personal and biblical stories she guides us to peace and reconciliation in all our relationships, reassuring us that it is possible to find common ground with everyone―despite our differences. We pray through this episode you find encouragement and practical help for connecting with others in your everyday life. Our love offering is to be “the fish and loaves. They were multiplied after they were broken. may we be willing to be broken so God’s message might be multiplied.” Connect with Amberly: Amberlyneese.com
You exist for such a time as this! Jodie Niznik is on the show today diving deep into the stories of Esther and Jonah. While they endured wildly different circumstances and had distinctly singular callings, they were both appointed by God. They were placed in a certain time and space in history. God carried them through unique experiences and gave them specific gifts. Despite their opposite attitudes of willingness, their lives are proof of the great things we can accomplish when we follow God's call.
Join us to learn that you too are uniquely equipped and called by God for a particular assignment in a specific time and place. Now you stand at a crossroads, and the choice is yours. Will you choose to boldly respond like Esther or will you fight your calling like Jonah? It’s time to take brave, bold steps forward into the life you long for!
You can be a love offering by “making a relationship with the Lord your highest priority. Spend time with Him and know His voice, so that you can know where He is leading you. Any invitation He has for you is a love offering.”
Connect with Jodie: http://www.jodieniznik.com Facebook (@JodieGNiznik) Instagram (@jodieniznik) So Much More podcast
There’s a moment in every conversation that can change the whole relationship. A moment when you can either move toward the other person or away from them. Choose to break a negative cycle or continue it. Understand and be understood or remain confused and frustrated.
It’s the “miracle moment.” And once you learn how to recognize and respond to it, it holds the power to help transform the relationships you have―at home, in love, and at work―into the ones you really want.
In The Miracle Moment, Nicole Unice helps you discover the practical tools to:
▫️Learn to respect and respond to your emotions without letting them control you ▫️Speak words that help―rather than hurt―the likelihood of your getting what you need ▫️Identify and keep yourself safe from toxic people ▫️Become comfortable setting and holding boundaries ▫️Be your best self even when you’re tempted to shut up, blow up, or give up ▫️Step into the space where miracles happen. Your miracle moments are waiting for you: moments of honesty; moments of healing; moments of renewal and lasting change. Connect with Nicole: nicoleunice.com
Hard things are a part of life. Yet they don’t have to have the final word. They can become the keys to our greatest usability in the kingdom of God—that is, if we let God make good of them, rather than running away and refusing the growth we truly crave. Lisa Whittle is on the show today discussing her new book The Hard Good. In today’s episode, Lisa guides us on a powerful path to progress as we learn to: accept things we wish were different, apologize and forgive first, cheer for someone who gets what we want, open our hearts again when we’ve been hurt, find joy in the waiting, and show up when we want to shut down. Written for those who desperately want to move forward, The Hard Good gives voice to the hard places we all have lived and Lisa’s clear directions as to where to go next. We pray through this episode you realize your hard place is never too hard for God. Allow it to change you, help you, and ready you for the greatest comeback you have ever known. This week’s love offering is to remember that “You can’t fix it so don’t try. We try to offer our story as help, but sometimes we need to just listen. Don’t be afraid to let silence sit. Sit in the grief.”
“If you don’t love Jesus you can’t love people. If it doesn’t come from an overflow of our hearts eventually it will become service that in some way serves us.”
Connect with Lisa: Lisa Whittle | Author, Speaker & Teacher | Put Your Warrior Boots On (Book)
Inside the soul of every mother lies a heart that becomes a repository of sweet memories, hard lessons, glorious victories, ordinary days, glaring failures, and God’s grace over the years of mothering. The heart of a mother becomes home to jokes around the dinner table, holiday traditions, the tears of childhood, and the love that only a mother knows.
Carol McLeod, president and founder of Carol McLeod Ministries, is on the show chatting about her book Rooms of a Mother’s Heart: A Sacred Call and an Eternal Purpose (Whitaker House, April 2021). On today’s episode she shares what it means to be a mother and offers tender encouragement to all women who accept that calling.
Topics of conversation: How God’s wisdom can help mothers become stronger Creating beautiful and meaningful relationships with your children How to approach important milestones in your children’s lives The importance of introducing your children to God and the Bible
We pray that after today's episode you realize how you don't have to be a perfect mom, but you can be a wonderful mom. This week’s love offering is to “lay our lives on the altar of God as a love offering for His plans and His purposes for the next generation.”
Connect with Carol: A Jolt of Joy! on the Charisma Podcast Network Significant Women podcast https://www.carolmcleodministries.com https://www.facebook.com/carolmcleodministries https://instagram.com/carolmcleod
Book mentioned: Room’s Of A Mother’s Heart Significant
On any given day we can feel rushed, judged, or ignored. And so it's tempting to respond to the slights and indignities of life with bitterness, resentment, frustration, or sadness. But Kay Wyma suggests there is a better way. In a 30 day experiment titled The Peace Project Kay demonstrates that lasting inner peace comes from outward practices—a magical mixture of thankfulness, kindness, and mercy. Join us to experience lasting peace for yourself and the world around you.
This week’s love offering is to, “Ask the Lord to open your eyes to see someone you can encourage, build up, or care about so that they may feel seen or known today. It is all for His glory, for His namesake, and for our good.” Connect with Kay: kaywyma.com People Mentioned: Courtney DeFeo Steven Furtick
For some, Christianity is a long list of rules to be followed, and it’s hard to be a “good Christian” because it always seems you’re breaking one of those rules. Barb Roose is on the show today sharing her breakthrough of finding freedom in Christ. Join us to let go of the feelings of not good enough, rule-keeping, and performance in order to embrace God’s free gift of grace. This week’s love offering is to extend grace. Because as Barb says, “We love and care for each other by first recognizing that there is grace for all of us. That means that it’s not my job to fix other people. A love offering is pouring myself out, not pushing people over.”
Connect with Barb: https://barbroose.com
Julie is the mother of nine (five in heaven), one of which is a special needs daughter named Rachel. Julie shares Rachel’s story and the way she loves others with wordless gestures. We chat about trusting in God’s faithful love and offering what we have no matter how qualified we feel. We also chat about ways to practically show love to caregivers and those with special needs as well. We pray after this episode you realize how even the smallest gestures in word and deed can have an enormous impact.
“Being a love offering starts with being in the Word. We have to understand His love for us because that’s where our love flows. Ask God to open your eyes and open your heart to see the needs that He wants you to meet.”
Resources: Parents as Presenters Joni Eareckson Tada
Connect with Julie: https://www.juliesunne.com @juliesunne
Can we still grasp the goodness of God while living in a broken world? Sarah Clarkson is on the show today sharing her decade-long struggle with mental illness, depression, and doubt. However, amid the daily realities of sickness and isolation, disappointment and pain, she has discovered “This Beautiful Truth.” We pray that after this episode you too can recognize and trust God’s gift of pain.
Topics of Conversation: Encountering God’s beauty in our daily life The value of love in our healing Holding onto hope How God uses the kindness of people to break into our pain
This week’s love offering is to “bring beauty into the world. Summon others out from the darkness, not just to the light, but to be creators of light.”
Connect with Sarah: https://sarahclarkson.com
Today’s episode is all about why we love and what hinders us from loving well. Somer Colbert’s Ahavah In Our Hearts ministry focuses on showing love through an intentional mindset and choices each and every day, to serve rather than be served, and to love even when it’s hard. We chat about love in our marriages, as mothers, in our churches, and in our workplaces. Join us to be encouraged and equipped to keep loving right where you are. This week’s love offering is to “Look around and ask the Lord to give you eyes to see the harvest around you, be willing, and have the courage to act accordingly.”
Books mentioned: Birth Order by Dr. Kevin Leman The Powerful Purpose Of Introverts Holley Gerth Growing Slow by Jennifer Dukes Lee The Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman
Serman mentioned: Enneagram Series by Sandals church Matt Brown
Connect with Somer: https://somercolbert.com/
Olive Us ministry leader Rachael Wade is on the show today encouraging us to lean into our in-process stories. We chat about the value of remembering the goodness & faithfulness of God, practicing presence, and growing in the midst of tough seasons. Join us in the place of already and not there yet. We pray through this conversation we realize that when we are connected to one another and connected to the Source, we can survive and flourish no matter what comes our way.
Mentioned: Jenn Jett Barrett & Camp Well: http://jennjett.com/ & https://thewellsummit.com/
Scotti Beth Lawson's Digital 25 Day Devotional "Esther's Arising" for Mothers and Daughters: https://bit.ly/3yGmX0C
Books Mentioned: Ann Voskamp 1000 Gifts
Connect with Rachael: https://www.rachaelrwade.com https://instagram.com/rachwade
Connect with Olive Us. https://www.oliveus.net https://instagram.com/oliveus_together
Parenting is hard. It’s not just the routines, schedules, discipline, and heart aches. It’s also about hard conversations. As parents we are scared of getting it wrong and don’t know where to begin.
Kristin Scroggins and her husband Jimmy have been married for 25 years, have 8 children, and lead a church together. Together they wrote Full Circle Parenting which is a guide for crucial conversations. Join us as she shares her wisdom on marriage, sexuality, divorce, bitterness, forgiveness, restoration, technology, substance abuse, friendship, money, materialism, and generosity. We pray as after tuning in you are better equipped as a parent to have deeper conversations with your child. “God stays in the game with us and we as mothers need to stay in the game with our children as well.”
Connect with Kristin: https://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/contributors/kristin-scroggins/ https://instagram.com/jimmyandkristinscroggins
Misty Phillip has lived through many difficult seasons of life where all she could do was look to God and His Word for hope. There she found biblical solutions and scriptural promises that helped her to overcome. In today's episode she shares her experience encouraging us to seek Jesus, study His Word, and grow in grace. We pray that after this episode you realize that though the struggle is real, so is God.
“Before we can be love offerings, we have to be in the Word first. Then we can go and do.”
“God gives us opportunities all the time to serve and love our neighbors and family.”
Connect with Misty: @mistyphillip https://mistyphillip.com
Considering all that is going on in the world, we can easily become fearful. When life feels like it is out of control, we can feel powerless. But this simply isn’t true. Margaret Feinberg is on the show sharing how to combat these lies with God’s truth through her book More Power to You. Join us today as we chat about daily power declarations to break free from fear and take back our life.
“To be love offerings we have to stop being people pleasers because then we are signing up for responsibilities that are not ours. We need to draw healthy boundaries and make space in our calendar so that we can listen to the Holy Spirit and respond to those promptings.”
Connect with Margaret: https://margaretfeinberg.com
If you are a Christian fiction reader, you have probably read the work of Karen Kingsbury. She is a #1 New York Times Bestselling author and she on the show today sharing her own life story as a journalist, novelist, wife, mother, and philanthropist.
Hearing her story and having an inside peek into her career as a writer was so faith-building. If I admired her before, I admire her even more now after having this conversation.
Friend, you too have a beautiful story God is writing for your life. We pray you recognize His hand, trust His plan, and live on mission for Him. You don't want to miss being a part of His life-changing story.
“This week's love offering is to live your life on mission. What we do on earth matters for all of eternity. We love God and love people. Your life will intersect with someone’s today by a divine plan of God. Use that moment and don't lose it.”
Connect with Karen: https://www.karenkingsbury.com https://www.youwereseen.com https://instagram.com/karenkingsbury
Do you worry that you're messing up your kids? Do you get stressed when you think about their futures? New York Times bestselling author Crystal Paine knows how you feel. A mom of four, Crystal has struggled with anxiety over parenting. She wanted to parent with grace, instead of a system of rules where kids are expected to do all the right things. She wanted to be a safe place for her children, and she definitely didn't want to be remembered as the sort of mom who yelled, wounded her kids with words, or worse, cared more about her reputation than her kids' hearts.
In this episode, Crystal shares the life-changing lessons that God has been teaching her about raising kids with love and grace.
In this episode we discuss: ▫️The root of why we often feel so frustrated and irritated with our kids ▫️How to keep going when you want to give up ▫️How to stop parenting for your own approval and reputation ▫️The four most important choices you can make as a parent ▫️Help you get your kids to talk to you
At a time when parenting is more complicated than ever, this is the message that will bring you freedom, hope, and healing.
This week’s love offering is to “let God’s love pour through us to other people. I don’t have anything to give unless I’m filling myself up with Him.”
“Cram so much truth in that there is no space for lies. Then when someone bumps into you, God’s love spills out.”
Connect with Crystal: https://moneysavingmom.com
Today’s conversation is about doubt and hopelessness based on Nicki Koziarz’s book Flooded: The 5 Best Decisions to Make When Life Is Hard and Doubt Is Rising. We pray through this episode you find biblical hope, quiet the fear, and discover peace in between the problem and the promise.
“This week’s love offering is to listen and don’t try to sugarcoat their doubt.”
Connect with Nicki: https://nickikoziarz.com
So much goes on inside our hearts, doesn’t it? Today’s conversation is all about transforming our inner lives to then change how we act outwardly. Today we are chatting about our identity, approval, affirmation, worth, and value. Alexandra Hoover is sharing about the insecurities she has battled, how she is learning to overcome, and how you can too.
Topics of conversation: ▫️Being not enough and too much ▫️Learning to be rather than do ▫️Living from love and not for it ▫️Moving from bondage to freedom ▫️How changing the world happens through the mundane ▫️Trusting that God will use our little as we willingly offer it to Him ▫️Reconciling the hard things of life with God’s love ▫️Creating a positive identity of the inherent Godly worth and value for our children
This week’s love offering is to ask God what He has asked you to steward. Ask Him to reveal how He is doing much with your little.”
Connect with Alexandra: https://www.alexandravhoover.com
Many women live with anticipation—but also great anxiety—about what the future may bring. So they work hard to stay one step ahead of their worst-case scenarios. While they’re focused on arranging a secure tomorrow, their fear strangles the peace, joy, and purpose from today. With the Proverbs 31 woman as a guide, Katy McCown is on the show chatting about her Bible Study titled She Smiles without Fear. Join us to discover how to find security in God’s plans and confidence in His control. This week’s love offering is to be more intentional about praying for others. “Even if we look like we all have it all together on the outside we are all struggling on the inside.”
Connect with Katy: Katy McCown - Helping you live on purpose for God's purposes
What if a relationship with the Holy Spirit is the missing link to a fulfilling spiritual life? Jeannie Cunnion, a pastor’s kid and life-long Jesus follower who became a Christian at the age of eight found herself knee-deep in questions such as: Do I really rely on the power of God’s Spirit inside me, or am I trying to do life in my own strength? How can I experience more of His presence? Why do I keep struggling with things I’ve been set free from? These questions led her to discover more about the Holy Spirit and become fully reliant on Him for the answers.
In Don’t Miss Out: Daring to Believe Life Is Better with the Holy Spirit (Bethany House) Cunnion takes readers on her journey to re-discover God’s love through a better understanding of the Holy Spirit, unveiling 30 little-known benefits of being in relationship with God’s divine presence.
Topics of Conversation: ▫️5 things to know about the Holy Spirit ▫️Why the Holy Spirit can be a controversial topic ▫️Finding the fullness of God through the power of the Holy Spirit ▫️Christians and the Holy Spirit: why is there a disconnect? ▫️What it means to live a super-over-natural life ▫️The real key to “self-help” is found in the Holy Spirit ▫️10 truths about spiritual gifts
We pray through this episode you realize why Spirit-help is far superior to self-help, learn how to activate the Spirit’s power in your daily lives, develop a deeper intimacy with Jesus, and see how the Holy Spirit champions us.
We long to make a break from the fast pace of life, but if we're honest, we're afraid of what we'll miss if we do. Yet when going big and hustling hard leaves us stressed, empty, and out of sorts, perhaps this can be our cue to step into a far more satisfying, sustainable pace. Jennifer Dukes Lee is on the show today sharing a path to unhurried living by returning to the rhythm of the land and learning the ancient art of Growing Slow.
Topics of conversation: ▫️Finding the true relief that comes when you stop running and start resting in Jesus ▫️Learning practices for unhurrying your heart and mind every day ▫️Letting go of the pressure and embrace the small, good things already bearing fruit in your life ▫️Engaging and celebrating slow growth
Tune in to enter a simpler way of living by unhurrying your heart, embracing the relaxed rhythms of nature, and discovering the meaningful gift of growing slow. This week’s love offering is to “encourage the slow growth in the people around us. Call out the goodness in them. God is growing something beautiful out of our successes and also those things that feel like failures.”
Connect with Jennifer: https://jenniferdukeslee.com
We have an over-parenting epidemic in this country. We want to give our children “the best,” but without realizing it, we’re giving too much. Buying too much. Doing too much.
Yet we aren’t doing enough of the little things that are most important when it comes to equipping our kids to become capable, confident and compassionate adults. Amy Carney is on a mission to help moms and dads reclaim leadership, make the tough decisions, and parent today with tomorrow in mind. Tune in to glean wisdom on how to raise your kids without regret.
Connect with Amy: https://amycarney.com https://instagram.com/amylcarney
Our love offering this week is to “start bringing the needs of the outside world into our home.”
Love can be hard. It doesn’t always look like the fairytales we are led to believe. And yet, here we are trying to navigate our relationships and love as God has commanded us. Meredith Carr is on the show opening up about the hard places to love in marriage and motherhood. We hope at the conclusion of this episode you discover the fairytale ending our hearts actually need and learn to lean on God’s power to love even on the hardest days. Connect with Meredith by visiting https://meredithhcarr.com Our love offering this week is to do something kind for your spouse if you are married. If you are not married, think of a married couple and do some thing nice for them to encourage them to keep loving even on the hardest days.
Do you like your life story? Undoubtedly there are some good chapters and other chapters we wish we could tear out. Sharon Jaynes is familiar with both. On today’s podcast, she is sharing hard-fought wisdom on how God uses every story for good. Join us to discover how what we consider the worst chapters become some of our favorite chapters.
Topics of Conversation The secret to living a better one story How to view your story through a lens that makes it all worthwhile How sharing your story of past pain and messy mistakes brings healing to the teller and the listener Understand why bad things happen, and how to move forward when they do How to stop picking at emotional scabs and allow the hurt to heal
ONLINE Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SharonJaynes/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharonejaynes/?hl=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/sharonjaynes?lang=en Websites: https://sharonjaynes.com/
Do you long to discover a slower, simpler, and more soulful way of life? ‘Sand Between Your Toes: Inspirations for a Slower, Simpler & More Soulful Life’ is an inspiring collection of inspiring daily devotions, hope-filled prayers, and practical tips that will encourage readers to slow down, simplify and find God’s peace each day amid life’s many complications. When are feeling rushed and stressed our connection to God and others is the first to go. So this week our love offering is to rest. Connect with Anna: Annakettle.com @annakettlewrites
There is a lot more to charity work than pure numbers. There are people who are living today who without our work would not be alive; there are surgeons practicing across Africa with the skills gained through our program; and families who’ve been given a second chance due to the support offered through our rehab and wheelchair services. Ultimately every one of these numbers is one of those stories. Stories of transformed lives.
BethanyKids is a compassionate Christian mission transforming the lives of African children with surgical conditions and disabilities through pediatric surgery, rehabilitation, public education, spiritual ministry and training health professionals. Our work transforms lives.
Angela Lawley is an ambassador for Bethany Kids and is a graduate of Rhema Bible Training Center in Tulsa, OK. She is the founder of Giving Hope Ministries, a Women’s Bible group dedicated to teaching women the Word of God while equipping them to fight for themselves and their families. Angela is also the host of the Giving Hope Podcast, that highlights ministries from across the country. Her goal is to bring Hope and Healing to the world through the truth of God’s Word. Join Team Angela.
Joy can feel elusive when defined by how you feel in a given moment or what your circumstances are at the present. Sometimes joy feels like it can be taken away, even when things are good. During a long season, Suzanne (Suzie) Eller discovered six surprising biblical truths about joy. Those truths helped her see joy and God in a new light. Join us today on the podcast as she shares these same JoyKeeper truths! Connect with Suzie: TogetHER community More than Small Talk podcast https://tsuzanneeller.com https://instagram.com/suzanne.eller https://www.facebook.com/SuzanneEller Watch the Embolden Summit: https://www.amydebrucque.com/embolden-summit
Our stories are riddled with the sting of rejection. It's feeling like a failure or being heartbroken. It's being left out or misunderstood. It's the parent who neglected us or the person who betrayed our trust. It's even in the way we think or talk about ourselves and question our relationship with God.
Whether it happened in grade school or last week, rejection can leave deep scars that affect our relationships, our self-worth, and our identities for years to come. And while we can't control when rejection appears, we can control how we react when it does.
Kait Warman, author of Thank You for Rejecting Me, is on the show offering practical tools to help us heal from the past, walk in strength, and love in the future. Connect with Kait: https://instagram.com/kaitness https://instagram.com/heartofdating https://kaitness.com/about-kaitness/
Life sometimes brings difficult situations or circumstances that can leave us feeling run-down, drained, worn-out, and threadbare. These are the times we most desperately need prayer, but they can also be the times we simply don’t have the words to form a prayer. That is why Stacey Thacker wrote Threadbare Prayer. Join us as we chat about how the simplest prayers can have great power. Our love offering this week is to intercede in prayer on behalf of someone else.
Connect with Stacey: staceythacker.com Facebook (@OfficialStaceyThacker) Twitter (@staceythacker) Instagram (@staceythacker)
Have you ever felt unworthy of love? So Worth Loving clothing brand owner and author Eryn Eddy is on the show today encouraging us to look in, look up, and look out to love ourselves and love others. After today’s episode we hope you believe that no matter what, you are so worth loving! And knowing that truth will change everything.
Connect with Eryn: https://www.eryneddy.com/soworthloving God Hears Her podcast with co-host Elisa Morgan
Have you ever wanted to do something kind for someone, but weren’t sure what to do? Karen Ehman is on the show sharing creative ways to make a difference in the lives of other people. She’s written a devotional titled “Make Their Day” with 101 simple and practical ideas to love others well.
We discuss: Making people a priority Celebrating others Developing daily habits of thoughtfulness Sprinkling kindness in a culture of cruel Overcoming busyness and excuses not to love others
We believe when you make someone else’s day, it will make your day too. I can’t wait for you to hear today’s conversation—101 love offering ideas?! Yes please! Connect with Karen: https://www.karenehman.com
Are you tired? Tired of doubting, tired of comparing, tired of striving, tired of fear, and tired of being tired? You aren’t alone. The Founder of Exhale Women, Holly Newton is on the show today helping us to exhale, let go, and learn to live in the unforced rhythms of grace. Join us to find the true rest your heart and soul have been longing for.
Holly talked about unforced rhythms of grace. With this in mind, our love offering this week is to extend grace to yourself and to those around you.
Interested in the Exhale Gathering? Use code RACHAEL10 when you check out. Registration opens Monday, March 1st. Find out more at exhalewomen.org
Connect with Holly: hollyanewton.com @hollyanewton
Natalie’s Sisters is a ministry that exists to extend hope, support, and God's unconditional love to sexually exploited women through a first-touch approach providing respite, relationship, and referrals to community resources. The founder of the ministry, Jani Lewis, is sharing her own story of sexual exploitation and how God has turned her pain into purpose. Join us as we talk about the greatest needs, common threads, and how she has seen God work in the lives of the women she serves.
Connect with Natalie’s Sisters: https://www.nataliessisters.org Connect with Devoted: https://www.devotedconference.org
We learn lessons in the good, the bad, and the in-between. Lisa Appelo shares about that journey of unexpected lessons on the show today. After losing her husband of 25 years and becoming a widow and single mom of seven, Lisa still finds God to be faithful and true. He has met her deepest needs and we believe He can meet yours too.
We discuss: ▫️How moments of joy can intersect affliction ▫️How prayer helped her through ▫️Parenting children through grief ▫️Giving thanks in bad circumstances ▫️Thriving in every chapter of life ▫️Scriptural keys to crush our fear, walk in joy and fan our faith ▫️Learning to not only live where we are but love where we are ▫️Learning to not only rest and trust, but smile at the future ▫️What it really means for a Christian to grieve with hope ▫️How to love widows, single moms, and those who are grieving
This week’s Love Offering prompt is to reach out to a widow, widower, single mom, or single dad to offer them tangible help.
Choosing Him Ministries founder Tecia Janes is on the show sharing her testimony that led to her choice to choose God. We talk about choices—the choice to love, forgive, obey, surrender, sacrifice, and trust. We pray after this episode that above all, you choose Him and live for Him no matter what life brings.
Connect with Tecia: https://www.facebook.com/choosinghimministries/ https://instagram.com/choosinghimministries
This week’s Love Offering challenge is to choose to follow God’s leading and choose to meet the needs of someone else rather than your own.
Do you ever wonder why it’s so easy to compare ourselves to others? Or, why is it so difficult to stop? In an era of carefully curated social media images, non-stop selfies, and channels devoted to perfecting everything from your home to your dinner plate, comparison consumes us! And then always chasing better becomes a burden! It weighs down our souls and prevents us from experiencing satisfaction or rest. Heather Creekmore is on the show today sharing her personal battle with weight, appearance, and comparison. Tune in to lift the weight of your burden of better and comparison.
This week’s Love Offering Challenge is to celebrate someone the next time you are tempted to compare.
How do we love the unlovable? Miranda Jo Davis is sharing her testimony and tips on how to resist throwing away messy relationships, showing compassion, managing our expectations, and salvaging broken relationships.
Because of difficult relationships in her own life, Miranda Jo dealt with anxiety and fear. In this episode she shares daily practices that have helped her find healing and peace for her body, mind, and soul. We pray the same for you and your relationships.
Topics of conversation: ▫️How we practice yoga while not compromising our faith ▫️Learning to love, honor, and care for our mind, body, and soul ▫️Meditating in Scripture ▫️Replacing faith with fear ▫️A disclaimer for those who are in dangerous situations ▫️How Jesus loved the unlovable ▫️Pursuing marginalized people ▫️Accepting imperfections and flaws of people The love offering challenge this week is to pray God gives you His agape love to extend forgiveness, grace, kindness, and love to the unlovable person in your life.
Women tend to over-think practically everything, so it can be quite scary for most of us to be left alone with our thoughts. We long for strong, intimate relationships with our Heavenly Father, daily striving to live for His glory and enjoy life in Christ. However, just when we discover the blessed assurance of standing firm in the Lord, we falter, once again, caught up in Satan’s vortex of doubt, fear and guilt. But we can live Beyond the Noise. Laura Bailey is on the show today exploring 10 lies Satan wants us to believe to deceive us and how to counteract them with God’s truth. We discuss: ▫️Recognizing the voice of truth versus the voice of the enemy ▫️Falsley believing we can have it all ▫️Not allowing our past defines us ▫️A healthy body image ▫️The struggle with social media ▫️God’s design for marriage ▫️The lies we believe as mothers ▫️Obeying God’s commands rather than meeting the world’s demands ▫️Feeling like our contributions are too small and insignificant ▫️Escaping the comparison trap ▫️Living each day as if it could be your last ▫️Standing firm and fighting the perpetual daily battles against Satan We pray after tuning in you can silence the lies of the deceiver and live beyond the noise.
🤍This week’s Love Offering challenge is for you. Write down the lie Satan is using to attack you and search Scripture to combat the lie with God’s truth.
Hannah Brencher knows that the clock striking midnight on December 31 isn’t going to magically reset any of our lives. 2021 isn’t the answer. Instead, we need to choose hope over the lies that we’re not good enough. We need to stay in the fight – the fight to show up, the fight to move forward, the fight to believe we can actually change this world for the better.
Fighting Forward: Your Nitty Gritty Guide to Beating the Lies that Hold You Back (Zondervan) is a reminder to stay in the fight, an anthem to give readers strength, and a playbook on how to keep going. Hope is alive, and there is still a reason to wake up, get up, and move forward into each new day.
In today’s episode we chat about: ▫️The World Needs More Love Letters global community ▫️Being women who do good ▫️Her struggle with depression ▫️Staying in the fight ▫️Fighting against the cultural norm ▫️Beating the lies that are holding us back ▫️Finding the strength to start ▫️The “Promise Me You’ll Fail” contract ▫️Prioritizing mental health ▫️Showing up for your life ▫️Changing the world for the better 🤍This week’s Love Offering challenge is to write a letter of encouragement to someone.
Can giving up what you think you want actually set you free? From Lost to Found (W Publishing, Thomas Nelson) author Nicole Zasowski is on the show today sharing about how through a great season of transition, loss, and pain, she discovered that only empty hands are truly open to receiving transformative grace, and that the beauty of being lost lies in the joy of being found.
We chat about: ▫️Her cross-country move ▫️Her multiple miscarriages ▫️The dangers of being comfortable. ▫️Learning to let go ▫️Holding on to hope ▫️Living a life of influence
Most of us are familiar with the struggle of wanting something to happen while waiting for God’s plan to unfold. This gap between what is and what will be is the focus of Jazmin Frank’s Bible study, “In the Waiting.” In this episode, Jazmin explores how we can be active in the present as we hope for the future by examining the examples of beloved Biblical characters. Through their lives, we are reminded of God’s providence and challenged to trust Him no matter the timetable or answer He gives. We hope through this episode you understand it is ok to want, but ultimately that you want God most of all.
Topics of conversation: ▫️How waiting is a good thing ▫️The source of our wait ▫️Trusting God with the details ▫️Working while we wait ▫️Remembering God is with us ▫️Remaining faithful while we wait ▫️When waiting is not our fault ▫️How waiting can be a time of preparation ▫️Keeping a pleasing attitude ▫️Praying while we wait ▫️How Jesus waited ▫️How we can love others in their seasons of waiting
Right in time for the holidays, I have two of the five Gingham Apron ladies on the show sharing about their book the Gathering Table. Join us as we chat about growing strong relationships through food, faith, and hospitality.
Topics of conversation: ▫️Showing hospitality even when it's difficult ▫️The importance of training children in hospitality ▫️Joyfully working together to accomplish a goal ▫️Simple ways to show hospitality ▫️How we nourish both body and soul in a weary season ▫️Commemorating the faithfulness of God ▫️Finding identity first in Christ ▫️How offering hospitality can be our love offering
What does hospitality look like for you in this season? We pray after tuning in you realize love should be the heartbeat of every gathering. 🤍
Human trafficking can feel far away, but it is very much a reality for so many. In fact, according to the International Labor Organization, there are 40.3 million victims of human trafficking globally, with thousands in the United States alone. My guest today knows this reality all too well.
Holly Christine Hayes was rescued out of a life of trauma nearly 20 years ago and knows the path to recovery can be long and rocky. She is now the Founder + CEO of Sanctuary Project, a survivor-run nonprofit social enterprise employing and empowering women who’ve survived lives of trafficking, violence and addiction in Austin, TX.
Her vision and leadership create a safe space for other survivors to grow in practical skills, unleash their creativity, embrace their femininity, and heal their hearts – all in community with other survivors.
Join us today for a conversation about God’s redemptive story and how God can use your pain to help others through theirs.
Jamie Grace was diagnosed with anxiety at 11 years old, as well as Tourette Syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In her new book, Finding Quiet: My Journey to Peace in an Anxious World (Bethany House, October 13, 2020) the Grammy-nominated recording artist opens up about her lifelong struggles with mental illness, and her dependence on Christ to help her discover moments of silence in an otherwise noisy world.
Over the years Jamie has turned to medication, counseling and prayer, and found that through a combination of purposeful habits and her faith in Jesus, she is able to manage her thoughts and find rest and quiet in order to hear the Lord’s voice louder than others.
In today’s episode we discuss:
● Living with mental illness – where is God in this diagnosis? ● How to find quiet even when it’s noisy ● God is always speaking, it’s up to us to be “quiet” enough to hear/listen ● How being thrust into fame at a young age complicated her mental health diagnosis ● Navigating friendships/relationships and the role of boundaries in mental health ● What do we do when we can’t pray away a diagnosis? Where and how does faith come into play? ● Asking for help – why is this so hard, and how can we overcome the stigma?
Join us for a conversation about practical life lessons that will help you learn to let go, release from comparison, navigate relationships, find purpose, and peace in an anxious world.
Are you happy? Katie Orr is in the show today sharing Secrets Of The Happy Soul. Join us to discover the deep delight your soul was made for.
In this episode we discuss: How some people always seem to be happy Contrasting happiness and joy How a happy soul is already within us Experiencing daily delights found in God’s presence How to draw closer to God Happiness in the midst of storms Our purpose and staying rooted Confidence in God's will Surrender Seeking God in everyday moments
How do we find hope when we don’t like our story? Heather Dixon from The Rescued Letters is on the show today sharing about her incurable and terminal genetic disorder she inherited from her mother. Because of her diagnosis she is living more determined than ever before to live like Jesus in every moment and discovering hope despite the story she’s been given.
In this episode we discuss:
How we flourish as we live our hard stories. Trading heartache for hope Relying on God’s movement in the details of our story, even when it can’t be seen Gaining confidence to act in the part of our stories that we can change while watching expectantly for God to redeem the parts we can’t
This conversation wrecked me in all the best ways. Such a perspective shift. Tune in to be encouraged and equipped to trust in God, face your greatest fears, and live with hope, especially amid difficult circumstances.
Have you ever thought that there is no way God could ever use you? If so, you are not alone. Wendy Pope is on the show today sharing how we are all qualified to be a part of God’s plan.
In this episode we chat about:
How God uses our weaknesses Why our potential seems hidden Overcoming failure Embracing what we are tempted to get rid of Developing confidence
Friend, you are a worthwhile possibility regardless of your failures, flaws, and frailties. We pray as you tune in this week you discover your own hidden potential.
What dream has God given you and what is holding you back from realizing it? Fit In Faith podcast host, Tamra Andress is on the show today propelling us to make our own unique impact.
We chat about her story of entrepreneurship and her epiphany moment to make a change to stop pursuing the American Dream and pursue what the Lord had for her instead.
Join us to discover how to be ready to answer the call fully well and truly whole so others may encounter Him through you! It’s time to activate that dream and make the kingdom impact you were created for!
In this episode we chat about: Clarifying our dreams Obedience and submission Combating excuses and fear The disservice of not doing and the ripple effect of doing Overcoming self-doubt Simplifying purpose and calling Understanding your why
Today is not an easy conversation, but a necessary one. October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. In the United States, one out of four women will experience severe intimate partner physical violence in their lifetime and nearly one in ten women in the United States will be raped by an intimate partner during her lifetime.
Sue Parisher is on the show today courageously sharing her story of domestic abuse to create awareness as well as provide resources for those who might be in abusive situations currently or still trying to heal from one in the past.
Join us as we discuss: Overcoming self-doubt and fear Transforming from domestic violence victim to survivor Identifying and defeating the abuser’s lies The role of God’s Word in her healing Establishing boundaries Holding onto hope How can we best love domestic violence victims
Our life journeys can feel inconvenient at times and sometimes even painful, can’t they? Bethny Ricks is on the show sharing her own inconvenient journey to healing and wholeness today on the podcast.
In this episode we chat about:
Experiencing a myriad of emotions Becoming confident in our imperfections How our faith grows deeper in pain How God met her in suffering Trusting God through the inconvenience The process of healing Finding the strength to keep moving forward God’s grace in the process How to love someone well in their healing process
Tune in to discover purpose, healing, and wholeness in your own inconvenient journey.
Ashley Moore is one of the biggest motivators I have in my personal life. This lady lives out her faith and I’ve had the honor to bear witness to it. She is on the show sharing her redemption story and how she believes you are called to live out your own.
Join us as Ashley walks us through how abiding leads to obedience which leads to Kingdom impact no matter how inadequate and unworthy we may feel. Tune in today to be encouraged and equipped to live out your faith in a fresh new way!
“You are enough” is a well-intentioned, encouraging message preached to overwhelmed, burnt-out women. Bestselling author Alli Worthington used to be one of them, but when faced with adversity, found herself searching for more. Being enough was no longer enough.
In her new book Standing Strong: A Woman’s Guide to Overcoming Adversity and Living with Confidence Alli gives women a no-nonsense guide to recognizing and eliminating the things that hold them back from being who God created them to be, to tackling the obstacles of self-doubt, fear, and insecurity, and to stepping into the dreams God has planted in their hearts. Tune into today’s episode to discover how to start living with the strength and confidence God intends for you.
My guest this week has a contagious passion for God and His people. Deeanna Wall is the Associate Pastor of Cornerstone Nashville. There she leads The Gathering weekly, the Prime Life department, and hospital care. Join us today as we talk about:
Ministering to the lost Focusing on the one Ministering to the elderly The value of mentorship The role of the church Our role in the Kingdom
We pray after listening you are compelled to lay hold of the life God has for you and equipped to help others discover the same. It’s an exciting time to be a part of God’s work!
“I knew He wanted me to glorify Him, but I didn’t know in what way or how,” Pam recalled. So she began reading through her old journals in search of direction. The more she read the more she was reminded of God’s faithfulness in her life and the power of our stories. If she was encouraged reading stories of God’s faithfulness maybe other people would be too. This marked the beginning of A Million God Stories and paved the way for Ring & Robe prison ministry. I can’t wait for you to tune in as Pam VanArsdall shares about the importance of our stories and the common thread connecting them all. What’s your God story?
When prayers for healing haven't been answered, the fog of depression isn't lifting, when marriages end in divorce, or grief won't go away, it's easy to feel you've failed God or, worse, He’s failed you. Many of us have asked If God loves us, why does He allow us to hurt?
We often hear this too shall pass, but what if it doesn’t? KJ Ramsey author of This Too Shall Last is on the show today sharing about the pain God hasn’t taken away and how we can encounter grace in the middle, where living with suffering that lingers can mean receiving God's presence that lasts.
We are talking women's ministry with purpose today on the show. Gena McCown shares that whether we minister to one, 100, 1,000, or 1 million we are in women’s ministry and we have work to do until God calls us home. Get ready for a motivating and passion-filled conversation that will inspire you to use your gifts for Kingdom impact today!
How do I measure up?
This is a question most of us are subconsciously asking because as women we tend to compare constantly - on social media, in our neighborhood, at church, and at work.
Shannon Popkin addresses this tendency on the show today as she shares about her Bible study, Comparison Girl: Lessons From Jesus On Me-Free Living In A Measure-Up World.
Join us as we discuss how to leave measure up comparison behind and connect with those around us by choosing Jesus’s me-free way of living. It’s time to break free from the shackles of comparison to discover the freedom and joy of living me-free.
Not able to deny her entrepreneurial spirit, Heather joined a network marketing company, hustled her way to the top, only to realize that she gave up too much and did not like the person she had become. Led by her beliefs and convictions of what her true calling was, she took a 180 and began supporting women in business as a faith based mentor to empower them to ditch the doubt, escape the overwhelm and tap into their full potential. Today as you tune in, we pray the same for you.
Karen Gonzalez is on the show sharing her immigration story and stories of immigrants found in the Bible. Throughout Scripture there are many examples of people who fled their homelands - Hagar, Joseph, Ruth, and even Jesus. The courage, loss, joy, and pain has never gone unnoticed by “The God Who Sees” and they don’t go unnoticed now.
This episode will reinforce the innate desire to belong and be seen for all of us. Friend, God sees what you are going through today and you will always find belonging in Him. Through this conversation we pray your eyes are opened to see those around you and extend His loving invitation to belong.
What dream has God given you? Maybe it was a long time ago, maybe you feel like you’ve missed your chance, or you feel like you don’t have what it takes. But God has placed something in your heart and challenged you to live beyond yourself. You must only be willing to say yes. All throughout the Bible we see those who have gone before us accepting the challenge God has placed before them. These challenges are what author Kate Battistelli calls God Dares. On today’s episode, Kate shares her story full of mistakes and victories in her career, motherhood, and in her spiritual life. As she grew in courage and obedience she was able to overcome the excuses she was using not to pursue the dream God has given her and now she is challenging us to do the same. Tune in to discover how to live out your own God Dare. We dare you to accept the challenge and live the life God has always intended for you!
It’s hard to wait well, isn’t it? Sarah Johnson the author of Now Waiting is on the show today helping us navigate the tension between where we want to be and where we are currently. Tune in to discover how to remain confident in the goodness of God even when our season of waiting leaves us feeling discouraged, frustrated, and left out of God's plan. So join us as we learn how to wait well.
Toni Rose is on the show today sharing about ministering to families with disabilities through the Barren Heights retreat center. After many years in this ministry, God broadened her vision to include marriage ministry. Join us today to hear Toni’s story of obedience and service. We hope through this episode you are inspired to obey whatever God is calling you to and equipped to refresh and revitalize your marriage.
We yearn for deeper relationships, however they often end up as shallow social interactions. Through her writing and speaking, Jessica Herberger inspires women to seek community, to walk in obedience, and to love others well. After years of studying The Last Supper while also working through what friendship looks like in her own life she has merged the two into her book Break Bread Together. Join us today to discover how you can navigate and nurture friendships in your own life.
Sarah Butterfield is on the show today sharing her experience growing up as a missionary kid in France. She used to believe she had to go big for God, but over the years she has learned that we can pursue missional moments right where we are. Tune in to find out how to make a difference and change the world around you as you put your faith into action.
Divorce is considered the second most traumatic life event, after the death of a spouse or child. Paige Harley is on the show today sharing her story of divorce and what she has learned along the way. If you have been a child of divorce, experienced divorce yourself, or have friends you want to love and support through their divorce this episode is for you. Join us for the dos and don’ts of divorce according to Paige.
Angie Gibbons is on the show today encouraging us to bravely move past our fear, anxiety, and overwhelm to realize the peace and love God intends for us.
Kassandra Baker is on the show today sharing her story of disordered eating. She talks about her struggles with perfectionism, people pleasing, and legalism. Join us to discover how she found freedom and victory from the bondage of these dysfunctional behaviors. We pray if you struggle in any or in all of these areas you will learn to live free with authenticity and grace.
Are you exhausted from trying to keep up with what the world is telling you to do? Malinda Fuller, author of Obedience Over Hustle is on the show today helping us to surrender our striving hearts. This episode brought me to tears for my own tendency to hustle. We pray as you tune in this week, you realize while God wants your obedience, He loves you simply for who you are. I don’t know about you, but that truth gives rest to my hurried heart.
Can one woman change the world? Ronne Rock thinks so and after chatting with her I agree and we think you will too. Join us to reclaim your God-designed influence and impact right where you are. We can change the world one woman and one love offering at a time.
Brooke Tabor from the Gorgeous Grace is on the show today chatting about fruitful faith, obedience, embracing trials, and overcoming self-love. Her humility and passion are endearing and contagious! Tune in to discover His gorgeous grace for yourself.
When you talk to God, do you ever wonder if He hears? Do your prayers feel uninspired or routine? Do you sometimes feel like you don’t even know how to pray? Kelly O’Dell Stanley is answering these common questions and more on today’s episode. You were designed to pray. Join us to discover how.
I have followed Alicia Bruxvoort from afar for many years as a writer for Proverbs 31 ministries and through the She Speaks organization, but getting the chance to chat with her one-on-one made me admire and appreciate her even more. She is the mentor you wish you had in your life because of her warmth, humility, and perspective. In this episode we chat about dreams, motherhood, and marriage with the overarching themes of obedience and stewarding the seemingly small. I can’t wait for you to hear the overflow of her heart as she encourages us to live out of the overflow of our own.
Emily P. Freeman is on the show today chatting about a fresh way of practicing familiar but often forgotten advice: simply do the next right thing. Adults make 35,000 decisions every day. It’s time we clear the decision making clutter, quiet the fears of choosing wrong, and get the courage to finally decide. In this episode, Emily also shares her writing journey and lessons she has learned along the way. Her message is hope-filled and I believe after listening you will be better equipped to determine your next right thing.
Parenting can be hard. It is possibly the most important task we are entrusted to in our lifetimes and we want to do it well. Parents Rising author Arlene Pellicane is on the show today sharing wisdom on how to parent with intention. There is no better time than now. Let us not waste our moments with these incredible gifts of our children.
We’ve had a lot more time to think lately, haven’t we? But sometimes we can start to believe lies that are not from God. Kaitlin Chappell Rogers has experienced this first hand. She is the author of Not From God and is on the show today sharing how we can take back the narrative of our lives and give our story to the rightful Author -- Jesus. Join us as we discuss thoughts and feelings that are not from God and how we can replace them with the Truth that is from Him. We hope that through this episode you realize you don’t have to stay in darkness. God has light for you on the other side.
Need a shift in perspective? Abby McDonald is the author of Shift: Changing Our Perspective To See The Presence Of God. Join us today as we chat about seeing God in our lives right here and right now no matter what situation you are going through.
Are you longing for a connection with God and His people but you can't seem to escape the haunting feelings of guilt, shame, loneliness, and fear? Anjuli Paschall is on the show today teaching us to heed the whisper to stay. Could it be that true power and transformation are found in the very places we resist the most?
Amy Seiffert is on the show today inviting us to discover grace in ourselves and in others to realize grace looks amazing on all of us.
Karen Ehman is encouraging us to love others with our lives through our words and actions in every relationship. How can you scatter love today?
We discuss: Discovering contentment and joy in the midst of it all our worldly trials, disappointments, temptations, fractured friendships, and financial hardships by prioritizing what matters most—Christ Keeping Christ our number one priority Shifting from self-obsessed to selfless Embracing backwards living Noticing those who least expect to be seen Reaching out to the lonely, the marginalized, the outcast, and the odd duck Listening for heart drops How to genuinely love the hard-to-love Scattering love Showing up in marriage How God’s Word alters our words When it is better to just stay silent
Are you struggling to find the holy in your current situation? In the unprecedented season we are all experiencing, is it possible to see God in it? Kara is on the show today talking about her book Everywhere Holy. We are chatting about depression and anxiety and how to feel more grateful and at peace. In this episode, Kara helps us realize life doesn’t have to be lived on grand mountain tops for it to be meaningful. God is at work right now wherever you are. In the midst of your ordinary routine, in the faces of your family and friends, and especially in nature. Where are you seeing holy today?
We all long for deep meaningful relationships. But the reality is forming and maintaining strong relationships can be difficult. Kim shares tips from her newest book the Art of Friendship on how to create and keep relationships that matter.
Tracey Martin and her husband Rick are directors at international Rhema Bible training college in Egypt and missionaries. Join us for today’s episode on life as a missionary family, faith in action, facing opposition in ministry, being obedient, and having the courage to persist in what God is calling you to.
Are you in need of joy today? Look no further than my guest Season Bowers who is a joy bringer! Season is a radio host, author, speaker, wife, and mom. Her life has not been easy, but she has maintained joy through it all and is sharing how we can too on today’s episode.
Amanda’s toddler was taken from her arms in her local grocery store. With her daughter recovered, Amanda began researching. She realized this was more than an abduction attempt when the pattern resembled child sex trafficking in America; something she knew little about. And, it was terrifying. We pray in this episode you find freedom from your own mom-fears, therefore, allowing you to fight this injustice fiercely by applying Biblical truths and practical exercises that will forever change the way you mother.
Melissa Lancaster and I met through a mutual friend Brenda Russell who was on the podcast in season 1 episode 6. Brenda nominated Melissa as one of the most extraordinary givers she has known. Melissa has a Masters of Divinity and a background in counseling. She is currently the Director of Ministry and Volunteer Services at our local hospital. Join us as we discuss motherhood, inadequacy, God’s provision, the power of prayer, and how to love those who are ill and grieving.
Chelsey had me on as a guest on her Living With Less podcast several months ago and after getting to know her, I couldn’t wait to have her as my guest on the Love Offering podcast. We chat about her testimony and how we can live with less of the things that are holding us back from being who God has called us to be.
Trudy Lonesky is one of my dearest friends on the planet. She has a heart of gold and I cannot wait to share her story with you. We are chatting about identity on today’s episode. Identity in our childhoods, in parenting, in health, in career, and in ministry. We hope and pray that as you tune in that you too will discover who Christ made you to be and rest in your identity in Him. Regardless of your past or present reality, know you are loved as you are by Him.
Holley Gerth has personally struggled with anxiety, depression, perfectionism and more, but in this episode she explains these struggles are not her God-given identity or destiny. Many of us carry our false feelings of inadequacy around like a too-heavy tote bag. We aren’t even sure where it came from or how to let it go. We pray as you listen to today’s episode you’ll discover why we are stronger than we know, braver than we feel, and more loved than we can even imagine.
Tracy Steel, author of a redesigned life is on the show today. She is passionate about re-designing homes and hearts. Join us as we discuss and uncover God‘s purpose when life doesn’t go as planned.
Niki Hardy lost her mom and sister to cancer and then she was also diagnosed with cancer. She has written the book she wishes she would have had for her journey titled Breathe Again. In it she explores how to live well when life falls apart by offering practical tips to stop merely surviving and start thriving right where you are.
Many people today feel lonely, isolated, and disconnected from God and others. We crave authentic community, but we have no idea where to start. Leslie Verner shows us how to practice hospitality on today’s episode from her book, Invited: The Power of Hospitality in an Age of Loneliness. Who is on your Jericho road that you can extend an invitation to today? We don’t have to go far to find strangers God wants us to love.
Erin authentically shares her story about insecurity, body image, disordered eating, control issues, perfectionism and a lifelong hustle for worthiness. But her story doesn’t end there. God is teaching her she can simultaneously be a masterpiece and a work in progress. She is on a mission to help women who are sick of dieting, tired of hating the way they look, and longing for peace. We hope you find inspiration and encouragement today that will help you on your own health journey and faith journey and discover, as Erin has, the fundamental connection between the two.
Andrea Bourgeois is a teacher and writer who understands pain and grief. Because of her experiences, she is passionate about helping others realize they are not alone and that there is hope in processing their pain. Dear friend, if you are in a season of suffering, hold on to Jesus. In Him there is hope. Andrea and I pray our conversation restores your heart and leads you to discover the peace and purpose found in God’s promises.
Stephanie Roberts is on the show today sharing her testimony of international and domestic missions. Her story is not what she planned or even what she thought God had initially called her to, but she shares the value of trusting God even when it doesn’t make sense. Her courage and obedience to follow God no matter the cost are inspiring. She now leads a foster care community called Be the Village. While not everyone is called to foster or adopt, she believes everyone can do something. Stephanie believes that the Church is the answer, that Jesus is the answer, and that Jesus wants to use us to be the answer. Let’s “be the village” and be more than enough for others to honor God who is always more than enough.
The world is not slowing down. The number of shiny things stealing our attention and distracting us from the mission of motherhood continues to increase. As women we know the magnetic pull to steer away from what’s important and choose what feels irresistible in the moment. Honoring God and loving our families are our highest priority, but sometimes we need help keeping them there. Anne-Renee and Amanda have co-authored Shiny Things: Mothering on Purpose in a World of Distractions. Join us to learn practical tips to resist the pull to be interrupted by non-essentials and focus on God and our priority people.
Stephanie Broersma has been in this dark place of despair. After seven years of a happy marriage, she stumbled on her husband’s deleted email and a history of infidelity and pornography was uncovered. Join us today as we tackle a difficult subject matter about affairs in marriage, but also helping women to heal from this betrayal. If your husband has had an affair… if pornography or sexual addiction has hurt your marriage… if you have discovered an emotional affair… then this message is for you. Stephanie is a living example of how God brings beauty from ashes and how other women can experience this same beauty. How has God made beauty from your ashes?
Mattie Wells shares her story of pregnancy and infant loss on today’s episode. Mattie is one of the most genuine and kind women I have ever had the privilege to meet. She continues to give through her pain and now is an adoption advocate. I can’t wait for you to hear her testimony and wisdom. How have you been able to give through your pain?
To love the unlovable begins with a choice and then it is followed by an action. Once we act on it, our hearts truly change. Auburn Hensley knows this firsthand. She is on the show today talking about keeping faith and hope despite our circumstances. We pray this episode gives you hope in whatever circumstance you find yourself in today.
What we do within our seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years will determine our ability to accomplish our goals, realize our dreams, and live out our purpose. Professional organizer Morgan Tyree is on the show today sharing her time management system to help us all find more harmony and less hustle in our overwhelmed lives. What is your best time management tip?
Our minds are under attack. Thousands of thoughts fly through our minds every day, many of them negative. And Satan knows how susceptible we are to these negative thoughts that leave us frustrated and feeling defeated, but there is hope. We can transform our thought lives. Sarah Geringer is on the show today giving us guidance to stay grounded in God’s Word and find a greater sense of peace. We pray as you listen to this episode and as you hide God’s Word in your heart and mind, you will move closer to the heart and mind of God.
We are talking about motherhood today. For those of you out there who have children of your own, you know being a mom is one of the most rewarding experiences a woman can have but motherhood also has its share of challenges physically, mentally emotionally, and even spiritually. Suzanne and Gretta have teamed up to encourage and assure women that we are not alone through their devotional book called Grit and Grace. What do you love most about being a mother?
Amy Carroll and Cheri Gregory are on the show today chatting about how women are suffocating under the pressure of being all things to all people; of filling every unfilled spot at church, work, and home; of trying to do it all right, make decisions that benefit everyone else, and keep everyone happy. Join the conversation as we learn to “Exhale” by discovering how to lose who you’re not, love who you are, and live your one life well.
I have Michelle Rabon from the Displaying Grace ministry on the show today. We are chatting about her new book, “Holy Mess” and what it means to be a woman radically changed by the Gospel. We discuss our everyday messes, the messes we make, the messes we cannot control, and the beautiful mess God creates in us through Christ so that we will display His grace. How has your life been radically changed?
Becky Beresford is on the show today talking about caring for those with special needs. She is humble, wise, and brave. I can’t wait for you to hear her story and glean wisdom to apply to your own. How is God calling you to be brave today?
Rebecca Dotson George is on the show today sharing about 818 Ministries and the Do The Thing Movement. What thing are you inspired to go do?
Heather Massey Foister is on the show today talking about using our gifts for God’s glory. How are you using your gifts to make this world a better place?
Jennifer Wagner shares about her emotional, spiritual, and physical health in today’s episode. We pray through this conversation you realize the healthiest version of yourself in all three categories.
In Rachel Bruno’s life everything seemed to be going according to plan, until the unimaginable happened and her world was turned upside down. Tune in to today’s episode as Rachel shares her testimony and how to keep faith through trials. I pray you will be encouraged to never lose hope no matter what situation you are currently facing.
Christie Adams exemplifies what it means to be an extraordinary giver on a daily basis. Her involvement in her community spans the spectrum. What is your favorite service project you have been a part of?
Jen Weaver is on the show today sharing “A Wife’s Secret to Happiness.” Listen in for practical wisdom to strengthen our marriages. What advice do you have for a wife to strengthen her marriage?
Robin Robbs is on the show today sharing about her family's journey with childhood cancer. Through the struggle, Robin and her family say the Lord has shown them a new meaning of faithfulness and unbelievable love that can only be experienced from the Heavenly Father. He has given them such an amazing testimony and now they feel it is their mission and duty to show everyone His mercy, grace, love, and ultimate healing power. This episode will bring you to tears of sorrow and of joy. I can’t wait for you to listen. How has God shown up in the midst of your struggle?
*While we are thrilled Wyatt has been healed, we are also cognizant that someone listening today has a very different story. If that is you, please accept our deepest condolences and know our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Rachel C. Swanson is on the show today teaching us how to refine away the lies women are believing and restore them to God’s truths. What truth are you leaning on today?
Bobbie Schaeperkoetter is building us up by encouraging us to create lasting and intentional community. Join us as we discuss honoring God amidst the craziness of life. How can you encourage someone today?
In this episode, we discuss motherhood. Join Becky Keife as she shares how to celebrate life and capture the beauty of ordinary days. What do you love most about being a mother?
Amanda Davison is on the show today and we are talking about marriage. Of all the love offerings we give, loving our husbands is of the utmost importance. I can’t wait for you to hear Amanda’s authentic and wise advice. Join us to experience the fullness and the abundance Christ has for us in marriage and in all relationships.
Taylor Robinson is on the show today sharing her testimony and ministry to be an agent of change through fitness and through youth impacted by parental incarceration. Her authenticity is refreshing and her passion inspiring. How can you be an agent of change?
I have The Ruth Experience on today’s episode. Julie Fisk, Kendra Roehl, Kristin Demery share about authentic faith, intentional community, and generous living. Join the conversation to discover what it means to live a life of generosity. How can you be more intentional to share God’s kindness with the world around you?
I have mother and daughter Jennifer and Sydnee Floyd on today’s episode sharing about their ministry Jumbled Dreams. What dream has God laid on your heart? What dream can you help make happen in the life of someone else? Join the conversation as we chat about making dreams come true and changing lives through giving and serving.
Melanie is equally warm as she is wise. Through her words and actions she is inspiring us to Live in Light. Pull up a chair and join the conversation.
I have the generous Cameron Davis on today’s episode. We are talking about fashion for good and birthday smiles.
I have Love Where You Live author Shauna Pilgreen on today’s episode. She is encouraging us to live sent wherever we call home.
Lynn Cowell is on today’s episode helping us to overcome insecurity and walk into our callings with confidence. With grace filled wisdom, Lynn encourages us to make the difference only we can make. It’s time to make your move.
I have the empowering Tiffany Ravedutti on today’s episode. I gleaned so much practical wisdom apply in my day to day life and I believe you will too.
I have the joyful dynamic duo Debbie Earnest and Heather McVey on today’s episode. Together they unfold God’s Word and give light and understanding to our lives.
I have mother and daughter, Helen McIntosh and Blythe Daniel on today’s episode. Their collective wisdom is unparalleled. Together we talk about rebuilding, restoring, and repairing mother and daughter relationships. No matter where you find yourself in your own relationship, today’s episode will give you practical steps to make this special relationship stronger and healthier than ever before.
I have the Truth Becomes Her and Bible Belles co-founder Erin Weidemann on today’s episode. She is passionate about equipping women and the young girls in their lives to follow God’s call. If you have a young woman in your life that you are influencing, this podcast is for you.
Katie gives doers freedom from our perfectionistic tendencies. Join us as we learn to exchange try hard striving for hope filled freedom.
The humble Rachael Gilbert is on today’s episode cheering us on to let go of fear and chase after our God given dreams.
Kristin helps us to awaken a real faith in a real world. She brought me to tears in my own awakening. I pray our conversation does the same for you.
We are talking about anxiety on today’s episode. Join us as we find peace in our mental storms.
Leslie both brings me to tears and makes me laugh all in one episode. She was a divine appointment once for me at a time I needed it most and I pray our conversation is a divine appointment for you too.
Kristin guides us to live a whole and holy life. Join us as we chat about getting creative, enjoying God’s word, and living from a place of abundance.
Erin is both real and remarkable. Her humility is inspiring and her joy is contagious. Tune in and discover truth to apply to your own life.
I am with the genuine Jo Ellen Whitaker on today’s episode. Join us as we discuss working in the school system with young people, miracles and the power of prayer, the peace that passes all understanding, and stepping up to serve. I have no doubt you’ll love her heart as much as I do.
Join us as we go deep and bring the topic of shame to the light. I pray through listening you move from hiding into healing.
Rebecca talks about blessings in the midst of our sometimes crazy lives. We discuss leadership, mentorship, and preparation.
I have genuine and gutsy Jennifer Renee Watson on this week’s episode. Together we chat about how to stop feeling stuck and experience lasting freedom. Join us as we go deeper than just small talk. Tune in to discover a breakthrough of your own.
I have my sister-in-law Kelly Adams Lester on today’s episode. I adore her and am constantly inspired by her authenticity and zeal for the Lord. Grab a cup of coffee, take a seat at the family table, and join in as we discuss being a pastor’s wife, dreaming big, and blooming where you are planted.
I am with the compassionate Brenda Russell discussing filling people’s stomachs and hearts. You will be encouraged to give right where you are with the gifts you have been given. As Brenda shares in today’s episode, any act of love can make a difference.
Emily shares about the importance of community, Forget the Frock, the IF:Gathering, and Down Syndrome.
Colene Elridge shares about forgiveness, Monday morning pep talks, the importance of having vision, and how to be more.
Paige McQueen Eavenson shares on life not going as planned and the joy she found despite
In this episode I share my story, the inspiration behind The Love Offering, and why I am so passionate about this project.