Constantly Under Construction with Donna Harris

Latest Episodes:

Infertility, Illness, and Adoption - Suffering Well with Glenna Marshall Ep 39 Aug 07, 2018

Show notes

If you've struggled with having a baby or felt the weight of a diagnosis that is final. You'll walk away from our time feeling more encouraged. I cannot wait for you to draw closer to the Lord through the experiences that Glenna has to share.

Loving Difficult People - Heather Margiotta - Ep 38 - Expecting God To Move Jul 31, 2018

Show notes

This episode with Heather Margiotta begins as the 2nd part of a 2 part series where we transition from connecting about the tragedy of loss to the love we experience when we interact with difficult people, namely friendships. Heather recounts a difficult situation with a friend. It's something that we have all experienced to some degree. You know how it goes…When you recount it, it sounds silly to explain out loud. You see where it's hard for both people but there's still mounds of hurt that got piled on that eventually dissolves the friendship. In the end, both Heather and her friend had a broken relationship by choosing their hurts. Heather relays that Jesus didn't give up on difficult people…even when Peter pulled his loyalty away from Jesus and rejected him! Peter held on to his own protection but Jesus forgave him and used him for greatness. The responsibility Jesus left him with showed true reconciliation with their relationship. Whatever was broken was not only healed but made better! What a picture for our own potential relationships! And what a hope we can have with our relationship with Jesus! When it comes to dire situations with friends: Reach out, let heated situations simmer, and pray pray pray! Guys, I cannot wait for you to hear how God moved in Heather's life through prayer! She realized that she was missing out on His presence in the little things in her life so she created a physical prayer wall to see Him move! Literally, when God moved, her post-it notes moved. It showed her that in life, God provides and it was easy to move on. Prayers were answered but not held in thankfulness. But through the prayer wall, Heather was able to see God move and she was able to become thankful for each and every prayer request. On average, 2 prayers a week were answered! Can you believe that God is that big? Heather has a tangible way to say, YES! Heather wrote a devotional about this very subject, Expecting God to Move. It's a beautiful compilation of 30 days of connecting with God in a way that shows His presence in your life. Check out her devotional to experience a God who cares, who wants us, and is waiting to reveal how He moves in our lives!

When a Family Member is a Drug Addict - Your Worst Fear Realized - Heather Margiotta Ep 37 Jul 24, 2018

Show notes

Heather and I both have brothers who died from a drug overdose with heroin. But our connection is deeper than a tragedy. We both have a grief bond that allows us to see purpose in our pain. Heather's brother was her best friend. A funny, vibrant guy that 'would try anything once' is how she describes him. Her love for him is evident as she recounts his good-nature and her big brother affection for him. He even shared with her the treasure of salvation in Jesus. As teens, they both learned to walk the path as new Christians. Heather says they remained best friends even when he pulled away from walking the "church life". Heather's brother's addiction was started when got a Staph infection. The medication that was prescribed started him on the road to pill additcion, which funneled into an addiction of heroin. Heather was shocked the first time she heard of his addiction. Because she felt so uninformed and was naive to drugs, it was hard to accept the reality of how her brother was deeply trapped by addiction. An addiction that put him on a tumultuous rollercoaster his last few years and ultimately ended in his death. Heather and I both connect over our loss and I share a bit about the love of my brother as well. The best part of this episode is hearing someone else validate my feelings that my brother's addiction did not define who he was. And if you have a person in your life struggling with addiction, it doesn't define them either.

Parenting Strategy for Children of All Ages - Kathy Salazar Ep 36 - Practical Parent Talk Jul 16, 2018

Show notes

Kathy's job of 27 years was ending. Her passion for teaching child development was honed at the local college and was now being phased out of the school's curriculum. Fortunately, Kathy found a newfound passion that was part of her already exercised teaching muscle.: the Parent Talk System. Kathy now teaches a system all over the world that she knows and believes in. It's a technique that's proven to enhance the communication between you and your child based on respect and the opportunity for choice. Kathy and I met at a MOPS meeting and I was so taken with the parent talk system that I wanted to have her as a guest on the show. I loved how simple and practical the techniques can be and how they really honor your child in the process. In our time together, I talk to Kathy about multiple situations in which the Parent Talk system can be used. I take some time to lament about disciplining my own children. With a basis of respect and choice, Kathy shares a method that allows you to effectively parent while you're also encouraging your child to learn the building blocks of communication.

From an Eating Disorder to Enjoying the Goodness of God's Provision - Rachel Tiemeyer Ep 35 - From Freezer to Table Jul 09, 2018

Show notes

Binge eating and exercise became a habit for Rachel in college. Interestingly, her past never dictated an unhealthy preoccupation with food. Her upbringing didn't point to reasons to overeat. But a slippery slope of typical college life found Rachel in a position of choosing food as a comfort. Eating enormous amounts of food in one sitting all alone, Rachel recounted that time would just stop in those moments. To counteract the eating, she exercised. The shame and secrets would become a catalyst for beating herself up. Negative self-talk became a regular part of the cycle: food restriction, exercise, calorie counting, ending a day of self-deprivation with binge eating and then shame and repentance. All these momentary efforts to control or numb negative feelings mounted on top of each other. The cycle went on for years, Rachel promised each time to make a better effort, to promise herself that she would have better control. But when it came to conquering this eating disorder, the battle could not be fought alone.

My guest today is Rachel Tiemeyer. She's the author of a cookbook, From Freezer to Table. We talk a bit about the joys and benefits of freezer meal cooking and it was through Rachel's various experiences that brought her to the place where she loves to share freezer recipes and encourage a family-centered meal. Rachel was gracious to share a personal story about a struggle from her past. It was in her early 20's that she found herself binge eating. Typical college life found Rachel in a position of choosing food as a comfort and exercising as a counterbalance to that comfort. Ultimately Rachel was freed from the binge eating cycle through a miracle that turned her self focus into focus on others. I love her perspective on enduring struggle and was so thankful for her willingness to share a piece of her story with us!

Girl, Wash Your Face - Rachel Hollis Ep 34 - The choice to live a better life is up to You Jun 27, 2018

Show notes

Are you discouraged because you think you should have been more successful, met certain milestones, achieved certain goals by a certain time or specific age? Today we fiercely reject that lie! Get ready to listen to this episode more than once because I'm positive you'll want to hear (again and again) encouragement for authenticy, choosing joy, and doing the hard work that Rachel Hollis has to offer.

As I dreamed about this podcast, I had the desire to share encouragement, hope, and real life stories that would help people feel inspired.

I wanted people to crawl out of the hole of despair. I wanted people to reconnect with pain and suffering to see that God is in that plan and it's sweeter than we could ever have imagined. And when it comes to my guest today, I wanted people to know that the choice to live a better life is up to you. There may be things in our life that we cannot control but there are so many things that we have the power to change and it's with that sort of motivation that I'm thrilled to share with you, my guest, Rachel Hollis.

You'll get so much encouragement from Rachel, but in the most real way. She sets out to tell the honest truth…even in the messy times. And she highlights the importance of WOMEN, not just men, showing the full gamut of truth. Keeping it real, keeps life authentic for all of us; Leveling the playing field for all women is the encouragement that we see from Rachel, balancing out the good with the bad. And not just on social media, but in REAL life! It's important to realize that sometimes we work too hard for the perception of a good life online instead of a good life in person.

We slash lies from Rachel's book that will bring you freedom. One lie was: I need a drink. Drinking as a habit of numbing…but not really acknowledging that numbing became a problem for Rachel. You'll love to listen to Rachel explain when she realized that she wasn't just having one drink but maybe more to survive each day. And how she has allowed to let the truth of ugly reality of her life set her free.

Listen to this episode to catch all the adrenaline pumping shots of encouragement that Rachel has to bring ...I'm not joking, be alert. We seriously roll through our convo like dialogue on a Gilmore Girls episode!

Drug Addict to Recovery Advocate - Rhonda Bear Jun 21, 2018

Show notes

Rhonda chose drugs over her children. Wanted in three states, Rhonda was running from the law for her involvement with drugs and other criminal activity. Listen to this captivating story of a woman who was a slave to her addiction of drugs, a woman who believed the lie that doing anything to get her kids back, including prostitution and stealing, was the way to get redemption, a woman who sought safety and purpose in her marriage but found that it was one of the unsafest places for her to be.

Rhonda recounts hiding in a ditch amidst the bright lights of police helicopters and fervent search of the law enforcement on foot with their dogs. You'll find that not only was she being pursued by cops ...but also by her Creator. Rhonda's life was completely turned around in prison but the tumultuous road getting there was filled with God's sovereignty. God had a plan for Rhonda. It was in prison that she was rehabilitated. It was through her faith that she saw that she could trust God to bring her children back to her. After working with her Stand in the Gap family, a ministry-led transitional home, Rhonda was able to regain custody of her three children and hold a steady job for nine years.

From this amazing journey, Rhonda eventually began her own ministry and an advocate for women who have been incarcerated, like herself. Rhonda envisioned a community with less recidivism and more successful, healthy women. Rhonda is more than happy to share her story of failure-turned-success. Full blogpost...

Elizabeth Taylor - Depression and Waves of Change Jun 13, 2018

Show notes

Somebody is yelling at me, telling me i'm worthless, screaming negative curses over me....except they aren't doing it with words…and it's not they it's me….it's just feelings that are just washing over me... feelings of worthlessness, discouragement, negativity and overwhelm that eventually paralyzes me. Sometimes I can fully know this and yet I cannot stop feeling this way. My intellect confirms these aren't true feelings but brain is tricking my body into believing it's true and that registers in my body as pain. This is depression.

Today's episode, the focus is kinda on me. I've been struggling with depression. Forever, in fact. As a teen, I have clear memories of telling family that I was depressed. But I don't think I've ever had anyone help me validate this fact in a way that felt safe. As I grow older and wiser, I'm seeing the places where depression has infiltrated areas of my life and I no longer want it to reside. Part of kicking depression to the curb is shining a light on it. So today, I will give you a sensibility of how I feel personally attacked by depression.

The symptoms of depression are unique to the individual. The cause of depression and it's treatment options are very layered. There's no way in the WORLD one episode could touch the options, the effects, or the opinions of this segment of mental health. I want to thank my guest Elizabeth Taylor for graciously sitting beside me as I vocalized some of my thoughts on being depressed and I'm also appreciative of her insights and encouragement. In future episodes, I look forward to diving deeper into the subject of depression with additional guests and more revelations as time proves to educate us on the nasty effect that depression can have on all of us. Thank you for listening with grace today as we scratch the surface on this important topic of mental health.

Rachel Swanson - Refined and Restored Jun 07, 2018

Show notes

Feeling like she wasn't good enough, feeling like she wasn't worthy, and then believing it put her in a state of darkness. Rachel opens up to us about a time in her life that she calls a spiritual depression. Postpartum Rachel was feeling low self-esteem but there was more to it than a chemical or hormonal imbalance. Her husband brought to her attention the emptiness and depression that she was experiencing. Rachel says that it was more of a spiritual depression because she was living and believing the lies that Satan was telling her about her worth. The heart of the story means so much because this is where we see beauty coming from pain. It is during this time that Rachel was given a new path in her life away from her job as a dental hygienist and into writing and speaking and sharing God's word. Ironically, this all came about by getting raw and real (and sometimes angry) with God.

Cara Whitney - Unbridled Faith May 30, 2018

Show notes

She describes it similar to sneaking pornography: Alone, ashamed, in secret, and lying about it. When Cara watched The Passion of the Christ, she was seeking for the truth in the story of the resurrection. In the past, Cara had made fun of Christians and thought of them as hypocrites. So to entertain the idea of believing that Jesus and his sacrifice was real, became a moment of choosing between something she knew she could be mocked for.

In the beginning of their relationship, her husband Dan wasn't walking with the Lord either. This part of her story is so interesting to me because I believe it brings more authenticity to her choice of faith. She didn't choose God because her husband wanted her to or influenced her, but because she sought Him out on her own and found God to be everything she needed in life and more.

One of my favorite truth bombs Cara brings to the podcast was this: How Christians behave has no bearing on weather or not the resurrection happened. She tells us that this was a pinnacle thought for her when researching Jesus' death on the cross. Cara said it's her health problems that that encouraged her heart to soften and choose a relationship with God. With a possible diagnosis of colon cancer, Cara turned to God in a way that was new and unfamiliar to her. With prayer and relationship with God being so foreign, Cara wrestled with how to authentically communicate with God. When she invited the Holy spirit into her life, connecting with God suddenly became easy and she dove in head first and never looked back. Cara is now bold about her faith and believes very strongly that people need to hear the truth of God and his love: God loves you, He's seeking a relationship with you, and he's putting the 99% aside to come after you.Cara's book was a product of sharing the gospel with others on social media. She never planned to write a book, but instead the book was born out of witnessing on Facebook.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Constantly Under Construction with Donna Harris

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected