Gems of Motherhood

Living Out Your Dreams :: Gigi Orsillo [EP76] Jun 13, 2022

A lifetime of hard work and dream chasing has made actress Gigi Orsillo the newest “overnight success” story. A homeschool mom turned working actress. Today we’re going to talk about Living Out Your Dreams.

Gigi shares her story about God restoring her dreams. In a very surprising way, God showed up unexpectedly for Gigi.

Identifying Your Cranky Triggers :: Becky Kopitzke [EP75] Jun 06, 2022

We've all seen other parents "lose it" ― at a restaurant, the mall or in the grocery store. Sometimes we wonder why the parents don't have better control of their emotions (and their kids); other times we're just thankful that it isn't happening to us. Today my guest Becky Kopitzke shares about Identifying Your Cranky Triggers.

So many of us have cranky triggers yet we don’t bother to take a deep dive into discovering what they are and how to better understand them. To better understand cranky triggers, we must identify what triggers us, whether we feel cranky with our self, our kids or our husband. The root of this is sin and it is all rooted in the heart. It’s interesting that many of us don’t even know what triggers these behaviors, but we know something is wrong.

“Understanding your triggers is a spiritual exploration. What is the root of it?”

Becky likes to think of triggers in terms categories. For example, spiritual, physical, emotional, and environmental triggers. There are so many things to consider before we point the finger at others. However, if we don’t intentionally explore our feelings and emotions what happens next is a sweltering of anger and frustration. Becky warns that not digging deep into our emotions allows anger to take over, and further isolates us as moms.

Countercultural Living :: Dr. Carol Swain [EP74] Apr 11, 2022

When it comes to core worldview subjects, such as, life, marriage, race, gender and materialism, should it be Christ or culture that decide our convictions? My guest Dr. Carol Swain shares her thoughts about how we should live a Countercultural existence.

Dr. Carol shares about growing cultural trends in our society, like Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Critical Queer Theory, which are anti-Christian, anti-Civil Rights, anti-Constitution and unAmerican. People have compared CRT and Critical Queer Theory to a religion. They’re very dangerous ideologies which have taken our country by storm.

“The Bible created one human race. Any group can be racist and evil toward another group. And it doesn’t have anything to do with the color of our skin.”

She explains that such ideologies teach our children to be conscious about differences, like race and sex/gender which they’re not naturally inclined to process like adults. She says that, “It is teaching our children the wrong message about race and [gender].”

In addition, Dr. Carol shares how many public school systems are pushing Critical Queer Theory to children as young as five years old. These children are being taught that they can choose their own gender. This indoctrination is demonic and shows an aggressive liberal agenda in school. As a result of the societal pushes of these ideologies, we can see the consequences in our children and their behavior. We have a class of children who are now questioning whether they were born in the wrong body and are feeling inordinate guilt or resentment simply due to their racial group.

Teaching Your Children How To Pray :: Stephanie Schindler [EP73] Apr 04, 2022

Today we’re going to focus on the subject of prayer. Does teaching your children how to pray feel overwhelming? There are some families who pray consistently and others who may be not even know how to pray. My guest Stefanie Schindler shares about Praying for your Children and Teaching Them How to Pray.

Stefanie shares about the power of praying over our children emphasizing its importance as a change agent. The enemy knowing this actively tries to distract moms, cause to fall into prayerlessness and we need to recognize that. If we don’t recognize it, then our children will be blindsided by it. Because of this reality, Stephanie taught her own children how to stand up against the Prince of Darkness because she did not want to fall victim to his schemes.

“We have incredible influence over our children’s lives especially when we stand up in the spirit for them.”

Stephanie encourages moms to pray for their children to have their own faith. She also shares how important it is for moms to pray for God to give our children discernment and be light in their darkness.

“I want my kids to have a lot of hope and that their lives have a purpose.”

How to Teach Children to Honor Their Parents :: Dr. Scott Turansky [EP72] Mar 28, 2022

The Word says honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. This is a commandment with a promise. Today my guest, Dr. Scott Turansky shares about Teaching Children to Honor and Respect their Parents.

God has designed honor to be a valuable tool that every child must learn. The word “honor” is used in nine specific commands in the Bible. It speaks volume of how much children must be taught and learn this lesson. But, where do they learn it? It starts at home.

We sometimes use respect and honor interchangeably, yet there is a difference. Respect comes from the Greek word “fabas” and it’s where we get the word phobia from. When we teach respect, we teach them manners. Honor on the other hand comes from the Greek word “time” which means to value someone.

The idea of honoring centers on adding value or valuing a person. When we teach children to value something, we must emphasize ways where they can do more to add to value to their parents — that means you and I. The key word is initiative. And the key concept is contributing to others. In other word, honoring and respecting parent simply adds value to our children’s lives as they experience God’s purpose in establish parental order.

“One of the definition of honor is that children are looking for the extra thing to do.”

Developing a Christ-Centered Family Calendar :: Erin Davis [EP71] Mar 21, 2022

If you look at culture right now, it’s no secret that families are under attack. With so many families struggling, we want to equip you to build a healthy Christ-centered family.

Today my guest, Erin Davis is back on the show. She will be talking about developing a Christ-Centered Family Calendar. What is the one thing you can pull out of your home? How do you spend your time? How we spend our time is a really strong indicator if we’re building your family around King Jesus.

Erin shared about the 7 feast in Leviticus. She discovered the feast years ago. She felt beat up and exhausted towards the end of the year during the holiday. And she felt like she would miss Jesus. When she began studying the Jewish traditions, she realized that there’s something to those sacred rhythm. She shared about observing and celebrating just as the children of Israel did.

“Each feast really correlated to the Gospel. It’s an interruption on our of our regular business and our regular rhythm.”

What's Your Dream? :: Annette Trucke [EP70] Mar 14, 2022

Sometimes we need to dream, make plans and take steps forward. My guest, Annette Trucke shares how as moms we need to step out of our comfort zones in order to freely pursue our God-given dreams.

Annette shares her story about finding her God-given dream while weaving in the complexity of her journey. She honestly relies how scary pursuing our dreams can be at times, but how we have to trust God in the process. In her own journey, she learned the importance of having godliness with contentment.

"We have a collection of things in our hands. We can see God’s touch on everything. We have to trust God and the process.”

Annette also shares how to wisely and honestly discern what we’re good at, and eliminate the things that were not good at. The comparison game is extremely not beneficial. Instead, we should recognize who God made us to be. She shared her experience finding her way and what God showed her in the process.

“Trust God in His timing. There are ways to prepare when you’re in the wait. Appreciate where you are at.”

Dare to Believe :: Kathleen Hardaway [EP69] Mar 07, 2022

We all have been through some crazy times the past 2 years. But it’s never too late to start believing in your dreams and looking forward to a what you want to accomplish in the coming, days, months, and year. My guest Kathleen Hardaway, is an inspirational speaker with a passion to encourage and equip people to live out their God-given dreams.

Kathleen shares about her book Dare to Believe. In her book, she gives a step-by-step guide to realizing our dreams in accordance with God’s ways. According to Kathleen, people usually give up on their dreams because we live in a culture embedded with “instant gratification.” Most people are unwilling to sit and wait for the Lord, and instead refuse to realize the full purpose of God.

She also shares about the importance of knowing and living out ones spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts, your talents and your temperaments are key. Those three things are who we are, that’s how God made us. If you understand those three things about yourself then you should be pretty confident to move forward. And if you’re walking in your gifts, it will give you joy.

“Spiritual gifts is key to walk in your spiritual walk.”

School Readiness for Young Children :: Mary Duncan [EP68] Nov 15, 2021

Are your children ready for school? This is a question most parents often contemplate yet don’t realize the complete answer until years later. Truthfully speaking, a child's social, emotional, and behavior skills are equally critical to school success; however, too many children in this country are starting kindergarten without them. My guest, Mary Duncan talks about school readiness in young children.

Mary explains what school readiness means and how to identify it in your own children. Simply put, before a child enters kindergarten, they should be able to recognize shapes, count one through ten, take turns in a play setting and more.

“There’s so many aspects to preparing our children for school. Attention span and bonding is very important, building vocabularies and including new words during specific time of the day is just as important.”

Mary shares how important play is to a child development. And how play is work for children. She also suggests different activities that moms can do with their young children to enhance school readiness. Mary likes to break the five main subject areas which is pre-math, pre-science, pre-social studies, pre-writing and pre-reading. She breaks those down into each of the years and then work on what to build in those foundation pegs. Her timeline for child preparedness is instructive and helpful to cultivating an environment of learning.

Mom Fog :: Hannah Kelly [EP67] Nov 08, 2021

Mom Fatigue Syndrome is real. It’s pervasive. And it creeps into every facet of a mom’s life. My guest, America’s #1 Mom Coach, Hannah Kelly will talk about the Mom Fog.

“I kept on having failure after failure. Whatever could go wrong went wrong. I realized I was struggling with mom brain.”

Hannah shares about what she was like when she first became a mom. She struggled mightily remember simple day to day tasks and she wondered why. She finally realized that she was going through a mom fog. After seeking God for His intervention, He stepped in to guide and help her find her way through the fog.

“As moms, we have this thing where we call categorical thinking where we believe if we get one area of our life successful, all the other areas will implode. We subconsciously sabotage ourselves.”

Hannah wrote a book called the Mom Fog. She shares about why the average programs and techniques do not usually work for moms. She also shares some tips on how to work on being a better mom starting with rewarding yourself with self-love and self-care.

Is Motherhood Good? :: Laura Booz [EP66] Nov 01, 2021

God ordained families from the very beginning. Mothers are used as a metaphor to describe the ways God loves and cares for His children. My guest Laura Booz talks about expecting something beautiful in motherhood, is motherhood good?

“Look for the gift of Jesus being right by your side. And envision Him holding your child close to His heart even closer than you can.”

Laura shares from her book, Expect Something Beautiful: The Essential Gifts of Motherhood. In her chat, she highlights some essential gifts of motherhood, like prayer, God’s word, and Jesus being by our side. She touches on the biblical principles found in Isaiah 40:11 to encourage mothers to strive for their higher calling. Naturally, moms are self-sacrificial people, yet true satisfaction is simply found when we put all our weight on Jesus or as Laura calls it “a free fall entirely on Jesus.”

“I turn to Him with confession, I mourn what must be mourn, I ask Him for help in areas of weakness and sin, and then I look for blessings that I have overlooked. We must thank Him for that and it changes the lens that we’re walking through.”

How to Embolden Our Daughters :: Amy Debrucque [EP65] Oct 25, 2021

Seeing young girls become movers and shakers for God in today’s culture is incredible. As Christian parents, God encourages us to embolden our children’s faith and when you witness it can be earth-quaking. My guest Amy Debrucque chats with us about emboldening our daughters to greater things.

Amy shares her story about how she grew in her faith. Her fears led her to trust in Jesus. She was diagnosed with cancer and this experience emboldened her faith and walk with God. Her personal battle convinced her that she needed to teach her own daughter about divinity, conviction, spiritual tenacity and perseverance.

“Raising a gutsy daughter is having them stay convicted in their faith.”

The importance of modeling our walk as Christians to our daughters will be a life-size example to them. Encouraging them in simple things like, joining small groups, getting involved in the community and finding a mentor, are crucial for their spiritual journey. Talking about the latest cultural phenomenon and current events will push our daughters to be well-versed in the happenings in today’s society, and in turn, will let them become change agents for the future.

“It’s really important to talk to your kids about the issues that are going on. If you don’t, someone else is going to!”

Rediscovering Self :: Mara Measor [EP64] Oct 18, 2021

The relentless pressures of motherhood don’t afford much time to nurture your personal identity, and it can become easy to let yourself slip away. In our culture, mothers are told that anything we do for ourselves takes something away from our kids. Today my guest Mara Measor will be talking about rediscovering self.

Mara shares about her fears and insecurity of being a mother. However, after having her daughter, she realized that the world is very simple which helped stripe away her insecurity. Looking at the World through the eyes of her child, helped Mara rediscover herself she expressed.

“As I was around my daughter, I was affected by the way she was. She was full of life and vivacious. And it brought me back to a place to rediscover who I am under the layers of fears and insecurities.”

She also shares how she took full advantage of the little time she had. Due to the limited time she had to her self, she spent her time songwriting while her baby napped. Although her time was limited, she felt a little more free, thus, simplifying the process.

“One of the things I decided to do was to make music a very controlled outlet. I just gave myself a ton of limitations. All I have is two hours to write music and I can’t get perfectionist about it.”

Build a Legacy of Strength and Graciousness Your Children to Follow :: Jan Silvious [EP63] Oct 11, 2021

Our legacy is a continual expression of love, value, faith, and belief. Our investment in the bright future of our kinds inspires hope that whatever we have taught them will live on after we’re gone. Jan Silvious speaks to us today about building legacies based on God’s strength and graciousness that our children can easily follow.

“I never liked the uniformity of church. My dad insisted I attend church three times a week. We have to work with children with the way they are bent.”

Jan challenges us to be creative and recognize the bent of each kid in order to encourage them to raise a banner of godliness in their generation. Some children are very creative, some are shy and some are outspoken, yet each can be reached in unique ways. Jan suggests ways we can reach our children creatively and how we might adjust our approach to meet their needs graciously.

“When I see graciousness, I see women who are strong, and they offer to people around them what they do not deserve.”

Jan further shares practical advice on how to be gracious and how to leave a legacy of strength. Graciousness is shown by giving. Our sacrifices models a framework for our children to grow into their own people — with strength, grace and commitment.

Managing a Business as a First-Time Mom :: Jenn Gotzon [EP62] Oct 04, 2021

Motherhood is the hard, but it is also very rewarding. It is overwhelming and under appreciated, yet many mothers wouldn’t have it any other way. Add a 9 to 5 job to the mix, and you may find yourself feeling stretched. Our guest is my personal friend, Jenn Gotzon who will be sharing about how she started a business around the same time she gave birth to her son and how she is managing it all as a first time mom.

Managing a business as well as being a mom involves having good time management. Jenn shared how she has leaned on her mentors to learn ways of dealing with the stresses of motherhood while balancing work and career. She talks about the filming of The Farmer and the Belle, which she stars in, and managing her business franchise. Jenn also experience with anxiety shortly after having her baby, and she shares freely how she sought professional help to overcome what she was going through. This support helped tremendously to see the need for rightful balancing, true connections and community.

Jenn regiment starts with time with God, going to Him for everything, to find peace, tranquility and sense of purpose. Her daily routine with her baby and what she does with him, inspire her to pursue her dreams without sacrificing time with him.

Developing Leaders to Transform Culture :: Karen Hetzler [EP61] Sep 27, 2021

Mothers play a huge role in helping their children become leaders. Cultivating values in your children creates individuals with strong beliefs, empowers them to follow their convictions and focuses their eyes on issue-based value systems. My guest Karen Hetzler speaks about shaping children into culture change agents.

“There’s no higher calling if God has gifted you with children. Seek the Lord about timing when you should be home with them. Life is full of seasons.”

Karen shares about her experience of staying home with her children during the early years. God stirred up new dreams in her heart while she prepared for when it would be the appropriate time to allow them to live freely. She envisioned herself transforming the culture by encouraging her children to be difference makers, and to stand firm in their beliefs.

“We have an obligation for civil disobedience. Sometimes it’s not the right time to stand, sometimes we may need to listen and at other times, we have a moral obligation to stand.”

Raising your Kids Well in a World of Screens :: Arlene Pellicane [EP60] Sep 20, 2021

My guest Arlene Pellicane, author of Screen Kids, shares about raising kids in a world of screens. In her house, Arlene and her husband have a “no phone, no gaming, no social media” policy for their kids. They have a practical reason behind this decision and she shares her research with us.

“Kids who are raised constantly with screen, don’t know how to honor or talk with their parents. They are not spending enough face-to-face time with them.”

Today, the majority of American children spend five to eight hours a day in front of a screen and less than an hour playing outside, reading a book or interacting with family. This means a child’s sleep quality, attention span and stress level is negatively affected by the tight grip of modern technology.

Arlene challenges parents to think more critically about using devices, instead of just accepting the notion that a device is a necessity. She stresses the importance of delaying giving kids a device for as long as possible.

“When a child is playing a video game, their body is thinking fight or flight. So naturally all the blood goes to protect the major organs except for the prefrontal cortex. And if this happens everyday, that prefrontal cortex will be malnourished.”

Things we talked about

Digital vegetables vs digital candy

Reconsidering phones for younger kids

Building real world skills for our kids instead of just digital ones

Setting digital boundaries.

How to reset from the digital world

How to Have Hard Conversations With Your Children :: Beverly Chao Berrus [EP59] Sep 13, 2021

Certain conversations should be non-negotiable in your house. But when should you have them? And how? Tough conversations are just that—tough. Either way, we still need to have it. My guest Bev Berrus will be talking about how to have hard conversations with your children.

“We have to prepare our kids for the world to live in the world and not being of the world. While I want to protect them, I also want to prepare them.”

As mothers we’re constantly being challenged. It’s not easy consistently training up our children in the way they should go. Bev shared about handling the different discomforts in motherhood.

The High Calling of a Wife and Mother :: Beverly Berrus [EP58] Sep 06, 2021

A homemaker is defined as “one who manages a household, especially a wife and mother. This career is important enough to demand a woman’s diligent preparation, commitment, full energy, and great creativity. Today my guest Beverly Berrus talks about the high calling of a wife and mother.

“As wives and mothers, we’re in the business of shaping and preparing the next generation.”

We want our children to be both mighty in the Word and mighty in the Spirit! Beverly shared her own story about how she came to know Jesus and how she wished to raise her own children in Christ. Her examples were Lois and Eunis in the Bible whose sincere faith helped them raise their son and grandson, Timothy in the faith.

“I’ve learnt over the last decade, there is an inexhaustible grace, mercy and strength that comes from God to do the work of being a mother.”

While being mother has its challenges, you experience many ups and downs and you face discomfort, these things are simply challenges which point us back to Jesus. We have a choice to see these challenges for what they are, opportunities to allow God to manifest Himself in our circumstances. His will is to makes us more like Him, so that His spirit can be poured out. As God breathes life into every creature, motherhoods mirrors this call of being life giver too.

Worth Repeating :: Stacy Bellward Aug 30, 2021

Now we all want well behaved children, but kids often misbehave. Having difficult conversations with children is hard. Yet, In today’s podcast, Stacy Bellward talks about The Power of Questions.

She shares concerning the importance of asking questions. The opposite of asking is telling. And telling does not work. We often get into these patterns in our homes where we just tell… and telling turns into nagging and sometimes even into yelling. And sometimes it’s almost like a tug of war.

“If we were to boil down our job raising our kids, the two important things that we want them to exercise is wisdom and responsibility.”

Stacy talks about breaking patterns of defensiveness and how the power of curious questions creates productive conversations. She also talks about asking effective questions as well as type of questions to avoid in an effort to get the best results in correcting our children’s behavior.

What we chat about

The power of questions

Effective questions

Bad questions

Setting our kids up for success

Teaching our children to cooperate

Building our children’s character

Identifying Your Children’s Learning Style :: Melinda Ledman [EP57] Aug 23, 2021

Every child learns differently. While some children strengths are reading or writing, others learn more effectively through hands-on activities. There are three primary defined learning styles: visual, auditory and kinesthetic. This week’s podcast, my guest Melinda Ledman will talk about identifying your children’s learning style.

Melinda is a full-time homeschool mom and she shares about the importance of learning your child’s learning styles. The purpose of figuring out your child’s learning style is to make sure you teach them in the way they love to learn. Melinda’s concept of learning your child’s learning preference is similar to Gary Chapman’s The Five Love Languages. Learning what motivates your child’s learning reaps huge benefits.

“Take time and experiment what they like whether it be visual, audio or kinesthetic.”

For a visual learner, you’ll want things with more pictures, graphs, or bold colors. Auditory kids can do really well in a lecture setting. And if they are musically inclined, they can even compose their own songs to remember the facts. For your kinesthetic learning, these children like movements. Melinda shared how her daughter was memorizing facts while jumping up and down a trampoline which really helped with her learning style.

“It takes them more concentration to sit still and they can’t learn because they are so focus on sitting still. If you really do want your kinesthetic learner to be sitting, then do it for a short period of time.”

Mothers Arise (Part 2) :: Michelle Soto [EP56] Aug 16, 2021

My guest Pastor Michelle Soto continues in Part 2 of “Mothers Arise.” Pastor Michelle shares how her ministry was birthed through prayer. Whatever your situation is, nothing is too small or too big for God.

“Don’t ever think that your prayers are not heard by God. Your prayers are mercies stored up.”

Michelle also shares practical ways to teach our children to pray diligently and expediently. Seeing children experience the AHA moments when they realize their prayers have been answered! Those moments is when, as mothers, we must press in with our children to make them realize what God can do and does for them.

Mothers Arise :: Michelle Soto [EP55] Aug 09, 2021

Standard Christian parenting isn’t getting the job done. This is a call to all Christian mothers, we need RISE UP. Today my guest Pastor Michelle Soto will be speaking in Part 1 of 2 series entitled “Mothers Arise.”

Michelle shares about the role of mothers and she uses Deborah from the Bible as an example of a Godly mother. Searching deeper into Deborah’s attributes brings Michelle to realize biblical nuggets which are more necessary now given the pandemic. The pandemic threw everyone for a loop causing despair and hopelessness. It was during this time the Pastor Michelle sought God in her time of prayer, and He brought her to Jeremiah 31:15-16.

Michelle shares how she sensed God lovingly telling her about the importance of training up children to be prayer warriors. She immediately decided to model prayer to her grandchildren in everyday things and purposed in heart to take up the holy war God was calling her to, and by extension us.

“We show them the power of prayer. We show them that nothing is too mundane and too small that God is not involve in it.”

Helping Children Recognize Their Identity in Christ :: Quina Aragon [EP54] Aug 02, 2021

A healthy identity comes from understanding how truth gives us insight into ourselves. Truth told, our deepest yearning is to understand where we came from, and what is our purpose in this World. Our significance comes from the Creator. In this week’s podcast, my guest Quina Aragon will talk about Helping Kids Recognize their Identity in Christ.

There are so many ways we can help our kids with their identity in Christ. Quina talks about how we should go about pointing out sin in our children without making them feel condemned. If we use the biblical principles to instruct and coach our children in truth, we will see them react better to our discipline since it is focused on getting to their hearts.

“If we’re not treating our children with love and compassion, then I think talking about sin and the fact that they are sinners, becomes somewhat hypocritical and something that can be even more damaging to them.”

Quina shares about her two books Love Made and Love Gave, what drove her to write them and how she’s learned about God’s love through writing them. We’ll be giving away her book Love Gave. Tune in to IG @gemsofmotherhood to see how you can win her book.

Helping Children Love Their Whole Bible :: Erin Davis [EP53] Jul 26, 2021

The Bible is the most important book ever written in history. And what could be more important than teaching kids to read the Bible? Teaching kids the Bible is the single most important experience in guaranteeing your kids are successful. Today my guest Erin Davis will be talking about helping children fall in love with the Bible.

Erin shares that to create a passion in your kids for the Bible, moms have to incorporate it as part of our everyday life and model it. As moms, we need to first let biblical precepts work in and through us so that our kids can see the impact of the Bible on our lives. The deeper our commitment to reading the Bible, the more our relationship with the Lord will grow. Growing in Christ is incredibly important for kids to observe and mimic.

“If your children see you daily with your Bible, that is a teaching opportunity. I try to be intentional to have my Bible on me rather than using the Bible on the phone.”

Jesus used stories when he taught the most important truths in the Bible. He used this approach to help people understand what He was telling them. There are unforgettable moments when God used this approach, like the lady at the well, the feeding of the 5,000 and Zacchaeus. These stories are timeless. Erin shares practical examples of how she discusses the Bible with her kids to get them to understand what it says and to fall in love with the Bible for themselves.

“Just sheltering my children is not going to work. The world’s volume is getting too loud. So I don’t mind bombarding them with scriptures.”

God’s Good Design for Suffering - Navigating Disability :: Mary and Krista Horning [EP52] Jul 19, 2021

Disability is a subject which is confounding and difficult to reconcile. If you live with a disability you often think why did God allow this in my life. If you have children with disabilities, it can be even more gut-wrenching trying to safeguard your child and at the same time trying to make sense of it all. Each circumstance comes with its distinct challenge, and neither is easier than the other, yet no matter what the situation is there are things you can do to lighten the load you might be carrying. Today’s guests Mary and Krista Horning will be talking about God’s Good Design in Suffering.

Mary shared her story about Krista’s life and her struggle with her disability. Three days after birth, Mary and her husband found out that Krista was born with a rare genetic disorder called Apert Syndrome. The defect is mostly in the skull, hands and feet, yet it was difficult to deal with all the ups and downs of caring for a child with a disability.

As a young child, Krista always knew she had a disability, and as she was getting older, she realized that she was different. Krista commented, “I didn’t really have any friends in school. I wondered why God made me this way. Why did I have to be different.”

Distraught and confused, Mary shares she cried out to God for wisdom and He, as He does, sent help from Heaven. Mary realized that as God was stretching Krista, He was creating a new spirit in her too. She embraced the challenges presented by Krista’s disability learning to talk to Krista about her disability in order to loving walk her through her life.

“God was entering our hearts and He was feeding us.”

Family Legacies :: Teresa Conlon and Kate Hughes [EP51] Jul 12, 2021

There are great spiritual lessons from God’s Word about the concept of a lasting legacy. For many of us, we know that if we don't intentionally pass along our beliefs and values to our children, it will be filled by our culture’s beliefs and values instead. Today we’re going to be talking with mother-daughter duo, Teresa Conlon and Kate Hughes about Family Legacies.

They both share examples of traditions and legacy inherited from their own parents which have made tremendous differences in how they have raised their own children.

“I actually inherited a legacy of prayer and I saw the power of it,” said Teresa

Teresa shares about the legacy of prayer in her family and how God challenged her when she had Kate. She recalls how easily Kate made friends, but how she was concern about her choice in friends. Teresa’s anxiety about Kate’s friends led God to convict her about judging those friends challenging her to instead pray for them. Kate also opens up about her own concerns for her children, but how God has constantly reminded her of His goodness and His faithfulness towards her and her family.

“It’s also healthy to remember that your children are in the hands of God and that He has them. When you’re able to fully surrender your children to the Lord, its huge. You can then parent from hope and love instead of fear,” said Kate

Both Teresa and Kate share about aspects of their emotional, social and spiritual legacies and how the Lord has used key building blocks in those areas to create a more wholesome person, mother and friend to their children.

What we chat about

Legacy of prayer

Emotional legacy

Social legacy

Spiritual legacy

Leaving a Legacy That Will Outlive You :: Chrystal Evans Hurst & Karris Fariss [EP50] Jun 07, 2021

When people become parents planning for the future becomes a priority and requires a greater level of accountability, responsibility and wisdom. Today we’re going to be talking with mother-daughter Chrystal Evans Hurst and Kariss Farris about Leaving a Legacy that will Outlast You.

Coming from a family with an incredible legacy, they both share examples of traditions and legacy inherited from their own parents and grandparents which have made tremendous differences in how they have raised their own children. Chrystal shares her personal experience concerning her modeling the character of excellence and how she sees the fruit in her children. She confesses that what she saw modeled for her helped her daughter Kariss in her adult life because she was equipped with tools for life. In turn, Kariss noted, “My mom and my grandmother and great grandmother did a really good job of not only telling me what to do but also grabbing my hands and showing me what to do. It has helped me to navigate my own life.”

Chrystal also encourages us — moms — that when we work with our children we have to have a holy conviction. As she put it, this simply means that when we feel convicted about something which our children need, we pray and act on what it is that GOD places on our hearts to do for them. We might not get it right immediately or all the time, but if we do the best we can allowing the Holy Spirit to lead and convict we’ll be more than conquerors. Why? Because God loves our children more than we can love them.

“I just have to do my job and realize that we’re all fallen. I’m not going to get it all right and know that God is going to catch whatever that I missed,” said Chrystal

Chrystal and Kariss both share that who they are today is attributable to the legacy of their late mother and grandmother, Lois Evans. Her fingerprints are everywhere and her footprints are what mark the path for their own lives.

Revolutionary Parenting :: Denise Mira [EP49] Jun 01, 2021

Kids are very different, the world and culture are extremely different and normal Christian parenting isn’t getting the job done. As Christians parents, we need to start thinking outside the box about our parental role. My guest Denise Mira discusses Revolutionary Parenting and what it means.

To be revolutionary means to take drastic and far reaching steps to effectuate change. If we look at what’s happening all around us, its high time for a revolution. We need to have a revolution in Jesus, the hope of glory. And we need to bring that revolution into our homes.

“From day one, we need to nurture our children in the word of God. Christianity is discipleship under the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Denise shares the story of Jochebed, her life as a mom and how she navigated challenging times. Jochebed was the ultimate example of sacrifice. She refused to be a victim and was determined to trust God. However, she had a baby at the worst possible time. Yet, she knew her son, Moses was special and this helped her overcome her natural fears knowing that God would see her son’s journey would be completed.

“Fear is one of the biggest monster of motherhood,” and Jochebed was strong and powerful.

What we chat about

Strength of Jochebed

Revolution and revelation

Helping our children in this day and age

Helping our children with the pressures of society

Is My Kid Okay? :: Michelle Nietert [EP48] May 24, 2021

Kids seem to be in constant transition so much these days. And parents are just trying their best to keep up. Sometimes it’s really difficult to tell how a child is doing, especially if we’re not being extra aware of what is happening in their lives. My guest Michelle Nietert talks to us today about the warning signs to look for to ensure our kids are okay.

“Talk to your children about small things and ask them good questions.”

Michelle recalled when she asked her daughter, during a revealing conversation, “When was the last time you cried,” and her daughter’s response was “everyday for the past two weeks.” You don’t always know what goes on in a kid’s mind and heart especially if they think you’re going to worry about them.

“I am seeing kids with anxiety problem who cope with it by being distracted.”

We have to be careful, look at our kids and what they are doing. We’re not only looking at whether they are happy, but also trying to observe them when they’re unhappy. Good mental health looks like a peaceful state even when a kid is going through tough times.

“Some of the other symptoms of warning signs is to ask if they are sleeping. When kids can’t fall asleep there’s potentially some mental health issues going on with some worry and anxiety”

What we chat about

Good questions to ask our children

Warning signs of anxiety

Physical and emotional symptom to look for

Potential stressors

Understanding Gender Confusion :: Denise Shick [EP47] May 17, 2021

This world has a completely different point of view about gender identity than the Christian worldview. This difference causes hesitancy in many when the subject is broached. To be honest, it is such a difficult topic to talk about with adults, now think about how difficult it is to talk about it with our children. My guest Denise Shick addresses the issue of gender identity speaking about Understanding Gender Confusion.

Denise shares her personal story on how her father told her he wanted to live as a woman. She was a young girl. Needless to say, she didn’t understand why and didn’t know how to process it. She only came to deal with it much later in life when she could start wrapping her mind around what her father’s decision meant.

As Denise grappled with her father’s decision, she began to understand that she had to speak to her own children early and often about God’s rightful plan for men and women.

“Speak to your children in a safe environment. Talk about God creating two genders in God’s plan”

Parents should share that we live in a fallen world with lots of confusion, yet God’s plan is perfect. Sharing can be difficult, so using age appropriate language is essential to getting the correct message through to our children. That message, however, has to be well studied and researched because gender confusion is not just a couple of people who don’t know God’s plan for their life, but rather it is a movement to turn God’s plan on its head.

“If the parent becomes educated and understands that it comes from a Biblical perspective, they are able to explain it.”

What we chat about

Talking to children about different genders

Helping children and parents understand gender confusion

Managing Career and Motherhood :: Lila Rose [EP46] May 10, 2021

Motherhood is one of the most fulfilling journeys life offers, but it is exhausting. Add work outside the house to the mix, and you may find yourself stretched very thin. Today my guest Lila Rose shares her experience balancing her career with motherhood.

Lila shares how intense a career can be routinely, yet when you add the wrinkles, like events, conferences and travel it becomes very challenging. She personally realized when she became a mother that she would have to adjust her career to serve her family. She learned different lessons, including the freedom of saying NO.

“When I entered motherhood, I wanted to do it very intentionally. Overall it’s a journey and I learned how to prioritize, and to make sure I’m getting that quality time with my son on a daily basis.”

Lila’s day-to-day is unique to her; however, her prioritizing is not foreign to other mothers. Her time with her son is not just about quantity time, but quality time living life fully invested in his nurturing and growth. It’s not always easy, yet it is satisfying and spiritually healing.

“Motherhood is a full-time job and we need to start appreciating it. Each mom is different. And we need to give ourselves grace as mom”

What we chat about

Pressures that moms face

Helping mothers to gain a sense of self

Importance of motherhood

Balancing career and prioritizing time

Motherhood penalty

No More Perfect Moms :: Jill Savage [EP45] May 03, 2021

As mothers we all struggle one way or another because the juggle is real! Today my guest Jill Savage will be talking about no more being perfect.

What we chat about

The pressures of needing to be the perfect mom

The comparison game

How does the pressure affect children emotionally and mentally

Expectations vs realistic hope

Coping with Infertility :: Melissa Vande Kieft [EP44] Apr 26, 2021

In this week’s podcast, my guest Melissa Vande Kieft shares her story about eagerly waiting on God while coping with infertility. Infertility is not an easy situation; you feel social pressure to have kids and you feel judged by well-meaning friends, family members, or even strangers. It is a journey, even if it is lonely and grounded in fear.

“This whole process of navigating infertility was something I wasn’t prepared for and shook who I was.”

Melissa’s journey dealing with infertility was her first God test emotionally and spiritually. She saw her experience similar to climbing a mountain; she was just climbing and climbing and not seeing the end. She had to get up everyday to experience the identical result while having to accept waiting on God. What she couldn’t imagine is that her wait would take 2.5 years before she would fully receive what God was trying to tell her.

“When you are going through infertility, you are doing things that are right, but yet it never happens. And you don’t know why. And it can be so frustrating.”

Melissa also shares some tips on how to support someone who is going through infertility. When someone is going navigating infertility, they want to know that someone cares, that they are seen, that they are heard and above all they want authenticate relationship. Authenticity is the bridge between God and us, and Melissa surmises that it is no different between us and others!

What we chat about

Living in the wait

Be educated about infertility

Preparing the challenges

Reason infertility exists

True Intimacy With Our First Love :: Mo Isom Aiken [EP43] Apr 19, 2021

In this week’s podcast, my guest Mo Isom Aiken shares about the secret of having true intimacy with our first love based on her third book, Fully Known.

A mom’s job is hard and important work. And the only way we can perform this work is through God’s spirit and His love. His spirit is already poured out for us to receive. And His love is a function of His sacrifice on the Cross. These truths act as reminders that being a mom and wife is a beautiful thing, and are to be cherished and experienced fully on intimacy with Him. When we embrace the truth, a mom’s true beauty is revealed by our time and frequency in His presence, we can let our guard down.

“We were made for intimacy—spiritual intimacy with God that brings oneness and bears powerful fruit. We were made to know Him and be known by Him, fully.”

Intimacy with Christ is different from intimacy with our husband. Intimacy with Him is both intentional and ongoing. We can experience this intimacy while performing mundane house chores or in the shower or going out shopping. It is a privilege to be able to commune with Him daily.

“I don’t have to fight for His presence. I can talk with Him and commune with Him all day long. We can cease from the striving.”

Mo shares that Fully Known is for people who feel disconnected from God, burned out, and desire to understand what it means to actually have a relationship with God.

What we chat about

Motherhood and intimacy with God

Intentional and on-going intimacy

Actionable tips for burnt-out moms

True intimacy

The Miracle of Forgiveness :: Ruth Graham [EP42] Apr 12, 2021

In this week’s podcast, my guest Ruth Graham shares about the miracle of forgiveness. When we live with unresolved anger or hurt, the result is nearly always bitterness, broken relationships, and unhealthy behaviors. Unforgiveness if left unresolved can sabotage our entire life from the spiritual to the mental to the physical.

Ruth Graham shares her personal journey to finding forgiveness in her heart for individuals who hurt her. God is about forgiveness. However, we often can’t imagine the depths of forgiveness until He demonstrates it to us. Ruth learned the truth and the meaning of forgiveness when she visited Angola prison in Louisiana.

“Forgiveness is Holy. It is an opportunity to participate in the nature and character of God.”

We have a choice to forgive people who have hurt us. Yet, once we make the decision to forgive, be prepared to feel all sorts of emotions because we have an Enemy who desires to make us feel like we haven’t truly forgiven. And we cannot allow that to happen.

“When we know our place in Christ. We need not hold ourselves in condemnation. We want to be working for the Lord in the freedom of forgiveness.”

Ruth also shares how forgiveness is vitally important in other areas of our lives, like marriage and parenting. Her mother always said that a good marriage is made up of two good forgivers since we’re always asking for forgiveness. This habit of forgiving and extending forgiveness is played out each day is only saturates our children with the learned behavior of expressing forgiveness as well as accepting forgiveness.

What we chat about

Ruth’s journey to forgiveness

The meaning of forgiveness

Tips for those struggling with forgiveness

How to Make the Bible Come Alive for Our Children :: Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright [EP41] Apr 05, 2021

The Bible is the most important book in history. In this week’s episode, Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright talks about how to make the Bible come alive to our children. She shares how she presented her daughter with the Gospel from the moment she was born and talks about Bible stories with her children at all times.

“I try to always tell them stories. I wanted it to be relevant all the time and not just reading it during one set time.”

Playing fun games to focus children on Bible stories and characters grows their interest. It also gets children to learn different people and different places highlighted in the Bible. Rachel-Ruth shares her experience of playing Bible charades with her children to ensure her children stay in their Word and live it out.

“Making the Bible come alive to your children is so important. If you’re dead about the Bible and you don’t know those stories then your kids will be that way too. The key is to have it in your own heart.”

Helping children to uncover the Bible’s big ideas and good values only encourages children to see that God is interested in their personal development.

“If my kids did something wrong, I will try to talk them through. I always try to present the Bible in a positive light so they don’t have a negative view of scripture or of the Lord.”

What we chat about

Ways of telling Bible stories

Instilling scripture in the dark days ahead

Uncovering big ideas and applying to life

Grace

Being transparent with children

Empowering Moms :: Maria Durso [EP40] Mar 29, 2021

There are so many incredible moms in the Bible. Yet, there is one mother who rarely grabs any acclaim — that’s Moses’s mom, Jochebed. In this week’s episode, Maria Durso talks about empowering moms by using Jochebed’s life as an example.

Jochobed lived in dark and challenging times. Pharaoh wanted to kill every Jewish boy two years and younger. Yet, Moses’s mother had a plan. She had an anointed eye, a gift of foresight. The moment she saw her baby, she was determined to fight for his life.

“We need an anointed eye… What do you see when you see your child”

Today’s children are born in dark times. As moms, it’s one thing to see when things are going great, it is another to see when things are turning dark. Maria encourages moms to wash their children with words of affirmations and prayer in order to see them through these perilous times. Maria reenforces what the Bible challenges us to do … which is to put on the full armor of God. Why you might ask? Because there’s an invisible war being waged in the heavenlies and right here on earth.

“Prayer for our children doesn’t stop. It’s ongoing. So many of us don’t know that the armor is already ours. It’s already hanging in our closet and perfectly suited for us to put on.”

What we chat about

Moses’s Mom

Covering our children with words of affirmation

Prayer

Armor of God

Preparing for life’s opposition

The Importance of a Mother's Role :: Mo Isom Aiken [EP39] Mar 22, 2021

Today’s episode seems more critically important today than ever before. The role of mothers is slowly eroding blocked out by competing interests and societal priorities, yet it doesn’t mean a mother’s value has changed. In this episode, Mo Isom Aiken shares her heart on the importance of a mother using the example of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mo points to Mary’s perseverance, tenacity, and above all her humility, as the mother of Jesus to make her point about mother’s privilege.

“When I think of motherhood, I just weep. After I had my first, I just thought of Mary, and the pains of her labor and the reality of bringing forth life and what a privilege it is…”

Mo shares that when people look at the word of God, they instantly are faced with the truth about a women’s worth and true beauty. She opines that she needs to be constantly reminded of this and keep it locked deeply in heart while aligning it with God’s will for her life.

“If we look at the word of God, we can see the role and value of woman. It is a beautiful and miraculous thing. And the gift of motherhood is truly an honor and of kingdom importance.”

To showcase a mother’s importance, God allows what we’ll term as “sovereign shaking.” That means He allows disruption and shifting to enter our lives, but not to harm us but to squeeze out the very best. Mo has seen the excellent results of “sovereign shaking,” especially during the pandemic. God wants to open our eyes to our weaknesses and wake us from our slumber to let us see our true identity. Why you may ask? Mo answers it: He wants us to take up our mantle.

“Right now God is raising up a generation of kingdom warriors. He is the general and we are the ranks right beneath Him, following His orders and raising the kingdom army that is to come.”

What we chat about

Role of motherhood

The importance of motherhood

Kingdom importance

Raising up kingdom children

Preparation in times of adversity

Dealing with Postpartum Depression :: Carly Graham [EP38] Mar 15, 2021

Postpartum depression is something seldom discussed, but which affects many people. Mental health can mean different things to different people, depending on individual experiences. In this week’s podcast, my guest Carly Graham shares her postpartum depression story.

Carly speaks about the different signs of postpartum from loss of interest of things to decrease mood to trouble sleeping or sleeping too much to eating habits.

"When you have postpartum depression it’s hard to see into the future with excitement, hope, and expectancy.”

While 7 out of 10 mothers who go through postpartum, surprisingly 3 out of 10 fathers also experience it. Carly explains how different hormones in women and men affect the onset of postpartum and dissects scientifically the reason why women go through it more frequently and with greater impact on their daily function.

“Be aware of patterns and behavior that doesn’t feel like the real you. Self awareness is key. Know yourself and how you function.”

What we chat about

Signs of postpartum

Being aware of yourself

How can husbands be more supportive

Actionable tips for moms to take when going through postpartum

Worth Repeating :: Teaching Children the Importance of Loving Thy Body :: Nancy Pearcey Mar 08, 2021

In this podcast episode, Nancy touches on a very important subject matter. It’s important to teach our children to love their bodies. If we don’t, they may pick up misperceptions and wrong teaching from the culture. Issues, like homosexuality and transgenderism, are infiltrating school curriculums starting as young as preschool. As Christians we need to stay on top of these hot topics and equip our children with knowledge about their body to be able to combat the destructive teachings (i.e. secular ethics) readily accepted in schools around the country.

The best way to talk to children about sexuality is to stay positive. It is easy for Christians to be negative, launch into stereotypes and be easily typecast as judgmental, yet it is always better to present the Christian ethic free of “christianese.” Simply saying something is wrong or sinful is not helpful. Rather, Nancy shares if we explain, using examples, how secular ethic demeans the body it can serve as a bridge to understand Christian’s foundation of authenticity and love. a bridge to understand Christian’s foundation of authenticity and love.

“Kindergarteners are being taught that their bodies tell them nothing about who they are, it’s not authentic self. And that’s when as Christians we have a wonderful opportunity to say, God made your body and what God makes is intrinsically good.”

Nancy shares that gender dysphoria, the technical term when you feel out of sync with your body, starts at a young age and is currently especially prevalent in teenagers also known as rapid gender dysphoria.

“Genuine gender dysphoria is a long painful haul. It’s truly a deep psychological issue. But with God’s help, we can let our child know it’s okay for them not to live according to the stereotypes.”

Nancy encourages Christians to change the language they use to exude positivity which allows our children to see who God created them to be and gives them a glimpse into God’s intelligent design for their identity.

“We are meant to respect our body, to live in harmony with the creator’s design. We are meant to live consistently with our biological sex.”

What we chat about

Gender dysphoria

Rapid gender dysphoria

Examples of stories – Interviews with parents of transgender teens, homeschool parent, and more

Impact of social media

How to speak to children about loving their body

The impact of school and gender identity

Preparing children about loving their body

Darwinism

Connect with Nancy

WEBSITE: Nancy Pearcey

FACEBOOK: Nancy Pearcey

LINKED IN: Nancy Pearcey

Teaching Children About Beauty :: Abbie Sprunger [EP37] Mar 01, 2021

Beauty… a subject matter that is hardly addressed especially when it comes to motherhood.

Anytime moms are around something that delights our senses it reveals what captivates to our soul. This is further proof of God’s vast array of images and what is true beauty. Abbie defines true beauty as something that awakens us to God.

“The message of beauty comes from the stamping of God’s image from the beginning and the continual attraction that draws us back to His beauty”

Abbie shares that the definition of kingdom beauty is something that we can’t purchase or bargain for, it simply flows from the beauty maker. At its core it resides in each of us from the moment we’re born. It can’t be masked or hidden.

“Beauty can be overused at times… I’m not sure if that does a service to God because the World’s beauty is more external than what God calls beautiful.”

She also shares her story, struggles with accepting her beauty, and in turn, how to teach our children to be confident understanding their true beauty and affirming them in it.

What we chat about

True beauty/Kingdom beauty

Challenges that girls face

Tearing down lies and deceptions

Affirming children on true beauty

How to Help Children Handle their Emotions :: Sissy Goff [EP36] Feb 22, 2021

The rate of depression and suicides continues to climb. And anxiety is now considered an epidemic in children. My guest Sissy Goff tackles this topic in How to Help Kids Handle their Emotions.

Sissy shares that there is a tremendous difference in how children of different sexes deal with anxiety. While girls experience anxiety twice as much as boys, boys are more likely to be taken to therapy. “I have never seen girls face as much pressure as they do now. I think they are feeling pressures from all areas to excel.” Sometimes parents end up inadvertently reinforcing the very things that are symptoms of children’s anxiety and missing what really going on. How a child develops emotionally often dictates who he becomes as a spouse, friend, co-worker, and even, someday, a parent.

Sissy emphasizes that children lack coping skills and this has only been exacerbated today by the isolation. In her book, Raising Worry Free Girls, Sissy breaks down the coping mechanism of understanding, help, hope and encourages parents to teach children how to cope with their emotions while still young. A list of emotional milestones helps us gauge if children are where they need to be emotionally, spiritually and socially to thrive into adulthood.

What we chat about

Anxiety

How to help children cope with their emotions

Understanding emotional milestones

Six Discipline Mistakes Parents Make :: Ginger Hubbard [EP35] Feb 15, 2021

Do you find yourself threatening, repeating your instructions or raising your voice in an attempt to get your children to obey? We’re glad you’re joining us today as Ginger Hubbard talks about 6 Discipline Mistakes Parents Make. Her talk encourages us to take a more biblical, heart-oriented approach to training our children.

“Children should be taught to obey because it’s right and it pleases God.”

We must remember our goal is not merely get our children to outwardly obey, but to reach their hearts with the gospel of Christ. When we adopt faulty child-training methods aimed at behavioral modification only, we miss the heart issues and the point of biblical discipline in the first point.

“Use heart probing question to help them to evaluate their behavior for themselves.”

Ginger shares examples of different scenarios based on the six discipline mistakes. Here are a few pitfalls we must guard against:

Bribing

Threatening

Appealing to their emotions

Repeating or going back on instructions

Counting to Three

Reasoning with small children

What we chat about

How to reach a child’s heart

6 discipline mistakes

Effective parenting

Balancing Motherhood :: Esther Ibanga [EP34] Feb 08, 2021

Being a mother is no easy task since we are natural caregivers. And balancing marriage, motherhood, and ministry is no small task. In this podcast, Esther Ibanga will speak to us about Balancing Motherhood.

“It wasn’t easy. A lot of times, I found myself torn between my family and ministry.”

Pastor Ibanga shares about her calling and how she has had to navigate it between her family and ministry. While she has always been a church leader, she made sure that she honored her husband by displaying respect both publicly and privately. This required lots of wisdom from God and submission to God’s order.

She also shares about the importance of leading by example. Her children were her greatest test tools. She imagined being their friend and not portraying a supermom who did it all by herself. No, Pastor Ibanga honestly speaks about having plenty of help at home and not falling into the trap of many women who try, in vain, to juggle everything at home and ministry.

“What helped me navigate those tough waters was actually alot of help that I received.”

Pastor Ibanga further talked about Proverbs 31 and how even the Proverbs 31 woman required a community to survive. Without the Holy Spirit, women fall into the hype of supermom and performance. The supermom mystique puts incredible pressure on women to perform and causes them to stop depending on the Holy Spirit. Instead of relying solely on God — and the community of believers He provides to help — moms rather struggle keeping the facade up when they can relax knowing God got them covered.

What we chat about

Challenges of motherhood and ministry

Core values to exercise as mothers

Balancing marriage and family

Proverbs 31 woman

Teaching Children to Keep Close to Jesus in the Storms of Life :: Naghmeh Panahi [EP33] Feb 01, 2021

Adversity! We all go through them. Naghmeh Panahi has experienced many storms in her life from persecution to abuse, yet she always knew God was with her. In this week’s podcast, Naghmeh talks about keeping close to Jesus during the storms of life. She shares that problems may persist, turmoil might worsen over time, but God is in control working in the midst of the storms!

When Naghmeh first had her children, her biggest fear was raising them by herself. Her struggle with this persistent fear made her anxious. When it happened that she became a single mother, she was struck by the loneliness of having to do it alone, but her personal suffering drew her closer to Jesus.

“As a mom, I don’t know what’s ahead for my kids… They’ve already gone through a lot. But learning how to stay close to God and finding lasting peace and exemplifying it to my children is important.”

Rather than focus on her abuse, anxiety, fears and loneliness, Naghmeh instead chose to trust God each and every day. Even as she felt like a shell of herself while experiencing abuse at the hands of her ex-husband, she never questioned God’s plan for her life.

“I was an empty shell. I was broken. I felt sorry for myself. I wasn’t mad at God. But I realize I found myself caught up in idolatry.”

Instead, she knew God was there for her, and uses these traumatic experiences to teach her children to keep close to Jesus.

What we chat about

Handling adversity

What happens when you don’t see God in the midst of the storm

Teaching children to handle adversity

Life verses

The Power of Questions :: Stacy Bellward [EP32] Jan 25, 2021

Now we all want well behaved children, but kids often misbehave. Having difficult conversations with children is hard. Yet, In today’s podcast, Stacy Bellward talks about The Power of Questions.

She shares concerning the importance of asking questions. The opposite of asking is telling. And telling does not work. We often get into these patterns in our homes where we just tell… and telling turns into nagging and sometimes even into yelling. And sometimes it’s almost like a tug of war.

“If we were to boil down our job raising our kids, the two important things that we want them to exercise is wisdom and responsibility.”

Stacy talks about breaking patterns of defensiveness and how the power of curious questions creates productive conversations. She also talks about asking effective questions as well as type of questions to avoid in an effort to get the best results in correcting our children’s behavior.

What we chat about

The power of questions

Effective questions

Bad questions

Setting our kids up for success

Teaching our children to cooperate

Building our children’s character

Connect with Stacy

WEBSITE: Connected Families

INSTAGRAM: Connected Families

FACEBOOK: Connected Families

LINKEDIN: Stacy Bellward

YOUTUBE: Connected Families

LINKS MENTIONED

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Disciplining a Strong Willed Child :: Karen Stubbs [EP31] Jan 18, 2021

Most parents think that their strong-willed child may be deliberately driving them crazy. Sometimes disciplining them can become a challenge. However, having a strong willed child may not necessarily be a bad thing.

Karen Stubbs shares her experience with a strong-willed child and provides some positive ways to discipline them. She encourages moms to teach their children how to be good leaders, not dictators.

“It especially helps when you give a strong-willed child choices. All your strong-willed child want to feel like they are in control. Always give them choices.”

Karen also shares that mothers should be consistent, equitable, set clear boundaries while avoiding a battle of wills with their strong-willed child. A strong-willed child’s core desire is to control his or her environment because they are natural leaders, yet if you give them something to control they won’t control you — mom! They need to have a sense of control, loyalty, appreciation and credit, but simple interest in them by asking a question makes them stop, think and get a sense of self.

These are the four key needs of a strong willed child.

What we chat about

Positive ways to discipline a strong willed child

Key needs of a strong willed child

The importance of questions

Teaching them to listen

Connect with Karen

WEBSITE: Birds on a Wire

INSTAGRAM: Birds on a Wire

FACEBOOK: Birds on a Wire

Grace Based Parenting :: Karis Murray [EP30] Jan 11, 2021

God refers to Himself as our Father and the Word teaches that we can see God as our father. God relates to us - His children through grace. And we know grace is simply unmerited favor; getting what we don’t deserve.

Karis shares from her experience of teaching children about obedience, and dissuading children from lying. How do we parent from grace? By first understanding that God pursues our hearts in order to teach and correct us.

“This relationship that we have with God, is one where He has standards and He expects us to obey, but He knows we won’t. But He still pursues our hearts even when we don’t.”

Karis shares that like us our kids will never perfectly obey, yet moms need to love their children through discipline. Godly discipline is grace-based, and not fear-based. And it strives to let go of unfair unrealistic expectations.

“We need to release the tyranny of perfection on ourselves and our kids.”

Grace doesn’t necessarily mean being nice or being easy going or being a push over or having an absence of rules and consequences, it simply means approaching it God’s way. That boils down to upholding God’s standards and rules, modeling His authentic love and expressing His love in everything we do.

What we chat about

Meaning of Grace

Grace Based Parenting

Obedience, Spanking, Lying

Actionable tips on grace based parenting

Best of 2020 - Our Most Inspired Mom Encouragement [EP29] Dec 21, 2020

In this week's podcast, we reflect on the most downloaded episodes of 2020 to see what we learned.

Being a Purposeful Mom with Rachel-Ruth Wright

Talking About Sex with Children with Mo Isom Aiken

Finding Hope in Despair with Kariss Farris

Strength in Identity with Missy Robertson

How Sexual Intimacy in Marriage Affects Your Children with Robyn Mckelvy

How Your Marriage Affects Your Children with Noline Wakefield

Tearing Down Strongholds : Freedom in Motherhood with Andi Andrews

Stand Up : Radical Prayer For Your Children with Maria Durso

I Can't Believe You Just Said That with Ginger Hubbard

The Titus 2 Woman : Growing in Motherhood :: Trina Lozano [EP28] Dec 14, 2020

In this podcast episode, we will be talking about the Titus 2:4 woman. “Let the older women teach the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.” Trina Lozano shares that the only thing that separates women who are 25 and women who are 55 is essentially age and experience.

“Regardless of your age, if you’re a mom of a toddler, you’re a mom of a toddler. The principle of older teaching the younger doesn’t necessarily have to be an age thing, but a stage thing."

Trina has an amazing legacy. She shares about her life mission to bridge the gap between younger and older moms.

“Because with every single child, we, moms have to learn all over again because every child is different.”

Titus 2:4 is a mandate for all of us to take heart, learn, apply and pay forward to our friends and family. Paying forward to others involves coaching and mentoring others to help them in their journeys, providing them with necessary counsel and ultimately lead to acquiring wisdom.

“You don’t want to just google how to discipline your kids. You need to follow someone that you admire how they discipline because you have seen the fruit in their own children.”

What we chat about

Being the Titus woman

The Home Experience

Parenting advise

Importance of seeking mentorship

Being a Mother and an Artist :: Sara Groves [EP27] Dec 07, 2020

God has gifted us differently and diversely. In this podcast episode, Sara Groves shares about her experience being mom while having a blossoming career as a Christian artist. Motherhood is hard enough outside the public eye, but when you’re in a fishbowl for eyes to see keeping all the pieces together is a challenge.

“We are finite. We had to think about our life globally. And it helped us be together on the road. What’s yes here, it’s a no somewhere else I would have a massive mom guilt but I had to accept that God’s normal for me is something different”

Sara brings all her creativity into her home as a mom giving them vocational weight. She shares that it’s beneficial for moms to carve time out for themselves to pursue their calling, so that the family can experience a beautiful symphony. Each part in our house moving together in a melodious rhythm. Such a thing is marvelous, glorious and God breathed.

“Caregiving in general tends to be undervalued because we’re not receiving a paycheck for it. I was encouraged to give vocational weight to things that was not vocational.”

She shares about translating her artistic abilities to her children. Even though she can’t control what it looked like for her children, she always supports and encourages her children in their artistic abilities.

It's good to model for our children’s life when they see us do the things God has gifted us to do

What we chat about

The role of motherhood as an artist

Creative process

Inspiring and translating artistic abilities to her children

Encouraging her children in developing their artistic abilities

Connect with Sara

WEBSITE: Sara Groves, Art House North

INSTAGRAM: Sara Groves, Art House North

FACEBOOK: Sara Groves, Art House North

YOUTUBE: Sara Groves

Being a Shining Light as a Working Mom :: Jena Holliday [EP26] Nov 30, 2020

Being a light in the midst of darkness is not easy these days. And it’s not easy juggling between work and motherhood while trying to be light in this dark world.

In this podcast episode, my guest Jena Holliday shares her personal story of how she was discouraged by a teacher from pursuing her dream of being an artist as a young girl. Yet, God intervened.

“As I became a mother, God started to be remind me of things He had placed in my heart years before… As I walked in faith, people encouraged me to pursue my dreams.”

Jena shares about her struggles juggling motherhood and work as the seasons changed and her kids changed.

“Being flexible is super helpful as it comes to managing priorities as well as trying to be a good parent.”

One thing that Jena held with her over the years, is the importance of her uniqueness and who God created her to be. Her mom has always affirmed her and her siblings even though they were all different. Her mom’s instructions gave her confidence, and in turn, has helped her to shed light through her illustrations, especially to her children.

What we chat about

Juggling work and motherhood

Working remote with children

Affirming and speaking life over her children

Being a shining light in the community

How to teach children to let their light shine

Healing the Wounds from the Past :: Marlaina Centeno [EP25] Nov 23, 2020

In this week’s episode, we’ll focus on why certain frustrations and emotions just don’t make any sense. Irritability, impatience, anger… are perhaps indicators of unresolved issues or trauma from childhood. And if irritability, impatience and anger persists at almost irrational rates, then maybe there’s something more to it.

“We’re allowed to go through impatience and irritability on the small stuff but if you can’t really identify and feel like it’s an over reaction, so maybe there’s something more there.”

Marlaina shares how some of these wounds can surface in our lives. She addresses three things that can cause wounds to surface.

“You gotta slow down enough to acknowledge the pain especially moms of little ones.”

Marlaina also talks about her personal story of past wounds. She admonishes us if pain exists we should acknowledge it and tell our story to bring holistic healing. This is a crucial step to healing in our life journey.

“When you’re on the healing journey, there may be still things that cause strong emotions to come up.”

What we chat about

Identifying wounds of the past

Effects of wounding

How does hurt translate to raising children

Addressing the wounds

Equipping selves to live a healthy life

Connect with Marlaina

WEBSITE: Whole Hearted Women

INSTAGRAM: Whole Hearted Women

LINKEDIN: Marlaina Centeno

Fully Restored :: Lorraine Varela [EP24] Nov 16, 2020

In this podcast episode, we’ll be talking about a topic which is hardly discussed because it is too taboo… abortion. We’ll be looking specifically at what it means to be fully restored whether you’ve had an abortion or are considering making such a tragic decision. Even if this episode doesn’t resonate with many of you, I encourage you to listen because Lorraine clearly explains her personal life mission to set women free from despair, bondage and shame.

Lorraine shares since starting her ministry she has come across hundreds of women who have kept their abortion a secret because of fear of being shamed or labeled. Christian churches are great at a lot of things, yet when it comes to abortion it has horribly failed to become Jesus’ hands and feet.

“Many women don’t even realize the numerous ways that abortion affects their daily lives. The Lord wants to uncover shame, reveal the ways their lives have been affected”

She shares different examples of the effects of abortion and how certain women suffer relationship problems due to an inability to connect and maintain intimacy.

“The cutting and severing of the ties through abortion affect relationships.”

God gives us so many promises in scriptures, and its imperative that we ask God to show us who we are. This isn’t only true for individuals who have suffer through an abortion, it applies to every mom. Lorraine suggests women sit quietly to ask God why He loves us, who we are in Him and for to connect with our true identities.

“Some underlying emotions that women may not realize are denial. There’s also the difficulty of relationship, pent up anger and not understanding the source of anger and body issues… it’s very insidious how the enemy has used the anti-life spirit to affect all areas of life”

What we chat about

The effects of abortion

Identifying and addressing the hurt of brokenness

Healing journey

Different emotions for those who have undergone abortion

The power of journalling

Taking steps to be fully restored

Connect with Lorraine

WEBSITE: Inspiring Faith

FACEBOOK: Lorraine Varela

INSTAGRAM: Lorraine Varela

LINKEDIN: Lorraine Varela

YOUTUBE: Inspiring Faith International

The Power of An Unrealized Dream :: Allyson Reneau [EP23] Nov 09, 2020

In today’s podcast, we have Allyson Reneau, who is a mother of 11 children and managed to pursue her dream of going to Harvard University in her 50s. That is, Allyson was a stay-at-home-mom for many years with dreams of attending her “ideal college.” Although she was out of school for many years raising her family, she never gave up on her dreams.

“Sometimes God puts us in an uncomfortable position for us to seek Him. I hit bottom in my life in my late 40s… I felt stuck, I wanted to make an impact in this world and leave a legacy for my children.”

Her story is inspirational. While she was an only child who planned to have two children at most, God had a different plan. Allyson shares that her expanding family came with its challenges and obstacles, yet she quickly learned to adapt to the big family lifestyle. This process was only possible, she shares, because of her deep faith in Jesus.

“My faith in Jesus and what He speaks to our heart, I believe is true. I never doubted when He spoke to me about going to Harvard.”

Allyson candidly shares that, although she had matriculated in Harvard she didn’t think she was smart enough and was almost embarrassed to be there. However, through all the challenges and obstacles, she believed in God’s promises to bring her the victory.

What we chat about

Faith in God

Stay emotionally and physically healthy

Identify the things that discourage you

Connect with Allyson

WEBSITE: Allyson Reneau

FACEBOOK: Allyson Reneau

INSTAGRAM: Allyson Reneau

Confidently Raise Kids Free of Worry and Anxiety :: Tracey Mitchell [EP22] Nov 02, 2020

It’s so easy to fall into the worry trap, especially when you’re a first time mom. Tracey Mitchell shares that instead of worrying, moms should focus more on the emotional, social and physical health of their children through open communication.

“I think one way to be intentional is to ask children what they want to do as far as goal setting… let their goals be theirs and not just things that we stick and attached to them”

If you’re a control freak and you can’t stop worrying, Tracey admonishes us that the best thing moms can do is to check in with other moms to get a clearer perspective of what may be unnecessarily bothering us. Our worries are sometimes amplified by our desires to be GREAT moms while comparing ourselves to Instagram moms, yet freedom comes from knowing your struggles and realizing your great attributes, values and worth — that’s perspective.

“Our worries rarely come true. Prevent the things that we can, be careful and be watchful and don’t fall in the trap of micro-worriers.”

Tracey shares that we must routinely retreat and engage in self care to reset our perspective. It goes without saying that the more relax we are, the more we’re able to deal with the stresses of motherhood.

“The journey is just as important as the destination because it’s not always about reaching the goal.”

What we chat about

Ways to stay free from worry and anxiety

Seeking other mom validation

The importance of play

Raising children to be bold and confident

Connects with Tracey

WEBSITE: Tracey Mitchell

FACEBOOK: Tracey Mitchell

INSTAGRAM: Tracey Mitchell

Teaching Children About Purity :: Jackie Kendall [EP21] Oct 26, 2020

Teaching our children purity is one of the most important roles we can play in parenting. Jackie Kendall shares that children can stay pure even in a sex saturated society which is out of control by starting early. Teaching children about purity at an early age helps to train them to confront wrong thinking around sex and sexuality.

“You can’t export into your child’s life what you have not paid the price to import into your own soul”

We need to put a wallpaper up and teach our children the foundational truths as a guide to pursuing purity, commitment, patience, and more. Our body is the Holy Spirit’s temple.

“Purity impacts you long before marriage and impacts you long after marriage… Immorality is the only sin against the body”

Regardless where we come from, if your heart desires purity, God will keep and use it. Jackie shares that if we want to raise the IQ of our children’s souls and prepare their hearts, read the Bible to them daily. The more you read to your child, the more their hearts are being soiled.

“The moment you can read the Bible to your baby, you’re shaping their heart to hear a call to purity.”

What we chat about:

The importance of purity

The book, “Lady in Waiting”

Preparing children at a young age

Pursuing and celebrate purity

No Bozos stories

How Sexual Intimacy in Marriage Affects Your Children :: Robyn McKelvy [EP20] Oct 19, 2020

Yes, we’re going there and it’s juicy! Motherhood is exhausting and the last thing you want to think, talk or do is that. But I also know you love your husband and they come first before our children.

In this podcast, Robyn Mckelvy shares the truth about God’s design for sexual intimacy in marriage. A mom of seventeen children and author of S.O.S Sick of Sex tells all about how the power of sexual intimacy can transform a marriage.

“Sexual intimacy is nothing but an outpouring of the love a husband and wife have for one another. That is the reason why sexual intimacy is important and affect our children”

If we truly understand sexual intimacy, then we also can understand intimacy with God inside and out.

“There’s a direct correlation between the intimacy, commitment and connectedness that you have with your husband. And that is the foundations that our kids lives are built on.”

Robyn shares that it is vitally important for children to have an early bedtime and late wake up time to make time for our husbands. Moms must reserve this time rather than put it in the back burner. Making this concerted effort to reserve time for relationship building and ultimately ourselves furthers our commitment to our marital vows.

“Ultimately, this marathon we call marriage is something that in the end, we want to make sure that God had been glorified in it.”

What we chat about

The importance of sexual intimacy in marriage

Ways to establish healthy sexual intimacy within marriage

Encouragement for moms who feel overwhelm

Considering his needs before ours

Connect with Robyn

WEBSITE: Robyn McKelvy

FACEBOOK: Robyn McKelvy

INSTAGRAM: Robyn McKelvy

LINKEDIN: Robyn McKelvy

Talking About Sex with Children :: Mo Isom Aiken [EP19] Oct 12, 2020

In this podcast, Mo Isom Aiken shares about the importance of sex, and sexuality. Many times people are confused or scared to navigate the conversation of sex and sexuality with their children. However, this is a conversation, that God wants to speak to us about too.

“We as women, mothers, and daughters of the Most High, must allow Him to minister, heal and cultivate conversations about sex within our own hearts first.”

Sex is an act of worship when it’s used in the right context. It is also used as a weapon against the enemy. God’s text is full of this truth from Genesis to Revelation.

“Sex is an invention and a gift from God.”

God desires us as parents to lead our children in the way that they should go. Also, to speak of His ways and His decrees. That simply means it is a non-negotiable; we must have this conversation regardless of how uncomfortable it may be.

Children are being exposed to things at a young age, like pornography and we need to stand in the gap for them. Mo shares about her experiences of sharing about sexuality to her daughter and their reactions.

“God created sex as a beautiful gift between a husband and a wife. And how that prophesies this beautiful intimacy that we’re invited into between he as the bridegroom and we as His bride.”

We can begin to share with our children early in their lives to create hearts that are responsive to God’s identity in their lives, including His wondrous design. Mo reminds us that we should share with our children the truth of sex and sexuality so that they understand that it is more than a physical act and is rather about intimacy.

What we chat about

Mo’s story

Sex and sexuality

Sex as a loss narrative in the Christian family

When to talk to your children about sex

Purity culture

Basic lessons to help our children understand God’s design for sex

Function and purpose of sex

Worldview that lies behind the huge cultural shifts and how it affects children

Connect with Mo

WEBSITE: Mo Isom

FACEBOOK: Mo Isom

YOUTUBE: Mo Isom

TWITTER: Mo isom

Teaching Children the Importance of Loving Thy Body :: Nancy Pearcey [EP18] Oct 05, 2020

In this podcast episode, Nancy touches on a very important subject matter. It’s important to teach our children to love their bodies. If we don’t, they may pick up misperceptions and wrong teaching from the culture. Issues, like homosexuality and transgenderism, are infiltrating school curriculums starting as young as preschool. As Christians we need to stay on top of these hot topics and equip our children with knowledge about their body to be able to combat the destructive teachings (i.e. secular ethics) readily accepted in schools around the country.

The best way to talk to children about sexuality is to stay positive. It is easy for Christians to be negative, launch into stereotypes and be easily typecast as judgmental, yet it is always better to present the Christian ethic free of “christianese.” Simply saying something is wrong or sinful is not helpful. Rather, Nancy shares if we explain, using examples, how secular ethic demeans the body it can serve as a bridge to understand Christian’s foundation of authenticity and love. a bridge to understand Christian’s foundation of authenticity and love.

“Kindergarteners are being taught that their bodies tell them nothing about who they are, it’s not authentic self. And that’s when as Christians we have a wonderful opportunity to say, God made your body and what God makes is intrinsically good.”

Nancy shares that gender dysphoria, the technical term when you feel out of sync with your body, starts at a young age and is currently especially prevalent in teenagers also known as rapid gender dysphoria.

“Genuine gender dysphoria is a long painful haul. It’s truly a deep psychological issue. But with God’s help, we can let our child know it’s okay for them not to live according to the stereotypes.”

Nancy encourages Christians to change the language they use to exude positivity which allows our children to see who God created them to be and gives them a glimpse into God’s intelligent design for their identity.

“We are meant to respect our body, to live in harmony with the creator’s design. We are meant to live consistently with our biological sex.”

What we chat about

Gender dysphoria

Rapid gender dysphoria

Examples of stories - Interviews with parents of transgender teens, homeschool parent, and more

Impact of social media

How to speak to children about loving their body

The impact of school and gender identity

Preparing children about loving their body

Darwinism

Connect with Nancy

WEBSITE: Nancy Pearcey

FACEBOOK: Nancy Pearcey

LINKED IN: Nancy Pearcey

Tearing Down Strongholds : Freedom in Motherhood :: Andi Andrews [EP17] Sep 28, 2020

Have you ever found yourself wanting to be the perfect mom, or caring about what other people think of you or even finding yourself dwelling in mom guilt? Well, strongholds are real. If we’re not careful, strongholds can form in our hearts becoming bigger and bigger by the day, month and year.

Andi breaks down the terminology of a stronghold. She says it is a place that has been fortified so as to protect it against attack. Many moms can’t help, but compare themselves to others and can’t stop looking to the left and right. It’s easy to remain in the stronghold; however, it doesn’t have to be that way.

“We set up these strongholds because we have a perception of who we think we should be and we don’t just take things one day at a time.”

The shame of the mistakes we have made create a space for feeling tremendously guilty. And we hide because we’re afraid of how other moms will judge us. But in actuality, other moms also are going through similar stuff.

“We face this stronghold because when we think we’re not good enough… we buy into a lie and then we begin to play it over and over again until it becomes our truth.”

She shares about falling out of agreement with the lie of perfection. She suggests we write in a journal about the strongholds we might have and what we believe about ourselves in order to create a new “momtastic” belief system. By applying God’s truth and what He would say about you, she encourages moms to stop bad thinking and end the Enemy’s attempts to warp our identity.

What we chat about

Identifying the different types of strongholds

Why do moms face strongholds

The comparison game

Tearing down strongholds

How strongholds can affect our children

Applying the different seasons of motherhood and staying content

Connect with Andi

Website: http://andiandrew.com/

Instagram: @andiandrew

Hashtag: #sheisfreenyc #fakeorfollower

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andiandrew.page

Podcast: Coffee with Andi

BONUS :: Thriving as a Mompreneur :: Judy Weber Sep 23, 2020

Judy Weber a Mom and entrepreneur shares about what it takes to thrive as a mompreneur. Having the right mindset and commitment for motherhood and business is crucial. There’s a reason why entrepreneurs thrive in business and it is because of their drive, unwillingness to quit and stick-to-it-ness.

“So many women say they want a business but that’s not the same as being committed to having a business.”

Judy also shares about the importance of time blocking. Blocking a specific time for a specific task helps productivity and lessens the overwhelming feelings that often come. Women are natural multi-taskers, yet there are challenges to juggling multiple tasks and avoiding burn out.

She encourages moms to give themselves some grace and provides practical advice in doing just that.

“Do not think you’re going to set the world on fire and have a business in three months time”

What we chat about

Being a mom and running a business
Meaning of time blocking
The danger of figuring out on your own
Building relationships and connections
Thriving in your business

Connect with Judy

Website: https://judy-weber.com/about

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/judyweberlive/

Hashtag: #blessedtothrive #sheisextraordinary

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/blessedtothrivecommunity

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judymayweber/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN4VaQJ9Na1IC5hHG8ikCag

Working Mom :: Chris Luppo [EP16] Sep 21, 2020

There is an immense amount of pressure placed on moms to nurture and care for their family. In addition to the responsibilities of a full-time job, it's easy to see why being a mom is called the hardest job on earth.

My friend Chris Luppo, a single mom, shares about her life as a working mom. She shares about the difficulty she had balancing daily tasks with the demands of being involved in her daughter’s life. Her situation is played out each day by many moms, yet I love Chris’ heart and faith in God and her sincere desire to model Christ for her daughter and now her granddaughter.

“I had to teach my child to believe God for things. I never wanted to tell her that we couldn’t afford this. We have to believe God for this. And we saw so many miracles that year.”

Being a working mom didn’t stop Chris from teaching her daughter about learning scriptures. She prayed Daniel 1:20 over her every night that she would be ten times smarter and better than everyone else around her. She encourages moms to never regret and look back, but to embrace every season they are in.

What we chat about

Being a working single mom
Balancing faith and motherhood
Believing God for the impossible
The Daniel prayer
The value of a Christian school
Teaching her child scripture

How To Parent Children Who Come From Hard Places :: Stephanie Fast [EP15] Sep 14, 2020

In this podcast, Stephanie Fast shares her personal story of her upbringing and how her upbringing prepared her for to parent children from hard places. An orphan, abandoned, tortured, outcasted and raped as a young child, Stephanie overcame rampant discrimination. Although her tortures left a toll on her body and she didn’t feel like there was hope for tomorrow, she tells her story of redemption by God’s mercy.

Stephanie shares about how the society and culture in South Korea looked at bi-racial children, like herself, as though they were “not human,” and “beneath” others. This view is not unlike how some people in this country have been looked at.

“Looking back again, all the abuses I received living on the street, really wasn’t because of how cruel they were. I just think they were dealing with their own pain, they were still trying to build the country back up and I was just a reminder of the horrors of the country went through”.

From her experience, Stephanie shares that when a child feels rejected, they may tend to reject others. A lot of times, this phenomenon is seen in children who are adopted or come from hard places. But, in reality, these children are dealing with emotions of the past, and not accepting who they’re created to be.

“You are the hardest with the people whom you feel most secure with”

Don’t be quick to assess your child. Oftentimes, we act too quickly due to what the professionals say yet not by what the spirit says. It’s important to be spirit-led and to ask God to show us our children’s hard places to coach them through their struggles.

Even if your story doesn’t resonate with Stephanie’s, I encourage you to listen because she clearly explains the love of Jesus.

What we chat about

Children from trauma

Overcoming challenges of parenting children from hard places

Children’s brokenness

Creating a safe environment

Identity

Mirror therapy

Teaching the children to be confident

Connect with Stephanie:

WEBSITE: Stephanie Fast

FACEBOOK: Stephanie Fast

TWITTER: @StephanieFast

INSTAGRAM: @stephanieannefast

LINKED IN: Stephanie Fast

YOUTUBE: Stephanie Fast

Being a Purposeful Mom :: Rachel-Ruth Wright [EP14] Sep 07, 2020

Rachel-Ruth shares about the meaning of being a purposeful mom; walking with the Lord daily and being intentional. She talks about the importance of teaching children to truly love Jesus and not just be a church goer.

“When my girls see me loving Jesus everyday, they know its real. And so it has to start with your own personal relationship with Jesus.”

She shares about modeling the right behavior to our children, loving Jesus and allowing to flow out naturally. What makes it hard for mothers is this burden of perfection, navigating being purposeful and being perceived as perfect. To combat the pitfalls, we need to spend time with the Lord to keep us on the right path. Start off in scripture, and in prayer. Sometimes it’s easy for the enemy to attack us. And Christian fellowship is important. Hang out with like-minded mothers.

“There’s little nuggets in Proverbs 31 women in all of us. Every mom knows what it means to stay up late, wake up early, make lunch… we’re always trying to do our best and we know what we can do.”

What we chat about

Being an intentional mom

Spending time with the Lord

Being real as a mom

Proverbs 31 woman

Legacy from Anne Graham Lotz and Billy Graham

Connect with Rachel-Ruth:

TWITTER: @Rachel_RuthW

INSTAGRAM: @rachel_ruthlw

Building Lasting Faith in Your Children :: Glenna Salsburry [EP13] Aug 31, 2020

Glenna shares about the importance of cultivating a lasting faith in your children. A mother’s role is critical in planting the seeds that will make the difference in their children’s futures. Drawing a distinction between seeds of faith and seeds of values, Glenna emphasized how mothers are models and how they help children with their development.

“I go back to the word modeling… my children knew there was a Source for our blessings.”

She shares that it starts from the moment children can have the most simple conversation and modeling prayer is essential to planting seeds. Spending alone time with each of her children is also crucial. It helps build up their faith and values and it is incredible to witness what children can come up with when encouraged to do so.

“Difficulties are part of life. If you have challenges and difficulties without faith, there’s no place to go.”

Look for the good things that happen in life. A positive mindset makes a huge difference in a child’s life. Glenna shares her formula for building faith in her children which starts with being a good listener so that children feel it is easy to talk with their mom.

“God is in charge of every footsteps you take.”

What we chat about

Planting the seeds of faith

Questions to ask children to build confidence

Praying with her children

Building confidence in children

Understanding children

Making dreams alive

Formula to bring dreams to reality

Connect with Glenna

BONUS :: Missionary Mama :: Myranda Morales Aug 26, 2020

Myranda shares about being a missionary mom and her experience in Zambia where she and her husband served as street missionaries. She shares about coming back in the US and the culture shock she has experienced. However, she attributes her family’s experience in Zambia as being the catalyst for her children seeing beyond their present circumstances to appreciate what is really important.

“We have always been really open about how beautiful different cultures are and why we would like to be apart and learn from that.”

In Zambia, Myranda and her family were always surrounded by great needs, life changing experiences. This forced them to adapt and be flexible. She juxtaposed this to the US where everything is pretty sanitized. She appreciates the fact that her children got to go to school with all different walks of life, were able to see people for who they were and got to understand what it means to be in a community.

“We didn’t feel like it was very fair to force them to be missionary children. That’s not what they wanted to do. And when we made that decision, they became comfortable again.”

She shares about teaching her children about who they are in God’s eyes. Coming back into the US, she’s seen the fruit in her children. She encourages moms to allow their children to experience different cultures and make it teachable talking points. She shares about exposing children to different experiences like museum, African dance, Chinese drama and etc. and the life-altering impact it will have on children.

What we chat about

Experience in Zambia vs the US

Culture shock

Shifting perspective

Being raised as an ex-pat

Exposing children to different cultures

Valuing friendships

Connect with Myranda

Instagram: @thirdculturecraftco

Facebook: Myranda Morales

Cultivating Different Cultures :: Vivian Mabuni [EP12] Aug 24, 2020

In this episode, we’re going to be talking about Cultivating Different Cultures with Vivian Malbuni. Vivian was raised in a majority white culture. And during that time she tried to fit in and push down the Asian part of her. But she realized later that it was not an accident that God created her the way she was. Now Vivian has learned to celebrate her culture with her children.

Vivian shares about being intentional as a mom to share the Western and Eastern culture to her children. She shared about the difference between the Western and Eastern culture.

“I believe strongly that representation matters where there's a more holistic picture”.

She shares that it was important for her kids to know who they are, to create strength in knowing the difference and to carry their heritage as a badge of honor. Some examples of sharing the different culture experiences are experimenting with different foods, utensils, and seeing different part of the world.

“Part of being a mom is also helping our kids to celebrate their heritage.”

We must never have a mindset that our way of life is the only and the right way. And we need to be intentional about setting the example that cultural awareness is important and in turn, help our children explore different ethnicities.

What we chat about:

Challenges being raised in a predominantly white neighborhood

Ways to embrace different cultures

Help kids to cultivate their God given talent

Exposing kids to the bigger world around us

The influence of faith & culture

Individualistic vs collective

Her book, “Open Hands, Willing Heart”

Connect with Vivian:

WEBSITE: Vivian Mabuni

INSTAGRAM: @vivmabuni

TWITTER: @vivmabuni

The Value of Homeschooling :: Viviana Fusaro-Ramos [EP11] Aug 17, 2020

Homeschooling is an opportunity to take ownership of your child’s education while living out your faith. Viviana shares that every parent is a home educator and that homeschooling is simply a vehicle where parents have the freedom to select subjects that they want their children to learn.

“God has engineered my circumstances as He has many times to show us the way that we should go. I’d say homeschooling fell on my lap.”

Viviana encourages parents to create a plan for the school at home by setting goals and a vision for the year. Education should not be confined to a building. There are so many creative ways to homeschool. Creativity is crucial yet avoiding technology as much as possible especially with younger children is essential. Replacing technology intentionally with art, play and outdoor activities further enhances your child’s learning experience.

Viviana shares that reading aloud and focusing on play is essential for younger children while the academic rigors of school should wait until age of 6. She encourages parents to take it one year at a time and be flexible. Although things may change and kids may get sick, always listen to the Holy Spirit and be flexible because at the end of the day it’s the heart that matters.

“No discipline seems good at the moment.”

What we chat about:

Setting goals and vision

Why homeschool

Things to do when starting to homeschool

Difference between homeschool, private school vs public school

Homeschooling children between the ages of 2-5

Practicing routines and habits

Organizing your day with your children

5 Mistakes that parents should learn from

Resources and support

Connect with Viviana

Strength in Identity :: Missy Robertson [EP10] Aug 10, 2020

With parenting comes a lot of responsibility. It is never easy. There are so many things that we need to teach our children. Today we’re talking about Strength in Identity with Missy Robertson.

Missy shares about how to start instilling the things that matter most to our children - eternity with Christ. We’re royalty! We are princes and princesses of a Holy God because of what He did for us. We need to understand it’s not what we can do, but it’s about what He did in us.

"The number one thing to be able to give your children their own identity is to be authentic around them.”

There are so many people who are comfortable in their own skin but there are also those who are fake. But kids know and they watch how we as parents interact with people. And they can easily spot a fake. If they observe this in us, it will only lead them to question themselves, like if they’ve done something wrong or even doubt who they are. A parent can right their inauthenticity by simply apologizing for when we’re wrong and start modeling authentic behavior.

"The identity comes from understanding that you are nothing but God is everything.”

Missy also emphasizes that shaping your children’s faith is not isolated to them. In fact, she shares that she often talks about her faith with her children’s friends so that there’s no confusion with what she expects of her children’s friends and their behavior. Her main message is that it’s because of Jesus and what He did, we’re given this platform with our children and their friends to share and reinforce their identity.

“Joy is very different from happiness. And you can find joy in everything especially if you walk in God’s will and His path.”

What we chat about:

Identity as a mom

Teaching children about having strength in identity

Being authentic

Embracing the personalities of each child

Addressing situation of identity amongst the friends of their children

Building relationships

Learning to enjoy the process

Stand Up : Radical Prayer For Your Children :: Maria Durso [EP9] Aug 03, 2020

God’s word is living and active. The Bible says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.” And my guest, Maria Durso, encourages us to pray radical prayers for our children. Sometimes, we’re blinded as parents. When we raise our children at church we may not necessary see certain issues, but truthfully our children are “little sinners” who also are not saved yet.

“I believe we haven’t been taught how to radically stand up and pray for our children”

There is so much encouragement in this episode for standing on the truth of God’s word and praying honestly and boldly to help shape our children, teens and adult children. Maria shares about the difference between her nice mom prayers versus her going to war for her children and how God revealed to her what was going on behind the scenes with her children.

"Pray honest prayers, don’t just pray they are good boy prayers. Pray exactly what needs to be prayed”

She emphasized how the enemy doesn’t want the next generation to serve the Lord, and thus, how it should encourage us to more urgently seek God’s wisdom on how to pray.

“Start to talk to our children not what they are now but what they are to be.”

What we chat about:

Nice mom prayers

Going to war and making radical prayer for our children

How to make radical prayers

Story of Hannah and Peninnah

Strongholds

Fasting - a life for a life

Baptism of faith

Her book “From Your Head to Your Heart”

Connect with Maria

WEBSITE: Maria Durso

INSTAGRAM: @mariadurso

FACEBOOK: Maria Durso

BONUS :: Training Toddlers :: Valerie Elliot Shepard Jul 29, 2020

Today we’re talking about training toddlers in God’s way with Valerie Shepard. We all want well behaved kids… and for that to happen training needs to begin at a young age.

Valerie was the only daughter of missionary parents, Elisabeth and Jim Elliot. Her parents were missionaries to the Quichua Indians of the Amazon jungle. Valerie attended and graduated from Wheaton College in 1976 with a BA in English Literature. She has been married to her husband 42 years and has devoted her time being a pastor’s wife, raising 8 children, homeschooling, and teaching Bible studies. Her husband and she have 8 grandchildren and their adult children now live from CA to the UK.

Valerie shares her simple approach to training up toddlers — speaking in low tones, implementing quiet times for them, and praying with husbands.

“It is so important to be consistently firm to help the child understand that you are their authority.”

What we chat about:

Why it’s important to be consistent

The importance of quiet time

How can you implement quiet time

The importance of praying with your husband

I Can't Believe You Just Said That :: Ginger Hubbard [EP8] Jul 27, 2020

When a child disobeys, our natural reaction is typically to discipline them with consequences. It’s probably how we were raised and seems like the best way to parent. We raise our voices, threaten and/or coerce, but still find ourselves frustrated? But what if we took a different approach.

My guest Ginger Hubbard has some hope-filled news for us. In her new book, I Can’t Believe You Just Said That, she provides a three-step plan to reach beyond the behaviors of tongue-related struggles such as lying, tattling and whining. We can look at our child’s behavior and identify a heart attitude that needs training. We can try to reach the heart and figure out what’s going on in the heart by asking heart probing questions. What if we can help them evaluate not just how they are acting, but what is going on in the heart that is motivating them to disobey.

“It’s never enough to just verbally instruct our kid in what not to do, we always need to instruct them in what to do”.

Ginger Hubbard shares many different examples of heart issues from her new book, I can’t Believe You Just said That. For example, Ginger shares that whining has become an epidemic and that so many kids whine as a means of communicating.

“What we don’t want to do is just administer consequences that’s not effective, that’s not teaching them to replace what is wrong to be right… and that’s not training them in righteousness”.

What we chat about:

How to handle issues like whining, disobedience and lying

How to reach a child’s heart

Why is it important to ask heart probing questions

How can we set aside ineffective practices such as scolding and administering punishment

CONNECT WITH GINGER

WEBSITE: Ginger Hubbard

INSTAGRAM: @gingerhubbard

FACEBOOK: Ginger Hubbard

BOOK MENTIONED

I Can't Believe You Just Said That

Don't Make Me Count to Three

How Your Marriage Affects Your Children :: Noline Wakefield [EP7] Jul 20, 2020

Five times in the Bible God talks about taking two people and making them one flesh. In this week’s podcast, Noline Wakefield shares about How Your Marriage Affects Your Children.

Noline has been married to the love of her life, Neil, for 47 years. Together they have 3 children and 17 grandchildren. They have travelled the United States putting on marriage seminars as well as building up leaders. Currently, they pastor at Crossroads Church in France.

In Malachi 2, God reveals His heart for families,“But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth.”

"That’s what God intended in marriage, because He wanted us to become one, husband and wife, because he was seeking Godly offspring… When you concentrate on your one flesh relationship, its like your kids see a stability there.”

Unity starts with a husband and wife walking humbly with each other, and in turn, investing liberally in building up their relationship.

Noline challenges couples that, “even if you feel like you’ve married the wrong person, God can still take you and make you one flesh and give you a good marriage if you allow him the opportunity to do so… We may have done the choosing but God does the joining. No marriage is impossible, don’t give up on your marriage.” Because we have a choice, we can choose to trust God to build, restore and prioritize our marriages in order to see the fruit in our children.

What we chat about:

The importance of unity in a marriage

The importance of focusing on your spouse

Why marriage before children

The role of a mother and father

Praying for your spouse and children

Connect with Noline

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/noliner

Finding Hope in Despair :: Kariss Farris [EP6] Jul 13, 2020

Losing a baby to a miscarriage or late in the pregnancy is heartbreaking. Imagine experiencing that this type of loss multiple times. In this podcast episode, Kariss shares about her trust in God’s perfect plan for her life despite experiencing three miscarriages. God’s grace is evident in her story.

Kariss Fariss is energetic, honest, and a fun-loving “girl-next-door.” As the eldest grandchild of Dr. Tony and Lois Evans, Kariss has been surrounded by the word of God her entire life.

“I know that if this is not the time for me to be having a baby, and that God has something better in store….”

All three of her miscarriages were devastating, but different. During one of her pregnancies, she went through an extreme anxiety feeling like she was going to die at childbirth. However, God brought her through it and taught her what she needed to learn from it.

“I just had extreme anxiety and I’m usually not a person with anxiety… but for some reason I just had the feeling that I was going to die at childbirth.”

Although Kariss didn’t go through an emotional loss due to her miscarriages, she did go through a period where she did not want to get pregnant, just wanted to bank on her own plans and thought the doors were closed on future pregnancies. But of course, God had different plans. Kariss had two children and is expecting a third rainbow child. This is what God had wanted for her and her family to go through before experiencing the fruitfulness of His promises.

What we chat about:

Praying through your pregnancy and proclaiming God’s promises over her life

Look for what is trying to do and focus more on His plans

To be attached to Christ for all things

Connect with Kariss:

WEBSITE: http://www.karissfarris.com/

INSTAGRAM: @karissfarris

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/karissfarris/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/karissfarris

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjVLDhlwJh8cIQtaIb8fRhQ

Books Mentioned:

Supernatural Childbirth

Praying Through Your Pregnancy

Praying for Your Unborn Child (Not Mentioned but Recommended)

Why Moms Need Each Other :: Sarah Kurtenbach [EP5] Jul 06, 2020

Keeping up with friends when you become a mom and building new friendships with mom friends are vitally important. Friendships are worth investing in and they are a key part of what helps moms walk this journey successfully.

Sarah Kurtenbach the founder of an online ministry for millennial women called moveHER, which emphasizes building up female leaders in faith. She is married to the love of her life and they have a 20-month old son. Sarah shares honestly what worked for her, what didn’t and why it’s so important to have friendships as a mom.

“I believe and feel women are in need of two core things. Number one, we are in desperate need of more Jesus in our life. And the second thing is we are desperate for other women. Like we need each other to survive life.”

Sarah talks candidly about using words to affirm other moms and how much affirmations can bring life to each other. Words are powerful! When used rightfully words can change perspectives, correct wrong actions and build new character. So, moms be quick to listen, but even quicker to encourage.

“Be really emphatic to each other. Sometimes when you're out of the season, it may be hard to relate to the person in the season that’s behind you but we can't let that happen… we have to remember those seasons so we can help others”

What we chat about:

Build each other up

Affirming other moms

Be there for other moms and help support them

Things that could ruin a friendship

CONNECT WITH SARAH

WEBSITE: moveher.co

INSTAGRAM: @sarahkurtenbach

HASHTAG: #moveHER

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/sakurtenbach

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahkurtenbach/

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYGcmVXV6KXZlurf8Bqe4yg