Gems of Motherhood

Latest Episodes:

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Other links:

HotMess Moms: https://www.facebook.com/hmmoms/

Raising Kingdom Children :: Kahanah Swift [EP4] Jun 29, 2020

Show notes

Ever think to yourself how do I raise my children in a Godly manner? It’s such an important part of parenting.

In this podcast episode, my guests Kahanah Swift has some great gem nuggets on being intentional when parenting children

“Kingdom parenting is defined as intentionally parenting our kids with the values and the heart of our radical Jesus. As we parent our kids with kingdom values it might look different from the parents that are around us.”

One key thing is to be attach to the vine. She shares her heart’s desire for her children to discern and have a relationship with Jesus and to have a broken heart for the lost. The aim is to raise godly children to become men and women of integrity.

“Like John 15, we need to be attached to the vine to carry out our work. Am I growing personally? Am I getting refresh? Am I getting renewed? And parenting is a great way to refine your Christianity. It pushes us to the brink, it tests us, it puts her through the fire with no sleep. It really is one of the best way to bring the worst in yourselves in order to be transform more into Christlikeness.”

Half the battle in parenting is realizing that we’ve been appointed and anointed to raise our children. We need to have a flexible mindset and listen to the Holy Spirit. When that happens, our process is made so much easier.

What we chat about:

Intentional parenting

Being attached to the vine

4 models of parenting that helped her family

Parenting inside the funnel

Leaning into the Holy Spirit when we need to make a decision in parenting

Connect with Kahanah:

WEBSITE:https://www.fathershouseoc.org

INSTAGRAM: @swiftmama

Becoming Your Best Self in Body, Mind and Spirit :: Wendie Pett [EP3] Jun 22, 2020

Show notes

Wendie Pett is a nationally recognized fitness expert. She’s passionate about motivating and encouraging people to make fitness and nutrition as part of their daily routine. She stresses on the importance of caring for the mind, body and spirit while reaching their full God-given potential through her Visibly Fit™ program.

In this episode, Wendie walks us through incorporating wellness into our daily routine. She encourages us to shift our mindset to become our Best Self in Body Mind and Spirit. She shares great ways to help us and our families stay the course.

"We have to stop making excuses. When we start to dabble and have one bite of ice cream, it can take you down an unhealthy spiral you don’t want to go.”

Wendie shares her insight as to how moderation kills momentum and helps us self sabotage our own bodies. We need to understand what our cravings mean, that our bodies are fueled by proper vitamins and nutrients and that a different mindset is necessary for success.

"Children are always watching us. We are models. The more you show up for yourself, the more she’ll show up for herself as she gets older and will take good care of herself.”

Thus, give yourself permission to take care of yourself.

Connect with Wendie:

WEBSITE: https://www.wendiepett.com/

INSTAGRAM: @wendiepett

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/WendiePett

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

PRESS: https://www.wendiepett.com/press/

PROMO:

Free Detox Green Drink Recipe

Free 7 Day Workout and Meal Plan (look for pop up window)

Leaving a Legacy :: Thelma Wells [EP2] Jun 15, 2020

Show notes

Most parents would agree that leaving a legacy for their children is important. But many stumble along life trying to figure how to do.

Women of Faith speaker Thelma Wells aka Mama T shares about leaving a legacy. Mama T is no stranger to the stage, having presented to over a million people in her career and speaking along side Zig Ziglar, Max Lucado, the late Rosa Parks, Kay Arthur, June Hunt, Serita Jakes and of course, her Women of Faith porch pals.

"Teaching them to love, I know sometimes it’s hard to love. But look at yourself, do you want to be love and how do you want to be really love?"

Mama T shares her wisdom about leaving a legacy, which she learned from her great grandmother, great grandfather and grandfather, with us. Her great-grandmother, great grandfather and grandfather were used by God mightily to set the tone for the rest of her life. They taught her the fear of God, to speak the truth, to be kind and to be gentle. Creating a vast appreciation for God’s love, she started praying for her own children when they were in her belly that they would be knowledgable about Jesus, to accept Him. And each of them have accepted Him and that’s the greatest legacy.

Mama T’s own spiritual journey, however, led her to experience and learn the worth of forgiveness. A crash course on forgiveness played a crucial role in her life and left no room for her carrying around grudges which had unknowingly shackled her. Her children saw God’s grace working in their mother’s life, and realized in her conduct, how you don’t have to carry the hatchet; you can bury it.

This is an episode you don’t want to miss.

Meet Mama T

Known as "Mama T," Thelma Wells is a feisty 75 year old who has been featured in D Magazine, Southern Living, The Dallas Business Journal, The Dallas Morning News, Significant Living and many more publications and TV shows including Dr. Phil, The Joanie Show, Life Today and the 700 Club.

Traveling to 20+ conferences a year as a speaker, she's sought after by corporations, women’s groups and governmental entities. In 2016, she spoke for Women of Faith on the Final “LOVED” tour -- traveling to 22 cities and reaching a half a million women. Her passion is to tell everyone that they can “BEE” their best in Christ. A mission she’s carried out for 40 years.

Connect with Mama T

WEBSITE: https://www.thelmawells.com/

INSTAGRAM: @thelma.wells

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/ThelmaWells

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ThelmaWells.AWomanofGodMinistries/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/thelmaw