The Home and Hearth Podcast

220: Rethinking the Church's Approach to the LGBTQIA+ Community with Jen Crowder Jun 29, 2024

Jen Crowder is a wife, mom of 4, physical therapist, and founder of the ministry She is Emboldened. She has a heart for both the body of Christ and the lost. To that end, she comes on the show today with the desire to encourage and equip believers to truly be the hands and feet of Christ towards the LGBTQIA+ community.

What We Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~What has led to Jen’s passion for today’s topic

~Understanding that our mishandling of how we talk about and interact with the LGBTQUIA+ community is less about that community itself and more about how we tend to approach nonbelievers in general; the difference between how we address a fellow believer in Christ who is participating in that lifestyle and how we should address an unbeliever who is

~The truth that the most effective way to minister to that community is not to shout at them about their sin and that the Lord does not identify them by their sin

~Believing and presenting the fact that God’s design for us is good

~Cultivating in Christians a love for those in the LGBTQIA+ community and love for the lost in general; understanding that we must come from a starting point of loving others and God’s love for them as we present first the gospel and them go from there

~Following the example of the early church in the midst of the sinful Roman Empire

~What it looks like practically to still uphold the historical, biblical sexual ethic while also loving and respecting people in the LGBTQIA+ community

~The problems of pride and a lack of proximity and how both negatively affect the Church’s witness in this area

~Stewarding the good gift of the gospel well

~The importance of relationship when it comes to discipleship

~What Jen learned from a conversation she had with someone in the LGBTQIA+ community

~Resources Jen recommends for further study on this topic

~The importance of getting out of our little Christian bubbles and out into the world, loving others well as the hands and feet of Christ

~Studying and following how Jesus interacted with unbelievers; understanding the reality that if Jesus treated unbelievers the same way as many professing believers do today, that the Pharisees never would have gotten angry with Him in the first place

~The importance of what ambassadors actually do

~And more!

For full podcast show notes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

From the Archives: 194: How to Raise Your Littles in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord with Rebekah Hargraves (Solo Episode #41) Apr 11, 2024

On today’s re-release of a previous solo show, we are tackling the topic of how to raise your littles in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. My prayer is that you'll come away from this episode feeling equipped and encouraged, knowing that raising your littles in this way does not have to be complicated.

What I Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~Ephesians 6:4 and what is interesting about the word "nurture" coming before the word "admonition"

~The crucial foundation of nurture and why our training of our children in theology and right living must first come from a place of humility, tenderness, care, patience, gentleness, slowness, and nurture

~What we can learn from bamboo about the importance of having a strong foundation and why it is ok when our training takes a while

~The negative impact that raising children up legalistically, overly strictly, or in a domineering way can have on children

~How raising our children up in the tender nurture of the Lord gives them a more accurate picture of who their Heavenly Father is

~How failing to raise your children first in the nurture of the Lord can lead to your provoking them to wrath

~What raising our children up in the admonition of the Lord can look like practically on an everyday basis (as we're shown in Deuteronomy 6:6-7)

~Why the theological training of our children need not be complicated and instead can and should be simple - thereby showing them how applicable, relevant, and practical God's Word is to every aspect of our everyday lives

~The importance of refusing to overly shelter our children but to instead prepare them well for real life in age appropriate ways

~Why we want to raise our children not to be mere yes-men, but to instead be able to think for themselves, be critical thinkers, and interpret God's Word for themselves, applying it to every situation in life

~Equipping our children to have a faith of their own rather than piggy backing off ours, so that when we are one day not here, they will still be able to stand firm

~Practical books, media, practices, and other resources to aid you in your parenting and raising your children in the admonition of the Lord

~The power and importance of having lots of gospel conversations with your kids (and examples of some of the types of conversations we regularly have in our home)

~And more!

For full show notes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

219: Loving Samaritans like Jesus Does with Terry Crist Mar 29, 2024

Terry Crist is a husband, father, pastor, and the author of the new book, “Loving Samaritans: Radical Kindness in an Us vs. Them World“. He has a heart for inspiring people to follow Jesus and love others well, and that comes through really well in our conversation today.

What We Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~Terry’s new book, what led him to write it, and what readers can expect

~How a love for the church does not negate our passion to call the church up to be her best - that that is actually an important part of loving the church well

~Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman in John 4 and what we can glean from it

~How Jesus’ whimsical, loving, gracious interaction with the woman at the well enabled Him to touch on the tricky topics of sexuality, religion, politics, power, cultural identity, and more in a way that caused her to open up to Him in conversation; how this is a model for us for cultural engagement

~The folly of making assumptions about people as opposed to asking them questions and getting to know them and why they do what they do; getting to know them as individual persons as opposed to groups; the wrong decisions we make when we fail to do this

~Jesus’ model for us that all people are worthy of love and respect, time and attention, of being heard, and of hearing truth without insult

~Asking the question of who the samaritans are in our world and what we may have gotten wrong about them

~Divisiveness now being viewed as a virtue in our day; what our call is instead - to love people on both ends of the ideological spectrum

~Fear and the Pharisaical problem of a “fragile righteousness” and how it can lead to the dangerous desire of eradicating the “other”; understanding that our righteousness is not our own but rather the gift of Jesus’ own righteousness and will not be tarnished when we go into the world as He has called us to

~Asking “Where does the Spirit want me to go today?” as a way to model the way and ministry of Jesus; walking through your day with your heart and eyes wide open to where Jesus is already at work and joining Him there instead of thinking it’s all on us

~Going from religious, dogmatic strangers to compassionate, understanding neighbors and why this change is so important

~Being in it for the long game and understanding that people are worthy of love and affection even if they never come to Christ

~The importance of having both biblical orthodoxy (truth) and biblical orthopraxy (how we’re living out that truth)

~What Pastor Terry would say to those who are afraid that their children will become corrupted by the culture

~The power of the ministry of “withness”

~The problem with being a culture warrior and how it keeps us from from being kingdom ambassadors sent on a mission with a message of peace

~Daniel as a model for cultural engagement

~And more!

For full shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

From the Archive: 113: The Most Important Thing for Christians to Remember This Election Year with Rebekah Hargraves (Solo Episode 6) Mar 15, 2024

As we find ourselves in the middle of yet another election year, I felt it to be the right time to re-visit a podcast episode I first recorded and released 4 years ago during our last presidential election year. Today we will be addressing again the topic of the most important thing for Christians to remember this election year. I pray this episode will prove to be helpful and encouraging to you.

What I Chat about in Today's Episode:

~A post ("The Most Important Thing for Christians to Remember This Election Year") I wrote back in 2016 during the last presidential election

~What our name-calling, personal attacks, hand-wringing, and political anxiety reveal about our hearts and the true condition of our faith

~The emphasis we as believers are too often placing on debate over love; how this is very different from the call we are given in the Word

~A survey of Scripture to see what our ultimate call is and what the most important thing is for us to remember and live out this election year

~How our love for America is crowding out the most important thing - love for God and love for others

~The reality that our ultimate goal is not first and foremost to 'save America', but to fulfill the Great Commission; that our ultimate goal is not to make patriotic Americans, but to make disciples of Christ

~The way our lambasting our fellow believers in Christ over political differences is hindering our witness and our ability to live out the Great Commission

~It being love - and not being our political viewpoints- that proves we are Christ's disciples

~How Paul tells us that truth without love is worthless

~The sobering, convicting words spoken by Christ to the church at Ephesus in the book of Revelation and what His message to them says to us today

~How grace and truth, mercy and truth, love and truth, are always paired together in the Scriptures when describing the character of God - it is never one without the other - and neither should it be with us

~The importance of being slow to speak and quick to listen, seeking to understand where the other person is coming from

~The impossibility of our wrath, anger, and hatred ever producing the righteousness of Christ in the lives of others

~The politicide going around today emulated by a Twitter thread hoping for destruction to come to Trump voters; the importance of asking ourselves as conservative Christians if we are guilty of the same thing towards Biden voters

~And more!

Head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast for full shownotes.

218: Even if He Doesn't with Kristen LaValley Feb 29, 2024

Kristen Lavalley is a wife, mom of 5, writer, and author of the brand new book, Even if He Doesn't: What We Believe about God When Life Doesn't Make Sense. She is passionate about helping people who have been harmed by the church or walked through pain that has left them reeling and with theological questions. Our prayer is that you will come away from this episode feeling seen, understood, loved, and helped in whatever you may be walking through.

What We Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~Kristen’s new book, what led her to write it, and what readers can expect

~The importance of engaging honestly with your pain and your beliefs and how doing so can actually save your faith - as it did Kristen’s

~Understanding that questions and doubts can actually be invitations to know God better, not automatically a scary thing that will result in you losing your faith

~The concept of the slippery slope and why it should be our aim to help those who find themselves there

~Kristen’s own experience in being able to see the goodness of God in some of life’s hardest moments

~The importance of being teachable and allowing God to re-define your beliefs and viewpoints according to what actually is true about Him

~The importance of practicing the presence of God and how impactful this is in the hardest of times

~Defining God’s goodness as He defines it, and not according to how we think goodness looks or is defined

~Coming to the place of being able to learn what God is really like, not just how we want Him to be

~Understanding that it is a mercy when God allows our hard circumstances to refine how we view Him and enable us to get to know Him better

~The problem with having a transactional view of God

~Faith over formula

~Realizing that it is a theological red flag when you are constantly being surprised by the goodness of God to you

~Understanding God’s Word emphasizes His love - not His wrath!- for His kids; the importance of knowing that it is His *kindness* that leads to our repentance

~The truth that there is comfort at the feet of Jesus, even if there aren’t always answers

~How to love and serve well those who are suffering

~Knowing that you are safe in the love of God

~And more!

For full show notes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

207: "What is Love?" with Rebekah Hargraves (Solo Episode #46) Feb 16, 2024

During this Valentines week of love, we are journeying back to the podcast archives and addressing the topic of love, the importance Scripture places on it, and how God's Word defines it. I hope you will walk away from this chat feeling well equipped to better understand and live out love in a culture and time that is very confused.

What I Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~The topic of love, and why it is such an important topic for believers, especially, to grasp

~The importance of understanding the Bible's definition of love

~The extremes that are on both sides of the spectrum and seen in the church and culture at large: 1) the idea that as long as you speak truth, you are ok and it doesn't matter how you present it because that is the most loving thing you can do and 2) the idea that love means you approve of and accept everything anyone does; why these are both wrong and unbiblical

~The primary call of a Christian - to love; why it is important to understand this and how we are falling down on our job

~Love as the supreme thing

~Paul's definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13

~How Paul's clear definition of love makes it clear that your presentation DOES matter, your motive DOES matter, and just "speaking truth" is not enough

~How Paul's clear definition of love makes it clear that loving someone does not mean you approve of and accept everything they do

~Paul's emphasis in Ephesians 4 on speaking the truth in *love*

~The importance of others being able to tangibly feel our love for them - even if and when we disagree

~A deep dive into Ephesians 4, 1 John 3, 1 John 4, John 13, and 1 Corinthians 13

~Love and boundaries

~The sobering reality that if we do not love others, the love of God is not in us, either

~Our call to love everyone, with no exceptions

~And more!

217: Raising Our Kids with a Biblical Worldview with Elizabeth Urbanowicz Feb 09, 2024

Elizabeth Urbanowicz is the founder of Foundation Worldview, where her passion is on display for creating resources to equip parents to be able to help their kids carefully evaluate all the ideas that are regularly coming at them so that they can understand and enjoy the goodness and beauty of biblical truth. Our prayer is that you would come away from this episode inspired and equipped to raise your kids in a biblical worldview and with love for others.

What We Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~How Elizabeth first put this passion to work with the children she was teaching at her school

~The importance of equipping our kids to be critical thinkers and to be able to evaluate, on their own, what they are hearing on a daily basis

~The importance of not underestimating just how much our children truly can understand, even at young ages; what to do and how to start equipping your children on these worldview topics

~How Foundation Worldview came about

~How the resources are set up and how parents can implement them at home either as a part of their homeschool or in a supplemental way to their child’s education elsewhere

~Equipping our kids to know whether someone is sharing something that is objectively true vs. something that is just their own personal preferences or feelings

~Equipping and inspiring our kids to have time in the Word on their own (and to want to, as opposed to it just being a box to check!); the importance of teaching our kids the importance of context in Scripture

~How to raise your kids with a strong, biblical worldview in a crazy time like this without losing hope or feeling overwhelmed

~Understanding what full discipleship actually is

~The importance of prioritizing your relationship with your children; the impact that this has on their worldview

~The importance of knowing how your children give and receive love and how knowing that impacts our ability to grow in relationship with our kids

~Addressing our kids’ presentation of truth and raising them with the importance of speaking the truth in *love*

~Training our kids in the importance of listening well and asking good questions

~Clarifying our purpose, priorities, and goals in each season of parenting

~And more!

Head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

RE-RELEASE- 089: Bible Study 101 with Rebekah Hargraves (Solo Podcast 2) Feb 02, 2024

Rebekah Hargraves is the host of the Home and Hearth Podcast and on today's solo show she is covering the topic of "Bible Study 101". Though this is a re-release of an episode originally recorded three years ago, it seems timely again as we are feeling fearful in these times and needing to grow in our knowledge of the Bible and our ability to study it. May you come away from this episode feeling encouraged and equipped in your ability to study, understand, and interpret the Bible for yourself.

What She Chats about in Today's Episode:

~*How* to study the Bible, and then moving on into *when* to study the Bible (help for the busy woman who finds it hard to make time for the Word)

~5 Bible Study tips for beginners:

*Pick a user-friendly Bible translation

*Choose a Reading Plan for where to begin (see my Bible Reading Plan article below, however, for some necessary caveats to this!)

*Find a good Bible study or Bible study method

*Learn to reflect on what you are reading

*Take advantage of the many free study resources at your disposal

~Different Bible translations, and what the differences are between word-for-word translations and thought-for-thought (or dynamic equivalent) translations

~The Bible translation I personally would recommend that is an "optimal equivalence" translation

~What the Holy Spirit has clearly called me, personally, to do in my personal Bible study time

~Free online resources and websites for Bible study

~Great books of the Bible to begin with if you are a new believer

~Bible study methods:

*SOAP method Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer

*Inductive Bible Study Method

~Great guided Bible study book recommendations

~Practical tips for how to be in the Word as a busy woman

~Meeting with God all throughout the day in relationship with Him, as opposed to relegating time with Him to a business meeting in the morning

~And more!

For full shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

216: Living Free and Fully Alive with Karrie Garcia Jan 24, 2024

Karrie Garcia is a wife, mom of 3, runs the organization Freedom Movement and is author of “Free and Fully Alive: Reclaiming the Story of Who You Were Created to Be". Her passion is to equip people to heal in their story and begin to step into their God-given calling by helping them be trauma-informed, Biblically-sound, and Spirit-filled.

What We Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~Karrie’s new book, "Free and Fully Alive: Reclaiming the Story of Who You Were Created to Be", what led her to write it, and what readers can expect

~The difference between what we humanly think of as freedom and what Biblical freedom actually is

~The power of God’s presence in the midst of our pain

~The importance of going beyond just knowing right doctrine into actually knowing the heart of Jesus

~The importance and power of vulnerability

~The difference between “doing for” God and “being with” God

~Remembering that when we hide, God comes looking

~The importance of knowing and understanding who God created you to be

~The importance of rest and reflection

~Understanding that thriving comes from first acknowledging our pain before the Lord and inviting Him into it and believing that He can bring good from it

~Understanding that we cannot by-pass our pain, because our calling and purpose are able to be formed out of that pain

~Worldly grief vs. godly, biblical grief

~Realizing that repentance is actually our best friend

~The power of getting curious

~And more!

Head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast for full shownotes!

From the Archive: 127: New Year's Resolutions and the Gospel with Rebekah Hargraves (Solo Episode 13) Jan 10, 2024

On this week’s solo podcast episode, I am re-releasing an episode where I took to the show to talk all about New Year’s resolutions, goals, walking by the Spirit, and holding fast to the gospel in the midst of it all.

What I Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~Why so many of our resolutions “fail” and why wrong theology is shooting us in the foot here

~The impact of the gospel on our guilt surrounding “failing” in our resolutions and goals

~The important first steps to take when drafting up your resolutions and goals for the year

~The importance of walking by the Spirit in the everyday moments of our lives, not even just in the big-picture times of planning for a whole year

~Our identity and why it does not come from what we accomplish

~Willingly changing course when God calls us to

~The importance of redeeming the time well – regardless of whether or not we have already “failed” in our resolutions

~Understanding that looking to yourself for the strength required to fulfill your resolutions is not enough

~And more!

For full shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

215: Exploring the Wonders of God's Creation with Hannah Anderson Dec 22, 2023

Hannah Anderson is a wife, mom, and author of several books, most recently a children’s book entitled “The World God Made”, based on Psalm 104. We hope you come away from this episode more in awe of God than before and feeling more equipped to share the wonders of God's creation and majesty with your children.

What We Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~Hannah’s new children’s book, The World God Made, what led her to write it, and what readers can expect

~The impact that the beauty of the natural world can have on us

~Inviting children out into the world to celebrate the world God made; acknowledging that that can sometimes be a scary thing to do with how wild nature is

~Hannah’s vision and hope for this book and how it can inspire wonder and curiosity about creation in children

~Advice for parents for how to cultivate in our kids a sense of wonder and curiosity about creation and God’s world

~The inherent wonder and enchantment of simple things; how being out in creation grows our imagination and sense of the wonder and majesty and bigness of our God

~Trusting the process rather than making the idea of cultivating in our children a love of nature and sense of wonder more complicated and overwhelming than it has to be

~Trusting our own wonder and how this can shape our children

~Stirring our imaginations to attune to what is around us and to be aware; the importance of slowing down and creating space to hear from God

~Attention as an important spiritual discipline

~Understanding that we can delight in and learn from nature in even the most urban of spaces; trusting God’s sovereignty of Him placing us in the space we live in

~The importance of sharing spaces and taking advantage of community spaces in nature

~Advice for parents who feel intimidated and don’t know how to take advantage of time in nature with their kids by engaging them in conversations about God

~Specific revelation vs. general revelation and why both are important

~How Hannah struck the balance in writing this book between creating a book that is engaging to young children while also keeping it faithful to the text of Psalm 104

~Psalm 104 as an invitation to wonder and celebration

~Specific passages from Psalm 104 that became especially meaningful to Hannah as she wrote this book

~The comforting truth that God has not left creation itself but is still actively working in it and healing it

~And more!

For full shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

214: The Politics of Advent with Rebekah Hargraves (Solo Episode #49) Dec 13, 2023

On today’s solo show, we are tackling the topic of Advent and, through a study of both Isaiah 9:6-7 as well as Mary's Magnificat in Luke 1, coming to understand the political nature of Advent. May this episode be enlightening and inspiring to you as we approach an election year and begin to prayerfully consider the way of the Kingdom in the political sphere.

What I Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~Isaiah 9:6-7 and Mary's Magnificat in Luke 1 and how they reveal the very political nature of Advent

~The political implications of Advent and the upside down Kingdom of God it ushered in

~Understanding that the ways of the kingdom are antithetical to the ways of this world; the implications of this for our involvement in the political sphere

~The importance of understanding that if our goal is to just uphold a particular political party, we are doing politics wrong as Christians

~Walking by the Spirit in the political sphere

~Advent's emphasis on peace, justice, caring for the poor, and bringing down those in power; how this emphasis should frame and inform our political stances

~The fact that the same Hebrew word is translated in the OT as both justice and righteousness; why this is important

~And more!

For full shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

213: Parenting in Hard Seasons with Caroline Saunders Dec 06, 2023

Caroline Saunders is a pastor’s wife, mom of 3, and author, most recently of the new children’s books, The Story of Home and The Story of Water. She has a passion to equip and encourage parents to know how to raise their children with the truths of God's Word even in hard seasons. We pray you come away from this episode deeply encouraged and inspired.

What We Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~Caroline’s two new children’s books, The Story of Water and The Story of Home, what led her to write them, and what readers can expect

~Caroline’s experience of now transitioning into writing children’s books

~How stories in Scripture surrounding the topic of water point to the truth of Jesus being Living Water

~How Scripture points to Jesus being our Home

~The power of understanding the metanarrative nature of Scripture

~Understanding that even kids can do Biblical theology and think deeply about Scriptural truth

~How Caroline’s books differ from other children’s books currently on the market; how she went about helping kids to grasp complex concepts in these two books

~The importance of not just stopping at Jesus with kids, but moving on to discussing the Holy Spirit and the early church

~How the water stories in the Bible point to God’s sovereignty

~Advice for parents who want to help their kids work through very challenging seasons but don’t know how or where to start

~The problem of denial hard times and how the Word acknowledges the existence of hard and bad things in life

~The lie that tells us as moms that we always have to be perfectly ok and have it all together all the time for our kids

~How we can help our kids understand more complex Bible topics; the importance of loving God’s Word ourselves as parents

~How to share with our kids about the love of God, especially in light of hard seasons in life

~The power of naming our sin to our children and helping our kids to understand how God deals with sin

~What Caroline hopes families take away from these books

~The power of being honest with the Lord about where we are

~What to do when you don’t want to spend time in the Word

~And more!

For full podcast shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

212: Giving Thanks in All Things with Rebekah Hargraves (Solo Episode #48) Nov 23, 2023

On today’s solo show, we are tackling the topic of giving thanks in all things - what it means, what it doesn't mean, and why it is actually what is best for you - no matter what you are going through. I hope you will come away from this episode feeling encouraged and inspired this Thanksgiving week.

What I Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~1 Thessalonians 5:18 and what it does and does not mean

~The common misconception we make of thinking we are being called to give thanks *for* all things, and why it is important to understand we are actually called to give thanks *in* all things - how this is different and why that difference matters

~Understanding that our ability to give thanks in all things comes down to our knowing and believing the character of God

~Inspiring quotes on the topic of giving thanks from people in church history

~My own experience of being able to give thanks in all things - even during my husband's deployment

~And more!

For full show notes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

211: Adoption, the Pro-Life Movement, and the Body of Christ with Herbie Newell Nov 16, 2023

Herbie Newell is the President and Executive Director of LifeLine Children’s Services, an organization that is an adoption, orphan care, and foster care ministry. His passion with this organization is to see the Church be equipped to manifest the gospel to orphans, vulnerable children, and vulnerable women. This ministry exists to see the Church carry out their God-given mission in the gospel of justice and caring for the widow and the orphan, the stranger, the alien, the ones in need. This mission has been given to the Church, and it is the Church that is to do this work. With November being National Adoption Month, our prayer is that you would come away from this episode with your heart stirred on this topic of adoption.

What We Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~Info about LifeLine Christian Services, the largest evangelical adoption agency in the country

~The gospel-motivation for the work going on at LifeLine

~How Herbie came to be the President of LifeLine, what led him to first become involved in this work, and what his daily work looks like; why he is passionate about this topic

~The importance of seeking the Spirit on what we personally are called to do in this area

~What being truly pro-life actually is - and how just demanding that there be a birth is not what all we are called to as the Church; the importance of us stepping up and helping these mamas and babies in need

~The importance of advocating for life inside as well as outside the womb

~The problem with being busy and becoming nearsighted, losing sight of what God is actually calling us to do with our days

~The purpose of our lives as believers as not being one of comfort and ease, but of mission

~The call to deny ourselves and pick up our cross so that we can serve others well

~What the state of adoption is in this country and around the world; the number of orphans currently in this world who need a home

~The increase in abortion that we are actually seeing post Roe v. Wade and the reality that conservative states were not even prepared for the overturning; the work the church still has to do

~Laws, practices, etc. that are leading to this orphan crisis here and around the world; what we as believers can do about this crisis whether or not we adopt ourselves

~The infinite wisdom of God’s design for the family and the world at large

~Herbie’s insider analysis of where the defense of life movement is, what is coming down the pike, and what part adoption plays in all of this; adoption as a pro-life option

~Talking about abundant life and having a pro-woman stance as a pro-life advocate

~Ways in which the church is dropping the ball in these areas; what we can do to be the hands and feet of Christ; how to make a difference in these areas

~Understanding that having a pro-life stance does not begin at the political or federal level; it starts in your home, with your family, and in your community

~How people can become involved with LifeLine Children’s Services

~Being faithful with what is in front of us and the importance of just doing the next right thing

~And more!

Head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast for full shownotes.

210: "Why Did Jesus Come?" with Rebekah Hargraves Nov 09, 2023

On today’s solo show, we are answering the question, "Why did Jesus come?" At face value, this seems like a very open and shut, easy question to answer - after all, He came to save sinners! And that's true! But Scripture actually outlines 22 other reasons why He came, as well - in addition to 2 things that were NOT reasons why He came. In other words, the full-orbed answer presented in this episode just might surprise you!

What I Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~Answering the question, "Why did Jesus come?"

~The 23 reasons that are outlined in Scripture as to why Jesus came to earth - what His full-orbed purpose actually was

~Two topics that were NOT things He came to do

~Why understanding all of this is so important

~The impact these truths have on our walk with the Lord

~And more!

For full shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com

209: Every Season Sacred with Kayla Craig Oct 05, 2023

Kayla Craig is a pastor's wife, mom of 4, writer, podcaster, and author, most recently of the new book, “Every Season Sacred: Reflections, Prayers, and Invitations to Nourish Your Soul and Nurture Your Family throughout the Year". Today she returns to the show to share about her new book and to encourage parents in the beauty of liturgical parenting.

What We Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~Kayla’s new book, “Every Season Sacred: Reflections, Prayers, and Invitations to Nourish Your Soul and Nurture Your Family throughout the Year"; what led her to write it, and what readers can expect

~The meaningful aspect of the four seasons, and why they are important in our lives; the impact they have on us

~The importance of cultivating a slower, more contemplative lifestyle

~How the writing experience was the same and how it was different between Kayla’s two books

~The practicality of this book regardless of what season of life you are in or what you are going through

~Kayla’s heart to nourish parents’ souls in a contemplative way in and through this book; why this was important for Kayla to do

~How a contemplative lifesyle is so helpful for parents and childcare givers

~Bringing our kids into a more contemplative style of life

~Living loved; the importance of a parent’s soul being nourished so that they can then nurture their child well

~Making space to explore the world with care and compassion and why this is so important

~Exemplifying Christ’s love and compassion for people to our children and allowing that to impact how we show up in the world

~The power of “caught, not taught”

~The power of liturgical rhythms in our parenting

~Making your faith your own and the journey of unlearning false things you were taught

~Untangling Christ from Christianese and reconstructing your walk with the Lord and understanding of truth; how and why this has been important for Kayla; the importance of this kind of journey

~The importance of reading Scripture for yourself

~The importance of raising our kids to be critical thinkers and having the freedom to ask questions and express doubts

~And more!

Full shownotes at www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

208: Living Whole with Kathryn Maack Sep 07, 2023

Kathryn Maack is a wife, mom, co-founder of the ministry Dwellings, and co-author of the fantastic book, Whole: The Life-Changing Power of Relating to God with All of Yourself . On this episode she edifies and encourages us with the truth that we are to approach God wholly and with every aspect of ourselves, as opposed to living segmented lives. This is an important episode that you will not want to miss!

What We Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~Kathryn's new book, Whole: The Life-Changing Power of Relating to God with All of Yourself, what readers can expect from it, and what led Kathryn and her co-author Aaron Williams to write it

~The importance of coming to God with all of ourselves and not holding back any aspect of ourselves

~Why we actually are not striving for balance in our walk with God, but actually should purpose to come to God with all aspects of ourselves - fully spirit and fully truth, fully mind and fully heart, etc., not 50/50 in these areas

~Why it’s important to come to the Lord in spirit and in truth and with our minds and also our hearts, what happens when we lean too heavily in one direction or the other

~Where true spiritual growth actually comes from

~How coming to God with all of who we are deepens our relationship with Him

~Advice for how heart people or mind people and spirit or truth people can learn to also come to God with the other part of themselves, as well

~The importance of learning from people who are different from us; the virtue of being teachable

~Understanding that with spirit and truth, you cannot have one without the other

~The importance of identifying which way you lean so that you know where you need to grow

~How fear plays into these extremes

~The importance of both being and doing and why we need both

~Jesus’ example of not neglecting to care for people but also not neglecting to go off alone to spend time with the Father

~Experiencing God in His fullness and all He has to offer us as we’re in relationship with Him

~Sinners, saints, and understanding what your actual identity in Christ is now

~The importance of agreeing with God about who we are

~And more!

For full shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

207: "What is Love?" with Rebekah Hargraves (Solo Episode #46) Aug 24, 2023

On today’s solo show, we are addressing the topic of love, the importance Scripture places on it, and how God's Word defines it. I hope you will walk away from this chat feeling well equipped to better understand and live out love in a culture and time that is very confused.

What I Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~The topic of love, and why it is such an important topic for believers, especially, to grasp

~The importance of understanding the Bible's definition of love

~The extremes that are on both sides of the spectrum and seen in the church and culture at large: 1) the idea that as long as you speak truth, you are ok and it doesn't matter how you present it because that is the most loving thing you can do and 2) the idea that love means you approve of and accept everything anyone does; why these are both wrong and unbiblical

~The primary call of a Christian - to love; why it is important to understand this and how we are falling down on our job

~Love as the supreme thing

~Paul's definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13

~How Paul's clear definition of love makes it clear that your presentation DOES matter, your motive DOES matter, and just "speaking truth" is not enough

~How Paul's clear definition of love makes it clear that loving someone does not mean you approve of and accept everything they do

~Paul's emphasis in Ephesians 4 on speaking the truth in *love*

~The importance of others being able to tangibly feel our love for them - even if and when we disagree

~A deep dive into Ephesians 4, 1 John 3, 1 John 4, John 13, and 1 Corinthians 13

~Love and boundaries

~The sobering reality that if we do not love others, the love of God is not in us, either

~Our call to love everyone, with no exceptions

~And more!

Head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast for full shownotes

206: Tired of Trying with Ashley Morgan Jackson Aug 11, 2023

Ashley Morgan Jackson is a wife, mom, social media coordinator for Proverbs 31 Ministries, and author of the brand new book, "Tired of Trying: How to Hold On to God When You’re Frustrated, Fed Up, and Feeling Forgotten". She comes on the show today to share with us on the concept of wrestling with God in the hard times and all that He can bring from the wrestle.

What We Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~Ashley’s new book, "Tired of Trying: How to Hold On to God When You’re Frustrated, Fed Up, and Feeling Forgotten"., what led her to write it, and what readers can expect

~When you get to the point of having tried everything that you can think of with nothing working; the concept of then wrestling with God and holding on to Him throughout that entire process

~Learning so much more about the Lord and growing in our relationship with Him through the hard times

~How our wrestle and struggle becomes our ministry to others

~God as the One sure foundation when we have nothing else to hold on to

~Understanding that there are some lessons we can only learn in and through the wrestle with God - and why it is so harmful to believe that it is wrong to wrestle with God

~How the wrestle shows how God is the One holding on to us every step of the way

~Grace and love as what you need to save you as well as what you need to change you; the motivator that grace and love are

~Trusting God and waiting on Him in the hard seasons; what Ashley has learned about this and how she has been able to come to the point of believing that God only does things well and with great love - even when it doesn’t look or feel like it

~How shame pushes us away from God rather than being something that can change us positively

~How well Jesus understands the pain of a “no”

~Letting God love you in the midst of pain, rather than pushing Him away

~God’s tender, caring heart towards the brokenhearted

~Understanding that true intimacy and performance cannot co-exist and what this means for our walk with the Lord and our relationship with Him

~The important difference between relationship and religion

~Understanding that what we think leads to our actions and what we do leads to patterns of behavior; the importance of taking thoughts captive; how to do that

~How my and Ashley’s lives have been changed through our taking thoughts captive

~The importance of being faithful in even just the smallest of ways, bit by bit

~And more!

For full shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

205: Refuting False Gospels with Rebekah Hargraves (Solo Episode #45) Aug 04, 2023

On today’s solo show, we are addressing the topic of 7 different false gospels that are alive and well in our day that we need to refute with the actual gospel as found in Scripture. I hope you will walk away from this conversation feeling well equipped to know, discern, live out, and proclaim truth.

What I Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~The book of Galatians and what it reveals to us concerning the issue of teaching or believing a false gospel

~7 common false gospels we need to refute and how they differ from the true gospel of the Bible:

*the prosperity gospel (in all its forms, including the version taught in purity culture)

*progressive "Christianity"

*legalism

*believing that the gospel is just good news for your eternity and not also concerned with your here and now everyday life

*believing that the gospel and Christian nationalism are compatible

*believing that the gospel does not have implications for the social sphere and your call to be the hands and feet of Christ

*believing that the gospel just has vertical implications (for your relationship with God) and not horizontal implications as well (for your relationships with your fellow image bearers)

~the false gospel nature of racism and sexism

~the "social gospel" aspect of the biblical gospel

~legalism as *the* false gospel the book of Galatians is concerned with - and why this fact shows that it is problematic for us to think, as many do today, that refuting a "false gospel" is just about refuting the false gospel of progressive Christianity alone (as if this were the only false gospel out there)

~the issue with the saying "just preach the gospel" - and how that reveals there are hints of a false gospel present

~the problem with defending slavery by saying that at least slaves were taught about Christianity (and how, if you were an enslaver, you were actually proclaiming a false gospel)

~And more!

For full shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

204: Women, Ministry, and the Kingdom of God with Sarah Jane Ho Jul 26, 2023

Sarah Jane Ho is a wife, mom of 5, pastor, and mental health therapist. She leads the Nations of Change Church in Pakistan via Zoom, and has a heart that is passionate about women understanding God's heart for His daughters. We pray you'll come away from this episode built up and encouraged by this truth.

What We Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~How the church in Pakistan came about

~How important it is to walk by the Spirit and how we shortchange ourselves and miss out when we are not in close relationship with the Holy Spirit and hearing His voice and heeding His direction

~How the Nations of Change Church in Pakistan is set up logistically

~The importance of God-nudges and how sometimes people won’t understand what God is calling us to - because He hasn’t called them to it

~The issue of hierarchy in our churches and how damaging it can be to our relationships in the Body; what 1 Timothy 2 is actually teaching about women teaching men and the cultural and historical context behind that passage

~The problem with reading and interpreting Scripture through western eyes

~Joining both complementarians and egalitarians together around the good news of the gospel and working together to reduce the subjugation and mistreatment of women in the church

~Studying Scripture by keeping in mind context, culture, and content

~How Sarah’s position as associate pastor and pastoring women has helped women to understand how God truly views them and the heart He has for them

~Sarah’s upcoming church ministry, Our Place, a church for the marginalized and those who would not step into a typical church building

~Comparing our modern-day American church culture with the culture of the early church

~Answering the naysayers who might think that Sarah’s plate is too full for her to be able to minister well to her own family; how her work has blessed and shaped her family

~How raising our children in a serving house can inspire them to be people who serve; why it’s important to model for your children the kind of adults you want them to be and what you want them to think is normal as a believer building the Kingdom

~The monthly theology dates Sarah has with her daughter; the impact of these

~The importance of our being able to think critically for ourselves and interpret Scripture and hear from God on our own with the Spirit’s help

~And more!

For full shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

203: Living in the Power of the Spirit with Rebekah Hargraves (Solo Episode #43) Jul 23, 2023

On today’s solo show, we are tackling the topic of living in the power of the Spirit, how to do that, and the blessings and benefits we receive when we do so.

What I Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~The importance of walking by the Spirit as the key to living the victorious Christian life

~What you acquire when you do:

*the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)

*victory over sin (Galatians 5:16-18)

*help and counsel (John 14:16, 26; John 15:26; Romans 8:26-27

*comfort (John 14:26)

*guidance into all truth (John 16:13)

*reminders of Biblical truth (John 14:26 and 15:26)

*power (Acts 1:8, Ephesians 1:20-22)

*reminders of who we are in Christ and what our standing is (Galatians 4:6)

*spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)

*wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2)

*confirmation that we abide in Christ (1 John 4:13)

*the gift that He is (1 John 4:13

~How, practically speaking on a day to day basis, to live in the power of the Spirit:

*by being in the Word

*through communing with Him in prayer

*through seeking wise counsel and doing life with other believers

*through actually stopping and praying for strength, power, etc.

*by being still and knowing so that we can actually hear the still, small voice of God

~The fact that the Holy Spirit actually cannot fully do His job in our lives if we are not in the Word

~Understanding that seeking wise counsel and doing life with other believers is about more than just attending church

~And more!

For full podcast shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

202: Overcoming Spiritual Starvation with Amy Seiffert Jul 14, 2023

Amy Seiffert is a wife, mom of 3, speaker, Bible teacher, and author, most recently, of the new book “Starved: Why We Need a Spiritual Diet Change to Move Us from Tired, Anxious, and Overwhelmed to Fulfilled, Whole, and Free.“ Our prayer is that you would come away from this episode edified and encouraged in your Christian walk.

What We Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~Amy’s new book, Starved: Why We Need a Spiritual Diet Change to Move Us from Tired, Anxious, and Overwhelmed to Fulfilled, Whole, and Free", what led her to write it, and what readers can expect

~The spiritual diet change we need and how so much of what we are turning to is actually starving us

~The issue of our phones and how they are thieves

~The importance of slowness, stillness, and quiet

~Clearing the noise and distractions in order to hear the voice of God

~The problem of Christian Nationalism and the problem with replacing King Jesus with a president

~Understanding that our identity must foremost be as a citizen of Heaven, not an American

~Understanding that the hatred of anger of man does not build the kingdom of God

~Using our vote for the benefit and wellbeing of our fellow image bearers

~Laying down the idol of our rights and instead building the Kingdom of God

~Racism that still exists in this country

~Our call to be our brother’s keeper and to care for the interests of others, and what this means for the issue of racism

~The power of listening to the stories and experiences of people of color

~What justice looks like in the Bible

~The problem with the “just preach the gospel” message and how it is incomplete; the horizontal implications of the gospel

~The blame game and our need for confession

~Shalom’s meaning of wholeness and integration

~The fact that we are starved for becoming; becoming the process of learning and growing and changing; the importance of being teachable and willing to change and grow as the Spirit leads

~The importance of majoring on the majors

~Breaking out of legalism, patriarchy, sexism, racism, etc. in order to see the kingdom as God does

~Understanding God’s posture towards you

~And more!

For full shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

201: How to Love the LGBTQIA+ Community Well with Rebekah Hargraves (Solo Episode #43) Jul 07, 2023

On today’s solo show, we are tackling the topic of how we as believers can love well those image bearers who are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. My prayer is that you would come away from today's episode equipped to be the hands and feet of Christ in this area as you seek to fulfill the Great Commission.

What I Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~Understanding that just because "Pride Month" is now over does not mean that we as believers should now shelve this topic until June of next year

~The 4 important steps of loving these people well:

*Starting with love itself - this has to be first

*Speak the truth in love

*Remember that salvation comes first and sanctification follows after

*Show compassion, care, and concern for any mental, physical, emotional, or spiritual issues they are facing as a result of their lifestyle

~Understanding that the idea that "the most loving thing you can do is speak the truth " is a cop-out and is direct disobedience to God if you are not actually speaking the truth in love

~Understanding that in order to truly love these people as we are called to, we must actually feel love and care in our hearts for them, and they have to be able to tangibly feel that love when we interact with them

~Real-life examples of believers who are doing this really well; how living this way is known to bear the fruit of bringing people to Christ in ways that dishonor and rudeness cannot

~The work God has done in my own heart in this area

~The importance of speaking the truth when the time is right and when you have the relationship currency for that truth to take root

~The importance of remembering that salvation comes first and sanctification follows after - why we mustn't put the cart before the horse

~Showing care and compassion for people as Jesus did for those who were as sheep without a shepherd

~The truth of why Sodom was actually destroyed - and why referring to those in the LGBTQIA+ community is not only unloving and unfruitful, but it is also unbiblical

~Who the real Sodomites are according to Ezekiel 16:49 - hint: you may have to look in the mirror

~Remembering that the sin of homosexuality is on the same list - in Romans 1 - as the sin of being disobedient to one's parents; what this means for how we treat people in the LGBTQIA+ community

~The sin of dishonoring and disrespecting fellow image bearers of God

~Jesus' example of doing life together with all kinds of people; the impact this had

~How wrong theology carries bad consequences

~The importance of truth

~The importance of remembering that it is our *gentleness* that is to be known to all

~1 Corinthians 13 as our definition of love and understanding of what love is

~And more!

For full shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

HandH 200: Women on Mission with Mischelle Manis Jul 01, 2023

Mischelle Manis works for Reaching Souls International, an organization which supports national, indigenous missionaries, and as the director of women’s ministries with the organization, she is passionate about equipping and encouraging women to understand God's heart for them. We pray you'll come away from this episode encouraged and fired up for how you, too, can advance the Kingdom right where you are.

~What Reaching Souls International does

~How efficient and affective it is to train indigenous missionaries to serve in their own countries, as opposed to just sending American missionaries overseas to them

~What Mischelle’s day-to-day work looks like and how she comes alongside these female indigenous missionaries and serves them

~How sitting with missionaries from foreign countries reveals just how much you have in common, even despite the language barrier; why understanding these similarities is so important

~How Mischelle came to be in this position with Reaching Souls International

~Women and their unique giftings

~How it came to be that women were added as national missionaries in Reaching Souls International

~Mischelle’s experience of losing a son to suicide and how the Lord got her through that

~The truth that Jesus understands pain, grief, and loss and has compassion for us when we walk through it

~The peace that comes with knowing that the Lord understands the “why”s behind what we walk through

~How what we go through equips us to serve others

~God’s tender heart for His daughters and helping them to understand their importance in the kingdom of God

~What Hannah’s story reveals about the heart of God towards His daughters

~Ways that women and children can reach others in ways men can’t; why understanding this is important when it comes to the Great Commission

~The truth that women were the last at the cross and the first at the tomb; what this points to

~Understanding that women were not left out when the Lord handed out spiritual gifts; why this is important to remember

~How people can become involved with Reaching Souls International

~And more!

For full shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

146: Success in Motherhood (Lies Moms Believe Series #8) with Rebekah Hargraves (Solo Episode 22) Jun 21, 2023

Today’s solo podcast episode is a re-release of an episode from my podcast series based on my book, Lies Moms Believe (And How the Gospel Refutes Them) with a chat all about what success in motherhood looks like, what it is, and what it isn’t. I hope you walk away from today’s conversation feeling encouraged.

What I Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~The next 2 lies covered in my book:

21. My success as a mom is directly tied to how my children turn out.

22. I don’t know what it means to be a mom if I only have one child.

~Why your success as a mom is not tied to how your children turn out

~What your responsibility is as a mom and what is in God’s hands to do with as He will

~Where your responsibility ends and God’s begins

~God granting the increase

~The harmful effect of the quiverfull movement on our view of moms who have only one child

~Viewing children as blessings

~Embracing our own unique life stories and circumstances

~And more!

For full shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

199: Incarceration, Marriage, and God's Redemption with Fox and Rob Richardson Jun 13, 2023

Fox and Rob Richardson experienced being separated by incarceration for 21 years. They come on the podcast today to share about their experience, what God did in the midst of it, and how we as the Church are to be the hands and feet of Christ in the face of injustice and oppression. May you come away from this episode inspired to make a difference.

WHAT WE CHAT ABOUT ON THIS EPISODE:

~Fox and Rob’s documentary, Time, and book, Time: The Untold Story of the Love that Held Us Together When Incarceration Kept Us Apart, and what you can expect from them; what led them to produce these resources

~How Fox and Rob met, and what their journey of marriage has been like

~What led to the day when the Richardsons robbed a bank; the desperation that resulted in this decision

~How being incarcerated for 21 years for the offense of robbing a bank reveals the injustice within the criminal justice system, the problem of mass incarceration, and the racism which does still exist in the justice system

~The importance of listening to other peoples’ stories and experiences

~Stories from Scripture of affliction and how God saw people through

~How our hard seasons take us from knowing “about” God to truly knowing God Himself

~God’s sovereignty and sufficiency even in our hard seasons

~The importance of understanding that we cannot afford to take our eyes off God

~Trusting the process as we remember that God is sufficient

~The slavery that exists in the criminal justice system

~How leaving prison is like going from slavery to sharecropping

~The modern day taxation without representation that is faced by the victims of mass incarceration

~Rich Family Ministries and the Richardson’s family mission to be free and free others

~Seeking to better America and make it what it can be; seeking alternatives to mass incarceration

~The role of God’s people to say “not on my watch” when injustice and oppression exist

~What we as everyday lay people can do to seek to make a difference in the system

~The power of bearing witness, being in proximity, and looking injustice in the face so that your heart and spirit will be quickened and you will seek to be used of God to be of service in that area

~Rob’s experience in what is known as “America’s Bloodiest Penitentiary” and what enabled him to get through with strength

~What this journey was like for Fox having to solo parent, homeschool, provide for her family, and support and encourage her husband during this 21 year journey

~Tapping into the strength God gives us

~And much more!

For full shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

198: Being "Woke" and Pursuing Truth with Rebekah Hargraves (Solo Episode #42) May 24, 2023

On today’s solo show, we are tackling the topic of "wokeness" and the importance of pursuing truth as a Christian. My perspective on these topics may just surprise you a bit, and will hopefully give you something to mull over this week!

What I Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~The importance of truth for a Christian; the priority we are given to pursue truth

~The apostle John and how he was very passionate about truth

~How Jesus describing Himself as being THE truth in John 14:6 shows us just how important pursuing and knowing truth is

~Understanding that the truth sets us free (John 8:32):

-from sin

-from lies

-from injustice

~The fact that it is the Spirit’s express job to lead us into all truth (John 16:13)

~The importance of us as believers being focused on theological truth in a day in age of relativism and a repackaging of age-old lies about Christ and the nature of salvation (Ephesians 6:14)

~The importance of us as believers being focused on societal truth and understanding what the reality is as to the injustices that exist in this world

~Understanding that because we are specifically tasked with the task of being the hands and feet of Christ and ambassadors of a God Who hates injustice, is a God of righteousness and justice, who is for the oppressed, and whose gospel is good news for the poor, etc., we are to be about the work of getting to the bottom of what the truth is regarding what our fellow image bearers are facing in this world on a daily basis

~The truth that if we are willing to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to claims of injustice and happy to merely label people who are given to fighting injustice as being “woke” we have a problem and are rendered incapable of fulling carrying out our mission in this world

~The original definition of "woke" and where that word came from; what it does and does not mean; how conservatives have redefined it and thereby been able to use it as a weapon

~Helpful Instagram posts that are enlightening in these areas

~Passages of Scripture that repeatedly point to the importance of truth

~And more!

For full shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

197: Finding Joy in Life's Hardest Seasons with Kristen Rosener May 03, 2023

Kristen Rosener is a wife, working mom of 3, and writer who recently launched an incredible book entitled Where Joy Is: Finding Joy in the Midst of Suffering, chronicling the story of the hardest season of her life and how God saw her through.

WHAT WE CHAT ABOUT ON THIS EPISODE:

~Kristen’s new book, Where Joy Is: Finding Joy in the Midst of Suffering, what led to its release, and what readers can expect

~Kristen’s backstory of how she grew up and what she was taught to believe

~Kristen’s hard journey of walking through abuse and infidelity of her first husband

~How the legalism and perfectionism in Kristen’s past did not serve her well during her season of crisis

~God’s ability to redeem the things we do not think are redeemable

~The false theology of purity culture that says that if you check all the right boxes, you will automatically be guaranteed a fairytale marriage; how purity culture is linked to the prosperity gospel

~The faith crisis Kristen faced after finding the promises of purity culture to not be true

~The problem with making ourselves like someone else in order to please others; the “spiritual disfigurement” that this is

~The problem of idolizing your marriage

~The problem with viewing divorced believers as “second-class citizens”

~How seasons of sorrow can be seasons of grace

~Understanding how a good God can allow bad things to happen

~How unsteady hearts are moved by circumstances instead of standing unwavering on what we know to be true; the importance of being led by truth, not emotion (as important as emotions are!)

~How our unbelief and wrong theology makes our hard seasons far harder

~The trustworthiness of God

~And more!

Go to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast for full shownotes.

RE-RELEASE - 111: Patriotism and the Christian with Rebekah Hargraves (Solo Episode 5) Apr 26, 2023

For today's solo podcast episode I am actually re-releasing the fifth solo podcast I ever recorded. As we are quickly approaching yet another big election year (how are we here again already?), I felt it important to talk again today on the topic of patriotism and the Christian. On today’s show we chat a bit about nationalism, the nationalization of Christianity, and what a believer’s role is regarding patriotism. May you find this episode helpful as you prayerfully begin to think through how to use your vote next year.

What She Chats about in Today’s Episode:

~The emotionally-charged election year we find ourselves in

~What patriotism does and does not mean for us as Christians:

*Patriotism and being patriotic do not mean that we never call out our nation’s problems. (think of God’s example with us and our example with our children where if we love someone, we will point out their shortcomings in an attempt to call them up to greatness)

*Patriotism and being patriotic do mean that we want what is best for our country. And it is righteousness that exalts a nation.

*Being patriotic does not mean we seek to set up a theocracy in America

*Being patriotic does not mean that we can allow America or the preservation of America as we know it to become our idol

~The full meaning of the Hebrew word “tsedaqah” translated “righteousness” in Proverbs 14:34

~Our call (Acts 5:29) to obey God rather than man, while also respecting His institution of government (Romans 13)

~The reality that this country is not our home and was never meant to feel like it; our identity as but pilgrims passing through

~What we have seen around the world and down through history regarding the direct correlation between a loss of freedom and an increase in persecution and a subsequent increase in strong and deepened faith among believers

~Our roles as good citizens and the importance for each of us to individually walk by the Spirit

~The importance of not binding the conscience of our fellow believers; giving the Holy Spirit room to work

~And more!

For full shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

196: God’s Heart for Mothers with Leslie Means Apr 21, 2023

Leslie Means is a wife, mom of 3, columnist, former journalist, founder of Her View from Home, and also an author who recently launched an incredible book entitled So God Made a Mother, which contains nearly 100 stories and essays on all aspects of motherhood from a list of contributing writers. We hope you come away from today's episode feeling encouraged by God's heart for mothers.

WHAT WE CHAT ABOUT ON THIS EPISODE:

~Leslie’s new book, So God Made a Mother, what led to its release, and what readers can expect

~The concept of God whispers, and how Leslie has experienced God’s leading through them

~Some of the topics covered through the stories of this book

~The importance of community for moms

~Our divisive culture and the need we have for a book like this one and the kind of encouraging community it will foster

~The global sense of community worldwide that all mothers can have through the threads of similarity in each mom’s experiences

~God’s tender heart for moms

~Leslie’s own motherhood journey thus far and where she sees herself on the pages of this book

~Learning and growing as a mother

~The importance of asking for help as moms and understanding that we need each other

~How Her View from Home came about; the blessing of small beginnings and watching God move

~How our busy, independent culture is harming moms an depriving them of the help, support, and community they need

~Searching for community wherever we are

~The lies of imposter syndrome, and the importance of sharing our stories

~Remembering that there is a time and a season for everything and that God’s plan and timing is best

~Honoring right priorities in the midst of work and ministry; the importance of boundaries

~And more!

For full shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

195: Unshakable Peace in the Midst of Chaos with Katie Davis Majors Apr 07, 2023

Katie Davis Majors is a wife, adoptive and bio mom, New York Times Bestselling Author, founder of Amazima Ministries in Uganda, and author of the brand new book, “Safe All Along: Trading Our Fears and Anxieties for God’s Unshakable Peace“. Our prayer is that you would come away from this episode feeling equipped and encouraged to walk in God's peace no matter what chaos life brings.

WHAT WE CHAT ABOUT ON THIS EPISODE:

~Katie’s newest book, Safe All Along: Trading Our Fears and Anxieties for God’s Unshakable Peace, what led her to write it, and what readers can expect

~What it looks like to live in the peace Jesus promised us in an increasingly chaotic world, when we don’t feel it at first

~A powerful story from Katie’s own life that taught her that God sees the big picture we can’t see and is looking out for us in ways we can’t fathom

~How nearsighted our perspective is in this life, and how different God’s is

~Going beyond just intellectually knowing that He sees us or will keep us safe to actually walking and living as if we know it is true

~Keeping our eyes on God’s unchanging character as opposed to our life circumstances

~Understanding that surrendering every part of our lives to God’s loving hands is a safe thing to do

~Attachment parenting and what this practice shows us for our relationship with God

~A helpful practice for when you’re beginning to feel anxious

~Refusing to clean things up and fix them on our own before coming to Him with them; bringing all our raw and messy straight to Him for Him to care for them

~Understanding that if we just stuff our worries, they are all still there, they are just hidden (and why that doesn’t help!)

~The fact that we cannot see the face of God if we do not sometimes wrestle with Him over things; why it’s ok to ask God questions (as the Psalmist does repeatedly!) and how our faith is built when we do

~Remembering that God will not drop anything we give to Him, but instead can be trusted with all of it

~The faith-builder it is to be in hard places and be forced to trust God with them

~God’s presence as better in the first place than our understanding the reasons for what it happening in our lives and what is going on behind the scenes

~God Himself as the gift

~Several practical, relevant practices that equip and help us to live in God’s peace - rest, lament, being in the Word, prayer, community, service, and more

~The growing, healing power of lament (and why it is ok and good to bring our hurts and laments to God)

~How it is possible and ok for sadness and praise to exist at the same time

~And more!

For full shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

194: How to Raise Your Littles in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord with Rebekah Hargraves (Solo Episode #41) Mar 30, 2023

On today’s solo show, we are tackling the topic of how to raise your littles in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. My prayer is that you'll come away from this episode feeling equipped and encouraged, knowing that raising your littles in this way does not have to be complicated.