Stay ConnectedMany women feel overwhelmed with the chaos of life, struggle with the fact that life, relationships and marriage are hard, and lack what they need to truly thrive.
The Thriving Beyond Belief podcast, with host, Cheryl Scruggs, and online community provide women with encouragement & support, to better manage their stress, create healthy relationships, and build a life that thrives beyond belief.
Copyright: © 2018 Thriving Beyond Belief / Hope Matters Marriage Ministries, Inc., a 501c3
Do you ever wonder why you're here, contemplate the purpose of your life or find it hard to push back the darkness?
Allie knows how hard it is to be a girl or woman in our world today. She was the good girl and scholar athlete hiding behind a smile as she worked overtime to keep it all together. But at the age of eighteen, she came undone. Two weeks after she graduated high school, due to a mental health challenge and many complexities, she found herself in the psychiatric hospital wanting to end my life.
She was as broken as a girl could be. Jesus found her there and though her journey has been full of detours and breakdowns, she lives loved by the God who has mended the broken pieces of her life together and given her more purpose and joy than she ever could have imagined.
As an author and the Founder and Director of Wonderfully Made, a Christian ministry for young women, she spends her days writing, speaking and helping girls and women live into their true value and identity.
She's a California girl and lover of bluegrass who is always covered in dog hair. She loves to surf and adventure up and down the golden coast with her husband Paul and their Golden Retriever Gidget.
Related Links:I love (in no particular order), date nights, being a momma, Taco Tuesday, going to the movies with the fam (popcorn with extra butter and peanut M&Ms – always), good reports at our Staff Meeting, dancing at weddings until they kick me off the dance floor, a good historical fiction novel that makes me think and cry, worship, baking, long deep chats that bring change and revelation, reconciliation, the Word of God, prayer, hosting parties (when I'm not feeling introverted), Central Park in Fall, walking my dog in our neighborhood, vacation with my crew, building the church in any way I can, writing, creating, 80's music, working out, coffee, kombucha, green juice and trying new food.
Here's a little bit about Andi:
"I was born and raised in Spokane, Washington, and in 2002, met, fell in love with, and married my husband Paul (aka Paul Hot Andrew) in Sydney, Australia where I lived for nearly 10 years. My first three children were born on Aussie soil – pretty much back to back – three kids under the age of three (I'm sweating again just thinking about it). In May of 2010, our family sold almost everything we owned, bar a few keepsakes and clothes of course, packed up our lives and moved to New York City to establish Liberty Church, now a growing church with multiple communities in the city and beyond. We weren't done having kids just yet, until the one and only American born Samuel Malachi came in to our lives in 2012 (Sam for President). We currently reside in Brooklyn, New York with our four children, Ezekiel (Zeke) Benjamin, Jesse Freedom, Finley Grace, and Samuel Malachi."
Related Links:Becky Keife is a beloved speaker and is the Community Manager for DaySpring's (in)courage, a widely followed online community where authentic women link arms to build community, celebrate diversity, and live courageously for Jesus.
Becky's debut book, No Better Mom for the Job: Parenting with Confidence (Even When You Don't Feel Cut Out for It) reflects her passion for empowering moms to find their confidence in God and encouraging women in the thick of it.
She is also the author of the new releases, The Simple Difference: How Every Small Kindness Makes a Big Impact and it's companion Bible Study, Couragoues Kindness: Live the Simple Difference Right Where You Are. (October 2021)
Becky has been featured on The Hallmark Channel's Home & Family show, The Crystal Paine Show podcast, HomeLife Magazine, and many more media outlets.
Keife has a Bachelor's in Creative Writing and Master's in English. With a decade of experience as a professional editor, she enjoys championing writers and equipping them to use their voice for God's glory.
Becky is a huge fan of Voxer, Instagram, Sunday naps, and imperfect people leaning on Jesus. She and her husband live near Los Angeles, where they enjoy hiking shady trails with their three spirited sons.
Related Links:Dr. Matt Chalmers is a health and wellness expert, author and speaker who specializes in the areas of long-term wellness, nutrition, women's health, weight loss, athlete wellness and holistic healing.
With a client list that includes professional athletes, business executives, politicians and celebrities, Dr. Chalmers takes a holistic-based approach with patients to identify and treat the source of their issues. Medical doctors regularly refer patients to Dr. Chalmers when traditional medications and treatments are not working with their patients.
Dr. Chalmers works with patients to identify, treat and manage a wide variety of issues, including weight loss/gain, digestive problems, chronic fatigue, pain, injuries, celiac disease,
chiropractic problems, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome and plantar fasciitis. He also provides patients with hormone therapy guidance and treatment.
Dr. Chalmers is the author of the bestselling book "Pillars of Wellness," which helps readers cut through the information overload about wellness, exercise and diet to figure out the actions they can take that will have the greatest impact. The book details how to fuel the body physically, mentally and spiritually.
Dr. Chalmers received his degree of Doctor of Chiropractic from Parker Chiropractic College in Dallas. He has a Bachelor of Science in Health and Wellness, is a Certified Clinical Chiropractic Neurologist, a Certified Chiropractic Sports Practitioner and has additional certifications in spinal decompression and quantum reflex analysis. He currently lives in Dallas with his wife. More information is available at www.ChalmersWellness.com.
Related Links:The holidays can be tough when it comes to family dynamics and lots of other things we are dealing with in life! But today, I want to encourage and challenge as we move in to this wonderful time of year!
Let's go there and talk about where you are; emotionally, spiritually, physically, and mentally during the holidays.
Related Links:Julie is a wife, mother, author, teacher, and blogger. Before she married, she taught speech, drama, and English for three years in the Richardson Independent School District. After she married, she stayed home with her two children and spent time volunteering locally and at the South Texas border. Now that her kids are grown, she works intermittently for her husband, writes, and speaks about family issues. Julie and her husband have been married for 28 years and live in Dallas, Texas.
After a heartbreaking 7-year estrangement from parents in full-time ministry, Julie realized she was not alone in her feelings of shame and her struggles to interact with family in a healthy way. Now that she has reconciled with her parents, she wishes to help others find hope when experiencing a family rift or break.
You can find her book Estranged: Finding Hope When Your Family Falls Apart on Amazon or your favorite digital book store. Her blog is called Mom Remade at momremade.com, Check out her social media on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram @julieaplagens.
Related Links:Kyle DiRoberts (PhD) is department chair and associate professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Arizona Christian University in Glendale, Arizona, adjunct professor at Phoenix Seminary, and director of the minister in residence and internship programs at Scottsdale Bible Church. He is married to Lolly and the father of Kaden, Oliver, and Carson. With any free time, he hangs out with his wife and kids, his favorite people, going to Michael Bublé concerts, cooking, traveling, eating good food, and getting to coach his kids in golf and baseball.
Related Links:Sarah's Story: Finding my voice.
My twenties were categorized as driven and successful. My resume boasted of working for influential organizations. I was a popular communicator traveling across the globe to speak to students. And I became an author at the young age of 27.
But then, I turned 30, had kids, faced some rejection and was felt like I had peaked in life. Where the twenties were driven with confidence, my thirties felt like a lonely space. Having accomplished so much in life to that point, I wondered if this was it. I felt like there was a formula to life, a certainty to things. But my thirties proved that life was more uncertain than I had believed.
In those years, I longed to communicate with women again. I longed to connect with others through conversation. In October of 2015, the podcast, Surviving Sarah, was born. It was to be a place where I could use my voice again to help other women know they aren't alone. It was a place where I could help women survive right where they are—in their life, their relationships, their work and their faith.
After years of living and learning, I wrote a new book about how motherhood has raised me. A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself is a guide that captures that journey of realizing that as I was parenting my girls, I was actually parenting myself.
Now, my forties are categorized as a different confidence—a confidence in the journey of discovering who I am and stepping confidently into that person. It's a journey defined by curiosity and surrendering to the uncertainty of it all. And as Anne Lamont says, "The opposite of faith is not doubt, it's certainty." By embracing the uncertainty with curiosity, my faith has been reconstructed.
Related Links:Born prematurely, Johnny has cerebral palsy and is mostly confined to a wheelchair. He has participated for several years in numerous myTeamTriumph (mTT) 5Ks, Marathons and Triathlons being pushed by able-bodied athletes. Inspired by mTT, Johnny and his Dad began doing 5Ks, marathons and triathlons on their own. This ultimately led to Johnny setting a goal most would have thought to be impossible. He wanted to walk a mile in a race. Up to that point, his longest "walk" aided by a walker was 20 steps. Through hard work and a habilitative-educational program called the Conductive Learning Center in Grand Rapids, MI, he competed in his first race using his walker. This 5K was covered by local media, WOOD TV8, and soon gained national attention when it was featured on ESPN's E:60 show which chronicled his transition from wheelchair-bound participant to actually competing as he finished the "Final Mile".
Related Links:Do Less So God Can Do More
Popular speaker, Billie Jauss, shares how to make room for God in her latest book. Every believer experiences dry seasons in their lifetimes when you're doing all the right things but feel painfully disconnected from God. Bible study? Check. Volunteer ministry? Check. Daily quiet time? Check. But nothing seems to be working.
While most of Billie Jauss's adult life has been filled with the adventure and excitement of being married to a professional baseball coach, it took a quiet Sunday morning to propel her on the spiritual journey of a lifetime.
Now, her passion is for everyone to experience God's immeasurably more—just as she has Don't let your busy life get in the way of your connection with God.
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