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
Welcome back everyone! Today on the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast is our guest, Jarrett Stephens!
A message of hope for an anxious day: God never changes. He is still here and ready to transform our lives. What we must ask is if we are ready to respond to him.
In these turbulent times, many wonder where God is…and why he doesn't seem to be intervening. Sure, he performed miracles in the Bible, but what about now? What about us? In The Always God: He Hasn't Changed and You Are Not Forgotten (Jun 1, 2021, Multnomah), Pastor Jarrett Stephens reveals how God is always present, always working, and always faithful.
In The Always God, Jarrett, pastor of Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston, Texas,gives hope to those who think God has given up on us. It invites us to quiet ourselves and listen to the God who does not change or forget us. Not ever. And that changes everything.
Jarrett asks readers: Do you wonder if God has forgotten you?
He responds, "I wrote this book for you because I've been where you are. As a pastor, I walk with people who are where you are: in the midst of a trial, needing to be reminded that our God is always God and needing to be invited to journey with him to a place of greater assurance and intimacy. Regardless of how things may seem, he is always the same and can always be trusted."
Jarrett shares moments of his wild and sometimes painful journey, including:
Bringing sound biblical teaching along with comforting guidance, he can help your audience answer such questions as: Is God listening and does he see me? Can I have an unwavering confidence that God is always here and always working? Can I get to a place where, no matter what happens, doubt won't overtake me?
Jarrett's prayer is that every reader will discover in a very personal and powerful way just how faithful the always God really is.
Jarrett Stephens is the senior pastor of Champion Forest Baptist Church, in Houston, Texas, one of the largest and most diverse churches in America, and he is the author of The Mountains Are Calling.Previously, he served as a teaching pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church alongside Dr. Jack Graham. He has a bachelor of arts in biblical studies and psychology from Ouachita Baptist University, a master of divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a doctorate of ministry from Liberty Theological Seminary. Jarrett has been featured on The 700 Club, I Am Second and dozens of radio and podcast shows.
"In these pages, you'll find empathy, wisdom, encouragement, and a thoroughly biblical perspective for times when God seems distant or disinterested. Jarrett Stephens doesn't flinch as he courageously confronts some of the most nettlesome issues that vex so many followers of Jesus. Whatever you do, don't miss this journey toward wholeness. Let Jarrett lead you to a place of genuine hope and faith!"
—Lee Strobel, bestselling author of The Case for Christ and The Case for Miracles
Welcome back everyone! Today on the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast is our guest, Todd & Brooke Tilghman!
So often we hear "Just keep your eye on the prize!" and "focus on the 'big picture!'" Todd and Brooke Tilghman offer this counter-cultural advice: look for the small things, not the big things––relish each and every small step/moment.
When Todd Tilghman, pastor of two decades and father of eight from Meridian, Mississippi, auditioned for NBC's The Voice, he counted it as a win simply to sing in front of an audience other than family and church members. Despite no music or vocal training, he not only made it through the blind audition––with all four celebrity judges vying to coach him––he also won the show's entire eighteenth season.
In their forthcoming book, Every Little Win: How Celebrating Small Victories can Lead to Big Joy (Thoman Nelson, June 22, 2021), Todd and his wife, Brooke, share how decades of unrelenting challenges have taught them a joyful mindset of embracing not only winning NBC's The Voice, but also "every little win" along the way. This is the first book ever written by a winner of The Voice.
Fans were drawn to Todd's tremendous joy on stage, giving them much-needed inspiration during the hard challenges of a global pandemic. In Every Little Win, Todd and Brooke discuss how their focus on joy and celebrating every little win has helped them to overcome numerous challenges over their twenty-plus-year marriage. Todd and Brooke share the lessons they've learned and the strategies that have moved them from fear to faith to ever-present joy.
They share in the book, "We win as we discover that in God's economy, brokenness leads to beauty, and scarcity to abundance."
Together, Todd and Brooke explain how to find special moments in the middle of ordinary days––from their childhoods to winning NBC's The Voice and "every little win" in between. Through it all, Todd and Brooke count their blessings. This book isn't sugar coated. It's real. It's honest. It's intimate. And it's hopeful.
Related Links:Welcome back everyone! Today on the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast is our guest, Abby Turner!
Before the pandemic led to social gatherings being literally outlawed, the deck was already stacked against the everyday hostess who wanted to practice the discipline of hospitality in her home. A five-course meal? A beautifully curated tablescape? A hand-engraved invitation? A less-than-sparkling-clean home? Real or imagined, lofty prerequisites for entertaining have scared many away from inviting others into their homes and enjoying the unique, divine connection that happens only when people sit down around the table and enjoy a meal together.
Abby Turner, the food blogger and writer behind A Table Top Affair, has made it her mission to help women toss aside the pressures of a Pinterest-perfect dinner party in exchange for meaningful and simple gatherings that feature easy and delicious dishes, allowing hostesses to shift their focus from the food and party preparations to communing with the people who are present.
In her first cookbook, The Living Table: Recipes and Devotions for Everyday Get-Togethers (DaySpring, April 13, 2021), Turner equips women with the tools to live life as God intended around the table: simple, delicious recipes for life's big and small occasions, a practical guide to no-fuss hosting, and devotions and encouragement for the hearts that will gather and be nourished around the table.
"The table is important," writes Turner. "God, in His infinite wisdom, designed the table to be a safe place where the human soul receives healing from past events, forgiveness from past actions, and a deep-seated love that only comes from the presence of God."
As a young professional, Abby found herself working long hours and living alone, with little time for community or friendships. Following her mother's advice, she invited friends into her home and hosted her first dinner party at the age of 24. After four years of learning her way around the kitchen while cooking for her friends, she launched her blog, Pinterest and Instagram pages to encourage people who were stuck in a rut, didn't know how to meet others, and were starving for community. Drawn to the table, Abby hopes that her recipes will inspire others to build their tribe and experience the presence of God, one meal at a time.
About the Author:
Abby Turner is a young professional who is single and loving life as a food blogger, speaker, and writer. Born into a large family, she grew up in Central Arkansas, where she learned the importance of community and Biblical hospitality at a young age. After completing undergraduate degrees at Ouachita Baptist University and obtaining her Master's from Baylor, Abby lived in 6 states in 5 years, learning that community is essential to a healthy relationship with Christ. Over the last few years, Abby has spoken at college/universities, churches, companies and has been featured on regional TV shows and podcasts. Abby's passion is to encourage women to stop wasting time waiting for the perfect family, house, or table and to start opening their homes, cooking for friends and building community. You can learn more about Abby and enjoy even more recipes by visiting her website at atabletopaffair.com.
Related Links:Welcome back everyone! Today on the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast is our guest, Gary Thomas!
Gary's publisher is updating three of his marriage and dating bestsellers – A Lifelong Love: Discovering How Intimacy with God Breathes Passion Into Your Marriage, Sacred Search: What if It's Not about Who You Marry, but Why? and 9 Essential Conversations Before You Say I Do – all releasing April 1.
Topics include:
Welcome back everyone! Today on the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast is our guest, Amy Downs!
Amy was a self-described lazy, college dropout. On April 19, 1995, she was working as a credit card loan officer at the Federal Employees Credit Union located in the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City when she found herself buried alive, upside down, in the basement of a nine-story building. With 168 people killed and more than half of her colleagues dying from the deadliest act of domestic violence in American history, Downs was one of the last people to be pulled out of the rubble alive.
Downs was pulled from the rubble six hours after the bombing took place. She is not a miracle because she survived the bombing. Rather, the transformation that took place in her life after the bombing is her miracle story. Twenty-five years later, Downs is anything but lazy – in fact, she's the CEO of the exact same credit union that crumbled to the ground in 1995. She shares her story in her new book, Hope Is a Verb: My Journey of Impossible Transformation.
Downs became a mom, went back to college, obtained her MBA, lost 200 pounds, and became an Ironman at the age of 50. It was not an overnight transformation - it was the result of hard work, determination, and a near-death scenario that prompted massive change. In the book, she draws parallels between the mental and physical strategies she had to employ to compete in the Ironman Triathlon and the same hard work that she spent working on herself in the 20 years following the bombing, which preceded the competition.
Related Links:Welcome back everyone! Today on the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast is our guest, Hannah Brencher!
Hannah Brencher is a writer, TED Speaker, and mental health advocate with a heart for building leaders. She is the author of two best-selling books- "If You Find This Letter" and her latest book, "Come Matter Here." Her forthcoming book "Fighting Forward" will be available in bookstores everywhere on January 5, 2020.
Related Links:Today on Thriving Beyond Belief, we have Debra Fileta!
According to Fileta, people tend to assume they're okay—until they're not. Becoming healthy is an ongoing process that requires stopping, digging deep and asking the hard questions.
In her new book, Fileta challenges readers to get real with who they are and how they're doing spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically so they can recognize where they need growth and healing. Readers will learn to...
Fileta knows firsthand that being a Christian doesn't automatically make a person healthy. After 10+ years of marriage, 15 years of counseling clients, and four and a half books (she's currently cowriting one with Gary Thomas), she not only possesses the knowledge and experience to coach readers on their journey to becoming more than okay––she has the heart for it. In Are You Really Okay? Fileta reveals some of her own traumas for the first time in print, including a miscarriage that nearly killed her and her deep struggles with both anxiety and depression––writing to her readers as if she were talking to a close friend and yet counseling them with the professional tools they need.
Today on Thriving Beyond Belief, we have Crystal Paine!
Crystal Paine had it all together—a happy marriage, three healthy children, national bestselling books, a wildly successful business, and a mortgage-free home—until suddenly, she didn't. Her world turned upside down the day she learned her child was not only being expelled for bullying others, but was also depressed and suicidal. Sitting in an emergency room with her husband and child, her world crumbling around her, Crystal hit her all-time parenting low—but she also heard the voice of God say "I love you."
"God allowed me to hit rock bottom so that He could help me relearn how to parent,"
writes Paine.
"I realized that most of my parenting had been about me. I was parenting for my own approval and reputation, instead of for my relationship with my kids and for their well-being. I cared more about what others thought than I did about my kids' hearts. I worried more about producing kids who made good decisions than about kids who knew they were wholeheartedly loved."
Throughout the book, Paine shares her own parenting stories—the good, the bad, and the ugly—what she's learned, and how she's shifted into a love-centered model of raising her children. And because you can't give what you don't have, she first had to let God reparent her, relearning to parent from the inside out.
Today on Thriving Beyond Belief, we have Kelsey Chapman!
Let's talk mentoring and mentorship!
Meet Kelsey ChapmanKelsey Chapman is an author, podcaster and personal cheerleader to women building their dream life and business.
When she first launched her own brand in 2015, she felt all the overwhelming feelings, too. It was scary to take such a huge leap and commit to showing up for a dream she didn't know would pan out.
People are CRAVING investment! Don't we all just want someone to step in, help us walk the next few steps in front of us, and offer their wisdom so we can shortcut the distance?
Today on Thriving Beyond Belief, we have Tara-Leigh Cobble!
Despite an early introduction to Christianity, Tara wasted years coasting on the second-hand information she learned from others. In 2008, through the gentle encouragement of a friend, she read all the way through the Bible for the first time. It awakened a recognition of her need to have others walking closely alongside her in my pursuit of God -- people to hold her accountable for scripture memory and Bible reading and all the things that were bringing her so much newfound joy!
Out of that need, Tara started D-Group (Discipleship Group) a handful of college students in 2009 and it has grown into 250+ groups around the world. What she's learned has motivated her to encourage others to pursue relational knowledge of God, because she has found that He is where the joy is! She loves to speak to audiences about God and His Word, and she has written a few books with an aim to point others toward Him through her story as well as their own. She also writes and host a daily podcast called The Bible Recap, which aims to keep people connected to reading the Bible when they're tempted to quit for lack of understanding, as well as a daily radio show called The God Shot.
Tara lives in a concrete box in the skies of Dallas, TX, where she has no spouse, pets, or children -- or anything else that might die if she forget to feed it.
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