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
The Thriving Beyond Belief podcast this week featuring: Jason Thacker. Jason is an expert on current trends in AI. He is one of the authors of the Evangelical Statement of Principles on Artificial Intelligence and is the creative director and associate research fellow at the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.
In The Age of AI, Thacker thoughtfully explores the social, moral, and ethical challenges of our interactions with AI, which most of us now interact with constantly, often without even realizing it.
Thacker explains how AI affects our:
Kreis Beall is the co-founder of Blackberry Farm, an award-winning Relais & Chateaux resort in East Tennessee and one of the nation's premier destinations. Entrepreneurial and artistic, Kreis expresses her passion for life in a wide range of pursuits, from running an inn to designing beautiful spaces--many of which have been featured in leading home magazines for decades. Born in Tennessee, Kreis is the mother of two sons and a grandmother of seven, and a long-term survivor of traumatic brain injury. When she isn't writing or speaking about her book, Kreis is working on design projects, traveling with friends, spending time with her grandchildren, or dancing in the kitchen as she cooks.
Related Links:This week on the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast, Esther Fleece Allen!
Esther Fleece's success and influence as a millennial leader have come not only courtesy of professional acumen, but personal experience. It is through the tragedies and triumphs of her own life – some of which she has shared as a highly sought-after international speaker – that she has established authority and authenticity with people from all walks of life.
She shares those experiences in greater depth than ever before in her first book, No More Faking Fine (Zondervan), in the hope that readers will apply the events and learnings of her life to their own disappointments and injuries, resulting in new hope, healing and health.
In addition to writing and speaking, Fleece is founder and CEO of L&L Consulting, Inc., where she helps new and established Christian ministries develop innovative strategies for non-profit sustainability, new business development, next generation outreach, marketing and communications and relationship brokering. She is recognized as a trailblazer among millennials, working for over a decade to connect influential individuals and organizations across generations to their mutual benefit. Fleece is a committee member for the Alliance for The Peace of Jerusalem, an organization dedicated to facilitating a better public understanding of the complexities of the Middle East.
CNN has called Fleece one of "Five Women to Watch in Religion," USA Today has named her one of the "New Faces of Evangelicalism" and Christianity Today and Outreach magazine have also singled her out for her high-profile work. Her insights into the experiences and aspirations of millennials have appeared in The Washington Post, CNN as well as in Barna Research President David Kinnaman's book You Lost Me: Why Young Christians are Leaving Church and Rethinking Faith.
Fleece is a graduate of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics Business Program, where she met her husband Joel. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications from Oakland University and is currently in Seminary studying Women's Leadership.
This week on the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast, Lauren Mones!
A note from our founder.Hi, welcome! I wholeheartedly believe in the healing power of plants. As a young girl I would take refuge in Nature. The natural world was the safest place for me to be me. I felt a deep connection to the life force of the forest, lake, mountains and ocean. Little did I know as a young girl how this powerful connection would heal my body.
I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease in 2014At the time, I was what some people considered "Uber healthy". I was racing triathlons. A normal workout day consisted of running, swimming and biking for up to 6 hours per day. I ate a mostly clean diet. I had a great career as a nationally certified Occupational Therapist. My personal relationships with family and friends were solid. But I began to show signs of terrible gut health. I was sick. Very sick.
Chronic disease with no cure and a life time of medication?You can imagine my shock after my first colonoscopy. When the post drug drowsiness wore-off, the physician whispered in my ear "this is a life-long disease with no cure. You will need to be heavily medicated for the rest of your life." I was then told to go home, take my medication and eat anything I wanted, that food had nothing to do with the activity of the disease. My physician encouraged me that I would be able to "live an average life with Crohns".
faith in the healing power of food and a new way of lifeWell, that didn't sound exactly right to me. I didn't know anything about Crohn's at the time, but what I did know, is that food, in particular plants, have always had a healing effect on me. And I've never been one to live an average life. That fueled my fire! I changed everything. I eliminated inflammatory foods and added more foods that were closest to nature. I managed stress levels better with personal growth practices. I became particular about my circle of people with whom I interacted everyday. I ended toxic relationships.
A simple jar of sauerkraut changed everythingOne of the biggest shifts came to me when I bought and consumed my first jar of sauerkraut. I felt a huge surge of energy. I was intrigued. I began diving head first into the art of fermentation and gut health.
I began making sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, kombucha. I started studying the microbiome in depth. Not only was my body healing with these foods but I developed an absolute awe for the microbial world. A world that is teeming with life. A world of balance, symbiosis and chaos. A world that I couldn't touch, see, hear, or smell but was doing wonders for my body/mind/ Spirit.
Living, medicinal foods transformed me from the inside outI threw away all of my medications and committed to a path of the Warrior. And then the most amazing thing began to happen. I started to really trust in my body's own healing capacity. I continuously practiced slowing down to learn and listen to what I needed. I trusted. I trusted. And I trusted. Even in the face of fear, I chose to trust. Fermenting Fairy was born from this place of trusting my own inner compass and a deep desire to share these living, fermented, medicinal foods with you. Nothing makes me happier than knowing you are feeling your best and that Fermenting Fairy is part of your journey to the healthiest and most vibrant you!
Why Choose Fermenting Fairy?This week on the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast, Debra Fileta!
Whether you're single, dating, engaged or married – the quality of your relationships impacts the quality of your life. Healthy relationships are vital to healthy living. Licensed professional counselor and relationship expert, Debra Fileta, has observed countless relationships at various stages and has guided clients through each one.
In her upcoming book, Love in Every Season: Understanding the Four Stages of Every Healthy Relationship (January 14, 2020), Fileta shares that each relationship goes through four life-changing seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.
Just as nature cycles through seasons, relationships rotate through stages that can either make or break your love life. Each season plays an important role in taking a relationship to the next level, and depending on how you navigate each season, your relationship will either flourish and grow or slowly die.
Spring: The season of rapid growth where friendship blossoms and attraction blooms.
Summer: The season when things get hot physically, emotionally and spiritually, but if you're not careful, you can end up getting burned in the heat of summer.
Fall: The seasons where your true colors begin to vulnerably shine through, as you learn the art of building trust through healthy conflict and communication.
Winter: The season when things begin to cool down, and your relationship is either strengthened with the passing of time and the comfort of familiarity, or it begins to freeze over.
Fileta believes that so many people fail to recognize these important seasons, and in turn, fail to learn and grow through them. In the book, she shares about everything from the importance of developing emotional intimacy, to assessing your conflict style, to the many aspects of attraction, to navigating a lack of excitement in a relationship and everything in between. She offers hope that no matter what season you're currently in, it can be used to enrich your life and deepen your relationships. Because seasons are meant to be passed through again, and again, and again.
Love in Every Season teaches that healthy relationships are something you make, not something you find, and that even in seasons of pain and difficulty, there is unseen work being accomplished.
No matter what age or stage you're in as you navigate through friendship, family, dating or marriage, each relationship offers opportunities to open your heart and stretch your love. Readers will learn that recognizing patterns of each season and understanding how to navigate each one with intention is important to the health of any relationship.
About the Author
Debra Fileta is a Licensed Professional Counselor, national speaker, relationship expert, and author of Choosing Marriage and True Love Dates. She's also the host of the hotline style Love + Relationships Podcast. Her popular relationship advice blog, TrueLoveDates.com, reaches millions of people with the message of healthy relationships. Connect with her on Facebook or Instagram @TrueLoveDates, or book a session with her today at TrueLoveDates.com.
This week on the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast, Gary Thomas!
Can't wait for you to hear this interview! Get you paper and pen handy!
Your life's calling is too important to let toxic people take it away. In When to Walk Away, Gary Thomas - bestselling author of Sacred Marriage - draws from biblical and modern stories to equip you with practical insights to dealing with difficult people in your life and live true to your God-given purpose.
As Christians, we often feel the guilt and responsibility of meeting the needs of unhealthy people in our lives. Whether a sibling, parent, spouse, coworker, or friend, toxic people always seek to frustrate our life's calling. While you're seeking first God's kingdom, they're seeking first to distract your focus and delay your work.
Instead of attempting the impossible task of mollifying toxic people, it's time we dedicate our energy to the only worthwhile effort: completing the work God has given us. It's only when we learn to say no to bad patterns can we say yes to the good God has planned for us.
Gary Thomas is a writer in residence at Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, and an adjunct faculty member teaching on spiritual formation at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon and Houston Theological Seminary in Houston, Texas. He is the author of 19 books, including Sacred Marriage, Sacred Pathways, Cherish, Sacred Parenting, and the Gold Medallion Award-winning Authentic Faith. He has a master's degree from Regent College, where he studied under Dr. J.I. Packer, and was awarded an honorary doctorate in divinity from Western Seminary. Gary has spoken in 49 states and 10 different countries. He has appeared numerous times on various national radio and television programs, including CBN, Focus on the Family and Family Life Today.
This week on the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast, Daniel & Brittany Price Brooker!
This week on the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast, Paul David Tripp!
Dr. Paul David Tripp is a pastor, event speaker, and a best-selling and award-winning author. With more than 30 books and video series on Christian living, Paul's driving passion is to connect the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life.
Paul was born in Toledo, Ohio, and his parents had recently come to faith in Christ and were very excited about parenting as believers. Even though the Tripp's were committed to having daily family worship and attending church whenever the doors were open, Paul's family was not without significant struggle. God used these experiences to build in Paul a desire to see the Gospel applied to the realities of life in a fallen world.
Paul attended Columbia Bible College (now Columbia International University) and majored in Bible and Christian Education. He went on to receive his M.Div from the Reformed Episcopal Seminary and his D.Min in Biblical Counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary.
Throughout his life, Paul has planted a church, founded a Christian school, wrote worship songs and toured with a Christian band. He was a faculty member at the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF) for many years, a lecturer in Biblical Counseling at Westminster Theological Seminary, a Visiting Professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a pastor at Tenth Presbyterian Church.
Paul launched his own ministry in 2006. He lives in Philadelphia and is hopelessly in love with his wife, Luella. They have four grown children.
This week on the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast, Melanie Shankle!
Melanie Shankle, New York Times bestselling author and founder of the Big Mama blog, pens up with humor and great stories about friendship, love and what it takes to be true to yourself, you'll be encouraged to find your way again in a world that can make you feel a little bit crazy.
In On the Bright Side, Melanie reminds us of the unchanging principles we can count on in a changing world. These are lessons that Melanie has learned along the way about how to find all the joy that life has to offer - and why encouragement is never something to keep to ourselves. Exploring topics such as dealing with comparisons, when life doesn't turn out like we expected, and how to find your people, Melanie invites us to lead with love in all areas of our lives.
This delightful memoir, with a foreword by Jen Hatmaker, highlights the joys of life told in Melanie's down to earth, relatable and totally enjoyable style. On the Bright Side is a how-to guide to knowing - and living - what matters most.
Melanie Shankle writes regularly at The Big Mama blog and is the New York Times bestselling author of four previous books. Melanie is a graduate of Texas A&M and loves writing, shopping at Target, checking to see what's on sale at Anthropologie and trying to find the lighter side in every situation. Most of all, she loves being the mother of Caroline, the wife of Perry and the official herder of two wild dogs named Piper and Mabel. The five of them live in San Antonio, Texas.
This week on the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast, Kelly Minter!
FROM KELLY:
"My parents raised me along with my three younger siblings in Northern Virginia, which is an important distinction because it means D.C. metro, traffic, and politics more than the Blue Ridge Mountains. In the Minter home, although our family didn't always get it right, we mostly got it real. As a child, I struggled with acute anxiety and waves of depression before I or the people around me had much language or help for such things. The Word of God became my balm. This is one of the reasons I love the Bible so.
In my twenties, I moved to the Nashville after signing a record deal. Soon after unloading all my belongings, I got used to the perks of the south—a then slower pace and novelties like cheese grits. If I'd written the rest of the story, the next few paragraphs would include the heights of happiness and fulfillment as a result of success and notoriety. But that's not what happened.
I poured myself into three records—but instead of fame and fortune, pretty much everything I'd put my hope in unraveled before me. I eventually ended up with an opportunity to write a book, which is now out of print—so that went well, too. I was looking to people, career paths, and success to fill me, but whatever splashed into my bucket only leaked out. I had a bunch of those 'cracked cisterns' in my heart that are mentioned in Jeremiah—the kind that obviously don't hold water. Maybe you can relate?
Around that time LifeWay asked if I'd be interested in writing a Bible study. I was equal parts thrilled and overwhelmed by the opportunity. (This was around the same time when I'd run into people I hadn't seen in a while and they'd say encouraging things like, "Oh do you still live here?") Since the Lord was deconstructing just about every false god I had in my life at the time, I wrote about what I knew and what I needed to learn—the idols I was trusting for worth and meaning. I thought it a good idea to invite real people to my house to pilot the material I was writing—people who would tell me the truth. We cooked and ate together, dug through Bible passages with intensity, prayed with one another, and laughed for hours. (That was before everyone started having kids). Shortly thereafter, No Other Gods was published.
What followed, quite unexpectedly for me, were invitations to speak at churches across the country, a few more books, teaching local Bible studies, and the opportunity to lead worship at my home church and abroad. So did a trip down the Amazon in a riverboat. As in…the real one in the jungle, my friends. I'd been invited on a riverboat adventure to serve the forgotten people of the jungle. My comfortable, western lifestyle and mindset was challenged at every turn. Since then, I've traveled to the jungle numerous times with an organization called Justice & Mercy International, and I've since written a book about it. I sit on the board of JMI, and I'm a passionate supporter and participant of their annual jungle pastors' conference. The invitation to be on mission with God, both here and abroad, is one of the greatest joys of my life.
Today I'm grateful for the opportunities to study and teach the Word of God—the very words that have changed my life. I'm also thankful to be singing and writing music, bringing it all together at an event called Cultivate. Other joys include teaching the Bible to the younger generation and serving them coffee in weighty diner mugs (the younger generation must understand the weight of the diner mug—pun absolutely intended). I adore community, which naturally means I'm zealous for all things food, cooking, and gardening. I've adopted the southern love of college football. I am an ecstatic aunt of six nieces and nephews who say things like, "You're the best Kelly ever," even when I don't feel like it. In all things, I delight in the person of Jesus in whom is found the only redemption this world has ever known. My joy is to know Him, talk about Him, and teach the Word that is all about Him.
As you wander over these webpages and maybe even go through a book or Bible study, I hope you taste the sweet joy of Jesus and feel a warm welcome from Nashville.
- Kelly
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
