Don't Mom Alone Podcast

Wild and Free Hayley Morgan Ep 118

He makes beautiful things out of dust. That includes me. And you. Today’s podcast guest, Megan Craig, reminds of us of this Truth when she repurposes metal and gemstones into new creations. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is gone away, behold, the new has come!” {2 Corinthians 5:17} Back in 2012, Megan started the company New Eve Jewelry, “which got its name from Eve in the Bible – God’s first woman. She gets a bad rap, but the truth is that God redeemed her, sending Jesus to bear the punishment for her rebellion. From the moment Eve ran back to God, He made her new. Each piece of New Eve Jewelry, handcrafted with repurposed materials and semiprecious gemstones, serves as a reminder of this. No matter what we’ve done or what our circumstances look like, rich new life can always be found in Jesus.” Maybe that’s what you need to hear today. That God is continually making you new. He is doing the work, in His never-ending, merciful way. Which means you haven’t fallen too far. You haven’t failed too often. You aren’t forgotten. He sees the beauty in you and only needs you to surrender to the gentle transforming work of His crafting hands. In this episode, Megan and I chat about her journey starting a business. And how the people around us believe in our potential more than we do. We spend time talking about ethical purchasing. How we want to make good shopping decisions but often don’t know where to go. Thankfully Megan lists some fab fair trade companies. Lastly, we discuss the work-at-home mom challenges. And how we can make any job harder with the burdens we add to the calling. With Mother’s Day only a few weeks away I want to make sure y’all have some great gift options, either for yourself or your mom/MIL/Grandma. Check out these New Eve Jewelry pieces all under $40 (+ S/H) and I’ve included the Scriptural inspiration Megan used for each: Horizon Amethyst + Monogram Necklace $38 “Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” {Hos 6:3} Consider the Lilies Earrings $28 “Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” {Luk 12:27} Marvelous Light Bracelet $38 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” {1 Peter 2:9} Warrior Arrow Studs $18 “Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth.” {Psa 127:4} Megan has MANY more gorgeous pieces on her site. AND until May 3rd, she is offering listeners 15% off (with a special discount code mentioned in the show).  Definitely also check out the fair trade companies linked below. So many great gift options! Oh, Megan wrote a great post with a Mother’s Day Ethical Gift Guide). Connect with Megan:

Made New Megan Craig Ep 117

Paralyzed by fear. Driven by feelings. Ready to throw in the towel. Do you relate to any of these statements? (Raising my hand.) Today’s podcast guest is Shelene Bryan, former Hollywood producer and author of new book, “Ridiculous Faith”. This mom of two teenagers can preach. And the Biblical truth she shares reminds us that the God who moves mountains is on our side.  He is in the victory business. We just need to keep our eyes fixed on Him and not our fears of failure.   My fear isn’t that moms are going to fail. But that we are going to succeed at things which don’t matter In this episode Shelene shares her story of starting Skip1 ministries. And how she learned to trust God when her kids wanted to join her in the journey. She inspired me to love God and love others, not with word but deed. This quote about did me in: The only thing our kids need to know is to follow hard after Christ. Who cares if they go to Harvard if they are going to Hell. (Drop the mic.) If you need a centering pep talk, then this episode is for you. Focusing your eyes on who God is and allowing Him to work through you and your kids. Instead of fearing, protecting and crafting a “perfect” future for your family, you can serve, surrender and allow God to be the hero of your story. Connect with Shelene:      What we chat about: * Benefit of having mom friends in a stage ahead of you. * Insight for the mom deciding whether to stay home full-time. * Following the two commands God has given us, instead of pursuing a formula. * Shelene’s story of traveling to Africa to meet her sponsored kids and launching Skip1.org * Tips to help your kids choose generosity. * Help for moms paralyzed by fear. * Ways in which God uses our kids in spite of us. * Pursuing God’s mission for your own life and inviting your kids along. * Answering the question: “What would you want your kids to know if you were never going to see them again?” * Discerning what to say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to based on your answer. * Choosing fact over feelings. Links Mentioned: * Skip1.org * Barbara Cameron * Video of Blake Bryan’s Senior Float Skip * “Ridiculous Faith: Experience the Power of an Absurdly, Unbelievably Good God” by Shelene Bryan** * “Love, Skip, Jump” by Shelene Bryan** **Amazon affiliate link How to listen to the podcast: 1.Listen on the blog. Click through to GodCenteredMom.com and click the play button at the beginning of this post. 2. Listen on your smartphone, iPad or iPod Touch – There are a lot of great podcasting apps. Apple has a free one (that I mentioned) in the app store, there is also one called Downcast.

Ridiculous Faith Shelene Bryan Ep 116

I love and hate stuff. Almost daily, the boys hear me grumble as I walk through the house picking up all. the. things. Yes, I am very grateful for the blessings God has given us. But often I wonder if “more” actually robs us of joy — the management of stuff taking priority over enjoying life. It’s not just our home that’s cluttered. As the end of the school year approaches the calendar seems stuffed, too. We could talk for days about my cluttered mind. . . Today’s podcast guest is Ruth Soukup, New York Times Best Selling author of the book, “Unstuffed”**. She gets to the heart of why our lives can be overwhelming and full. Ruth clearly states she is not a de-cluttering expert, but a fellow journeyer. Helping us come up with simple solutions for challenges and redirecting our focus on what matters most.       Ruth and I have a fun time laughing and commiserating in this episode. We jump from topic to topic, things like: the challenge of managing our kid’s stuff, keeping junk out of our houses, and avoiding a ‘do it yourself’ mindset. (Oh, and Cabbage Patch Dolls, of course). We also spend time talking about the “Basic Rules of Real Relationships”. I mention a chart in the book which helps friends discuss relationship imbalances. On the chart Ruth gives terms and conversation starters for when friendships are struggling. With the goal of helping develop grace and depth in relationships. Lastly, I appreciate Ruth vulnerably sharing a hard part of her past. With her boldness, my hope is you find a sister who understands the weight of this world. Who has found God to be faithful and experienced the truth of knowing who she is in Him when all else is goes away. Ruth has written a wonderful resource in this book. AND she has a great giveaway you’ll want to check out on her site. You could win a $2,500 closet makeover from ClosetMaid! (Giveaway ends April 20th). Check out more details here. Connect with Ruth:      What we chat about: * How clutter in any area of our life (home, mind, soul) can cause meltdowns * Why we have the increased urge to de-clutter in Spring. * Managing your kids’ stuff and how personality contributes. * 3 ways to stop the flow of stuff coming in your home. * How a “do it yourself” mentality contributes to added life clutter. * Ruth’s vulnerable story of battling depression–which includes suicide attempts, hospitalization, bankruptcy and divorce. * Evaluating friendships and growing in grace and depth. Links Mentioned: * “Unstuffed” book** * KonMari Method from “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”** * Read more details about Ruth’s Amazing Grace story here * If you struggle with depression/suicidal thoughts, please speak with a friend, counselor, pastor, or call the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). **Amazon affiliate link How to listen to the podcast: 1.Listen on the blog. Click through to GodCenteredMom.

Unstuffed Ruth Soukup

Wherever you are. Whatever your circumstances. How do you decide to experience joy in it? I know for me, even when everything is going well, I can “miss the silver lining by expecting gold.” Today’s episode is different than any I’ve done before. I’m chatting with author, Mary Carver, about the lessons she learned from her friend, Sara Frankl (a.k.a., “Gitzen Girl”). For almost two decades, Sara endured a painful autoimmune disease, which eventually led to her death at the age of thirty-eight. She was confined to her condo for much of that time. And the life she had hoped for was never realized. But Sara’s ability to choose joy in the midst of all the suffering became contagious. Her decision to “live the best life with what she had in the moment” inspired others to do the same. And now Sara’s story and thoughts carry on in “Choose Joy”, the book Mary co-authored. In this episode, Mary and I chat about Sara’s decision to not allow her confinement and pain to steal her joy. And all the lessons moms can apply from Sara’s journey. At the end of the episode, I share a few of my own thoughts on how having high expectations and fixating on flaws can lead to divisive relationships instead of loving ones. Connect with Mary: What we chat about: * Who is Sara Frankl and how did Mary get to know her. * Sara’s decision to choose joy, not in spite of circumstances, but because of them. * The challenge when our expectations aren’t realized. * The decision to live the best life with what we have and see the blessings. * How friends can have lives that look different on the outside but similar struggles. * How you can choose joy when you trust God implicitly. * How to serve others from a confined place/bed. * The value of giving someone your full attention–being present and “all in”. * Lessons stay-at-home moms can learn from Sara. Links Mentioned: * Sara Frankl’s blog * “Choose Joy” by Sara Frankl and Mary Carver** * Kay Wyma- (Ep 85) I’m Happy for You  (Sort of. . .Not Really) * Trinity Forum Booklets **Amazon affiliate link How to listen to the podcast: 1.Listen on the blog. Click through to GodCenteredMom.com and click the play button at the beginning of this post. 2. Listen on your smartphone, iPad or iPod Touch – There are a lot of great podcasting apps. Apple has a free one (that I mentioned) in the app store, there is also one called Downcast. It allows you to search for shows, subscribe to them and even speed up the audio. If you don’t have an iDevice, you can listen via Stitcher. 3. Subscribe to the Podcast – access the podcast in iTunes (Click here to access via iT...

Miss the Silver Lining by Expecting Gold Mary Carver Ep 114

Teens. Toddlers. Moms. No matter the age. We all struggle to remember (or know) the truth about who God says we are. And our position in Christ. When we forget, we let friends, circumstances, or lies feed our souls with identity. And that takes us down the path of uncertainty,  harmful activities and a broken path. Thankfully, today’s guest, Kristen Hatton, helps “Get Your Story Straight”.   When her daughter was in 6th grade, Kristen started teaching her and a group of friends truth from the Bible. Unfortunately, there weren’t a lot of great resources available for preteens/teens. So she used notes for her husband’s sermons and wrote her own Bible study. (click here to check it out)** In this episode, Kristen and I talk about the struggle for our kids to know how “justification” applies to daily life. (And define what ‘justification’ means). We also chat about how to help teens navigate the challenges of social media. And Kristen vulnerably shares her daughter’s battle with an eating disorder (which began with internalizing social media posts). Lastly, Kristen helps us start to keep communication open with our kids. So when they are teens they will keep talking. I’m in the stage with lots of little people all trying to be with me and talk to me (at the same time). But after three blinks I’ll have a home full of teen boys. The time I spend listening now will impact how much they talk to me in the future. Very thankful for the help, perspective and wisdom from Kristen. Now I can see the teenage years as an age of opportunity not a season to be feared. Connect with Kristen: What we chat about: * How quickly our kiddos grow into teenagers. * How Kristen saw a need for good bible study materials for teens. * Helping our kids be anchored in who God says we are (not who their friends on social media says they are). * Importance of teaching our kids the concept of justification. * When the world is measuring perfection and performance but we know we are only perfect in Christ. * How to communicate worth and identity to our kids. * Why teens stop talking to their parents. * Listening and asking probing questions. * Responding with grace instead of condemnation. * How internalizing social media posts led to her daughter’s eating disorder. * How boys struggle with social media. * How Kristen talks to her kids about the impact of social media. * Talking to your sons & daughters about pornography. Keeping an open conversation. * Reorienting your kids to the message of the gospel, moment-to-moment Links Mentioned: * Get Your Story Straight: A Teen’s Guide to Learning and Living the Gospel by Kristen Hatton** * The depressing Eggo commercial * Why Teens Don’t Talk to Their Parents * Connected Families–Jim & Lynn Jackson (Ep 80)–“You are Safe” message * Birds and Bees? Oh Help Me, Please with Mary Flo Ridley {Ep 25} * Eating Disorder...

Get Your Story Straight Kristen Hatton Ep 113

Bruce hasn’t been on the show since Episode 38. And that just doesn’t seem right. So today (on my birthday!!) I’m chatting with my hubby about what we’ve been up to lately. In particular, the last year learning more about our strengths and our boys’ strengths. In that self-discovery process we found “intentionality” low on both Bruce & my strengths list. Which means we aren’t chore chart kinda people. And our home reflected that lack of responsibility training. One weekend while I was on a craft retreat Bruce decided to try something he learned at a work conference. He calls it “goals and roles”. What if as a family we communicated our goals to each other and held each other accountable?  What if we made the roles of each person more clear and gave them ownership fulfill those roles?  Lastly, what if we aligned those goals and roles to the unique strengths of each person (our superpowers)? God made every single person on this planet unique. I believe He planned in advance a purpose for each person to accomplish. Thankfully, He specifically equipped each of us for that purpose. Each of us are unique, and especially in the case of children they have natural strengths that are not yet fully developed.  We can identify these strengths – such as “making new friends”, “power of persuasion” and “persistence”. Instead of seeing the ‘Achilles Heel’ side of a strength, what if we embraced it and helped develop it. Believing a hope-filled truth instead of a toxic thought. As you listen to this episode I don’t want you to compare and contrast your family to ours. Instead I hope our story empowers you to discover each of your family member’s superpowers. And figure out how y’all function best to fulfill what God has planned for your family to do. That may just be using charts. Or not. **With Easter this coming weekend, if you are looking for a Christ-centered way to do Easter baskets. . .check out this oldie but goodie blog post: “Making Easter Personal for Preschoolers”. What we chat about: * What Bruce has learned from reading presidential biographies sequentially. * Our nerdy obsession with StrengthsFinder. * How Bruce applied “Goals & Roles” to helping teach our boys responsibility (and be more intentional ourselves). * Labeling our kiddos superpowers. * Believing hope-filled truth instead of toxic thoughts about our boys. Links Mentioned: * Bruce’s previous two episodes: Family Mission Trips (Ep 5) & Demanding Jobs (Ep 38) * StrengthsFinder  * Strength Explorer for kid * Amazon Echo * Evernote app * Connected Families * Casting a Vision for your challenging child How to listen to the podcast: 1.Listen on the blog.

Goals, Roles and Superpowers

Don’t be fooled by the title of this podcast. Even if you’re not a pastor’s wife you’re gonna be glad you listened to this episode. Like other “That’s Me” episodes I am chatting with a listener. And interspersed with our conversation, a mentor comes on and answers the listener’s questions. Today, those two ladies, Mary Beth and Kathy Litton, are both pastor’s wives. In fact, Kathy is the NAMB National Director of Ministry to Pastor’s Wives. (In this episode you’ll hear a little of her hard story. . . of being a pastor’s wife, then widow, then how God unexpectedly brought her into the pastor’s wife role again).   Both women are wise leaders who share great thoughts on: friendships, vulnerability, mentors, and time commitments. Have you ever wondered when to be authentic and when to keep info to yourself? How much of a situation to share with a friend? How to find a safe mentor, one who will give insight but not share your story with others? Then this episode is for you. This quote from Kathy helps answer the question of when to be transparent: Vulnerability is a risk we take for a greater good. Boom. If it’s not helpful, don’t put it out there. And then Mary Beth shares this quote: God has promised to supply all of your needs. What we don’t have now, we don’t need now. -Elisabeth Elliot Now I needed to hear those words. The episode ends with both women reminding us to seek first the Kingdom of God and all else will follow. Sounds pretty God-centered to me. Connect with Kathy Litton (& Flourish): Site :: Facebook :: Twitter :: Instagram What we chat about: MaryBeth’s Questions:  * How do you know when it’s appropriate to share a struggle and when to stay guarded? * Should a mentor come from within the church or should she go without one? * How should she handle wanting to be a part of a regular group of women but not wanting to lead the group? * What does it look like to have a friend in or outside the church when you are a pastor’s wife? Kathy’s Answers:  * The unexpected road God has taken Kathy on, from Pastor’s wife to widow to Pastor’s wife again. * Discerning a church culture’s transparency and vulnerability. * How our maturity in leadership frees us from the burden of setting an example. * Vulnerability is a risk we take for the greater good. * Taking time to discern a safe person to be a mentor. * What makes a person a safe person. * The lack of available mentors. * Being willing to have friendships at different levels. * Look for friends in a variety of places, surrounding your interests. * Being aware of your capacity when evaluating taking on responsibilities. Other topics we cover:  * Leaning on God to meet your needs. * Investing in the people who are in your life. Links Mentioned: * Katie Orr — Hear about her 15 minute a day, inductive Bible Study method on Episode 101 * Flourish –an equipping community for ministry wives * Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteo...

That's Me Pastor's Wife MaryBeth Kathy