On today’s episode, I am chatting with Fred and Pauletta Meek on the topic of our past. Sometimes it can be easy to reason away how God could use and redeem our past, especially when it includes areas we wish were not a part of. But if we humble ourselves, and trust Him to work as He can, He will use it all…even the ugly or undesirable to draw people into His kingdom.

What did life look like before you came to know Jesus? How did he first begin to work to draw you to himself? How did the Lord open the door for you to go to prison? What about the listener who feels tarnished or even disqualified by their past…can you speak to the enemy component in these lies as well as the truth of God’s Word? How can we learn to hold our days more “open-handedly” allowing the Lord to redirect and teach us?

We are continuing in our series entitled “on mission” strategically evaluating how God desires to leverage every aspect of our lives for his glory and kingdom opportunities.

Today I am chatting with Joe and Stephanie Hopson on how God can use our homes to partner in sharing His love with others. Sometimes it all it takes is just opening our door…being available for friends or neighbors, having another family over for dinner, or walking down the road of fostering and adoption.   

Is it possible for joy and chaos to exist together in our homes? How can we practically counsel our hearts on the days that seem hard and beyond doable?  Reflecting back, how have you seen the Lord prepare your hearts for the work he has set before you?  As you choose to take those faith steps of obedience, what has caught you by surprise in how the Lord has worked? How has the Lord worked in the lives of your children as you have opened your home?

We are continuing on in our seriest entitled “on mission” strategically evaluating how God desires to leverage every aspect of our lives for his glory and kingdom opportunities. 

I am chatting today with my friend Andrea and her friend Jessica about the topic of prodigals.

How can we walk through tough seasons with our kids? How can we remain anchored when it feels like the rug has been pulled out from under our feet? What does this look like on a day-to-day basis? How can we find people we can trust and confide in?

Parenting can be one of the most humbling adventures we walk in life, can’t it? Each family is different, as is each child. I am hopeful that this conversation will encourage each of us, no matter where we are in our relationships with our kids. I recognize there are listeners out there who are still praying over their prodigal children and have yet to see any signs of repentance…while Andrea and Jessica’s story may be a little different than the one you are currently walking, I am praying that the Lord would use their words and biblical counsel to bring encouragement in your heart to keep your eyes on him.

We are not going to go into great detail, but just want to let you know that some of today’s content may not be suitable for younger children.

I am excited about how the Lord will meet each of us in today’s episode…thanks for joining in!

I am chatting with Caleb Bazyler and Cortlyn Holdren, both 3rd-year medical students, about “even our shorter seasons”. Sometimes it can be easy to reason away the importance of shorter seasons of life or just get so focused on the “what’s next” but as we read throughout scripture, God has purpose in all of our days. We are going to dive deeper into how we can view these from His perspective, love others well, and seek His agenda for today.

How can we look at our shorter seasons differently than with just a “get through” mentality? How can we learn to embrace what God has in today and not just fixate on the future? How can we love others well while also having our ears open for gospel opportunities? How can we walk into gospel conversations without being intimidated?

We are continuing in our series “on mission”…strategically evaluating how every facet of our lives can be used for kingdom purposes and gospel opportunities for His glory.

On today’s episode, I am chatting with Adam Griffin, lead pastor of Eastside Community Church in Dallas, Texas, as we talk about how we can effectively and practically disciple our children. Adam has recently co-authored the book, "Family Discipleship," with Matt Chandler.

Discipleship can be an intimidating. After all, we can be so aware of our own sin and struggles and feel inept and inadequate to lead our children. How beautifully the gospel reminds us the ability to disciple is not sourced in ourselves, but rather Christ! As we grow in our walk with Jesus, we are offered opportunities to invite our children to journey alongside.

What is discipleship and why is it so important? How do we, as parents, begin or even know how to do this? We are talking about practical ways we can disciple and walk into gospel conversation with our children by seizing opportunities within the normal rhythms of our day. Adam is also helping us de-mystify what discipleship is, and how, even unknowingly, we are already discipling our kids on a daily basis in how we treat our spouse, interact with our children and friends and just living life.

Adam has recently co-authored the book, "Family Discipleship," with Matt Chandler. “Pastors Matt Chandler and Adam Griffin have made it their mission to help you develop a sustainable rhythm of gospel-centered discipleship focused in three key areas: time, moments, and milestones. Filled with suggestions, sample plans, and Scripture references, this book begins with the end in mind―equipping you to create a unique plan for your family as you raise your children in the love and fear of the Lord.” (Crossway)

What is the Lord’s design and purpose in grandparenting? What should we strive for in terms of our lasting legacy - both in our family and community? Scripture advocates the importance of “dying to self”…how does this impact our marriages, parenting and grandparenting? What have you discovered over the years that keeps you connected and thriving in your marriage? These are some of the questions we will target in this episode along with their transparency of things they wish they did differently, what the Lord is currently teaching them and how they are choosing each day to come before the Lord and ask “What is it that you would have me to do today?”

How can we balance work, activities outside the home and service to others while also being tuned into the hearts of our kids? How does the Lord use his word to guide us in our role as parents? As our children began to marry, is there a process in learning to let them go….how do we navigate through this or better yet, how does the Lord lead us? They also have a specific word for those walking through infertility and the new mom out there who may feel overwhelmed.

On today’s episode, I am chatting with Bill and Pam Mutz, parents of 12 and grandparents of 27. We dive into life, marriage and raising children with a focus on becoming “difference makers” for the sake of the gospel. This conversation is packed with rich gospel truth and encouragement, practical ways to bring the gospel into our homes and parenting, lots of laughter and even tears as we witness how the Lord can and does work in our hearts.

Today's episode is focusing on the empty nest years and how God can work and use this season of our lives for continued eternal impact. How does the Lord prepare us prior to “officially” entering these years? How can we know what he would have for us? What about the concerns we hear voiced such as becoming "reacquainted with our spouse" or feeling like we have lost our “purpose” with our children gone? For those of us with kids still in the home, how can we set up safeguards in these areas of understandable concern? How might this season allow us to embrace the call of mentorship found in Titus 2 and 2 Timothy 2?

On today’s episode, we are talking about some common perceptions of the teen years but what this season can be looking through the lens of the gospel.  How we can walk alongside and shepherd our children’s hearts in these years?  How can we help them navigate this transition into adulthood?  If more is “caught than taught,” how can we strive to live out an “authentic faith”, an overflow of who Jesus is to us, in front of them?  What about those of us who feel we are too far into these years and have lost too much ground…is there any hope?

It can be easy to set our eyes “outside the home” in terms of “doing important things” but how can we be mindful of our primary mission field being first within the walls of our home? How can we practically lean into walking in the Spirit versus the flesh as we parent-what influences the direction we choose? How does Scripture help us navigate through the times when we mess up and feel like a complete failure? What are some “end goals” of parenting and how might this shape how we fill and walk out our days?

Why do we pray? How can we learn to grow and become passionate in our prayer life? How can we practically carve out time in our busy and full days to pursue God through prayer? How might the Lord be using our hard times to draw us to himself? I am sitting down with two prayer warriors, Billie Sue Raboin and Alicia McMurray to talk about prayer and how we can learn of God's leading for our lives through this avenue. They are also sharing from their own lives and specific examples of how God has dramatically intervened through their prayers.

In this episode, John and Alicia recall God's redemption and restoration of dormant hopes and dreams as they talk about what life looks like now. They passionately share a word to younger couples (John specifically addresses the men) from their own journey. We close the conversation talking about the hard but necessary road of forgiveness and what God is currently teaching them.

What about when we are weary in the “wilderness” experiences life can bring? Is the Lord really at work in these seasons that can seem dry and barren? How do we keep on going? What about when the enemy’s attacks seem relentless; would it be easier to just back away from the “front lines” of following Jesus in abandonment? Would we really miss out on that much?

On today’s episode of as we press, I am sitting down with John and Alicia McMurray as we talk through these different questions in regards to life and relationships. John and Alicia share of the Lord’s great work of preparation in both of their lives, how they navigated through their “wilderness seasons”, God’s strategic placement of friends and family in their lives and how God redeemed and restored in a way that caught them both by surprise.

On today's episode we are talking with Traci Begley about marriage from the wife's perspective. Traci shares from her 32 years of marriage as we talk about navigating through differences, digging into scripture for God's design of marriage and how to handle conflict in front of our children. Traci shares some very personal stories that are packed with great truths of what the Lord has taught her. Traci’s warm personality and heart for Jesus and others to know Him pours forth as she transparently shares of the Holy Spirit’s empowerment to enable us to love our spouse well.

If someone asked, "How is your marriage?"  how would you respond? In today's episode of as we press, we are diving into this series on relationships from the husband's perspective.  How can we learn to love our spouse well?  How do we balance being transparent in our marriage while also maintaining trust with our spouse?  Is there a practical way to gauge and navigate this balance?  What impact does the gospel have upon our marriages?  What is the biblical role of the husband and how can wives come alongside them?   What is important for wives to know from their husband?

On today's episode we are sitting down with Janet Anglin and talking about grace. Janet is a pastor's wife and transparently shares how God kindly opened her eyes to experience His daily grace in a new way. In this episode we are discussing what grace is, how to practically shift from a "doing" for God into a resting in His Spirit to work and accomplish what He desires.