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. 

On today’s episode of as we press, I am sitting down with John Avant, President of Life Action Ministries, and his wife, Donna, to talk about knowing God’s will. At times, discerning God's will for our lives at times can seem intimidating, but perhaps it isn’t meant to be. How can we learn how to hear from God and his recognize his leading? Where do we start? How can we practically apply the Bible to our day to day lives and future? What would it look like to live out the call of the Great Commission in the midst of a pandemic, national unrest and protests?

The Avant’s are also sharing from their own experiences on how God has called them to deeper faith and trust. Their “yes” to God’s leadings has led them to experience his faithfulness like never before. They also share specific encouragement for pastors and their wives as they talk about this being “one of the hardest times to be in ministry.”

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.