Faith in Hard Seasons
Relationships play a central role in our lives, and when they are strained, broken, or changing, the impact can be deeply felt. Whether you are navigating challenges in marriage, family dynamics, parenting, or other relationships, these resources are here to offer biblical wisdom, encouragement, and hope.
Below you’ll find content from across our ministry focused on strengthening relationships and navigating family life with faith and care.
Ask Dr. Betters
Biblical answers to real questions about grief, loss, and suffering
In this episode, Dr. Betters answers the question, "Why would God create a world with so much evil?”
In this episode, Dr. Betters answers the question, "How are we to rejoice in sorrow?"
In this episode, Dr. Betters answers the question, "My friend's dad just died. When I am around my friend, I don't know what to say to her. What do you say to a grieving person?"
In this episode, Dr. Betters answers the question, "I suffer from Chronic Fatigue and I am exhausted all of the time. I’m only in my 40’s but I feel like I am wasting my life…
In this episode, Dr. Betters answers the question, “Does it really matter to pray if we or a loved one is sick? In that God doesn't change his mind. Our lives are already set…does praying to be well actually do any good?”
In this episode, Dr. Betters answers the question, "Hi Dr. Betters, can you explain 1 Samuel 15, where God says to kill all the Amalekites and kill babies, animals, etc.? It's hard to get my head around it. Many thanks."
In this episode, Dr. Betters answers the question, "I feel like God never wanted to save me. Despite my prayers and efforts to connect with Him, I experienced rejection and despair...If He could intervene in my life for other matters, why not for my soul?
In this episode, Dr. Betters answers the question, "Why is the Book of Enoch not considered a true book from God? Did Jesus mention the book of Enoch in Mathew 22: 29-30? If the book of Enoch is not true, then how did Jude refer to Enoch's Prophecy in Jude chapter 1:14-15?"
In this episode, Dr. Betters answers the question, a response to "Is saying Oh my God blasphemy?": "Isn't God a title, not a name? I mean, his name is not God. If you said Jesus, that would be saying his name in vain or saying Yahweh."
In this episode, Dr. Betters answers the question, "How can we be expected to live with a disability that causes us constant pain when heaven is there? How can I not want an end to my pain without going against God's plan for my miserable existence?"
In this episode, Dr. Betters answers the question, "I know I need to be in the Word and praying, but I am in such a dark place, filled with sadness. How do I find hope?"
Help & Hope Stories
Real conversations with people who have walked through grief and loss
You start your day thinking it will be like any other. And then a text with four words, “Eva not breathing. Pray.” Within hours, the unexpected death of your daughter propels you and your family down into the deepest sorrow you have ever experienced. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Mel Lawrenz introduces us to his beloved daughter Eva and how her unexpected death led his family into the read more…
Lucy Malmberg’s grand adventures in life began when her parents hid her in a blanket-covered box as waited in line to board a plane to America from Ukraine after World War II. Her parents passed on to her a legacy of not only love for America but a passionate love for Jesus. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Lucy freely shares how her faith guided her beloved husband George and her in the co-founding of Wedgewood Pharmacy, now, the largest national specialized pharmacy in veterinary compounding and a leader in the animal health industry. Lucy describes… (read more)
From the time you’re little, your experience with friendships can make or break your day – whether it’s a five-year-old who is left out of the game on the playground, or a thirty-year-old who sees pictures on social media of her friend group having fun without her, or facing the most hurtful season of your life completely alone – friends or the lack of friends have power to help or hurt. Sharon Betters and co-host Heidi Nequist discuss the topic of…
1 in 8 couples have trouble getting pregnant. That's about 6.7 million people each year who have trouble conceiving. - 10—15% of women who know they are pregnant will experience a miscarriage. Some studies say it’s higher. - About 1 pregnancy in 100 at 20 weeks of pregnancy and later is affected by stillbirth, and each year about 24,000 babies are stillborn in the United States.1 - This doesn’t take into account the number of babies diagnosed in the womb with a terminal condition – meaning if they survive their birth, they will not live very long. Kathe Wunnenberg knows the sorrow of such losses. In this transparent conversation with Sharon Betters Kathe shares her own journey of grieving infertility, miscarriages and the loss of her
Andrea Herzer, a woman well acquainted with long term debilitating health issues, having spent the last twenty years with multiple illnesses, including regional pain syndrome and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, joins read more…
How are you feeling today? Stressed, overwhelmed, drowning in too much to do, anxiety, the rubble of broken relationships – just life? Are these feelings seasonal or do you struggle with persistent gnawing anxiety? Sometimes, something happens that feels like the straw that breaks the camel’s back and we cry out, “I didn’t sign up for this!” Ann Swindell, author of The Path to Peace, Comfort When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed, gets it! After repeated disappointments and hurts read more…
Have you ever thought about what your family will remember about you when you are gone? Have you considered intentionally leaving a legacy of faith? In this conversation, co-hosts Sharon Betters and Heidi Nequist talk with Elizabeth Turnage, life and legacy coach, author, and speaker, about questions such as: What is a "spiritual legacy"? What types of legacies can we leave? What about stories? Which stories should we share? How do we share these stories? What if our family doesn’t want to hear…
As a baby grows in the womb, we often hear, “I don’t care if it’s a boy or girl, as long as the baby is healthy.” Sadly, sometimes, frightened parents hear the words from their doctor, “I’m sorry, but your baby….” You fill in the blank. In this conversation with Jessika Sanders and Erik Schumacker, co-authors of In His Hands: Prayer for Your Child or Baby in a Medical Crisis, we talk about how…
As stewards of the resources bestowed upon us by God, we have a responsibility to invest in His kingdom. By aligning our investments with the values and teachings of Scripture, we fulfill our role as faithful stewards. Chuck Betters talks with Doug MacGray, founder of Stonecrop Wealth Management, about the importance of stewarding our resources in a way that helps equip the next generation to walk by faith. Doug answers such questions as: What is faith-based giving? What are the different options for giving to faith-based charitable organizations during our lifetime as well as investing for eternity after our deaths? What do the scriptures say about…
On June 17, 2015, Dylann Roof, a young white man, attended the Wednesday evening Bible study at the predominantly black Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. An hour later, Roof pulled a concealed weapon and killed nine African-Americans as they prayed, including Myra Thompson, the wife of Reverend Anthony Thompson. Myra's murder devastated Anthony, yet he chose to privately and publicly forgive the shooter.
On June 17, 2015, Dylann Roof, a young white man, attended the Wednesday evening Bible study at the predominantly black Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. An hour later, Roof pulled a concealed weapon and killed nine African-Americans as they prayed, including Myra Thompson, the wife of Reverend Anthony Thompson. Myra's murder devastated Anthony, yet he chose to privately and publicly forgive the shooter.
Christine Runge Weiss, Founder of Faith Wears Pink, an online support platform for women battling breast cancer, shares how she learned she had breast cancer at the age of forty-four. Her diagnosis followed wave after wave of personal crises. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, herself a breast cancer survivor, Christine offers hope and practical help to breast cancer warriors. One evening she realized she was helping over twenty women with their questions, fears, and the unknowns of their journeys. She decided they all needed a way to talk to each other so she started a “Breast Friends” Facebook page. She eventually changed the name to Faith Wears Pink and as of today over 1000 women have connected through this platform. Faith Wears Pink not only connects breast cancer warriors but also gives gifts to women read more…
Daily Treasure
Daily devotional encouragement for difficult seasons
In our Today’s Treasure verse we see a practical application of the power of Christian community. In response to the teaching of the Word, early Christians committed…
David wrote Psalm 133, a song sung by the Israelites when they were on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. David knew the agony of division and conflict in…
When God said it was not good for Adam to be alone, He wasn’t just talking about the beauty of marriage between a man and woman. In those few words, God states that…
Aloneness created a need in Adam for another person. So God created Eve. Note that Adam’s loneliness was not an “oops moment” for God. Creating Eve was…
In this episode, Dr. Betters answers the question, "What if the pain of life has become too hard to bear? What if there have been too many substantial losses to handle life? Will we simply die with broken hearts in the end? God hears us and tells us so in scripture, so why can't we seem to be comforted?"