When Your Son Commits Suicide - Grieving Moms Finding Hope
Jacke Rose, founder of Grieving Moms Finding Hope, joins Sharon Betters to talk about her journey to find hope and purpose after the death by suicide of her son, Randy. The loss of a child cannot be fathomed but Jacke’s son also unsuccessfully attempted read more…
Depression in Motherhood
After trying everything she could to stop her slide into a dark depression, young mother Christine Chappell tearfully told her husband she needed help and admitted herself to a facility. In her book, Midnight Mercies, Walking with God through Depression in Motherhood, Christine describes read more…
Same-Sex Attraction: An Interview With An Unlikely Convert
In this interview with Dr. Rosaria Butterfield, Chuck and Sharon Betters ask these and many more questions about a topic that has numerous families struggling to understand. Dr. Butterfield is uniquely qualified to provide guidance and wisdom to those who are desperate for help and hope as they are challenged by life choices that are foreign and even scary. Listeners will be encouraged and better equipped to walk this pathway as well as come alongside of others who are struggling with same sex attraction.
When You're Never Enough
In this interview Sarah Ivill, talks about her own struggle with an eating disorder and how it reflected her view that she was never enough. But an eating disorder is not the only addiction resulting from feeling inadequate. With great compassion, Sarah discusses some of the lies that feed into the feeling that we are never enough, the need to get to the root of the lies and how an eating disorder is an addiction that can take a long time to break. Though you may have no experience with an eating disorder, the truths that Sarah shares apply to any place in our lives where we feel we are not enough.
God's Presence In Suffering
Glenna Marshall, author of The Promise is His Presence, Why God is Always Enough, joins Sharon Betters to share her journey that has taken her to some very broken places. But as you will hear, she discovered priceless treasures as she struggled to make sense of it all.
Living with Grief and Thriving After Loss
When Clarissa Moll’s young husband, Rob, died unexpectedly, she soon realized she was at a crossroads. Would she walk toward hope or slide into hopelessness? In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Clarissa answers such questions as: Is there any way to prepare for such a tragedy? Are there stages for grief? What kind of work can grief do in our hearts that grows the fruit of the spirit? How is it helpful to “welcome” an emotion like fear – how does dissecting an emotion help us keep those emotions in check – or should we even try to keep them in check? What about regrets? Read more…
A Painful Past – Healing and Moving Forward
Abuse, deep loss, broken relationships, grief, self-inflicted pain – is it possible to experience healing from a painful past? Lauren Whitman, author of A Painful Past – Healing and Moving Forward, answers this question and much more. For instance, why would anyone want to dig up their past? Isn’t it better to “let sleeping dogs lie”? Can we forgive and forget? How does our view of God influence our journey toward read more…
The Reality of Infertility
In 2015 Reproductive Biological Endocrinology reported that 48.5 million couples globally experience infertility. No doubt all of us know of at least one couple who is struggling with how to navigate the maze of infertility treatments as well as the grief when nothing works. Or maybe you’re that person. Our guest today, Lorie Roe, knows this pathway very well because she learned when she was a teenager read more…
The Sound of Freedom in Real Life
With the release of the incredible movie, "Sound of Freedom," there is an awakening of the need to address the issue of child trafficking. In this interview, Barb Bollinger, the Director of Development from Path2Freedom where Chuck and Melanie Betters serve as House Parents, shares information about real-life child trafficking happening read more…
Everything is (Not) Fine
Imagine you must hand over your little baby to strangers for uncomfortable and scary tests. And imagine you know the outcome may not be what you are hoping. Katie Schnack’s son, Shepherd was born with multiple medical issues along with a rare disease. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Katie shares when she realized that saying everything is not fine was not a sign of weak faith but could actually be a sure sign of dependence on the Lord. With humor and transparency, Katie shares her story of learning what it means to trust the Lord when life isn’t fine and how her relationship with Him grew deeper because read more…
Trauma Can Not Rob You of Your Intended Identity
Fawn Volkert's journey from sexual abuse as an infant to trying anything and everything to survive to a place of joyful thriving will stay with you for a long time. Just when you think her story could not get any worse or even more compelling, Fawn takes us deeper into her journey to a place of healing and strength. In this conversation with Chuck L. Betters, Fawn shares how her story of trauma has formed her into the person read more…
The Legacy of Story Telling Part 1
Kathy Chapell and Elizabeth Turnage join Sharon Betters to talk about how sharing our stories are a means of passing on a legacy of faith, even if our story is filled with disappointments and potholes.. They start with Kathy sharing from her book, The Great Iowa Road Trip – Journey to Memories where Kathy has recorded not only precious read more…
In good times and bad, come to Jesus
What is your first response when mundane moments turn into irritations and set backs? Or your life suddenly takes a downward spiral? What about when life runs smoothly - are you counting your blessings with great joy every single day? Christa Threfel, author of Come to Jesus, joins us to read more…
Caregiver: Who Cares for You?
Marissa Bondurant joins Sharon Betters to share how her caregiving journey started when her family received a devastating diagnosis for her four-year-old daughter. Not only does she have comfort to offer caregivers, but her story through the land of childhood cancer will also encourage us. Marissa takes listeners deep into her journey of caring for not just one child but two children diagnosed read more…
Loneliness
Lou Priolo says we are experiencing an epidemic of loneliness. In this conversation with Sharon Betters and Chuck L. Betters, Lou defines loneliness and encourages us to realize loneliness is painful but it can also bring blessings. He shares stories about people in the Bible who experience deep loneliness and points out that many of the Psalmists expressed their own loneliness. Knowing others have walked read more…
Beyond the Book - Ask the Author
“I forgive you.” Simple words, and liberating ones – but hard, too. You may think the betrayal you have experienced is in the realm of the unforgivable. Wendy Alsup understands. She experienced severe church conflict while serving in the women’s ministry at Mars Hill Church, followed by an unwanted divorce. The losses of betrayal eventually forced her to move from her home in Seattle, leaving behind deep friendships and everything familiar to her two sons. Her understanding of forgiveness did not come easily for read more…
Biblical Comfort for Men Grieving a Miscarriage
Where does a dad go for comfort when he is grieving a miscarriage? We seldom hear this question, let alone even think about the need if we have never experienced a miscarriage. Eric Schumacher, author of Ours: Biblical Comfort for Men Grieving Miscarriage talks to Sharon Betters about the grief a dad feels when his wife has a miscarriage. He addresses questions like, how does a dad help his wife, what about feeling the miscarriage is because of personal sin, and how read more…
Mental Illness & Marriage
There is so much we do not know about mental illness, including deep depression that results in the inability to even get out of bed, let alone function in daily life. Many more people than we realize struggle every day to do the next thing with their will because of sadness, a lack of joy, and purpose reigning in their hearts. They have tried everything to get better but nothing helps. Add to this equation the spouse who read more…
Unexpecting - Empty Arms
Rachel, founder of the Brave Mamas online community, validates bereaved parents in their pain, encourages them as they adjust to their new normal, and provides advice for sharing your loss with family, caring for your spouse, and recovering a postpartum body. She is a mother who lost 5 children, yet filled with hope read more…
Ordinary on Purpose
Dr. Mikala Albertson aimed to be exemplary in all she did – marriage, motherhood, her career – but her seemingly picture-perfect life began crumbling when she realized her doctor husband was addicted to drugs and nothing was perfect after all. Listen in as Mikala shares her story of striving and suffering in the hunt for perfection and found that embracing her gritty, messy, complicated, tough ordinary life led her on read more…