Later Years of Life MARKINC Ministries Later Years of Life MARKINC Ministries

Flourishing in a Season of Loss

We live in an anti-aging culture – subtle and not so subtle messages convince us aging is bad – do everything you can to hang on to youth. But no matter how hard we try, our bodies continue to age. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Dianne Balch honestly discusses aging in a season of losses, how to grieve those losses but also flourish as we surrender…(read more)

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Grief MARKINC Ministries Grief MARKINC Ministries

How Does God Meet Us In Suffering?

In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Vaneetha Rendall Risner, author of The Scars that Have Shaped Me; How God meets us in Suffering, has experienced all these life crises and more. Rather than despair and giving up when wave after wave of loss hits, Veneetha encourages us to allow suffering to draw us into the heart of God.

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Addressing Sins MARKINC Ministries Addressing Sins MARKINC Ministries

Sexual Abuse and the Church

In this interview, Ellen Dykas discuss how the church can help create an environment where abuse victims feel safe and helped. This is not an easy topic to discuss nor is it easy to hear, especially if you are a victim of sexual abuse. But it is imperative that we hear from people like Ellen who are passionate about going into the dark places with the light of Jesus and inviting others to go with her to offer the hope and help only Jesus gives.

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Faith, Teens MARKINC Ministries Faith, Teens MARKINC Ministries

From the Streets to the Pulpit

Jonathan Gonzalez lived with painful circumstances throughout his childhood that forced him to take on adult decisions far sooner than he was ready. In this conversation with Chuck Betters, Jonathan describes the horrifying accident that left him bleeding out in the backseat of a car. In desperation he prayed a prayer that would change everything.

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Parenting, Emotions MARKINC Ministries Parenting, Emotions MARKINC Ministries

For Moms - Hope in the Trenches

While most do not experience motherhood as a crisis, every mother has experienced periods of weariness, frustration, regrets – and shame because we just don’t feel like we’re enough for the tasks at hand. In this conversation with Sharon Betters and Melissa Weisenfels, Christina Fox, a mother herself, encourages us that there is minute by minute help and hope for mothers, no matter what season of life. Christina has a special love for mothers struggling to find hope in those especially hard days and shares her love in her book Sufficient Hope, Gospel Meditations and Prayers for Moms.

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Illness MARKINC Ministries Illness MARKINC Ministries

Hope In The Hardest Places with Lynne Hartke

Against the backdrop of the Sonoran Desert, Lynne Hartke asks her own hard questions as cancer arrives like a thief. As Lynne wrestles with a tumble of tangled emotions, a shaken faith, and self-doubt cancer is now not only threatening her own life, but, in a surprising twist, the lives of both her parents as well.

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Later Years of Life, Caregiving MARKINC Ministries Later Years of Life, Caregiving MARKINC Ministries

Dementia with Dr. John Dunlop

In this interview Sharon Betters asks Dr. John Dunlop, author of Finding Grace in the Face of Dementia, to define dementia, the stages of dementia, what it is like to care for a loved one with dementia, and more. He reminds us that every person is made in the image of God and that truth needs to be the grid through which we view those with dementia and the kind of care we give.

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Illness MARKINC Ministries Illness MARKINC Ministries

Loving Your Friend Through Cancer with Marissa Henley

At age 34, Marissa Henley learned she had a rare form of a deadly, aggressive cancer. Her diagnosis sent her on a journey to find the best treatment which meant long separations from her family. Marissa weaves her story in the context of how to walk with a friend through the battle of her life. Marissa equips us to not only know how to respond practically but how to better understand the questions and fears of a cancer fighter.

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Faith, Emotions MARKINC Ministries Faith, Emotions MARKINC Ministries

Waiting with Purpose When Dreams Are Delayed

We’re all waiting for something. It might be a spouse or a baby. It might be healing or a home. Regardless of what we're waiting for, it’s easy to feel discontent when things aren’t going as planned and our dreams are delayed—especially when questions of 'Why?' and 'How long?' remain unanswered. God uses seasons of waiting not only to teach us patience and make us more like Himself, but He also uses unmet longings to paint a powerful picture of the bride of Christ waiting for the day when He returns and God’s kingdom reigns.

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Warrior Woman, Emotions MARKINC Ministries Warrior Woman, Emotions MARKINC Ministries

Abortion Survivor

In this poignant conversation Claire describes how her birth mother told her about the abortion, Claire’s response to the news, and how she is watching the Lord bring beauty from ashes as she shares her story across the country as a means of showing a real life baby is the victim of abortion.

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Grief, Illness MARKINC Ministries Grief, Illness MARKINC Ministries

Mental Illness & Suicide

In this conversation Judy Springer tells how she has lived with mental illness and continues to live with the aftermath of suicide. After a lifetime of the unrelenting pain of mental illness, Judy’s beloved husband, Scott, took his own life. Judy shares their story as a way to redeem some of the pain of Scott’s struggle to find healing and death.

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Grief, Illness MARKINC Ministries Grief, Illness MARKINC Ministries

Intentional Grieving

In this poignant conversation with Sharon Betters, a little over a year after the death of her beloved pastor husband, Sherry shares how Mike helped prepare her to be intentional in life after his absence. Her story will not only encourage widows but anyone who struggles with this foreign land of grief.

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Illness, Faith, Emotions MARKINC Ministries Illness, Faith, Emotions MARKINC Ministries

Hope in Waiting

Whether you are in a waiting room right now because of cancer, stroke, traumatic injury, a child struggling to hold on to life, a health crisis of any kind, you know the emotions of waiting – fear of the unknown, sadness over knowing life will never be the same, anger – you name it. Yet in the midst of it all, Elizabeth reminds us of the certain hope and peace of the gospel.

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Special Needs, Illness, Special Event Speakers MARKINC Ministries Special Needs, Illness, Special Event Speakers MARKINC Ministries

Blessings Through Storms

Sharon Betters interviews GRAMMY winner Laura Story who shares details of how her life took an unexpected turn when her husband, Martin, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The fairytale life she had dreamed of was no longer possible, yet Laura found a "better broken' with Jesus. Laura's story will remind listeners while your situation might never change or get better, with Jesus YOU can. 

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Warrior Woman, Illness, Parenting, Relationships MARKINC Ministries Warrior Woman, Illness, Parenting, Relationships MARKINC Ministries

When Life Unravels and It’s Good

Rachel’s Craddock’s mother died after a long battle with breast cancer. Rachel was fourteen years old. In this interview, Rachel answers some hard questions not just about her mother’s death but also her own decision to have a double radical mastectomy after she learned she had a high chance of getting the same kind of cancer as her mother.

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Emotions MARKINC Ministries Emotions MARKINC Ministries

The Dark Cloud of Depression

Bill Tell experienced severe burnout and depression without warning and he discovered he could not “pull himself up by his own bootstraps”. Depression was like the hand of a giant pushing him deeper and deeper into darkness he could not fight on his own. Bill’s honest account of this lonely and dark time encourages each of us to review the grid through which we live life.

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Relationships, Emotions MARKINC Ministries Relationships, Emotions MARKINC Ministries

Depression - Walking Into The Darkness

In this conversation Sue Tell shares about her reaction to her husband Bill’s severe burnout and depression. After over forty years of serving in ministry, Bill suddenly slid into a dark pit of depression. He was incapable of “pulling himself up by his own bootstraps”.  Sue describes how their lives dramatically changed and their struggles brought new depth to their marriage.

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Illness, Breast Cancer MARKINC Ministries Illness, Breast Cancer MARKINC Ministries

Breast Cancer – My Journey

Lisa Kowal heard the diagnosis of breast cancer and recognized she was about to begin a hard journey into the scary land of Cancer. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, also a breast cancer survivor, Lisa shares her journey in a way that will help equip those coming behind her to face this enemy with strength.

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Grief, Warrior Woman, Illness, Relationships MARKINC Ministries Grief, Warrior Woman, Illness, Relationships MARKINC Ministries

Cancer & Grief: A Conversation with Elizabeth Groves

Melanoma, the word strikes fear into the hearer, especially when it is a diagnosis for a loved one. Al Groves and his wife, Libbie, heard these words and knew life would never be the same. In this  conversation with Sharon Betters, Libbie shares the journey that her family experienced in the year after her husband Al’s diagnosis of terminal cancer. She offers her family’s story as a means of coming alongside of others who are struggling with cancer, God and grief.

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