This conversation is for pastors and ministry wives and those who love them. While there are occupational hazards in all lines of work, ministry families experience conflicts that sometimes not only result in broken relationships but the loss of their beloved church family. In most jobs, wives are not expected to be unpaid laborers, stand by their husband’s side every Sunday, remembering every name and something about
Read MoreMention “fear of the Lord” and most people don’t know what it means. Is it terror in God’s presence? Is it fear He is watching and waiting to condemn us or tell us what a good person we are? Or maybe the Lord will demand we give up what is most precious to us to prove we fear Him. Or perhaps fear of the Lord grows when we think He is punishing us for past sins. In this
Read MoreThousands of families quietly and lovingly care for children with special needs. Though the days are often long and hard, many find joy in their calling and would not trade their calling for anything. Kara Dedert and her family reflect this joy in the ordinary and extraordinary moments of caring for their son and brother, Calvin. In her introduction to her blog, Kara writes, “You’ll find me writing about the good, gritty, gracy parts of faith, family and home. I’m married to Darryl and we have five kids. One of our sons has severe disabilities from Zika. It’s broken our hearts and also filled us with hope – I write about that, too.
Read MoreDiscontent easily arises when our desires aren’t met and our plans don’t come true—but this is a dangerous path that drives us away from God. Megan Hill talks with Sharon Betters about how discontentment can be an insidious, unrecognized poison that robs us of opportunities to experience joy and intimacy with the Lord. Megan explains the meaning of contentment, how we often make discontentment comfortable in our
Read MoreSometimes one of the hardest places in suffering is the isolation and loneliness of pain. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Wendy Alsup shares how suffering came in wave after wave, leaving her breathless and lonely. In one particularly dark and painful period after intense surgery for cancer, Wendy discovered she was not truly
Read MoreCarol was eighty-three years old at the time of the interview. Carol travels the world continuing the work of the organization her husband started, Equipping Pastors. Surely Carol is a model of flourishing in old age as she regularly gets on a plane in order to spend hours teaching about marriage in less than optimum circumstances. But is traveling the world at eighty-three years of age the only way to
Read MoreIn 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.
Read MoreThis thoughtful conversation between two men who share the grief of losing a child will challenge listeners with their responses to grief and Ellis’ response to the illness and death of his beloved Colleen.
Read MoreDr. Chuck Betters talks to Jim Burns, author of Doing Life with Your Adult Children about some of the challenges for parents as they transition from parenting children to parenting young adults. Jim gives practical advice and hopeful encouragement for this tough yet rewarding transition.
Read MoreIs it ever ok to question God’s love or wisdom, especially when you love and serve Him but experience tremendous loss? Dr. Frank A. James, President and Professor of Historical Theology at Missio Seminary in Pennsylvania joins Dr. Chuck F. Betters to talk about this very question.
Read MoreIn this Help & Hope interview, Jessica Thompson, author of How to Help Your Teens with Anxiety, talks to Sharon Betters about some of the root causes of anxiety and offers practical tips for how parents can get their kids talking about anxiety and how they come alongside of their children during their teen years.
Read MoreIn 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.
Read MoreJonathan 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.
Read MoreIn this conversation with Sharon Betters Elyse Fitzpatrick describes how a difficult time in her life resulted in her longing for something more. She concluded she was homesick for heaven. Elyse helps us better understand how a biblical view of heaven can be a source of great comfort when life turns upside down.
Read MoreWhile 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.
Read MoreAgainst 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.
Read MoreIn 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.
Read MoreAt 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.
Read MoreWhen Lovette told her mother she was pregnant, her mother took her to an abortion clinic despite protests and tears. A few months later, Lovette was again pregnant, and though she cried, she followed the routine and returned to the abortion clinic. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Lovette Vasser shares her story with hope that her journey to healing will help other women.
Read MoreWe’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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