Gary Episcopo joins us on the Help & Hope podcast to share how God used his love for motorcycles and the brotherhood and comradery of motorcycle clubs to lead him into a life of demonstrating the love of Jesus to the one percenters or outlaw gangs. Growing up and even into adulthood, Gary struggled with many of the same temptations of these men and women and his understanding of the deep mercy… learn more.
Read MoreJessica shares her own story of how pornography drew her in when she was a middle schooler and how she found solace and acceptance through the internet and eventually chat rooms. Jessica describes the secrecy of her addiction and how it led to shame and guilt that she didn’t know how to break. Then, a woman acknowledged to a group of young adult females that pornography addiction was a woman thing, too. Suddenly, Jessica had hope that the chains of addiction could be broken. Jessica shares her journey as a means to offer hope to others. Learn more…
Read MoreJulie Sanford is a Recovery Mentor for wives of alcoholics. She is a wife and mom of three who found herself in a situation she never wanted to be in as the wife of an alcoholic. After several years of living in chaos, feeling alone, and unseen, she is now using her journey to help other wives of alcoholics navigate their husband’s addiction. She came to realize that it was not only her husband that needed recovery, but she also needed support. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Julie shares not only her story but hope and encouragement for those in a similar, broken place. Julie offers programs and coaching that equip women with the tools and strength needed to navigate their husband’s addiction without losing themselves in the process.
Read MoreIn this transparent interview, Jim and Karen share the highs and the lows of their international adoption journey, from how they began their adoption adventure, to the challenge of finding the new normal for their family. Listeners will get a glimpse into the reality of adoption and how it draws you closer to Jesus.
Read MorePaul and Jill Miller welcomed their sixth child, daughter Kim, into their home in 1982. It became apparent at a young age that Kim was behind in her developmental milestones. Kim was diagnosed as having autism, a disorder that was just beginning to be recognized by doctors. Kim’s diagnosis not only created enormous stress on their family, but also isolated Jill as she learned how to parent their precious child. In this remarkable conversation Paul and Jill take us back to those early days and how Kim’s life has taught them life-changing spiritual truths and led them to fall deeper in love with Jesus.
Read MoreMarriage can be difficult, but adding a child with special needs adds a new level of challenges. In this wide-ranging conversation, Steve Demme shares his passion for helping to strengthen marriages, and in particular, wants to offer help and hope to fathers. Even more specifically, to fathers of children with special needs.
Read MoreNeglect. Rejection. Sin. Conflict. Change. It’s difficult to attend church when you’ve suffered some of your deepest hurts. Megan Hill understands that church can be hard. In this conversation, Sharon Betters and Megan talk about why church hurt can be so devastating, the root of church hurt, people in the scriptures who experienced church hurt and how they responded to the priceless gift of community, and reasons to pursue life in a local church even when it hurts. Megan gently leads wounded people on a pathway to peace as she encourages us to explore the source of our struggles, find ways to express our sorrow…
Read MoreChildren raised in the same family sometimes grow up with very different responses to life. Such is the story of Julie Malone and her beautiful daughter, Allie. Julie and her husband, Tim loved their lives as parents and Tim’s ministry to teens. But their idyllic life would take a turn into a foreign land of broken places. Julie says,
“I am very thankful for my childhood as I came to know and love the Lord as my savior at a very young age. I really never knew a day without Jesus in my life. I married Tim, and we had 4 beautiful little girls. We were raising our kids to know Jesus. We were a close family. Life was good. But Tim and I often wondered how and when real suffering would enter our lives…
Many people have experienced betrayal, someone violating your trust perhaps by lying, cheating, some kind of abuse, putting their own interests ahead of yours when they promised otherwise. Betrayal affects every part of our hearts, often in ways we don’t understand at first. Some hurts we carry with us to the day we die, they are so deep and seem impossible to resolve. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Wendy Alsup shares the impact of betrayal from her own life, not only through an unwanted divorce but also in her church life. But Wendy doesn’t leave us in the mud of betrayal. Instead, she speaks frankly about the power of forgiveness.
Read MoreDid you know 40 million adults suffer from depression, and 4 in 10 US adults have developed high levels of stress and anxiety since the start of the pandemic? 58% of those are young adults. Clearly, we have a mental health crisis in America. In this conversation, Christopher Cook, author of Healing What You Can’t Erase and host of the WinToday podcast, is no stranger to deep depression. He uses the acronym SEED to help us understand the 4 steps to uncovering the root causes of anxiety and replacing lies with truth. His goal is to encourage us to…
Read MoreDue to generations of hurt in his family, country music singer Ben Fuller turned to cocaine and alcohol at a young age. He got involved in a devastating drug-fueled relationship which led him to understand better, the other side…
Baseball great Darryl Strawberry readily acknowledges that people often think two things when they hear his name: Darryl was a great ball player, and Darryl lost it all to drugs. In this interview, Darryl and his wife Tracy share their story of drug addiction and how they found a pathway to restoration and wholeness. Their transparent responses to hard questions will challenge listeners to examine their own lives.
Read MoreOne in four adults are estranged from their parents, so says one 2022 study. According to another study, 11% of mothers between the ages 65 – 75 with two or more grown children were estranged from at least one…
Read MoreDo these words haunt you: "Mom, Dad, I don't want your rules and morals. I don't want to act like a Christian anymore! And I'm not going to," Barbara Juliani (then Barbara Miller) made this declaration at the age 18. As her father desperately attempted to reason with her, Barbara grew more resentful, choosing a path of immorality that only deepened her parents' pain.
Such a declaration from a child, no matter their age, creates havoc and soul-searching in the hearts of their parents, who often ask, “What did I do wrong?”
“So who am I now that there’s only one place at the table….one pillow with a head dent, one towel damp after a shower? There’s only one toothbrush in the holder. The seat is never left up anymore. I can still write…
Read MoreIn this wide-ranging interview, two mothers who have experienced the grief of losing their children transparently answers questions from how to push the question “why” through the grid of God’s love and sovereignty, to how to protect marriages assaulted by grief. Nancy’s loss of two children uniquely qualifies her to offer help and hope in sorrow’s darkest night.
Read MoreSomeone has said there are only two sure things in life – death and taxes. While this is meant to be funny, the part about death is true. Each one of us will die, yet…
Read MoreAfter 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…
Read MoreIn this moving and sometimes emotional conversation, Sharon Betters talks to Susanna Musser and her friend and counselor, Heidi Scott, about the sudden, accidental death of Susanna’s adopted son, Tommy. This conversation will not only encourage others in similar places, but will give listeners a renewed understanding of the burdens some parents bear and how to help them.
Read MoreIn 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.
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