The world’s culture is continually pushing an anything goes sexuality on our children. What’s a parent to do in order to help their children navigate their sexuality, social media, the ever present temptation of pornography, the continuous bombardment of our sexually explicit  culture. In this Help and Hope resource, Dr. Betters and Sharon interview Dan and Heather Wilson.

Barbara Juliani and Jane Anne Wilson join Sharon Betters to talk about those feelings every mother experiences at one time or another. This conversation follows an interview with Barbara about prodigal children. Barbara and her father Jack Miller co-authored Come Back, Barbara, a raw and transparent story of Barbara’s rebellion against her parents and their faith and her journey “back home”. Whenever a child rebels or disappoints

If you’re a parent, it’s likely you have had more than one sleepless night reviewing the mistakes and perceived failures of that day. We resign ourselves to carry the emotions of fear, guilt, shame, and regret for the rest of our lives. But do we have to just let these emotions… read more

Days, months, and years after the loss of her sister, Natasha Smith tried to hide the grief she carried. But the pandemic took away her ability to hide her sorrow and her five-year-old’s response to her unexpected tears gave her permission to grieve – not in a room by herself but with her https://markinc.org/help-and-hope/can-you-just-sit-with-me-with-natasha-smithread 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…

It doesn’t take much research to realize anxiety is a primary emotion experienced not just by teens but also by adults. Our guest, Liz Edrington, is no stranger to anxiety. As a teenager, she felt overwhelmed read more…

As a single Christian woman living alone in the mountains of Western Maryland she had already dealt with total vision loss in one eye. Now, the gravity of the possibility of total blindness was yet another blow as Edith felt even her “new normal” begin to crumble. In Christ, Edith has found purpose for her pain, strength sufficient for the struggles, and blessings beyond measure as she shares her message of hope to “Walk by faith, not by sight”!

In 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.

Cori Salchert, fosters and adopts “hospice babies” whose own families find it too hard to cope with their child’s terminal diagnosis. In this moving conversation, Cori shares with Sharon Betters how God used her years of undiagnosed pain and illness to help equip her to care for “hospice babies”. Cori’s story will inspire and encourage you to recognize you, too, have the privilege of offering help and hope through your everyday life.

In 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. 

Darby Strickland’s children’s books, Something Sad Happened, and Something Scary Happened, are designed to not only help children deal with trauma but also equip their parents. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Heidi Nequist, and Darby Strickland, Darby answers multiple questions about how to help a hurting child like:

• How does a child suffer deep loss or experience fear after a traumatic event? 

• How do you help that child? How is a child’s response different than an adult’s? 

• What are signs your child is frightened or deeply grieving?

• and more…

How can good parenting motives turn into idols? What should we do when we discover that our motives for doing good things for our kids just might be wrong?  In this conversation, Christina Fox addresses these parenting concerns and much 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…

In this conversation,Jessalyn Hutto brings hope to women who grieve the loss of their children through miscarriage. She offers a priceless gift to those women coming behind her who have experienced such deep loss. Jessalyn reminds listeners that Jesus cares very deeply about every child who is lost to miscarriage and He cares very deeply about every mother who is deprived of that life.

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…

Relationships can be so hard and sometimes painful. Are they worth it? What are some of the pitfalls? How can our expectations of others sabotage relationships? When someone we care about disappoints us, and they will, what questions should we be willing to ask ourselves to determine how to proceed?

Unless we die young, each of us will experience aging. Is it possible to be “ever growing ever green” as we age? Is sixty really the new fifty? What does it mean to flourish in old age? What if we don’t have energy to do all those wonderful things we did when we were younger? When should we start preparing for old age? Is there anything glorious about growing old?

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.