Gems of Motherhood

Today’s episode seems more critically important today than ever before. The role of mothers is slowly eroding blocked out by competing interests and societal priorities, yet it doesn’t mean a mother’s value has changed. In this episode, Mo Isom Aiken shares her heart on the importance of a mother using the example of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mo points to Mary’s perseverance, tenacity, and above all her humility, as the mother of Jesus to make her point about mother’s privilege.  “When I think of motherhood, I just weep. After I had my first, I just thought of Mary, and the pains of her labor and the reality of bringing forth life and what a privilege it is…” Mo shares that when people look at the word of God, they instantly are faced with the truth about a women’s worth and true beauty. She opines that she needs to be constantly reminded of this and keep it locked deeply in heart while aligning it with God’s will for her life.  “If we look at the word of God, we can see the role and value of woman. It is a beautiful and miraculous thing. And the gift of motherhood is truly an honor and of kingdom importance.” To showcase a mother’s importance, God allows what we’ll term as “sovereign shaking.” That means He allows disruption and shifting to enter our lives, but not to harm us but to squeeze out the very best. Mo has seen the excellent results of “sovereign shaking,” especially during the pandemic. God wants to open our eyes to our weaknesses and wake us from our slumber to let us see our true identity. Why you may ask? Mo answers it: He wants us to take up our mantle. “Right now God is raising up a generation of kingdom warriors. He is the general and we are the ranks right beneath Him, following His orders and raising the kingdom army that is to come.” What we chat about Role of motherhood The importance of motherhood Kingdom importance Raising up kingdom children Preparation in times of adversity

Postpartum depression is something seldom discussed, but which affects many people. Mental health can mean different things to different people, depending on individual experiences. In this week’s podcast, my guest Carly Graham shares her postpartum depression story.  Carly speaks about the different signs of postpartum from loss of interest of things to decrease mood to trouble sleeping or sleeping too much to eating habits. "When you have postpartum depression it’s hard to see into the future with excitement, hope, and expectancy.”  While 7 out of 10 mothers who go through postpartum, surprisingly 3 out of 10 fathers also experience it. Carly explains how different hormones in women and men affect the onset of postpartum and dissects scientifically the reason why women go through it more frequently and with greater impact on their daily function.  “Be aware of patterns and behavior that doesn’t feel like the real you. Self awareness is key. Know yourself and how you function.” What we chat about Signs of postpartum Being aware of yourself How can husbands be more supportive Actionable tips for moms to take when going through postpartum

In this https://gemsofmotherhood.com/podcast/ (podcast) episode, Nancy touches on a very important subject matter. It’s important to teach our children to love their bodies. If we don’t, they may pick up misperceptions and wrong teaching from the culture. Issues, like homosexuality and transgenderism, are infiltrating school curriculums starting as young as preschool. As Christians we need to stay on top of these hot topics and equip our children with knowledge about their body to be able to combat the destructive teachings (i.e. secular ethics) readily accepted in schools around the country. The best way to talk to children about sexuality is to stay positive. It is easy for Christians to be negative, launch into stereotypes and be easily typecast as judgmental, yet it is always better to present the Christian ethic free of “christianese.” Simply saying something is wrong or sinful is not helpful. Rather, Nancy shares if we explain, using examples, how secular ethic demeans the body it can serve as a bridge to understand Christian’s foundation of authenticity and love. a bridge to understand Christian’s foundation of authenticity and love.  “Kindergarteners are being taught that their bodies tell them nothing about who they are, it’s not authentic self. And that’s when as Christians we have a wonderful opportunity to say, God made your body and what God makes is intrinsically good.” Nancy shares that gender dysphoria, the technical term when you feel out of sync with your body, starts at a young age and is currently especially prevalent in teenagers also known as rapid gender dysphoria. “Genuine gender dysphoria is a long painful haul. It’s truly a deep psychological issue. But with God’s help, we can let our child know it’s okay for them not to live according to the stereotypes.” Nancy encourages Christians to change the language they use to exude positivity which allows our children to see who God created them to be and gives them a glimpse into God’s intelligent design for their identity.  “We are meant to respect our body, to live in harmony with the creator’s design. We are meant to live consistently with our biological sex.” What we chat about Gender dysphoria Rapid gender dysphoria Examples of stories – Interviews with parents of transgender teens, homeschool parent, and more Impact of social media How to speak to children about loving their body The impact of school and gender identity Preparing children about loving their body Darwinism Connect with Nancy WEBSITE: http://www.nancypearcey.com/ (Nancy Pearcey) FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/nancy.pearcey.7 (Nancy Pearcey) LINKED IN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-pearcey-6286a226/ (Nancy Pearcey )

Beauty… a subject matter that is hardly addressed especially when it comes to motherhood. Anytime moms are around something that delights our senses it reveals what captivates to our soul. This is further proof of God’s vast array of images and what is true beauty. Abbie defines true beauty as something that awakens us to God. “The message of beauty comes from the stamping of God’s image from the beginning and the continual attraction that draws us back to His beauty”  Abbie shares that the definition of kingdom beauty is something that we can’t purchase or bargain for, it simply flows from the beauty maker. At its core it resides in each of us from the moment we’re born. It can’t be masked or hidden. “Beauty can be overused at times… I’m not sure if that does a service to God because the World’s beauty is more external than what God calls beautiful.” She also shares her story, struggles with accepting her beauty, and in turn, how to teach our children to be confident understanding their true beauty and affirming them in it. What we chat about True beauty/Kingdom beauty Challenges that girls face Tearing down lies and deceptions  Affirming children on true beauty

The rate of depression and suicides continues to climb. And anxiety is now considered an epidemic in children. My guest Sissy Goff tackles this topic in How to Help Kids Handle their Emotions.  Sissy shares that there is a tremendous difference in how children of different sexes deal with anxiety. While girls experience anxiety twice as much as boys, boys are more likely to be taken to therapy. “I have never seen girls face as much pressure as they do now. I think they are feeling pressures from all areas to excel.” Sometimes parents end up inadvertently reinforcing the very things that are symptoms of children’s anxiety and missing what really going on. How a child develops emotionally often dictates who he becomes as a spouse, friend, co-worker, and even, someday, a parent. Sissy emphasizes that children lack coping skills and this has only been exacerbated today by the isolation. In her book, Raising Worry Free Girls, Sissy breaks down the coping mechanism of understanding, help, hope and encourages parents to teach children how to cope with their emotions while still young. A list of emotional milestones helps us gauge if children are where they need to be emotionally, spiritually and socially to thrive into adulthood. What we chat about Anxiety How to help children cope with their emotions Understanding emotional milestones 

Do you find yourself threatening, repeating your instructions or raising your voice in an attempt to get your children to obey? We’re glad you’re joining us today as Ginger Hubbard talks about 6 Discipline Mistakes Parents Make. Her talk encourages us to take a more biblical, heart-oriented approach to training our children. “Children should be taught to obey because it’s right and it pleases God.” We must remember our goal is not merely get our children to outwardly obey, but to reach their hearts with the gospel of Christ. When we adopt faulty child-training methods aimed at behavioral modification only, we miss the heart issues and the point of biblical discipline in the first point.  “Use heart probing question to help them to evaluate their behavior for themselves.” Ginger shares examples of different scenarios based on the six discipline mistakes. Here are a few pitfalls we must guard against: Bribing Threatening Appealing to their emotions Repeating or going back on instructions Counting to Three Reasoning with small children What we chat about How to reach a child’s heart 6 discipline mistakes Effective parenting

Being a mother is no easy task since we are natural caregivers. And balancing marriage, motherhood, and ministry is no small task. In this podcast, Esther Ibanga will speak to us about Balancing Motherhood. “It wasn’t easy. A lot of times, I found myself torn between my family and ministry.” Pastor Ibanga shares about her calling and how she has had to navigate it between her family and ministry. While she has always been a church leader, she made sure that she honored her husband by displaying respect both publicly and privately. This required lots of wisdom from God and submission to God’s order.  She also shares about the importance of leading by example. Her children were her greatest test tools. She imagined being their friend and not portraying a supermom who did it all by herself. No, Pastor Ibanga honestly speaks about having plenty of help at home and not falling into the trap of many women who try, in vain, to juggle everything at home and ministry.  “What helped me navigate those tough waters was actually alot of help that I received.”  Pastor Ibanga further talked about Proverbs 31 and how even the Proverbs 31 woman required a community to survive. Without the Holy Spirit, women fall into the hype of supermom and performance. The supermom mystique puts incredible pressure on women to perform and causes them to stop depending on the Holy Spirit. Instead of relying solely on God — and the community of believers He provides to help — moms rather struggle keeping the facade up when they can relax knowing God got them covered. What we chat about Challenges of motherhood and ministry Core values to exercise as mothers Balancing marriage and family Proverbs 31 woman

Adversity! We all go through them. Naghmeh Panahi has experienced many storms in her life from persecution to abuse, yet she always knew God was with her. In this week’s podcast, Naghmeh talks about keeping close to Jesus during the storms of life. She shares that problems may persist, turmoil might worsen over time, but God is in control working in the midst of the storms! When Naghmeh first had her children, her biggest fear was raising them by herself. Her struggle with this persistent fear made her anxious. When it happened that she became a single mother, she was struck by the loneliness of having to do it alone, but her personal suffering drew her closer to Jesus. “As a mom, I don’t know what’s ahead for my kids… They’ve already gone through a lot. But learning how to stay close to God and finding lasting peace and exemplifying it to my children is important.” Rather than focus on her abuse, anxiety, fears and loneliness, Naghmeh instead chose to trust God each and every day. Even as she felt like a shell of herself while experiencing abuse at the hands of her ex-husband, she never questioned God’s plan for her life.   “I was an empty shell. I was broken. I felt sorry for myself. I wasn’t mad at God. But I realize I found myself caught up in idolatry.”  Instead, she knew God was there for her, and uses these traumatic experiences to teach her children to keep close to Jesus.  What we chat about Handling adversity What happens when you don’t see God in the midst of the storm Teaching children to handle adversity Life verses

Now we all want well behaved children, but kids often misbehave. Having difficult conversations with children is hard. Yet, In today’s podcast, Stacy Bellward talks about The Power of Questions.  She shares concerning the importance of asking questions. The opposite of asking is telling. And telling does not work. We often get into these patterns in our homes where we just tell… and telling turns into nagging and sometimes even into yelling. And sometimes it’s almost like a tug of war.  “If we were to boil down our job raising our kids, the two important things that we want them to exercise is wisdom and responsibility.” Stacy talks about breaking patterns of defensiveness and how the power of curious questions creates productive conversations. She also talks about asking effective questions as well as type of questions to avoid in an effort to get the best results in correcting our children’s behavior.  What we chat about The power of questions Effective questions Bad questions Setting our kids up for success Teaching our children to cooperate Building our children’s character Connect with Stacy WEBSITE: https://connectedfamilies.org/ (Connected Families) INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/connectedfams/ (Connected Families) FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/ConnectedFamilies (Connected Families) LINKEDIN: http://www.linkedin.com/in/stacybellward (Stacy Bellward) YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/ConnectedfamiliesOrg (Connected Families) LINKS MENTIONED https://connectedfamilies.org/questions-oc/ (The Power Of Questions Online Course) **GEMS20 gets you 20% off

Most parents think that their strong-willed child may be deliberately driving them crazy. Sometimes disciplining them can become a challenge. However, having a strong willed child may not necessarily be a bad thing.  Karen Stubbs shares her experience with a strong-willed child and provides some positive ways to discipline them. She encourages moms to teach their children how to be good leaders, not dictators.  “It especially helps when you give a strong-willed child choices. All your strong-willed child want to feel like they are in control. Always give them choices.” Karen also shares that mothers should be consistent, equitable, set clear boundaries while avoiding a battle of wills with their strong-willed child. A strong-willed child’s core desire is to control his or her environment because they are natural leaders, yet if you give them something to control they won’t control you — mom! They need to have a sense of control, loyalty, appreciation and credit, but simple interest in them by asking a question makes them stop, think and get a sense of self.  These are the four key needs of a strong willed child.  What we chat about Positive ways to discipline a strong willed child Key needs of a strong willed child The importance of questions Teaching them to listen Connect with Karen WEBSITE: http://birdsonawiremoms.com (Birds on a Wire) INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/BirdsOnAWireMoms (Birds on a Wire) FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/BirdsOnAWireMoms (Birds on a Wire)

God refers to Himself as our Father and the Word teaches that we can see God as our father. God relates to us - His children through grace. And we know grace is simply unmerited favor; getting what we don’t deserve. Karis shares from her experience of teaching children about obedience, and dissuading children from lying. How do we parent from grace? By first understanding that God pursues our hearts in order to teach and correct us.  “This relationship that we have with God, is one where He has standards and He expects us to obey, but He knows we won’t. But He still pursues our hearts even when we don’t.” Karis shares that like us our kids will never perfectly obey, yet moms need to love their children through discipline. Godly discipline is grace-based, and not fear-based. And it strives to let go of unfair unrealistic expectations.  “We need to release the tyranny of perfection on ourselves and our kids.”  Grace doesn’t necessarily mean being nice or being easy going or being a push over or having an absence of rules and consequences, it simply means approaching it God’s way. That boils down to upholding God’s standards and rules, modeling His authentic love and expressing His love in everything we do. What we chat about Meaning of Grace Grace Based Parenting  Obedience, Spanking, Lying Actionable tips on grace based parenting

In this week's https://gemsofmotherhood.com/podcast/ (podcast), we reflect on the most downloaded episodes of 2020 to see what we learned. https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/de58c4a1-fbfd-4ba4-a2ac-73c673576cc0/ep14-being-a-purposeful-mom.mp3 (Being a Purposeful Mom with Rachel-Ruth Wright) https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/29708cd4-5ba7-45e0-8e23-4efa82ae7d97/ep19-talking-to-children-about-sex.mp3 (Talking About Sex with Children with Mo Isom Aiken) https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/212993f3-2fe4-4ffb-bb79-9afdaae347b0/ep6-finding-hope-in-despair-kfarris.mp3 (Finding Hope in Despair with Kariss Farris) https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/65af4d94-ceac-41cb-9f70-af3843b02c7d/ep10-strength-in-identity-mrobertson.mp3 (Strength in Identity with Missy Robertson) https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/a77fff14-fa3f-4379-84ae-4fe902c07fd4/ep20-how-sexual-intimacy-in-marriage-affects-your-children.mp3 (How Sexual Intimacy in Marriage Affects Your Children with Robyn Mckelvy) https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/c91386e3-6239-4c33-b39b-cbc35c726ccf/ep7-how-your-marriage-affects-your-children-nwakefield.mp3 (How Your Marriage Affects Your Children with Noline Wakefield) https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/beb8dcca-2db9-4c2c-b48b-e36f0ca9480d/ep16-tearing-down-strongholds-freedom-in-motherhood-andia.mp3 (Tearing Down Strongholds : Freedom in Motherhood with Andi Andrews) https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/91ba321a-6f27-4cda-a0f0-332e88263d5b/ep9-stand-up-radical-prayers-for-your-children.mp3 (Stand Up : Radical Prayer For Your Children with Maria Durso) https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/ed7c9f0c-ee86-4897-b914-db7aca9d3cdc/ep8-i-cant-believe-you-just-said-that-ghubbard.mp3 (I Can't Believe You Just Said That with Ginger Hubbard)

In this podcast episode, we will be talking about the Titus 2:4 woman. “Let the older women teach the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.” Trina Lozano shares that the only thing that separates women who are 25 and women who are 55 is essentially age and experience. “Regardless of your age, if you’re a mom of a toddler, you’re a mom of a toddler. The principle of older teaching the younger doesn’t necessarily have to be an age thing, but a stage thing." Trina has an amazing legacy. She shares about her life mission to bridge the gap between younger and older moms. “Because with every single child, we, moms have to learn all over again because every child is different.” Titus 2:4 is a mandate for all of us to take heart, learn, apply and pay forward to our friends and family. Paying forward to others involves coaching and mentoring others to help them in their journeys, providing them with necessary counsel and ultimately lead to acquiring wisdom.  “You don’t want to just google how to discipline your kids. You need to follow someone that you admire how they discipline because you have seen the fruit in their own children.” What we chat about Being the Titus woman The Home Experience Parenting advise  Importance of seeking mentorship

God has gifted us differently and diversely. In this podcast episode, Sara Groves shares about her experience being mom while having a blossoming career as a Christian artist. Motherhood is hard enough outside the public eye, but when you’re in a fishbowl for eyes to see keeping all the pieces together is a challenge. “We are finite. We had to think about our life globally. And it helped us be together on the road. What’s yes here, it’s a no somewhere else I would have a massive mom guilt but I had to accept that God’s normal for me is something different” Sara brings all her creativity into her home as a mom giving them vocational weight. She shares that it’s beneficial for moms to carve time out for themselves to pursue their calling, so that the family can experience a beautiful symphony. Each part in our house moving together in a melodious rhythm. Such a thing is marvelous, glorious and God breathed. “Caregiving in general tends to be undervalued because we’re not receiving a paycheck for it. I was encouraged to give vocational weight to things that was not vocational.” She shares about translating her artistic abilities to her children. Even though she can’t control what it looked like for her children, she always supports and encourages her children in their artistic abilities.   It's good to model for our children’s life when they see us do the things God has gifted us to do What we chat about The role of motherhood as an artist Creative process Inspiring and translating artistic abilities to her children Encouraging her children in developing their artistic abilities Connect with Sara WEBSITE: http://saragroves.com (Sara Groves), http://arthousenorth.com (Art House North) INSTAGRAM: http://Instagram.com/grovesroad (Sara Groves, )http://Instagram.com/arthousenorth (Art House North) FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/saragroves/ (Sara Groves), https://www.facebook.com/ArtHouseNorth/ (Art House North) YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/SaraGrovesMusic (Sara Groves)

Being a light in the midst of darkness is not easy these days. And it’s not easy juggling between work and motherhood while trying to be light in this dark world.  In this podcast episode, my guest Jena Holliday shares her personal story of how she was discouraged by a teacher from pursuing her dream of being an artist as a young girl. Yet, God intervened.  “As I became a mother, God started to be remind me of things He had placed in my heart years before… As I walked in faith, people encouraged me to pursue my dreams.”  Jena shares about her struggles juggling motherhood and work as the seasons changed and her kids changed.  “Being flexible is super helpful as it comes to managing priorities as well as trying to be a good parent.” One thing that Jena held with her over the years, is the importance of her uniqueness and who God created her to be. Her mom has always affirmed her and her siblings even though they were all different. Her mom’s instructions gave her confidence, and in turn, has helped her to shed light through her illustrations, especially to her children.  What we chat about Juggling work and motherhood Working remote with children Affirming and speaking life over her children Being a shining light in the community How to teach children to let their light shine

In this week’s episode, we’ll focus on why certain frustrations and emotions just don’t make any sense. Irritability, impatience, anger… are perhaps indicators of unresolved issues or trauma from childhood. And if irritability, impatience and anger persists at almost irrational rates, then maybe there’s something more to it.  “We’re allowed to go through impatience and irritability on the small stuff but if you can’t really identify and feel like it’s an over reaction, so maybe there’s something more there.” Marlaina shares how some of these wounds can surface in our lives. She addresses three things that can cause wounds to surface.  “You gotta slow down enough to acknowledge the pain especially moms of little ones.” Marlaina also talks about her personal story of past wounds. She admonishes us if pain exists we should acknowledge it and tell our story to bring holistic healing. This is a crucial step to healing in our life journey.  “When you’re on the healing journey, there may be still things that cause strong emotions to come up.”  What we chat about Identifying wounds of the past Effects of wounding How does hurt translate to raising children Addressing the wounds Equipping selves to live a healthy life Connect with Marlaina WEBSITE: https://www.wholeheartedwomen.net/ (Whole Hearted Women) INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/wholehearted_women/ (Whole Hearted Women) LINKEDIN: http://www.linkedin.com/in/marlainacenteno1204 (Marlaina Centeno)

In this podcast episode, we’ll be talking about a topic which is hardly discussed because it is too taboo… abortion. We’ll be looking specifically at what it means to be fully restored whether you’ve had an abortion or are considering making such a tragic decision. Even if this episode doesn’t resonate with many of you, I encourage you to listen because Lorraine clearly explains her personal life mission to set women free from despair, bondage and shame. Lorraine shares since starting her ministry she has come across hundreds of women who have kept their abortion a secret because of fear of being shamed or labeled. Christian churches are great at a lot of things, yet when it comes to abortion it has horribly failed to become Jesus’ hands and feet. “Many women don’t even realize the numerous ways that abortion affects their daily lives. The Lord wants to uncover shame, reveal the ways their lives have been affected” She shares different examples of the effects of abortion and how certain women suffer relationship problems due to an inability to connect and maintain intimacy.  “The cutting and severing of the ties through abortion affect relationships.”  God gives us so many promises in scriptures, and its imperative that we ask God to show us who we are. This isn’t only true for individuals who have suffer through an abortion, it applies to every mom. Lorraine suggests women sit quietly to ask God why He loves us, who we are in Him and for to connect with our true identities. “Some underlying emotions that women may not realize are denial. There’s also the difficulty of relationship, pent up anger and not understanding the source of anger and body issues… it’s very insidious how the enemy has used the anti-life spirit to affect all areas of life” What we chat about The effects of abortion Identifying and addressing the hurt of brokenness Healing journey Different emotions for those who have undergone abortion The power of journalling  Taking steps to be fully restored Connect with Lorraine WEBSITE: https://inspiringfaith.us (Inspiring Faith) FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/lorraine.marie.varela (Lorraine Varela) INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/lorrainemarievarela (Lorraine Varela) LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorraine-marie-varela-67978816 (Lorraine Varela) YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/c/inspiringfaithinternational (Inspiring Faith International)

In today’s podcast, we have Allyson Reneau, who is a mother of 11 children and managed to pursue her dream of going to Harvard University in her 50s. That is, Allyson was a stay-at-home-mom for many years with dreams of attending her “ideal college.” Although she was out of school for many years raising her family, she never gave up on her dreams.  “Sometimes God puts us in an uncomfortable position for us to seek Him. I hit bottom in my life in my late 40s… I felt stuck, I wanted to make an impact in this world and leave a legacy for my children.” Her story is inspirational. While she was an only child who planned to have two children at most, God had a different plan. Allyson shares that her expanding family came with its challenges and obstacles, yet she quickly learned to adapt to the big family lifestyle. This process was only possible, she shares, because of her deep faith in Jesus.  “My faith in Jesus and what He speaks to our heart, I believe is true. I never doubted when He spoke to me about going to Harvard.” Allyson candidly shares that, although she had matriculated in Harvard she didn’t think she was smart enough and was almost embarrassed to be there. However, through all the challenges and obstacles, she believed in God’s promises to bring her the victory.  What we chat about Faith in God Stay emotionally and physically healthy Identify the things that discourage you  Connect with Allyson WEBSITE: https://allysonreneau.com/ (Allyson Reneau) FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/allyson.reneau.7 (Allyson Reneau) INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/allyson_reneau/ (Allyson Reneau)

It’s so easy to fall into the worry trap, especially when you’re a first time mom. Tracey Mitchell shares that instead of worrying, moms should focus more on the emotional, social and physical health of their children through open communication. “I think one way to be intentional is to ask children what they want to do as far as goal setting… let their goals be theirs and not just things that we stick and attached to them” If you’re a control freak and you can’t stop worrying, Tracey admonishes us that the best thing moms can do is to check in with other moms to get a clearer perspective of what may be unnecessarily bothering us. Our worries are sometimes amplified by our desires to be GREAT moms while comparing ourselves to Instagram moms, yet freedom comes from knowing your struggles and realizing your great attributes, values and worth — that’s perspective.  “Our worries rarely come true. Prevent the things that we can, be careful and be watchful and don’t fall in the trap of micro-worriers.” Tracey shares that we must routinely retreat and engage in self care to reset our perspective. It goes without saying that the more relax we are, the more we’re able to deal with the stresses of motherhood.  “The journey is just as important as the destination because it’s not always about reaching the goal.”  What we chat about Ways to stay free from worry and anxiety Seeking other mom validation The importance of play Raising children to be bold and confident Connects with Tracey WEBSITE: http://traceymitchell.com (Tracey Mitchell) FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/DrTraceyMitchell (Tracey Mitchell) INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/traceymitchell/ (Tracey Mitchell)

Teaching our children purity is one of the most important roles we can play in parenting. Jackie Kendall shares that children can stay pure even in a sex saturated society which is out of control by starting early. Teaching children about purity at an early age helps to train them to confront wrong thinking around sex and sexuality. “You can’t export into your child’s life what you have not paid the price to import into your own soul” We need to put a wallpaper up and teach our children the foundational truths as a guide to pursuing purity, commitment, patience, and more. Our body is the Holy Spirit’s temple. “Purity impacts you long before marriage and impacts you long after marriage… Immorality is the only sin against the body” Regardless where we come from, if your heart desires purity, God will keep and use it. Jackie shares that if we want to raise the IQ of our children’s souls and prepare their hearts, read the Bible to them daily. The more you read to your child, the more their hearts are being soiled.  “The moment you can read the Bible to your baby, you’re shaping their heart to hear a call to purity.” What we chat about: The importance of purity The book, “Lady in Waiting” Preparing children at a young age Pursuing and celebrate purity  No Bozos stories

Yes, we’re going there and it’s juicy! Motherhood is exhausting and the last thing you want to think, talk or do is that. But I also know you love your husband and they come first before our children.  In this podcast, Robyn Mckelvy shares the truth about God’s design for sexual intimacy in marriage. A mom of seventeen children and author of S.O.S Sick of Sex tells all about how the power of sexual intimacy can transform a marriage. “Sexual intimacy is nothing but an outpouring of the love a husband and wife have for one another. That is the reason why sexual intimacy is important and affect our children” If we truly understand sexual intimacy, then we also can understand intimacy with God inside and out.  “There’s a direct correlation between the intimacy, commitment and connectedness that you have with your husband. And that is the foundations that our kids lives are built on.” Robyn shares that it is vitally important for children to have an early bedtime and late wake up time to make time for our husbands. Moms must reserve this time rather than put it in the back burner. Making this concerted effort to reserve time for relationship building and ultimately ourselves furthers our commitment to our marital vows. “Ultimately, this marathon we call marriage is something that in the end, we want to make sure that God had been glorified in it.”  What we chat about The importance of sexual intimacy in marriage Ways to establish healthy sexual intimacy within marriage Encouragement for moms who feel overwhelm Considering his needs before ours Connect with Robyn WEBSITE: Robyn McKelvy (https://robynmckelvy.com/) FACEBOOK: Robyn McKelvy (https://www.facebook.com/robynmckelvy.author) INSTAGRAM: Robyn McKelvy (https://instagram.com/@mommamac51) LINKEDIN: Robyn McKelvy (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robyn-mckelvy-a53a127a/)  

In this podcast, Mo Isom Aiken shares about the importance of sex, and sexuality. Many times people are confused or scared to navigate the conversation of sex and sexuality with their children. However, this is a conversation, that God wants to speak to us about too.  “We as women, mothers, and daughters of the Most High, must allow Him to minister, heal and cultivate conversations about sex within our own hearts first.” Sex is an act of worship when it’s used in the right context. It is also used as a weapon against the enemy. God’s text is full of this truth from Genesis to Revelation.  “Sex is an invention and a gift from God.”   God desires us as parents to lead our children in the way that they should go. Also, to speak of His ways and His decrees. That simply means it is a non-negotiable; we must have this conversation regardless of how uncomfortable it may be.  Children are being exposed to things at a young age, like pornography and we need to stand in the gap for them. Mo shares about her experiences of sharing about sexuality to her daughter and their reactions.  “God created sex as a beautiful gift between a husband and a wife. And how that prophesies this beautiful intimacy that we’re invited into between he as the bridegroom and we as His bride.”  We can begin to share with our children early in their lives to create hearts that are responsive to God’s identity in their lives, including His wondrous design. Mo reminds us that we should share with our children the truth of sex and sexuality so that they understand that it is more than a physical act and is rather about intimacy. What we chat about Mo’s story Sex and sexuality  Sex as a loss narrative in the Christian family When to talk to your children about sex Purity culture Basic lessons to help our children understand God’s design for sex Function and purpose of sex Worldview that lies behind the huge cultural shifts and how it affects children Connect with Mo WEBSITE: Mo Isom (http://MOISOM.COM) FACEBOOK: Mo Isom (http://FACEBOOK.COM/THEMOISOM) YOUTUBE: Mo Isom (http://BOLDLIFE Initiative or https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7rmZ_Ippd3wAf6h6QJDb5A) TWITTER: Mo isom (https://twitter.com/moisom)

In this podcast (https://gemsofmotherhood.com/podcast/) episode, Nancy touches on a very important subject matter. It’s important to teach our children to love their bodies. If we don’t, they may pick up misperceptions and wrong teaching from the culture. Issues, like homosexuality and transgenderism, are infiltrating school curriculums starting as young as preschool. As Christians we need to stay on top of these hot topics and equip our children with knowledge about their body to be able to combat the destructive teachings (i.e. secular ethics) readily accepted in schools around the country. The best way to talk to children about sexuality is to stay positive. It is easy for Christians to be negative, launch into stereotypes and be easily typecast as judgmental, yet it is always better to present the Christian ethic free of “christianese.” Simply saying something is wrong or sinful is not helpful. Rather, Nancy shares if we explain, using examples, how secular ethic demeans the body it can serve as a bridge to understand Christian’s foundation of authenticity and love. a bridge to understand Christian’s foundation of authenticity and love.  “Kindergarteners are being taught that their bodies tell them nothing about who they are, it’s not authentic self. And that’s when as Christians we have a wonderful opportunity to say, God made your body and what God makes is intrinsically good.” Nancy shares that gender dysphoria, the technical term when you feel out of sync with your body, starts at a young age and is currently especially prevalent in teenagers also known as rapid gender dysphoria. “Genuine gender dysphoria is a long painful haul. It’s truly a deep psychological issue. But with God’s help, we can let our child know it’s okay for them not to live according to the stereotypes.” Nancy encourages Christians to change the language they use to exude positivity which allows our children to see who God created them to be and gives them a glimpse into God’s intelligent design for their identity.  “We are meant to respect our body, to live in harmony with the creator’s design. We are meant to live consistently with our biological sex.” What we chat about Gender dysphoria Rapid gender dysphoria Examples of stories - Interviews with parents of transgender teens, homeschool parent, and more Impact of social media How to speak to children about loving their body The impact of school and gender identity Preparing children about loving their body Darwinism Connect with Nancy WEBSITE: Nancy Pearcey (http://www.nancypearcey.com/) FACEBOOK: Nancy Pearcey (https://www.facebook.com/nancy.pearcey.7) LINKED IN: Nancy Pearcey  (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-pearcey-6286a226/)  

Have you ever found yourself wanting to be the perfect mom, or caring about what other people think of you or even finding yourself dwelling in mom guilt? Well, strongholds are real. If we’re not careful, strongholds can form in our hearts becoming bigger and bigger by the day, month and year. Andi breaks down the terminology of a stronghold. She says it is a place that has been fortified so as to protect it against attack. Many moms can’t help, but compare themselves to others and can’t stop looking to the left and right. It’s easy to remain in the stronghold; however, it doesn’t have to be that way.  “We set up these strongholds because we have a perception of who we think we should be and we don’t just take things one day at a time.” The shame of the mistakes we have made create a space for feeling tremendously guilty. And we hide because we’re afraid of how other moms will judge us. But in actuality, other moms also are going through similar stuff.  “We face this stronghold because when we think we’re not good enough… we buy into a lie and then we begin to play it over and over again until it becomes our truth.”  She shares about falling out of agreement with the lie of perfection. She suggests we write in a journal about the strongholds we might have and what we believe about ourselves in order to create a new “momtastic” belief system. By applying God’s truth and what He would say about you, she encourages moms to stop bad thinking and end the Enemy’s attempts to warp our identity. What we chat about Identifying the different types of strongholds Why do moms face strongholds The comparison game Tearing down strongholds How strongholds can affect our children Applying the different seasons of motherhood and staying content Connect with Andi Website: http://andiandrew.com/ (http://andiandrew.com/) Instagram: @andiandrew  (https://www.instagram.com/andiandrew/) Hashtag: #sheisfreenyc #fakeorfollower  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andiandrew.page (https://www.facebook.com/andiandrew.page) Podcast: Coffee with Andi   (http://andiandrew.com/podcast)

Judy Weber a Mom and entrepreneur shares about what it takes to thrive as a mompreneur. Having the right mindset and commitment for motherhood and business is crucial. There’s a reason why entrepreneurs thrive in business and it is because of their drive, unwillingness to quit and stick-to-it-ness.  “So many women say they want a business but that’s not the same as being committed to having a business.” Judy also shares about the importance of time blocking. Blocking a specific time for a specific task helps productivity and lessens the overwhelming feelings that often come. Women are natural multi-taskers, yet there are challenges to juggling multiple tasks and avoiding burn out.  She encourages moms to give themselves some grace and provides practical advice in doing just that.  “Do not think you’re going to set the world on fire and have a business in three months time” What we chat about Being a mom and running a business Meaning of time blocking The danger of figuring out on your own Building relationships and connections Thriving in your business Connect with Judy Website: https://judy-weber.com/about (https://judy-weber.com/about) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/judyweberlive/ (https://www.instagram.com/judyweberlive/) Hashtag: #blessedtothrive #sheisextraordinary Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/blessedtothrivecommunity (https://www.facebook.com/groups/blessedtothrivecommunity) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judymayweber/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/judymayweber/) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN4VaQJ9Na1IC5hHG8ikCag (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN4VaQJ9Na1IC5hHG8ikCag)

There is an immense amount of pressure placed on moms to nurture and care for their family. In addition to the responsibilities of a full-time job, it's easy to see why being a mom is called the hardest job on earth. My friend Chris Luppo, a single mom, shares about her life as a working mom. She shares about the difficulty she had balancing daily tasks with the demands of being involved in her daughter’s life. Her situation is played out each day by many moms, yet I love Chris’ heart and faith in God and her sincere desire to model Christ for her daughter and now her granddaughter. “I had to teach my child to believe God for things. I never wanted to tell her that we couldn’t afford this. We have to believe God for this. And we saw so many miracles that year.” Being a working mom didn’t stop Chris from teaching her daughter about learning scriptures. She prayed Daniel 1:20 over her every night that she would be ten times smarter and better than everyone else around her. She encourages moms to never regret and look back, but to embrace every season they are in.  What we chat about Being a working single mom Balancing faith and motherhood Believing God for the impossible The Daniel prayer The value of a Christian school Teaching her child scripture

In this podcast, Stephanie Fast shares her personal story of her upbringing and how her upbringing prepared her for to parent children from hard places. An orphan, abandoned, tortured, outcasted and raped as a young child, Stephanie overcame rampant discrimination. Although her tortures left a toll on her body and she didn’t feel like there was hope for tomorrow, she tells her story of redemption by God’s mercy.  Stephanie shares about how the society and culture in South Korea looked at bi-racial children, like herself, as though they were “not human,” and “beneath” others. This view is not unlike how some people in this country have been looked at.  “Looking back again, all the abuses I received living on the street, really wasn’t because of how cruel they were. I just think they were dealing with their own pain, they were still trying to build the country back up and I was just a reminder of the horrors of the country went through”.  From her experience, Stephanie shares that when a child feels rejected, they may tend to reject others. A lot of times, this phenomenon is seen in children who are adopted or come from hard places. But, in reality, these children are dealing with emotions of the past, and not accepting who they’re created to be. “You are the hardest with the people whom you feel most secure with” Don’t be quick to assess your child. Oftentimes, we act too quickly due to what the professionals say yet not by what the spirit says. It’s important to be spirit-led and to ask God to show us our children’s hard places to coach them through their struggles. Even if your story doesn’t resonate with Stephanie’s, I encourage you to listen because she clearly explains the love of Jesus. What we chat about Children from trauma Overcoming challenges of parenting children from hard places Children’s brokenness Creating a safe environment  Identity Mirror therapy Teaching the children to be confident Connect with Stephanie: WEBSITE: Stephanie Fast (https://stephaniefast.org) FACEBOOK: Stephanie Fast (https://www.facebook.com/StephanieFastAuthor/) TWITTER: @StephanieFast (https://twitter.com/StephanieFast) INSTAGRAM: @stephanieannefast (https://www.instagram.com/stephanieannefast/) LINKED IN: Stephanie Fast (http://linkedin.com/in/stephanie-fast-8302813b) YOUTUBE: Stephanie Fast (https://youtube.com/stephaniefast1)  

Rachel-Ruth shares about the meaning of being a purposeful mom; walking with the Lord daily and being intentional. She talks about the importance of teaching children to truly love Jesus and not just be a church goer. “When my girls see me loving Jesus everyday, they know its real. And so it has to start with your own personal relationship with Jesus.” She shares about modeling the right behavior to our children, loving Jesus and allowing to flow out naturally. What makes it hard for mothers is this burden of perfection, navigating being purposeful and being perceived as perfect. To combat the pitfalls, we need to spend time with the Lord to keep us on the right path. Start off in scripture, and in prayer. Sometimes it’s easy for the enemy to attack us. And Christian fellowship is important. Hang out with like-minded mothers.  “There’s little nuggets in Proverbs 31 women in all of us. Every mom knows what it means to stay up late, wake up early, make lunch… we’re always trying to do our best and we know what we can do.” What we chat about Being an intentional mom Spending time with the Lord Being real as a mom Proverbs 31 woman Legacy from Anne Graham Lotz and Billy Graham Connect with Rachel-Ruth: TWITTER: @Rachel_RuthW (https://twitter.com/Rachel_RuthW) INSTAGRAM: @rachel_ruthlw (https://www.instagram.com/rachel_ruthlw/)  

Glenna shares about the importance of cultivating a lasting faith in your children. A mother’s role is critical in planting the seeds that will make the difference in their children’s futures. Drawing a distinction between seeds of faith and seeds of values, Glenna emphasized how mothers are models and how they help children with their development.  “I go back to the word modeling… my children knew there was a Source for our blessings.” She shares that it starts from the moment children can have the most simple conversation and modeling prayer is essential to planting seeds. Spending alone time with each of her children is also crucial. It helps build up their faith and values and it is incredible to witness what children can come up with when encouraged to do so.  “Difficulties are part of life. If you have challenges and difficulties without faith, there’s no place to go.” Look for the good things that happen in life. A positive mindset makes a huge difference in a child’s life. Glenna shares her formula for building faith in her children which starts with being a good listener so that children feel it is easy to talk with their mom.  “God is in charge of every footsteps you take.”  What we chat about Planting the seeds of faith Questions to ask children to build confidence Praying with her children Building confidence in children Understanding children Making dreams alive Formula to bring dreams to reality Connect with Glenna

Myranda shares about being a missionary mom and her experience in Zambia where she and her husband served as street missionaries. She shares about coming back in the US and the culture shock she has experienced. However, she attributes her family’s experience in Zambia as being the catalyst for her children seeing beyond their present circumstances to appreciate what is really important.  “We have always been really open about how beautiful different cultures are and why we would like to be apart and learn from that.” In Zambia, Myranda and her family were always surrounded by great needs, life changing experiences. This forced them to adapt and be flexible. She juxtaposed this to the US where everything is pretty sanitized. She appreciates the fact that her children got to go to school with all different walks of life, were able to see people for who they were and got to understand what it means to be in a community. “We didn’t feel like it was very fair to force them to be missionary children. That’s not what they wanted to do. And when we made that decision, they became comfortable again.” She shares about teaching her children about who they are in God’s eyes. Coming back into the US, she’s seen the fruit in her children. She encourages moms to allow their children to experience different cultures and make it teachable talking points. She shares about exposing children to different experiences like museum, African dance, Chinese drama and etc. and the life-altering impact it will have on children. What we chat about Experience in Zambia vs the US Culture shock Shifting perspective Being raised as an ex-pat Exposing children to different cultures Valuing friendships Connect with Myranda Instagram: @thirdculturecraftco (https://instagram.com/thirdculturecraftco) Facebook: Myranda Morales (https://www.facebook.com/moralesmyranda)

In this episode, we’re going to be talking about Cultivating Different Cultures with Vivian Malbuni. Vivian was raised in a majority white culture. And during that time she tried to fit in and push down the Asian part of her. But she realized later that it was not an accident that God created her the way she was. Now Vivian has learned to celebrate her culture with her children.  Vivian shares about being intentional as a mom to share the Western and Eastern culture to her children. She shared about the difference between the Western and Eastern culture. “I believe strongly that representation matters where there's a more holistic picture”. She shares that it was important for her kids to know who they are, to create strength in knowing the difference and to carry their heritage as a badge of honor. Some examples of sharing the different culture experiences are experimenting with different foods, utensils, and seeing different part of the world.  “Part of being a mom is also helping our kids to celebrate their heritage.”  We must never have a mindset that our way of life is the only and the right way. And we need to be intentional about setting the example that cultural awareness is important and in turn, help our children explore different ethnicities. What we chat about: Challenges being raised in a predominantly white neighborhood Ways to embrace different cultures Help kids to cultivate their God given talent Exposing kids to the bigger world around us The influence of faith & culture Individualistic vs collective Her book, “Open Hands, Willing Heart” Connect with Vivian: WEBSITE: Vivian Mabuni (http://www.vivianmabuni.com) INSTAGRAM: @vivmabuni (https://www.instagram.com/vivmabuni) TWITTER: @vivmabuni (http://twitter.com/vivmabuni)

Homeschooling is an opportunity to take ownership of your child’s education while living out your faith. Viviana shares that every parent is a home educator and that homeschooling is simply a vehicle where parents have the freedom to select subjects that they want their children to learn.  “God has engineered my circumstances as He has many times to show us the way that we should go. I’d say homeschooling fell on my lap.” Viviana encourages parents to create a plan for the school at home by setting goals and a vision for the year. Education should not be confined to a building. There are so many creative ways to homeschool. Creativity is crucial yet avoiding technology as much as possible especially with younger children is essential. Replacing technology intentionally with art, play and outdoor activities further enhances your child’s learning experience.  Viviana shares that reading aloud and focusing on play is essential for younger children while the academic rigors of school should wait until age of 6. She encourages parents to take it one year at a time and be flexible. Although things may change and kids may get sick, always listen to the Holy Spirit and be flexible because at the end of the day it’s the heart that matters.  “No discipline seems good at the moment.” What we chat about:  Setting goals and vision Why homeschool Things to do when starting to homeschool Difference between homeschool, private school vs public school Homeschooling children between the ages of 2-5 Practicing routines and habits Organizing your day with your children 5 Mistakes that parents should learn from  Resources and support Connect with Viviana

With parenting comes a lot of responsibility. It is never easy. There are so many things that we need to teach our children. Today we’re talking about Strength in Identity with Missy Robertson. Missy shares about how to start instilling the things that matter most to our children - eternity with Christ. We’re royalty! We are princes and princesses of a Holy God because of what He did for us. We need to understand it’s not what we can do, but it’s about what He did in us.  "The number one thing to be able to give your children their own identity is to be authentic around them.” There are so many people who are comfortable in their own skin but there are also those who are fake. But kids know and they watch how we as parents interact with people. And they can easily spot a fake. If they observe this in us, it will only lead them to question themselves, like if they’ve done something wrong or even doubt who they are. A parent can right their inauthenticity by simply apologizing for when we’re wrong and start modeling authentic behavior.  "The identity comes from understanding that you are nothing but God is everything.” Missy also emphasizes that shaping your children’s faith is not isolated to them. In fact, she shares that she often talks about her faith with her children’s friends so that there’s no confusion with what she expects of her children’s friends and their behavior. Her main message is that it’s because of Jesus and what He did, we’re given this platform with our children and their friends to share and reinforce their identity. “Joy is very different from happiness. And you can find joy in everything especially if you walk in God’s will and His path.”  What we chat about: Identity as a mom Teaching children about having strength in identity Being authentic Embracing the personalities of each child Addressing situation of identity amongst the friends of their children Building relationships Learning to enjoy the process

God’s word is living and active. The Bible says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.” And my guest, Maria Durso, encourages us to pray radical prayers for our children. Sometimes, we’re blinded as parents. When we raise our children at church we may not necessary see certain issues, but truthfully our children are “little sinners” who also are not saved yet.  “I believe we haven’t been taught how to radically stand up and pray for our children” There is so much encouragement in this episode for standing on the truth of God’s word and praying honestly and boldly to help shape our children, teens and adult children. Maria shares about the difference between her nice mom prayers versus her going to war for her children and how God revealed to her what was going on behind the scenes with her children. "Pray honest prayers, don’t just pray they are good boy prayers. Pray exactly what needs to be prayed” She emphasized how the enemy doesn’t want the next generation to serve the Lord, and thus, how it should encourage us to more urgently seek God’s wisdom on how to pray.  “Start to talk to our children not what they are now but what they are to be.”  What we chat about: Nice mom prayers Going to war and making radical prayer for our children How to make radical prayers Story of Hannah and Peninnah Strongholds Fasting - a life for a life Baptism of faith Her book “From Your Head to Your Heart” Connect with Maria WEBSITE: Maria Durso (http://www.mariadurso.com/) INSTAGRAM: @mariadurso (https://instagram.com/mariadurso) FACEBOOK: Maria Durso (https://www.facebook.com/MariaDursoSpeaker/)  

Today we’re talking about training toddlers in God’s way with Valerie Shepard. We all want well behaved kids… and for that to happen training needs to begin at a young age.  Valerie was the only daughter of missionary parents, Elisabeth and Jim Elliot. Her parents were missionaries to the Quichua Indians of the Amazon jungle. Valerie attended and graduated from Wheaton College in 1976 with a BA in English Literature. She has been married to her husband 42 years and has devoted her time being a pastor’s wife, raising 8 children, homeschooling, and teaching Bible studies. Her husband and she have 8 grandchildren and their adult children now live from CA to the UK. Valerie shares her simple approach to training up toddlers — speaking in low tones, implementing quiet times for them, and praying with husbands.  “It is so important to be consistently firm to help the child understand that you are their authority.” What we chat about: Why it’s important to be consistent The importance of quiet time How can you implement quiet time The importance of praying with your husband

When a child disobeys, our natural reaction is typically to discipline them with consequences. It’s probably how we were raised and seems like the best way to parent. We raise our voices, threaten and/or coerce, but still find ourselves frustrated? But what if we took a different approach.  My guest Ginger Hubbard has some hope-filled news for us. In her new book, I Can’t Believe You Just Said That, she provides a three-step plan to reach beyond the behaviors of tongue-related struggles such as lying, tattling and whining. We can look at our child’s behavior and identify a heart attitude that needs training. We can try to reach the heart and figure out what’s going on in the heart by asking heart probing questions. What if we can help them evaluate not just how they are acting, but what is going on in the heart that is motivating them to disobey. “It’s never enough to just verbally instruct our kid in what not to do, we always need to instruct them in what to do”. Ginger Hubbard shares many different examples of heart issues from her new book, I can’t Believe You Just said That. For example, Ginger shares that whining has become an epidemic and that so many kids whine as a means of communicating.  “What we don’t want to do is just administer consequences that’s not effective, that’s not teaching them to replace what is wrong to be right… and that’s not training them in righteousness”. What we chat about: How to handle issues like whining, disobedience and lying How to reach a child’s heart Why is it important to ask heart probing questions How can we set aside ineffective practices such as scolding and administering punishment CONNECT WITH GINGER WEBSITE: Ginger Hubbard (https://www.gingerhubbard.com/) INSTAGRAM: @gingerhubbard (https://instagram.com/ginger.hubbard) FACEBOOK: Ginger Hubbard (https://www.facebook.com/OfficialGingerHubbard/) BOOK MENTIONED I Can't Believe You Just Said That (https://www.gingerhubbard.com/) Don't Make Me Count to Three (https://www.gingerhubbard.com/)

Five times in the Bible God talks about taking two people and making them one flesh. In this week’s podcast, Noline Wakefield shares about How Your Marriage Affects Your Children.  Noline has been married to the love of her life, Neil, for 47 years. Together they have 3 children and 17 grandchildren. They have travelled the United States putting on marriage seminars as well as building up leaders. Currently, they pastor at Crossroads Church in France.  In Malachi 2, God reveals His heart for families,“But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth.” "That’s what God intended in marriage, because He wanted us to become one, husband and wife, because he was seeking Godly offspring… When you concentrate on your one flesh relationship, its like your kids see a stability there.” Unity starts with a husband and wife walking humbly with each other, and in turn, investing liberally in building up their relationship. Noline challenges couples that, “even if you feel like you’ve married the wrong person, God can still take you and make you one flesh and give you a good marriage if you allow him the opportunity to do so… We may have done the choosing but God does the joining. No marriage is impossible, don’t give up on your marriage.” Because we have a choice, we can choose to trust God to build, restore and prioritize our marriages in order to see the fruit in our children. What we chat about: The importance of unity in a marriage The importance of focusing on your spouse Why marriage before children The role of a mother and father Praying for your spouse and children Connect with Noline FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/noliner (https://www.facebook.com/noliner)  

Losing a baby to a miscarriage or late in the pregnancy is heartbreaking. Imagine experiencing that this type of loss multiple times. In this podcast episode, Kariss shares about her trust in God’s perfect plan for her life despite experiencing three miscarriages. God’s grace is evident in her story.  Kariss Fariss is energetic, honest, and a fun-loving “girl-next-door.” As the eldest grandchild of Dr. Tony and Lois Evans, Kariss has been surrounded by the word of God her entire life. “I know that if this is not the time for me to be having a baby, and that God has something better in store….” All three of her miscarriages were devastating, but different. During one of her pregnancies, she went through an extreme anxiety feeling like she was going to die at childbirth. However, God brought her through it and taught her what she needed to learn from it. “I just had extreme anxiety and I’m usually not a person with anxiety… but for some reason I just had the feeling that I was going to die at childbirth.”  Although Kariss didn’t go through an emotional loss due to her miscarriages, she did go through a period where she did not want to get pregnant, just wanted to bank on her own plans and thought the doors were closed on future pregnancies. But of course, God had different plans. Kariss had two children and is expecting a third rainbow child. This is what God had wanted for her and her family to go through before experiencing the fruitfulness of His promises.  What we chat about: Praying through your pregnancy and proclaiming God’s promises over her life Look for what is trying to do and focus more on His plans To be attached to Christ for all things Connect with Kariss: WEBSITE: http://www.karissfarris.com/ (http://www.karissfarris.com/) INSTAGRAM: @karissfarris (https://instagram.com/karissfarris) FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/karissfarris/ (https://www.facebook.com/karissfarris/) TWITTER: https://twitter.com/karissfarris (https://twitter.com/karissfarris) YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjVLDhlwJh8cIQtaIb8fRhQ (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjVLDhlwJh8cIQtaIb8fRhQ) Books Mentioned: Supernatural Childbirth (https://www.amazon.com/Supernatural-Childbirth-Jackie-Mize/dp/0892747560) Praying Through Your Pregnancy (https://www.amazon.com/Praying-Through-Pregnancy-Week-Week/dp/0800726847/ref=pd_lpo_14_t_2/137-9379103-0335969?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0800726847&pd_rd_r=99357b40-d28f-4a4a-bd01-458eeabdef4d&pd_rd_w=lf1ru&pd_rd_wg=rRtNV&pf_rd_p=7b36d496-f366-4631-94d3-61b87b52511b&pf_rd_r=ZPJTHWKEMCSG3BSNN65S&psc=1&refRID=ZPJTHWKEMCSG3BSNN65S) Praying for Your Unborn Child (https://www.amazon.com/Praying-Unborn-Child-Francis-MacNutt/dp/1444702564/ref=sr_1_2?crid=38N8WVQ69RRXR&dchild=1&keywords=praying+for+your+unborn+child&qid=1594339619&s=books&sprefix=praying+for+your+unbor%2Cstripbooks%2C147&sr=1-2) (Not Mentioned but Recommended)

Keeping up with friends when you become a mom and building new friendships with mom friends are vitally important. Friendships are worth investing in and they are a key part of what helps moms walk this journey successfully.  Sarah Kurtenbach the founder of an online ministry for millennial women called moveHER, which emphasizes building up female leaders in faith. She is married to the love of her life and they have a 20-month old son. Sarah shares honestly what worked for her, what didn’t and why it’s so important to have friendships as a mom. “I believe and feel women are in need of two core things. Number one, we are in desperate need of more Jesus in our life. And the second thing is we are desperate for other women. Like we need each other to survive life.” Sarah talks candidly about using words to affirm other moms and how much affirmations can bring life to each other. Words are powerful! When used rightfully words can change perspectives, correct wrong actions and build new character. So, moms be quick to listen, but even quicker to encourage.  “Be really emphatic to each other. Sometimes when you're out of the season, it may be hard to relate to the person in the season that’s behind you but we can't let that happen… we have to remember those seasons so we can help others” What we chat about: Build each other up Affirming other moms Be there for other moms and help support them Things that could ruin a friendship CONNECT WITH SARAH WEBSITE: moveher.co (https://moveher.co) INSTAGRAM: @sarahkurtenbach (https://instagram.com/sarahkurtenbach) HASHTAG: #moveHER FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/sakurtenbach (http://www.facebook.com/sakurtenbach) LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahkurtenbach/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahkurtenbach/) YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYGcmVXV6KXZlurf8Bqe4yg (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYGcmVXV6KXZlurf8Bqe4yg) Other links: HotMess Moms: https://www.facebook.com/hmmoms/ (https://www.facebook.com/hmmoms/)

Ever think to yourself how do I raise my children in a Godly manner? It’s such an important part of parenting. In this podcast episode, my guests Kahanah Swift has some great gem nuggets on being intentional when parenting children  “Kingdom parenting is defined as intentionally parenting our kids with the values and the heart of our radical Jesus. As we parent our kids with kingdom values it might look different from the parents that are around us.” One key thing is to be attach to the vine. She shares her heart’s desire for her children to discern and have a relationship with Jesus and to have a broken heart for the lost. The aim is to raise godly children to become men and women of integrity.  “Like John 15, we need to be attached to the vine to carry out our work. Am I growing personally? Am I getting refresh? Am I getting renewed? And parenting is a great way to refine your Christianity. It pushes us to the brink, it tests us, it puts her through the fire with no sleep. It really is one of the best way to bring the worst in yourselves in order to be transform more into Christlikeness.”  Half the battle in parenting is realizing that we’ve been appointed and anointed to raise our children. We need to have a flexible mindset and listen to the Holy Spirit. When that happens, our process is made so much easier.  What we chat about: Intentional parenting Being attached to the vine 4 models of parenting that helped her family Parenting inside the funnel Leaning into the Holy Spirit when we need to make a decision in parenting Connect with Kahanah: WEBSITE:https://www.fathershouseoc.org (https://www.fathershouseoc.org) INSTAGRAM: @swiftmama (https://instagram.com/swiftmama)  

Wendie Pett is a nationally recognized fitness expert. She’s passionate about motivating and encouraging people to make fitness and nutrition as part of their daily routine. She stresses on the importance of caring for the mind, body and spirit while reaching their full God-given potential through her Visibly Fit™ program. In this episode, Wendie walks us through incorporating wellness into our daily routine. She encourages us to shift our mindset to become our Best Self in Body Mind and Spirit. She shares great ways to help us and our families stay the course.  "We have to stop making excuses. When we start to dabble and have one bite of ice cream, it can take you down an unhealthy spiral you don’t want to go.” Wendie shares her insight as to how moderation kills momentum and helps us self sabotage our own bodies. We need to understand what our cravings mean, that our bodies are fueled by proper vitamins and nutrients and that a different mindset is necessary for success.  "Children are always watching us. We are models. The more you show up for yourself, the more she’ll show up for herself as she gets older and will take good care of herself.” Thus, give yourself permission to take care of yourself.  Connect with Wendie: WEBSITE: https://www.wendiepett.com/ (https://www.wendiepett.com/) INSTAGRAM: @wendiepett (https://www.instagram.com/wendiepett/) YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/WendiePett (https://www.youtube.com/user/WendiePett) FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/VisiblyFit (https://www.facebook.com/VisiblyFit) PRESS: https://www.wendiepett.com/press/ (https://www.wendiepett.com/press/) PROMO: Free Detox Green Drink Recipe (http://www.liveimmune.com) Free 7 Day Workout and Meal Plan  (http://www.wendiepett.com) (look for pop up window)

Most parents would agree that leaving a legacy for their children is important. But many stumble along life trying to figure how to do.  Women of Faith speaker Thelma Wells aka Mama T shares about leaving a legacy. Mama T is no stranger to the stage, having presented to over a million people in her career and speaking along side Zig Ziglar, Max Lucado, the late Rosa Parks, Kay Arthur, June Hunt, Serita Jakes and of course, her Women of Faith porch pals.  "Teaching them to love, I know sometimes it’s hard to love. But look at yourself, do you want to be love and how do you want to be really love?" Mama T shares her wisdom about leaving a legacy, which she learned from her great grandmother, great grandfather and grandfather, with us. Her great-grandmother, great grandfather and grandfather were used by God mightily to set the tone for the rest of her life. They taught her the fear of God, to speak the truth, to be kind and to be gentle. Creating a vast appreciation for God’s love, she started praying for her own children when they were in her belly that they would be knowledgable about Jesus, to accept Him. And each of them have accepted Him and that’s the greatest legacy.  Mama T’s own spiritual journey, however, led her to experience and learn the worth of forgiveness. A crash course on forgiveness played a crucial role in her life and left no room for her carrying around grudges which had unknowingly shackled her. Her children saw God’s grace working in their mother’s life, and realized in her conduct, how you don’t have to carry the hatchet; you can bury it.  This is an episode you don’t want to miss. Meet Mama T Known as "Mama T," Thelma Wells is a feisty 75 year old who has been featured in D Magazine, Southern Living, The Dallas Business Journal, The Dallas Morning News, Significant Living and many more publications and TV shows including Dr. Phil, The Joanie Show, Life Today and the 700 Club. Traveling to 20+ conferences a year as a speaker, she's sought after by corporations, women’s groups and governmental entities. In 2016, she spoke for Women of Faith on the Final “LOVED” tour -- traveling to 22 cities and reaching a half a million women. Her passion is to tell everyone that they can “BEE” their best in Christ. A mission she’s carried out for 40 years. Connect with Mama T WEBSITE: https://www.thelmawells.com/ (https://www.thelmawells.com/) INSTAGRAM: @thelma.wells (https://www.instagram.com/thelma.wells/) YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/ThelmaWells (https://www.youtube.com/user/ThelmaWells) FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ThelmaWells.AWomanofGodMinistries/ (https://www.facebook.com/ThelmaWells.AWomanofGodMinistries/) TWITTER: https://twitter.com/thelmaw (https://twitter.com/thelmaw)

Teresa Conlon has been serving as president of Summit International School of Ministry since the fall of 2010. She also serves as an associate pastor at Times Square Church in New York City. Teresa has had the privilege of speaking internationally for over a decade at leadership conferences and women’s events. She has a passion for the Word of God and is known for speaking directly to the heart through her messages.With the current global pandemic, we are together as a family unit more than ever before. In this episode, Teresa shares about the importance of finding balance spiritually and emotionally. “I found myself actually not saying no to things. I had to learn to say yes to self care… to making sure that my own fires were burning properly because then I could give properly.” Having struggle to find balance in her own life at the beginning of her ministry, Teresa passionately shares about her own experience during her season as a mother with small children. She focused on a few things, like  Checking our emotions, finding the source of our frustrations and allowing ourselves to be transparent rather than expecting people to read our mind. Checking in spiritually to gauge our place in a growingly small and mundane world. The enemy lies to us all the time about our worth and value. We need find time away with God for His strength.  Teresa reminds us that it is easy to lose our identity, yet we can always regain it by permitting God to tell us what He thinks about us. We need to find a moment to recenter and refocus. When God speaks his thoughts to us, we radiate. We are life givers.  It’s my hope that this episode will draw you closer to God, refresh you and restore your faith as to what is possible in your family.  Teresa is currently working on a book. I can't wait when it'll be released. And if you do have older children that are considering a Bible school, do check out Summit International School of Ministry. Connect with Teresa: Website: summitpa.org

Welcome! This is my very first podcast and I’m so excited to be doing this. I hope you’re just as excited as I am. I’m Sharon Kon and I’m a mom of 1. I started this podcast because reality is there is just so much to learn when it comes to motherhood. So please enjoy this journey with me!