Back in the day, newspapers used to have an "Opinion" section where personal viewpoints were voiced for the public to read and reflect on. In today's society, we now have the internet for such things. However, the world of social media and instant news have taught us how to readily give our take on something without giving space for other ideas and making room for the unique journeys of other people. Some have become walking POEs (personal op-eds) that force their views on others - critics who c...
Jun 08, 2022•22 min•Ep. 76
Life pivots and transitions are never easy, especially when it involves leaving a known place, thing, people, or season for an unknown one. And often, there is a period of figuring out how to find the courage to trust more fully when so many changes are happening. Not only is there the discovery of what comes next but also the way in which the current transition changes you as a person. Confronting life as it was and how it is now as well as who you once were and who you are now can be challengi...
May 31, 2022•17 min•Ep. 75
Loneliness is a very real problem in today's society. Alarming statistics show that, even in the face of massive internet and social connectedness, people are more distant and alone than perhaps ever before. But the truth is, loneliness has always been present and part of life is learning how to address and handle it when it shows up. Today's episode gives both scientific and spiritual insight into how to deal with loneliness, how to properly order your life-loves, and why God alone should have ...
May 24, 2022•24 min•Ep. 74
Sometimes, life puts us in circumstances where we are faced with impossibilities that only a divine intervention or rescue can reverse. We find ourselves unable to save ourselves and all we can do is cry for help - to look upward and outward for assistance if we stand any chance of survival. Today, you will learn the story of a dog named Marlon and his harrowing rescue and what it teaches us about waiting well for our own as well as how to look for helpers in the situation. Visit and subscribe t...
May 17, 2022•15 min•Ep. 73
For those who mourn, grief has no timeline. The process of healing from any sort of devastating loss can often take months, sometimes years to work through, and everyone's journey is as unique as they are. However, for each, there comes a time when they must decide if they are going to go on and learn to live and love again or stay trapped in their grief for the rest of their life. This episode will discuss how to know for yourself when that time is and how to find the courage to move forward af...
May 10, 2022•20 min•Ep. 72
When faced with circumstances that shake you to the core, it can be difficult sometimes to pray... to put into words how you are feeling or what you need, and to connect with God on any sort of spiritual level. In today's episode, we will talk about the importance of prayer, the role it plays in our suffering, and why it's important to surround yourself with people who can believe for you when you are unable to believe for yourself. Visit and subscribe to my blog at: www.graceopens.blogspot.com ...
May 03, 2022•15 min•Ep. 71
Often, adversity hits us when we least expect it and, in the case of Phil Holtz, it happened practically at the beginning of life. In today's episode, you'll hear the inspiring story of a young man who was dealt an unfortunate set of circumstances early on but who has managed to overcome them with faith in God, love from family, and a positive outlook that has touched many. He's here to share his incredible story of battling complications from a brain tumor, to talk about how to build community ...
Apr 26, 2022•57 min•Ep. 70
Shame. Its presence and its name evoke unpleasant memories and hurtful feelings. We remember all the times it was placed upon us or we've put it on ourselves. It can be baggage on our life-journey that we carry with us all our lives and never get rid of. But what if this was our moment to address the un-named in the room - to bring into the open what has bound us and silenced us and claimed us for so long? What if today was a step into freedom? Join today's episode as we discuss the powerful gri...
Apr 19, 2022•21 min•Ep. 69
Pain can often block us from being able to get in touch with the simplicity of who we are and inhibit our ability to tap into the natural qualities that make up our human existence. Memory can be altered by adversity in such a way as to cloud the little joys, hopes, and dreams we once started out with when we were young. Part of the healing process can be found in learning how to rediscover our inner child and to get back to the heart of what Jesus said His kingdom was built upon: basic trust, u...
Apr 12, 2022•22 min•Ep. 68
People often think they can't help the way they feel about situations in life but the truth is, you become what you reflect on most. Science backs it up, and so does the Bible. Your thought-life impacts your physical and mental health in more ways than you probably realize and the more you learn how to manage the things you think about, the better your quality of life will be! This episode takes you on a crash course in brain function and gives you tools on how to take your beliefs and thoughts ...
Apr 05, 2022•27 min•Ep. 67
At some point in our lives, all of us experience rejection. Someone lets us know, in no uncertain terms, that we've failed their expectations and aren't enough. That even if we were once included, we aren't now. And we're left to try to sort out why and where to go from here. The feeling of being uninvited is nothing uncommon. But, when it happens, it can mess with our confidence and our overall mental well-being. Today, we're going to address this and how to move forward after you've been exclu...
Mar 29, 2022•18 min•Ep. 66
You've likely had conversations with others who were going through a hard time and felt at a loss for words regarding what to say in response to their suffering. And the easiest answer you've been able to come up with is, "Have you seen a professional?" It's become an easy way for us to pass the buck when it comes to being there for those struggling, assuming the so-called "experts" can do a better job at listening and supporting than we can. But what if God specifically sent that person to us a...
Mar 22, 2022•18 min•Ep. 65
When you've been faced with a lot of unexpected adversity or sudden tragedies, it can be easy to start living life as if you're waiting for the next shoe to drop... as if you're constantly worried about what's to come, projecting the past onto the present and future and losing your peace and joy in the moment because you're so wrapped up in an impending sense of what could be ahead. You can begin to forget how good you really have it and miss miracles along the way simply because you've allowed ...
Mar 15, 2022•17 min•Ep. 64
All of us have our share of secret battles we fight. Battles we're afraid to bring to light but ones that affect us on a daily basis more than we perhaps realize. Callan Conkle knows that better than just about anyone. She's dealt with her share of hidden secrets and is here for a candid conversation about eating disorders, perfectionism, and learning to accept and forgive the flaws within yourself and those around you. You'll have to pardon a couple tiny spots where the audio cut out but unfort...
Mar 08, 2022•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 63
Sometimes life has a tendency to descend on us like a snowstorm and suddenly we are faced with a choice of great necessity: stay inside and remain comfortable or get up and get to work and dig yourself out. If we decide to take the former option, we soon realize that waiting around for others to plow us out or things to magically remove themselves isn't realistic - it takes faith and bit of perseverance to clear a path forward, one shovel-full at a time. Today's episode is going to give you some...
Mar 01, 2022•18 min•Ep. 62
What constitutes true beauty? Is it found in what we wear? Where we work and what we do? What level of education we achieved? How our life compares to those around us? Is it found in the impressions we create on social media, or how we're viewed by others? Our society certainly thinks so. But what if the thing that makes for true beauty was actually authenticity? What if we have treasure hidden inside of ourselves that we're afraid to let out because we don't think it's what others are looking f...
Feb 22, 2022•18 min•Ep. 61
Most people are familiar with the five love languages. But what if those primary love languages also were synonymous with our personal grief languages as well? What if how we receive or give love actually reflects how we'll receive or give comfort in a time of crisis or loss? Today, you'll discover how to identify and put into practice your own grief language as well as how to notice it in others and increase the productivity of your communication and deepen your connection to one another when f...
Feb 15, 2022•19 min•Ep. 60
Sometimes there are seasons in life where it feels like everything is on hold - when things feel more complicated, delayed, denied, and disappointing than ever before - and you are tempted to question how or if God is working in the situation at all. Today's episode talks you through how you can embrace the pause: be able to have the right attitude and notice potential in your unexpected moments of feeling on hold as well as see God's hand moving even when things are different than you would've ...
Feb 08, 2022•27 min•Ep. 59
All of us pass through wilderness seasons in our lives where we are faced with desperate circumstances that bring us to the end of ourselves. Devoid of all the means we can think of to survive, we have nowhere to turn but to God alone. Yet, in such dire situations, we discover that there is such a thing as Grace in the desert - special care displayed from the heart of a loving God who hears, who knows, who sees. In this episode, we'll visit the story of Hagar in the Bible and learn how we too ca...
Feb 01, 2022•22 min•Ep. 58
Zerbin Singleton has faced a lot in his life: from homelessness, to being hit by a drunk driver, to witnessing first-hand the impact of drugs and suicide in the lives of those closest to him. And yet, his life is a testament to the power of choice and the importance of seeing possibility in every impossibility. Today, the podcast welcomes this Marine Corps officer to share his story and inspire you to overcome the challenges you find yourself in with faith in God, a positive attitude, and the ab...
Jan 25, 2022•44 min•Ep. 57
Dark days happen for all of us and, when they do, it’s important to have those around you who will be the light for you. Be His hope-rays when you’ve lost your way and will to carry on. Today’s episode talks about how we can be that light for others, and you just might hear the story of an inspiring woman who came to be known as “the lady with the lamp!” Visit and subscribe to my blog at: www.graceopens.blogspot.com Twitter: @opentograce2015 Instagram: @opentogracealaska Parler: @Opentogracealas...
Jan 18, 2022•16 min•Ep. 56
Every single one of us has been labeled. We’ve all had others define us and name us and shame us into an identity other than who we really are. But what does it mean to be named by Grace? And how can we discover the path to personal freedom by taking power back from the negative labels and labelers in our lives? Listen to today’s podcast for a fascinating take on psychology and spiritual redefinition and how to embrace your true identity as a creation of God! Visit and subscribe to my blog at: w...
Jan 11, 2022•22 min•Ep. 55
Everyone is presented with difficulties at some point in their life. And, with each challenge, comes a choice: view the problem as an opportunity, or allow oneself to become the problem's victim. As a new year dawns, it is an inevitable fact that each of us will face our own share of adversity and difficulties in 2022. But which response we choose will determine whether we learn and grow from those challenges or are overcome by them. Today's episode discusses how we can approach problems when th...
Jan 04, 2022•20 min•Ep. 54
Each of us has a certain hard thing we've been putting off dealing with. Something that we know is holding us back, but we just can't seem to let go of it and step into whatever is next. Headed into a new year, today's episode is an encouragement to each of us to shed those weights that are keeping us down and to welcome a fresh start, a new chapter in whatever form it comes. To make room for beginnings by being willing to face some endings. So as 2022 approaches, let's deal with some things we'...
Dec 28, 2021•20 min•Ep. 53
For most people, the holiday season evokes wonderful feelings of joy and happiness, of time spent with loved ones and cherished traditions. For others, however, it comes with tremendous pain and sorrow as the emptiness of loss or unexpected change leaves them sad, confused, and emotionally disengaged from all things merry. This episode shares the compelling story of how a 19th century poet faced his own broken Christmas and found hope in the midst of great despair. If you're trying to figure out...
Dec 21, 2021•23 min•Ep. 52
Studies reveal a startling fact about our society: people now are more stressed, tired, and worn out than ever before in history. As a society, we have trained ourselves not to slow down and refresh, causing us tremendous physical, mental, and spiritual side effects that impact our daily lives. Today's episode invites you to discover the self-discipline...the sacred art...of re-ordering your life to the rhythm of God and how to re-discover the necessity of pausing on purpose. Visit and subscribe...
Dec 14, 2021•19 min•Ep. 51
If we're honest, life feels like we're living on the edge most of the time. Constantly being called to greater heights of faith and dependence as challenges force us into deeper trust. But all holy things never did come easily. Jesus never promised it would be simple...He only promised it would be good and worth it. In this episode, we take a journey to the Ethiopian desert and find out how a rock-hewn church can teach us about the perilous climb of faith and why it matters. Visit and subscribe ...
Dec 07, 2021•18 min•Ep. 50
The holiday season is often one full of happiness and great fun for most people yet, for some, it evokes very painful memories and deeply-sorrowful feelings. Sadly, we don't usually choose to (or know how to) make space for these thoughts and emotions and, those experiencing them, can feel extremely lonely and overlooked. This episode focuses on how those in such a place can lament their way through Advent and create their own holiday season in a way that still feels holy but perhaps doesn't loo...
Nov 30, 2021•18 min•Ep. 49
It's the week of Thanksgiving Day, and we're all looking forward to gathering around the food and traditions that mean so much to us. But what if thanks-giving wasn't just intended for one day a year? What if all our days were meant to be filled with thanks-LIVING? Visit and subscribe to my blog at: www.graceopens.blogspot.com Twitter: @opentograce2015 Instagram: @opentogracealaska Parler: @Opentogracealaska MeWe: Katherine Singer
Nov 23, 2021•25 min•Ep. 48
Do you ever struggle to get past the voices in your life that have held you back? Have you come across people in the past that always talked-down your biggest dreams or squashed your greatest ambitions? Many times, people don't realize just how much such comments have taken a toll on their mental wellness and they've given up pursuing the things that most make them tick, turning them into somebody they don't even recognize simply because others told them it was too hard or too impossible or they...
Nov 16, 2021•17 min•Ep. 47
