It was such an honor to interview my midwife, Rebekah Mustaleksi, and hear her talk about the midwifery model of care. At 34 weeks pregnant with Ivy, we made the decision to switch to Roots & Wings Midwifery for a home birth. Best decision ever!! Now with this new baby on the way, I've had the opportunity to experience a complete (well, up to this point) pregnancy with my midwives. Having birthed in both a hospital and home atmosphere with medicated and unmedicated experiences, I've gotten t...
Feb 26, 2022•47 min•Ep. 86
Little Pilgrim's Progress by Helen Taylor (a children's rendition of the beloved Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan) has been the read-aloud I've been going through with my littles. We have been so captivated by this story! The truth presented in this book has laid a foundation for me to go deeper into many topics such as the Gospel, the importance of having godly friends, wisdom vs foolishness, walking in the way of the King, and more! I share some of our favorite lessons we've learned as we've ...
Feb 24, 2022•42 min•Ep. 71
In honor of Valentine's week, Sim joins me for a fun question and answer episode. We've collected questions that listeners submitted, and choose several to answer together. It was a blast to record this! Hopefully, you'll enjoy it as much as we did. These are a few of the questions we address. . . -How many kids to we want? -What are our long term plans regarding Australia? -What is the best part of marriage? -How to handle conflict? -What to do when you feel that your man isn't the spiritual le...
Feb 17, 2022•44 min•Ep. 66
What a joy it is to have my spiritual mentor, Denise Palmer, joining me once a month for a Titus 2 Talk! On these special episodes, Denise and I will be doing a deep dive into the truths God has taught us through the book of Titus. On this second episode, we discuss the characteristics that God says the aged women are to pattern their lives after. In pursuit of a well-ordered life, God gives clear instruction on how that is accomplished. We share what God taught us from out study of Titus 2:3 "T...
Feb 14, 2022•53 min•Ep. 84
"Ungodliness may be defined as living one's everyday life with little or no thought of God, or of God's will, or of God's glory." -Jerry Bridges Do you struggle with ungodliness? If you’re like me, your first thought would be, “I’m a Christian! Of course I don’t struggle with ungodliness!” We often equate ungodliness with those who have purposely chosen to live a life in opposition to Christ. As we dig into God's Word, I think you'll realize, as I did, that this is more of a battle in our lives ...
Feb 10, 2022•43 min•Ep. 67
My littles get so excited about being my helpers! Daily, I hear Ivy's heavy footsteps down our hallway and her chant of "helper, helper, helper" as she runs to be involved in whatever I'm doing. Allowing my children to join in on the tasks of home and to fully embrace the opportunity to teach them how to be my helper is an area I've been slow to adopt. I'm a very task-oriented person. The more I can check off the list, the more successful the day was. In my haste and efficiency, I realized that ...
Feb 03, 2022•30 min•Ep. 65
Ginger Hubbard is the bestselling author of I Can't Believe You Just Said That, Don't Make Me Count to Three, and Wise Words for Moms. I have read the first two books, and have been so challenged by Ginger's biblical approach to child training. She joins me in this episode to talk about the message in her book, I Can't Believe You Just Said That. Do your children whine, tattle, complain, or lie? I'm guessing the answer is yes! Our children are sinners- just like their daddy's and mama's! Ginger ...
Jan 31, 2022•36 min•Ep. 68
As a wife and mama, much of my day is centered around the kitchen. Over the past year, I've been trying to implement things into my kitchen that help me "look well" (Prov 31:27) in the areas of planning, budgeting, providing healthy and delicious meals, and using our family table for ministry opportunities. An area that has given me much improvement in these goals has been meal planning. I am far from the expert on this, but I share some things that have helped me make my kitchen run smoother. I...
Jan 27, 2022•38 min•Ep. 62
This is the first episode in the Respectable Sins Bible study we'll be going through during 2022. As Christians living in an increasing dark world, we often get so preoccupied with the gross sins of our culture that we neglect to deal with the subtle sins in our own hearts. The sins we will discuss together through this Bible study are not any different in the sense that they are all sins that Christ bore on the cross. They all condemned us to hell and required a perfect Lamb to be sacrificed to...
Jan 20, 2022•48 min•Ep. 63
What a joy it is to have my spiritual mentor, Denise Palmer, joining me once a month for a Titus 2 Talk! On these special episodes, Denise and I will be doing a deep dive into the truths God has taught us through the book of Titus. This first episode is an overview of the entire book, and we discuss lessons that God has taught us through our study. We look at the spiritual condition of Crete, the command God gave to the aged and younger women, what it means to live a well-ordered life, and how w...
Jan 17, 2022•53 min•Ep. 82
Our family has decided to start our school year in January, so we have just began a new homeschool year! We are all so excited to see what God has in store for this year as we learn more about our great Creator and the amazing world He's made. In this episode, I share. . . -Our school day schedule -What's in our current morning basket -Our current read-alouds -Our Gather Round Homeschool unit choices Resources: NHC Blog: Our 2022 Homeschool Resources Follow my journey by subscribing to this podc...
Jan 13, 2022•41 min•Ep. 70
Erin Bates Paine has been such an encouragement to me as I have watched her live a Christ-centered life in her marriage and motherhood. I couldn't image a better episode to kick off a new year of the No Higher Calling podcast! Erin shares in this episode how she keeps her heart focused on eternity in the midst of the demands life brings. Her highest priority is her relationship with God. She says, "Our reactions and our responses stem from our relationship with the Lord." We have many self-impos...
Jan 06, 2022•45 min•Ep. 49
Here we are on the precipice of a brand new year! It's been such a wonderful journey seeing all that God has done through No Higher Calling in 2021. In this last episode of the year, I want to close out the year seeking to be an encouragement to my listeners. Recently, a sermon was preached at our church that God used to speak to my heart. As I was praying for direction for this final episode of 2021, I believe God wants me to share what I learned through that sermon. What is one blessing that y...
Dec 31, 2021•31 min•Ep. 61
What a journey my 2021 reading challenge has had me on! I am finishing this year having read 50 books!! Most of these books were such a blessing and challenge to me. The more I read, the more I fall in love with reading. In this episode, I share the books I've read during the 4th quarter of this year. I also share some tips for setting a reading goal in the new year, and what my reading goals for 2022 are. Whether you decide to read 1 book or 100 in the new year, I hope this episode will inspire...
Dec 30, 2021•52 min•Ep. 58
Ready or not, we are about to enter a new year! I always love starting a new year. It's a fresh start, and a good opportunity to take inventory of my life and ask God what He has for me in the new year. Over the years, my goal-setting has changed, and this year is probably the most different year yet. As I've gotten older and grown in my walk with Christ, I seek to bathe each new year in prayer and to know God's mind as I try to make changes and set goals. This year, God has led me to some speci...
Dec 23, 2021•30 min•Ep. 60
The past few years have had our family on a journey towards more simple, natural living. I've been learning about the products and foods we have in our home, and have been taking small steps to switch out toxic products for more healthy options. The more I learn, the more I realize the importance of being a wise steward in the choices of what we allow to affect our bodies. Rebecca Grant joins me in today's episode to discuss the path to simple, natural living. She addresses why this is an import...
Dec 16, 2021•49 min•Ep. 59
The Christmas season brings so many distractions. I think I'd be safe to assume that we've all had Decembers where we end the month exhausted, overwhelmed, and so happy that all the hype is over. I know I've had years like that! The older my kids get, the more intentional I have to be to guard our hearts and homes from being consumed with things that are secondary. I love every tradition, celebration, party, and so on, but where does the emphasis of Christmas really lie? In this episode, I share...
Dec 09, 2021•30 min•Ep. 57
Christmas is my favorite time of year, and I love making it special for my family. Over the years, we have been developing our Christmas traditions. Now that our kids are getting a little older, it is so fun to watch them get excited about our annual festivities. I share some of our favorite traditions on this episode. I'd love to hear what Christmas traditions your family has! NHC Blog: Christmas Traditions Follow my journey by subscribing to this podcast. You can also follow me on Instagram , ...
Dec 02, 2021•40 min•Ep. 56
*Shop the NHC Christmas Ornament here * This has been an incredible year for No Higher Calling. I share some of the blessings that God has given, and express my thanks to Him for giving me this opportunity. It's been amazing to watch Him lead every step of the way, and I'm so excited about things I believe He's leading me to do in 2022. I share some exciting things to be anticipating in the new year. A Bible study discussing "respectable sins", Titus 2 Talks with my spiritual mentor Denise Palme...
Nov 25, 2021•35 min•Ep. 54
We've looked at many different aspects of hospitality on the No Higher Calling podcast, but this episode does a deep dive into extending hospitality overnight. Being on deputation for the past 2 years and traveling all over the eastern United States, I have learned many good tips, and several things to avoid, as our family has gained experience as the traveler. Hebrews 13:2 says, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” The original language t...
Nov 18, 2021•44 min•Ep. 55
Join me on this episode as I chat about all things kitchen! The topics are pulled from an Instagram Q & A where ladies asked about things they struggle with in their kitchen. Topics such as my favorite kitchen appliances and tools, meal planning, healthy cooking, cooking with littles under foot, and more are discussed! As I'm working to take baby steps of growth in my kitchen, I share things I've learned along the way. So much of the serving we extend to our loved ones and others stem from o...
Nov 11, 2021•46 min•Ep. 53
Denise Palmer joins me in this episode to discuss the greenhouse effect and the part it plays in parenting. Often, parents think that their children are to be salt and light in a dark world. That is false. There will come a time for them to stand strong for Christ, but while they are young, we are to be cultivating their hearts. Denise uses the illustration of plants to illustrate this greenhouse effect. The child is the tender plant, God's Word is the soil, and the parents are the greenhouse. I...
Nov 04, 2021•43 min•Ep. 48
Families today are centered on so many different things- sports, academics, entertainment, social status, etc. As Christians, the only thing our homes should be centered on is the Lord Jesus Christ! What is a Christ-centered family? Join me as we walk through Scripture and answer this question. As Christian mamas, I believe we'd all say that we want to have homes that are centered on Christ. How does that happen? In this episode, I discuss the Christ, the character, the cost, and the crown of a ...
Oct 28, 2021•33 min•Ep. 52
"If giving up a holiday that brings Him zero glory is a sacrifice I must make to be more like my Savior, is that too much of a price to pay?" Simeon joins me in this episode to discuss our stance on Halloween. I understand this is a controversial topic amongst Christians, and we take a very strong, possibly radical stance, on it, but we are convinced that our position comes from one that has been bathed in prayer and Scripture. I John 1:5 “. . .God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” A ...
Oct 21, 2021•44 min•Ep. 51
Erin Bates Paine joins me on this episode to talk about the importance of saturating our homes with God's Word. No matter what we face, God's Word always has the answers that our hearts need. Erin shares how God used a trial to give her an intensity about abiding in Scripture, praying Scripture over her marriage and children, and filling her children's hearts with God's truth. She walks through why memorizing Scripture is important and ways she has incorporated Scripture memorization in her home...
Oct 14, 2021•45 min•Ep. 43
My reading challenge for 2021 continues. I’m excited to say that I have hit my goal for the year (40 books) with 3 months to spare!! The past quarter has been filled with some great reads. In this episode, I share what books I've been reading with my personal review of each book. Resources: NHC Blog: My 2021 Reading Challenge Part 3 Follow my journey by subscribing to this podcast. You can also follow me on Instagram , Facebook, and www.nohighercalling.org ....
Oct 11, 2021•44 min•Ep. 50
Casie Ravert joins me on this episode to share truths that God has etched on her heart through some difficult storms in her life's journey. She talks about how when you first set out into adulthood, you have dreams of what the coming years will hold. We all have a "Plan A". We hope our lives will go according to that plan, but it rarely happens. Casie and her husband, Adam, have walked through some bitter waters as the pages of their story include miscarriage and infertility. Casie shares that i...
Oct 07, 2021•47 min•Ep. 45
We have many exciting things happening in our family right now! Two very special guests join me on this bonus episode to share some exciting news with you. It is an honor to get to share our journey with you. God is at work in our family, just as He is at work in yours! Let's give Him much praise as we see His guiding hand in our lives! Follow my journey by subscribing to this podcast. You can also follow me on Instagram , Facebook , and www.nohighercalling.org...
Oct 04, 2021•22 min•Ep. 47
The tasks of home can often feel repetitive and mundane. There are always meals to cook, piles of laundry to fold, and surfaces to dust. As Christian women, we want to glorify Christ with our days, but is He really receiving glory as we mop our floors? As I've searched the Scriptures, I believe that the answer is, yes!! If the glory of God is the end accomplishment of all that we do, then it doesn't really matter what the task is. All that matters is that He is glorified. If God is glorified, on...
Sep 30, 2021•29 min•Ep. 46
"For a cup brimful of sweet water cannot spill even one drop of bitter water, however suddenly jolted." -Amy Carmichael We live in a sin-cursed, fallen world. As we journey through life, we will face inconveniences, difficulties, and trials. We can either allow those things to make us bitter, or make us better. Katie Davidson joins Brettnay in this episode to talk about how God has taught her that when she keeps her focus on Him, even the sourest of days can have blessings abundant. To keep this...
Sep 23, 2021•50 min•Ep. 41
