My reading goal for 2023 is to read 50 books. Simeon and I have also set a goal to read 1 book together each quarter. This episode is an update on those challenges, and reviews of the books I've read in this quarter. Let me know what book you are enjoying! Resources: NHC Blog: My Reading Challenge 2023 (Quarter 1) NHC YouTube: My Bookshelf Follow my journey by subscribing to this podcast. You can also follow me on Instagram , YouTube , and www.nohighercalling.org...
Mar 30, 2023•44 min•Ep. 173
I am a planner. Always have been, always will be! As I grow and navigate busy seasons of marriage, ministry, and motherhood, I've had to learn that while planning is important, it is more important to be flexible and hold my plans loosely. If God chooses to give my day a "redirect", I want to be quick to follow and obey. I'm often asked how I can manage to have a podcast, write books, etc all while managing a home. The truth is, I fail more often than I'd ever like to admit to you, but there are...
Mar 23, 2023•41 min•Ep. 172
There are many reasons why sheep refuse to rest- trouble amongst the flock, pestilence, and hunger just to name a few. When the shepherd is near, he removes these issues and allows his sheep to rest in peace and contentment. The same is true for the Shepherd of our souls. Life brings many worries and anxieties to our hearts. How can we "lie down in green pastures"? How can we find the rest our soul craves? Our Shepherd Himself is the rest! There is no substitute for the awareness that the Shephe...
Mar 16, 2023•32 min•Ep. 171
Proverbs 12:15 "he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise." God has been so good to bless my life with Denise Palmer, my spiritual mentor. She has been a continual source of godly wisdom and counsel for me. I wish that every woman could have a Denise! We polled asking women what they'd like to ask if they had a spiritual mentor to turn to for biblical wisdom. We received many questions, but we narrowed it down to a few that we hear quite often from women. Denise shares that the source of answers f...
Mar 13, 2023•44 min•Ep. 170
Feminism has invaded everything. Education, media, culture, and even the church. If we are going to biblical women, women of the Bible, we need to know what God says about our role and purpose. My mentor, Denise Palmer, joins me to share her past experiences with feminist thinking and how God used His Word to change her heart and mind. We dig into the foundational tenets of the feminist movement, some of which we can appreciate. I am thankful that women have the right to vote, to be educated, et...
Mar 09, 2023•46 min•Ep. 169
During our time in the States, I had the privilege of managing a Facebook mom group for ladies in my community. One of the highlights of being an admin of that group was our Mom's Night Out events. Every other month, I would get with the other group admins, and we would host a fun evening for our mom friends. Each one was a bit different as they spanned over the past 5 years, but all were such a wonderful evening of refreshment and encouragement. Don't let it be something that feels so daunting ...
Mar 06, 2023•28 min•Ep. 168
Our family has had quite the major life transition. On Wednesday, January 25th, our family of 6 began our journey from cold east Tennessee to beautiful, sunny Sydney, Australia. So many of you have prayed for us along the way, and I wanted to share some of the miraculous ways that God answered very specific requests. To everyone who has prayed for us, given financially, sent us encouraging messages, etc- THANK YOU! We could not be more grateful! Subscribe to the No Higher Calling YouTube channel...
Mar 04, 2023•32 min•Ep. 184
The more I speak with other women, the more I realize that we all have a desire for personal connection. God created us for community, for friendships that strengthen and encourage us. We want to cultivate relationships, but we often don't know where to begin. How does one "find their tribe"? In this episode, I share my personal struggle with this and how God used my search for mom friends to grow me. Brettnay from a decade ago wouldn't recognize the Brettnay today. God asked me to step out of m...
Mar 02, 2023•32 min•Ep. 167
Because the Lord is our Shepherd, we can say with complete confidence, "I shall not want." Is Christ enough in your life? In Him, there is no lack or deficiency. He is sufficient, and He fills every void in our heart. The more we come to know the heart of our Shepherd, the more we find all we need in the person of Jesus Christ. We continue our study of Psalm 23 diving into the phrase "I shall not want." Four little words, yet packed with rich truth! Scriptures Referenced: Psalm 23; 68:19; 121:4 ...
Feb 27, 2023•28 min•Ep. 166
"Don't trade any secret sin for the joy of walking in unbroken intimacy with Jesus Christ." Simeon joins me in this episode to tackle a delicate topic- marriage purity. Purity is often equated with virginity; therefore, we think we can tic the box when we make it to our wedding day. Purity is much more than saving sex for marriage. It is a call to holiness and godliness in each area of our being- body, soul and spirit. We discuss several areas where Christian couples must stand guard against Sat...
Feb 23, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 164
Simeon joins me in this episode to discuss love languages. These are taken from the book The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. Chapman divides personalities into 5 main categories of how we express and receive love: words of affirmation, physical touch, quality time, acts of service, and giving/receiving gifts. We share what our love languages are and how knowing that has helped us better communicate our love and appreciation to each other. “Our most basic emotional need is not to fall in lov...
Feb 16, 2023•36 min•Ep. 163
Simeon joins me in this episode to share some of our current favorite date night ideas. I also share ideas from others that we thought sounded fun. If you are in a rut with date nights or if you want to add a fresh spark to your relationship, these ideas might help you get off to a good start. We also share a few tips for being intentional in having a heart connection with your spouse. Resources: The Flirtation Experiment by Lisa Jacobson & Phylicia Masonheimer Parks Board Game Learn to Play...
Feb 13, 2023•32 min•Ep. 162
Heidi James from the Children's Bible Society joins me to discuss how to teach children to pray. God has given Heidi a unique ministry. He is greatly using her as she seeks to reach children with the gospel and help parents and ministry workers know how to best reach the hearts of children. She shares practical things she's learned through leading children's prayer meetings. These truths and ideas will be so helpful as we seek to encourage the children we influence to speak to God through prayer...
Feb 09, 2023•53 min•Ep. 165
"Raising teenagers has the protential to be one of the best seasons of our lives... If we go into it with a valiant "we are going to trust God" attitude, it's going to be good. It's not easy but it's good." Ruth Sturgill, pastor's wife and mother of 2 teenage boys, shares her heart on the teenage years. It is often difficult to see our babies grow up and become less dependent on us, to see them spread their wings and begin to fly. Ruth gives advice on how to navigate these years with grace and h...
Feb 02, 2023•47 min•Ep. 161
This time of year has everyone making resolutions and setting goals for a new year, a fresh start. One of the biggest areas that we seek to make changes in is in our health. Diet plans and gym memberships soar in January! But what does healthy really look like? Is it working out hours a day and eating nothing but salad? Rebecca Grant, CNC + IP HTMA, joins me to tackle this question. Her information is geared specifically towards women, women who are in many different stages of life- college, pre...
Jan 30, 2023•48 min•Ep. 159
Throughout 2023, we will be giving one episode each month to studying through Psalm 23. Join me as we mine out the truths God has for us in this chapter and catch a deeper glimpse into the heart of our Shepherd. This episode lays a foundation discussing the human penman of this Psalm, the position of this Psalm in God's Word, and what this Psalm reveals about Christ. The more you come to know the heart of the Shepherd, the more you will fall in love with Him. His tender care and His diligence to...
Jan 26, 2023•20 min•Ep. 160
Romans 12:13 says to be, "given to hospitality." I believe that the area of hospitality is one of the greatest means we, as Christians, have to be a light for Christ. Whether it is ministering to fellow believers or witnessing to the lost, inviting people into your home to share a meal and fellowship will bless your heart. In this episode, I share small steps to showing hospitality. Maybe inviting someone into your home for a meal feels very daunting. Maybe you don't know where to start- what do...
Jan 19, 2023•27 min•Ep. 157
"If we want to bring up a godly family, who shall be a seed to serve God when our heads are under the clods of the valley, let us seek to train them up in the fear of God by meeting together as a family for worship." -Charles Spurgeon Throughout the Bible, we see the importance of family worship. This is how future generations receive the truths of God's Word and the genuine faith of their parents. In this episode, I discuss the importance of a consistent family worship time as well as practical...
Jan 16, 2023•38 min•Ep. 158
It's a new year, and many of us are analyzing our routines and asking ourselves if there is a system that would help us be more efficient in the tasks of home. If you are asking that in regards to cleaning, this episode is for YOU! Sarah Boots with Altogether Lovely joins me to talk about a cleaning routine that has changed their lives! Giving just 15 minutes to cleaning after each meal has helped Sarah keep her house cleaner than it has ever been. My favorite thing about the tips that she share...
Jan 12, 2023•45 min•Ep. 156
The Bible calls us to be wise stewards of the things the Lord has blessed us with. That seems like an easy statement to agree with, but often, living it out requires a lot more attention and thought. In this episode, I share different money saving tips for those who are seeking to cut costs and be a better steward. Many of these came from a friend, Rebekah with More Radiance, and then I threw in a few that have helped Simeon and I. As we launch into a new year and seek to make wise decisions, th...
Jan 05, 2023•22 min•Ep. 155
2023. A new year is upon us! Whether that floods your heart with excitement, curiosity, trepidation, or dread, we can enter this year with hope. Deuteronomy 31:8 says, "And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.” In this episode, I share... -A spiritual challenge for the new year -20 questions (taken from a Daily Grace Co blog) to ask as you step into a new year -My goals for 2023 -Tips to sta...
Jan 02, 2023•29 min•Ep. 154
No Higher Calling is wrapping up it's second year, and what a year it's been! We've hit 100k podcast downloads, published 2 books, created several other resources through the NHC shop, and started the YouTube channel. As we begin a new year, we have expectant hearts on all that God will do. In this episode, I share more about... -Our upcoming international move -Plans for NHC in 2023 -Sneak peek of some new resources we hope to make available -What to expect from the podcast in the first quarter...
Dec 31, 2022•18 min•Ep. 152
I did it! I hit my goal of 50 books in 2022. Listen to me share my thoughts on the books that I read in quarter 3 & 4. Resources: NHC Blog: My 2022 Reading Challenge (Quarter 3 & 4) https://www.nohighercalling.org/blog/book-list-from-2022 I've saved each book I read this year on a highlight on my Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/nohighercalling_/ Great Hymns for Growing Hearts by Brettnay Brazzell https://www.newmerciesmusic.com/product-page/great-hymns-for-growing-hearts Foll...
Dec 29, 2022•51 min•Ep. 148
There are days in motherhood when we might wish we could rewind the clock and get a do-over. The reality if life is that time marches on, and the best we can do is learn from our mistakes and listen to the godly counsel from those who are further down the sanctification road. Francie Taylor from Keep the Heart Ministries joins me to share areas where God helped her to recalculate in her motherhood journey. You'll hear biblical advice on managing your reactions, admitting when you're wrong, navig...
Dec 22, 2022•54 min•Ep. 150
James 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." As we walk into a year, do you find yourself asking God for wisdom? Maybe for your marriage, motherhood, career, finances. . . the list is endless! God promises us that when we ask Him for wisdom, He will give it to us LIBERALLY! In my pursuit of wisdom, I have created a FREE downloadable resource that I'm delighted to share with you! I have committed to pen...
Dec 19, 2022•21 min•Ep. 149
If you've been following me for very long, you'll know that hospitality is something I'm passionate about. We have seen the impact of obeying God's Word in this area again and again. I have shared many episodes on this topic, but in this episode, we address extending hospitality in the holiday season. It can feel daunting to extend hospitality in the Christmas season with all the busyness that time of year brings. But the holidays provide a wonderful opportunity to use hospitality as an avenue t...
Dec 15, 2022•28 min•Ep. 147
"Mary gave her baby a beautiful gift. Mary gave the Christ-child a mother who pondered in her heart the purposes of God, who found her part in those purposes, and then who determined to raise her child to continue to fulfill His purpose." During the holiday season, there are so many pressures to make perfect memories and give perfect gifts. In this episode, let's refocus. What really is the greatest gift a mother can give her children? That gift is a mother who's heart is completely captivated b...
Dec 08, 2022•26 min•Ep. 146
What a journey it has been for Denise and I to walk through the book of Titus alongside you listeners throughout this year! God has taught us many things throughout this study, and we pray He has done the same for you. We recap our takeaway truths, and give a charge to continue on in your study of God's Word. As we are on the precipice of a new year, we present the challenge to ask God to put a book of the Bible on your heart to study in 2023. Denise shares several ways to do that as we wrap up ...
Dec 05, 2022•30 min•Ep. 145
We've made it to the final episode of the Respectable Sins Bible study on the podcast! Throughout the year, we've looked at sins that might not seem "that bad" in light of culture, but all sin is in direct opposition to a righteous and holy God. So, where do we go from here? We must keep short sin accounts and live in the conscious awareness of the presence of God. Allow Him to shine the light of His Word into your heart and be willing to let Him transform the ugly, sinful reflections into ones ...
Dec 01, 2022•18 min•Ep. 143
"I am responsible for my rest, my quiet time, my health, and my relationship with God. Each of the things that fill my cup allowing me to pour out beauty on the life God has given me." -Sally Clarkson One of the most impactful pieces of wisdom I have received and applied in our home is to create a rhythm of quiet time every afternoon. Not every day looks the same, but we strive to have 1-2 hours in the afternoon to reset and refresh our hearts. This took intentional training and consistent imple...
Nov 28, 2022•21 min•Ep. 142
