One of my favorite speakers and authors is my guest today. Karen Eman is a New York Times Best-selling author and speaker with Proverbs 31 Ministries, where I first heard her speak many years ago. Hospitality and making people feel loved and seen is one of her specialities, and she shares about this in her new book Reach Out, Gather In: 40 Days to Opening Your Heart and Home. On the show, we talk about how hospitality impacted her as a teenager and how she valued it in her home raising her kids....
Oct 30, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Season 4Ep. 95
With only weeks left before the 2020 elections, I'm thrilled to bring this important episode with author, speaker and scholar Kaitlyn Schiess. Her new book The Liturgy of Politics is a must-read for people of faith and people who are needing more grounding in their faith as they navigate life in the politically charged and divided climate of America. Christians often prefer to be "apolitical" or believe that their faith is free of any political influence. Kaitlyn disagrees and demonstrates how t...
Oct 08, 2020•1 hr 23 min•Season 4Ep. 94
My favorite tv personality and QVC queen, Kim Gravel, joins me on the show today. We talk QVC, her reality show, "Kim of Queens" that aired on Lifetime, pursuing our passions, and Jesus is all in the middle of it! Follow her on FB, IG and at Here's her official bio: Kim Gravel is an entrepreneur, tv personality, public speaker and industry leader, but most of all she has a passion for people and seeing them rise. Her authentic, common-sense style has resulted in Kim being one of the most booked ...
Sep 12, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 93
Menopause is not something that most women are prepared to enter. There are many myths surrounding this God-designed season of life. Although it can be quite challenging for many women, it doesn't have to be something simply endured. Dr. Cheryl Bridges Johns shares today from her book Seven Transforming Gifts of Menopause: An Unexpected Spiritual Journey, offering women an exciting and hopeful perspective on opportunities for transformation that menopause offers us. Cheryl is the Robert E. Fishe...
Aug 01, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 92
I'm so excited to share this episode! Beth McCord is the founder of Your Enneagram Coach. She has been an Enneagram coach, speaker, and teacher for over 15 years. This is a tool that has transformed my life by helping me better understand myself and others, which has helped promote healthier relationships. If you are unfamiliar with the Enneagram, this is the podcast for you! If you wanted to understand it better, this is for you! If you don't know your type, you can go to Beth's website to take...
May 28, 2020•1 hr 13 min
Bestselling author and founder of the Clutter Free Academy Kathi Lipp is my guest today. She is known for helping women achieve peace in their lives, even our cluttered homes! We discuss her newest release, The Clutter-Free Home and her upcoming book Ready for Anything. She is often featured in Women's World as an "Ask the Expert" and is truly the go-to guru for getting our homes and lives into the order for which we long.
Apr 23, 2020•57 min•Season 3Ep. 90
Author and speaker Courtney Reissig shares about her newest book Teach Me to Feel: Worshipping Through the Psalms in Every Season of Life. The Psalms give us language to express so many of our emotions--gratitude, shame, longing, anxiety and anger, to name a few. Courtney's devotional gives women an opportunity to reflect on their emotions with the Psalms as our guide. To connect further with Courtney: www.courtneyreissig.com
Apr 10, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 89
We are collectively experiencing something that our generation has never seen. Our lives have come to a halt and nothing is "normal" anymore. While it is critical that we pursue physical health and safety, it is just as crucial to maintain good mental health. In this episode, licensed therapist and ordained priest, Janis Sharpe, shares a multitude of tips that will help us avoid depression and anxiety. From Janis Sharpe… Tips for staying emotionally healthy while in self quarantine: We are livin...
Mar 27, 2020•56 min•Season 3Ep. 88
Over six years ago, Fern Bernstein discovered the Chinese tile game of man jongg. What started out as a fun pastime with girlfriends became a lifeline and respite as she walked with her husband through cancer. In her memoir, May Jongg Mondays, Fern shares how this weekly game got her through a scary season of her life and deepened her sense of community and sisterhood. On the show today we talk about how she discovered mahjongg, what it is, her Jewish faith, and how God has helped her through th...
Feb 13, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 87
In the faith tradition I grew up in, there really was no place for a theology of suffering and pain. It was something that was to be prayed away or never occur in the first place. People hid suffering or felt shame around it, feeling they maybe their faith was insufficient or there was some unconfessed sin in their life that hindered healing. That belief system has grew more and more troublesome to me until I threw it out altogether years ago. There is something mysterious that happens in suffer...
Feb 06, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Season 3Ep. 86
In a day when people seem more connected than ever with all the technology options and social media, there is an epidemic of loneliness and isolation. Hospitality is a term that sometimes feels old-fashioned or time-consuming, yet it is something that people are longing for. My guest today is Leslie Verner, the author of Invited: The Power of Hospitality in an Age of Loneliness. Through her travels and many years of living abroad in different countries like China and Uganda, she has gained a per...
Jan 23, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Season 3Ep. 85
Christmas doesn't have to be a source of stress and insanity, trying to impress family and guests with pinterest-worthy decor and dinner parties. Author and design expert, Victoria Duerstock walks us through ways we can make our homes a source of celebration of Christ's birth without losing our minds and peace. To connect with Victoria, go to www.victoriaduerstock.com You can also order her books via my Amazon affiliate link here: Heart & Home for Christmas https://amzn.to/2PDTkaH Heart &...
Dec 12, 2019•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 84
As we begin the Advent season, Rev. Michaele Lavigne is the perfect guest to launch the start of the Church calendar, which began Dec. 1 this year, the first day of Advent. Michaele is pastor of spiritual formation at 8th Street Church of the Nazarene in Oklahoma City. In this episode we discuss how she came to serve in ministry and how her new book, Living the Way of Jesus evolved out of the practices her church has lived over the past several years. To learn more about Michaele, find her on IG...
Dec 05, 2019•1 hr 18 min•Season 3Ep. 83
Writer and baker extraordinaire, Kendall Vanderslice is my guest today. In her new book We Will Feast: Rethinking Dinner, Worship, and the Community of God, she shares with us her experiences around the US with the dinner-church movement, where she discovers the Holy Spirit working in beautiful ways connecting people, healing hearts, and transforming lives. Kendall's passions for theology and food come through in this beautiful book and in our conversation. Make sure to connect with her at the f...
Nov 21, 2019•1 hr 18 min•Season 3Ep. 82
Julie Lyles Carr is a woman among women. I got to know her when we attended the same church in Tulsa before their crew moved to Texas. Her gifts are many and she uses them beautifully to serve women and families anywhere she can. I'm thrilled to share her with you today as we talk about her amazing book, Raising An Original. From her website: "Julie is a disciple, reader, writer, runner, photographer, wife to Michael, mom to a bunch. She serves as the Pastor of LifeWomen Women’s Ministry at her ...
Nov 04, 2019•1 hr 14 min•Season 3Ep. 81
Season 5 winner of The Next Food Network Star, celebrity chef, and best-selling author Melissa d'Arabian is my guest today on the podcast. In her newest book, Tasting Grace, Melissa illuminates sixteen invitations we receive related to food and how God uses it to transform our lives and share with him in the process of creation. The book and our conversation challenged me to look at the role of food and meals completely differently. You can connect with Melissa at her website www.melissadarabian...
Oct 24, 2019•56 min•Season 3Ep. 80
Author Alia Joy joins me on the podcast today, sharing about her new book, Glorious Weakness. From Seth Haines' forward in the book: "Through sexual trauma, encounters with racism, the loss of a child, and mental health issues, Alia shares her suffering with such sensorial artistry that you cannot help but enter in. But this is not a book about suffering for the sake of suffering. Instead, this work leads you deeper into an experience of Christ, the suffering servant, and along the way exposes t...
May 09, 2019•1 hr 19 min•Season 3Ep. 79
My dear friend Jeff Wetterman is an associate pastor, a long-time English language teacher, a seminarian, a playwright, and a recovering alcoholic. After years of carrying the secret and shame of alcohol abuse, he admitted that he had a problem to a friend and eventually got help. Today he shares candidly about the journey of alcoholism and the critical role that community played in his recovery. This is an episode everyone needs to hear. If you are struggling with alcohol abuse or know someone ...
May 02, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Season 3Ep. 78
In Placemaker, author Christie Purifoy guides readers in creating home and recognizing beauty in every part of season of our lives, regardless of geography. Because of her, I honestly look at my everyday world differently now, looking for the beauty and finding ways to create peace and rest. Christie earned a Ph.D in English literature at the University of Chicago, but found her passion in writing words (beautiful words, I must say!) and living with her husband and four children in a Victorian f...
Apr 18, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 77
Stacy Tornio is the author of more than 15 books on topics like nature and gardening, and she's also the creator of Destination Nature, which is dedicated to getting more kids and families outside. She was also the editor for Birds and Bloom magazine for several years. Marrying my cousin Steve brought her from Oklahoma to Wisconsin where she tries to get outside with her two kids as much as possible.
Apr 04, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 76
For my 75th show, I'm thrilled to share my conversation with Wall Street Journal bestselling author and podcaster, Emily P. Freeman. She has been a tremendous creative and spiritual influence on me, a mentor who has helped birth this very podcast. Emily's goal is to help "create space for our souls to breathe." Through her podcast, "The Next Right Thing," and her upcoming book with the same name, she provides reassuring direction in a wise and soothing way for all who face decisions of every kin...
Mar 22, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 75
What do you think of when you hear the words infidelity or adultery? Most assume it's a man who was the perpetrator. Many assume that it is a death sentence for a marriage (or death for the spouse if it ever happened to them!) Most imagine that forgiveness and mercy would be impossible; trust and intimacy could never truly be restored. Even Jesus said adultery was a legit pass to get out of a marriage, right? On the show today, Shannon Geurin shares about how she walked through the pain of betra...
Mar 14, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 74
When Carrie first dated her husband Eric, she became an avid student of his character. She wanted to know everything about him to determine whether he would be safe to entrust with her heart and future children. In the same way, she has studied the character of Jesus, learning about his desire to protect and provide for us, his compassion and empathy towards humanity, and his great power. All of these convinced her that he was truly trustworthy. In her book, "The Compelling Heart of Christ" Carr...
Mar 07, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 73
Today, my friend Wilma Lormis shares her journey through an unwanted divorce, her decision to obey God and the restoration she received after the pain and devastation. While living as missionaries in Madagascar, she discovered that her husband was living a secret life that led to their return to the US and eventual separation and divorce. In the midst of all of that, she battled breast cancer. But, her devotion to Jesus and trust in his provision got her through the greatest struggle of her life...
Mar 01, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Season 3Ep. 72
Part 2 of Joy Will Come, the story of a Christian teen's journey through unplanned pregnancy and her decision to place her child in a loving, adoptive home. Last episode, Lindsay's mom, Scarlet Pepin shared about what she and her husband experienced as parents walking alongside their daughter in this unexpected circumstance. Today, Lindsay candidly shares her story of fear, anguish, shame and reconnection with God in this inspiring episode. Her book, written with her mom and daughter's adoptive ...
Feb 21, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Season 3Ep. 71
"I'm pregnant" is not what Scarlet Pepin and her husband Brad expected to hear from their high school daughter at the breakfast table on a Saturday morning. This gifted girl of theirs loved Jesus and had such hope and purpose for her future but all was seemingly wrecked at that moment. But God... In this episode, Scarlet shares the story of the journey she walked with her daughter Lindsay Ophus and sister-in-law Bethany Pepin as they brought beautiful Kinley Joy into the world. Scarlet knew this...
Feb 14, 2019•56 min•Season 3Ep. 70
Elizabeth Inman is owner of Inman Financial, Inc and Federal Employee Benefits Coordinators. She has a passion for people and coming alongside them to help them fulfill their dreams and secure their financial futures. Today, she brings a wealth of information and advice to empower women in their finances. You're going to want to grab a pen to take down all the notes she has to offer! To connect with Elizabeth for more information, you can find her at: http://federalemployeebenefitcoordinators.co...
Jan 31, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Season 3Ep. 69
Tobey has always loved learning and knew she wanted to become a teacher since a very little girl. No one could have been more excited to be enrolled in college than her. She had just met the man of her dreams a few weeks earlier and was on her way to meet him for an early morning devotion when a life-altering event happened. This beautiful, graceful woman has a story that most would consider impossible, but GOD!!! If there is someone you know facing the death of a dream, make sure they listen to...
Jan 24, 2019•54 min•Season 3Ep. 68
So many of us battle fear and insecurity in so many areas of our lives. If it's not flat-out fear, it may be avoiding things that are uncomfortable. We often hide who we really are for fear of being rejected or misunderstood. Then we feel like frauds because we don't reveal our true selves to the people around us. My friend Lisa J. Goins tackles these things in her new book, Courageously Uncomfortable. Having been in ministry for 25 years, raising four children, running successful businesses, sh...
Jan 17, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 67
I've never been one to have a "word" for the year, but in January, I felt a whisper of the word "dream". Now that I'm looking back on 2018, I realize that I haven't done much dreaming. Frankly, I'm not even sure what that means or how to do it. Then, along came Heather Turner and this book, Dream Traders! My conversation with her in this podcast episode inspired me to give it another go for 2019, and I believe you'll be inspired by her as well. Heather is the founder and owner of Anthem Road Aca...
Dec 18, 2018•1 hr 20 min•Season 2Ep. 66
