Redefining Priorities: Insights on Faith, Family and Purpose with Kara Stott
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
Release Date: 06/27/2023
Ep. 138: Christian Marriage Advice That Will Make You Laugh, Cry, and Actually Use with Arlene Pellicane
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
Do you ever wonder if marriage can be great—not for the rare few—but for you? Today’s episode answers that question with a resounding yes. In her new book, Making Marriage Easier, Arlene Pellicane shares lots of funny (and painful) stories that we’ll talk about today. Like her mortifying story about electrolysis and how her wedding almost went off without her! She also gives practical wisdom like the four key decisions that make marriage easier and how to keep a marriage vibrant when you feel like roommates. Arlene was a delight to interview, and you’ll love her honest feedback when...
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Ep. 137: Addiction Almost Took Everything-But God Had Other Plans with Scott and Noelle Lawson
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
Twelve years ago, Noelle Lawson died from alcohol poisoning. Her husband, Scott, had just been trained to do CPR and was able to revive her before the ambulance arrived. Their lives have never been the same since. Scott and Noelle share their story of alcoholism and how a deadly accident Scott was involved in while in high school delayed his obedience to follow God into the ministry for over 30 years. Both Scott and Noelle share how God transformed them by breaking their addiction to alcohol and move on to become counselors. Scott is the former pastor of Happy Trails Cowboy Church in Pelzer,...
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Ep. 136: Surviving a Night of Terror at the Hands of Her Ex-Husband: A True Story of Hope with Kim Haar
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
Have you or someone close to you experienced trauma? Most of us have at one point in our lives to various degrees. Kim Haar had an extreme trauma when her usually calm ex-husband broke into her home one night, beat her for three-and-a-half hours, shot holes in her walls, kidnapped her and took her to her boyfriend's house where he shot him ten times. This horrific story plays out like something from a movie, but unfortunately Kim knows all too well how real it was. But thankfully she's still alive to share her story and give others hope that there is healing on the other side. Kim is a...
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Ep. 135: A Love Story Worth the Wait: For Singles and Moms Believing for Marriage with Wes and Elise Younts and Frieda Younts
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
Today I have three very special guests, my daughter, Elise Roper Younts, along with her husband, Wes, and his mom, Frieda (who's also one of my best friends!). Elise and Wes walked their own lonely journeys through singleness before finally finding each other and marrying last March. Even though for most of their lives they lived exactly 7.3 miles apart, and Wes's mom and I have been best friends for 28 years, they'd never met except in their preschool Sunday School class. You may remember Elise's story from episode 19 about how her fiancé broke off their engagement and left her heartbroken....
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Ep. 134: From Murderer to Messenger: How God Transformed a Prisoner Through His Word with Henry Mitchell
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
One Wednesday night after church I struck up a conversation with another church member, Henry Mitchell, and he shared all of the great things God had been doing in his life. Now I knew Henry had been released from prison over two years prior and that he'd served a long time in prison, but I didn't know how long he'd served or why he'd been arrested in the first place. Henry shared that three weeks after his 24th birthday he killed two people in a drug sale gone bad. he spent four-and-a-half months in solitary confinement after his arrest and was sentenced to life with a possibility of parole...
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Ep. 133: How to Successfully Raise a Strong-Willed Child with Cynthia Tobias
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
Cynthia Tobias was on my bucket list since before I started this podcast because of the work she's done teaching about the strong-willed child. Her book, You Can't Make Me: But I Can Be Persuaded, was a key influence in helping me raise my strong-willed daughter, Elise. Before I knew how to handle her stubborn temperament, I would frequently end up frustrated and in a puddle of tears. But once I learned some of the tools and tips Cynthia shares, it became easier for me to understand how to get Elise to cooperate more (hint: it doesn't involve getting angry or raising your voice). In this...
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Ep. 132: How Death, Debt and Comedy Led to a Life of Faith with Molly Stillman- Summer Throwback
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
Molly Stillman has lived the type of life that when shared, people stop in their tracks and ask, “Wait, what happened?” Molly’s mother, Lynda Van Devanter Buckley served as an Army nurse during the Vietnam War and wrote the bestselling memoir, Home Before Morning. When Molly was seventeen, Lynda passed away after an eight-year battle with an autoimmune disorder due to her exposure to Agent Orange. Four years later, Molly turned twenty-one and unexpectedly inherited a quarter of a million dollars from her mother’s estranged family’s estate. Through “retail therapy” and a...
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Ep. 131: Breaking Free from Shame: Pregnant at 15, Redeemed by Faith with Christy Braddock
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
Christy Braddock has struggled with shame from a teen pregnancy and years later, abortion. The guilt became a heavy weight to carry. Christy got pregnant at 15 and gave her baby up for adoption. Then at 21 she became pregnant again, but this time she decided to keep the baby and get married, thinking this was her second chance to raise a child. But because her marriage was so dysfunctional she made some poor choices, including abortion, that she’s had to overcome with Jesus’ grace and forgiveness. Today, Christy’s passion is helping women to break free from shame and boldly share their...
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Ep. 130: Lessons Learned and Victories Won Through Our Son's Struggle with ADD with Carol Roper
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
As we’ve entered the last week of May, I remember how crazy this time of year is for those who have school-aged children. I know a lot of parents are in what many call Maycember. The chaotic final days of the school year entail so many parties, ceremonies, graduations, proms, concerts, teacher appreciation gifts and sports tournaments. It can also bring lots of anticipation, with kids looking forward to summer break and wondering what teacher they’ll have next year. For me, however, I’m often reminded of a difficult memory that occurred over 20 years ago at the conclusion of my...
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Ep. 129: Do You Know How to Gracefully Defend Your Faith? with Liz Cobo
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
Liz Cobo says that nothing has deepened her faith and changed her walk with Jesus like studying the Bible. Studying God's Word literally changed her life. Things that were once important priorities aren’t anymore. Things that were once afterthoughts are now at the top of her list. Scripture is God's self-revelation and is available to anyone willing to take the time and make the effort to read and study. Liz understands that now. God promises in his Word that he will give us greater understanding of His Word when we read it. Liz always believed in God, but didn’t always know...
info_outlineToday's guest is the author of one of my most favorite books, An Intentional Life: A Life-Giving Invitation to Uncover Your Passions and Unlock Your Purpose. I was so excited when Kara Stott quickly agreed to be on the podcast, and we became fast friends. She's passionate about connecting women and helping them grow in their relationship with the Lord, to understand their calling and to step out into the things God has asked them to do. But after working so hard building up her Pursuit Ministry, at what looked like the pinnacle of her success, God called her to lay it all down. Through that act of obedience, she began to understand what the really important things in life are. This book talks about her journey to live an intentional life that honors God, your family, your church, community and yourself.
One of my favorite observations she talks about in this episode is when she says, "If Jesus spent 30 years in family and three years in ministry... we have this all backward." That was an eye-opening statement for me. Kara also shares her heart for the family table, her husband's struggle with PTSD and one of the fun things she and her husband do to keep their marriage fresh and focused on each other. We cover so much good stuff in this episode I know you'll walk away with lots of new ways to live an intentional life.