Ep. 120: The Importance of the Family Table with Carol Roper
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
Release Date: 03/18/2025
The Power of an Underdog Story: Faith, Grit, and Becoming Who You’re Called to Be with Mary Marantz
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
Mary Marantz knows how fear can hold us back. Even though she was able to leave the musty single-wide trailer of her childhood in West Virginia and make her way to Yale Law School, she always carried the fear that she would be found out. Even though she had worked hard and earned every grade and scholarship she received she thought others saw her as an imposter. So, she strove to be the best at everything she did, and she was. But the life of perfection has a way of draining the joy out of you. Mary finally realized that fear was holding her hostage to a life that didn't provide freedom and...
info_outline
Why Your Story Matters — And Why the Flourish Retreat Could Be Your Turning Point with Carol Roper Bonus Episode
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
If you’ve ever wondered whether your story really matters — or questioned how your past, your personality, and your experiences fit into God’s calling for your life — this episode is for you. I’m sharing the behind‑the‑scenes story of how I stepped into women’s ministry, the unexpected ways God used my past to shape my purpose, and why I believe so deeply in helping women discover their own calling. Many Christian women love God, love their families, and genuinely want to be obedient… but still feel unsure, unqualified, or unclear about what God is asking them to do next....
info_outline
Unsure What's Next? Start Here: Bonus Episode with Julie Bagwell Ep. 171
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
If you’ve been feeling stuck, restless, or unsure what God is asking of you in this season, the Flourish Retreat might be the turning point you’ve been praying for. This 3‑day Christian women’s retreat on Kiawah Island is designed to help you find clarity, purpose, and direction through powerful teaching, personalized coaching, and deeply meaningful community. In this episode, Julie Bagwell shares what she’ll be teaching at the retreat — including discovering your God‑given wiring, understanding your strengths through a full DISC assessment, and learning how to step...
info_outline
From Queer to Christ: A Candid Conversation on Identity, Scripture and What This Story Means for the Church with George Carneal Ep. 170
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
Please be aware that this content is not suitable for young children. George Carneal grew up in the ’70s, raised by a Southern Baptist minister in the ultra-conservative Bible Belt where his world revolved around the church, country fried chicken and trying to fit in with other boys. As disco music pulsated through the speakers in his bedroom, he plotted his escape from the misery and boredom of Southern suburbia before landing in Los Angeles; a city of glitz and hedonism. Much like Alice as she traveled through the looking glass, this is George’s journey through a queer culture...
info_outline
No One is Too Far Gone for God to Use with Glen and Kelly Daigle Ep. 169 Summer Throwback
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
Some stories don’t just inspire you — they reroute your whole calling. This summer, I’m bringing back one of the episodes that changed everything for me. If you listened to Fear Is a Liar back in June, you remember the couple whose testimony stopped me from shutting this podcast down altogether. When I was ready to pack up the mic and call it quits, their story reminded me why Building Strong Homes exists in the first place — so real people can share real God stories that strengthen all of us. Today we’re revisiting Glen and Kelly Daigle’s journey — a story that proves God...
info_outline
Giddy Up, Eunice: Because Women Need Each Other with Sophie Hudson Ep. 168 Summer Throwback
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
Today we’re kicking off our Summer Throwback Series — a little every‑other‑week tradition where I’m pulling some of the most loved episodes from the archives, dusting them off and letting them bring encouragement to you again. And I knew exactly which one needed to go first. My conversation with Sophie Hudson, based on her book Giddy Up, Eunice, is one of those episodes that feels like a deep breath and a belly laugh all at once. If you’ve read any of her books, you already know Sophie has this uncanny way of reminding us that women need each other — not in a Pinterest‑perfect,...
info_outline
Is Comfort Killing Your Calling? One Brave Step Could Open the Door to Your Dream with Carol Roper Ep. 167
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
In this deeply personal episode, I share the story of how my writing journey began—during a season when the empty nest was approaching, purpose felt uncertain, and God whispered a new calling into my heart. Fourteen years ago, I took a trembling step of faith and attended my first writers conference alone. What followed was a rollercoaster of fear, embarrassment, and a moment so humiliating I nearly packed my bags and drove home. But God intervened through two women—Celeste and LaTan—who showed up at the exact moments I needed courage, belonging, and a reminder that I wasn’t alone....
info_outline
How a Single Mom Paid Off $64,000: Creative Debt Hacks from a Financial Coach with Tiffany Miliander Ep. 166
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
If you’re walking a difficult journey through what may feel like insurmountable debt right now and see no way out, my guest today will give you hope. Tiffany Miliander was a single mom who was left with $64,000 in debt when she divorced. But she was determined not to let that debt linger and paid all of it off in four short years. Debt can feel like a mountain you never asked to climb, but Tiffany stood exactly where you might be standing—and refused to stay there. She didn’t wait for perfect circumstances. She didn’t wait to feel ready. She took one creative step, then another, and...
info_outline
A Wake Up Call for Wives: Don't Let Fear Steal Your Yes with Carol Roper Ep. 165
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
Have you ever looked back and realized comfort kept you from saying yes to something that mattered? In this episode, I’m sharing how a moment from Taylor Sheridan’s new series The Madison stopped me in my tracks and reminded me what it really means to love well — especially in marriage. This isn’t a review of the show, and I’m not endorsing all its content. But there’s a powerful theme woven through the story that every Christian wife needs to hear. Spoiler alert: I’ll be talking about the premise of the series, so listen with that in mind. If fear, comfort, or “maybe...
info_outline
Finding Hope in the Unknown: Tommy Jennings Fight with Cancer Ep. 163
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
When you’re facing a diagnosis, a fear, or a season of waiting, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the unknown. In today’s episode, Tommy Jennings shares a powerful testimony of courage, peace, and unshakable faith as he battles Hodgkin’s Lymphoma — a fight he’s been in for six years. Tommy’s story is raw, honest, and deeply hope‑filled. After exhausting every treatment option, he now lives in the tension of uncertainty — yet his confidence in Jesus has only grown stronger. His words, “Either way it goes, I win,” will challenge and inspire you to trust God in your own...
info_outlineHey listeners! I’m popping into you podcast feed with a surprise! Starting now, I’ll be releasing solo episodes every other week to share some of my life experiences and Jesus moments with you! I’ll still be doing interviews but thought it would be fun to be able to talk directly to you about my struggles and triumphs. And I’m calling these episodes The Kitchen Table. So why the kitchen table? I’m so glad you asked!
I believe the dinner table is an important ingredient in the glue that helps us build strong families. My siblings and my children would agree. And so, these solo episodes that I’ll bring to you, hopefully every 2 weeks, will be short stories of how I’ve seen God work in my own life through sometimes mundane, and other times amazing, experiences and how those experiences have grown my faith. Just like if you came to my house and we sat around my kitchen table enjoying a snack and a cup of coffee (or hot tea for me!). I may even share some things I’m learning in the Word that might encourage you.
And since we’re talking about the dinner table, you might have heard that one of my favorite recipes to make for a crowd is baked spaghetti. It’s the meal my husband and I shared the first time we met, at a church youth group progressive dinner on New Year’s Eve, 1979. My mother-in-law shared the recipe with me years ago and I’ve always made this my go-to meal when I need to feed a lot of people, especially when I had lots of kids over for youth group events or parties. Guideposts magazine picked up our story and even printed the recipe for the baked spaghetti that has kind of become my trademark. So, if you’d like to receive that recipe, go to the link below and sign up and you’ll receive an email where you can download it. You’ll also receive weekly updates about podcast episodes as well as any other events that might be happening and maybe even some of my thoughts on faith and family. You’ll also be able to see a few Instagram posts from recent days.
So, let me know what you think about this Kitchen Table episode and if you have a question or an idea about something you’d like for me to discuss, please don’t hesitate to email me at buidingstronghomes@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you! I’ll have a link to that in the show notes.
Show notes and link to baked spaghetti recipe