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
Release Date: 06/17/2025
Ep. 154: Envision Your Dream Home with Carol Roper
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
Every great home starts with a dream—a vision for life within its walls. But before the first nail is hammered, the blueprint must be drawn. After decades of designing houses, I’ve learned a blueprint isn’t just about rooms and square footage; it’s about reflecting the heart of the family. The same is true for our spiritual homes. God, the Master Architect, has a design for each of us—a home filled with abundant living that’s better than anything we could imagine. Today, we’ll start by asking: What does your spiritual dream home look like? And how do we align that vision with...
info_outline
Ep. 153: How to Build a Godly Home: Choosing the Right Location with Carol Roper
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
Ever feel like building a godly home is overwhelming? You’re not alone. In this episode, we uncover the very first step to creating a home that stands strong—starting with the right location. Deciding where to put a dream house is the most important part of the design process. Putting so much effort into creating a great home only to realize later it was built in the wrong place can shatter any hopes we have for a strong family. This week is the first in my Kitchen Table series called Blueprints to Building Your Spiritual Dream Home. These episodes are based on the award-winning blog...
info_outline
Ep. 152: Unlocking the Secrets to Effective Communication with Your Teen with Mark Gregston
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
We’ve all heard it before—bridging the communication gap with a teen can feel like trying to build a bridge with spaghetti. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. We’re diving into one of the most critical aspects of parenting: communicating with your teenager. Today’s guest, Mark Gregston, a renowned expert and founder of Parenting Today’s Teens, will share his invaluable insights and practical tips to help you connect with your teen in meaningful ways. Mark will guide us through the challenges and nuances of communicating with teenagers and will explore common...
info_outline
Ep. 151: Celebrating 5 Incredible Years: Your Favorite Christmas Traditions, Young Mom Insights and Our Top 10 Episodes
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
We’re celebrating five amazing years of incredible testimonies and conversations! In this special anniversary episode, we’re sharing your favorite Christmas traditions, chatting with two inspiring young moms, Carli McNamara and Rebecca Edwards, about holiday memories and motherhood, and revealing the top 10 most-loved episodes of the podcast. Plus, I’ll share how many countries the podcast has reached and the surprising number country where we’re downloaded the most outside of the United States. We also announce the first and second place winners of our celebration giveaway! Whether...
info_outline
Ep. 150: Hope Beyond Heartache: The Journey to an Untroubled Heart with Kara Stout
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
Heartache is something we all face—whether through loss, disappointment, or unexpected challenges. Today’s guest, Kara Stout—author of An Untroubled Heart—opens up about her personal journey through grief, waiting seasons, and life’s unexpected challenges. Drawing from her experiences of loss and her own medical crises, Kara shares how faith became her anchor when peace felt out of reach. Her message is clear: even in the darkest valleys, God’s presence offers comfort, strength, and hope. Her story reminds us that hope is not the absence of heartache but the assurance of God’s...
info_outline
Ep. 149: Unlocking Joy: The Surprising Power of Letting Go with Carol Roper
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
Have you ever struggled with unforgiveness? If we’re honest I believe we all have. But that’s not how God wants us to live. Even though He commands us to forgive, it’s not just to let the other person off the hook. He wants us to forgive because He knows how holding onto resentment can cause a cancer to grow in our hearts, hurting us so much more than the person who caused the hurt. In this episode I’ll share several instances where God convicted me of my unforgiving heart as well as a parable where Jesus shows us how ungrateful we are when we don’t forgive. Watch on YouTube ...
info_outline
Ep. 148: Can Love Really Change a Broken World? How God's Love Transforms Hearts-Starting with Ours with Rachael Adams
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
What if the way you love could change the world—starting in your own home? In a culture that feels fractured and hostile, loving others like Jesus isn’t just hard—it feels impossible. But what if God gave us a blueprint for loving without limits? Author and podcaster, Rachael Adams has recently released her second book, Everyday Prayers for Love: Learning to Love God, Others and Even Yourself. We are often told the Bible is God’s love letter to us, yet we struggle to comprehend the height, width, and depth that this eternal God has for His beloved. How would fully understanding...
info_outline
Ep. 147: Have You Lost Hope? Building Your Faith in a Season of Despair with Carol Roper
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
We all walk through seasons that feel like a desert—lonely, exhausting, and full of questions for God. In this episode, I open up about my own painful wilderness years—struggling with infertility, chronic illness, and depression—and how I eventually discovered that God hadn’t abandoned me after all. Through my story, you’ll see that the desert isn’t a place of punishment but preparation. It’s where God strips away our dependence on everything else so we can truly know Him as our provider. If you’ve ever wondered where God is when life feels dry, this episode will remind you...
info_outline
Ep. 146: When Feelings Fade: Finding Hope for Your Marriage Through Everyday Moments with Dan & Danielle Macaulay
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
Every marriage goes through seasons—some filled with laughter and connection, and others that feel dry, distant, or lonely. Maybe you’ve found yourself wondering, “What happened to us? Why can’t we enjoy doing things together like we used to?” The feelings you once had faded, and no matter how hard you try, it feels like you’re just going through the motions. If that sounds familiar, you are not alone. Dan and Danielle Macaulay, founders of MarriedUp.net and authors of The Triangle Effect, talk about what to do when love feels more like effort than emotion—and how inviting...
info_outline
Ep. 145: What Are You Missing Because You’re Afraid to Trust God?
Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast
What dream have you had that you feel is too big to pursue? One of my big dreams has always been to go to England, the country my maternal grandmother was from. But I don’t like to fly, I was worried I couldn’t do that much walking, didn’t know how to figure out all of the planes, trains, underground, taxis and Uber logistics, etc. etc. I decided not to give into those fears, however, when my husband, John, offered to take me on the trip of a lifetime to England and Scotland to celebrate my 60th birthday and our 40th wedding anniversary. Having recently returned from that trip I can...
info_outlineMolly 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 long series of grossly irresponsible financial decisions, Molly found herself broke with over $36,000 in credit card debt less than two years later. Shame, guilt, and embarrassment set in.
Listen in as Molly shares her journey to faith as she worked her way out of debt and reveals how every messed up, broken story has a purpose. She now helps others through podcasting, speaking and her book, If I Don't Laugh, I'll Cry: How Death, Debt and Comedy Led to a Life of Faith, Farming and Forgetting What I Came into This Room For.
For show notes go to CarolRoper.org/Podcast
If you enjoyed listening to Molly's story check these podcast episodes linked below:
Discovering the Dad Who Raised Her Wasn't Her Biological Father with Megan Phillips and