Cami Kasterke has a beautiful story! She and Lester have been married for 24 years. They have a beautiful family with three girls. The road to get there, however, was difficult. Cami found out at an early age that getting pregnant may not be possible due to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). Being a Labor and Delivery nurse put this diagnosis foremost in her thoughts all day, every day. It was a journey that was painful. They decided to go the route of in vitro fertilization. This took months of hormone treatments and then having eggs implanted and then frozen.

Because of this process, she now has her Hope, Hannah, and Hadley! We discuss the emotional toll this took on she and her husband, and also the ethical dilemmas at play when you have frozen eggs that could become little people! What if they aren't all used? What do you do?

Cami has also worked as a school nurse and now works in hospice care. We are grateful for her giving to others in her field and for her story of hope.

Jeremiah 29:11

The Lineage of Grace, by Francine Rivers

#afrayedknotpodcast

#PCOS

#infertility

#invitro

#nursing

Alzheimers is a cruel disease. It is so difficult to watch a loved one succumb to such a thing. Anyone who has ever had to witness someone they love suffer it can understand the sadness of watching as it takes hold.

Abbe Belcher shares with us her journey of loving and serving her parents in the last seasons of their lives. Abbe's family took her parents in to live with them for 17 years. On top of that, her mother was blind! Through all of these challenges they created a beautiful family and household of generations taking care of each other.

Abbe tackles life with humility and humor. She is a phenomenal Bible teacher and has started teaching a class of Holy Yoga at Midtown Yoga, Owasso. You are going to love her!

Recommended Resources:

Ephesians 1:11

Midtown Yoga, Owasso

Page Cole, Visiting Angels

#afrayedknotpodcast

#visitingangels

#beautyfromashes

#holyyoga

Misael Gonzalez is the Bilingual Teaching Pastor of First Baptist Church of Owasso. He graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University and joined the staff of our church. Misael is an answer to prayer and is helping our church expand the reach of the gospel in our community. He is the point leader for the Tulsa Campus of First Baptist Owasso, located at 7216 E Admiral Place in Tulsa.

Misael's story is something you are going to want to hear. He had a pivotal moment in his life at 16 which strangely and beautifully coincided with his mother's story from when she was 16! The way God has interwoven this story is phenomenal!

He will also talk about a situation of domestic violence that happened to a member of his family. He is very honest and raw about his feelings concerning this difficult time, and how it has affected his entire family. He reminds us that God does not waste our pain, and He still works through the darkness.

Recommended Resources:

Psalm 46:10

Praise You in the Storm, by Casting Crowns

The Platform Podcast- Episode 1

#afrayedknotpodcast

#liveinhumilityliveinboldness

#domesticviolence

#icantGodcan

#walkingfaith

Melissa Lambley has an incredible story! Imagine your teenage son, with no health issues, a star athlete, gradually losing the ability to see! What if the eye specialists also didn't have any answers for you? Listen to Melissa share what that was like as a parent searching for answers and hope.

Melissa and her husband Rand were high school sweethearts! They have raised a beautiful family with two children. Will and Taylor are great examples of God's faithfulness and have walked this journey with grace.

Melissa is a Special Education teacher at the 6th Grade Center in Owasso. She has a great passion for her students and has learned to empathize with them and their parents as her family has walked a journey they never expected to walk.

Recommended Resources:

Trusting God by Jerry Bridges

John 9:1-12

Psalm 46:10

#afrayedknotpodcast

#lebershereditaryopticneuropathy

#opticnerves

#lament

#whereisyourhope

Kenna Cataudella has a story you are going to want to hear. She is a mom, wife, grandmother, retired teacher and has walked a journey that many will relate to.

Getting married and navigating that new life as a couple can be challenging at times, but when you come from two different backgrounds it can be even harder. She and Steve have been married for 31 years and have built a beautiful life and a beautiful family and God has shown Himself graciously.

She has three "frayed knots" that she will discuss. Her marriage, a traumatic time for one of her sons, and the death of her brother that led her to her passion of working with the homeless. You are going to love her heart and her passion for the Lord and ministering to others.

Recommended Resources:

Armor of God, by Priscilla Shirer

Fervent, by Priscilla Shirer

Romans 2:4

Psalm 46:10

Psalm 19:14

Isaiah 43:19

Isaiah 61:3

#afrayedknotpodcast

#biblestudyfellowship

#nightlighttulsa

#citylightsofoklahoma

#kanakukinstitute

#footwashing

#beautyfromashes

#timing

We are created for community. This has been made obvious through the pandemic year we've all lived through. It’s been hard on all of us. Today's guest shares her story of how God has brought her and her family through the hardships of coronavirus and isolation.

Melissa Zumwalt is the Assistant Athletic Director for Owasso Public Schools. She grew up a dancer and has also coached dance teams and pom squads. She talks about some times during 2020 that she questioned her next step, as she felt the Lord stirring her heart to change directions.

She will also talk about the hardships of this past year, specifically in watching one of her children tread through some dark days after an injury derailed cherished plans and a pandemic became isolating. When you are watching someone you love go through hard things you wish you could take away, it’s devastating. But..there is hope! And it often brings intimate times with God as we wrestle and question and trust that His plans are good.

Recommended Resources:

Elijah, a Bible Study by Priscilla Shirer

Bible App

Isaiah 43:19

#afrayedknotpodcast

#questions

#darkdays

Do you know someone going through chronic pain? What about someone dealing with enormous grief? Vickey Banks is our guest today and she gives us such an abundance of wisdom, especially relating to both of those scenarios. Get ready to take some great notes! Vickey is a wife, mom, grandmother, author, blogger, speaker, and Women's Ministry Director. She's doing all the things! She is going to share about a time when she went through years of chronic pain, and also when she lost several family members in a span of 2 months! Some great takeaways are these thoughts: when you have a thankful heart, you start seeing things differently; there is a reason God has us in community; and most of all, we can use Scripture as a weapon. Vickey also talks about the reality that trauma doesn't end when the event ends. It only ends when we've named it and dealt with it. You are going to love hearing her gracious heart.

Romans 15;4

Psalm 27:13

Philippians 4:6-7

II Timothy 2:2

Bible Study Tools

Sharing His Secrets, by Vickey Banks

Insight for Living, by Doug Manning

His Needs, Her Needs, by Willard Harley

Through a Season of Grief- Grief Share

The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel von der Kolk

A Life Worth Following, by Chris Wall

#afrayedknotpodcast

#scriptureasweapon

#chronicpain

#grief

#trauma

#gratefulheart

Brittany Crawford has written some precious books for children dealing with fears of the weather. If you have a child afraid of weather (welcome to Oklahoma!) these are great resources for your little ones.

Brittany is a volunteer at Lakeview Early Learning Academy of Skiatook and attends Skiatook Christian Church. She shares her story of growing up with cerebral palsy, and overcoming the many challenges in her path. She did not let that stop her! She trusted God with His plan for her. She inspires us with her positive overcoming attitude.

Amendment to the conversation:

Brittany wanted to correct the date she said for her father's death. It was actually August 9th, 2003.

Tilly and the Terrible Tornado

Tilly and the Ferocious Flood

Tilly and the Electrifying Thunderstorm

#afrayedknotpodcast

#tillybooks

#cerebralpalsy

Amy Peterson will be such a blessing to you today! She has a beautiful testimony.  She teaches us that we can trust God with our story, however He writes it.  She is the Ministry Wives Ministry Partner for Oklahoma Baptists. Amy is a wife to Brandon, mom to three handsome boys, and lives in Edmond, Oklahoma.

Trained as a teacher, she has a unique 25-year background in youth and adult education, writing and teaching Bible studies, speaking at women’s events, discipling young women, and serving as a minister’s wife alongside her husband who was formerly in full-time ministry. She has a passion for communicating the truth of God’s word that reaches into our messy, broken places and the gracious power of Jesus that sets us free. 

Her journey has not always been an easy ride, and she has known her own journey with heartbreak.   Her message is for all of us.  God is good; what He does is good; He has a good plan for me.  He is good even in the waiting.  She will talk about her struggle in trying to have children and the pain of two miscarriages.  Regardless of our struggles, we have unlimited free refills of Living Water!

Recommended Resources:

You'll Get Through This, by Max Lucado

Boundaries, by Cloud and Townsend

The Life You Long For: Living from a Heart of Rest, by Christy Nockles

Eden Trentham- Episode 6 of A Frayed Knot

Falls Creek Women's Retreat, April 17; Registration for in-person attendance at Falls Creek will be closed by the time this airs. BUT listeners can still register for the Deluxe Digital Pass with access to the speakers and all the online breakout sessions with unlimited access until 2022. Here’s the direct link: https://www.oklahomabaptists.org/women/retreat 

If you would like to have Amy come speak at your church or organization, please reach out to her at [email protected].

Christy Rowden and her family are amazing! After having their own biological children, they felt called to adopt from Uganda. They now have two beautiful children from this country, Asher and Mercy. You will love her story of how God moved and brought these little ones to her family. If you've ever considered adoption or want to learn more about helping others in another country, this one is for you! She has also provided a great list of resources.

#afrayedknotpodcast

#adoption

#Uganda

#multiculturalfamilies

#fostering

RESOURCE LIST for Christy Rowden

Oklahoma Stats (resource https://okfosters.org/):

Children waiting on forever families: 468

Children in DHS custody: 7,614

Foster Families needed in 2020: 898

Adoption/Orphan Care Podcasts:

● Adoption Connection - http://www.theadoptionconnection.com/category/podcast/

● Archibald Project - https://www.thearchibaldproject.com/podcast-1

● Empowered Parent - https://www.onebighappyhome.com/podcast/

● Forgotten Initiative - https://theforgotteninitiative.org/podcast/

● Parenting After Trauma - https://robyngobbel.com/podcast/

Adoption/Foster Care Books:

● Connected Child - https://www.amazon.com/Connected-Child-healing-adoptive-family/dp/0071475001/

● Connected Parent - https://www.amazon.com/Parenting-Trust-Connection-Strategies-Adopted/dp/0736978925/

Helping Without Hurting Resources:

● Faith to Action - FB: https://www.facebook.com/faithtoactioninitiative Web: https://www.faithtoaction.org/

● Helping Without Hurting - series of books: https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B001V207EA

● Helping Without Hurting - video series by Life Church: https://youtu.be/a339VZRE3CM

● Think Orphan Podcast - https://thinkorphan.com/podcasts/

Local Orphan Care Organizations/Support Groups:

● Family for Life - https://www.familyforlifeok.org/

● Legacy Family Network - https://www.legacyfamilynetwork.org/

● Project Hope Worldwide - https://projecthopeworldwide.org/

My Favorite Motivating Podcast:

● Dream Big with Bob Goff - https://dreambigframework.com/podcast

My Favorite Podcast on Race Relations:

● Race and Redemption - https://www.raceandredemption.org/

My Favorite Bible Verses on Justice and Orphan Care:

● Deuteronomy 10:18 - “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.”

● Isaiah 1:17 - “ Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed.Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”

● Micah 6:8 - “What does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

● Psalm 82:3 - “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.”

Our Adoption Blogs:

● Asher’s story - http://armswideopenjames127.blogspot.com/

● Mercy’s story - http://bringmercyhome.blogspot.com

Uganda Bags and Beads - 100% of sales sends kids to school and supports family preservation in Uganda, Africa. Can be found at…

● Bless UR Heart Boutique (downtown Owasso) - https://www.facebook.com/BlessurheartboutiqueOwasso

● Farm Hippie (downtown Collinsville) - https://www.facebook.com/farmhippieOK