Today I’m talking to Tracey Casciano. Tracey is a wife, mom, church worker, author, and someone I know a great many of my listeners will be able to relate to. Her latest book, Out of The Darkroom, Into the Light, is a story of faith and forgiveness after child abuse. Although this is a difficult topic, I was so impressed by Tracey’s ability to work through her hurt and truly offer forgiveness to those who hurt her.

Since we recorded this interview, Tracey’s book was nominated for the Christian Small Publisher book of the year award! Way to go Tracey! I can’t wait to share her story with you.

Today I’m talking to Kara Kae James. She is one of the founders of Thrive Moms, a ministry for moms to encourage and inspire you to do more than just survive motherhood. I remember when I was a new mom, my own mother told me, “some days you just have to make it to bedtime!” In some seasons of life that is spot on, but when we make survival a habit, we are missing out on the precious peace and fulfillment that God wants to give us every single day.

I had such a fun time recording this episode. I’m talking to Amy Lively and she has a passion for helping us reach our neighbors with friendship so we can eventually reach them with the gospel. And when Amy talks about our neighbors, she’s talking about the people who physically live near our actual homes. We already share a neighborhood pool, or an elementary school, or even a property line, so it makes sense that we should also share our lives with these people.

And if you’re listening and, like me, you don’t really have a traditional neighborhood setup, Amy has advice for you to so don’t write us off here.The command to love our neighbors applies to all of us, so listen in to hear how to put this command into practice.

Today I’m talking to Kaylie Hodges. Kaylie is a wife, mom, women’s ministry leader, and all-around fun gal. She is a joy to chat with, and I know you are going to love her. We talk about life, of course, but specifically her passion for the ministry of sisterhood.

This is a topic near and dear to my heart because I’ve gone through seasons of extreme loneliness, even though I had a wonderful husband and a house full of kids. The absence of girlfriends really weighed heavily on me, and it breaks my heart to know that some of you out there feel the same way. So what can you do about it? Kaylie is advice is to just go first, and she’ll explain what that means. I hope this episode inspires and encourages you.

Today I’m talking to Paula Wallace, the author of Bloom in the Dark, True Stories of Hope and Redemption. This is a difficult show, but it’s one that I’m sure a great many of you need to hear. Paula was sexually abused at a young age and spent most of her life suffering the repercussion of that before she was able to overcome her past and become, as she says, an Ex-victim. If you haven’t experienced abuse yourself, I still urge you to listen closely, because if the statistics are correct you are surrounded by women who are suffering in silence. We need to know their stories so we can enter into that pain and help them find healing.

Today I’m talking to Melissa Eick. Melissa is the Communications Director for a non-profit organization called the Beautiful Dream Society. BDS works to raise awareness, take legal action where appropriate, and offer rehabilitation services to rescued victims of human trafficking. Personally, I knew virtually nothing about human trafficking until a few years ago. I was shocked by what a huge problem it is, even in my own home state. I’m in the Bible Belt for goodness sake! In this interview Melissa does an excellent job of explaining human trafficking in all its forms, so if you are as clueless about this topic as I was, prepare to have your eyes, and your heart, opened.

Hi Guys! It’s the first week of January and we all know what that means…New Year’s Resolutions. What do you want to accomplish this year? Do you have a reading goal? Do you want to learn a new hobby? What about weight loss? Today’s guest is going to tell us what should be on the top of our list. Heather Creekmore is a wife, mom, writer, and speaker who is passionate about helping women overcome their body image issues.

I really enjoyed this conversation, but it showed me how much of a distraction my body image is in my everyday life. If you struggle in this area, I am so there with you. Since I have zero words of wisdom on this topic, let’s go ahead and hear straight from Heather.

Meg is a mom of two through adoption, living on the mission field in West Africa. I love Meg, and I love her heart and her adventurous spirit, but what strikes me is how young she is, and I mean that in a good way. Meg is in her early 20’s and she’s been on the mission field since she was 18. If you are anywhere around my age (I’m 37), think back to what you were doing in your late teens/early 20s. I was not on the mission field, I’ll tell ya that. The thought never crossed my mind at that point. I didn’t really make my faith my own until my mid 20s, and it took me a long time to figure out God’s mission for my me. Meg is already in the thick of it. I can’t imagine the plans God has for her life and she has so many years ahead of her to do the work.

Today I’m talking to Shannan Martin. Shannon is a wife and mom of 4 who writes about Life, Adoption, Faith, and Home Decorating on her website, flowerpatchfarmgirl.com.

In this interview we talk about what it looks like to sell your dream home and move to a neighborhood which is, as she puts it, on the wrong side of the tracks. Shannan continuously looks for ways to build community with her neighbors.  How can we incorporate that into our own lives. What practical needs can we meet every day to ease the burdens of others and show them the love of Jesus? We’ll get into all of that.

Shannon and I also talk about the day a major decorating magazine photographed her kitchen, and later I find out what tv shows she’s currently binging on. You know…the really deep stuff. Shannon is adorable and you’re going to love her, so let’s get started.

Today I have a very special interview with a gal I’m calling Katie from Alabama. I can’t use her full name or her photo, so that’s a bummer, but the reason is because of the sensitive nature of her work. Katie works directly with Syrian Refugees. Yes, the refugees who have been the topic of conversation for every politician across the globe here in the past few months. We are going to talk specifically about some time she spent working in a refugee camp in Lebanon, and also about ISIS and the refugee crisis as a whole. Katie knows what she's talking about and her perspective is fascinating.