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What do you do when life takes you somewhere you never expected to go?

In this powerful and heartfelt conversation, I sit down with Donna Strong of Hamilton, Ohio, a woman whose life has been marked by faith, music, perseverance, and a deep commitment to trusting God—even when circumstances are difficult.

Donna spent more than 20 years working as an Administrative Assistant and 40 years traveling and singing Gospel music as part of Hearts of Faith. In 2025, she released her memoir, TRUST: Total Reliance Under Stressful Times, sharing honestly about the unwanted situations and circumstances she has faced and the choice she continually had to make: trust God or walk away from her faith.

Donna reminds us that trusting God doesn't mean life will always turn out the way we hoped. It means choosing to believe that God is still faithful when it doesn't.

We also talk about her family's journey after her son was diagnosed with epilepsy at just nine years old. Now 31, he continues to navigate life with seizures and medication, yet he has refused to allow his diagnosis to define him. His story includes mission trips around the world, serving in his church, leading a weekly Bible study, and continuing to live a meaningful and purposeful life.

Through her son's journey and her own experiences, Donna has learned to pray, persevere, and trust God one day at a time.

This conversation will encourage you to ask yourself:

What am I doing when life doesn't turn out the way I hoped?

Am I allowing my circumstances to determine what I believe about God—or am I choosing to trust Him anyway?

If you're walking through an unwanted circumstance, facing uncertainty, or struggling to understand what God is doing, Donna's testimony is a reminder that you don't have to have all the answers to keep trusting the One who does.

God is still God in the middle of the uncertainty. And sometimes, faith looks like simply saying, “I don't understand this, but I still trust You.”

For more information about Donna and her book:  

https://www.thoughtsandexpressionsllc.com

https://www.facebook.com/donnabrockstrong/

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Thank you for listening, and please subscribe and share.   Also, subscribe to and share my YouTube Channel.  If you like what you hear, follow us on the following social media platforms:

IG- @abundantlylovedpodcast

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Links to books on Amazon:

"40 Years a Virgin Why the Wait: Promoting Purity in a World of Promiscuity"

https://a.co/d/03HxYiUU

"Healing Inside Out and Outside In: Finding Peace through Spiritual Healing"

https://a.co/d/028kC8CO

If you want to financially support the ministry, you can CashApp us @loveabm

If you want to share your thoughts with Ms. Gwendolyn, you can email her at [email protected]

Email us at [email protected] if you are interested in more information about our Growing Deeper in Intimacy Coaching Program.  

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In this episode of Abundantly Loved Podcast, Michelle Steiner shares her powerful journey of overcoming self-doubt and the limitations others placed on her because of her learning disability.

Michelle is a writer, speaker, photographer, and paraeducator who works with students with disabilities. Through her blog, Michelle’s Mission, she shares about life with a disability and her love of photography.

Michelle opens up about a time in college when she was told that she could not go to college or earn a bachelor’s degree because of her learning disability. Those words could have defined her future, but they didn’t. Instead, God met her in the midst of her self-doubt, led her to the right people and resources, and encouraged her through the difficult years.

By God’s grace, Michelle persevered, passed her courses, later returned to university, and ultimately earned her bachelor’s degree.

Her story is a beautiful reminder that the voices of others do not have to determine what God has called us to do. Sometimes, faith means continuing to move forward even when we don’t believe in ourselves yet.

Join us for this inspiring conversation about disability, self-doubt, perseverance, faith, and trusting God when others say you can’t.

Because sometimes what looks like a limitation to others is simply another opportunity for God to show you what He can do. ❤️

Use the following links to support Michelle Steiner:

Michelle's Mission Blog:   https://www.michellesmission.com/

Follow her at:

https://www.facebook.com/michelle.steiner.493966/ https://www.instagram.com/steiner7250/

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Thank you for listening, and please subscribe and share.   Also, subscribe to and share my YouTube Channel.  If you like what you hear, follow us on the following social media platforms:

IG- @abundantlylovedpodcast

Tiktok- @loveabundantlycouns.min

FB- @Love Abundantly Ministry

Patreon-  patreon.com/lovemessages

Links to books on Amazon:

"40 Years a Virgin Why the Wait: Promoting Purity in a World of Promiscuity"

https://a.co/d/03HxYiUU

"Healing Inside Out and Outside In: Finding Peace through Spiritual Healing"

https://a.co/d/028kC8CO

If you want to financially support the ministry, you can CashApp us @loveabm

If you want to share your thoughts with Ms. Gwendolyn, you can email her at [email protected]

Email us at [email protected] if you are interested in more information about our Growing Deeper in Intimacy Coaching Program.  

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What happens when the parts of our story we most want to hide become the very places where God’s grace shines brightest?

In this deeply personal episode, Kimberly Souba shares her journey of discovering healing, hope, and redemption through her relationship with Jesus. As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, she learned early to rely on herself. From the outside, she appeared strong, capable, independent, and successful, while privately carrying the fear that if others knew her story, they would see her as damaged or broken.

Over time, God gently revealed that what looked like strength was often self-protection. He invited her to bring the wounds she had worked so hard to hide into His light and to trust Him with even the most painful chapters of her story.

Her healing has unfolded slowly and honestly through counseling, prayer, Scripture, faithful friendships, wise mentors, the sacraments, and countless moments when Jesus met her with compassion rather than condemnation. Through that journey, she discovered a truth that changed everything: her identity is not rooted in what happened to her, but in whose she is.

Today, she sees those once-hidden places differently. God has not erased her past, but He has transformed the way she understands it. Through her writing, podcast, speaking, and advocacy for children, she now uses her story to walk alongside others who are carrying trauma, grief, shame, or disappointment.

In this conversation, she offers a powerful reminder that healing doesn't mean pretending the past never happened or having all the answers. It means inviting Jesus into our wounds and allowing Him to transform them over time. Our scars do not disqualify us from being used by God; they can become the very places where His grace is most visible.

Listeners will be encouraged to believe that no part of their story is beyond God's redemption and that they are deeply loved by Him. Whether their next step is reaching out for help, returning to prayer or the sacraments, opening Scripture, or simply choosing to believe that tomorrow can be different, there is hope.

Because God doesn't waste our stories. And when we place them in His hands, even our deepest wounds can become a source of hope and healing for someone else.

Link to contact Kimberly Souba:

Website: www.ksouba.com
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/FaithAndWonderBooks (Facebook) and @adventuresinfaithandwonder (Instagram)

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Please fill out this form to share your thoughts about the podcast:

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Thank you for listening, and please subscribe and share.   Also, subscribe to and share my YouTube Channel.  If you like what you hear, follow us on the following social media platforms:

IG- @abundantlylovedpodcast

Tiktok- @loveabundantlycouns.min

FB- @Love Abundantly Ministry

Patreon-  patreon.com/lovemessages

Links to books on Amazon:

"40 Years a Virgin Why the Wait: Promoting Purity in a World of Promiscuity"

https://a.co/d/03HxYiUU

"Healing Inside Out and Outside In: Finding Peace through Spiritual Healing"

https://a.co/d/028kC8CO

If you want to financially support the ministry, you can CashApp us @loveabm

If you want to share your thoughts with Ms. Gwendolyn, you can email her at [email protected]

Email us at [email protected] if you are interested in more information about our Growing Deeper in Intimacy Coaching Program.  

Send us Fan Mail

What happens when shame causes us to see God through the lens of punishment instead of love?

In this deeply vulnerable episode of the Abundantly Loved Podcast, my guest, Ms. Marcy Thompson, opens up about a painful season in her life when she genuinely believed God was punishing her for her past. After becoming pregnant as a teenager before marriage, she carried years of shame and quietly believed she had disqualified herself from experiencing the fullness of God's blessings.

Then, after getting married and becoming pregnant again, Marcy experienced the heartbreaking loss of her baby through miscarriage. In the midst of her grief, she wrestled with the question so many hurting people ask: “Why would God let this happen?”

But beneath that question was an even deeper belief: “Is God punishing me for what I did?”

As she shares her journey, we explore how shame can distort our understanding of God's character and cause us to see Him as a judge keeping score rather than a loving Father who meets us in our pain. She also shares what it looked like to recognize that she was carrying guilt Jesus had already paid for—and that God's grace was never something she had to earn back.

This conversation is an invitation to examine the beliefs we may be carrying about God because of our past, our pain, or our disappointments.

Have you ever wondered if God was punishing you for something you've already asked Him to forgive?

Maybe it's time to discover that God isn't waiting to condemn you. He is inviting you closer.

For more information about Marcy Thompson, you can follow her at:

Facebook:  Beautifully Built

Instagram: @beautiful.lybuilt 

email at [email protected]

Click the link for Marcy's book, "Built, Not Broken: How to Heal Your Past and Build a Life and Business You Love",  which is available on Amazon:  https://a.co/d/0gZgDZgE 

Support the show

Please fill out this form to share your thoughts about the podcast:

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Thank you for listening, and please subscribe and share.   Also, subscribe to and share my YouTube Channel.  If you like what you hear, follow us on the following social media platforms:

IG- @abundantlylovedpodcast

Tiktok- @loveabundantlycouns.min

FB- @Love Abundantly Ministry

Patreon-  patreon.com/lovemessages

Links to books on Amazon:

"40 Years a Virgin Why the Wait: Promoting Purity in a World of Promiscuity"

https://a.co/d/03HxYiUU

"Healing Inside Out and Outside In: Finding Peace through Spiritual Healing"

https://a.co/d/028kC8CO

If you want to financially support the ministry, you can CashApp us @loveabm

If you want to share your thoughts with Ms. Gwendolyn, you can email her at [email protected]

Email us at [email protected] if you are interested in more information about our Growing Deeper in Intimacy Coaching Program.  

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, Mrs. Maryum Opa vulnerably shares her journey through miscarriage, the pain of feeling unsupported, and the struggle of believing that life should go smoothly when we're doing everything "right."

Together, we explore how disappointment can quietly reshape our view of God, and yet how choosing to lean on Scripture, Christian community, and honest prayer can rebuild trust and deepen intimacy with Him.

This conversation invites listeners to wrestle with questions many of us have asked:

• Why would God allow this?
• Did I do something wrong?
• Can I still trust Him?

Ultimately, we discuss how the darkness of life's circumstances can try to overshadow the truth of who God is—and how we can overcome that darkness by anchoring ourselves in His character rather than our circumstances.

About our guest:

Mrs. Maryum Opa holds a Master's degree in Organizational Psychology and is the founder of O.P.A. (Optimal Professional Advantage), where she helps individuals and organizations rise with intention. Her work is guided by Christian principles, rooted in equity, and designed to transform people, workplaces, and outcomes—one purpose-aligned step at a time.

To learn more about her services, visit www.theopaservice.com or contact her at [email protected].

Support the show

Please fill out this form to share your thoughts about the podcast:

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Thank you for listening, and please subscribe and share.   Also, subscribe to and share my YouTube Channel.  If you like what you hear, follow us on the following social media platforms:

IG- @abundantlylovedpodcast

Tiktok- @loveabundantlycouns.min

FB- @Love Abundantly Ministry

Patreon-  patreon.com/lovemessages

Links to books on Amazon:

"40 Years a Virgin Why the Wait: Promoting Purity in a World of Promiscuity"

https://a.co/d/03HxYiUU

"Healing Inside Out and Outside In: Finding Peace through Spiritual Healing"

https://a.co/d/028kC8CO

If you want to financially support the ministry, you can CashApp us @loveabm

If you want to share your thoughts with Ms. Gwendolyn, you can email her at [email protected]

Email us at [email protected] if you are interested in more information about our Growing Deeper in Intimacy Coaching Program.  

Send us Fan Mail

As we conclude this season, we take a moment to reflect on the journey we've traveled together—from uncovering denial and self-deception to embracing truth, healing, and the unfailing love of God.

Throughout this season, we've explored how denial can keep us stuck, distort our view of ourselves, damage our relationships, and create distance between us and God. We've also discovered that freedom begins when we have the courage to face the truth, receive God's grace, and allow Him to transform our hearts.

In this episode, we'll revisit the key lessons from the season and discuss what it looks like to live with spiritual awareness, emotional wholeness, and the freedom that comes from walking in the light. We'll reflect on the difference between conviction and condemnation, the power of confession, repentance, forgiveness, and humility, and why intimacy with God grows as we choose truth over denial.

This season was never simply about identifying denial—it was about discovering the abundant life that Jesus offers on the other side of it. God does not expose our hearts to shame us; He reveals what is hidden so He can heal it. Every step toward truth is a step toward His love, His grace, and the freedom found in His presence.

Whether you've listened from the very beginning or you're just joining the conversation, my prayer is that you'll leave this season encouraged to live aware, whole, and free. You don't have to hide behind fear, shame, or self-deception any longer. The God who knows you completely also loves you completely, and He is inviting you into a deeper intimacy with Him.

Thank you for joining me on this journey. May you continue to walk in truth, experience God's healing, and rest in the confidence that you are abundantly loved.

Support the show

Please fill out this form to share your thoughts about the podcast:

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Thank you for listening, and please subscribe and share.   Also, subscribe to and share my YouTube Channel.  If you like what you hear, follow us on the following social media platforms:

IG- @abundantlylovedpodcast

Tiktok- @loveabundantlycouns.min

FB- @Love Abundantly Ministry

Patreon-  patreon.com/lovemessages

Links to books on Amazon:

"40 Years a Virgin Why the Wait: Promoting Purity in a World of Promiscuity"

https://a.co/d/03HxYiUU

"Healing Inside Out and Outside In: Finding Peace through Spiritual Healing"

https://a.co/d/028kC8CO

If you want to financially support the ministry, you can CashApp us @loveabm

If you want to share your thoughts with Ms. Gwendolyn, you can email her at [email protected]

Email us at [email protected] if you are interested in more information about our Growing Deeper in Intimacy Coaching Program.  

Send us Fan Mail

Denial may hide the wound, but it can never heal it.

In this episode, we explore what it means to begin healing the places that denial has covered for far too long. Whether the damage is in our relationship with God, with others, or within ourselves, healing begins when we have the courage to acknowledge the truth.

We'll talk about repairing broken relationships and why genuine healing requires us to take responsibility for the ways we've hurt others instead of focusing only on how we've been hurt. Jesus calls us to examine the "plank" in our own eye before pointing out the faults of someone else. As we recognize the mercy God has extended to us, we learn to extend that same forgiveness to others.

We'll also discuss the important difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. While reconciliation isn't always possible—or even wise—for every relationship, forgiveness is always part of God's invitation to freedom. Forgiveness releases the burden of bitterness and creates space for God to heal what has been broken.

Healing isn't about pretending the pain never happened. It's about allowing God to uncover what denial has hidden, restore what has been damaged, and transform our hearts through His love and grace.

If you're carrying unresolved hurt, struggling to forgive, or longing for restored relationships, this episode will encourage you to step into the light, trust God's healing process, and discover that true healing begins when we stop hiding our wounds and place them in the hands of the Great Healer.

Because what denial covers, God's love is able to heal.

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Please fill out this form to share your thoughts about the podcast:

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Thank you for listening, and please subscribe and share.   Also, subscribe to and share my YouTube Channel.  If you like what you hear, follow us on the following social media platforms:

IG- @abundantlylovedpodcast

Tiktok- @loveabundantlycouns.min

FB- @Love Abundantly Ministry

Patreon-  patreon.com/lovemessages

Links to books on Amazon:

"40 Years a Virgin Why the Wait: Promoting Purity in a World of Promiscuity"

https://a.co/d/03HxYiUU

"Healing Inside Out and Outside In: Finding Peace through Spiritual Healing"

https://a.co/d/028kC8CO

If you want to financially support the ministry, you can CashApp us @loveabm

If you want to share your thoughts with Ms. Gwendolyn, you can email her at [email protected]

Email us at [email protected] if you are interested in more information about our Growing Deeper in Intimacy Coaching Program.  

Send us Fan Mail

Freedom begins where denial ends.

In this episode, we explore what it truly means to come out of denial and step into the life God has for us. While denial may temporarily shield us from pain, it also keeps us from experiencing the healing, freedom, and intimacy that God desires. Facing the truth takes courage—but it is also the beginning of transformation.

Together, we'll discuss the biblical path of confession, repentance, and humility, and how these are not acts of shame but invitations into God's grace. As we bring our lives into the light, we discover that God doesn't meet us with condemnation—He meets us with mercy, forgiveness, and the power to change.

We'll also examine what Scripture teaches about truth as the doorway to freedom through John 8:31–32, Psalm 32:3–5, 1 John 1:5–10, and James 1:13–18. These passages remind us that God calls us to walk in the light, to take responsibility for our choices, and to trust that His truth always leads to life.

If you've found yourself hiding behind excuses, minimizing your struggles, or feeling stuck in unhealthy patterns, this episode will encourage you to take the courageous first step toward freedom. You don't have to keep pretending. God's invitation is simple: come into the light, receive His grace, and discover the freedom that only truth can bring.

The truth may be difficult to face, but in Christ, it is never something to fear. It is the doorway to healing, restoration, and a deeper intimacy with the God who loves you completely.

Support the show

Please fill out this form to share your thoughts about the podcast:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScPbfYpBw2YqRrmkkWwfrIze0Lar-42kW9ucN8iW60fB0EeXA/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Thank you for listening, and please subscribe and share.   Also, subscribe to and share my YouTube Channel.  If you like what you hear, follow us on the following social media platforms:

IG- @abundantlylovedpodcast

Tiktok- @loveabundantlycouns.min

FB- @Love Abundantly Ministry

Patreon-  patreon.com/lovemessages

Links to books on Amazon:

"40 Years a Virgin Why the Wait: Promoting Purity in a World of Promiscuity"

https://a.co/d/03HxYiUU

"Healing Inside Out and Outside In: Finding Peace through Spiritual Healing"

https://a.co/d/028kC8CO

If you want to financially support the ministry, you can CashApp us @loveabm

If you want to share your thoughts with Ms. Gwendolyn, you can email her at [email protected]

Email us at [email protected] if you are interested in more information about our Growing Deeper in Intimacy Coaching Program.  

Send us Fan Mail

What happens when denial is no longer a temporary defense but becomes the way we live?

In this episode, we explore the subtle but dangerous ways denial can shape our hearts, relationships, and spiritual lives. Over time, we can begin to create an idealized version of reality—seeing what we wish were true instead of what actually is. While denial may protect us from pain for a season, it can also keep us spiritually stagnant, emotionally disconnected, and unable to experience the freedom God desires for us.

Together, we'll examine chronic denial, the patterns we inherit through our families and culture, and the danger of appearing spiritually "fine" while quietly becoming numb on the inside. Most importantly, we'll talk about what it means to take off the clothes of denial and put on the truth—not as an act of shame, but as an invitation into healing, freedom, and deeper intimacy with God.

God never calls us to pretend. He calls us to bring our whole selves before Him. When we have the courage to be honest about where we are, we make room for His grace to meet us there. The path to transformation begins with truth.

If you've ever felt stuck, disconnected, or like you're simply going through the motions, this episode will encourage you to step out of denial, embrace God's truth, and begin walking in the freedom that comes from living authentically before Him.

Support the show

Please fill out this form to share your thoughts about the podcast:

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Thank you for listening, and please subscribe and share.   Also, subscribe to and share my YouTube Channel.  If you like what you hear, follow us on the following social media platforms:

IG- @abundantlylovedpodcast

Tiktok- @loveabundantlycouns.min

FB- @Love Abundantly Ministry

Patreon-  patreon.com/lovemessages

Links to books on Amazon:

"40 Years a Virgin Why the Wait: Promoting Purity in a World of Promiscuity"

https://a.co/d/03HxYiUU

"Healing Inside Out and Outside In: Finding Peace through Spiritual Healing"

https://a.co/d/028kC8CO

If you want to financially support the ministry, you can CashApp us @loveabm

If you want to share your thoughts with Ms. Gwendolyn, you can email her at [email protected]

Email us at [email protected] if you are interested in more information about our Growing Deeper in Intimacy Coaching Program.  

Send us Fan Mail

In this second part of our conversation on conviction versus condemnation, I walk through the powerful journey of the sinful woman and the Pharisee. I unpack how the sinful woman moved from the trap of self-condemnation—those lies like “I’m not good enough” or “no one loves me”—toward conviction, choosing to fight through those negative thoughts and, instead, press into Jesus' love. I contrast her journey with the Pharisee’s self-righteousness and speak about how we often fear others’ judgments. But through it all, nothing can separate us from God’s love. This episode is a reminder that His love is constant, and His grace invites us closer, no matter what our thoughts or others say.

Support the show

Please fill out this form to share your thoughts about the podcast:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScPbfYpBw2YqRrmkkWwfrIze0Lar-42kW9ucN8iW60fB0EeXA/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Thank you for listening, and please subscribe and share.   Also, subscribe to and share my YouTube Channel.  If you like what you hear, follow us on the following social media platforms:

IG- @abundantlylovedpodcast

Tiktok- @loveabundantlycouns.min

FB- @Love Abundantly Ministry

Patreon-  patreon.com/lovemessages

Links to books on Amazon:

"40 Years a Virgin Why the Wait: Promoting Purity in a World of Promiscuity"

https://a.co/d/03HxYiUU

"Healing Inside Out and Outside In: Finding Peace through Spiritual Healing"

https://a.co/d/028kC8CO

If you want to financially support the ministry, you can CashApp us @loveabm

If you want to share your thoughts with Ms. Gwendolyn, you can email her at [email protected]

Email us at [email protected] if you are interested in more information about our Growing Deeper in Intimacy Coaching Program.