Do you ever feel left out, overlooked, or like you don't quite belong? In a world where loneliness is at an all-time high, what if the belonging you've been searching for has already been given to you? In today's conversation, Dr. Carmen Joy Imes invites us to rediscover God's vision for community and connection. In her new book, Becoming God's Family, Carmen helps us see how the Bible reshapes our understanding of belonging—not as something we achieve, but as a gift we receive in Christ. If you need one reason to give God's family one more try, join us for this important conversation.

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Becoming God's Family: Why the Church Still Matters

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ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Dr. Carmen Joy Imes is associate professor of Old Testament at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, in Southern California. She is the author of Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still Matters, Being God's Image: Why Creation Still Matters, and Becoming God's Family: Why the Church Still Matters. Carmen has a YouTube channel where she releases weekly Torah Tuesday videos and you can find her writing on various websites, including Christianity Today, The Well, and The Politics of Scripture blog. Carmen is passionate about equipping the church to engage the Old Testament well and to see its relevance for the Christian life.

Does your faith feel fragile, distant, or broken? You're not alone. In this episode, Jason Hague and Catherine McNiel share how a mid-faith crisis can actually be the doorway to a deeper, more resilient walk with God.

Doubt isn't the end of your faith—it may be the beginning of something new. In this powerful conversation, my guests share their personal stories of grief, unmet expectations, and doubt—and how God met them in the middle of the mess. Together, we'll explore why seasons of crisis can be fertile ground for deeper growth, how to let go of false certainties, and how to embrace a faith that is more resilient, honest, and rooted in God's goodness.

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Mid-Faith Crisis Book

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Visit Jason's Website

ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Catherine McNiel is a chaplain, author, editor, and speaker searching for the creative, redemptive work of God in our ordinary lives. She lives in the Chicagoland area with her husband, three children, and one enormous garden. Catherine holds an MA in human service counseling and is finishing a Master of Divinity at North Park Theological Seminary. Her previous books include Fearing Bravely, All Shall Be Well, and Long Days of Small Things, which was an ECPA finalist for New Author.

Jason Hague is the associate pastor of Christ's Center Church near Eugene, Oregon, and the author of Aching Joy: Following God Through the Land of Unanswered Prayer. Jason has written extensively on the subject of the Christian faith and autism, special needs families, and his own spiritual journey toward hope for his own nonspeaking autistic son. His writing has appeared in Christianity Today, Focus on the Family, and Fathom. He and his wife have five children.

What if the weight you've been carrying isn't just pain—but offense? In this honest and hope-filled conversation, author and speaker Alexandra Hoover joins Barb to talk about her new book, You Can Let Go, and the freedom that comes when we trust Jesus with our wounds.

Together, they explore how to navigate hurt, why offense can keep us stuck, and how letting go doesn't mean forgetting—it means healing.

Whether you're holding onto quiet resentment or walking through deep pain, this episode will encourage you to lay it down, let the light in, and move forward in the wholeness God has for you.

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You Can Let Go: Make Peace with Your Past, Break Free from Offense, and Move Forward with God

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ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Alexandra Hoover is a compassionate writer, a sought-after speaker, and the author of Eyes Up and Without Wavering. With a heart for inspiring others, she combines biblical wisdom, practical insights, and a deep passion for helping people navigate life's challenges with faith and hope. A proud Latina, Alexandra serves her local church and is pursuing a master of arts in women and theology at Northern Seminary. As a wife and mother of three, she treasures balancing family life with ministry, finding joy in serving, and inspiring others.

What if anxiety wasn't a sign of spiritual failure but an invitation to meet Jesus in the middle of your fear? In this episode of Bold, Brave, and Beautiful, bestselling author and Bible teacher Becky Keife shares her powerful story of moving from shame and striving to freedom and peace. Drawing from her new book A Verse a Day for the Anxious Soul, Becky reminds us that anxiety doesn't disqualify us from God's love—it's the very place where His grace meets us. With honest stories, practical peace practices, and biblical truth, Becky offers hope for anyone longing to calm their anxious heart and experience God's presence in a fresh way.

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A Verse A Day For The Anxious Soul

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ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Becky Keife is the author of A Verse A Day For The Anxious Soul and a Bible teacher, speaker, and author passionate about helping people hear's voice, embrace their true identity, and step into their purpose. A dedicated mental health advocate, Becky equips individuals and churches to understand anxiety biblically and experience Jesus wholly. She loves long naps, puffy clouds, and shady trails. Becky lives in Southern California with her husband and three always-hungry teenage sons.

Our world is in desperate need of bridge builders, meaning people who will reach their hand out to those who feel unseen or hurting. These days, we've narrowed our view of hospitality to HGTV and Instagram, but our hearts are more lonely than ever. During the Covid-19 pandemic, author Laura Baghdassarian Murray hosted a solitude and silence retreat via Zoom. As a result of that experience, Laura began to champion spaces where people could practice welcome and hospitality, even online. Join in for a thoughtful conversation about how you can open yourself up to letting God use you as a bridge builder to bless others.

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Becoming a Person of Welcome: The Spiritual Practice of Hospitality

Healed Hearts are Hospitable Hearts Worksheet

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Learn More about Laura's Online Retreats Here!

ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Laura Baghdassarian Murray (DMin, Fuller Seminary) is the director of spiritual engagement and innovation at Fuller Seminary's Center for Spiritual Formation. She is the author of Pray as You Are, serves on the Ministry Collaborative Advisory Board, and previously served at Highland Park Presbyterian Church as the pastor of spiritual formation. Laura is also the founder of the Digital Silent Retreat Ministry, which is rooted in the practice of hospitality to provide brave and courageous spaces for people to connect with and others (www.digitalsilentretreats.com). She lives in the Dallas area with her husband and two children.

What do you wish you could do, but lack the confidence to do it? Do you wish that you were more like the women who get out there and get things done even when the odds seem against them?

Join Barb on this new episode of The Bold, Brave and Beautiful Podcast as she talks to confidence expert and her personal leadership coach, Lisa Allen. With over 20 years of coaching experience, Lisa has helped women collect the confidence God has for them and create action steps for their season ahead. Lisa is the author of the brand new book, Your Confidence Compass....From Self-Doubt to Self-Leadership, and will show us how confidence is not dependent on our circumstances, but on the God who holds all things together.

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Your Confidence Compass....From Self-Doubt to Self-Leadership

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ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Lisa Allen is a Jesus-loving, coffee-loving, leopard-print loving woman. She has a passion for and connection to women and uses this passion as a speaker, coach and ministry leader. She comes with a combined two decades of non-profit leadership as an Executive Director at Proverbs 31 Ministries and as Women's/Life Group Director of Forest Hill Church. These 20 years of experience give her a unique connection to and understanding of women of faith, women pursuing faith and women desiring to walk out their faith authentically.

Her experience as a board-certified life coach, author and speaker has uniquely prepared her as a popular keynote speaker, conference speaker or workshop facilitator. She has served on the Proverbs 31 Ministries Speaker Team for over a decade.

Her engaging messages leave her audience with a renewed passion, calling and confidence. Anyone who spends any time with Lisa can attest that she enjoys the certifications she's received for Enneagram Training, Team Coaching, DISC Personality Profile and Gallup Clifton Strengths. Her book "Your Confidence Compass … From Self-Doubt to Self-Leadership" was released in April, 2025 and has helped women collect the confidence God is providing for them as they create action steps for their season ahead. Lisa lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband and has two grown, married children, a darling Yorkie, PJ and her first grandchild, Noah.

Moms don't like to talk about the moments when they lose it on their kids. I've been there, and felt heaps of guilt. Yet, moms who struggle with anger don't have to struggle alone.

Join me and best-selling author, Amber Lia, for an important conversation about her new devotional, Untriggered: 60 Days of Transformation for Moms Who Struggle with Anger. Amber shares encouragement for every mom longing for freedom from anger and the self-condemnation that often accompanies it. We'll talk about how to invite God to help us parent with tenderness and patience. Amber will offer practical help and hope to you!

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UnTriggered: 60 Days of Transformation for Moms Who Struggle with Anger

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ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

AMBER LIA, a former English teacher, has authored multiple bestselling books, including Food Triggers and Parenting Scripts. In her popular book, Triggers: Exchanging Parents' Angry Reactions for Gentle Biblical Responses, Amber, and coauthor Wendy Speake guide parents toward peaceful parenting. She and her husband own a production company in Chattanooga, TN, and are parents to four boys ages 8 to 18. A certified independent health coach, Amber helps clients looking to live life to the full! When she's not searching for Nerf darts around her house, you can find Amber writing to encourage families on her website at AmberLia.com.

Do you sometimes feel like an outsider in the Christian life? You may show up at church but you worry that you don't always belong. Perhaps you've made mistakes in your past or you have secret struggles or problems that you don't want to tell anyone about. Unfortunately, church has a reputation for condemning and kicking out instead of coming alongside those who have fallen down.

Join me and author Oghosa Iyamu as we discuss God's radical and generous hospitality to the undeserving regardless of our past, position or power. We discuss her new 6-week Bible study, Forever Welcomed: A Study on God's Impartial Love for All. Our conversation will call all believers to reflect God's vision and His kingdom, where all who come are forever welcomed.

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Forever Welcomed: A Study on God's Impartial Love for All

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ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Oghosa Iyamu, the daughter of Nigerian parents, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and author who is passionate about testifying to God's greatness. She is the host of the teaching podcast, Forever Welcomed, releasing this Fall. In addition to over twelve years in full-time ministry, Oghosa has studied at Dallas Theological Seminary, later graduating from Southwestern Theological Seminary, where she earned her Master of Divinity degree. She has written for YouVersion, She Reads Truth, Lifeway, Radical (a ministry by David Platt), Lies Young Women Believe, and many other platforms. Oghosa resides in Atlanta, GA.

Life can be messy—and sometimes, it feels like the floor drops right out from under us. Bestselling author Tracie Miles calls these moments "lifequakes"—those unexpected, painful events that shake our world and leave us feeling lost, stuck, or wondering where God is in the chaos.

In this encouraging episode, Barb sits down with Tracie to talk about her powerful book, God's Got You: Embracing New Beginnings with Courage and Confidence. Tracie opens up about the personal lifequake that turned her world upside down, and shares practical steps and biblical truths that helped her move from heartbreak to hope, and from fear to faith.

If you—or someone you love—are facing a season of uncertainty, grief, or change, this conversation will remind you that new beginnings are possible, and that God hasn't left your side for a moment.

RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE

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God's Got You: Embracing New Beginnings with Courage and Confidence

Visit Tracie's Website

ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Tracie Miles is the bestselling author of seven books, director of COMPEL Pro Writers Training at Proverbs 31 Ministries, and the founder of the Living Unbroken Divorce Recovery program. She has three grown children, a son and daughter in law, and lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Have you ever looked around at your life and thought, "This is not what I signed up for"? The plans you had, the peace you hoped for, the answers you expected—none of it looks the way you imagined. Instead, you're navigating unexpected struggles, heartbreak, or detours you never saw coming.

In this hope-filled episode, Barb sits down with author, counselor, and Bible teacher Nicole Unice to talk about her new book, Not What I Signed Up For: Finding the Strength, Purpose, and Faith to Get Through a Season You Didn't Expect. Together, they unpack the disorienting seasons of life that leave us feeling spiritually disappointed, emotionally exhausted, and desperately searching for answers. With real-life stories, biblical wisdom, and plenty of grace, Barb and Nicole explore how to stay grounded in your faith even when your circumstances don't make sense.

Whether you're walking through a tough season or supporting someone who is, this conversation will encourage you to embrace honesty with God, lean into His presence, and rediscover a hope that holds—even when life looks nothing like you planned.

RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE

Connect with Nicole on Instagram

Check out Nicole's book, Not What I Signed Up For.

Visit Nicole's Website

ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Nicole Unice is a pastor and leadership coach who facilitates environments of safety and vulnerability so that leaders and teams can courageously identify obstacles keeping them from their maximum potential. As a sought-after speaker, Nicole has a down-to-earth style that allows even the largest gathering to feel conversational. Nicole is the author of several books focused on spiritual transformation and is a featured speaker through RightNow Media and Punchline. She holds degrees from the College of William and Mary and from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Nicole and her husband, Dave, live in Richmond, Virginia, with their three children and two pups.

As a pastor and community leader, Nicole is the author of several books on healthy faith, honing in on the connection between our emotional and spiritual life. Nicole's books come to life through her popular video curriculum series found on RightNow Media, and she preaches frequently for conferences, churches, and organizations. In addition, She's the host of How to Study the Bible, a popular weekly podcast that has reached people in 188 different countries in the last year alone. Find out more at nicoleunice.com.