My dear friend Brenda Holley joins me again to discuss how she gained a deeper understanding of the Holy Spirit during her journey of fighting to overcome pancreatic cancer. Brenda is a master coach, helping professionals thrive in their careers. She and Paul have been married for eighteen years. She is mom to two adult sons. 

Prior to her diagnosis, Brenda wasn’t seeking God even though she believed in Him. Receiving a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer put her right back into the Presence of God. While she’d learned about the Holy Spirit years ago, she’d never heard His voice.

In this episode, Brenda describes two experiences where hearing the Holy Spirit’s voice encouraged and strengthened her. 

Notable quotes from this episode with Brenda Holley: 

·         “I was praying to God one day. And I said, ‘I know that it’s a big task to overcome this particular kind of tumor.’ And He said, ‘It’s not too big for Me.’”

·         “It’s a blessing of God to have a long life.”

·         “I don’t think I will ever refer to this as a gift . . . however, the gifts that I’ve been given are clarity, a refocus on what is important, so that to me certainly means my walk with God and my desire to give back.”

·         “We don’t need to be moved by what we see. We need to be motivated by what we believe.”

Bible verse: 

·         Romans 8:11 “And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives in you.”

·         1 Thessalonians 5:23 “My body and mind will be sound and in tact all the days of my life.”

·         Psalm 91:16 “With long life God satisfies me and shows me His salvation.”

Connect with Brenda Holley:

Her website: https://brendaholley.com

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brenda.holley.946

On Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/coachbrendaholley

Send me a COMMENT or QUESTION!

Today’s guest is my dear friend Brenda Holley. She is a master coach, helping professionals thrive in their careers. She and Paul have been married for eighteen years. She is mom to two adult sons. I’ve been friends with Brenda for several years, so I was honored when she reached out to me soon after receiving a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer has a bad reputation because the prognosis is often extremely grim. While she knew this fact, she chose not to entertain it or dwell on it. Instead, she decided she would fight to overcome it.

Brenda’s positive mental attitude going into this cancer journey would be incredibly helpful. During our interview, Brenda admitted she hadn’t made God a priority over the last few years. Her diagnosis changed that. She said, “I leaned into my faith.” Praying healing verses out loud, reading God’s Word, and getting quiet were and continue to be Brenda’s daily practices.

Brenda was eager to share the valuable wisdom she gained during her cancer journey.

The book Brenda mentioned in her interview is Charles Capps’ book titled God’s Creative Power for Healing. It can be purchased on Amazon.

Notable quotes from this episode with Brenda Holley: 

·         “Unfortunately, it took a really scary experience to put me right back into the Presence of God. And I discovered so much love and support there.”

·         Thank God for His faithfulness even when we’re not doing a good job. Because He’s always there to pick up those pieces, and there’s no judgment. There’s only love.”

·         “I have also found it helpful to read those Scriptures out loud. If you say them, you get to see what you say.”

·         “The more you dig in there and study it [Scripture], the richer it gets.”

·         “One other thing that I did that I’ve used a lot is I made a physical list . . . of all the things that showed God’s hand on my situation . . . I go back and look at it all the time.”

Bible verse: 

·         Jeremiah 1:12 “I am watching over My Word to perform it.”

·         Hebrews 1:3 “He is upholding all things by the Word of His power.”

Connect with Brenda Holley:

Her website: https://brendaholley.com

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brenda.holley.946

On Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/coachbrendaholley

Send me a COMMENT or QUESTION!

Danita Cummins joins me again for her mindset discussion about showing care and comfort to others. She is the author of her first book titled Promise Over Purpose: The Path to a Peace-Filled Life, which is due out in the fall of 2024. Danita is also the host of the Entrusted to Lead podcast, the director of the Alpha Life Pregnancy Center, and a business coach. She and Mark have been married for 20 years and they have four adult children and two grandchildren.

In this episode, Danita and I discuss how she believes strongly in caring for others and showing them comfort when they are struggling. In one of her most difficult challenges, others shared comfort with her. They cared for her physical needs and her emotional, mental, and spiritual needs.

Midway through our conversation, Danita and I had an idea of challenging others to share comfort and care with others. The idea for a thirty-day comfort challenge was formed. We both wanted to invite our friends, families, coworkers, neighbors, and even strangers to join us as we show care or comfort every day of September.

Details about the challenge:

1.      The 30 Day Comfort Challenge runs September 1 through September 30, 2024.

2.      Each day of September, offer comfort or care to someone. Be sure to record it on the Comfort Challenge list.

3.      Email your completed list to [email protected] between October 1 and October to be entered into the drawing for a copy of Danita’s new book, Promise Over Purpose and Melony’s book, Challenges Won’t Stop Me.

4.      The winner will be announced on October 7.

Get a copy of the 50 Ways to Show Comfort and the Comfort Challenge List at melonybrown.com. 

Please help us spread the word about the 30 Day Comfort Challenge on your social media. 

Notable quotes from this episode with Danita Cummins: 

·         “There is this beautiful algorithm between suffering and comfort where God promises to bring you comfort in your suffering . . . that compassion which is underneath everything that the Lord does is this unbelievable love. It just undergirds all that we are and do in Him.”

·         “There are a billion different ways you can love God and love the world.”

·         “where I was praying, Lord just let me see your hand in the good and the hard. I don’t need all the keys to the kingdom. I just need to know on these really hard days that I can still see Your hand at work or know that You’re by my side.”

·         “What do you have in your hand? Don’t make it complicated.”

Bible verse: 

·         2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

Connect with Danita Cummins:

Her website: https://danitacummins.com

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danitacummins 

On Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/danita_cummins

Send me a COMMENT or QUESTION!

Today’s guest is Danita Cummins. She is the author of her first book titled Promise Over Purpose: The Path to a Peace-Filled Life, which is due out in the fall of 2024. Danita is also the host of the Entrusted to Lead podcast, the director of the Alpha Life Pregnancy Center, and a business coach. She and Mark have been married for 20 years and they have four adult children and two grandchildren.

In this episode, Danita describes the challenges she faced throughout her childhood, during her time in the military, and when she became pregnant unexpectedly. An invitation to see The Passion of the Christ, a movie about the twelve hours before Jesus Christ’s death, became a turning point in her life. Seeing all that Jesus did for her confirmed that His promises are true. 

Danita’s heart for those who feel alone led her to volunteer at the Alpha Pregnancy Center. Now as director, she continues to find joy and purpose when working with women who are making pregnancy decisions. 

Notable quotes from this episode with Danita Cummins: 

·         “There was an extended period of time where alcohol was a daily part of my life . . . It’s pretty easy to do in the military culture and then also with my family background. It was something I was more prone to.”

·         “Sometimes you have to go back into the darkness to see the light was always there.”

·         “Sometimes, we think that miracles are really big, and they are . . . but in my life, a miracle was a seven-dollar movie ticket that changed the course of human history.”

·         “How can you let all of God live through all of you?”

·         “I needed to know in my soul that the promises were true. My soul and my heart were searching for a truth and a promise that I could hold onto because every single thing in my life was, in my mind, falling apart.”

Bible verse: 

·         Jeremiah 31:3 “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”

Connect with Danita Cummins:

Her website: https://danitacummins.com

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danitacummins 

On Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/danita_cummins

Send me a COMMENT or QUESTION!

Today’s guest is Kim Patton. She is the author of Nothing Wasted: Struggling Well Through Difficult Seasons and the host of the Book Therapy podcast. Kim and Kevin have been married for fourteen years and have two beautiful daughters. 

Kim adopted a mindset to trust and have faith in God as her guide through life. She admits from the start of our interview that God is not very forthcoming about His leading and guiding. Kim gives numerous examples of how she’s experienced God’s leading. Her examples will help those who think they haven’t experienced God’s leading.

One of the best insights Kim shares is “I’ve been thinking of it [the Christian life] as an adventurous life.” Adventurous because we give up our control of knowing all the details and let God handle the details. 

If we took on the mindset of our Christian life as an adventure, imagine how different our lives and our impact on others would be! 

Notable quotes from this episode with Kim Patton: 

·         “If my own understanding is not working, I must bend to the will of the Lord.”

·         “God slowly leading and slowly guiding. It is often through the people that I trust.”

·         “There’s an adventure to be had when you follow the Lord because you never know what’s going to happen.”

·         “He’s the one who’s going to meet that need for another person, and He’s going to use you to do it. And that is the greatest adventure.”

Bible verses: 

·         2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

·         Psalm 56:8 “You number and record my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle-are they not in Your book?”

·         Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.”

·         John 6:68 “Simon Peter answered, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’”

·         Galatians 1:10 “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Connect with Kim Patton:

Her website: https://www.kimpatton.com 

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kimberly.patton.39

On Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/kimpatton730

Send me a COMMENT or QUESTION!

Today’s guest is Kim Patton. She is the author of Nothing Wasted: Struggling Well Through Difficult Seasons and the host of the Book Therapy podcast. Kim and Kevin have been married for fourteen years and have two beautiful daughters. 

Growing up in a large family led Kim to dream of a family of her own. Hosting baby showers for her friends filled her with joy. She believed, “Someday it will be me.”

At the end of a long and difficult infertility journey, God assured Kim she would be a mother, but it wouldn’t look exactly like her dreams. Their home is now filled with the laughter and joy of two daughters who were adopted from the same birth mother.

Infertility has been Kim’s biggest challenge, but she and Kevin have fought to overcome his ongoing struggles with seizures. 

Kim chose Nothing Wasted as the title of her book because she believes, “The tears I have cried through the trials of these years have been many. Those tears were caught. They were held, saved, and used for another purpose. Nothing was wasted.”

Notable quotes from this episode with Kim Patton: 

·         “I may grieve, complain, and even wallow in the pain I’m feeling during hard seasons. But I’m not giving up. Endurance is admirable, and the years we spend during challenging seasons are building up muscles to endure patiently and struggle well. I’m not giving up.”

·         “The way that God carried us through that was just slowly, persistently showing up, giving me grace, giving me love, answering prayers.”

·         “And that day, He ripped me apart because He opened my eyes to the needs of the world and to the beauty of adoption . . . He made me have immense compassion for the brokenness of children whose parents cannot take care of them or died.”

Bible verse: 

·         2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Connect with Kim Patton:

Her website: https://www.kimpatton.com 

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kimberly.patton.39

On Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/kimpatton730

Send me a COMMENT or QUESTION!

Today’s guest, Carol Graham, shared her story of overcoming rheumatoid arthritis, ovarian cancer, and her husband’s devastating car accident in episode 107. Be sure to check it out! 

Carol is an author, host of the Never Ever Give Up podcast, and a health coach. 

In this episode, Carol shares a way of life that she believes is a game changer. So much so that she published her book, Pray the Answer Not the Problem, in 2023, which describes how we must pray the promises God has in His Word rather than begging God for help. 

Praying the answer and not the problem may be a shift in how you’ve prayed in the past. It’s based on believing God’s promises and that God has given you authority and power of any challenges that intersect your path. That power and authority come from His Word, Jesus’ blood, and Jesus’ name.

After reading Carol’s book, I prayed by speaking aloud verses that related to a current challenge. I thanked God for the promises of healing, and how He fights for me, and how He is my inner strength. I’m still waiting for my answer. I believe it’s coming. Carol said in her story interview, “God is never late. He’s always on time.” I’ve found that to be true. How about you?

Notable quotes from the episode with Carol Graham:

·         “God responds to two things: His Word and your faith.”

·         “Who are we giving top billing to? . . . Stop recognizing who the enemy is. Start recognizing who God is.”

·         “Whatever problem we have, there is an answer in the Word.”

·         “God equips us when we choose to trust Him . . Opportunities come in discomfort.

Bible verses:

·         Luke 1:45 is Carol’s life verse/fight verse: “Blessed is she who believed that there shall be a fulfillment of that which was promised her by the LORD.”

·         2 Timothy 2:1

·         Romans 8:11

Grab Carol’s books on Amazon. Check out Carol Graham’s YouTube channel where she posts her video podcast interviews. 

Send me a COMMENT or QUESTION!

When challenges rudely intersect our path, we reach out to God for help. When His answer is slow in coming, fear and doubt fill our minds. Where is He? Is He really working on my problems? It’s human nature to think His answer is going to be too late to help or matter.

Today’s guest, Carol Graham, is an author, host of the Never Ever Give Up podcast, and a health coach. When she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis as a child, her father modeled a principle: pray in faith – have no doubt in God’s power – and He will fulfill His Word. 

When Carol was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, she followed what her father had taught her. Her cancer was healed, and she was able to conceive a child, despite what her OB GYN predicted. Again, when her husband was seriously injured in a car accident, she prayed in faith and spoke aloud God’s promises until the answer arrived.

Carol believes, “God is never late. He is always on time.”

Throughout this interview, you will hear Carol describe how we have been given power and authority over any challenge by the Word of God, the blood of Jesus, and the Name of Jesus.

Notable quotes from the episode with Carol Graham:

·         “Where there is faith, there is no doubt. Where there is faith, there is no fear.”

·         “Whatever we are coming up against, we have the authority given to us by the Word of God, the blood of Jesus, and the Name of Jesus to take a stand against whatever.”

·         “They [her grandchildren] have rights and authority as a result of their inheritance as a believer.”

Bible verses:

·         Matthew 13:23

·         Hebrews 13:8

Grab Carol’s books on Amazon. Check out Carol Graham’s YouTube channel where she posts her video podcast interviews. 

Send me a COMMENT or QUESTION!

GOT STRESS? No one could honestly say, "I have no stress at all!"

Stress is part of life, right? Yes, but too many of us are consumed by stress. We know we are stressed out, but WHAT CAN WE DO?

Today's guest, Dr. Gala Gorman, shares a combination of strategies, mindsets, and habits to help you manage and even reduce the toxic stressors in your life.

Dr. Gala Gordon is an acupuncturist, neuropath, and the author of What’s Your Kryptonite? Manage the Toxic Stressors Threatening Your Super Woman Status. She is an advocate of getting to the root cause of your health issue and treating it naturally. 

Dr. Gala not only discusses how toxic stressors negatively impact our lives, but she also discusses ways to manage or reduce those toxins.

She calls her go-to method of managing/reducing stress the MOLT Method. In her book she describes why she chose this unusual name. She wrote, “In nature, molting happens when it’s time for growth and change. Molting is what’s called for in a world where people wear their stress like a badge of honor.”

In this episode, Dr. Gala describes what each letter of MOLT represents.
 

Notable quotes from this episode with Dr. Gala Gorman: 

·         “Stress is a pandemic.”

·         “Toxins must make an exit to restore vitality, health, and well-being. We must manage the toxic stressors in our life.”

·         “Without rest, there is no repair.”

·         “From about 11pm to 7am, our body is hard-wired to do the detox and cleanup. Basically, it’s the gallbladder, liver, lungs, and large intestines that get a little bit of love throughout the night.”

Connect with Dr. Gala Gorman:

Her website: https://drgala.com

Take her TOXIC STRESS QUIZ at https://drgala.com/kryptonite-resources/

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drgalaauthor

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drgalagorman

Send me a COMMENT or QUESTION!

Today's guest is Janet Perez Eckles. She is a speaker and the author of five books. In her story episode, we discussed excerpts from her memoir, Now I See: How God's Amazing Grace Transforms the Deepest Pain to Shining Joy, which included her son’s murderer being found not guilty.

Anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness are understandable reactions to learning the man who murdered her son was found not guilty. While Janet didn’t understand how that verdict was possible, she decided she didn’t want to carry anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness. Instead, she chose to forgive her son’s killer. 

From that day forward, Janet has chosen to forgive her son’s killer. She’s found freedom in forgiveness. 

Janet and I define freedom and forgive. Janet explains, “Freedom is a choice that sets you free.” And she goes on to say, “Forgiveness also allowed us to welcome more fully the radiance of God’s love. A love that filled us even when we didn’t understand the seeming injustice.”

Janet explained that she realized God would hold her son’s killer responsible. And God would hold her responsible for unforgiveness if she held onto it. 

Janet shares show unforgiveness keeps you in bondage. In pain. Forgiving the person who hurt you or did wrong to you sets you free from the bondage and pain. 

If Janet can forgive the man who killed her son, we, too, can forgive those who’ve hurt us.
 
 Notable quotes from this episode with Janet Eckles:

·         “Even though he hadn’t served one day in prison, he would be accountable to God . . . We, too, would be accountable to God if he continued to hold resentment, anger, or animosity toward this man. The only step God required from us was to extend forgiveness.”

·         “You really can’t move forward to that abundant life that God has prepared for you if you hold onto unforgiveness . . . Forgiveness is a choice that sets you free.”

·         “Life has meaning. Life has a purpose. Life has joy and peace no matter what happens to you if you put your trust and your life in Christ Jesus.”

Bible verses:

·         John 15:5

·         Romans 8:28

·         Proverbs 3:5-6

·         Proverbs 18:21

Check out Amazon for Janet's books. Learn more about her and invite her speak by visiting her website.

Connect with Janet Eckles on Facebook and Instagram.

Send me a COMMENT or QUESTION!