Today Bethany sits down with Sandi Wagner to talk about what the Gospel means to her, how she shares the truth of the good news in different areas of her life, and the value of living life with others.

Sandi wants to live in a world where peace trumps hate, justice flows like a river, forgiveness comes easy, those who are hurt by others can see their worth, value, and dignity, and dogs get to go to work with her. When she's not working, you can find her in a hammock, taking a hike, spending time with friends, drinking coffee, or sleeping. Her favorite Scripture is Romans 8.

You can connect with Sandi via the Her Story, Inc. website, Facebook, or Instagram.

Today, Bethany takes a few minutes to share what Season 7 holds for the DWITW Podcast!

Today on this special episode of the DWITW podcast, Jillian interviews our dear sister, Mindy Braun. You will want to grab your tissue box for this episode as Mindy shares the story of her beautiful daughter, Marlow. Please know that if you find yourself in a sensitive place right now, this is a story of infant loss and we do not want that to come as a surprise to you as you listen. We also want to warn you that this episode gets long, but we believe you will be encouraged by the entire thing so we have chosen not to edit it down. Feel free to pause when you need to and pick back up where you left off to hear all the ways God has met with the Braun family during the past several months. We also encourage you to share this episode with anyone in the midst of grief or suffering.

In the final session of this summer’s study on the Gospel of Mark, Kaitlyn walks us through chapter 16 and then gives a recap of the whole summer. In chapter 16, she teaches about the women finding the empty tomb and running away in fear, Peter and the disciples still being loved by Jesus, and then takes a couple of minutes to dwell on Christ’s resurrection. She then discusses how the final twelve verses of Mark 16, verses 9-20, were likely not written by Mark, but were later added by scribes. Reviewing the summer, she looks at how Mark accomplished his goal of presenting evidence of Jesus’ identity as the Christ and as the Son of God. Finally, she looks at what the truth about Christ’s identity means for those who follow Him and are citizens of the upside-down, backward Kingdom of God.

You can find the slides for Session 8 here.

This week, Kaitlyn covers the final days of Jesus’ life as chronicled in Mark 14-15. She walks us through the events of each day, beginning on Wednesday with the chief priests and scribes seeking Jesus’ life and ending on Friday, with His crucifixion and burial. We’ll see Jesus anointed for burial by a woman who lavishly pours out her love for Him. Shortly after, Jesus feasts on the Passover meal with His disciples, foretells His betrayal, institutes the Lord’s Supper, and predicts Peter’s denials. Kaitlyn then walks us through Jesus’ prayers in Gethsemane, His betrayal, His trial by the Jewish religious leaders, Peter’s three denials, and Jesus’ sentencing, crucifixion, and burial. We leave the Savior of the World buried in a rock tomb as this lecture ends, and we’re left with the question: who do you say Jesus is? And what are you going to do about it?

You can find the slides for Session 7 here.

In Session 6, Kaitlyn lectures over Mark 11-13. She opens with a discussion about the different sections of Mark, and then launches into this final section in which we will see how Jesus becomes the Messianic King. She then covers Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, which includes His prophecy-fulfilling entry into the city on the colt of a donkey, His cursing of a fig tree, and His cleaning of the temple. Next, she looks at four questions asked to Jesus by the different religious leaders of the day, and then Jesus asks a question and issues a warning to the people against the scribes. This warning concludes Jesus’ public ministry. Lastly, she walks through the Olivet Discourse, in which Jesus speaks about the destruction of the temple and signs of the end of the age. She wraps up with a look at who Jesus is and how people responded to Him in Mark 11-13, and then briefly presents the homework for this week.

You can find the slides for Session 6 here.

This week, Kaitlyn lectures over the “connecting section” in Mark, Mark 8:27-10:52. She begins with a broad strokes look at what has happened in the first 8 chapters, and how Mark has answered the question “Who is Jesus?” Then, she teaches about Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ. Following Peter’s confession, Jesus foretells His own death and resurrection three different times, and Kaitlyn walks us through these three conversations as well as the discussions about the cost of discipleship that follow each one. She shows how the economy of the Kingdom of God is often upside-down and backward, and she discusses what it means to take up your cross, the deceptiveness of wealth, and the seriousness of sin. She ends with a look at who Jesus is and how we can respond to Him based on Mark 8:27-10:52.

You can find the slides for Session 5 here.

This week, Kaitlyn lectures on chapters 6-8 of Mark’s Gospel. She begins with a brief overview of the content from the previous week. From there, she launches into this jam-packed session by talking about the rejection faced by Jesus, the apostles, and John the Baptist. Next, she shows how Jesus is the Shepherd King who takes care of His sheep. She then spends some time looking at how much importance Jesus and all of Scripture place on the state of our hearts. Finally, she speaks on how Jesus didn’t only come for the Jews, but also for the Gentiles, and the lecture concludes with a look at who Jesus is and different responses to Him throughout Mark 6-8. Kaitlyn wraps up with a quick word about the homework for week 5.

You can find the slides for Session 4 here.

This week, Kaitlyn lectures on chapters 3-5 of the Gospel of Mark. She begins with a brief overview of the content from the previous week. She then talks about the growing opposition to Jesus, the call of the 12 apostles and how it relates to us today, the Kingdom of God as we see it in Jesus’ parables, and how Jesus is the King of that Kingdom. She also spends some time teaching about the Messianic Secret, how we can discern God’s will, and the “secret of the kingdom of God.” Kaitlyn encourages us to turn our eyes upon Jesus and reminds us faith is an antidote to fear. The lecture wraps up with a look at who Jesus is and how people respond differently to Him in Mark 3-5. She concludes with a brief look at the homework for week 4.

You can find the slides for Session 3 here.

This week, Kaitlyn lectures on the first two chapters of the Gospel of Mark. In her lecture, she talks about John the Baptist paving the way for Jesus, and how Jesus was baptized and tempted before He began His ministry. She then takes us through the first events of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, sharing about His main message: the Kingdom of God is indeed at hand, and the time is now to repent and believe. She urges listeners to know that this is as true today as it was when Jesus said it 2000 years ago. Today is the day of salvation! She then shows how Mark emphasizes Jesus’ authority over every aspect of creation. Kaitlyn ends the lecture with a look at who Jesus is according to Mark 1-2.

You can find the slides for Session 2 here.