I think we can all agree that God writes the very best stories for our lives.    I think we can also agree that sometimes those stories are incredibly difficult roads that we’d rather not walk if we’re honest.    Today on MESSmerized we have my friend Jonathan Pitts joining us to talk about life, loss, and his decision to be “defiantly joyful” no matter the situation. Besides being an incredible human who loves Jesus, Jonathan’s life is an example of holding your plans loosely and trusting God as the Master Author.    You may remember that Jonathan’s wife, Wynter, passed away suddenly five years ago. Today we get an update on Jonathan and his four girls, and insights on grief, celebrating each day, and clinging to the only One who brings hope.    I’m so thrilled to have Jonathan back with us! You’re going to love him.   Support MESSmerized For Girls Like You Get Typed for Pike (and others who need a BoneMarrow/Blood Stem Cell Donor)

Episode 16 Defiantly Joyful: Navigating Life’s Hard Roads with Jonathan Pitts

Welcome to Cynthia Yanof’s newest podcast, MESSmerized. 

Each week you’ll hear funny, authentic, and vulnerable conversations around everyday life, parenting, and following Jesus. A variety of guests will challenge us to pursue a life filled with the things that really do matter.

Cynthia Yanof is the host as well as an author, speaker, wife, and mother. She’s relatable, funny, and dead-set on never taking herself too seriously. Whatever mess you’re walking through, odds are she’s right there with you. 

Don’t miss a week as we dive headfirst into faith, family, and everyday ways to be MESSmerized by Jesus. 


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Here’s a fun little podcast update for you.    As most of you (hopefully) know, Heather MacFadyen of the Don’t Mom Alone podcast and I have a little sideshow we do once a month called  Sidetracked. Basically, it’s an unfiltered conversation between the two of us discussing life’s goings on, parenting, faith, etc. It comes out the first Friday of the month on Don’t Mom Alone, and It’s been a big hit.    So, spinning off from that concept this week, we’re doing a second episode of Sidetracked in the summer months that includes a surprise guest aired on both of our shows. And today is the day we kick it off with our friend Toni Collier. Please hear me:  You do not want to miss a second of this conversation.    If you don’t know Toni, she’s  the author of Broken Crayons Still Color as well as a podcaster, speaker, and mom of two sweet kiddos. Toni chats with us about everything from getting tattoos with Ann Voskamp to seeing God show up through “God winks.” 

Episode 52 Special Edition of MESSmerized: Sidetracked with Toni Collier

We’re answering “how to” questions these days on MESSmerized, and today we’re tackling the awesome yet complex topic of friendships. I think of all the things I’m asked to talk about from my book, most often I’m asked about the topic of friendships and how to cultivate the really deep, meaningful ones.    Thankfully the queen of friendships (I made that up on the spot by the way) is with us today. Amy Weatherly is covering the good, bad, and ugly of doing life with others, and why it’s so important we prioritize friendships.    Amy gives us five great take-aways on friendship today, but I’m going to give you just a few below and let you listen to the rest on the show:   Deep friendships require time   Deep friendships mean creating rituals and traditions   (DO NOT MISS the rest of her amazing points)     I also want to mention that summer is a GREAT time to show some intentionality by gathering friends and strengthening relationships. I’ve done several book clubs in the past and always been grateful I put myself out there.     If you’re interested in a book club this summer with friends, I’ve got an amazing idea for you. My publisher, Esther Press, has named Life is Messy, God is Good as their summer book club book, and you can join today and receive book club questions, videos for each chapter, and lots of other fun things.    This is a great way to do a book club with either an online community, or with friends in your neighborhood that you hope to bond with this summer. So jump in today and listen to Amy’s friendship fine points today and then consider who might want to join you for a summer book club on  Life is Messy, God is Good.    So grateful for you guys!     Sign-up for the Life is Messy, God is Good summer book club!   All things Cynthia Yanof  Here for it by Amy Weatherly and Jess Johnston

Episode 51 How do I deepen my friendships? Guest Amy Weatherly

It’s week two of our new series asking “how do I _____” questions. Each week we’re bringing in amazing guests with practical advice for all areas of life. If you missed last week with Courtney DeFeo, we talked about cheering on other women, and you definitely need to  go back and listen if you missed it. So so good. 

Episode 50 How do I improve my marriage? Guests Dave & Ann Wilson

It’s May and if you’re anything like me, you’re already tired just thinking about all of the end-of-year conferences, award ceremonies, track meets, class picnics, and everything else headed our way. But don’t worry, we will survive it all together!    That being said, I’m SUPER EXCITED that May is finally here because TODAY is the day we start a new series on MESSmerized. (And trust me, you’re  going to LOVE it! ❤️❤️❤️)   The next few months we’re examining “how do I _______?” questions on the show. In other words, each week will be conversations with amazing guests who will give their top 5 tips for “how do I” topics like these:     How do I save money?      How do I deepen my friendships?      How do I strengthen my marriage?      How do I accept my child’s hard diagnosis?   How do I find joy?    How do I survive summer with teens?      And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what’s coming your way. So tune in each week for shorter, summer-friendly podcasts complete with 5 timely, practical, and biblical tips for living out the messy places of life.     Oh, and speaking of practical and biblical, I can’t think of anyone better than my dear friend Courtney DeFeo to kick-off this series today. Courtney is host of the  Pardon the Mess podcast and joins us to talk about cheering on other women in our lives. This is especially near and dear because Courtney has done this so incredibly well in my own life.    Tune in this week as we kick-off our new series with Courtney DeFeo. Oh, and leave a review and rate MESSmerized pretty please wherever you listen to podcasts!   All things Cynthia Yanof  Order Life is Messy, God is Good All things Courtney Defeo Christian Parenting  Pardon the Mess Podcast

Episode 49 How do I cheer on other women? Guest Courtney DeFeo

Have I told you this week how much my family loved Duck Dynasty? It was/is such a genius way to get people laughing while still instilling biblical truth and good old fashioned family values. The prayers around the table at the end of each show still get me.    Today I have the privilege of chatting with Willie Robertson about all things Duck Dynasty, and it’s far past due since I’ve interviewed basically everyone in his family except for him.    Willie’s stories are amazing, including how he tried to fire Cy, how Duck Dynasty got started, and how he got Phil signed on to the idea of reality TV.     But Willie is really passionate about sharing his faith, and that’s a big part of our conversation today. He talks about how his parents instilled this in his life, and how he’s trying to do that for his children as well. Willie’s new book  Gospeler (which I mispronounced all throughout the show 

Episode 16 Defiantly Joyful: Navigating Life’s Hard Roads with Jonathan Pitts

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