Have you or a friend ever walked through a season of infertility and grief? Do you often wonder what to say when a friend is walking through loss of any kind? 

Today my friend Julie Fowler is here to talk about her heartbreaking (but hopeful) story of motherhood and how God used her story to help people navigate loss. Julie has faced miscarriage, adoptions that fell through at the last minute, and baby twins she only held for four short hours. She truly has walked this long road and knows all of the feelings of grief and uncertainty around waiting for a baby. This valley produced a beautiful study of walking through infertility in community and connecting with God in the deepest, darkest places. We cover so much in our conversation including…

How to talk to a friend in a season of infertility and loss- what not to say. 

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Today my conversation with Dallas and Amanda Jenkins is a powerful reminder that the Christmas story still needs to be told thousands of years later. Dallas is the acclaimed director, writer, and producer of The Chosen, and now the heartfelt movie The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. 

The movie is based on a book read for years in the Jenkins’ house (and many households worldwide). Twenty years ago Amanda brought the book home and asked Dallas to read it to the kids. By the end they were both in tears and could not finish the story without taking turns reading. That started a 20-year journey of Dallas praying to make this movie and the Lord answered through an amazing story in His own time. 

Moms play a vital role in this film from a mom telling her son to let Dallas have the rights to the movie, to Amanda helping with the casting, to Grace (the mom in the film) who uses her God-given space to change the lives around her. As we enter the Christmas season let us remember Jesus came for the outsider and not cling so tightly to our traditions that we do not see those who need to hear the true Christmas story. 

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I can’t believe it but today we are celebrating 500 episodes of Don’t Mom Alone! I am bringing back my very first guest and mentor Leslie to “recap” the last eleven years. Leslie had been encouraging me from before I started this podcast and her fingerprints are all over my motherhood. We get an update on her life and she shares how to navigate the empty nest phase.

Leslie reminds us of Psalms 16:6-8 (which I also wrote about in my book), “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” God is faithful in ALL seasons from newborn to empty nest. 

Also, some of my listeners call in to share what Don’t Mom Alone has meant to them. Here are a few of the highlights…

How healing prayer ministry has been life-changing. 

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Today we continue last week's episode in Part 2 with my friend Charissa Lopez. If you missed part one you can listen here to catch up Click Here for Part 1. 

Charissa Lopez is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Dallas specializing in play therapy, EMDR, emotionally focused family therapy, and trauma-informed care. She is full of wisdom and the science to explain why we respond and parent in specific ways based on childhood patterns. We continue the conversation today by covering these topics… 

Understanding Secure Attachment. 

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Secure Relating: by Sue Marriott and Ann Kelley 

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Do you ever wonder why you respond the way you do to your kids? Do you feel like there are things to process from childhood but don’t have the words to explain those feelings? 

Today Charissa Lopez, a Licensed Professional Counselor in Dallas joins me. She specializes in play therapy, EMDR, emotionally focused family therapy, and trauma-informed care. She is full of wisdom and the science to explain why we respond and parent in specific ways based on childhood patterns.  Join us as we talk about… 

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Welcome Don't Mom Alone Friends! - Charissa Lopez Counseling–helpful pdfs on loving parental behaviors and attachment styles. 

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Do you struggle with discontentment and comparison in motherhood and beyond? Do you constantly second guess the best way to raise your kids in regards to food, education, health, and even naptime?

Today, Laura Wifler, from Risen Motherhood is here to talk about her new book written with her sister-in-law Emily Jensen. We start by breaking down the framework they introduce in the Gospel Mom and how we are often looking for a formula to parent our kids but God has given us a framework in the metanarrative of the Bible. 

Next, we talk about the challenges of trying to live in a Christian mom community- we know God calls us to be with others but what do we do when friendship is hard or not life-giving? As moms, we feel like there is a right and wrong way to do every single little thing in motherhood- feeding, naptime, schooling, health and those often all lead to comparison. Laura gives us some truth and ideas regarding comparison, how to be content, and accept your actual life. God has so many lessons for us moms if we lean in and apply the gospel lens it helps give life and joy even in hardship. 

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Ever wonder how your mom friends with all boys or all girls handle parenting? Do you often wonder how in the world a “boy mom” or a “girl mom” views the opposite? 

Today my good friend Courtney DeFeo is here to have an in-depth conversation about her experiences as a “girl mom” and asks me tons of great questions about what life with four boys is like (spoiler alert- active and crazy). Courtney is an author, podcaster, and creative mom of two girls. We bring the conversations we have had many times over the lunch table to the podcast today. Often our worlds feel opposite, her girls used to sit and play with playdough for thirty minutes, and my boys sit for three minutes. Her girls love clothes, nails, and coloring while my boys were in a bouncy house, eating my decor, and moving their bodies constantly. 

We end by starting to break down the teen years and how the emotions show up differently for each gender. By discussing some of the gender stereotypes that come up we hope this conversation helps you support your mom friends better. And don’t forget to go over to Courtney’s podcast to finish the conversation later this week. 

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Art of Nurturing Boys :: David Thomas [Ep 119]  

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Do you often feel like what is the point of engaging politically or voting? Are you worried about the direction our nation is headed and what is next?

Today Sharon McMahon is here to teach us about how our government functions and encourages us that individuals make a difference. She began as a government, history, and law teacher and then took her passion for educating to Instagram. Her platform grew rapidly as she has a way of helping all of us understand the process and history of the United States. Her new book The Small and the Mighty reminds us that each person has a part to play in our sphere of influence and shows us how the United States was founded on the backs of small but mighty people. 

Sharon encourages with this truth that “we must not grow weary in doing good”. Our ancestors who have suffered much continued to fight for justice and invest in the communities around them and we have so much to learn from their stories. 

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Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors. 

Do you ever struggle to keep Christ at the center of Christmas? Do you feel many Christmas traditions take a ton of time and energy or are just busy work but don’t point to Jesus? 

Today Lillian Richey, my personal friend, is here to share her new project called Finding Jesus which helps families make Christmas meaningful and simple. Last year the Lord dropped into her heart the idea of a Jesus doll that tells the whole story of Christmas through scripture and helps kids see Jesus. Through the last few months, God has used this project to bring the gospel around the world, including China, and answered prayers. In less than a year this beautiful product has come to life. 

Finding Jesus points our kids to Christ and a connection to Him that goes deep into hearts and minds. This doll, puzzle, story, and song weaves together the Biblical truth with some fun. Lillian’s story shows us that when we listen to the voice of God His ideas are gospel minded and He has the resources to help us accomplish creative ideas. 

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Children's Jesse Tree Advent Cards 

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Do you feel like your teens have hidden struggles that you can’t talk to anyone about? How do you honor your kids while still finding safe people to process parenting with? How do you advise your kids on their friendships and relationships? 

Today, Amy Betters-Midtvedt is here to help us navigate the deep waters of parenting teens. Amy is a teacher with a master’s degree in leadership and is currently a literacy coach. She has five kids in all stages of life from college to kids still at home, some of her kids have had teen struggles that Amy has had to learn how to navigate. She shares her ideas in her new book, You’ll Make It. 

We cover how to handle changes in our teen’s friend groups, what to do if your teen’s friends are a bad influence, and having the humility as a parent to say “I messed up”. Amy shares some very personal stories about her teens and anxiety (with their permission) and how their family faced that challenge head-on to overcome and get back to the things they love to do. Parenting teens can be hard but there is so much joy in watching them become who God created them to be, Amy will teach us how to partner with the Lord as we navigate these formative years. 

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