FOP Womens Podcast

According to the CDC, 1 in 3 women have experienced sexual violence involving physical contact at some point in their lifetime. That means that 1 in 3 women in our church, in our community, in our friend groups, in our schools, at our places of work, and in our families are actively healing or have had to process that attack and go through the healing process regarding some situation where they were violated sexually. In this episode, we talk with Rachael Hogan who bravely shared part of her own need for healing, how that healing began and what role forgiveness played in the journey. We also noted that sexual assault doesn't only happen physically as the term "rape" is defined. Many women are assaulted mentally, emotionally, verbally, over text message, within the walls of a relationship, by violation of privacy, or violation of trust. No matter the situation, God cares about our brokenness and He desires to heal our hearts. We hope you'll share this podcast with any of the women in your life that you think might benefit from hearing this conversation and be sure to tune in next month for a new, exciting series on parenting!

Sometimes your summers can be so busy and full, that you just need to take a break!! So here's our little "summer break" with the ladies where we're discussing some of our best "life hacks". The whole room recommended "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers as a favorite summer read. Some other recommendations are Bar Keeper's Friend, Dose & Co. Collagen coffee creamer, playing video games on your phone, and Oil of Olay. Take a listen and find out why each of these things were recommended and hopefully you'll share with us some of your life hacks, and take a little summer break yourself to talk with your girlfriends about some of their favorite "Target finds"!! Be sure to stay tuned for some really awesome episodes coming up!

"If I had just immediately taken it to the Lord..." We can't always instantly control our hurt feelings toward an offense, but we CAN control how we respond to it!! In part two of this podcast episode, we're wrapping up our conversation with Alex Elliott regarding "church hurt". We discuss the best way to begin moving forward and what boundaries are important to consider in moving forward. If you haven't heard part one of this episode, be sure to go back and listen, and then share this episode with anyone you know that might be struggling to connect with the Body of Christ due to "church hurt"... it's time to reconnect!

"Eventually I just kind of stopped going..." This is an all too common phrase among people who have been hurt in a church setting. The hurt might have come from a person, a circumstance, or just change. No matter how the hurt occurred, it's very real and it's devastating to the Body of Christ when it makes a member of the body feel isolated and alone. In this two-part episode, we talk with Alex Elliott who experienced "church hurt" in a church setting many years ago and has since found healing, forgiveness, and a better understanding that the church is made up of "imperfect people". We discuss what church hurt really is and how the Bible says we should deal with it. We also get the unique perspective of how hurt among members impacts church leadership from Pastor Bobbi Morgan. Our prayer in this episode is that our listeners might hear something encouraging and uplifting that inspires them to take some steps forward toward restoration and reconnection with the Body of Christ. Part two of this episode will be released tomorrow!

According to the US Census Bureau, as of 2020 there are 18.3 million kids in this country who are living in a "fatherless home". That means 1 in 4 kids this Father's Day won't have a dad to celebrate with, for whatever reason. In this episode, we're talking with Feather Farler about her experience with a distant father for many years of her life, how she came to a place of reconciliation with him, and how the Lord is still working on her through this situation. Above all else, we know that each one of us has a Heavenly Father that loves us without condition, He will never let us down, He will never leave us stranded, He will always be available to us, He will always comfort our brokenness, and He will "set the lonely in families" (Psalm 68:6) If you or someone you know is struggling to celebrate Father's Day this year because of a broken relationship with an earthly dad, we want to encourage you to lean into the Lord for guidance and wisdom and comfort and grace, and also lean into your church family!! Click the "share" button now to spread this message of hope and grace!!

The CDC reports that 1 in 8 women suffer from postpartum depression in the wake of childbirth. However only about 50% of those women are actually diagnosed and treated for postpartum depression, and a big reason for that is simply not knowing enough about postpartum depression to recognize and understand the signs and symptoms. Kristen Wesler courageously shares her story about how she discovered that she was dealing with postpartum depression after the birth of her second baby, and how she found victory in what some might call a "perfect storm" of circumstances. If you think you might be dealing with postpartum depression, we want to encourage you to reach out to your doctor, spouse or a friend immediately for some help and accountability. You are not alone! Be sure to share this episode with those in your life that you think could benefit from hearing this testimony.

What do you do on Mother's Day when your relationship with your biological mom feels like it's not worth celebrating? Mary Dixon tells us about how her mom was only 14 years old when she was born, she became a raging alcoholic, and lost custody of her and her sisters for part of their childhood. When tragedy brought her mom back into her life, Mary discovered just how mighty God is when you lean into Him with your prayers and petitions. No matter what the reason for the difficult relationship, we hope this episode brings some hope and healing to your heart and as we approach this Mother's Day weekend, we're praying for supernatural healing over broken relationships! Be sure to share this episode with anyone you think needs to hear a story of healing and grace, and tune in again for more amazing episodes coming up soon!

Year after year, she prayed for a baby and year after year, her arms remained empty. She was devastated, desperate and downcast. The women all around her had babies without issue and each month that came and went without a pregnancy in her womb, she wondered: "Why not me?" In 1 Samuel, we read about Hannah's struggles to conceive and how that even her prayers seemed despondent, so much so that the priest, Eli, even thought she was drunk when she was crying out to God to give her a child. One of the most difficult things a woman can face in life is an issue with fertility, and that struggle can make celebrating Mother's Day feel like nails against a chalkboard. In this episode, Pastor Lisa Lewin from Wilson Praise and Worship in Wilson, North Carolina shares her story of walking through fertility struggles for seven years, only to hear over and over again that it was impossible for her to conceive. In the end, we'll hear what God can do with the "impossible" and how deeply He cares for and comforts those still waiting to become "mommy". We hope that you'll SHARE this episode with any woman in your life that just needs some hope around this issue as we're going into Mother's Day weekend, and we encourage those women to lean into God and lean into the body of Christ when they are hurting. If you would like our staff to join you in praying for a miracle in your life, you can submit your request at fopchurch.net/prayer-request. If you'd like to contact Lisa to talk more about her story, email [email protected] and we will connect you with her.

While Mother's Day is a celebrated holiday among most people, there are many women who struggle to celebrate Mother's Day because of personal battles... one of those issues is that they have lost their mother and cannot celebrate with her on Mother's Day. In this episode, we hear from Brenda Cox and Sherrie Banks who have both lost their mothers in recent years. They share how they have coped with this loss and how they spent their difficult Mother's Days without their moms. We hope you'll share this episode with anyone you think needs to hear this, and be on the look out for some other special episodes around the Mother's Day holiday!!

ALL THE SINGLE LADIES!!! Listen up! This is for you!! God uses our singleness for specific purpose, and in this episode we talk to Karan Keiter about how God used her time of singleness into her 30s to bring growth, establish faith strength and prepare her for her future. She talks about how frustrating it was to watch her friends in their 20s getting married and having kids and how she dealt with feeling "passed up". If you're the one living in that singleness and you're frustrated waiting on God's timing, grab some popcorn and your favorite movie candy because you're going to want to lock in on every second of this episode!