Help & Hope

In this conversation with Sharon Betters and Chuck L. Betters, Victoria Teague shares about how her former life in the sex industry almost took her life until another woman offered her a safe place to live and experience hope. Rather than living in a cloud of shame, Victoria talks freely about how the Lord has transformed her past into a platform for offering the same hope to women caught up in the downward spiral of sex trafficking, drugs and lost dreams. Victoria describes how she goes into strip clubs with gifts for the “ladies” as a way of showing them love that has no price tag and a bridge for helping them get out of “the life” and onto a path of healing. Victoria’s powerful story will make you want to experience God’s love in a deeper way and offer hope to anyone living under a cloud of shame and guilt for past or present sins.

What is a grandmother’s role in the lives of her grandchildren? How can she pass on a legacy of faith? What if she is estranged from her grandchildren, or they don’t seem to be interested in having a relationship with her? What are some practical ways a grandmother can intentionally pursue a friendship with her grands and what if they don’t respond to her efforts? What about those envious feelings when a grandmother sees all the beautiful social media posts of the perfect grandmother interacting with her grandchildren? How about guilt over not investing in her grandchildren? Is there a way to influence our grands without any interaction with them? In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Kathy March, and Pam Ferriss respond to these questions and much more. Do you love your grandchildren? This conversation will help equip you to pray intentionally. What a gift for your grandchildren to say, “My Grandmother is Praying for Me.”

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

“A silver wave is coming,” says author and speaker Elizabeth Turnage. Baby boomers are facing the hardest challenge of their lives – how to die well. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Elizabeth challenges listeners to take steps now to make it easier for loved ones after you die. Elizabeth shares how her dad died without any intentional preparation of affairs or instructions for his children. She compares his response to death, to her mother’s and how she prepared a folder of important papers and instructions with a list of 5 steps to immediately take upon her death. Elizabeth describes how her mother’s intentional preparation was such a gift to her as she grieved her mother’s sudden death. Elizabeth acknowledges the grief we experience as we begin this process. She encourages us to imagine the relief of our children, who, in the middle of their own grief, know how to honor us in our death. She admits there is grief when we are preparing others for when we are not here, practical ideas for sorting through precious belongings, how to distribute them when our children are not interested, and giving the gift of “all expenses paid” funeral plans. Along with, how to deal with the distribution of your estate when you are reluctant to give to a child who does not share your values. Elizabeth is so passionate about helping us intentionally prepare for this last step of life, that she offers a course called Organizing Your Life and Legacy.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Lauren Whitman, the author of A Painful Past – Healing and Moving Forward, answers this question and much more. For instance, why would anyone want to dig up their past? Isn’t it better to “let sleeping dogs lie”? Can we forgive and forget? How does our view of God influence our journey toward healing? How do you know when to ask a counselor for help? And how does having a counselor make the journey a little clearer? If you or someone you know is struggling with a painful past, please listen and then share the good news – there is hope and a way to move forward.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Darci and Mark Steiner’s lives turned inside out and upside down when Darci nearly lost her life after a debilitating fall down the stairs in her home. She was later diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and spent six years bedridden with such horrific pain she could not tolerate even a sheet touching her body. Her husband, Mark, immediately took on the role of caregiver for Darci and all the extra responsibilities of raising their two little girls.In this conversation with Sharons Better, Darci, and Mark freely answer questions about their struggle to find a “new normal” when Darci was incapable of caring for their girls or their home. Mark brings the unique perspective of a full-time caregiver and how Mark sometimes struggles with meeting all the needs of their children and his wife. They both share the spiritual challenges of understanding the sovereignty of God over what seem like set backs and unfair loss and how the Lord has met them in their most broken moments. They share their story in Darci’s book, Beauty Beyond the Thorns: Discovering Gifts in Suffering. Darci and Mark have both served in ministry, Darci as a teen and women’s ministry leader, as well as assisting with church plants in Denver and Los Angeles. Mark has served in full-time ministry in San Francisco and Thailand. In the late 80s, Mark helped Cambodian refugees from the Khmer Rouge “killing fields" and the fighting between Cambodian guerillas and the Vietnamese army on the border of Cambodia and Thailand. He is an entrepreneur, along with caring for Darci. Connect with Darci on her website.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

How are you feeling today? Stressed, overwhelmed, drowning in too much to do, anxiety, the rubble of broken relationships – just life? Are these feelings seasonal or do you struggle with persistent gnawing anxiety? Sometimes, something happens that feels like the straw that breaks the camel’s back and we cry out, “I didn’t sign up for this!” Ann Swindell, author of The Path to Peace, Comfort When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed gets it! After repeated disappointments and hurts, one day Ann declared, “I didn’t sign up for this!” But that moment of hitting bottom was the beginning of seeking unshakable peace. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Ann will be sharing some of what she learned about genuine peace, not only through her own journey but the lives of men and women in scripture. You will be mentored and encouraged in your own search for the pathway to peace.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

No matter your season of life, wherever God has placed you is your platform for glorifying Him. But sometimes, it’s really, really hard to see the rutted, muddy pathways of life as an opportunity to reflect Jesus, isn’t it? If you are in such a place, this special edition of the Help & Hope podcast is for you. Over the summer we held Beyond the Book, Ask the Author as a free virtual live event where guests could submit questions to our guest author. Vaneetha Risner, one of our guest authors, spent an hour with us, answering questions about her book, Walking Through Fire, A Memoir of Loss and Redemption.I know few people who have suffered as much as Vaneetha has. the loss of her son due to a doctor's error, childhood polio and years of bullying, multiple hospitalizations, her husband's unfaithfulness and an unwanted divorce, losing 4 babies through miscarriage - AND YET - Vaneetha's life and message offers us a purpose and peace, even when all seems lost. Vaneetha is a seasoned life warrior whose heart is to come alongside other weary women who long for hope in the darkest places of life.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

“I forgive you.” Simple words, and liberating ones – but hard, too. You may think the betrayal you have experienced is in the realm of the unforgivable. Wendy Alsup understands. She experienced severe church conflict while serving in the women’s ministry at Mars Hill Church, followed by an unwanted divorce. The losses of betrayal eventually forced her to move from her home in Seattle, leaving behind deep friendships and everything familiar to her two sons. Her understanding of forgiveness did not come easily for her so she does not sugarcoat the struggles she experienced. In this special Help & Hope Podcast, Wendy joins us for our summer Beyond the Book – Ask the Author series. Invited guests submitted questions for Wendy and her answers reveal deep wisdom and understanding for those struggling with the concept of forgiveness. Some of the questions Wendy answers:•How do you get past the astonishment, hurt, and dislike for a person you cared for, had a relationship with, and enjoyed when they have repeatedly turned against you? •How do you "move on" in forgiveness when you still have to interact with people who hurt you?•After you left Mars Hill, lots of your friends stayed. Did you pursue them to tell them your story, your reasons for leaving in an attempt to get them to leave, too? How do you let go of the need to protect your reputation or do you?•When someone asks you to forgive them for an offense, does it mean that you will never bring up the offense again?•Through conflict our church leadership mishandled, a lot of friends and I lost our strong church family – none of us feels as though we will ever find such a loving community again. How do you venture back into church life when you feel so cynical? •How does understanding ambiguous loss help us better understand our own grief over broken relationships, especially when we are powerless to effect any change in the circumstances?•And many more.Listen and please pass on this important conversation.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Some stats state that 50% of married couples in churches have experienced sexual betrayal in their marriage. When a wife learns about her husband’s sexual betrayal, in the blink of an eye, a bomb detonates and blows up her marriage. The very foundations on which she built her home shatter, and she can barely breathe, let alone find her way out from under the rubble. Ellen Dykas has walked with hundreds, maybe even thousands of women as they have struggled with sexual betrayal and offers hope from years of helping these hurting women. In this conversation with co-hosts, Sharon Betters and Jane Anne Wilson, Ellen’s tender heart and passion flow freely for offering hope to women whose husbands have betrayed the. She encourages listeners to know they are not responsible for their husband’s sin, and that they do not need to carry shame. She is particularly concerned that they understand the need for self-care. This topic is too deep for a half-hour conversation so we hope, whether you are fresh in facing sexual betrayal or have secretly carried this devastation for years you will get Ellen’s FREE books: Jesus and Your Unwanted Journey: Wives Finding Comfort After Sexual Betrayal. One is a participant’s guide and the other is a Leader’s Guide. These resources are for women who need help applying the gospel to their marriage in response to their husband’s sexual sin. But they are also for those who love them and want to help. You may never have experienced sexual betrayal in your marriage. This conversation will equip you to walk with a friend who has. These books are resources for you and your friend.Jesus and Your Unwanted Journey – Wives Finding Comfort After Sexual BetrayalParticipant’s Guide: https://harvest-usa.myshopify.com/collections/curriculum/products/jesus-and-your-unwanted-journey-wives-finding-comfort-after-sexual-betrayal-participants-guide-free-digital-downloadLeader’s Guide: https://harvest-usa.myshopify.com/products/jesus-and-your-unwanted-journey-wives-finding-comfor-after-sexual-betrayal-leaders-guide-free-digital-download

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Rachel, founder of the Brave Mamas online community, validates bereaved parents in their pain, encourages them as they adjust to their new normal, and provides advice for sharing your loss with family, caring for your spouse, and recovering a postpartum body. She is a mother who lost 5 children, yet is filled with hope.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show