Help & Hope

In the book co-authored by Susan Hunt and Sharon Betters, Aging with Grace: Flourishing in an Anti-Aging Culture, each chapter ends with a storyteller who is at least seventy years old. Each woman gives the readers a glimpse into what aging with grace looks like for her. One of those storytellers is Carol Arnold. Carol was eighty-three years old at the time of the interview. She travels the world continuing the work of the organization her husband started, Equipping Pastors. Surely Carol is a model of flourishing in old age as she regularly gets on a plane in order to spend hours teaching about marriage in less than optimum circumstances. But is traveling the world at eighty-three years of age the only way to flourish? In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Carol answers this question and encourages us to understand flourishing in any age is not about doing but rather about “being”. No matter your age, you will be encouraged and guided by her insights.

The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministri..., or by searching Help and Hope in your mobile app store.

For MARKINC to continue to offer these helpful FREE resources, we need your help!! Please donate to MARKINC Ministries and invest in offering these helpful resources to those in need of hope. Safely donate on the website, mobile app, or by using this link https://markinc.org/donate/.

Comment your questions on any of the videos! We cannot wait to hear from you all!

Thank you for all of your support, and welcome to the MARKINC Family!!

We have this hope (Jesus) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure… Hebrews 6:19

Be sure to connect with us on social media!

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Elyse Fitzpatrick, author of over twenty books, a frequent conference speaker, and counselor, joins hosts Sharon Betters and Heidi Nequist to discuss aging and the second half of life. Rather than a question-and-answer format, listeners will feel like they are sitting around a table with three friends who are sharing their thoughts, concerns, and questions about what it means to age in this culture. For example, why is aging so hard? How does a sound theology help us age with grace in an anti-aging culture? Why is midlife difficult for women? How does aging affect marriages, and why do so many marriages break up about five years after children leave home? How can we prepare for this vacuum? What about children moving back home? What do we do with regrets? And so much more.

Grab your favorite drink, sit in your favorite chair, and be encouraged and challenged as you join Elyse, Sharon, and Heidi for a fun and deep conversation on aging.

The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministries/app, or by searching Help and Hope in your mobile app store. 

For MARKINC to continue to offer these helpful FREE resources, we need your help!! Please donate to MARKINC Ministries and invest in offering these helpful resources to those in need of hope. Safely donate on the website, mobile app, or by using this link https://markinc.org/donate/.

Comment your questions on any of the videos! We cannot wait to hear from you all!

Thank you for all of your support, and welcome to the MARKINC Family!!

We have this hope (Jesus) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure… Hebrews 6:19

Be sure to connect with us on social media! 


Support the show (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2199852/support)

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

There are many blessings that come with age: retirement, grandchildren, travel, and life experience. Today’s culture, however, marginalizes old age, often portraying it as burdensome and hopeless. Many older women can feel like an encumbrance rather than a blessing to their friends and family members. In this conversation with Chuck L. Betters, while acknowledging aging can be hard and challenging, Sharon Betters and Susan Hunt encourage women to find hope through both real-life and biblical accounts of women who rediscovered gospel-rooted joy later in life. Listeners will be encouraged as they experience afresh a gospel that is big enough, good enough, and powerful enough to make every season of life significant and glorious.

The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministri..., or by searching Help and Hope in your mobile app store.

For MARKINC to continue to offer these helpful FREE resources, we need your help!! Please donate to MARKINC Ministries and invest in offering these helpful resources to those in need of hope. Safely donate on the website, mobile app, or by using this link https://markinc.org/donate/.

Comment your questions on any of the videos! We cannot wait to hear from you all!

Thank you for all of your support, and welcome to the MARKINC Family!!

We have this hope (Jesus) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure… Hebrews 6:19.

Be sure to connect with us on social media!

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Many people have experienced betrayal, someone violating your trust perhaps by lying, cheating, some kind of abuse, putting their own interests ahead of yours when they promised otherwise. Betrayal affects every part of our hearts, often in ways we don’t understand at first. Some hurts we carry with us to the day we die because they are so deep and seem impossible to resolve. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Wendy Alsup shares the impact of betrayal from her own life, not only through an unwanted divorce but also in her church life. But Wendy doesn’t leave us in the mud of betrayal. Instead, she speaks frankly about the power of forgiveness. Wendy’s view of forgiveness is not stereotypical. Pulling examples from her own life, Wendy talks about the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation and how understanding ambiguous loss can help us as we grieve the losses of betrayal. Whether you are still gasping for air as the impact of betrayal hits you hard or you are carrying the wounds of broken relationships from years ago, this conversation will help guide you through the minefields of grief and loss.

The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministries/app, or by searching Help and Hope in your mobile app store.

For MARKINC to continue to offer these helpful FREE resources, we need your help!! Please donate to MARKINC Ministries and invest in offering these helpful resources to those in need of hope. Safely donate on the website, mobile app, or by using this link https://markinc.org/donate/.

Comment your questions on any of the videos! We cannot wait to hear from you all!

Thank you for all of your support, and welcome to the MARKINC Family!!

We have this hope (Jesus) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure… Hebrews 6:19.

Be sure to connect with us on social media!

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

This conversation is for pastors and ministry wives and those who love them. While there are occupational hazards in all lines of work, ministry families experience conflicts that sometimes not only result in broken relationships but the loss of their beloved church family. In most jobs, wives are not expected to be unpaid laborers, stand by their husband’s side every Sunday, remembering every name and something about the families, teach a class, play the piano, or host multiple gatherings for every age. What she considers deep friendships root and grow. Her children see the church as their second home. Imagine the trauma when conflict reveals that many view her only as a commodity, useful as long as her husband pleases the congregation. She learns that those for whom she has hurt the most are sometimes the ones who will hurt her deeply.  In this conversation, two seasoned ministry wives, Karen Grant and Sharon Betters talk freely about these challenges and how to respond when trusted friends betray. Ministry wife, you are not alone.

The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministri..., or by searching Help and Hope in your mobile app store.

For MARKINC to continue to offer these helpful FREE resources, we need your help!! Please donate to MARKINC Ministries and invest in offering these helpful resources to those in need of hope. Safely donate on the website, mobile app, or by using this link https://markinc.org/donate/.

Comment your questions on any of the videos! We cannot wait to hear from you all!

Thank you for all of your support, and welcome to the MARKINC Family!!

We have this hope (Jesus) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure… Hebrews 6:19.

Be sure to connect with us on social media!

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

From the time you’re little, your experience with friendships can make or break your day – whether it’s a five-year-old who is left out of the game on the playground, or a thirty-year-old who sees pictures on social media of her friend group having fun without her, or facing the most hurtful season of your life completely alone –  friends or the lack of friends have power to help or hurt.  Sharon Betters and co-host Heidi Nequist talk with Kristen Strong about the topic of friendship. Kristen knows what it’s like to have to search for new friends, as she has relocated numerous times as the wife of an Air Force Veteran. Kristen, Sharon, and Heidi discuss the challenges of friendship, such as how a “desperate woman” can seek out friends, and breaking through closed friend groups – is it even worth trying? Dealing with unrealistic expectations, how to handle a friendship “break up”; learning how to trust after a friend break up; maintaining a friendship when you are divided on politics, culture, and maybe even faith? 

Listeners can tell by the titles of some of Kristen’s books that she loves talking about friendships – titles like Friends are Family We Choose, Praying Through Loneliness, and her newest book, Desperate Woman Seeks Friends. You will feel like you are sitting with friends as you listen to this conversation.

The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministries/app, or by searching Help and Hope in your mobile app store. 

For MARKINC to continue to offer these helpful FREE resources, we need your help!! Please donate to MARKINC Ministries and invest in offering these helpful resources to those in need of hope. Safely donate on the website, mobile app, or by using this link https://markinc.org/donate/.

Comment your questions on any of the videos! We cannot wait to hear from you all!

Thank you for all of your support, and welcome to the MARKINC Family!!

We have this hope (Jesus) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure… Hebrews 6:19

Be sure to connect with us on social media!

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

1 in 8 couples have trouble getting pregnant. That's about 6.7 million people each year who have trouble conceiving.

10—15% of women who know they are pregnant will experience a miscarriage. Some studies say it’s higher.

About 1 pregnancy in 100 at 20 weeks of pregnancy and later is affected by stillbirth, and each year about 24,000 babies are stillborn in the United States.

This doesn’t take into account the number of babies diagnosed in the womb with a terminal condition – meaning if they survive their birth, they will not live very long.

Kathe Wunnenberg knows the sorrow of such losses. In this transparent conversation with Sharon Betters Kathe shares her own journey of grieving infertility, miscarriages and the loss of her son. Her deep sorrow taught Kathe that God can transform anything you offer Him into hope to help others. Kathe Wunnenberg is a hopelifter. Her motto reflects the purpose of her own life: “We go through what we go through, to help others go through what we went through,” Kathe’s passion for offering others the help and hope of Jesus and to equip us to be the hands and feet of Jesus shines in this conversation where she offers suggestions for lifting the spirits of a hurting friend, telling us the daily opportunities to make a difference in hurting lives are limitless for a Hopelifter. (hopelifters.com)

The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link: https://subsplash.com/markincministries/app, or by searching Help and Hope in your mobile app store. 

For MARKINC to continue to offer these helpful FREE resources, we need your help!! Please donate to MARKINC Ministries and invest in offering these helpful resources to those in need of hope. Safely donate on the website, mobile app, or by using this link https://markinc.org/donate/.

Comment your questions on any of the videos! We cannot wait to hear from you all!

Thank you for all of your support, and welcome to the MARKINC Family!

We have this hope (Jesus) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure… Hebrews 6:19

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

From age 12 through the age of 18, Doug began to experiment with any and all drugs, from ecstasy to crystal meth, that he could get his hands on. Over the course of the next few years, oxycodone became the dominant Idol that consumed him and eventually transitioned into a full-blown heroin addiction. Doug shares his journey into drug addiction including how being raised “in the church” left him so empty that he searched and found acceptance in the fans of a band called Insane Clown Posse. Their message of sex, drugs and violence filled the empty hole in his heart. In this far-reaching conversation, Doug touches on how parents should respond to the manipulation of the drug addict, whether coming off of drugs cold turkey as he did is always the best way, why addicts are willing to destroy their lives and loved ones for that fix, and why addicts often go back to drugs after rehab. Doug offers hope, not only to the person addicted to drugs but to the people who love them.

The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministries/app, or by searching Help and Hope in your mobile app store. 

For MARKINC to continue to offer these helpful FREE resources, we need your help!! Please donate to MARKINC Ministries and invest in offering these helpful resources to those in need of hope. Safely donate on the website, mobile app, or by using this link https://markinc.org/donate/.

Comment your questions on any of the videos! We cannot wait to hear from you all!

Thank you for all of your support, and welcome to the MARKINC Family!!

We have this hope (Jesus) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure… Hebrews 6:19

Be sure to connect with us on social media!

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

With the explosion of the technology age we are currently in, easily-accessed porn invades younger and younger hearts, often unbeknownst to parents. When encouraged to protect their children from tech invasions, many parents vehemently declare that their child is so innocent and so protected, they are not concerned for their welfare. Their relationship to their child is so secure, that their child would not secretly travel into such a dark world. Sadly, these parents are often in the dark when it comes to what their young children have already seen and experienced through innocent interaction in video games, research for reports, etc. In this interview, Cooper Pinson of HarvestUSA lays out practical ways that parents can use to put into place additional layers of protection, and how to talk to their children about the dangers of porn, and how to respond when they are exposed to inappropriate material.

The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministries/app, or by searching Help and Hope in your mobile app store. 

For MARKINC to continue to offer these helpful FREE resources, we need your help!! Please donate to MARKINC Ministries and invest in offering these helpful resources to those in need of hope. Safely donate on the website, mobile app, or by using this link https://markinc.org/donate/.

Comment your questions on any of the videos! We cannot wait to hear from you all!

Thank you for all of your support, and welcome to the MARKINC Family!!

We have this hope (Jesus) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure… Hebrews 6:19

Be sure to connect with us on social media!

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Thin. Fat. Thin again. Dieting. Binging. Starvation diets. Grapefruit Diets. Low Carb. Thin. Fat. Thin again. Constance Rhodes understands the obsession with body image. In this conversation, she shares her own roller coaster struggle with weight. Young people and adults alike will find a friend in Constance as she transparently tells her story of weight loss, weight gain, and the thin cage in which she found herself trapped.

The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministries/app, or by searching Help and Hope in your mobile app store. 

For MARKINC to continue to offer these helpful FREE resources, we need your help!! Please donate to MARKINC Ministries and invest in offering these helpful resources to those in need of hope. Safely donate on the website, mobile app, or by using this link https://markinc.org/donate/.

Comment your questions on any of the videos! We cannot wait to hear from you all!

Thank you for all of your support, and welcome to the MARKINC Family!!

We have this hope (Jesus) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure… Hebrews 6:19

Be sure to connect with us on social media!

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show