How do you respond if your spouse is using pornography? Should you proceed in a dating relationship if one of you has a porn problem? Where’s the line between righteous anger and sinful anger? How do you find freedom from patterns and behaviors rooted in childhood wounds? 

In today’s episode of the Hope Unyielding Podcast, we cover all these questions and more! My conversation with Amanda Massie, a wife, mom, historian and follower of Jesus, has something for everyone. Join me and Amanda as she shares her and her husband’s journey through the difficult first years of their marriage, what they learned about shame, grace and forgiveness along the way, and ultimately, how they found freedom in Christ and cultivated a marriage that is now healthy and thriving. 

In this fun solo episode, I answer your questions about the writing life, what God's been doing in my heart and mind, and what inspired me to write my devotional, 99 Life-Giving Bible Verses for Women. Questions include:

• When did you start writing? What’s your favorite piece you’ve written so far and why?
• What was a moment or turning point in your life that deepened your walk with the Lord?
• What's your verse for this season?
• What’s your ideal environment for writing?
• What was the most challenging part of the writing process? What do you feel has been the most rewarding?
• What inspired you to write this book? What are you hoping readers take away after reading your book?
• Have you personally experienced all 99 of the emotions listed in the titles of the devotions? 
• Which devotion speaks the most deeply to your heart? 
• Which one was the hardest to write?
• What would you say to each of your readers if you could get coffee with them and talk about the book?

Links to the favorite pieces I've written:

• Resurrection
• To the Woman Longing for a Child on Mother's Day

Check out Taryn Hutchison's Cold War Trilogy set in Romania here!

Pre-order my new book, 99 Life-Giving Bible Verses for Women, here!

Singleness got you down? If you're a single Christian struggling to survive in a world that idolizes marriage and stigmatizes singleness, this conversation with author Karissa Sovdi is a must-listen! Karissa and I chat about:

• Lies we've believed about singleness
• Why to stop obsessing over why you're single
• How to tell if marriage is becoming an idol
• Grieving singleness while pursuing the life God has given you
• The best parts of being single
• Why the American dream and the gospel are not one and the same

Karissa Sovdi is a writer, speaker, and clinical counselor. As a never-married Christian single who grew up in church, she speaks from her sometimes heartbreaking, often humorous, and frequently bumbling journey to a thirty-something's radical self-acceptance and revelation of God's love. Karissa lives plays, and works on Canada's west coast, where she specialized in coaching organizational leaders to build healthy workplaces. 

Connect with Karissa on Instagram @karissasovdi and https://survivingchristianityunmarried.com/ and pick up a copy of Karissa's new book Surviving Christianity Unmarried: A Theology of Singleness That Isn't Looking for Its Cure. 

Read today's episode in article form here. 

Preorder Hope's book on Amazon.

Follow Hope on Instagram.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson joins us again to share her experiences and insights on the very relevant issue of anxiety, coming at the topic of anxiety with a unique and layered perspective. Not only is she a board-certified, clinical neuropsychologist who has been in private practice for more than 20 years, but she's also a follower of Jesus who has battled anxiety in her own life. Dr. Bengtson is also an international speaker, the host of the podcast Your Hope-Filled Perspective and the author of several books, including Breaking Anxiety's Grip, which we dive into today.

Learn more at https://drmichellebengtson.com/ and follow Dr. Bengtson on Instagram @drmichellebengtson.

Whatever the situation—a chronic illness, a child who isn’t walking with the Lord, financial difficulties, or a difficult marriage—God promises to act on his children's behalf (Isaiah 64:4). Weaving personal story and the amazing account of God's rescue in 2 Chronicles 20, Hope shares a testimony of how God acted on her behalf in a season of deep depression. 

This message was given at Christ the King Center in Greenwich, New York on May 4, 2024.

A poem for the woman longing for a child on Mother's Day. If you are one of the many women longing for a child on Mother's Day, I pray that this encourages you with the truth that Jesus sees you, loves you, and weeps with you. 

If you are struggling with your mental health or love someone who struggles, this is the episode for you! Vulnerably sharing her experience battling anorexia, depression, and self-harm, Stacee Goetzinger offers a message of hope in the darkness grounded in her experience of God's kindness, love, and rescue in her long battle with mental illness. 

Stacee Goetzinger is a speaker, author, and podcast host. Her book, You Are Worth
Saving, Letters of Hope from a Desperate Heart  contains thirty letters to the
reader sharing encouragement, hope and transparency out of her traumatic
past and mental health struggles.

Stacee and her husband, Doug, co-host the Speak Out Loud Podcast through which they share hope and encouragement for those who struggle with mental illness and for those who love and support them. Stacee’s life verse is Psalm 118:17 – “I will not die but live and will proclaim what the Lord has done.” Her heart’s desire is to share with others the grace, love, and hope of Jesus which she has discovered and experienced throughout her lengthy struggles with borderline personality disorder, anorexia, anxiety, depression, and self-harm.

Stacee is the founder of Speak Out Loud, Inc., a non-profit ministry bringing hope into the isolation and despair created by mental illness.

Stacee and Doug have been married for thirty-one years and have two young adult daughters. She is a native Texan but has made her home in Oklahoma City for the past twenty-six years.

Diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy as a child, Rob Roozeboom wrestled to understand how God could allow such a terrible disease to attack his body and crush his dreams. But God pursued Rob relentlessly, transforming his life through His love, giving him purpose and hope beyond what he imagined.

If you're feeling broken, lonely, or different, this is the episode for you! Be sure to preorder a copy of Rob's new book Broken Still Chosen. It's a powerful read that will encourage your heart and shift your perspective in whatever brokenness you are wrestling with.

Rob Roozeboom is founder and president of RISE Ministries, Inc.and RiseFest, a large Christian music festival held annually in northwest Iowa. Host of the popular podcast Enjoying the Journey, he also produced the online video series Stories of Strength as well as Christmas and Good Friday TV broadcasts reaching thousands. Rob is a sought-after speaker, sharing the stage with Jeremy Camp, TobyMac, MercyMe, and more. He is also the recipient of numerous humanitarian awards and has been featured multiple times on the National Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. He and his family live in Sheldon, Iowa.Learn more at RISEMinistries.com.

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