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Raising children in 2021 is complicated, to say the least. Raising children in the ministry provides an additional layer of complication into the mix! Today's episode focuses primarily on the topic of parenting in the ministry but provides even more emphasis on raising children to release them into God-given destinies. How do you raise children in the ministry but not expressly for the ministry? How does a parent go about fostering an inner independence into each child, while also preparing themselves for the day when it's time to release that child to live on their own? Our guests for Episode 21 are Tom &  Pam Greene. The Greene's also happen to be the parents of our LTS host Bridgette Tomlin! You'll enjoy this candid conversation as they weigh in on how to love your children enough to let them go.
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Tom Greene travels across the nation in his commitment to an extensive speaking schedule, which includes churches, missions conventions, leadership conferences, district and national events. He is also the author of the book, "The Game Isn't Over".

Greene has previously served the Assemblies of God as the National Director of Men's Ministries, National Youth Director, District Youth Director in Oklahoma and in several local churches. He is widely known for his personal passion for missions as demonstrated by his leadership of two national ministries, Speed the Light and Light for the Lost.

He and his wife, Pam, now celebrating 48 years of marriage, have two grown children, Bridgette and Andy, who are actively involved in ministry. Through these years Tom has spent 39 of the 48 years married in traveling ministry opportunities.  Tom and Pam are now are co-founders of a ministry advancement group—Greene & Raley.  

Pam has volunteered her assistance and support through all of the ministry positions. She started her own successful business and now looks after her father living with them. 
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As this podcast grows in influence, we are learning the power of social media shares. As is the case with your own ministry’s presence online, word spreads about this podcast through the word of mouth of listeners just like you. Whether you share a post on social media, leave a review on your favorite podcast app, or share the link with a friend via text message or email, you’re powering the search engines so that the word spreads to other women in ministry or leadership can tap into this resource, as well. So, will you do that for us today? Check out our Facebook page by searching “Let’s Talk with Sanctuary” or sharing this podcast with a ministry wife or leader today. 

Many thanks to our host, Bridgette Tomlin, and engineer Justin Lynn of Justin Lynn Music. Learn how you can capitalize on all Justin can do for your small business, church, or ministry by clicking here!

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If there’s anything we can take away from the New Testament contents about the foundation and growth of the Early Church, it is this:  unity is the breeding ground for explosive power through the Holy Spirit. God responds to unity. He responds to unity amongst believers. He responds to unity in marriages and families. He responds to unity amongst leadership teams. And if unity has ever been challenged amongst the body of Christ before, it has definitely been challenged throughout this past year. In this episode we want to shed light on what causes breakdown in unity in leadership teams so that we can break off the lie of the enemy and lead like never before...remaining faithful all the way to the finish line.
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Guests Greg and Deena Thurstonson pioneered Dominion Church in the Spring of 1996 with a core group of 30 people. Today the church runs over 600 in attendance each week and is continuing to grow. After years of meeting in hotels and shopping centers in and around the Clear Lake area, the church purchased its first property in August of 2005 located in League City, TX. Pastors Greg & Deena have over 35 years of ministerial experience. Greg graduated from Southwestern Assemblies of God University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Christian Education. In addition to being a full-time pastor, Greg is a board-certified Faith-Based Counselor. He travels extensively as a speaker at various conferences, camps, revivals and retreats. He also serves on a number of boards within our community and among our fellowship, and he mentors several pastors. Deena is a gifted worship leader and has been sought-out to lead worship at camps and conventions, including the South Texas District Council. They have been married 35 years and have two beautiful daughters, Taylor and Morgan, and their granddaughter Brooklyn.
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Sanctuary has a current blog that is loaded with content designed with YOU in mind! Not only are we updating it regularly with contributions from our leadership team and recent podcast guests, but you can also dig deep into the archives as we’ve been providing this resource now for over five years! Stop by Sanctuary and click “Let’s Grow” to take in all that Sanctuary has to offer. 

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Many thanks to our host, Bridgette Tomlin, and engineer Justin Lynn of Justin Lynn Music. Learn how you can capitalize on all Justin can do for your small business, church, or ministry by clicking here!

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A 2014 Forbes Magazine feature named being a spiritual leader as #5 on their 9 Toughest Leadership Roles. “Being a pastor is like death by a thousand paper cuts,” says Rev. Dr. Ken Fong, senior pastor at Evergreen Baptist Church in Rosemead, California and a program director at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena.  “You’re scrutinized and criticized from top to bottom, stem to stern. You work for an invisible, perfect Boss, and you’re supposed to lead a ragtag gaggle of volunteers towards God's coming future. It's like herding cats, but harder.”

Our guests today have served in a variety of ministerial roles, not the least of which is their most recent church-planting journey, during their more than two decades of ministry. Chad & Jennifer Stafford have not only survived the process but are here to share their own personal victories and defeats with us as they continue to grow and cultivate disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Upon graduating from Central Bible College (Springfield, MO), Chad & Jennifer Stafford have been in full-time ministry for over 20 years having served in almost every area of church work.

Chad grew up in Daphne, Alabama and played football and baseball at Daphne High School. He was a youth pastor in Daphne from 1999-2004 where the youth ministry became recognized as one of the largest in the nation. He served as a football coach, baseball coach, and chaplain at Daphne High School as he and Jennifer poured their lives into the Eastern Shore community.

Following their time in Daphne, Chad and Jennifer served as Executive Pastors in south Atlanta, Georgia and then Lead Pastors in Bentonville, Arkansas.

They returned to Daphne in 2009 and launched Coastal Church in January 2010.

On October 12, 2007, Chad & Jennifer welcomed their son, Evan Charles Stafford.

The Staffords feel called by God to spend the rest of their lives on the Eastern Shore. Coastal Church is the church they want to pastor and Daphne is where they want to live and raise Evan. "When you’ve been all around the world, there is only one place left that you want to go. Home."

Contact Info:
        Insta: @cstafford54
        Insta: @jtstafford
        Facebook:  Jennifer Stafford
        Facebook:  Chad Stafford
        Email : [email protected]
        Website: www.coastalchurch.tv
       
Chad’s new book, 40 Day with the Holy Spirit, just released. Visit www.40dayswiththeholyspirit.com or Amazon

Many thanks to our host, Bridgette Tomlin, and engineer Justin Lynn of Justin Lynn Music. Learn how you can capitalize on all Justin can do for your small business, church, or ministry by clicking here!

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Anxiety seems to be a common denominator in the lives of most people, but especially invades the lives of those who lead in any capacity. However, most don’t acknowledge they’re dealing with anxiety, much less do anything about it. Let’s talk about how to identify the signs of anxiety and extreme stress and how to deal with it in a healthy, Biblically based manner.
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This episode's guest is therapist Racheal Elrod-Edwards. Racheal was born and raised in Oklahoma. She's a "wife of 25 years, a mom of three zany teens, a therapist and a fellow trauma survivor". Racheal graduated with a Master of Arts in Marriage & Family Therapy from Southern Nazarene University. After graduation, she worked with a community mental health agency in the school system for several years, focusing on students, littles and teens, who were kids from hard places. Her next stop professionally was in a group practice where Racheal primarily worked with adults and older teens, focusing on how difficult experiences continue to present in our life long after we’ve survived them.

Now in private practice, Racheal works with teens and adults, helping to lower anxiety, and increase personal power to help overcome negative experiences by releasing charged emotional material. She is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) trained (soon to be certified), with a focus on early trauma experiences. She's also trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Chronic Pain Management.

Reach out to Racheal for consultation from anywhere in the United States as she offers services in her Tulsa, OK office, as well as through secure online portal sessions.
Phone: 918-505-4866
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.rachealedwardslmft.com

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Learn more about Let's Retreat Sanctuary by visiting our site!

Many thanks to our host, Bridgette Tomlin, and engineer Justin Lynn of Justin Lynn Music. Learn how you can capitalize on all Justin can do for your small business, church, or ministry by clicking here!

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Ministers today are suffering from what we're calling Ministry PTSD—post-traumatic stress disorder from traumatic ministerial experiences. And many of them are not self-aware enough to acknowledge that or they don’t know what the answers are to pull themselves out of the pit. Today's episode guest Pastor Mike Allard has had his own fair share of experiences in such a pit and brings to us the lessons he learned in what he deems a place of "total failure".
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Reverend Mike Allard, began preaching as a boy when he was just 13 years old in his home church, Northwest Assembly of God, in Wichita Falls, Texas. During his 40+ years of ministry he has served as youth pastor and children’s pastor for 11 years; a District Youth Director in the South Texas district of the Assemblies of God for 11 years and currently is the Lead Pastor at Crossroads Fellowship, in Houston, Texas for almost 20 years.

Pastor Mike's first book Never Give Up! is the incredible true story of how God brought him from failure to faith. In his second book, Living In The Overflow, he reveals truths about how you can experience life to its fullest. How having a daily time in prayer and allowing the Holy Spirit to flow through you will move you into the overflow.

Crossroads Fellowship, under the leadership of Pastor Mike has grown from 250 to an average of 1,300 each Sunday. He has a passion for souls and missions. In his many years of travel Mike has raised millions of dollars in mission services, conferences, conventions, camps, tours, and special days. Over the past several years, Crossroads Fellowship has given each year over $1,000,000.00 to missions.

But his greatest accomplishment is his family. He has a beautiful wife, Danielle, who has been by his side for 41+ years. He has three wonderful children, Joshua, Michael, and Lacey. He currently has 11 grandchildren, and he looks forward to every day getting to share life with this crazy, but wonderful family that God has given him.
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Let’s Connect events are casual dinner gatherings where ministry wives who live and serve near one another get together and connect. There’s no message to preach, no volunteers to coordinate, no stress. Just women who understand what you deal with each day and your lifestyle in the ministry, getting together for dinner and some laughs. Learn more about a Connect near you or how you can launch one by stopping by our website at sanctuaryministrywives.com and click “Let’s Connect”. Our next events are just ahead i

Many thanks to our host, Bridgette Tomlin, and engineer Justin Lynn of Justin Lynn Music. Learn how you can capitalize on all Justin can do for your small business, church, or ministry by clicking here!

Send a text

What happens when the pastor's wife becomes the pastor's widow? In many cases, she loses far more than her husband. She stands to lose her identity, her source of income, her home, her community, her people. Grab a cup of coffee or hot tea, sit back, and take in this incredible conversation with our dear friend Betty Calabrese as she recounts the amazing journey God has led her on since the untimely death of her beloved husband, Joe, 40 years ago.
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When We Becomes Me offers small-group weekend retreats at the While We're Waiting Retreat Center in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Their goal is to renew and refresh your spirit as you begin life re-entry after loss. Most retreats begin at 5:00 pm on Fridays and continue through 10:00 am on the following Sunday. During this time, guests will share stories of their loved ones and have opportunities for relaxing and fun activities. Lodging, meals, and materials are provided at no cost to participants. Learn more about When We Becomes Me by visiting their site here.
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Let's Connect events are casual dinner gatherings designed for interaction, laughs, fun, and connection with ministry wives who live and serve near you, once per quarter. Currently, we have ministry wives hosting in 30+ venues through Let's Connect. We are looking to double those in 2021! There's no service schedule, no class to teach, no volunteers to coordinate--just you and other ministry wives who get together for dinner, some great conversation, and maybe some dessert, just to sweeten the deal. Learn more about  Sanctuary's Let's Connect events as our next quarter's events take place just ahead in June 2021.

Many thanks to our host, Bridgette Tomlin, and engineer Justin Lynn of Justin Lynn Music. Learn how you can capitalize on all Justin can do for your small business, church, or ministry by clicking here!

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Let’s have a little fun together, lighten the mood, and learn a few life hacks to lighten the load! We all find ourselves in different seasons, needing more efficient solutions to new dilemmas. Today we want to hear from our Life Hack Expert Richelle Wingo as she provides a few tips for five different categories of everyday life. 
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Richelle Wingo is a wife and mother of three. She and her husband Joel are born and raised Oklahoma natives. They have served in a variety of ministry roles over the years including Chi Alpha campus pastors, staff pastors, and leading roles in Assembly of God ministries such as COMPACT Family Services and Teen Challenge. She currently serves as the Children’s Pastor in Stillwater, OK at Calvary Assembly of God where her dad is the pastor. She has served in children’s ministry for 22 years. Outside of the church, she serves as a virtual assistant to 12 clients all across the US and teaches online English classes to kids in China.  In her free time she enjoys time spent with her kids, Ava (12), Emma (8), and Eli (3). She loves finding new and creative ways to do things.
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Lindsey Culp, founder and creative director for LC Creative, is actually the engineer and editor of our podcast. But she does so much more than that! And what she brings to the table creatively through the mediums of social media graphics, promotional materials, video production and editing, video announcements, and so much more is affordable and easily accessible to the local church or small business. You’ve probably discovered over the past year and a half that the use of media, professional graphics, and video has become nearly a necessity but the cost of such tools can be astronomical. But LC Creative isn’t like all of those other companies! Her prices are affordable and as a pastor’s daughter herself, she has a heart to help your local church or small business thrive and get the message across in an effective way. Stop by lindseyculpcreative.com to learn more. 

Many thanks to our host, Bridgette Tomlin, and engineer Justin Lynn of Justin Lynn Music. Learn how you can capitalize on all Justin can do for your small business, church, or ministry by clicking here!

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Guest Kathy Wampler, co-founder of Abide Retreats in partnership with Dave Roever Evangelistic Association, joins the podcast as she and host Bridgette Tomlin break down the similarities of military wives to ministry wives. So many of their experiences are parallel! You'll thoroughly enjoy the insight Kathy brings regarding this subject, as well as her own experience as a woman launching into preaching ministry.

Let’s talk about how we can support those who are serving in our nation’s military as our nation and the Church find ourselves at a crucial crossroads—in our nation’s history and on the prophetic timeline. Military personnel and their families pay a significant price for the freedoms we still enjoy. How do we connect with military wives? And how can they receive the spiritual support they need?
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Kathy Wampler grew up in a pastor’s home and loved every minute being a PK. "All the good times and bad. I wouldn’t change it for anything.  Those experiences also taught me the joy that comes when you know that you know, you are doing what God called you to do." Kathy's highest honor has been the opportunity to work with Dave Roever (Roever Evangelistic Association). "I have learned so much and gained the support and friendship of a great minister of God. What a blessing!"

When Kathy isn't traveling, you’ll find her home, "being boring according to some people. A night on the couch with my hubby, watching an old movie and relaxing…I’ll take it! I’ll cherish it, because…I’m just a simple girl!" She and her husband Dave have been married for 28  years and serve together at Roever Evangelistic Association, as well as travel in preaching and music ministry.

Facebook: @KathyWamplerMinistries 
Instagram: @kwampler
YouTube: Kathy Wampler
Abide Retreats | www.abideretreats.com
Facebook: @AbideRetreats
Weekly Bible Studies with Kathy

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Find Let's Talk with Sanctuary on Facebook! This will help you learn more of the behind the scenes about our podcast guests, upcoming episodes, content you can follow up with, and so much more. This will also help you share details about the podcast with your friends.

Many thanks to our host, Bridgette Tomlin, and engineer Justin Lynn of Justin Lynn Music. Learn how you can capitalize on all Justin can do for your small business, church, or ministry by clicking here!

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At Sanctuary we believe that isolation is the Number One tool that the enemy uses to break down the leader out in front. All too often, the ministry leader bears the burden of loneliness and the defeating thoughts like "I'm the only one who deals with..." But what if we break up the lie of isolation and combat it with honor, encouragement, and connection? MVP Leader Group founders Terry and Sam Allen give their own bare-faced accounts of what these three gifts have provided for them personally and how they're on a mission to distribute honor, encouragement, and connection to ministry and business leaders from coast to coast.
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Terry & Samalee “Sam” Allen come from very different backgrounds, but both as students knew God had placed a call for ministry on their hearts. The Allens have been in ministry, together, longer than they’ve been married. They served as youth pastors in two states, as well as in state leadership with the Assemblies of God in Tennessee. Terry and “Sam” served with Huldah Buntain & the late Reverend Randy Valimont in the equipping effort of Calcutta Mercy in Calcutta/Kolkata, India. 

Terry and “Sam” are quite aware of the stresses and challenges of ministry. The Lord has birthed a heart for ministry to ministers in the Allens’ hearts and in 2019 they launched MVP Leader Group.  MVP Leader Group is a creative encouragement network to Encourage. Honor. and Connect ministry and business leaders, both male and female. Currently, MVP Leader Group has a footprint in 24 states.

The Allens make their home in Nashville, Tennessee near their son and daughter-in-love, Dane & Emily. The countdown is on for the arrival of their first grandchild in March 2021.
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Looking for inspiration and encouragement? Stop by Sanctuary and discover the wealth of resources provided for ministry wives through our bi-monthly blog, Let's Connect events that are popping up across the country, a bi-monthly podcast, prayer support, and of course, Let's Retreat!

Many thanks to our host, Bridgette Tomlin, and engineer Justin Lynn of Justin Lynn Music. Learn how you can capitalize on all Justin can do for your small business, church, or ministry by clicking here!

Send a text

Parenting in the 21st century is not for the faint of heart. As we continue on this journey through cultural shifts and pandemic pandemonium, how do we parent effectively and still raise children who are God-fearing, God-pleasing, and God-loving? Our pod-guest Casey Gibbons shares from her very own wealth of experience in intentional parenting as she and her husband Scotty are raising six children while also balancing a vibrant ministry life. Hear the beautiful lessons she is learning each day as every member of their family bears the burden of multiple health complications.
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Casey and her husband Scotty have been sustained by God's strength as their family has experienced numerous health issues while homeschooling six children and serving in ministry as national leaders, authors, and pastors. They celebrated their 20th anniversary this year and live in the Oklahoma City area as Lead Pastors at People's Church. Outside of family and ministry, Casey is active in martial arts and is working towards her Black Belt. 

Casey would love to have you join her personal pages on Facebook/Instagram @caseygibbons or on her ministry to moms on the Mothergood.us Facebook/Instagram @mothergood.us
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Many thanks to our host, Bridgette Tomlin, and engineer Justin Lynn of Justin Lynn Music. Learn how you can capitalize on all Justin can do for your small business, church, or ministry by clicking here!