Hey friend, if you’ve ever wondered if you’re doing enough as a mom or grandmother, this episode is for you. I’m sharing the truth about motherhood—the pressure, the insecurity, and the quiet, unseen work that actually matters most. Together, we’ll let go of perfection and refocus on what our kids truly need: love, presence, and consistency. I’ll walk you through what good moms really do (and don’t do), why the everyday moments matter more than you think, and how to care for yourself in the middle of it all. Whether Mother’s Day feels joyful or complicated, I hope this feels like a deep breath for your soul.

And remember, I'd love to connect more on Instagram, where you'll find me at @donnaajones. And don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode!

Xo,

Donna

Key Takeaways:

0:00:46 - Motherhood Is Messy, Not Perfect 

0:05:00 - What Good Moms Consistently Do

0:05:53 - Repetition Is Where Love Lives

0:10:00 - Moms Need Care and Boundaries Too 

0:12:31 - Holding Space for Painful Mother’s Days

What Good Moms Do

• Listen with both their ears and their heart
• Share their own heart and values
• Encourage and speak life into their kids
• Stay consistent with love and boundaries
• Discipline to guide, not punish
• Know when to speak—and when to stay quiet
• Cheer for their kids instead of competing or comparing
• Apologize when they mess up
• Create a safe place for their kids
• Pray for their children
• Keep showing up, even when it’s hard

What Good Moms Don’t Do

• Ignore or dismiss their kids’ feelings
• Shame their kids for mistakes
• Manipulate or control outcomes
• Give only leftover time and energy
• Set impossible expectations—or none at all
• Live hypocritically

Donna’s Resources:

Order a copy of my latest book - 

Healthy Conflict, Peaceful Life: A Biblical Guide to Communicating Thoughts, Feelings, and Opinions with Grace, Truth, and Zero Regret. 

It is available anywhere books are sold– here is the link on Amazon. 

If you need a helpful resource for someone exploring faith and Christianity or simply want to strengthen your own knowledge, you’ll want a copy of my book, Seek: A Woman’s Guide to Meeting God.

It’s a must for seekers, new believers, and those who want to deepen their confidence in their faith.

Let’s Connect:

Instagram: @donnaajones    

Website: www.donnajones.org    

Donna’s speaking schedule: https://donnajones.org/events/ 

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A pure heart brings clarity, peace, and a deeper connection with God, as reflected in Psalm 51:10. Spiritual renewal isn’t about restriction—it’s about experiencing the freedom and joy that come from living in alignment with God’s design.

This devotional compares spiritual growth to cleaning a home: it may feel uncomfortable at first, but it’s necessary for health and peace. When we invite God to remove unhealthy attitudes and behaviors, He doesn’t just clean us up—He renews us from within. Purity isn’t a burden to carry; it’s a gift that allows us to see God more clearly and live with greater focus, stability, and joy in everyday life.

Highlights

• Spiritual “cleaning” is essential for a healthy, thriving faith
• God actively helps renew your heart—you’re not doing it alone
• Holiness is a blessing that protects, not a burden that restricts
• A pure heart leads to clarity, peace, and deeper connection with God
• Letting go of sin creates space for joy and spiritual growth
• Consistent renewal builds a steadfast, focused spirit

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Full Transcript Below:

A Pure Heart Is a Blessing
By: Whitney Hopler 

Bible Reading:
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” – Psalm 51:10, NIV 

Every year when I spring clean my home physically, I ask God to help me do spiritual spring cleaning – to clean up my soul. When I clean my home regularly throughout the year, I also often pray for God’s help to get rid of messy attitudes or behaviors, and to blow the fresh air of renewal into my life. It definitely feels like a chore to do physical cleaning. Getting rid of trash, mopping floors, washing windows, and all the other boring and dirty tasks involved in cleaning a house aren’t pleasant. But they’re necessary for living a physically healthy life. It can also feel like a chore to do spiritual cleaning, because it’s stressful to confess unhealthy attitudes and behaviors and to try to make better choices. However, it’s necessary to be spiritually healthy. Unlike with physical cleaning, I have help from God for spiritual cleaning, and that makes all the difference. I’m grateful that I can always succeed with spiritual cleaning – and even enjoy the process of it – because God is always willing to create more purity in my heart and to renew my spirit. 

Psalm 51:10 is a powerful prayer we can use to ask God to change our hearts for the bett

Hoy te invitamos a escuchar nuestro devocional con los pastores Emilio y Luisita Schumann, en donde tendremos una conversación amena, llena de testimonio, fe y esperanza para toda ti y toda tu familia. No te lo puedes perder. Estamos seguros que será una inmensa Bendición a tu vida.

Escrito por los Pastores Emilio y Luisita Schumann

CANAL EN TELEGRAM

GRUPO EN WHATSAPP

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Motherhood is one of the most beautiful and most exhausting callings — and for many moms, joy can start to feel like a luxury they cannot afford. The schedules, the needs, the emotional weight of holding a family together, the long nights that blur into long days — it is easy to keep your head down and keep moving without ever noticing the small, grace-filled moments that God is quietly scattering into the ordinary.

But Psalm 97:11 reminds us that joy is not delivered in one grand package when life finally calms down. It is sown — planted like seeds in the soil of everyday moments, sprouting sideways in a child's ridiculous answer, in a laugh that catches you off guard, in the sudden, quiet awareness that God is still present in the middle of all of it. The moms in our lives don't always need someone to fix their hard things or rush them toward the bright side. Sometimes they need someone who will sit with them in the mess, pay attention alongside them, and gently say, did you catch that? That was joy right there. Today is an invitation to be that person — to pray for the moms around you, to ask God to open their eyes to what He is already doing, and to help them notice the jelly-bean moments on even the hardest green-bean days.

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Bible Verse

"Light is sown for the righteous and joy for the upright in heart." — Psalm 97:11

Ponder Today

1. Joy is not the absence of hard — it is the evidence that God is sowing something good even when the soil looks barren and the days feel impossibly heavy.
2. God scatters joy into ordinary moments — a child's unexpected answer, a quiet exhale after the chaos, a sudden awareness of His presence — and He knows exactly when we need it most.
3. The moms around us don't always need someone to minimize their struggles or rush them to the silver lining — sometimes they need someone who will sit with them and help them notice what God is already doing.
4. Joy rarely arrives when we go searching for it head-on — it tends to show up sideways, in the small and unremarkable moments we are most likely to rush right past.
5. When we pray for the moms in our lives, we are asking God to open their eyes to the seeds of joy He has already planted — to help them see His presence and goodness in the middle of their everyday reality.

Today's Prayer

Father, I lift up the moms in my life to You right now. Some of them are barely hanging on, carrying more than anyone sees. You know what they are carrying. Help them find the joy You have already planted in their lives — not a surface-level happiness that disappears when things get hard, but the deep, sustaining joy that comes from knowing You are with them. Open their eyes to the small moments they keep rushing past. And show me how to be someone who points them back to what You are doing, even when life feels like too much. Help me be a voice that speaks life into their weariness. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Enjoy Today's Prayer?

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What do you do when God says “Leave” — calling you out of your safe stronghold into the open wilderness?

Join Jaime on the Praying Christian Women Podcast for a devotional on Psalm 63 — The Thirsting Soul Satisfied in God — a psalm born out of raw obedience in the wilderness of Judah, where David dares to leave the secure cave of Adullam and his band of four hundred loyal men at the prophet Gad’s command — and still sings for joy in the shadow of God’s wings.

Jaime unpacks the historical backdrop from 1 Samuel 22–23, when David was fleeing Saul, had tucked his parents safely away, and had built a strategic military stronghold… only to hear God say, “Leave.” In that dry and weary land with no water, David’s soul thirsts for God more than his body thirsts for drink. He speaks truth before his emotions catch up, declaring that God’s covenant lovingkindness is better than life itself, lifting his hands in praise, clinging to the Lord, and choosing to meditate on Him through the fearful night watches.

Come ready to look at your own strongholds — the places that feel secure, logical, and safe — and the moments when God calls you out into uncertainty. Let this psalm remind you that there is no truly secure place apart from Him. Because His lovingkindness is better than life, His wings are the only shelter you need, and in the wilderness, when your soul clings to the One whose right hand upholds you, you can still sing for joy.

Discover More:

Explore additional episodes of Praying Christian Women, Mindful Christian Prayers, and other Christian podcasts at Lifeaudio.com

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Connect with Us:

Stay updated and engage with our community:

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Please visit https://www.biblestudyheadquarters.com/ for more tools and resources to help you grow in faith.  You can also become a regular supporter of this podcast on the website.

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If you enjoy the show and want to buy John a coffee, please click here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/johnstange

.

The "Desire Jesus One Year Devotional" can be found here:  https://amzn.to/41v1DKh

.

To email John Stange directly, please send your message to [email protected].

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

What does it truly mean to love your neighbor as a follower of Christ?

In this episode of Words of Life, Bernie Dake continues his powerful conversation with Major Sandra Pawar, exploring a refreshing and deeply authentic approach to evangelism and community. Together, they unpack the idea that “we don’t love our neighbors to convert them, we love our neighbors because we are converted.” It’s a shift in perspective that moves us from seeing people as projects to embracing them as genuine relationships shaped by grace, humility, and love.

Later in the episode, Jalane Rolader from The Salvation Army’s Bible Correspondence Program offers a moving glimpse into the lives of those often overlooked, men and women who are incarcerated. Through heartfelt prayer requests, we hear real stories of redemption, struggle, and hope behind bars. These testimonies serve as a reminder that no one is beyond God’s reach and that compassion must extend beyond our immediate circles.

Plus, learn about an exciting new initiative bringing Words of Life directly into correctional facilities through secure tablets, creating new pathways for encouragement, discipleship, and transformation.

If you would like to write encouragement to inmates see the following addresses to be a part of these ministries;

Christian Pen Pals

P O Box 11296

Hickory, NC  28603

Evangel Prison Ministries

P O Box 19229

Louisville, KY  40259

Romans Chapter 8 Ministries

P O Box 8771

Endwell, NY  13762-8771

WriteAPrisoner.com, Inc.

P O Box 10

Edgewater, FL  32132-0010

Prison Fellowship

Box 17500

Washington, DC  20041

https://salvationarmysoundcast.org/wordsoflife

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Welcome to the New America! Dubbed 'God's Comic' by the New Yorker, for 16-years, Brad Stine has been the comedic trailblazer of politically incorrect, Christian and Conservative comedy. His new show, 'Brad Stine Has Issues', covers cultural issues with his signature brand of comedic sarcasm and satire with insight that will be appreciated by everyone who loves laughter, liberty, and the freedom to tell the truth without fear. #PCFree #BradStineHasIssues

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What if the greatest threat to your soul isn’t outside—but hidden within your phone? In this thought-provoking episode, Pastor Greg Laurie exposes the perilous pursuit of self, the rise of artificial intelligence as a substitute for real relationships, and the crisis of faith facing our generation.

Kicking things off with a gripping, real-life account of chaos at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and an assassination attempt that rattled the nation, Pastor Greg draws a direct line between the anxiety saturating our headlines and deeper spiritual longings that technology can never satisfy. You’ll also hear a fascinating conversation between legendary music producer Rick Rubin and his podcast guest on Gen Z’s unexpected hunger for spiritual truth.

This episode dives deep into:

• The dangerous “main character syndrome” driven by social media and why the worship of self has left Gen Z more anxious and lonely than ever before.
• The heartbreaking story of a teenager’s search for solace in an AI chatbot, and a sobering call to parents about the hidden risks of digital companionship.
• Why ancient wisdom from Psalm 27 and the teachings of Jesus offer lasting hope and courage for anyone facing fear, uncertainty, or the pressures of modern life.
• From practical advice on guarding your mind and heart to an inspiring reminder of the quiet spiritual revolution stirring among young people, you’ll be challenged and encouraged to anchor your identity in something far greater than technology or self.

Ready to cultivate unshakeable faith in turbulent times? Subscribe for more conversations like this, and join us in exploring where real hope, resilience, and meaning can be found.

CHAPTERS:
00:00 Searching for Meaning Beyond Technology
02:13 Shannon Bream’s Firsthand Account of White House Chaos
04:12 Prayer and Preaching: The Christian’s Secret Weapons
06:18 God’s Plans: “Thoughts of Peace, Not of Evil”
08:10 Main Character Syndrome and Self‑Obsession in Culture
10:09 What “Deny Yourself” Really Means
14:15 Dangers of AI Companions for Young People
16:07 Tragic Story: Teen’s Suicide After AI Chatbot Relationship
18:11 Parents: Why You Must Snoop in Your Kids’ Digital Lives
20:12 Seeking Divine Intelligence Over Artificial Intelligence
21:00 Gen Z’s Nostalgia for the 1990s Explained
24:01 Rick Rubin on Gen Z’s “Quiet Revolution” Toward Faith
27:00 America’s Top Fears and the Power of Stress
30:13 “Face Your Giants”: Overcoming Addiction & Adversity
32:03 Choose Faith Over Fear: Psalm 27 Insights
35:15 Whale Protects Marine Biologist From Shark—God’s Unexpected Providence
38:39 The One Thing: Jesus, Not Main Character Syndrome
39:39 “Seek First the Kingdom”—Finding True Balance
40:05 Invitation to a Relationship With God

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