Have you ever wanted to pray with more confidence but wondered if you were doing it “right”? Or maybe you’re walking through a transition or watching someone you love struggle through one and you’re tempted to step in and fix everything.

 

Today, I’m talking with someone very special to me: my daughter, Ashton Jones Weber. Ashton shares how leaving home for college deepened her faith, transformed her prayer life, and taught her to depend on God in a whole new way. We talk about why hard seasons can actually grow us, how to pray Scripture when you don’t know what to say, and why your prayers matter more than you may realize.

 

Remember, I'd love to connect more on Instagram, where you'll find me at @donnaajones or on my website at www.donnajones.org. And don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode!

Xo,

Donna

Key Takeaways:

0:00:02 - Formed by Prayer: Ashton's Story Begins

0:04:27 - From Fasting to a Decision

0:09:36 - Transition as Formation, Not Something to Be Rescued From

0:12:21 - The Bench, the Bible, and a Stranger's Invitation

0:18:50 - Taking the Pressure Off Prayer

What We Talk About

• How transitions can deepen our relationship with God
• What our children learn by watching how we handle decisions, prayer, and faith
• Why helping someone through a struggle can be better than rescuing them from it
• Ashton’s lonely first day of college—and the simple decision that changed everything
• Why prayer doesn’t have to sound polished or perfect
• How a 21-day season of prayer and fasting transformed Ashton’s prayer life
• Practical ways to begin praying Scripture
• How to personalize Romans 8 when praying for yourself or someone you love
• Ashton’s “boxing coach” analogy for listening to God’s truth
• What it means to pray with confidence and authority in Christ
• Why we need people around us who elevate our faith and expectation

Praying Scripture: Let God’s Word Guide Your Prayers

When you don’t know what to pray, you don’t have to invent the perfect words. Start with what God has already said.

1. Choose a passage of Scripture.

Romans 8, Psalm 139, and Ephesians are great places to begin.

1. Make it personal.

Put your name—or the name of someone you love—into the truth you’re reading.

1. Turn the truth into a prayer.

For example, Romans 8 says there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Pray that truth over yourself or someone you love, asking God to replace shame, fear, or defeat with the truth of their identity in Christ.

1. Believe what you’re praying.

Let Scripture—not your circumstances, feelings, or the voices around you—shape what you believe.

The Boxing Coach Picture

Think of life like rounds in a boxing match. When you’re tired and catching your breath between rounds, don’t listen to the crowd. Listen to your Coach.

Romans 8 reminds us:

You are not condemned.

You are victorious in Christ.

Nothing can separate you from God’s love.

You don’t have to live controlled by fear.

Life and peace are found in walking by the Spirit.

Take those truths into your next round.

Donna’s Resources:

Order a copy of my latest book - 

In a culture obsessed with staying young, aging can feel like something to hide or fight. But what does the Bible say about growing older? Scripture offers a different perspective, showing that aging can bring wisdom, spiritual maturity, and opportunities to invest in the next generation.

Proverbs 16:31 calls gray hair a “crown of glory,” reminding Christians that growing older is not something to fear or be ashamed of. For Christian women especially, Titus 2 offers a meaningful calling: older women are to share their wisdom and faith with younger generations. Instead of letting culture define the value of aging, we can embrace each season of life as an opportunity to grow in godliness, make disciples, encourage others, and point our families toward Christ.

Highlights

• How the Bible offers a different perspective on aging than today’s anti-aging culture
• Why Proverbs 16:31 describes gray hair as a crown of glory
• Learning to recognize the spiritual value of growing older in Christ
• What Titus 2 teaches about older women mentoring and encouraging younger women
• Why Christian women should embrace opportunities to share wisdom across generations
• How aging can become an opportunity to make disciples and invest in others
• Encouragement to renew our minds with God’s Word rather than allowing culture to define our view of aging

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Full Transcript Below:

Finding the Beauty of Aging in an Anti-Aging World

By: Emily Rose Massey

Bible Reading:

“Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life” (Proverbs 16:31, ESV).

Botox and injectables, facelifts, tummy tucks, retinol creams, under-eye concealer and color correctors, collagen and peptide powders, weight-loss products, teeth whitening, and veneer treatment advertisements bombard us continually through television, magazines, and social media influencers. There is no getting around it; we live in an anti-aging world. This was the topic of a recent women’s leadership training at my church, as we discussed the importance of Christian women embracing the high calling of Titus 2 (older women training the younger women). Do we try to run from the title of “older woman,” or are we enthusiastically embracing it because we know how much the Bible esteems growing older in the Lord?

The book of Proverbs is full of so much wisdom and highlights the beauty of aging in chapter 16:

“Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life” (Proverbs 16:31, ESV).

The Bible does not tell us to cover up those gray hairs; it says that it is a crown of honor. We must embrace growing older because, as Christ followers, our gray hair should be a sign of a lifelong j

Únete a nuestro devocional de Palabras de Vida y acompáñanos mientras exploramos qué significa amar genuinamente. Ven y descubre cómo la compasión y la abundancia de Dios transforman nuestra vida y nuestras relaciones.

Escrito por el Capitán José Valentín

CANAL EN TELEGRAM

GRUPO EN WHATSAPP

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Isaiah 43 holds a question worth sitting with: God tells His people He is doing something new and then asks, "Do you not see it?" Sometimes we do not see it because we are still looking backward. Past disappointment makes us afraid to hope again. Failure makes us hesitant to try again. Rejection convinces us we are not qualified. And fear keeps us frozen, waiting to feel confident enough, healed enough, or certain enough before we move. But God does not say the pathway will appear only after we have resolved every fear. He says He will make the pathway through the wilderness Himself. Our responsibility is simply to trust the One who does. Some of the most significant steps of faith do not happen because the fear disappears — they happen when trusting God becomes more important than obeying the fear. Whatever you have been carrying that God never asked you to keep carrying, today is an invitation to surrender it and take the next faithful step forward.

Today's Bible Verse

"I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness, I will create rivers in the dry wasteland."
— Isaiah 43:19, NLT

Ponder Today

1. We often miss what God is doing because we are still looking backward. Past disappointment, failure, and rejection have a way of holding our gaze behind us while God is already moving ahead. Refusing to let the past determine what God is capable of doing next is an act of faith.
2. Overcoming fear does not mean waiting until it disappears. The most significant steps of faith rarely happen because we stopped being afraid. They happen when we decide that trusting God matters more than obeying the fear that is telling us to stay put.
3. God makes the pathway — our job is to trust the One who does. We do not need to see the entire road before taking the next faithful step. We do not need every question answered. We simply need enough faith to follow God into the next one.
4. Ask God to show you what you have been carrying that He never asked you to keep. Fear, disappointment, the need for control, comparison, a past version of ourselves we cannot let go of — He can redeem what happened behind you and restore hope where disappointment has taken root.
5. God is already ahead of you, preparing the way. Isaiah 43 does not say He will begin when you are ready. He says He has already begun. The new thing is already in motion. The question is whether we will step forward to meet it.

A Prayer for You Today

Dear Father, You know exactly what has been holding me back, even the things I have struggled to admit to myself. You see every fear, insecurity, disappointment, wound, and doubt I have carried. Reveal anything in me that I need to release and surrender to You. If I am holding onto fear, replace it with faith. If I am holding onto disappointment, restore my hope. If I am comparing my life to someone else's, remind me that You have written a story specifically for me. And if I am clinging to control, teach me to trust You with what I cannot see. When the road ahead feels like a wilderness, remind me that You are the One who makes the pathway. Today I surrender what has been holding me back. Give me the courage to move forward and help me trust that You are already ahead of me, preparing the way. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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What do you do when your child starts asking questions about faith, God, the Bible, or even whether they believe at all anymore?

In this episode of Words of Life, our Back to School series continues with an honest conversation about helping children and teenagers develop a faith that is truly their own. As kids grow older, they encounter new ideas, difficult experiences, outside influences, and questions that can challenge the faith they were taught as children.

For Christian parents, those questions can be scary. But doubt and questions don't necessarily mean a child is walking away from God. In fact, asking questions can be an important part of developing a mature and lasting faith.

Resources:
www.pta.org/home/programs/Healthy-Lifestyles/mental-health/for-families
www.nami.org/research/publications-reports/guides/navigating-a-mental-health-crisis/
childmind.org/resources
www.schoolsafety.gov/mental-health

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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.

Tonight, on our final episode of Brad Stine Has Issues Rewound, we look back at one of our first guests, anti-abortion activist Victoria Jackson. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

for information about our collection and use of personal data for

advertising.

Frank Turek was near Charlie Kirk on the day he was killed at UVU. A year later, he sits down with Greg to talk about grief, evil, and what Charlie's legacy means for the church now.

From there, the conversation opens up into Frank's new book, The War on Reality (co-written with Phoenix Hayes, with a foreword by Erika Kirk), and the cultural questions Frank is hearing most on college campuses today.

In this episode:
- The night Charlie was killed and what Erika said to Frank at the hospital
- Why the top three objections to Christianity today are all about morality
- The transgender conversation, detransitioners, and what to actually say to your kid
- Why socialism keeps making a comeback on campus
- The rise of antisemitism after October 7th
- AI, hallucinations, and the "Madagascar" test that failed 33 out of 35 students
- Plus: Beatles trivia, desert island songs, and Greg's awkward encounter with Ringo

Learn more about Frank's book at thewaronreality.com.

Subscribe for new conversations every week.

Timestamps:

00:41 Remembering Charlie Kirk one year later
02:26 Why it's not PTSD — it's normal grief
04:11 Evil, eternity, and the ripple effect
07:16 Erika Kirk: "Don't let his legacy die"
09:53 How campus objections shifted to morality
14:10 Is the church feeding the war on reality?
18:34 The trans social contagion and detransitioners
22:03 Questions to ask a child who says "I'm trans"
25:38 Why socialism keeps making a comeback
29:13 Ten reasons Christians must engage politically
32:51 The hidden dangers of AI hallucinations
37:20 The spiritual roots of rising antisemitism
44:09 Go-to verses for stress and suffering
49:42 One last sermon: glorified or horrified
53:35 Beatles rabbit hole and witnessing to Ringo
59:10 Why he wrote The War on Reality

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Have you ever tried to explain how you feel, only to walk away feeling even more misunderstood? In marriage, this can be very frustrating. A simple conversation turns into defensiveness, confusion, or conflict. In this episode, I’m sharing practical ways to communicate what you’re really feeling so your partner has a better chance of hearing your heart.

I’ll walk you through how to express yourself with more clarity, stay grounded during difficult conversations, and avoid some of the common communication habits that create unnecessary tension. If you’re tired of conversations going sideways and want to feel more heard, understood, and connected in your relationship, this episode is for you.

Key Takeaways:

• How to express your feelings without putting your partner on the defensive

• Why clarity matters when communicating what you need

• A funny story of how this works with Shaun and me in real time

• Common mistakes that cause your message to get misunderstood

• How to stay grounded when emotions are running high

• Ways to create more connection during difficult conversations

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Get your FREE Heart to Heart Conversation Starters here. 

Start my From Conflict to Connection course today and be on track to better communication immediately!

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