No Higher Calling

As much as I wish this wasn't the case, we are raising our children in a sin-cursed, broken world. Satan wants nothing more than to sit on the throne of our children's hearts and minds and keep them in bondage to sin. One of the ways he is accomplishing this at epidemic rates is through pornography. The question is not if our children will be exposed, it is when. The average age of exposure to pornography is 8 years old.  We MUST acknowledge this reality and equip our children so they will not fall prey to this snare. 

How do we equip our children, yet be delicate with their childhood innocence? I seek to give advice that I have gleaned from God's Word, other biblical resources, statics, and scientific data.

Mamas, it's time to rise up, be gatekeepers of our homes, pray for the our children's minds, and protect the next generation from Satan's weapon of pornography.

Scriptures Referenced:

Jeremiah 6:15

II Corinthians 10:3-5

Philippians 3:13-14; 4:8

I Peter 5:8

Resources:

NHC Podcast: Gatekeeper

Birds & Bees https://birds-bees.com/ (use code BRETTNAY to save 20%)

Mama Bear Apologetics Guide to Sexuality- Paperback   Audiobook

Good Pictures, Bad Pictures Jr. by Kristen Jenson: https://amzn.to/428bENL

Good Pictures, Bad Pictures by Kristen Jenson (ages 6+): https://amzn.to/3FnuGpv

Follow my  journey by subscribing to this podcast. You can also follow me on Instagram, YouTube, and www.nohighercalling.org

Culture is giving our children's so many mixed messages when it comes to the topic of sex. It is not a matter of if they will hear these confused ideals, but when. And that age of introduction is getting younger all the time. As Christian parents, we need to be the loving authority who are the first to speak to our children about this topic so that we can give them a biblical view of sex. Sex was God's design. All things that He created He called good. 

In this episode, I discuss...

-getting your family message of sex from the Bible

-teaching your children what the word "private" means

-the importance of using anatomical terms and how that protects our children

-using the "drip method" to build the conversation

-teaching beauty and boundaries 

Scriptures Referenced:

Hebrews 13:4

Genesis 2:24

Jeremiah 8:12

Resources:

Birds & Bees https://birds-bees.com/ (use code BRETTNAY to save 20%)

Mama Bear Apologetics Guide to Sexuality: https://amzn.to/3Lxasxh

Follow my  journey by subscribing to this podcast. You can also follow me on Instagram, YouTube, and www.nohighercalling.org

James 5:16 "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

Stacie Loughrin, author of Praying Over Your Homeschool and Joy in the Chaos, joins me to speak on the importance of prayer in the life of a homeschooling family. She shares great thoughts on cultivating an atmosphere of prayer in your home and home education. 

"Homeschooling is not just about academics, but about nurturing the whole person and instilling in them a love for God and a desire to serve Him. And prayer is a crucial component of this calling."

Scriptures Referenced:

Deuteronomy 6:4-10

Resources:

Praying Over Your Homeschool: The Power of a Parent's Prayer by Stacie Loughrin https://amzn.to/3xqs6up

Joy in the Chaos: The Anxious Homeschooler's Guide to Unwavering Peace by Stacie Loughrin https://amzn.to/3xo0TZk

Follow my  journey by subscribing to this podcast. You can also follow me on Instagram, YouTube, and www.nohighercalling.org

My reading goal for 2023 is to read 50 books. Simeon and I have also set a goal to read 1 book together each quarter. This episode is an update on those challenges, and reviews of the books I've read in this quarter. 

Let me know what book you are enjoying!

Resources:

NHC Blog: My Reading Challenge 2023 (Quarter 1)

NHC YouTube: My Bookshelf

Follow my  journey by subscribing to this podcast. You can also follow me on Instagram, YouTube, and www.nohighercalling.org

I am a planner. Always have been, always will be! As I grow and navigate busy seasons of marriage, ministry, and motherhood, I've had to learn that while planning is important, it is more important to be flexible and hold my plans loosely. If God chooses to give my day a "redirect", I want to be quick to follow and obey. 

I'm often asked how I can manage to have a podcast, write books, etc all while managing a home. The truth is, I fail more often than I'd ever like to admit to you, but there are some things that have helped keep me tracking towards achieving my goals and seeing personal growth. One of those is quarterly planning. In this episode, I share

-how quarterly planning can help you fill in the gap between monthly and yearly planning

-areas to assess and set quarterly goals for

-incorporating prayer into your planning

and more!

Resources:

NHC Shop: https://www.nohighercalling.org/shop

NHC YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nohighercalling

PowerSheets Goal Planner: https://thedailygraceco.com/products/2023-one-year-powersheets-goal-planner

GatherRound Homeschool: https://gatherroundhomeschool.com/

Clean 15 with Sarah Boots: https://podcasts.apple.com/af/podcast/clean-15-with-sarah-boots/id1547126864?i=1000593962267

Follow my  journey by subscribing to this podcast. You can also follow me on Instagram, YouTube, and www.nohighercalling.org

There are many reasons why sheep refuse to rest- trouble amongst the flock, pestilence, and hunger just to name a few. When the shepherd is near, he removes these issues and allows his sheep to rest in peace and contentment. The same is true for the Shepherd of our souls. Life brings many worries and anxieties to our hearts. How can we "lie down in green pastures"? How can we find the rest our soul craves? Our Shepherd Himself is the rest! There is no substitute for the awareness that the Shepherd is near.

God has created us to require rest. In making our human bodies to require rest, He reveals our dependency and limitations, yet His sufficiency! Does this mean that we are doomed if we don't sleep 8 hours at night and get several naps each week? No! While physical rest is vital, there is a soul rest that supersedes all others. This soul rest provides a deep well for us to draw from as we live out our purposes in our busy lives.

Scriptures Referenced:

Psalm 4:8; 23

Ezekiel 34:15-16

Resources:

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W Phillip Keller: https://amzn.to/3CJZGid 

The Heart of the Shepherd by Stephen Chappell: https://amzn.to/3Sh6B8R

If you do not know Christ as your Shepherd, email me at [email protected]. I'd love nothing more than to share how Jesus Christ can be your Savior.

Follow my  journey by subscribing to this podcast. You can also follow me on Instagram, YouTube, and www.nohighercalling.org

Proverbs 12:15 "he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise." God has been so good to bless my life with Denise Palmer, my spiritual mentor. She has been a continual source of godly wisdom and counsel for me. I wish that every woman could have a Denise! 

We polled asking women what they'd like to ask if they had a spiritual mentor to turn to for biblical wisdom. We received many questions, but we narrowed it down to a few that we hear quite often from women. Denise shares that the source of answers for all of our questions is God, but she seeks to guide our thinking towards biblical principles from a standpoint of one with experience.

We address the topics of 

-The empty nest season

-How much should husbands help in the home?

-One thing Denise is thankful she did as a mom, and one thing she wishes she would've done differently

Resources:

NHC Podcast- Too Much TV?: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-84-too-much-tv/id1547126864?i=1000563976777 

Follow my  journey by subscribing to this podcast. You can also follow me on Instagram, YouTube, and www.nohighercalling.org

Feminism has invaded everything. Education, media, culture, and even the church. If we are going to biblical women, women of the Bible, we need to know what God says about our role and purpose.

My mentor, Denise Palmer, joins me to share her past experiences with feminist thinking and how God used His Word to change her heart and mind. We dig into the foundational tenets of the feminist movement, some of which we can appreciate. I am thankful that women have the right to vote, to be educated, etc. But as first wave feminism moved into the second and third wave, we see worldly ideology taking control. Now, we see a movement that is seeking to take a wrecking ball to the order God has designed, and "rebuild" it in a way that is in accordance with man's [humankind's] thinking.

As women who seek to know truth and live it out in our lives, what can we do to uphold God's order in spite of the opposing culture? We seek to answer this from the truth we find in the Bible.

Scripture Referenced:

Genesis 3:16

Jeremiah 17:9-10

II Corinthians 10:5

Resources:

Eve in Exile by Rebekah Merkle

Mama Bear Apologetics by Hillary Morgan Ferrer

Follow my  journey by subscribing to this podcast. You can also follow me on Instagram, YouTube, and www.nohighercalling.org

During our time in the States, I had the privilege of managing a Facebook mom group for ladies in my community. One of the highlights of being an admin of that group was our Mom's Night Out events. Every other month, I would get with the other group admins, and we would host a fun evening for our mom friends. Each one was a bit different as they spanned over the past 5 years, but all were such a wonderful evening of refreshment and encouragement. 

Don't let it be something that feels so daunting that you push it off! "The purpose of hosting is not to impress, it is to bless." There are many ways to make this a simple, yet fun venture. Not only will the evening refresh you in your motherhood, but it is also a great opportunity to share the gospel with other mom's in your circle. 

In this episode, I share some tips on how to plan and host a mom's night out.

-Thinking through location

-Sending invitations

-Planning food, activities, etc

-Keeping the fellowship focused on Christ

Follow my  journey by subscribing to this podcast. You can also follow me on Instagram, YouTube, and www.nohighercalling.org

Our family has had quite the major life transition. On Wednesday, January 25th, our family of 6 began our journey from cold east Tennessee to beautiful, sunny Sydney, Australia. So many of you have prayed for us along the way, and I wanted to share some of the miraculous ways that God answered very specific requests. 

To everyone who has prayed for us, given financially, sent us encouraging messages, etc- THANK YOU! We could not be more grateful!

Subscribe to the No Higher Calling YouTube channel and see a video glimpse into our journey: https://youtu.be/dqa7wH4k-xQ 

Follow our ministry at www.brazzellstoaustralia.com