No Higher Calling

In this episode, I reflect on the past decade of life and share lessons that God has been teaching me. While a part of me is sad that my 20s have come and gone, I'm excited to see what God has in store for the future as I seek to continue to grow in my relationship with Him.

Some of the things God's been teaching me that I share in this episode are. . .

*I need to accept who God made me to be and root my confidence in Christ

*Perspective is everything

*Serving Christ doesn't always look like leading a big ministry

*The importance of enjoying the journey

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

Listen to me gush about all the beautiful details of my sweet Willow's arrival. Some things didn't look anything like I had planned, but God worked in every details and blessed us with a healthy baby and a lovely home birth. We couldn't be more smitten with our darling daughter. 

Resources:

NHC Blog: Willow Noelle's Birth Story

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

What a joy it is to have my spiritual mentor, Denise Palmer, joining me once a month for a Titus 2 Talk! On these special episodes, Denise and I will be doing a deep dive into the truths God has taught us through the book of Titus. 

On this episode, we define and discuss the word discreet. This character quality shows discernment or good judgment in our conduct and speech. As we study through this, Scripture reveals that this is not an exterior adornment; it is an interior heart work. When we pursue biblical womanhood, the Holy Spirit will develop a deeper Christlikeness in us. Mark 12:34 writes that Christ Himself answered discreetly. 

This episode presents the challenge for each of us to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas of our lives where we are not showing discretion. We then move beyond that to asking Him to show us how we can mentor those younger in the faith to also exhibit discretion in their Christian life.

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

Philippians 4:5 "“Let your moderation be known unto all men . . ." In a culture where everything is done in excess, God has called us to live balanced lives where all things are done in proper moderation. One area of life that has become so difficult to balance in today's age is media, for ourselves and for our children. Sarah Boots from Altogether Lovely Collective joins me to share wisdom on how we can mother with wisdom in the digital age. As she shares staggering statistics regarding the hold that media holds over our children's generation, you quickly realize this is an area that requires our diligence in being a faithful gatekeeper!

Other areas she covers are 1. the default mode network, 2. the difference between books and technology, 3. how to handle boredom, 4. how to recognize when media has become imbalanced in the home, 5. ideas on how to replace media in the home.

This discussion was so helpful to me, and I know it will be to you as well!

Resources:

Altogether Lovely Instagram Page

https://altogetherlovelycollective.com

Altogether Lovely Facebook Page

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

Simeon joins me on this episode to share our personal journey with what part TV has played in our home in years past and in our current season. When we were first married, we gave so much of our time to the TV. As we transitioned into parenthood, many of those trends continued. Around 2 years ago, God began speaking to Simeon and I about this issue, and we started rethinking what role we wanted TV to play in our home. 

As we transitioned life to having less and less TV, there was a huge adjustment period- for us and for our children! But the fruit that has come from the switch has been so rewarding!! Simeon and I have been able to pursue hobbies, enjoy each other's company, and pursue dreams God has put on our hearts. Our children have learned how to handle boredom; they've fallen in love with books; their creativity has soared. We have also seen a big change in their behavior. 

This is an area of home that everyone will have to make their own personal decisions on, but we wanted to give the challenge to at least make it a matter of conversation and prayer. We've seen great blessings in our family life that has been in direct connection with limiting screen time, so much so that we felt led to share our experience with you!

Resources:

NHC Blog: My Favorite Preschool Resources (www.nohighercalling.org/blog/2020/08/13/home-education-favorites-for-preschool) 

NHC Blog: Our Favorite Date Night Games (https://www.nohighercalling.org/blog/2021/02/03/our-favorite-date-night-games)

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

What is my "no higher calling"? For me, that is to glorify God through being a wife and a mother, but that is not the calling God chooses to give to every woman. Whatever your life looks like, our highest calling is to bare the image of Christ, and in doing so, to bring Him glory. 

It was a joy to interview my dear friend, Lauren Hickman. God has chosen for her life to look very different from mine, but our callings are equal as we both seek to pursue Christ and find HIs purpose for our lives. Lauren shares her heart and personal experiences of singleness with a desire to encourage other single ladies to find all that Christ has for them in that season of life. She shares blessings that come from singleness as well as some ways to keep your heart from letting loneliness and discouragement creep in. 

We wrap up the episode with some light-hearted "singleness etiquette" helping married women know what to, and not to, say to their single friends. Married or unmarried, I know this episode will bless your heart! 

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

As we continue our Respectable Sins Bible study, we come to the sins of pride and selfishness. These sins are like a fibrous root system that spreads fast and wide and intertwines into many crevices of the heart. Jesus Christ gave us a perfect example of humility and selflessness. If we are to be conforming more into His image, we need to confess and forsake these sins!

We discuss several different aspects of pride such as moral self-righteousness, pride of correct doctrine, pride of achievement, and an independent, prideful spirit. I then transition into addressing a few common areas where we often struggle with selfishness. As women who have influence on other's hearts, especially young ones, we need to be setting a strong godly example in these areas. Let's be women who are becoming more and more like our humble Savior!

Resources:

NHC Blog: Pride & Selfishness (www.nohighercalling.org/blog/respectable-sins-pride-amp-selfishness) 

Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges 

Comparison Girl by Shannon Popkin

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

We live very busy lives as women devoted to marriage, children, homemaking, ministry, and more. Rest tends to be an area of life that is a struggle. In a world that promotes "self-care" and "me-time", what is the proper balance? 

God designed our bodies to require rest. If nothing else, it keeps our dependency upon Him as we follow His perfect order for our bodies. He goes even farther in His Word to give us a guide as to what proper rest should look like. We cannot serve as God intends when we push, push, push and neglect rest. We cannot serve as God intends when we are consumed with prioritizing our own needs over others. So how do we find the balance? 

Jessica Cutis joins me in this episode to discuss the balancing act of rest. Some of the points she addresses are 1. God's design for rest, 2. the difference between rest and idleness, 3. ways to rest our bodies, 4. ways to find rest for our souls. 

Resources:

Instagram: From the Heart of Mrs. Missionary (https://www.instagram.com/fromtheheartofmrsmissionary/)

Instagram: Blessed Purposeful Living (https://www.instagram.com/blessedpurposefulliving/) 

Jessica's Website (https://blessedpurposefulliving.com/) 

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

What a joy it is to have my spiritual mentor, Denise Palmer, joining me once a month for a Titus 2 Talk! On these special episodes, Denise and I will be doing a deep dive into the truths God has taught us through the book of Titus. 

On this episode, we walk through the things God has commanded the aged women to teach to the younger women in regards to loving our children. We discuss ...

-The sanctifying work of motherhood

-The sacrifice of motherhood

-The stewardship of motherhood

-The sweetness of motherhood

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

2 years ago, I launched the No Higher Calling blog with the post, Cloth Diapering 101. At that time, I had cloth diapered 2 babies, and so many mamas were reaching out with questions! Here we are several years later, and it is still a topic that I get asked about so often! Whether your motivation is to save money, to have a natural option for baby, or to take better care of the earth, cloth diapering can be a wonderful option! It sounds daunting. Who wants to deal with the mess and how do you begin to know how to get started? I have taken many of my notes from the blog post and shared them on this podcast episode. If this is something you've wondered about, I hope you find many helpful answers!

Resources:

NHC Blog: Cloth Diapering 101

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