PRN: Pause, Renew, Next

May is Foster Care Awareness month, and I couldn’t let the month pass without spending some time highlighting a topic that is near and dear to my heart.

In today’s episode, you’ll hear from foster/adoptive mom and advocate, Leeann Setliff. Leeann is an old friend of the podcast, and was interviewed in Episode 11 about her journey into foster care. Since then, so much has changed in her life, and I knew she needed to come back and give us some updates.

Since her first visit to the podcast, Leeann has helped to found and direct a nonprofit called: Fostering Hope Catawba Valley to help connect her local community to “be the village” to children in foster care. She also hosts the organization’s podcast, Friends of Foster Care.

In today’s episode, we talk about both Fostering Hope and the podcast, about Leeann’s transition into becoming an adoptive mother, about the common misconceptions of foster care, and about practical ways that people can support foster parents.

This is the last episode of Season 4! If you miss PRN this summer, please go back and listen to one of the 101 episodes you may have missed. Before you know it, the podcast will be back in August for Season 5!

May you be encouraged on your journey with Jesus.

Pause, Renew, Next!

Welcome to the 100th episode of PRN: Pause, Renew, Next! When I thought about how I wanted to celebrate the 100th episode, I decided I wanted it to be a biography episode. I just love learning from women of faith who have walked before, and have finished the race well!

In this episode, we’re going to be diving into the life Ida Scudder, a third generation medical missionary, who helped to change the landscape of medical practice in India. Wow, is her story fascinating!

I would love to know what resonates with you from Ida’s story? Share below or join the conversation on PRN’s Facebook page.

Thank you, friends, for the last 100 episodes with you, and I look forward to the next 100.

May you be encouraged on your journey with Jesus!

Resources used for today’s podcast episode:

• 50 Women Every Christian Should Know by Michelle DeRusha
• Ida Scudder: Healing Bodies, Touching Hearts by Janet and Geoff Benge

Join me for the last soul-care reflection episode of Season 4 as we explore what it means to be rooted and established in Christ.

May you be encouraged on your journey with Jesus.

Pause, Renew, Next!

Meditation is so good for our souls. I particularly love meditating on God’s Word! So, for this Easter week episode, we are going to meditate together on one of my favorite passages about Christ: Philippians 2.

We’ll listen together to the verses 3 times, and each time we’ll focus on a different aspect of the passage.

I hope the truths of God’s word sink down deep into your soul. He is Risen!

May you be encouraged on your journey with Jesus.

Pause, Renew, Next!

Today’s podcast guest, Ed Khouri, is such a wealth of wisdom, and it was a joy to sit down and talk with him about his new book: Becoming a Face of Grace.

If you’ve been a Christian long, you may think you know all about grace, but I guarantee that this conversation will shine new light and perspective on what grace means in our relationships with each other and with God.

Ed has a forty year history working in the field of substance abuse. He is the president of Equipping Hearts for the Harvest, and has also served as a pastoral counselor and trainer, leading workshops and equipping workers to serve hurting men and women all over the world.

Fun fact for the listener! Ed’s stepdaughter, Deni, was a previous guest on the PRN Podcast. You can listen to her episode here: Soul-Care Practices.

I hope that today’s episode encourages you towards the pursuit and experience of grace: with God and with others. To learn more about Ed and his work, please visit his website.

May you be encouraged on your journey with Jesus.

Pause, Renew, Next!

This is the last episode in the burnout and recovery podcast series. It is a short and sweet episode (7 minutes total!) that focuses on hope.

More specifically, we’re going to look at how in God’s kingdom, hope and strength can be found in weakness.

May you be encouraged on your journey with Jesus.

Pause, Renew, Next!

What is one component necessary for recovery and healing? Nourishment!

In today’s episode, we’re continuing our conversation about burnout and recovery by diving into the topic of self-care. Nourishment is “the food or other substances necessary for growth, health, and good condition,” and today we’re talking about ways that we can focus on nourishment for our bodies, relationships, minds, and spirits.

This is not a how-to episode, but rather, a reflection on how we can best allow ourselves the space, grace, and nourishment we need to heal.

May you be encouraged on your journey with Jesus.

Pause, Renew, Next!

In this week’s episode, we’re continuing our ongoing conversation about burnout and recovery, by tackling a difficult but necessary topic: grief. What does grief have to do with burnout? Listen to find out!

I hope this fifteen minute episode encourages you to give yourself space to reflect and permission to grieve the losses in your own life, both big and small.

May you be encouraged on your journey with Jesus.

Pause, Renew, Next!

In today’s reflection episode we will be meditating on a powerful passage from the Sermon on the Mount about worry. Settle in and allow God’s Word to renew your mind. If you’d like to read along, we’ll be reading from Matthew 6:19-31.

In this passage, Jesus invites us to think about life, treasure, and anxiety differently. His Kingdom flips everything upside down! His ideas were radical then, and they’re still radical today.

We’ll end the episode together with a breath prayer and benediction that you can carry with you throughout the week.

May you be encouraged on your journey with Jesus.

Pause, Renew, Next!

It was a joy to sit down with my friend and fellow counselor, Jessica Hatton, and talk about soul-care and motherhood. Friends, grab a cup of coffee or tea and settle in for a conversation that is sure to encourage you!

Jessica is a licensed clinical mental health counselor with years of experience. In 2020, she began her own practice, Christian Mom Counseling, where she provides professional counseling via virtual teletherapy for women located in the state of North Carolina. As a mom of three children under the age of seven, she understands how difficult it can be to prioritize life’s many demands.

In this conversation, Jessica and I talk about mom guilt, mental health, loneliness, and how she is practicing soul-care in her own life these days. Jessica also shares about a resource she often recommends for helping women find community: She Works His Way.

If you enjoyed this episode, and you’d like to learn more about Jessica and her practice, please visit her website: ChristianMomCounseling.com.

May you be encouraged on your journey with Jesus.

Pause, Renew, Next!