Spark Directory

Join host Ben Quine this week on Conversations with Christians Engaged as we continue our Stories from America series with Jonathan Saenz, President of Texas Values.

Jonathan shares powerful insights from his journey defending faith, family, and freedom in Texas, including key victories like the Texas Heartbeat Law and advocacy for young leaders making a real impact.

Subscribe for weekly episodes of Conversations with Christians Engaged, where we inspire you to pray, vote, and engage with biblical clarity and conviction.

We exist to awaken, educate, and empower believers in Jesus Christ to:

• PRAY for our nation and elected officials
• VOTE in local, state, and national elections
• ENGAGE in civic education and involvement for our communities

Learn more: christiansengaged.org

Support our mission: christiansengaged.org/donate

Take the Pledge to PRAY, VOTE, & ENGAGE: christiansengaged.org/pledge

How do you establish a belief in your true identity amid other people's expectations?

Host Tina Yeager sits down with Christie Award-winning novelist and former therapist Amanda Cox for a heartfelt conversation on navigating the complex space between others’ expectations and our true identities. Together, they explore how the search for belonging, the weight of family dynamics, and the pressure to seek approval can both hinder and reshape our sense of self. Amanda shares her personal journey, professional insights, and the powerful ways her novels—like The Bitter End Birding Society and He Should Have Told the Bees—reflect the challenges and triumphs of embracing who we are truly meant to be. If you’ve ever struggled to filter out the noise of other voices so you can step boldly into your God-given identity, this episode is just for you. Tune in and discover practical wisdom, encouragement, and hope for your own path toward authenticity and healing.

Highlights from the Conversation:

• Why so many women struggle with identity: Amanda shares how our sense of self is shaped by family, friends, and society—and how we can untangle those outside influences from the truth of who God made us to be.
• Approval vs. Belonging: Learn the difference between healthy belonging and people-pleasing, and the freedom that comes from living for divine approval rather than human applause.
• Recognizing your strengths: Are you quiet, observant, or sensitive? Amanda reminds us that what’s seen as a “weakness” by others may actually be your God-given superpower.
• Family dynamics and healing: Ever found yourself slipping back into old patterns the moment you go home? The episode explores how deep-rooted family roles shape us, and practical ways to heal and grow—even when our loved ones don’t “get” the new us.
• Overcoming shame and bitterness: The team discusses the pitfalls of living in the “shoulds” and how forgiving others releases us to become the person God intends us to be.
• The healing power of fiction: Amanda’s novels, including The Bitter End Birding Society and He Should Have Told the Bees, invite readers to process universal emotions like isolation, shame, and hope—showing that fiction can be a gentle guide through real-life challenges.

Connect with Amanda Cox:

• Explore Amanda's books & updates: amandacoxwrites.com
• Join her community on Instagram & Facebook: @amandacoxwrites

We're thrilled to accompany you on this journey of faith, growth, and transformation. As always, we appreciate your support! Please subscribe and share this episode. We can't wait for you to join us for future episodes of Flourish-Meant.

To book Tina as a speaker, connect with her life coaching services, and more, visit her website: https://tinayeager.com/

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Welcome to a new season of the Fearless and Free podcast! In this episode, host Dana Grindal teams up with her longtime friend and ministry partner, Molly McNamara, to explore what it truly means to live "A Leader’s Life." Drawing on decades of leadership experience in trauma centers, ministry, and family life, Dana and Molly discuss the unique pressures leaders face today and the need for holistic support—spiritual, emotional, and physical. They introduce their new leader training program, designed to help Christian leaders take back territory and thrive, covering themes such as team unity, emotional health, and the importance of a safe community. Whether you’re leading in your home, church, or the workplace, this episode offers practical encouragement and fresh tools to help you grow, heal, and lead with confidence.

Outline:
(00:02) Leadership in Restoring Society
(03:10) Navigating Team Chaos to Success
(06:18) Connecting Hearts Through Prayer
(12:04) Navigating Emotions in Leadership
(13:44) Leader Tracks: Holistic Ministry Training
(17:24) "Enhancing Leadership and Team Dynamics"
(23:29) Personal Growth and Spiritual Fulfillment
(27:45) Leadership: Self-Reflection and Empathy
(29:09) Understanding Trauma's Impact on Children
(34:19 Fall Workshops and Leader Resources
38:30 Consultation and Mentoring Options Available
40:08 "Purpose-Driven Leadership Encouragement"

Insights/Recommendation:
Whitestone Ministries International.
Moms in Prayer
Matthew 18
Teaching Fellowship Institute
teachingfellowshipinstitute.org
Instagram and Facebook: Teaching Fellowship Institute.

About The Guest:

Molly McNamara is an experienced leader with an impressive 45-year career in healthcare, most of which she spent managing trauma centers in Houston. Throughout her career, Molly led large, multidisciplinary teams—comprising physicians, nurses, chaplains, respiratory therapists, and family members—ensuring smooth care during high-pressure, critical situations. Drawing on decades of frontline experience, Molly is passionate about helping leaders regain stability and purpose amid societal upheaval. She believes today's challenges require leaders who can restore order and inspire teams, families, and organizations by understanding different perspectives—and she is committed to guiding others on this path.

About The Host:
Dana Grindal is the energetic host of the "Fearless and Free" podcast, where she advocates a holistic approach to healing and wholeness, including spirit, soul, and body. As the founder of Whitestone Ministries International, Dana is dedicated to creating a safe and welcoming space for Christians to connect and embrace the abundant life Christ offers. Her mission is to encourage believers to live fearlessly by tapping into the full potential of their faith. After a short hiatus, Dana is eager to reconnect with her audience, sharing new insights and updates for the upcoming season of her inspiring podcast.

fearlessandfreecommunity.com

danagrindal.com

SUMMARY:

PODCAST INTRO:

Anita’s family had always provided a strong foundation of faith in Christ and they pointed her to Him again when she needed clarity, answers, direction, forgiveness. As you’ll hear in her story, God was ahead of her need beginning with a relocation. God had already stirred her pastor father to look for a church in Lancaster, PA. Her father was offered a pastoral job so they had just recently moved when Anita discovers she’s pregnant. The church that the Lord placed them in welcomed them with kindness and the desire to help them. It was a church family and environment that would be supportive to a new pastor and his family including an unwed 17 year old pregnant daughter.

When Anita asked God what was best for her baby she felt she’d heard clearly that adoption was to be her choice. Even after making the decision she felt God was leading her toward, as her belly grows and she begins to feel the baby move, she second guesses whether it was God she heard or herself. Have you ever been there? Trying to discern whether you heard God right, did He really say that? I think that question is as old as the Garden of Eden. It’s that struggle where we’re asking/wondering, was that your voice God or my internal voice?

As we all know, adoption does not end with a decision. This is an issue of the human heart and there is a lifetime ahead both for the mother and the child. Anita points out her concerns about creating abandonment and rejection issues for her daughter. Even though she had prayed and requested a Christian family for her daughter, Anita still had anxiety wondering if her little girl was safe, loved, protected.

In the delivery room, Anita had only heard her daughter cry, she did not get to see her nor hold her so Anita’s heart ached to meet the baby that had changed her life. She so desired to learn more about her. In our conversation, you can tell that Anita’s heart was broken but she held on to hope that God would one day allow a reunion and Anita would actually meet, touch, hug her daughter, hear her daughter’s voice once again.

There are many precious moments that Anita shares but the one that stood out to me was the exchange that she and God had in a quiet moment together and God speaks into her spirit about His longing for the orphan hearts of the children that He desires to adopt and even those who have professed Him as their Savior but have yet to make Him the Lord of their life through reading His word, talking with Him and creating intimate relationship. As God speaks into Anita’s spirit,