Take Heart

How do you hold on to hope when your child has a terminal diagnosis? Today, Sara Clime shares how she holds on to hope while living with that reality. She encourages us that when we start to lose hope, we simply need to look further ahead. With Jesus, our hardships are never wasted.

December 20, 2022

Key Topics/Timestamps:
[1:04]     Defining hope
[3:21]     Lost hope and our living hope
[7:58]     Hope looks to the future
[9:36]     The value of hope

Episode Links & Resources

• Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
• Scriptures Mentioned: I Peter 1:3; Revelation 21:4

If you enjoyed our podcast, please...

• Subscribe to our newsletter on the Take Heart Website
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• Share us with others from wherever you listen to podcasts
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• Find Amy at www.amyjbrown.com/  or on Instagram @amyjbrown_writer
• Find Carrie at www.carriemholt.com or on Instagram @carriemholt
• Find Sara at www.saraclime.com or on Instagram @saraclime

Sometimes hope requires us to wrestle with grief over the way things currently are and the desire of what we want them to be. Listen in today as Carrie shares her thoughts about wrestling with hope. 

December 13, 2022

Key Topics/Timestamps:

[2:09] Facing the unknowns 
[6:38] Four things to remember about hope
[13:55] A reminder from Ann Voskamp

Episode Links & Resources

• Episode 18: Why Your Story Makes it Hard to Hope by Adam Young The Place We Find Ourselves (Choose episode 18)
• Scripture mentioned: Phil 4:5-7; Isaiah 26:3; James 4:2: I Thessalonians 5:17
• Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas by Ann Voskamp

If you enjoyed our podcast, please...

• Subscribe to our newsletter on the Take Heart Website
• Get our free resource on finding Gratitude, Peace, and Hope
• Review and like us on Apple Podcasts 
• Share us with others from wherever you listen to podcasts
• Follow us on Instagram @takeheartspecialmoms
• Find Amy at www.amyjbrown.com/  or on Instagram @amyjbrown_writer
• Find Carrie at www.carriemholt.com or on Instagram @carriemholt
• Find Sara at www.saraclime.com or on Instagram @saraclime

It can be difficult to experience hope when we are not rescued from our circumstances or protected from hardships. Amy gently reminds us today of Zachariah and Elizabeth, who experienced years of unanswered prayers. She encourages us to look to God for our hope in times of silence with three practical reminders. 

Replay from December 2020

Key Topics/Timestamps:

[2:30]The Psalms
[7:12]The Gift of Quiet
[9:13]Three practical reminders
[12:00] A Prayer

Episode Links & Resources

• Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God’s Transforming Presence by Ruth Haley Barton.
• Scriptures Mentioned: Psalm 54:7, 32:7, 33:22, 62:5, 46:10, Luke 1

If you enjoyed our podcast, please...

• Subscribe to our newsletter on the Take Heart Website
• Get our free resource on finding Gratitude, Peace, and Hope
• Review and like us on Apple Podcasts 
• Share us with others from wherever you listen to podcasts
• Follow us on Instagram @takeheartspecialmoms
• Find Amy at www.amyjbrown.com/  or on Instagram @amyjbrown_writer
• Find Carrie at www.carriemholt.com or on Instagram @carriemholt
• Find Sara at www.saraclime.com or on Instagram @saraclime

Thank you for listening to this month's topic on rest. We are following our advice and will be off this month in December. In the coming weeks, enjoy three of our favorite Christmas episodes on hope (released the first three Tuesdays of December). We look forward to the new year and want you to join us in listening to new episodes and amazing interviews with the coming of our new book, The Other Side of Special, which, releases in May of 2023. 

Today’s collaborative episode dives into the topic of rest. It's no secret that special needs moms are tired, not just physically but emotionally and spiritually too. We often deny our limits or go full speed for so long that we don't even recognize our need to stop. We assume this hurried pace is normal. Amy, Carrie, and Sara address five common misconceptions about rest and some ways to combat the hurried pace.

November 22, 2022; Ep. 108

Resources Mentioned:

• Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak

Show Takeaways: 

[2:37] I’ll have time to rest later
[6:12] I can’t stop advocating
[15:19] Rest means sleeping
[27:29] Rest is __________
[32:08] If I rest, bad things will happen
[34:15] An invitation to rest
[35:22] A prayer for you as you think about rest 

If you enjoyed our podcast, please...

• Subscribe to our newsletter on the Take Heart Website
• Get our free resource on finding Gratitude, Peace, and Hope
• Review and like us on Apple Podcasts 
• Share us with others from wherever you listen to podcasts
• Follow us on Instagram @takeheartspecialmoms
• Find Amy at www.amyjbrown.com/  or on Instagram @amyjbrown_writer
• Find Carrie at www.carriemholt.com or on Instagram @carriemholt
• Find Sara at www.saraclime.com or on Instagram @saraclime

We are continuing to talk about rest this month, and in today’s episode, Sara Clime discusses what it means to be in a season of unrest. If you are looking for a step-by-step podcast on how to find rest, this might not be it. But, if you are struggling and want to hear from someone struggling to find rest, or even want to define it, this episode is for you. 

November 15, 2022; Ep. 107

Show Links:

• The Next Right Thing by Emily P. Freeman
• Emily P. Freeman’s Instagram

Show Takeaways: 

[1:49] What a season of unrest may look like
[4:56] How Sara found a moment of rest in her season of unrest 
[7:31] A simple practice for rest

If you enjoyed our podcast, please...

• Subscribe to our newsletter on the Take Heart Website
• Get our free resource on finding Gratitude, Peace, and Hope
• Review and like us on Apple Podcasts 
• Share us with others from wherever you listen to podcasts
• Follow us on Instagram @takeheartspecialmoms
• Find Amy at www.amyjbrown.com/  or on Instagram @amyjbrown_writer
• Find Carrie at www.carriemholt.com or on Instagram @carriemholt
• Find Sara at www.saraclime.com or on Instagram @saraclime

This month on the podcast, we are talking about rest. You may think, how can I ever experience rest as a special needs mom? It may seem impossible. The type of rest Carrie is talking about is where, as Sally Breedlove writes, “we are meant to flow from a solid garden core of spacious inner quiet.” This comes from a connection with Jesus and gives us the resilience we need when hard things come our way. It's something that she’s personally been working on lately. Listen in!

November 8, 2022; Ep. 106

Show Links:

• Benevolent Detachment 
• Isaiah 26:3
• Choosing Rest: Cultivating a Sunday Heart in a Monday World by Sally Breedlove
• Life After Death by Toby Mac

Show Takeaways: 

• [2:06] Three parts of rest as defined by Sally Breedlove
• [6:53] Listen in to hear the spiritual practice Carrie is finding helpful as she is learning to rest
• [8:56] An opportunity for you to try this practice of rest 

If you enjoyed our podcast, please...

• Subscribe to our newsletter on the Take Heart Website
• Get our free resource on finding Gratitude, Peace, and Hope
• Review and like us on Apple Podcasts 
• Share us with others from wherever you listen to podcasts
• Follow us on Instagram @takeheartspecialmoms
• Find Amy at www.amyjbrown.com/  or on Instagram @amyjbrown_writer
• Find Carrie at www.carriemholt.com or on Instagram @carriemholt
• Find Sara at www.saraclime.com or on Instagram @saraclime

This month’s topic is rest. When we started discussing this as a theme, Amy told Sara and Carrie, that she didn't have much to say about the rest. After some thought and consideration, she realized this is an area of her life that she doesn’t practice very well. In this episode, Amy shares a few lessons she has learned and some areas of practice she is working on, as she practices better rest. Whether you feel weary or fully rested, this episode will help you to create a rhythm of rest that is tangible for you and your life. 

November 1, 2022; Ep. 105

Show Links:

• Emotionally Healthy Discipleship: Moving from Shallow Christianity to Deep Transformation: by Peter Scazerro

Show Takeaways: 

• [1:02] A recent story from Amy’s life about rest
• [4:47] Ways we ignore our need for rest
• [5:56] Understanding limits 
• [7:39] Helpful practices for a rhythm of rest

If you enjoyed our podcast, please...

• Subscribe to our newsletter on the Take Heart Website
• Get our free resource on finding Gratitude, Peace, and Hope
• Review and like us on Apple Podcasts 
• Share us with others from wherever you listen to podcasts
• Follow us on Instagram @takeheartspecialmoms
• Find Amy at www.amyjbrown.com/  or on Instagram @amyjbrown_writer
• Find Carrie at www.carriemholt.com or on Instagram @carriemholt
• Find Sara at www.saraclime.com or on Instagram @saraclime

What happens when we wrap our identity around things we can’t control? What could our relationship with God mean for our identity? On this episode of Take Heart, Amy J. Brown and Carrie M. Holt sat down with counselor, coach, writer, and host of the “Be Known” podcast, Kerrah Fabacher. They discuss their very real experiences with misplaced identity and Kerrah gives some invaluable tips about finding a safe friend to open up with. 

October 25, 2022;  Ep. 104

Show Links:

• Kerrah Fabacher
• One-Minute Pause App

Show Takeaways: 

• [4:25] Learn about the key characteristics you should look for in an emotionally safe friend.
• [13:11] Discover some of the common pitfalls of relying on your child’s experiences to create your own identity.
• [25:39] Listen in on how you can cultivate deeper intimacy with Christ to form your true identity.

If you enjoyed our podcast, please...

• Subscribe to our newsletter on the Take Heart Website
• Get our free resource on finding Gratitude, Peace, and Hope
• Review and like us on Apple Podcasts 
• Share us with others from wherever you listen to podcasts
• Follow us on Instagram @takeheartspecialmoms
• Find Amy at www.amyjbrown.com/  or on Instagram @amyjbrown_writer
• Find Carrie at www.carriemholt.com or on Instagram @carriemholt
• Find Sara at www.saraclime.com or on Instagram @saraclime

Have you ever had an identity crisis? We all struggle with our identity in some way and at different times in our life.  In this episode, Sara Clime redirects us from a misplaced identity to one that is built on a firm foundation. She also shares about someone from scripture that may have had an identity crisis when he was chosen for God’s good work.

October 18, 2022; Ep. 103

Show Links:

• Scriptures Mentioned: Ephesians 1:3-14

Show Takeaways: 

• [1:03] Discover the meaning of an identity crisis and practical ways to remember who you truly are.
• [7:09] Listen to the story of Moses and his call to do God’s will in a challenging situation.
• [9:09] Learn about why it is so important to believe what God says about you and not the world.

If you enjoyed our podcast, please...

• Subscribe to our newsletter on the Take Heart Website
• Get our free resource on finding Gratitude, Peace, and Hope
• Review and like us on Apple Podcasts 
• Share us with others from wherever you listen to podcasts
• Follow us on Instagram @takeheartspecialmoms
• Find Amy at www.amyjbrown.com/  or on Instagram @amyjbrown_writer
• Find Carrie at www.carriemholt.com or on Instagram @carriemholt
• Find Sara at www.saraclime.com or on Instagram @saraclime