With Easter being a little over a month away, we couldn’t imagine a more perfect guest to share about one of our favorite books he’s written titled The Grave Robber: How Jesus CAN Make Your Impossible Possible. Our guest that will be joining us today for a powerful episode on Making Room for the Miraculous in our own lives is Lead Pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C. and NY Times Best-Selling Author, Dr. Mark Batterson. There’s no question that so many individuals desperately look for God to do a work in their impossible situations. However as Pastor Mark warns us, “We’re not called to seek miracles. We are called to seek Jesus, and if we follow Jesus long enough and far enough, we’ll eventually find ourselves in the middle of some miracles.” Our challenge for you today after listening to this powerful conversation with Pastor Mark is to begin seeing the miraculous in the monotonous, because even if God does nothing else, my friends, He has already done enough! Make room for the Miraculous to show up and show off in your life today!

Link to The Grave Robber: How Jesus Can Make Your Impossible Possible: https://www.markbatterson.com/books/the-grave-robber/

Link to Please, Sorry, Thanks: The 3 Words that Change Everything: https://www.markbatterson.com/books/please-sorry-thanks/

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Let me ask, are you tired of being at war with your body—and your thoughts about your body? With the constant presence of social media and more, so many of us fall into the scary trap of comparison. Comparing ourselves to others. Comparing ourselves to culture and society’s definitions of perceived perfection. Maybe even comparing our current self to our younger self. Whatever it is, we get lost trying to replicate this world’s defintion of beauty rather than trying to radiate the beauty God has already instilled within us. Thankfully, today’s guest, Rachael Gilbert, comes with a message of hope and encouragement to help us restore and renovate our body images from the inside out. As a fitness instructor, Rachael struggled with shame when she didn’t measure up to her dream body image, but then, as a licensed counselor, she realized how many of us bury those same painful insecurities as well. Therefore, Rachael wrote her new book releasing March 7th titled Image Restored: Tear Down Shame and Insecurity to Experience a Body Image Renovation. In and throughout the pages of this book as well as the discussion in this week’s episode you’ll learn about a biblical perspective on eating, fitness, and godly self-confidence; tools for overcoming comparison; counselor-inspired strategies to help you appreciate how God made you; and ways to use thoughts and feelings so they help you rather than sabotage you. My prayer is that after this episode, you would be encouraged and uplifted to view yourself through the eyes of our Creator who calls you unique, wonderful, and beautiful. 

Link to Image Restored Book: https://rachaelgilbert.com/image-restored/

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Time and time again, it seems as if couples are too often getting love “wrong.” They bring their hurts, wounds, and empty voids into relationships seeking for a completion rather than a companion. Unfortunately, what many tend to neglect or forget is that God is the Only Great Physician that can bring the true Help, Hope, and Healing we are looking for. However, He still allows us to play an active role in that helping process. Joining us today to discuss how we can provide the necessary safety, humility, and intentionality to WIN at love God’s Way is one of the greatest couples I know, Dr. Johnny and Mrs. Lezlyn Parker. Dr. Johnny and Mrs. Lezlyn are authors, speakers, certified and executive life coaches, and relationship architects that have spent countless years helping men and women achieve success and flourishing by viewing their lives as a story. Through their “Turn the Page” system and mindset they’ve been able to help, CEOs, pro athletes, coaches, and other high-impact men and women gain high-definition clarity and discover the stories they were born to live. Additionally, in terms of relationships, they have produced an incredible resource in both book and video course/content form titled K.I.S.S. - Keeping Intimacy Sweet & Simple. This is such a valuable resource as it is very interactive and application based. To find out more about that resource and about our amazing guests today, go to theparkersspeak.com. We pray this episode will speak truth, hope, and life into you and your relationships for years to come.

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There’s no secret that love and relationships can be hard, difficult, and at times take a lot of work. However, when things get hard, I believe people too often quit or settle for comfort or familiarity. That being said, some of the best advice I’ve ever been given regarding love and relationships came from our guest today, when he reminded me that “What’s natural early on needs to be followed by intentional later on.” Joining us today to discuss this incredible advice is Founding and Lead Pastor of Woodland Hills Family Church in Branson, MO, nationally acclaimed speaker, author, comedian, and relationship expert, Ted Cunningham. During this episode, we will be discussing and dissecting 5 practical and intentional steps you can begin taking to finding and fostering the intentional love so many seek yet too often neglect. These steps include: Connection, Communication, Celebration, Confession, and Consistency. Our prayer is that through this episode you would be encouraged to make intentional decisions that would allow the relationships within your life to flourish. Remember, “What’s natural early on, needs to be followed by intentional later on. But when done intentionally, it it can start to feel natural again.”

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With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, love and relationships are a hot topic of conversation. Therefore, throughout this month, we wanted to sit down with some of the best relationship experts in order to identify some healthy habits we can begin implementing within our daily lives to cultivate the love we so desperately seek. That being said, joining us today is a Licensed Professional Counselor and nationally acclaimed speaker who specializes in relationship and marital issues as well as mental and emotional health, Debra Fileta. Debra is also the author of six books and host of the Love + Relationships Podcast where she is passionate about spreading the message that healthy people make healthy relationships. The truth is, we all have the innate longing or craving to be loved, to be accepted, or to feel like we belong, but unfortunately too many of us get into relationships for all the wrong reasons. However, as Debra reminds us today, we can’t come to the table “half-full”, expecting someone or something else to fill, fix, or complete us. We need to be the one’s taking our burdens, pasts, and toxic patterns to the Lord as well as implementing the steps necessary to cultivate healthy habits which generate healthy relationships. No matter what your relationship status says, this episode will remind, challenge, and push you to keep looking upward and inward before looking outward. 

Lastly, be sure to check out Debra’s new book, “Reset: Powerful Habits to Own Your Thoughts, Understand Your Feelings, and Change Your Life.” This book will help you find the freedom and breakthrough  you may be looking for. It officially launches March 14th but you can Pre-Order the book at this link: https://amzn.to/3I0QCsh

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I think we can all attest to the fact that times will inevitably come in life that seem too hard to bear. Challenge and adversity keep piling up leaving us doubtful and discouraged for what lies ahead. However, it’s in these difficult yet defining moments where the trajectory of our lives can be transformed. For today’s guest, Dr. Rick Rigsby, his defining moment took the place of him weeping at his late wife’s funeral after her bout with breast cancer, when he looked up to his father and breathed the words, “Dad, I’ve lost hope.” His father’s response however changed the trajectory of his life… “Son, you can’t lose something God gave you. You haven’t lost hope, you’ve lost perspective.” Because of that timely reminder, Dr. Rigsby is now a best-selling author, podcaster, and one of the most sought after inspirational speakers of our day and age. Many may know about him from a powerful message he delivered at a commencement ceremony that went viral a few years back titled, “Lessons I Learned from a 3rd Grade Dropout!” In and throughout this episode, Dr. Rigsby shares some of those lessons and wants to help you understand that the Storms in this life are what help us see the Savior. Give this powerful message of Hope a listen today!

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The promises of the Lord are truly so comforting to me. One of my favorites includes the promise found in Isaiah 43 where God promises that He will always be with us. No matter what we are going through, no matter if it's a hill or a valley, He is there. He says in Isaiah 43:2, when we pass through those dark waters He's still there, and when we walk through the blazing hot fire, He has everything under control. Why? Because, God doesn't want us going through this life alone. He wants us to constantly be reminded that we are never alone, and I believe this reminder is best done the power of community and relationships with others. God loves to use others as messengers or conduits through which He can produce change in someone else’s life. Today, we will be hearing from a man who has many accolades and has served in countless leadership positions, but one of his greatest joys is seeing others in their time of need and reminding them of their worth, value, and potential. Joining us is Dr. Ron Hawkins who currently serves as the Chairman of the National Advisory Board for us here at the American Association of Christian Counselors. Before his time with us at the AACC, he served in numerous academic positions including Provost and Chief Academic Officer at Liberty University, he started out his career as a Pastor, he’s been a Seminary President, he’s a Licensed Professional Counselor, and he is simply a man of great wisdom who leaders continue to look to for sage and timely advice. However, in today’s episode Doc shares with us a pivotal moment in his life where someone became the hands and feet of Christ, choosing to see Him through the eyes of God in a time of need and stepping up and into the moment to breathe some life and fight back into him. The cool thing? You have the opportunity to do that very same thing for someone today and every day. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” Our challenge to you throughout today’s episode: See others in their time of need. Be willing to step up and into that moment. Provide them with the comfort you have also received from the Lord.

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Change is inevitable, but growth is intentional. In other words, in order to make positive change, a decision has to be made. A decision fueled by determination, sacrifice, and conviction. Unfortunately however, many people get “stuck” in life. Whether it being a difficult past, previous mistakes, attachment wounds, settling for comfort and convenience, fear, or more, this life will throw as many knockout punches as possible causing many to lay stagnant on the canvas of the ring in life. Thankfully though, today’s guest is a man who has dedicated his life to helping others implement and produce change in their own hearts and lives! Joining us is President of the American Association of Christian Counselors (www.aacc.net), Executive Director of the Global Center for Mental Health, Addiction, and Recovery at Liberty University, and cohost of Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk, heard on over 1,400 radio outlets daily, Dr. Tim Clinton! In and throughout today’s episode Dr. Clinton will equip us with 6 very practical steps that we can begin implementing to spark and sustain the change we are looking for! Beyond the many roles Dr. Clinton fills, my personal favorite is that I get to call him Dad and my best friend! My prayer is that my dad would remind you today, that if you still have breath in your lungs, you still have some FIGHT left in you!

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It’s a week into the new year, and we all know what that means…  a lot of people are trying to hang on and follow through with their big dreams, goals, and resolutions for the new year. Interestingly, many of those resolutions involve getting in better shape or becoming more physically fit or healthy. I’ve already heard several resolutions this year that sound something like, “I want to work out more, I want to eat better, I want to run a marathon or do a Spartan Race, I want to get a 6-pack, or I want to lose this much weight.” However, the statistics have revealed that 90% of people who make New Years resolutions will fail, noting that 50% of those resolution makers will fail by the end of January. So what’s the secret? What’s the strategy to maintaining your goals throughout this entire year? One word: DISCIPLINE. Therefore, to speak on the topic of discipline, I have invited one of the most disciplined people I have ever met to join us on the show this week. Joining us is a man who has over 16 years of coaching experience and currently serves as a Human Performance Specialist for the United States Army Special Operations Command, Coach Shelton Stevens. Prior to his position with our U.S. Military Coach Stevens worked with several Division I institutions as a strength and conditioning specialist. Additionally, he and his wife Macie have started 13 Bar Performance (http://13barperformance.com) where their goal is to provide elite performance programs for individuals who strive to reach their full maximal potential. Ultimately, in and throughout this week’s episode, our hope is that you would be educated, equipped, and encouraged as to how you CAN make the daily choices to follow through with your goals ONE decision at a time. Remember, successful people do consistently what other people do occasionally. Let’s Roll.

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Let’s be honest, sometimes the weight of our past, our mistakes, shame, and guilt can be too much to bear. Sometimes these very things can hold us in bondage from the calling God has bestowed on our lives. However, our Built Different Guest today wants to remind you that as we head into a new year, you have the power and ability to cross over into this new year without carrying over the baggage from the previous. Joining us on the podcast today is one of the most gifted communicators and Bible teachers we have ever heard serving as the Senior Pastor of Celebration Church, Pastor Tim Timberlake. Trust us when we say this is a captivating, Spirit filled and led episode that you will want to have a pen and paper ready in order to write down as many notes as possible. Ultimately, Pastor Tim wants to remind you that making the most of every minute in a day, making change, and living the life God intends for you is up to you! Too many of us have uphill hopes, but downhill habits. While change may be natural, growth is intentional. After listening to this episode, we pray that your heart, mind, and spirit would be prepared to begin cultivating intentional growth and building lasting habits that will allow you the opportunity to look expectantly toward all that God has in store for you in 2023!

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