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Dr. Sandra Glahn shatters misconceptions about the goddess Artemis of Ephesus and reveals how cultural context transforms our understanding of biblical passages about women's roles in the church and family.

• Artemis was not a fertility goddess but actually "nobody's mother" – a virgin huntress who was known for killing women and children.
• Artemis worship dominated Ephesus during Paul's ministry there, influencing the spiritual climate he addressed in letters like 1 Timothy.
• Paul's instructions in 1 Timothy address false teachings circulating in house churches, potentially connected to Artemis worship.
• Paul never directly attacked Artemis by name but presented Jesus as better – a wise approach for engaging culture.
• Women were created to multiply, mother, and rule – but multiplication isn't limited to biological reproduction.
• The Genesis command to "be fruitful and multiply" is never repeated in the New Testament; instead, we're commanded to multiply disciples.
• Women like Lydia, Priscilla, and Phoebe were key church leaders without mentioning children.
• Deborah "arose a mother to Israel," showing mothering as a broader concept of spiritual nurture and leadership.

Order Sandra's new book: Nobody's Mother

Visit Sandra's website: Dr. Sandra Glahn

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Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

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Through personal stories and theological insights, New Testament Scholar and author Sandra Glahn challenges traditional views of motherhood and explores how maternal presence can be expressed beyond biological childbearing. Her journey through multiple pregnancy losses led to profound questions about women's purpose that ultimately expanded her understanding of female calling in both family and faith communities. In this three-part series, Sandra and I talk about:

• Sandra's story of growing up expecting motherhood to be her highest calling.
• The identity crisis caused by experiencing eight failed pregnancies.
• How the cultural ideal of stay-at-home mothering shaped women's understanding of purpose.
• The theological journey that led Sandra to seminary against conventional expectations.
• Jesus' words about Mary "choosing what is better" as validation for women's theological pursuits.
• Examination of 1 Timothy 2:15 about women being "saved through childbearing."
• The connection between the Artemis cult in Ephesus and Paul's teaching about women.
• Recognition that both men and women are given spiritual gifts to benefit the entire body of Christ.
• Expanding our understanding of "mothering" beyond biological definitions.

Join us to explore how reframing maternal influence can unleash women's power in homes, churches, and the world.

Order Sandra's new book: Nobody's Mother

Visit Sandra's website: Dr. Sandra Glahn

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

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Dr. Kevin Chapman shares biblical principles for mastering our emotions through cognitive behavioral therapy techniques that align with God's Word. His robust approach shows how we can transform our emotional responses by understanding the true purpose of emotions and learning to respond to them in healthier ways.

• Emotions aren't our problem – our responses to them create distress.
• The "Emotional Seal" framework: Situation, Emotion, After, Later helps identify emotional patterns.
• Emotional avoidance (suppressing feelings) brings temporary relief but worsens emotions long-term.
• Seven "being skills" form the foundation of emotional mastery, starting with being present.
• Kingdom questions help challenge negative thought patterns with biblical truth.
• Luke 21:19 reveals we are meant to "possess" (master) our souls.
• Neuroticism is a tendency to experience intense negative emotions that can be overcome.
• Mastering emotions requires consistent practice, not just management.
• Understanding the difference between living in the "kingdom of feelings" vs. God's kingdom.
• Genetic predispositions from the Fall can be transformed through intentional reprogramming.

To learn more about mastering your emotions through biblical principles, find Dr. Kevin Chapman's book "Mastering Our Emotions: Biblical Principles for Emotional Health" wherever books are sold.

Be sure to watch Dr. Kevin's show on YouTube: The Sound Mind Show

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Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

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What if your very life depended on rest? For author and Master Naturalist, Eryn Lynum, diagnosed with Addison's disease at just 14 years old, this isn't a philosophical question—it's reality. With adrenal glands that no longer function, Erin's body can't produce the stress hormone cortisol, making overwhelming stress potentially fatal. Yet from this sobering reality emerged profound wisdom about God's gift of rest that might transform how you view your rhythms of work and rejuvenation.

Looking back at her teenage diagnosis before departing on a two-month mission trip to Ethiopia (her first time on a plane!), Erin shares how her parents' faith-filled response modeled trust in God's provision. Their first question to the doctor wasn't about limitations but possibilities: "Can she still go to Africa?" This foundation of faithful trust would later inform her approach to rest not as restriction but liberation.

Three years ago, Erin and her husband—overworked, running three businesses while homeschooling four children—made the countercultural decision to embrace true Sabbath practice from Friday evening to Saturday evening. The results were stunning. Not only did their family life deepen, but her husband's struggling one-man business grew exponentially, now employing nine people with revenue increased by 500%—all while maintaining their commitment to rest. This paradox challenges our productivity-obsessed mindset: What if rest fuels our most meaningful work?

Erin draws powerful parallels from nature, especially the hummingbird—a creature whose wings beat 70 times per second yet survives through "torpor," a state of deep, restorative stillness. Similarly, she suggests implementing "Selah pauses" throughout our days—intentional moments of reflection that restore our perspective and energy. Perhaps most profound is her insight that "want and discontentment are often the drivers of hustle and hurry," revealing how contentment becomes the foundation for true rest.

Join us for this heartlifting conversation that reframes rest not as something earned after productivity but as the vital foundation upon which all meaningful work should be built. Looking for practical wisdom on implementing restful rhythms in your family life? You won't want to miss Erin's forthcoming book, "The Nature of Rest: What the Bible and Creation Teach Us About Sabbath Living," which will be released on May 13th—just in time for Mother's Day.

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Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

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Janell welcomes Aundi Kolber, a Licensed Professional Counselor and author, to explore how the flow of strength helps us move beyond trauma to true flourishing. Aundi reminds us "that seeing resurrection is no small thing."

• Aundi explains the "window of tolerance" – the optimal zone where we can feel emotions without being overwhelmed.
• Trauma can narrow our window of tolerance, making us feel unsafe even when we're secure.
• The "flow of strength" moves us from situational survival responses to integrated strength that combines fierceness with tenderness.
• Our nervous systems need "metabolization" to process difficult experiences into long-term memory rather than fragmented triggers.
• Practical grounding techniques help orient us to present safety when we feel activated by past trauma.
• Practicing simple awareness techniques, such as "I am aware of the light coming through my room," helps regulate our nervous system.
• True strength is "the capacity to meet life's challenges," not suppressing emotions or white-knuckling through difficulty.
• "We work FROM love, not FOR love" – our value doesn't come from how well we heal.
• Self-compassion practices might need to start with small steps if safety feels threatening after prolonged trauma.

Explore more through Aundi's books "Try Softer," "Strong Like Water," and "Take What You Need: Soft Words for Hard Days." Order them here.

Watch Aundi as she describes what it means "to try softer." Aundi on YouTube.

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

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Psychological flexibility transforms how we mother and mature. I welcome psychologist Jill Stoddard to explore how Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can help women navigate anxiety, stress, and the challenges of parenting with more significant presence and authenticity.

• Understanding psychological flexibility as being present, being open to internal experiences, and making value-aligned choices.
• Learning that values are how we appear in life—not feelings, outcomes, or others' behaviors.
• Recognizing avoidance patterns: The Doer, The Hider, The Compulsive, The Thinker, and The Otherer.

• Practicing mindful willingness through simple exercises like changing hand positions or breathing techniques.
• Breaking the cycle of resistance with the mantra: "This is uncomfortable, but it's just a feeling. It is not dangerous; it is temporary, and I can handle it."
• Distinguishing between acceptance of internal experiences (ACT) and radical acceptance of external reality (DBT).
• Finding ways to apply ACT principles during challenging parenting moments with young children.

Take the quiz to discover your avoidance pattern at jillstoddard.com/quizzes and explore Jill's books "Be Mighty" and "Impostor No More" for guided exercises on developing psychological flexibility.

Be sure to check out Jill's "Two-Minute Tips" on Substack.

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

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Today is National Picture Book Day, so we celebrate by bringing the voices of Rob and Amy Dixon to the table. In this episode, I speak with Amy and Rob Dixon about their new picture book, Penny Preaches, which helps normalize girls in church leadership roles. We:

• Explore the theological frameworks of complementarianism versus egalitarianism in church settings.
• Understand how women's leadership gifts remain untapped – "the church has been trying to fulfill the Great Commission with half the team on the bench."
• Discuss the importance of representation and modeling in helping children envision possibilities: "It's hard to be what you can't see."
• Look at how to raise children with an egalitarian mindset through transparency and collaboration.
• Respond to resistance with "convictions held with humility" rather than combativeness.
• Unleash the powerful message that "God gives good gifts to everyone" regardless of gender.

Order this powerful children's book: Penny Preaches

Learn more abut Rob's books: Dr. Rob Dixon

Learn more about Amy's other children's books: Amy Dixon Books

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

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Tracy Braylock, holistic nurse and well-being advocate, joins us in exploring the revolutionary concept of relaxation as a radical act of faith. We discuss how believers can engage their God-designed relaxation response to exist in a state of peace regardless of external circumstances. In this episode, Tracie and I discuss:

• Understanding radical relaxation as removing stress from its root like a radical medical procedure.
• Learning to identify our divinely designed relaxation response and intentionally engage it daily.
• Recognizing when we've misidentified ourselves by our stress or health conditions rather than our God-given identity.
• Teaching children relaxation practices through breathing, meditation, and mindful moments.
• Viewing relaxation as a spiritual practice that requires trusting God with our productivity and deadlines.
• Addressing the compounded stress our bodies have stored over years or decades.
• Practicing self-awareness by noticing when we participate in our stress response.
• Finding personalized relaxation triggers through nature, writing, aromatherapy, or play.
• Embracing the counterintuitive truth that "a calm life is a strong life."

Visit Tracie's website and order her new book: Radical Relaxation

Learn more on Tracie's Substack: The Remedy

Learn more about Aromatherapy: A Beginner's Guide

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

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Brittany Piper, author of "Body-First Healing: Get Unstuck and Recover from Trauma with Somatic Healing."  Brittany transforms our understanding of trauma recovery with her groundbreaking approach that places the body—not just the mind—at the center of healing. After surviving sexual assault, foster care experiences, and profound loss, Brittany found conventional therapy lacking until she discovered the missing piece: somatic healing that addresses trauma stored in the nervous system.

In this powerful conversation, Brittany guides us through the revolutionary science behind trauma recovery. She illuminates how our bodies get stuck in survival responses long after danger has passed, creating chronic stress that manifests as anxiety, rage, shutdown, or illness. Most importantly, she offers hope through accessible somatic practices that can help reset our nervous systems and reclaim our lives.

The discussion delves into fascinating concepts like polyvagal theory, neuroception, and titration. Brittany explains how our nervous systems operate as a three-state ladder rather than a simple on/off switch and demonstrates simple techniques to create evidence of safety for our hypervigilant systems. Perhaps most reassuringly, she emphasizes that healing isn't about eliminating all stress or uncomfortable emotions but developing the capacity to return to safety after activation.

Brittany's Story mentioned in our conversation: My Survivor Story

For more on Somatic Healing: traumahealing.org.

Learn more from Brittany and order her new book: Body-First Healing.

Visit Brittany's YouTube Channel: @HealwithBritt

Visit Brittany on Instagram: @healwithbritt

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

Send us a text

Sarah Boyd, child development expert and author of "Turn Down the Noise: A Practical Guide to Building an Emotionally Healthy Family in a Chronically Overstimulated World," joins me for a profound conversation about building emotionally healthy families in our chronically overstimulated world. Despite increasing awareness about resilience and mental health, anxiety and depression rates among children continue to rise dramatically. Sarah offers a powerful reframe: what if these emotional struggles aren't the problem but symptoms of our overstimulating environment? 

Sarah shares practical strategies for building emotional regulation capacity. "Interrupting the build-up" involves recognizing rising emotions before reaching the explosion point, then intentionally changing your state through simple actions like stepping outside or having an impromptu dance party. "Reframing" helps us actively reinterpret challenging situations through empowering questions.

Learn more about Sarah's book at Turn Down the Noise.

Learn more about Resilient Little Hearts and Sarah's children's book.

Order Janell's new collaborative book: Healthy Habits for the Home

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon