The (in)courage Podcast

"Feeling overwhelmed by making friends at church? Start by asking someone to lunch or inviting them to meet you for ice cream. Listen to their story. You might be surprised at how fun people are when you see them for who they are and not just who you expect them to be."

Leave a comment for Melissa: https://incourage.me/?p=248607
--
If you love listening to the (in)courage podcast, then you’ll love our books, devotionals, agenda planners, Bible, and Bible studies! Shop the full (in)courage collection at dayspring.com – and use code PODCAST10 to save $10 on your purchase! 

The (in)courage podcast is brought to you by DaySpring. For over 50 years, DaySpring has created quality cards, books, and gifts that help you live your faith. Find out more at DaySpring.com.

Connect with (in)courage:

• Facebook & Instagram for daily encouragement, videos, and more!
• Website for the (in)courage library, to meet our contributors, and to access the archives.
• Email us at [email protected].

Leave a podcast review on Apple!

"If you’re worried that you’ve worn out God’s patience with your requests, let me put your mind at ease. He is the best Father we could ever imagine (better, even!) and will never roll His eyes or pretend to be asleep when we need Him. He’ll never tire of our needs, or our neediness. He loves us more than we love even our own children. His love is greater than our mess and confusion and desperation, and beyond comprehension.
 
 Take your needs to God, big or small, old or new, first time or millionth time. Ask and ask again. He will listen, and He will provide."

Leave a comment for Mary: https://incourage.me/?p=248622
--
If you love listening to the (in)courage podcast, then you’ll love our books, devotionals, agenda planners, Bible, and Bible studies! Shop the full (in)courage collection at dayspring.com – and use code PODCAST10 to save $10 on your purchase! 

The (in)courage podcast is brought to you by DaySpring. For over 50 years, DaySpring has created quality cards, books, and gifts that help you live your faith. Find out more at DaySpring.com.

Connect with (in)courage:

• Facebook & Instagram for daily encouragement, videos, and more!
• Website for the (in)courage library, to meet our contributors, and to access the archives.
• Email us at [email protected].

Leave a podcast review on Apple!

In this episode, Becky Keife interviews author Kristen Strong about her book 'Friends Are Family We Choose'. They discuss the importance of friendship and belonging, especially in the context of military life. Kristen shares her personal experiences and insights on making and maintaining friendships. They also talk about the power of in-person relationships and the need for deep connections. The book is described as a gift book that expresses gratitude and appreciation for meaningful friendships. Kristen encourages listeners to persevere in finding and nurturing friendships.

Takeaways

• Friendship is a learned art and skill that requires effort and intentionality.
• In-person relationships provide a sense of belonging and contentment.
• Having a few deep friendships is more valuable than having many surface-level acquaintances.
• Good friends support and serve each other in tangible ways.
• Finding and nurturing friendships requires perseverance.

If you want to tell your friend what she means to you but don’t quite have the words, Kristen Strong is here to help. She is an (in)courage writer and an author whose books include Girl Meets Change and Friends Are Family We Choose, and she writes as the friend helping you get in your friendship groove. Her gift book, Friends Are Family We Choose, is a small but mighty book that’s just the thing to bless the bestie or good friend in your life that you love like a member of your own family.

Order your copy of Friends Are the Family You Choose, and leave a comment on the featured excerpt shared earlier this week for a chance to WIN a copy:  https://incourage.me/?p=248599

Connect with (in)courage:

• Facebook & Instagram for daily encouragement, videos, and more!
• Website for the (in)courage library, to meet our contributors, and to access the archives.
• Email us at [email protected].

Leave a podcast review on Apple!

"I imagine Jesus sitting on the floor of my family room with our shaggy rug under His legs, in the middle of the night, while the rest of my family sleeps. Would I try to hide my feet under the couch cushions? Would He hold my feet gently, and wipe them clean?
 
 “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”
 
 Unless you stop trying to prove yourself as useful and right, with all things under control, you won’t wake to your need for Me.
 
 Unless I spend time with your worries, the things you’d rather keep hidden from view -- each dry patch, scab, and crack -- you will not know Me and receive the depth of My love as much as you could.
 
 Unless I wash you, and welcome you in as you are, you won’t be able to welcome anyone else into My love and mean it."

Leave a comment for Tasha: https://incourage.me/?p=248602
--
Every day is a chance to change the world with hope and encouragement. To celebrate National Day of Encouragement, DaySpring is giving away a free card & a fun surprise with every order, while supplies last! Place your order today at dayspring.com - and use code PODCAST10 to save $10 on your order!  

The (in)courage podcast is brought to you by DaySpring. For over 50 years, DaySpring has created quality cards, books, and gifts that help you live your faith. Find out more at DaySpring.com.

Connect with (in)courage:

• Facebook & Instagram for daily encouragement, videos, and more!
• Website for the (in)courage library, to meet our contributors, and to access the archives.
• Email us at [email protected].

Leave a podcast review on Apple!

God is the Source of all hope, the Giver of every good thing — but He invites us to be His messengers. Whether by practical support, a helping hand, or comforting words, we all have the ability to encourage others!
 
 Today is National Day of Encouragement! It's the perfect time to give thanks for the ways God has infused your heart with hope and look for ways you can love and encourage those around you. 

Leave a comment for Becky: https://incourage.me/?p=248706
--
Every day is a chance to change the world with hope and encouragement. To celebrate National Day of Encouragement, DaySpring is giving away a free card & a fun surprise with every order, while supplies last! Place your order today at dayspring.com - and use code PODCAST10 to save $10 on your order!  

The (in)courage podcast is brought to you by DaySpring. For over 50 years, DaySpring has created quality cards, books, and gifts that help you live your faith. Find out more at DaySpring.com.

Connect with (in)courage:

• Facebook & Instagram for daily encouragement, videos, and more!
• Website for the (in)courage library, to meet our contributors, and to access the archives.
• Email us at [email protected].

Leave a podcast review on Apple!

God offers a different kind of peace. Lasting. Unshakable. Perfect. Whether we’re in a time of crisis or just trudging through the struggles of ordinary life, we can entrust our troubled, fearful hearts to the one who is worthy of our trust.

Leave a comment and join the conversation today: https://incourage.me/?p=248696
--
Every day is a chance to change the world with hope and encouragement. To celebrate National Day of Encouragement, DaySpring is giving away a free card & a fun surprise with every order, while supplies last! Place your order today at dayspring.com - and use code PODCAST10 to save $10 on your order!  

The (in)courage podcast is brought to you by DaySpring. For over 50 years, DaySpring has created quality cards, books, and gifts that help you live your faith. Find out more at DaySpring.com.

Connect with (in)courage:

• Facebook & Instagram for daily encouragement, videos, and more!
• Website for the (in)courage library, to meet our contributors, and to access the archives.
• Email us at [email protected].

Leave a podcast review on Apple!

"If you don’t have the words to tell that friend you love like family what she means to you, I’ve come up with the words for you through this book! It’s a poignant-with-a-side-of-humor hardback that’s also beautifully designed, and it’s for any gal you want to thank for being the friend you love like family. 
 
 This world is a divisive one, and plenty of words get thrown around that tear others down.  
 
 Here’s to using our words to build up and bless. 
 
 Here’s to friends who model the love of Jesus in our lives. 
 
 And here’s to buoying the spirit of the framily you couldn’t live without."

Leave a comment for Kristen: https://incourage.me/?p=248599
--
Every day is a chance to change the world with hope and encouragement. To celebrate National Day of Encouragement, DaySpring is giving away a free card & a fun surprise with every order, while supplies last! Place your order today at dayspring.com - and use code PODCAST10 to save $10 on your order!  

The (in)courage podcast is brought to you by DaySpring. For over 50 years, DaySpring has created quality cards, books, and gifts that help you live your faith. Find out more at DaySpring.com.

Connect with (in)courage:

• Facebook & Instagram for daily encouragement, videos, and more!
• Website for the (in)courage library, to meet our contributors, and to access the archives.
• Email us at [email protected].

Leave a podcast review on Apple!

"When we rejoice with those who rejoice, it shows clean hands and a pure heart. It takes humility, love that’s unconditional, and self-control to celebrate with others. Especially with those who receive the prayer you’ve been praying to receive yourself. It’s never quite as hard if someone gets what we didn’t want. However, when they get the thing of our dreams, our true heart colors show. But if we can just keep our hands clean and our hearts pure, what we get is so much better. We get to go into the temple of the Lord.
 
 It’s when we forgive, aren’t easily offended, and genuinely celebrate the wins of those around us that we can boldly and freely run to the Lord. There is nothing that compares to the presence of God."

Leave a comment for Tyra: https://incourage.me/?p=248595
--
Every day is a chance to change the world with hope and encouragement. To celebrate National Day of Encouragement, DaySpring is giving away a free card & a fun surprise with every order, while supplies last! Place your order today at dayspring.com - and use code PODCAST10 to save $10 on your order!  

The (in)courage podcast is brought to you by DaySpring. For over 50 years, DaySpring has created quality cards, books, and gifts that help you live your faith. Find out more at DaySpring.com.

Connect with (in)courage:

• Facebook & Instagram for daily encouragement, videos, and more!
• Website for the (in)courage library, to meet our contributors, and to access the archives.
• Email us at [email protected].

Leave a podcast review on Apple!

"The last thing a person needs when they are in the middle of a crisis is one more decision to make. Recently, when my husband and I were going through a challenging season physically, we had a number of people tell us, “Let me know if I can help.” And while I love the heart behind those words, the last thing I could do was strategize the “what, when, and how” of support. It was easier to just say, “No, thank you. We’re fine.” 
 
But then, I have other friends who have taken the art of supporting a loved one to a new level. 
 
How do we get better at this? What can we do to avoid saying the dreaded 'let me know if I can help'? 
 
Create a crisis response plan before the crisis happens. Figure out what kind of friend you will be. The gift card friend? The bagel friend? The soup friend? Then prepare accordingly."

Leave a comment for Kathi: https://incourage.me/?p=248591

And here's Kathi's recipe!

Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Yield: 4 bowls or 8 cups 

Ingredients 

• 6 T. unsalted butter
• 3 celery ribs, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1½ tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
• ½ tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup wild rice (5 ounces)
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 4 cups chopped, cooked chicken
• 1 cup heavy cream 

Directions 

1. In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the celery, carrots, onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper (I start out with ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper and then adjust while simmering), and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables just start to soften, about 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring, until evenly coated and lightly browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. 
2. Add the wild rice to the saucepan and gradually stir in the stock and water. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. 
3. Add the chicken and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the wild rice is tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. 
4. Stir in the cream and season with more salt and pepper, if desired. 

--
It’s always a great day when a little Hope & Encouragement comes your way. . . especially during National Day of Encouragement, coming up next week! To celebrate, DaySpring is giving away a free card & a fun surprise with every order, while supplies last. Place your order today at dayspring.com - and use code PODCAST10 to save $10 on your order! 

The (in)courage podcast is brought to you by DaySpring. For over 50 years, DaySpring has created quality cards, books, and gifts that help you live your faith. Find out more at DaySpring.com.

Connect with (in)courage:

• Facebook & Instagram for daily encouragement, videos, and more!
• Website for the (in)courage library, to meet our contributors, and to access the archives.
• Email us at [email protected].

Leave a podcast review on Apple!

"We need to love our neighbor and our enemy everywhere. When I get lost online and have to find my bearings again, I try to remember what has helped me in the past. 
 
1. Pray before you post. 
2. Take a deep breath to ground yourself in the Holy Spirit. 
3. Forgive others and ask for forgiveness. 
4. Look to wise leaders. 
5. Keep Jesus’s welcome and wisdom before your eyes.
 
We can never know what is going on behind someone’s screen. Behind Internet bravado or cyberbullying stands a broken, hurting human — every single time. And while we never have to accept abuse or injustice, we can learn to become wiser in the ways we live and move and have our being online. We can follow Paul’s instructions and encouragement, to live a Christian life no matter where we are."

Leave a comment for Laura: https://incourage.me/?p=248587
--
It’s always a great day when a little Hope & Encouragement comes your way. . . especially during National Day of Encouragement, coming up next week! To celebrate, DaySpring is giving away a free card & a fun surprise with every order, while supplies last. Place your order today at dayspring.com - and use code PODCAST10 to save $10 on your order! 

The (in)courage podcast is brought to you by DaySpring. For over 50 years, DaySpring has created quality cards, books, and gifts that help you live your faith. Find out more at DaySpring.com.

Connect with (in)courage:

• Facebook & Instagram for daily encouragement, videos, and more!
• Website for the (in)courage library, to meet our contributors, and to access the archives.
• Email us at [email protected].

Leave a podcast review on Apple!