Christian recording artist, Meredith Andrews, has been a friend of mine for over a decade. We had so much fun connecting we kinda forgot you were listening. Meredith is one of the most down to earth people I know. She openly shares her relationship with God and all she is learning. Today we talk about the beauty in the hidden seasons. We’ve both been there. You may not think someone with such a public ministry would feel hidden. I’m so glad she shares about what she is learning. One thing is … even through it doesn’t seem productive or fruitful, God has a purpose for the wilderness. We also talk about how she met her husband, how she is inspired to write new songs and how she balances her busy career and family. 

A little more about Meredith – In 2011, she won two Dove Awards, “Worship Song of the Year” for “How Great Is the Love” and “Praise and Worship album of the Year” for As Long As It Takes. She has 5 studio albums. On a regular basis, Andrews leads worship at major women’s and worship leader conferences across the U.S., and has toured with Matt Maher, Natalie Grant, Big Daddy Weave, Vertical Church, Phil Wickham, and Michael W. Smith, among others. 

I hope you enjoy this conversation and are inspired to love God with all your heart. Here we go!

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One last thing …. Producing this show does take resources. So if you would like to hear more conversations, please consider supporting this program of the ministry. Just click the button below and you’ll be led to a donate page. All gifts are tax-deductible. Thanks so much!

My guest today is Jason Davis. Jason is an entertainment industry executive with a broad range of titles including award winning songwriter, award winning author, independent record label president, executive TV producer, entertainment consultant, former Senior VP of A&R for Dolly Parton’s management company and a serial entrepreneur.

I met Jason and his wife Heather back in 2008 when I was the director of artist relations for an affiliate of Wycliffe Bible Translators. We met at Gospel Music Association, GMA in the Rocky’s. I’m so thrilled for you to hear his story of how he wrote a hit christian song before he knew Jesus. Plus you’ll hear his story of coming to faith and overcoming the enemy’s displeasure. It will make you think it’s right out of a movie. Don’t miss the end when talk about some challenging experiences with other Christians that have taught us to love well anyway. 

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Find Jill on social media:

One last thing …. Producing this show does take resources. So if you would like to hear more conversations, please consider supporting this program of the ministry. Just click the button below and you’ll be led to a donate page. All gifts are tax deductible. Thanks so much!

You may have noticed at the end of each episode, I end with, love well, you were made for it. So I thought I’d close out this four part series with some of my tips for loving well. Because this is my favorite subject …. LOVE!

Learning to love well is one of the greatest personal rewards in life. When you really love well, you are able to give and receive love from God. You can freely give and receive it from others … and love yourself. But sometimes circumstances makes that really, really hard. We feel disappointed by God or by others … or are disappointed in ourselves. But when we get it … like really get the freedom in loving without judgment or restrictions, we can have a life that is so joyful, we can’t help but give it away.

Have you ever wanted to really know God loves you in a way that is more than head knowledge? Or get rid of self doubt or even self hatred? Have you had trouble having compassion for those in need or those that irritate you? I’ll give you some encouragement and keys to love well in this week’s episode.

I hope you enjoy the podcast below. You can also visit my show in iTunes or GooglePlay and subscribe so you don’t miss a future episode. Or at the end of the post, subscribe and get new episodes sent to your email.

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If you want to listen to the series on KEYS, be sure to check out the rest of the series, Keys to Communicate Well or Keys to Transition Well or Keys to Reconcile Well. 

Find Jill on social media:

One last thing …. Producing this show does take resources. So if you would like to hear more conversations, please consider supporting this program of the ministry. Just click the button below and you’ll be led to a donate page. All gifts are tax deductible. Thanks so much!

I love freedom coaching because I get to help people process their own responses to outside stressors and learn to be the person God created them to be. I find this topic … learning to reconcile well, is key to having healthy relationships. We aren’t taught how to do this in school and we often learn bad habits from our family of origin. Unknowingly, we develop patterns of communication that keep us from having the relationships we desire.

If you were to look at your relationships, would you say you are pretty good at working through difficult things? Do people feel safe talking to you when they are upset with you? Are you quick to say you’re sorry and ask for forgiveness?

Or do you feel like you need some help learning how to work through conflict? Are you thinking of what you want to say next to defend yourself instead of having the focus on what the other person is saying? Do you wish you’d be better at taking things to God before anyone else?

One day I heard God speak to my heart, He said, “You have the gift of reconciliation.”When that came to my mind, I’ll be honest, I didn’t understand it. I knew that Jesus died to reconcile us to God, but how did that translate to a gift that I had? It got me thinking … That’s what Jesus did. He resolved a conflict between God and us. Jesus came so we would no longer be separated from God because of sin. He made a way to bring us back into friendly relations with God.

In this podcast episode, I share personal stories of frustration, failure and success. I also give very specific tips on how to reconcile any situation well. And how to deal with the aftermath of things not going as you hoped. I’d love to hear what part of the teaching helped you … so be sure to leave a comment on this post or tag me on social media with @jillmonaco.

You can also visit my show in iTunes or GooglePlay and subscribe so you don’t miss a future episode. Or at the end of the post, subscribe to my newsletter and get new episodes sent directly to your email.

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If you want to listen to the series on KEYS, be sure to check out the rest of the series, Keys to Communicate Well or Keys to Transition Well.

Find Jill on social media:

One last thing …. Producing this show does take resources. So if you would like to hear more conversations, please consider supporting this program of the ministry. Just click the button below and you’ll be led to a donate page. All gifts are tax deductible. Thanks so much!

Transition is a part of all of our lives and it often happens even if we don’t want it to. Many people struggle with it and others don’t. So what makes these two kind of people different?

Are you the kind of person that hates change? Have you lost your job without notice? Has divorce caused you to transition against your will? Do you fear moving in a new direction because of the unknown? Transitions can also be good things like having a family, moving to a new city or taking a new job. Do you just feel like you’re in a life transition and can’t define it?

In this episode, I share some of the transitions I’ve experienced (good, bad and yes, ugly). Join me as I share stories from Scripture of people who also had transitions in their lives. What can we learn from them in order to transition well? Often times, their transition was a necessary part of God’s plan that ended up saving an entire nation! You may be a carrier of God’s awesome plan too … so let’s dive in and make sure we are mentally, spiritually and physically prepared!

I hope you enjoy the podcast below. You can also visit my show in iTunes or GooglePlay and subscribe so you don’t miss a future episode. Or at the end of the post, subscribe and get new episodes sent to your email.

If you want to listen to the series on KEYS, be sure to check out the first in the series, Keys to Communicate Well.

Find Jill on social media:

One last thing …. Producing this show does take resources. So if you would like to hear more conversations, please consider supporting this program of the ministry. Just click the button below and you’ll be led to a donate page. All gifts are tax deductible. Thanks so much!

Communication is a challenge to most of us at one point or another. Have you ever struggled to figure out how to say something and even with your best efforts you just mess it up? Or have you taken the path of least resistance, and stay quiet about your own feelings because the other person doesn’t communicate well either … and the blow up just isn’t worth it? Or have you noticed the person who is better with words steamrolls the more quiet person?

But what if I told you there are keys to learning how to communicate so well, that you could keep that connection with someone no matter what the other person did or how badly you are at communicating? In today’s episode, I’ll share the keys to communicate well. And in the next few weeks, I’ll continue the series on keys to other areas of your life too. So be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes or GooglePlay to hear more. Better yet, sign up for my mailing list and get the newest podcasts send to your inbox.

Let me know what you found most helpful in the comments!

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LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE VIA ITUNESLISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE VIA GOOGLE PLAY

Find Jill on social media:

One last thing …. Producing this show does take resources. So if you would like to hear more conversations, please consider supporting this program of the ministry. Just click the button below and you’ll be led to a donate page. All gifts are tax deductible. Thanks so much!

We’ve been doing a series on singleness … and this is the last in the series with … finally .. a dude! I just have more women friends but Nate Stevens, our guest today, is one of my best guy friends. We met a few years ago through another friend and he’s been writing for the magazine I publish, Single Matters ever since. He’s also a published author and speaker.

Have you ever wondered if God had a plan for picking a mate or a set of guidelines to choose well? What makes the best couples compatible for life? What if I told you Nate has discovered what the Scriptures says about four key aspects to a great relationship? It’s the topic he speaks on the most and even published a book about these awesome truths.

Now I knew Nate when he was single … so we’ve had a ton of conversations about singleness: the struggles, the state of singleness in the church today, the hope for marriage. Nate, met his beautiful wife, Karen, and still leads singles in the Charlotte NC area in a group called Fusion. He really has a passion to help singles prepare for marriage and choose well.

On the podcast today, you’ll learn why Nate has a passion for teaching compatibility … from his own struggles and failures. He is super vulnerable about his failures and gives hope to those who have also made mistakes. He will share the 4 relational aspects of life and why the order of finding these 4 things out are important to determine compatibility. You don’t want to miss the wisdom that comes from my friend Nate.

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Find Jill on social media:

One last thing …. Producing this show does take resources. So if you would like to hear more conversations, please consider supporting this program of the ministry. Just click the button below and you’ll be led to a donate page. All gifts are tax deductible. Thanks so much!

My guest today is like a soul sister with a passion for emotional health, freedom in Christ and pro-relationship! We are passionate about helping you be the best you and find a mate!

Today we are talking to the CEO of OnDaySix, Wendee Mannon. OneDaySix is a Christian dating website that really cares about helping you find someone that is right for you. She filters every new member herself! You can even choose what kind of church you attend to really narrow down the right kind of person for you. And in case you’re like….easy for her to talk to singles because she’s married … she met her husband on the site before she was CEO!

She’s also an author. Her book Love Unstuck: Be the Leading Lady. In this book, Wendee describes her unique journey of finding her husband through the perils of the Christian generation that kissed dating goodbye and into a time where God spoke to her about ‘partnering with Him’ to move towards meeting her husband. The journey included both dating and diving into her beliefs about herself, God and men all combined with an action plan to move towards that desire.

So do you hate dating websites? Never had any luck with them? Not sure how to wait on God … but also put yourself out there? Well, this episode is for you! We even pray for a release of the breakthrough of marriages to those that listen to this episode!

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Find Jill on social media:

One last thing …. Producing this show does take resources. So if you would like to hear more conversations, please consider supporting this program of the ministry. Just click the button below and you’ll be led to a donate page. All gifts are tax deductible. Thanks so much!

I hope you will be encouraged by this episode as I have a conversation with my friend Deb Fileta. Debra K. Fileta is a Licensed Professional Counselor specializing in Relationship and Marital issues. She is also an author and speaker who is passionate about spreading the message that healthy people make healthy relationships.  I asked her to come on the show and talk about what she sees God doing in this generation about dating toward marriage and how to be intentional toward dating. Not waiting. But actually dating!

Are you confused about why there are so many singles today, people getting married later (if at all) or why YOU can’t seem to find someone? Or maybe you are married and have singles friends and wonder the same thing?

Deb’s book, True Love Dates: Your Indispensable Guide to Finding the Love of Your Life (Zondervan, 2013), is available online and in stores now. Her newest book, Choosing Marriage, is set to be released May 2018. She is a regular contributor at Relevant Magazine and Crosswalk.com, with over 200 articles around the web about love, marriage, dating, sex, and relationships. She’s the creator of relationship blog TrueLoveDates, reaching millions of readers with her candid yet compassionate style, combining psychology and spirituality.

Find Jill on social media:

One last thing …. Producing this show does take resources. So if you would like to hear more conversations, please consider supporting this program of the ministry. Just click the button below and you’ll be led to a donate page. All gifts are tax deductible. Thanks so much!

I think this episode with speaker and author, Wendy Pope, has foundational wisdom to living in the peace of God and contentment for where He has you now. Wendy writes devotions for Proverbs 31 Ministries’ “Encouragement for Today” and is a content provider for the free online devotion app First 5 as well as a member of the Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker team.

Wendy is the author of Wait and See.  She shares biblical wisdom on how to prepare for the future even as you participate in God’s work in the present. Drawing on the story of David, Wendy helps you exchange weariness and discouragement for hope and action. Instead of getting distracted with the object of your wait, you can grow closer to the Person of your faith—transforming your wait-and-see season into one of the sweetest seasons of all. And I just so happened to be able to do the narration for her audio book.

Have you ever had to wait so long for a desire .. or a promise from God that you felt like you wanted it more than God Himself? Or that you lost hope? Don’t miss this conversation with Wendy. She has such wisdom and insight … because she’s walked it out. No matter where you are in the process, Wendy will encourage you in your process and impart hope to your heart.

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Find Jill on social media:

One last thing …. Producing this show does take resources. So if you would like to hear more conversations, please consider supporting this program of the ministry. Just click the button below and you’ll be led to a donate page. All gifts are tax deductible. Thanks so much!