Gwendolyn aka Melika Miller is a passionate writer, counselor, singer-songwriter, soul music artist, and advocate for spiritual growth and emotional healing. As the founder of Love Abundantly Counseling and Love Abundantly Ministry, she is dedicated to helping individuals deepen their intimacy with God and overcome life's roadblocks. She shares personal experiences and biblical wisdom through her books to inspire others on their faith journey.

• What inspired you to write 40 Years a Virgin: Why the Wait?
• How do you respond to societal pressures regarding purity and relationships?
• Can you share some personal experiences that shaped your journey of waiting?
• How does Healing: Inside Out and Outside In merge biblical principles with mindfulness?
• What are some practical ways to overcome negative thought patterns through faith?
• How does forgiveness contribute to inner peace, and what steps can people take to truly forgive?

Follow Melika on

Website: www.LoveAbundantlyMinistry.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gmelika-miller22/

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Becky a trauma-informed somatic marriage coach and somatic practitioner, CEO of I Do Breakthrough, and the proud host of the top 5% globally ranked podcast, Your Breakthrough Blueprint.

Becky spent a decade undergoing every mode and mainstream modality for saving her marriage after a long history of abandonment and betrayal only to find herself separated on the brink of divorce.

That's when she found the buzzer-beater, hail-mary play that completely changed the game for her marriage and countless other marriages that she’s coached around the world.

Becky is going to share some steps that will some of us to experience the long-awaited breakthrough we’ve been waiting for.

Follow Rebecca On

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gerald.godinho

Twitter: https://twitter.com/godinhojerry

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jerry_godinho/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/geraldgodinho/

Aubrey Sampson is a church planter and serves as a teaching pastor at Renewal Church, a multiethnic congregation in Chicagoland. Aubrey has a MA, evangelism and leadership and speaks regularly at churches and conferences around the country. She is an award-nominated author, a coach with Propel Women Cohorts, and the cohost of The Nothing Is Wasted Podcast. Aubrey is the author of several books, most recently Big Feelings Days: A Book about Hard Things, Heavy Emotions, and Jesus’ Love (October 2023). She is passionate about helping hurting Christians find God’s presence in their pain. She and her husband, Kevin, and their three sons live, minister, and play in the Chicagoland area. Today we will be talking about her latest book What we find in the dark: Loss, Hope, and God’s Presence in Grief.

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aubsamp/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aubsamp/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/aubsamp

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aubrey-sampson-39110226

Brian is a minister of reconciliation with twenty-five years of exemplary results in organizational development, change management, and leadership development in churches and nonprofits in the United States and abroad. He specializes in developing culturally intelligent strategies for growth and impact.

Christian ministry began for him as a church planter. Along the way, he earned a master’s in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Eastern University. Currently, his is an associate professor and director of intercultural leadership at Berkeley School of Theology.

"I discovered that there is no single formula for the growth and health of a church. Instead, the church’s growth and ministry effectiveness depend on leadership, culture, community engagement, spiritual vitality, discipleship, and contextual relevance—each shaping how the church connects, serves, and impacts its community."

Follow Brian On

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abrianleander

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC57X1pPV9jx5uYKLWhyq0Pg

Twitter: https://x.com/ableander

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abrianleander/

Jackson TerKeurst is an entrepreneur and leader who continues to defy the odds as a first-generation immigrant from West Africa who owns and runs a small business. The adopted son of bestselling author and speaker Lysa TerKeurst, Jackson is passionate about drawing together people from diverse backgrounds to experience authentic community. He lives with his wife and their two children outside Nashville, Tennessee.

In this episode he joins us to discuss his book The Only Way Forward Is Back: A Story of War, Adoption, and Finding Your Purpose in God's Plan.

In a world where mental health issues and loneliness are at an all-time high, it's more important than ever to find ways to cultivate joy, community, and meaning in our lives. Many of us feel trapped within ourselves, struggling to find a way out of our own negative thoughts and emotions. Author and psychologist Richard Beck (Hunting Magic Eels) argues that we are struggling because our shape is currently "curved inward." We are self-focused, self- absorbed, ruminative. We're trapped inside ourselves. And we're definitely not happy or filled with joy. So how do we control our egos and ambition when those drives have been useful to us in the past? How do we engage our imagination and our faith?

In his latest book, The Shape of Joy, Beck offers a powerful argument for how we can break free and rediscover the transcendent and the sacred. Beck argues that to find true joy and fulfillment, we need to understand the importance of "curving outward" and moving beyond the self to encounter true lovingness. Drawing from the principles of positive psychology, Beck explores concepts like gratitude, mindfulness, ego volume, and the small self to provide readers with a road map toward a healthier, happier, and more fulfilling life. Whether you're struggling with mental health issues, yearning for a deeper connection with your faith, or simply seeking greater happiness and fulfillment, The Shape of Joy will offer you an inspiring vision for a better future.

Follow Richard on

https://richardbeck.substack.com/about

https://experimentaltheology.blogspot.com/

Interview Outline

• Tell us a bit about your background and why you decided to write this book.
• The Shape of Joy has 3 main parts, let’s briefly touch on the concept of what you mean by “curved inward”?
• The second part is entitled “turning away” can you give us a brief understanding of this concept?
• The last part gets into being “curved outward” , why do you think this will be beneficial for people to understand?
• How have you personally benefitted from writing this book?

One of the number one issues facing most churches is the inability to resolve conflict. I have invited an expert who works to help people of faith towards growth in the art of reconciliation.

Richard Parrish is the Director of Richard Parrish

Ministries, an outreach of Music Serving the Word

(MSW). Richard attends to the soul care of pastors,

leaders, and learners. Richard is an ordained

minister and speaks in many cross-denominational

settings. A seasoned, empowering, and

compassionate leader, he devotes his life to

assisting others through writing, speaking,

mentoring, and offering spiritual care to pastors and

ministry leaders. He resides in Arizona with his wife.

Questions:

Can conflict really be a good thing?

What tips can you offer to those who avoid conflict but recognize the need for it

in some circumstances?

What does the Bible say about conflict?

Why are we afraid of conflict?

Is conflict-avoidance a detriment to personal growth and development?

What are some barriers that prevent reconciliation and how do we break them?

How can an individual recognize when they are avoiding conflict?

What are the biggest misconceptions about conflict?

How can we find peace during conflict—in personal relationships and the world

around us?

Can conflict birth hope?

Follow Richard on

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/RichardParrishMinistries

Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/discover-

the-lectionary/id1207472495

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/0ZDBj6QQFzMlq8DnFzqfgL

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH7YOau1FqQ2DbGkm

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-parrish/

When you are crushed and brokenhearted, where do you go to find hope? Jesus said that in this life we will have pain, heartbreak, and trials. So how do we deal with our pain? What does it look like to walk with God in our grief? In Hope for My Hurting Heart, bestselling author Linda Dillow offers practical wisdom, real-life stories, biblical teachings, and encouragement to help you navigate pain and loss and find hope and healing through God’s love. This insightful guide includes • eight essential Heart Skills that will help readers move from grief to gratitude • personal stories that reveal Linda’s own struggles with a traumatic brain injury and her daughters’ cancer battles as well as stories from others who have struggled with pain and loss • biblical insights that will help those who are hurting turn to God’s Word and the Holy Spirit for comfort No loss is beyond our heavenly Father’s understanding. Learn what it looks like to experience peace and comfort in God’s presence in the midst of suffering— and to find hope

Linda Dillow is a bestselling author and a respected Bible teacher and conference speaker. Her books include Calm My Anxious Heart, Intimate Issues, and What's It Like to Be Married to Me? Linda is the mother of four children, including one who is now with Jesus, and grandmother of ten. She and her husband, Jody, lived overseas for seventeen years and now make their home in Monument, Colorado.

What if the opportunity to connect with God was as close as your next breath?
Many of us yearn for a deeper connection with God but struggle to find the time or space to cultivate it in the midst of our busy lives. The daily stress of meeting familial, work, and personal responsibilities leaves us longing to connect with God and find rest for our souls. We crave intimacy with our Creator and the peace that only God’s presence can give.
With God in Every Breath invites you on a journey towards a more embodied and present spiritual life. In this practical book, Whitney R. Simpson offers carefully crafted guided prayers and meditations that provide an accessible way for us to quiet our hearts and a way to enter into God’s presence that engages all of our senses. Whether used alone or in a community, each meditation is rooted in Gospel passages from The Message translation and designed to meet you in your everyday life.
This helpful guide includes:

• Guided Meditations: Explore imaginative and sensory-rich meditations that bring you closer to Jesus.
• Reflection Questions: Each Scripture-based meditation is followed by a set of questions to help you engage the content more deeply.
• Closing Prayers: Each meditation closes with a guided prayer to encourage you to bring gratitude into each of your reflections.

For more information visit: www.whitneyrsimpson.com

When Karen Sjoblom relocated to her Midwest birthplace after her daughter left for college, she anticipated exciting possibilities. Instead, she found herself on an unexpected pilgrimage through past trauma, family fractures, and rigid generational expectations. That’s when she discovered she’d have to cross through a wilderness of pain if she wanted to reach her own promised land.
Mirroring the biblical Exodus in which the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt—a place familiar but enslaving—Sjoblom’s reflections on her healing journey illumine the unique losses, lies, and failings we can stumble on, especially at midlife. And yet, they also point to healthier beliefs, relationships, and possibilities to carry us forward.
With humor, hope, and hard-won wisdom, Gone for Goodwill help you:

• Understand the healing reasons for your desert seasons
• Trust that God is a good guide who wants to redeem your pain
• Walk in authentic freedom from the pain of what’s been to the promise of what might be

Sjoblom poignantly captures the exhilaration of new beginnings, the longing for what’s left behind, the grief over our wandering years, and the truths required to leave “Egypt” behind. A good God does indeed allow hard journeys, but there’s redemption on the other side: renewed trust in his character, freedom from the past, and knowledge that it’s never too late to embark on a soul-healing expedition. As Sjoblom demonstrates, when we stay with the lessons until the lessons are learned, God enables us to release our wounds and losses so they’re gone—for good.

For more information about Karen visit https://www.karensjoblom.com