No Higher Calling

David, the shepherd boy, gives beautiful illustrations about God through the lens of the relationship he has with his sheep. We are journeying through Psalm 23, and this episode brings us to the still waters. Sheep will not drink from waters that are rushing. Neither should they drink from waters that are stagnant. The shepherd must find still, peaceful waters for them to be refreshed by. God does...

At the first of the year, Sarah Boots from Altogether Lovely Collective joined me to share how "Clean 15" has revolutionized cleaning in their home. I gleaned so much from her wisdom, but being in the middle of an international move, it was not a good time for us to implement them. Fast forward a few months, we are now settled into our new life in Australia, and we have implemented our own version...

As much as I wish this wasn't the case, we are raising our children in a sin-cursed, broken world. Satan wants nothing more than to sit on the throne of our children's hearts and minds and keep them in bondage to sin. One of the ways he is accomplishing this at epidemic rates is through pornography. The question is not if our children will be exposed, it is when. The average age of exposure to por...

Culture is giving our children's so many mixed messages when it comes to the topic of sex. It is not a matter of if they will hear these confused ideals, but when. And that age of introduction is getting younger all the time. As Christian parents, we need to be the loving authority who are the first to speak to our children about this topic so that we can give them a biblical view of sex. Sex was...

James 5:16 "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." Stacie Loughrin, author of Praying Over Your Homeschool and Joy in the Chaos, joins me to speak on the importance of prayer in the life of a homeschooling family. She shares great thoughts on cultivating an atmosphere of prayer in your home and home education.  "Homeschooling is not just about academics, but about nurturin...

My reading goal for 2023 is to read 50 books. Simeon and I have also set a goal to read 1 book together each quarter. This episode is an update on those challenges, and reviews of the books I've read in this quarter.  Let me know what book you are enjoying!   Resources: NHC Blog: My Reading Challenge 2023 (Quarter 1) NHC YouTube: My Bookshelf   Follow my  journey by subscribing to this podcast. Yo...

I am a planner. Always have been, always will be! As I grow and navigate busy seasons of marriage, ministry, and motherhood, I've had to learn that while planning is important, it is more important to be flexible and hold my plans loosely. If God chooses to give my day a "redirect", I want to be quick to follow and obey.  I'm often asked how I can manage to have a podcast, write books, etc all whi...

There are many reasons why sheep refuse to rest- trouble amongst the flock, pestilence, and hunger just to name a few. When the shepherd is near, he removes these issues and allows his sheep to rest in peace and contentment. The same is true for the Shepherd of our souls. Life brings many worries and anxieties to our hearts. How can we "lie down in green pastures"? How can we find the rest our sou...

Proverbs 12:15 "he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise." God has been so good to bless my life with Denise Palmer, my spiritual mentor. She has been a continual source of godly wisdom and counsel for me. I wish that every woman could have a Denise!  We polled asking women what they'd like to ask if they had a spiritual mentor to turn to for biblical wisdom. We received many questions, but we narr...

Feminism has invaded everything. Education, media, culture, and even the church. If we are going to biblical women, women of the Bible, we need to know what God says about our role and purpose. My mentor, Denise Palmer, joins me to share her past experiences with feminist thinking and how God used His Word to change her heart and mind. We dig into the foundational tenets of the feminist movement,...

During our time in the States, I had the privilege of managing a Facebook mom group for ladies in my community. One of the highlights of being an admin of that group was our Mom's Night Out events. Every other month, I would get with the other group admins, and we would host a fun evening for our mom friends. Each one was a bit different as they spanned over the past 5 years, but all were such a w...

Our family has had quite the major life transition. On Wednesday, January 25th, our family of 6 began our journey from cold east Tennessee to beautiful, sunny Sydney, Australia. So many of you have prayed for us along the way, and I wanted to share some of the miraculous ways that God answered very specific requests.  To everyone who has prayed for us, given financially, sent us encouraging messag...

The more I speak with other women, the more I realize that we all have a desire for personal connection. God created us for community, for friendships that strengthen and encourage us. We want to cultivate relationships, but we often don't know where to begin. How does one "find their tribe"? In this episode, I share my personal struggle with this and how God used my search for mom friends to grow...

Because the Lord is our Shepherd, we can say with complete confidence, "I shall not want."  Is Christ enough in your life? In Him, there is no lack or deficiency. He is sufficient, and He fills every void in our heart. The more we come to know the heart of our Shepherd, the more we find all we need in the person of Jesus Christ.  We continue our study of Psalm 23 diving into the phrase "I shall no...

"Don't trade any secret sin for the joy of walking in unbroken intimacy with Jesus Christ." Simeon joins me in this episode to tackle a delicate topic- marriage purity. Purity is often equated with virginity; therefore, we think we can tic the box when we make it to our wedding day. Purity is much more than saving sex for marriage. It is a call to holiness and godliness in each area of our being-...

Simeon joins me in this episode to discuss love languages. These are taken from the book The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. Chapman divides personalities into 5 main categories of how we express and receive love: words of affirmation, physical touch, quality time, acts of service, and giving/receiving gifts.  We share what our love languages are and how knowing that has helped us better comm...

Simeon joins me in this episode to share some of our current favorite date night ideas. I also share ideas from others that we thought sounded fun. If you are in a rut with date nights or if you want to add a fresh spark to your relationship, these ideas might help you get off to a good start.  We also share a few tips for being intentional in having a heart connection with your spouse.    Resourc...

Heidi James from the Children's Bible Society joins me to discuss how to teach children to pray. God has given Heidi a unique ministry. He is greatly using her as she seeks to reach children with the gospel and help parents and ministry workers know how to best reach the hearts of children. She shares practical things she's learned through leading children's prayer meetings. These truths and ideas...

"Raising teenagers has the protential to be one of the best seasons of our lives... If we go into it with a valiant "we are going to trust God" attitude, it's going to be good. It's not easy but it's good."   Ruth Sturgill, pastor's wife and mother of 2 teenage boys, shares her heart on the teenage years. It is often difficult to see our babies grow up and become less dependent on us, to see them...

This time of year has everyone making resolutions and setting goals for a new year, a fresh start. One of the biggest areas that we seek to make changes in is in our health. Diet plans and gym memberships soar in January! But what does healthy really look like? Is it working out hours a day and eating nothing but salad? Rebecca Grant, CNC + IP HTMA, joins me to tackle this question. Her informatio...

Throughout 2023, we will be giving one episode each month to studying through Psalm 23. Join me as we mine out the truths God has for us in this chapter and catch a deeper glimpse into the heart of our Shepherd. This episode lays a foundation discussing the human penman of this Psalm, the position of this Psalm in God's Word, and what this Psalm reveals about Christ. The more you come to know the...

Romans 12:13 says to be, "given to hospitality." I believe that the area of hospitality is one of the greatest means we, as Christians, have to be a light for Christ. Whether it is ministering to fellow believers or witnessing to the lost, inviting people into your home to share a meal and fellowship will bless your heart.  In this episode, I share small steps to showing hospitality. Maybe invitin...

"If we want to bring up a godly family, who shall be a seed to serve God when our heads are under the clods of the valley, let us seek to train them up in the fear of God by meeting together as a family for worship." -Charles Spurgeon  Throughout the Bible, we see the importance of family worship. This is how future generations receive the truths of God's Word and the genuine faith of their parent...

It's a new year, and many of us are analyzing our routines and asking ourselves if there is a system that would help us be more efficient in the tasks of home. If you are asking that in regards to cleaning, this episode is for YOU!  Sarah Boots with Altogether Lovely joins me to talk about a cleaning routine that has changed their lives! Giving just 15 minutes to cleaning after each meal has helpe...

The Bible calls us to be wise stewards of the things the Lord has blessed us with. That seems like an easy statement to agree with, but often, living it out requires a lot more attention and thought.  In this episode, I share different money saving tips for those who are seeking to cut costs and be a better steward. Many of these came from a friend, Rebekah with More Radiance, and then I threw in...