First Shallowater: FIRST THINGS FIRST

This week we welcome Justin Bloss who will be speaking at DNOW February 24 and 25. He talks about tennis, about small towns, about good friends and about starting a family. He also shares about turning to Christ, about struggling with addiction and about the transforming love of Jesus. Tell us how we can pray for you. Find out more about First Shallowater .

Carsen Miles talks about finding peace in the presence of Christ, about learning to receive God's love, and about trusting that God has everything under control. She shares her experiences growing up as a minister's kid, dealing with a life-altering illness, struggling through identity issues and learning to rest in the love of Christ. Check out Brave Enough to be Broken by Toni Collier. Carsen re...

Swade and Krystal Moyers join the podcast to talk about minivans, raising kids, teenage romance, and foster/adoption. They also talk about the amazing ways that God has blessed their family, the hope they have in the hard times and what it means to simply obey God.

This week we have an awesome conversation with Kim Sanders about foster parenting, about adoption, but also about boldly obeying God and surrendering to His will. We also talk about the joys and challenges that life often throws at us, as well as walking through sorrow and grief with our family. You are going to love this! Want to know more about how you can get involved in caring for abused and/o...

Carrie Williams talks about how God called her and her family to be a foster family, how He moved in them as they welcomed children into their home, how He eventually led them to adopt and what their family has learned on this amazing journey. You are going to be inspired by hearing what God has done in the Williams family! Interested in foster care and/or adoption? Check out our ministry partners...

What a privilege to hear from Kaegan Holder! She talks about being a mom, teaching school, figuring out a career path and the key to healthy dating. She also talks about the faithfulness of God, the fierce love of a mother, letting our past be the launching pad for ministry and stepping out in faith to be the hands of feet of Christ for someone else. Kaegan's story is so encouraging! Listen and sh...

This week we talk to Brice Foster about youth sports and raising kids. We also talk about mission, about growing in Christ, and about finding healthy accountability and community.

Anna and Michael are back as we continue the discussion we started last week, answering YOUR questions! This week we talk about the difference between ordinances and sacraments and what the Bible has to say about whether or not women can serve as pastors, elders or deacons.

On Sundays, we have been in a series called YOU ASKED FOR IT. We've been answering questions that have been submitted to us by YOU! We got WAY too many questions, though, so we decided to try and answer some of them on the podcast. Michael Corallo and Anna Jackson join the podcast to help answer questions about how we interpret Scripture, and about whether foot washing should be an ordinance of th...

It's amazing how experiences in our lives and how important relationships can shape our perspective. The influence that Godly parents can have on our lives is really profound. This week on the podcast Tony Cotten describes how the example of faithfulness his parents set for him profoundly shaped his outlook on life. We talk about plumbers, motorcycles, Santa Claus and small churches. We also talk...

So many of us know how it feels to face rejection, abandonment. We know how it feels to struggle with anxiety, to question our self-worth and doubt the goodness of God. This week on the podcast we get to talk to Danielle Rendon. We talk about raising boys, White Sands New Mexico, surviving parenthood and sleep deprivation. We also talk about addiction, about abandonment, about fear and about the s...

Sometimes God uses really difficult and tragic circumstances to reveal His mercy, and to draw us close to him. This week on the podcast we welcome Kyla Hamilton. We talk about teenagers, farming, Alabama (the band) and cows. We also talk about falling in love, finding Jesus, facing tragedy and raising a family. We had a lot of fun hanging out and you will really enjoy and be encouraged by how God...

 There are a whole lot of people in the world who have been greatly influenced by the life and ministry of Dr. Clinton Lowin, including many people in Shallowater. Dr. Lowin was interim pastor at First Shallowater, and there are so many people at our church who were blessed by his wisdom, humility and desire to serve. This week we sit down for a conversation with Dr. Clinton Lowin. We talk about v...

Being a mom is tough. Balancing all of the demands of caring for a growing family with the work it takes to build, to maintain, to grow a healthy marriage is not easy. This week on the podcast we welcome Skylah Hoffman. We talk about basketball, young love, raising kids, and West Texas. We also talk about the importance of family, finding purpose and the challenge of connecting with your spouse in...

Since we've been talking about commitments we make that help to insure successful, healthy marriages, this conversation with Ann Marie is timed perfectly. We talk about growing up in a small town, raising boys, and type 1 diabetes. We also talk about facing adversity in our marriages, learning to place our trust in God and figuring out how to love others selflessly, like Jesus. You are going to re...

To say that Maddox Phillips is "relentlessly positive" may actually be a bit of an understatement. When you hang out with Maddox, you can't help but be impressed by his optimism, his care for others, his outlook even in the face of adversity. Of course, it's not easy for him, or anyone really, to maintain that, especially when life gets particularly tough or when people are particularly mean. This...

Every now and then, you meet someone, and as soon as you meet them, you know that you are going to be friends. Ernest Hopkins is one of those people. Everyone who meets him feels like they are his best friend. He has a unique talent for making people feel accepted, seen, loved. During the five years that he served as Associate Pastor at First Shallowater, he made a huge impact on the lives of a lo...

Only a really special person would choose to spend the bulk of their career working with middle school students. Kerry Sarchet is one of those people. We talk about sports, kids, family, band, E-Harmony and small town America. We also talk about loss, grief, parenting, and the steadfast love of God. Check out Kerry's encouraging story. For more information about our church, First Shallowater , cli...

Have you ever felt like life pulled the rug out from under you; like in a single, gut wrenching moment everything changed? How do we respond in those moments, and how do we walk through the aftermath. This week on the podcast Charity Sparks joins us. We talk about the Lone Star State, yo yos, magicians, big moves and new places. We also talk about trusting God, depression, suicide, family and the...

Sometimes, when we are going through really hard things, it's difficult for us to imagine how God might be at work. It's only when we look back at our experiences that we see evidence of his handiwork. This week, we welcome D'Neise Laverty to the podcast. We talk about Hallmark movies, small towns, West Texas people, and great churches. We also talk about abandonment, addiction, losing a loved one...

This week on the podcast we sit down with Cayenne Williams for a conversation about family, college life, friendships, youth group and dating. We also talk about faith, purpose, foster care and adoption. If you ever worry about the future of our world as today's young people move into positions of leadership, then you need to listen to this episode. Cayenne is a great example of a young person wit...

When we are facing something really big and scary, our faith can be what sustains us. Hearing from people who have walked through those situations, who are positive and centered in spite of everything, can be really helpful. That is who Deanna Harville is. This week on the podcast, Deanna and I talk about homemade ice cream, second chances, cancer, faith and the difference that the love of a good...

Summer is here! That means trips, vacations, hopefully a little more downtime hanging out beside a pool. You are probably looking for a new show or a new movie to watch. You might also be on the hunt for some new music, or a new book, or maybe even another podcast to listen to. We've got you covered! Brad, Annie and Carsen discuss what they have been watching, reading and listening to with a parti...

Sometimes, in our lives, we run up against obstacles. The obstacles can seem really big, insurmountable even. With Christ, though, we are able to move through, and even grow stronger from the obstacles that we find in our path. This week, our guest on the podcast is Dora Potter. We talk about "hayseed," working with students, living in Hawaii and growing up on a farm. We also talk about raising ch...

As we get ready to celebrate our graduating Seniors in a little over a week, First Things First welcomes two of our seniors to the podcast. Kade Smith and Samantha Thomas drop in, and we talk about youth group, school trips, mentors and growing up. We also talk about finding faith, learning to serve God and figuring out the future. So excited about what God is doing in the lives of these two young...