Our Time to Rise in Midlife

New York Times bestselling author and Proverbs 31 speaker, Karen Ehman, lives on alert. She waits to hear "heart drops", those hints that indicate a way to someone's heart, so she can best love those around her while managing the demands of her busy life. Karen is excellent at taking a broad topic like "loving well" and breaking it down to practical steps we all can follow. In this interview we co...

Valentine's Day....a day of love! Whether you are snuggling up with a honey, making dozens of cookies for class parties, or wondering why we have this holiday in the first place, we invite you to join us for our first annual Things We Love! episode. This is about fun and  practical. Please know that the things most dear to our hearts aren't actually things at all. But if you were to buy us some Va...

We go into some interviews knowing the guest will offer The Open Door Sisterhood a wealth of wisdom. Author Patricia Raybon was one of those and so we jumped right into the big stuff. From race relations to divided families we wanted to make sure not a minute of this episode with one of our favorites was wasted. As you listen you will hear Patricia's tender nature and years of life and walking wit...

It's February, and many of the New Year's Goals we created are starting to fade into the distant past.  Are you tired of setting goals and failing?  In this episode we talk about how to set goals that will actually stick, what the keys are to successful goal setting, and how we can address the mind, body, AND spirit in the process.   This short episode will encourage you and give you practical too...

Designer and now author, Erin Loechner, is up these days (or we should say nights) with a baby. A baby she went to retrieve from the hospital as soon as she received a phone call. That seems to be how Erin's life works. From starting a website to a show on HGTV.com, Erin and her husband follow adventure. Or adventure follows them. From the midwest, to Hollywood, back to the midwest, Erin's journey...

A Sister Interview with a Latin flair, in this episode Monica Rovira brings the world to the sisterhood, reminding us how God is working through women around the globe. A native Colombian living in her adopted country of Guatemala, adapting resources for a U.S. ministry to meet the needs of Latin American women, Monica truly is a world changer. Monica leads MOPS International's efforts in Latin Am...

A bottoming out of life can lead us to ask questions. Like who am I? Really? Michele Cushatt's battle with cancer did just that. As a professional speaker who lost a good portion of her tongue to the disease, as a mom who was too sick to get off the couch for many months, for a woman who was used to convincing herself that she was capable to take on the next thing, she had to re-examine where her...

Esther Emery and her family just moved...from a yurt to a cabin she and her husband built from scratch with trees from their property. She is a homesteader, working on the skills of homemaking and sharing her experiences and knowledge with her followers. It is an intentional, alternative lifestyle. And one she wasn't planning on. Until life got difficult a few years ago and things needed to change...

At a time of year where we talk all about fresh starts, fashion may be a place you look to toss out the old and welcome the new.  After all, sales at the mall are in full post-holiday swing.  But what if fashion is more than buying that trending riding boot or Patagonia pullover?  What if style is actually much deeper than that, and an expression of our spiritual nature?   In this interview, fashi...

Alisa Keeton has always been a fitness fanatic, but as her faith deepened so did her understanding of what physical wellness is about. In order to minister to people's whole selves ... body, mind and spirit... she founded Revelation Wellness, an approach that works on making people physically fit so they might serve God in the world. Alisa's passion is undeniable and you will be inspired as you he...

Do you need to re-center on the heart of Christmas?  In this short, 17-minute Hey Sister! special, Krista and her family read scripture to instrumental Christmas music. Play it while you drive, while you light the Advent candles, while you take a run, wrap the final gift, sit by the tree.   Sisters, let's share the reading of scripture together.

The professional young woman has a unique set of life circumstances. Kat Armstrong wants her to know the Gospel of Jesus fits right there in the midst of them. However many professional women in their 20s and 30s are deciding church doesn't have a place for them. Polished is an outreach Kat helped found to gather young professional women with the idea of introducing them to the Gospel and to a loc...

Mom of four girls Kari Kampakis is working to help girls everywhere navigate social media. What does that mean? Well it means getting to the heart of matter: what is your identity grounded in and whose approval are you seeking? These are the questions central to Kari's new book Liked: Whose approval are you living for? for tween and teen girls. In this episode, Kari joins Krista and Alex as they t...

In the third part of our three part Christmas series Less Stuff, More Memories  co-hostesses Alex and Krista focus on incorporating the story of Jesus' birth into the season's routines and activities. From stories and activities your preschooler will participate in, to ways you can incorporate spiritual rituals with tweens and teens, Alex and Krista share how they incorporate the nativity into Adv...

Oh Christmas traditions! They can be so much fun! And they can be so much stress! In the second part of our three part series, Less Stuff, More Memories , Krista and Alex talk through how to create meaningful, memorable traditions during the holiday season with your family, when to take a break from a tradition and involving kids in the planning and execution of things they enjoy. Because traditio...

Christmas is known for its magic. It is also known for spending, stuff and stress. Why not recenter on what makes Christmas fun and meaningful? That is why we are doing a series on Less Stuff, More Memories. In this series we break down topics of gifts, traditions and the spirit of Christmas so we can focus on making memories with those we love. This holiday season doesn't have to be about the stu...

Linda Lawrence Hunt is no stranger to loss.  After two bouts of breast cancer, losing her brother and parents, and walking through the loss of her daughter, Krista, in a tragic accident in Bolivia, Linda has known the pain that most only fear.  Linda herself went on a journey, desperate to discover how to find hope in the midst of such sorrow. Springing out of the place rose The Krista Foundation...

We recorded this episode with Tricia Goyer while she had fourteen people in her home. So if it sounds like she is hiding in the bathroom, it's because she is. But this is the norm for this mom of ten who manages to feed people one soup pot at a time. Where her approach is an open-handed one trusting God to provide food, space and energy to love those under her roof. You'll hear how Tricia's family...

Katelyn Beaty has recently taken a big step. Into what...she is still waiting to find out. As the youngest and first female managing editor of Christianity Today magazine, Katelyn was doing work she found meaningful and interesting. And yet she sensed God calling her to a new season. And so she quit. With no backup plan. No "next" in order. Because sometimes that open door is very much into the un...

How-to guides about how to plan well for big holiday meals abound, but food preparation is not the only piece of the pie in making our Thanksgiving or Christmas meal tradition meaningful and fun.  Along with meal planning, it is helpful to think through how to set the table for connection (even before we sit down to eat), how to proactively avoid family conflicts, and how to use mealtime to build...

Emily Ley is a woman who understands busy. As the founder of Emily Ley Paper, Inc. and The Simplified Planner, she runs a business while parenting three children under five. And she recently released her first book, Grace Not Perfection: Embracing Simplicity, Celebrating Joy . It helps that her business is centered around women simplifiying their lives, she knows the systems that work. A jam packe...

Every group, big or small, has a culture.  If you've visited another country, you've seen the way people act and how they feel about being a part of that nation.  There are certain norms, behaviors, and rituals that shape the people in that environment. Companies also have cultures.  Think of Nike.  It is the innovator of athletic wear, and its brand communicates what they value:  sports, comfort,...

This episode of The Open Door Sisterhood is close to our hearts because it talks about two things we can't escape: parenting and grace. Mom of four boys and author Jeannie Cunnion joins us as she talks through what parenting with grace looks like in her life. A fresh conversation on a classic subject, you will be sure to be encouraged and inspired to love others and yourself through the lens of ac...

Francie Winslow has a special place in our hearts. A woman of the Spirit, she humbly speaks wisdom to us at every turn. Whether her earnest prayers or gentle approach to guiding her children's hearts, we are always encouraged to take that next step, do that next thing. As a homeschooling mom who tries to simplify her life in order to keep quiet and restful rhythms, she often goes against the grain...

Annie Pajcic's last name rhymes with magic. That's no surprise to us because she is pure magic and joy. in fact we think the expression "she lights up a room" was created with Annie in mind. She radiates Jesus with her every fiber. She is a joy because she overflows with joy. In this episode, Annie talks with us from her home and studio in Jacksonville, FL the week following Hurricane Matthew. A m...