Overcomers Overcoming

Pastor Greg Jackson, Jr. was a division one college basketball player who was born with Sickle Cell Disease. Having to endure a bone marrow transplant, multiple collapsed lungs, and a double lung transplant, Greg relied on his faith in Jesus to carry him through each trial. Listen to how his life and faith were shaped by his family's love and support. "There were times I thought it didn't matter w...

Aaron Shelley explains the meaning and application of momentum and values to families and businesses. He and his friends always seemed to be primed for success. He grew up in a suburban neighborhood with ten boys who became his friends. They went to the same church and schools while also participating in the same scout troop. He played sports in the street almost every day. He regularly played vid...

Ron and Marty discuss their life experience and marriage of trust. Some people immediately trust others, while others "cogitate" over trust in relationships. It is a matter of personality in combination with life perspective and experiences, and trust is essential in a connected relationship and being an effective leader. An organization's people feel comfortable knowing they can trust their leade...

Jon Katz has a story of overcoming a horrendous breakup after his fiancée identified herself as a   lesbian. The breakup drove him to temporary pleasure-seeking, catalyzing him to turn his life around after intense pain. He became obese and experienced an apartment fire on August 1, 2022. This was a massive blessing in disguise--by stripping me of "everything." He learned, with the proper perspect...

Clay Boatright lost his wife of 35 years to ovarian cancer, and his two daughters were born non-verbal with special intellectual and physical needs. How can we overcome life's traumas that seem insurmountable? Clay has learned through life experience if God is involved, everything can be an opportunity. Does God cause events or allow them to happen in the life of those who can endure the trial? Ov...

Erin Clements continues her life story of marriage betrayal and her recovery. Her emotional recovery required about six months of healing. During that time, she hoped she could share with and garner empathy from those inside her church. She was uncertain if she could share her innermost feelings within her church for fear of judgment or ridicule. She felt the emotional support she needed came more...

The U.S. Army investigated LTC Jason G. Pike, arrested him, and tried to break him. He is A Soldier Against All Odds. Diagnosed at age seven with an acute learning disability and failing first grade that year, Jason was sent back to repeat it. At age nine, he was diagnosed with osteomyelitis, a crippling bone disease dissolving the bone of his knee that added to his academic challenges and a signi...

Christel Owoo went to Ghana to do research. She left the Netherlands as an atheist and returned to Holland as a believer in Jesus Christ, her Lord and Savior. God, the Holy Spirit, works in the lives of all people – even atheists. It is a matter of if and how we respond to His leading. God led Christel to have an encounter with several God-believing people in Ghana. Through those encounters, she k...

Erin Clements continues her life learning experience by describing her emotions, including, "Why me, Lord?" We might wonder if we deserve something as devastating as we are experiencing because of something we did. Erin experienced many of these emotions. However, after reckoning with our Lord, she knew her life experience could be a learning opportunity and possibly even a ministry to others. She...

Mary Henderson transitioned from a seven-figure business she founded to her current coaching business. From her life experience, she coaches and inspires others to make life decisions that might seem very difficult to make. Some people are facing life transitions by choice or chance, possibly resulting from the COVID pandemic, and life change might be most difficult for those who need life stabili...

Erin Clements continues her life-evaluated testimony by sharing statements that sometimes trigger emotions that dominate our current thinking. Comments that are meant to encourage others can be processed negatively. We do not know why we think and feel the way we do until we assess our life and statements that impact our thinking. Too often, we make impulsive statements with negative connotations...

Erin Clements continues her evaluated life experience by discussing life boundaries. When her counselor asked her to define her life boundaries, she was taken aback without a response. As she reflects on her life, she now realizes her failed marriage was due, in part, to her lack of boundaries and her confidence to confront her former husband. Facing others remains an area of growth in her journey...

The Cooper Culture is a catalyst to transform a person's mindset of quiet desperation to one of confident assurance. A catalyst in this context inspires action. We do this through:   ·        Public speaking ·        Partnering with principle-based organizations ·        Our "Overcomers Overcoming" podcast series   Many people of all socio-economic strata are experiencing varying degrees of quiet...

Erin Clements continues to chronicle her life testimony of recovering from a traumatic divorce. After several months of experiencing grief and emotional turmoil, Erin purposed to seek forgiveness to begin her journey to recovery. Initially, she wasn't sure what forgiveness "looked" or felt like. Might forgiving the offender marginalize the hurt and sin? Through prayer and therapy, she experienced...

Charles Smith felt overwhelming grief from his father's death when he was 11 years old, followed by the deaths of his grandfather and uncle. He did not have an inner circle of friends in whom he could confide. As a result, he bottled up his emotions to the point of thinking ending his life might be the best solution. Thankfully, his friends engaged in his life at the right time to avert this outco...

Ron and Marty Cooper discuss taking action in the context of the account of the man wanting to go into the pool of Bethsaida. Jesus healed the man and told him to begin walking. We cannot continue doing what we have done in the past and expect different results. If we are not getting fulfillment with what we are doing, we must take action to do something different. God promises to direct the path...

Erin Clements continues her life testimony with a focus on trust. Trust requires a lifetime to build, a moment to lose, and forever to repair. Enduring trust is earned – it is never demanded, and it is an essential value and character trait. So, how can you know if a person is trustworthy? Erin shares her experience while offering consideration for others to consider. The axiom "pay me now or pay...

Erin Clements continues her life journey of recovering from her marital trauma. She evaluated her life experience and shares her lessons learned. As a Christian, this life experience devastated her. However, God brought her through this and has made her a better person despite the devastation. She explains how God can strengthen and provide opportunities through life experiences. Through her life...

Ron and Marty discuss empathy and how we can effectively relate to others without enabling poor behavior. Empathy is identifying with a struggle or pain a person is experiencing. While doing so, we want to help them with a hand-up without being the handout. The handout mindset could enable a person to continue with poor thinking or behavior that brings them despair or anguish. We should want to in...

Anthony Davis is on a life journey to transition (aka pivoting) to a new life experience. It is a matter of determining what provides fulfillment and income to sustain his desired lifestyle. His journey considers his commitment to his wife, who has multiple sclerosis. He candidly describes some perceived limiting beliefs that can keep him from pursuing his passions. Even with 62 years of life expe...

Damian White is a poetry writer who has pivoted through various life encounters to identify and refine his strengths and fulfillment.. He authored the poetry book I Made A Place For You , which is his debut collection. It is available at  https://www.amazon.com/Made-Place-You-Damian-White/dp/1639885706/. After battling two bouts of homelessness, he channeled those experiences into poetry to heal a...

Ron and Marty begin a weekly solo podcast with thoughts to consider based on evaluated life experiences. Ron and Marty have experienced thoughts resulting from statements made to and/or about them that have, through trigger statements, evoked thoughts of the past. The words may have been meant well; however, our personality or disposition at the moment of those statements caused us to process thos...

Erin Clements continues sharing her life journey of overcoming the trauma of learning her former husband was sexually active with women outside of their marriage. This revelation was devastating, uprooting nearly everything she had believed about God, life, and marriage. Through her devotion to God, He gave her the confidence to advance her life and the courage to develop a support team to help he...

Amanda Kirby experienced the hanging suicide of her 10th-grade son, Tyler Matthew Bland. For those who might say, "I have no idea what to say to him/her," Amanda shares her life experience with the desire to help; others cope with this type of life trauma. She speaks candidly about her emotions, having experienced her son's life trauma on May 12, 2016. Everyone has their process of overcoming grie...

Erin Clements was committed to marriage permanence when she learned of her husband's sexual infidelity. The revelation stunned Erin to the point of total devastation. For a while, she felt she had lost her life purpose. She felt betrayed. She wondered if God still loved her because He allowed her to experience this break in trust. "How can I possibly recover from this?" Through therapy and the tru...