Peace in His Presence: Hope for the Anxious Heart

Join Michelle for this Good Friday Reflection and what Jesus meant when He said, It is Finshed. Stand at the foot of Calvary's Cross and remember how Jesus paid in full the debt of your sins and the sins of the whole world.

Join Michelle for this Holy Week Devotional as she talks about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.  

What feels impossible to you in this season of your life? Health issues, family struggles, grieving the loss of a loved one, work challenges, or problems at church.   I invite you to hold up what seems impossible before the Lord and sit with Him, while we take a look at Mary's story today. I know it's not easy to look at what feels impossible but your Immanuel promises to be with you in all things...

What is the cry of your heart? What is the prayer you've been whispering over and over again to God until you wonder if you should even keep asking? But the longing lasts, and you wait in the hope of knowing that God promises to hear your prayers and that He always answers your prayers, maybe not in the way you imagined, but always out of His divine love and grace towards you.  Advent is a time of...

  Welcome to the final and fourth episode of The Blessings and Burdens of Friendship series. For this series, Michelle invited Christina Hergenrader to be a guest host. In this final episode as we celebrate the joys of friendship, Michelle and Christina, invited their mutual friend, Audrey Duensing-Werner Director of Family Life Ministry. In this episode, we dive into the story of Mary and Elizabe...

Michelle and Christina tackle the complex terrain of forgiveness and reconciliation within friendships. It's a topic that often leads to hesitation and discomfort, as we ponder whether our cherished friendships can endure the trials and tribulations that come with difficult conversations. Friendships, like fragile stained glass windows, are susceptible to breaking. However, Michelle beautifully dr...

Michelle interviews Phil Magness about his book, Church Music: For the Care of Souls.  This was a special interview as Michelle has been friends with Phil and his wife Cheryl for almost 30 years. Michelle learned much about worship from Phil when they served at a church together many years ago. In this interview, they talk about: Why Phil wrote this book The importance of Sunday morning worship bu...

Michelle and Christina continue their series on the blessings and burdens of friendship, by taking a look at the question, "How Many Friends Should You Have?"  What Michelle and Christina, discovered through their survey was that women of all ages and stages of life, wondered how many friends should I have? Which often leads to wondering, why don't I have more friends? Christina takes the lead spo...

Michelle has invited Christina Hergenrader to guest host a  special podcast series called "The Blessings and Burdens of Friendship." We're diving deep into this fascinating world of friendships, sharing stories, insights, and, hopefully, a lot of helpful advice along the way. One thing that's been on our minds is this idea we like to call "wish dreams." You know, it's that perfect, almost fairytal...

Often, our worries come from not being able to control a situation. The truth is that we cannot plan for all the uncertainties we will face, but we can trust our Immanuel, the God who is with us, to give us His strength and peace through all the trials and troubles we will face in this life. When our minds become stuck in "what if" thinking, we see things from our finite viewpoint. We forget that...

Does your heart feel shaken and shattered? Perhaps you feel bruised and battered from all that has happened over the last few years. You are weary and tired, and you long for peace.   God promises to be your Good Shepherd, and you can rest in His unshakable faithfulness towards you today and always. In this episode, Sharla Fritz interviews me about my book Promised Rest; we discuss how the Good Sh...

Author Lindsay Hausch, interviews Michelle in this episode about the 6th chapter in her book, Promised Rest. We look at how God is our peace.   In this episode, we delve into the story of Gideon, a man who found himself hiding in a wine vat, trying to thresh wheat due to the oppressive Midianites. We explored how Gideon's encounter with an angel of the Lord, who is Jesus Himself. As we reflected o...

What are you facing right now? Is it a problem you cannot fix? Friends, I've learned a precious truth over the years: God's grace is sufficient for every circumstance. He will provide all you need to get through each moment. Christina Hergenrader interviews Michelle about her book Promised Rest: Finding Peace in God's Presence, and they focus on how God provides for us, even when life feels imposs...

Have you ever wrestled with these questions? How can I trust God when life doesn't make sense? How do I trust God when He doesn't answer my prayer right away?  How can I trust God when He doesn't fix my problems in the way I thought He would? If you've struggled with these questions or ones similar, you are not alone; I've wrestled with all of them.  In this fourth episode of the Promised Rest Ser...

Have you ever found yourself in a story you didn't choose? Perhaps you have felt unseen by those who should love and care for you. It's a lonely place, but here is the precious truth, God will never leave you, and He is your El Roi, the God who sees you and knows you by name. Donna Snow, a great friend of the podcast interviews me about the 3rd chapter of my book, El Roi. In this episode we talk a...

Do you ever wonder how God could love you?  The world will point out your sins and tell you that you're not good enough for God to love you. But God steps into your story and shows you through Jesus how much He loves you. In this episode, Deb Burma interviews me about my book, Promised Rest, and we talk about the name Abba, which means papa or daddy. This means that God's love for you is beyond me...

When life looks uncertain, what do you cling to? Do your thoughts turn towards God or how you might fix what is wrong? But what if—you can't fix it? What happens then? What you believe to be true about God changes how you live your life and face each moment. Jesus says, come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. This rest is for right now in this moment. He offers you, Pro...

In this episode, Michelle sits down and talks to award-winning Christian rapper and hip-hop artist Flame about his upcoming book, Extra Nos: Discovering Grace Outside Myself.   We talk about Flame's faith journey through different denominations. This conversation is honest and genuine, and he shares his struggles in wondering if he was saved, which led to thoughts he was doing enough for God to li...

Michelle sits down with Emily Belvery, to talk about her book, Together We Believe, which is about the Apostles Creed. Emily wrote this for her time as a missionary in Asia to help her students understand what we believe as Christians.             We talk about: Why she wrote the study What she learned  Some stories from her time as a missionary I learned a lot from my conversation with Emily, I h...

Are you facing a problem you cannot solve? You may have tried everything you can think of, and you cannot fix it no matter how hard you try. You are worn out and weary, and you long for rest. God promises us rest in His Word and through Him. Proverbs 3:5 says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. There is great comfort in these words—until we take our p...

Do you feel like you are facing a problem where your ability to solve your challenges leaves your heart empty and aching? If you look closely at the experience the Israelites had in the wilderness, you will see how God blessed them with gifts amid their everyday struggles. In this episode, I  talk to Author Lindsay Hausch about her new book, God's Provision in a Wilderness World, where she helps y...

Are you comforted by the Church? Are you irritated by the Church? Does the thought of walking into those doors on a Sunday morning bring you peace, or does it bring you anxiety? Maybe you've been hurt by the Church or people who attend your Church.  Societal pressures, frustration caused by bureaucracy and abuse within churches, and the negative perception of institutions today result in pain and...

Sometimes life is unfair and we wait for God to work things out.  The life story of Joseph is one of the most beloved and chronicled in the Bible. It's a story of broken dreams and impossible circumstances, of family conflict and unfair treatment. It's a story of the power and necessity of letting God's love and forgiveness lead. Joseph waited for twenty years for God's plan to unfold. Over and ov...

Sometimes our faith walk is compared to a race, but as we get bogged down with the struggles and challenges of life, we find ourselves limping, and most days, we sense that the Lord is carrying us and holding us up as we limp through life.  In this episode, Michelle sits down and talks to Chad Bird, about his most recent book, Limping with God: Jacob & the Old Testament Guide to Messy Discipleship...

Do you struggle with knowing how to read the Bible? Do you wish you knew what questions to ask as you read God's Word?  Do you long for a resource that would be simple to use in Bible Study? Pastor Andy Jones has written an incredible book that will be a valuable resource to all who read it. He gives the reader ten questions to ask as they read the Bible. You don't have to have a theology degree i...