POSITIVELY JOY: Healing Hearts After Divorce

Today on the show: Can coloring support our faith? Can writing keep us God-focused? Artist and author Wendy Fedan is a creative Christian who says yes. Wendy has found how to be attuned to the Holy Spirit through pens and paint, and how to heal her mental health through writing.  See her website here . You can find her book there and more.

Welcome to part 3, our final part in the series, "Finding your purpose in the workplace with faith." Today, we have a fitting end with Steven Mudd, a young man who trained in college to go into broadcast TV but found God guiding him to Ministry at Victory Family Church in Oklahoma, instead. Would he follow the way God was leading him? And how did he feel about his dreams of broadcast stardom slipp...

Welcome to part two of finding your purpose in the workplace with faith. Last week, Ericka James talked about using her prophetic gifts to help business leaders. This week, Cassandra Crawley Mayo talks about corporate America. The daughter of a preacher’s kid, she’s grown up in the church but her career has taken her to boardrooms. Climbing the workplace ladder can be brutal, but when you have God...

This season is all about relying on God in your everyday life, and that includes the workplace. God has a purpose for us at home and at work, and today begins a multi-episode series on finding your God-given purpose at work. Today, we talk to Ericka James, a TV show host and author, who helps viewers understand and implement their purpose to build something extraordinary that positively impacts th...

Broadcast news anchor Storme Jones saw a vehicle zooming towards him, and before he knew it his truck was rolling. But what Storme later recalled was that he was in praise and worship moments in the car before the accident. He was listening to Christian music on the radio. And he believes that made all the difference. 

Author Sarah Geringer has written many books, but “Hidden Manna on a Country Road” is beautiful, insightful, and moving. Manna is a food that God provided the Israelites, and Geringer is fed through inspiration from her beloved Missouri, but also from her extraordinary Christian relationship with God. Listen as she candidly reveals how she came to know Christ and how she dwells with God every day....

Trisha K. Campbell was called to adopt five special needs children and has experienced the awesome faithfulness of God as she walked this journey. In her book, "Eight was Enough," she talks about what happens when you think you are finished with God's work. For Trisha, there's always something more. Learn more about Trisha. Read her book.    

It's a special episode of Positively Joy. We present Journalists Advancing Ministry, a monthly podcast about journalists who have turned to Kingdom work. Our first episode is on Mashaun Simon, a news reporter who became a pastor and now works in pastoral care. Listen to Journalists Advancing Ministry on Apple podcasts and at thejam.online. 

Adam Staring is the pastor of Victory Family Church, a fast-growing church with multiple campuses in central Oklahoma. Adam is worried about the growing percentage of people who no longer identify as Christian or have a religion at all. We sat down in his office in Norman, Oklahoma to discuss this troubling issue. Pew reports:  Decline in Christianity Americans attend services less often Learn mor...

Author and mom Lindsay Morris has written a devotional, "Calling All Princesses," to teach daughters the love of God. Lindsay -- a mother of two boys -- has experienced this love after losing a child. Her faith is strong and she wants to share it with others.  Get the Book here. Lindsay's blog Calling_all_princesses on Instagram  

Author Margaret Agard gave her to-do list to God. That's right, you heard me. She gave her actual to-do list to God and according to Margaret, he took it and allowed her to get things done. Margaret's story is faith-filled but will allow you to glean some practical examples for your own life. Give it a try. God will surprise you. Learn about Margaret's "In His Footsteps" book series here.

I'm pleased to launch the new season of the Positively Joy podcast with this talented and discerning daughter of God, Brooke Robertson. Brooke was sexually abused as a child and decided to tell her story through God. Brooke talks about how she walked with God through this process, and how he's a daily companion. You hear a bit of "Taking My Voice Back" in the episode. Listen to the whole song on S...

Season 4 launches this Thursday with Brooke Robertson's story of surviving childhood abuse. We will drop new episodes every Thursday!

Season 3 Replay: Jenny Toh was a lawyer. But God had plans for her to help people in a different way. As a life coach, Jenny is using her God-given talents to inspire and encourage others. Jenny is an International Coaching Federation (ICF) Associate Certified Coach (ACC) who runs her own coaching practice, River Life Coaching Pte. Ltd. She is also a lawyer in the U.K., Singapore, and Malaysia wit...

Season 3 Replay: Even after an accident left her in chronic pain, Barby Ingle knew that God had a plan for her life. Barby, the president of the International Pain Foundation, credits God for a new life post-accident that was even better than before. He even sent Barby her Ken! Her encouragement to others suffering from chronic pain is true to her unofficial title, the cheerleader for hope.   

Season 3 Replay: This favorite episode with creative journaler LaQuisha Hall is one of my favorite conversations! Listen to LaQuisha as she discusses her challenges with abuse growing up, and shows how she overcame many of them through using her God-given tools of creativity.  Website: http://laquishahall.com/ Confidence Coaching: http://laquishahall.com/confidence-coaching/

Season 3 replay: The author of hundreds of icebreakers, hospitality ideas, and recipes, Sue Donaldson turns a simple plate of cookies or a coffee cake into an invitation for faith and fellowship. You can find all sorts of ideas and resources at her website, WelcomeHeart.com, and she has a special resource for listeners: “Prayer for a Hospitality Heart” and “10 Mentoring Worksheets.”

Season 3 Replay: El Edwards comes to us all the way from Wales, where she spots silver linings in life. The other exciting thing about this episode is that we hit 100 shows! Listen to positive El as she encourages you to stop worrying about being anyone’s brand of normal and to be yourself. God loves you just the way you are. Her story will resonate with all girls, women, and mothers.

Season 3 Replay: Wyvonne Williams has an unusual and beautiful name, and she also has an unusual and beautiful son who has severe special needs. While challenging and sometimes frustrating, she sees the joy in her son JJ. Her book, “Parenting Interesting Children,” explores how to parent when you feel you are not equipped.

Season 3 Replay: Drawing on her 18 years in recovery coupled with her years of teaching, trauma coach Gina Rolkowski helps abuse survivors discover hope and joy by teaching them how to nurture a relationship with God and themselves. 

Season 3 replay: Gloria Guadron’s journey took her from people-pleasing and anxiety to helping women struggling with overwhelming feelings of inadequacy walk into their own confidence and the life that God meant for them. She recently revealed to me that there have been some major changes in her life, and I’ll let her tell you about it herself. After that, I will share our conversation from 2021 b...

Season 3 Replay: Hannah Keeley, a mother of 7, coaches other moms needing help. She’s the author of the book “Mom Fog,” and the founder of Mom Mastery University. Today she talks about using her faith and trust in God to revolutionize her way of thinking and revitalize her family. She uses 8 steps to help women use vision and focus and push through the fog. Her book is available for free or very l...

Season 3, Ep. 60: In the final episode of Season 3 of Positively Joy, Attorney Brent Olsson is the grandson of Jeanne Wilkerson (pictured here),  the author of "Contact with God." Brent edited this collection of her sermons, which speak to intercessory prayer and the mighty visions of Wilkerson, who went to be with the Lord in 1987. Brent believes her message is still relevant today, and even spea...

Season 3, Ep. 59: Spoilers! This is the second part of our conversation about the TV series "The Handmaid's Tale" (which will release a new season this year). It's in our occasional series on pop culture and faith, and in this episode, the Rev. Dr. Leah Schade returns to explore the fictional theocratic society Gilead. We unpack the show and its religious underpinnings, and ask the question is Gil...

Season 3, Ep. 58: In honor of Mother's Day, the first mother-daughter duo appear on the Positively Joy podcast! Lorraine (mom) and Linda (daughter) wrote "Miracles on My Doorstep," an autobiography of Lorraine's life and all the opportunities God sent to her. Despite raising nine children, losing a child, and going blind later in life, her faith never waivered. Lorraine is a first-generation child...