Sips from the Fountain

Send us Fan Mail What do you hold on to when the bottom drops out twice? We sit down with our friend Linda Blechinger to trace a path through two life-altering storms: a shocking cancer diagnosis that led to years of agony, and the sudden onset of her husband Dan’s stage four lymphoma during the first terrifying weeks of COVID. Linda kept leading as a mayor while navigating relentless pain, then w...

Send us Fan Mail What does trust look like when the answer you begged for doesn’t come? We sit with Linda Blechinger as she walks us through the radiant, brief life of her son DJ, born with multiple heart defects, and the unflinching choices that shaped their family’s faith. From a quiet hospital room and a first reading of Psalm 91 to a living room filled with a holy hush, Linda shows how God’s p...

Send us Fan Mail What if the hardest chapters aren’t the end of the story but the place where meaning begins? Martha sits down with longtime friend and mentor Linda Blechinger for part one of a three-part arc that starts in the rubble of a fractured childhood and moves toward a life remade. Linda opens up about immigrant roots marked by wartime scarcity, the ache of an orphanage and foster care, a...

Send us Fan Mail Grief rewires a life. Hope rewrites a story. We sit down with Hannah to trace both realities—starting with the ultrasound that shifted their world and moving through months of waiting, praying, and holding two truths at once: God can do a miracle, and we may still need to say goodbye. Noah’s 57 and a half hours become a lens for what goodness looks like when outcomes are devastati...

Send us Fan Mail When life shatters our expectations, where do we find God in the wreckage? This question burns at the heart of Kim Kiser's story—a journey that began with a profound spiritual vision at age 30 and culminated in becoming a widow at 43 with seven children to raise alone. Kim's transparent account of her husband Rob's unexpected death following what should have been ro...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when the life you dreamed of falls apart, and the one you end up with looks nothing like you imagined? Allison Trice's powerful testimony reveals the unexpected joy she discovered in the midst of heartbreak, single motherhood, and raising a child with special needs. After two failed relationships left her feeling broken and ashamed, Allison found herself a single...

Send us Fan Mail We’ve had some really incredible stories in our current series, but did you hear the episode that launched it? I know we’re deep in, so I thought it may be worth a re-listen, or if you haven’t heard it yet, worth a listen!

Send us Fan Mail What do you do when life doesn't follow your carefully laid plans? When the path you expected becomes unrecognizable? This question lies at the heart of Savannah Sands' extraordinary journey from bitterness to breakthrough. Savannah never imagined becoming a single mother at 21. Raised in a conservative Christian home with solid biblical knowledge but limited real-world...

Send us Fan Mail The unexpected diagnosis of cancer at age 21 forced Brooke Lovingood to confront mortality in ways most young adults never imagine. What began as a seemingly benign thyroid nodule evolved into a life-altering journey through multiple surgeries, radioactive isolation, and the haunting uncertainty of whether cancer had spread. Yet as Brooke shares with raw authenticity, the most cha...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when the God you've trusted lets you down? When prayers for healing go unanswered and the unthinkable happens? Elise Adams walks us through her raw, honest journey through both infertility and the sudden loss of her father to cancer. After years of fertility treatments and heartbreak, Elise and her husband Michael welcomed their miracle baby William. Their faith...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when the healing you're praying for doesn't come in the way you expected? Bridgette’s powerful testimony reveals the unexpected path to freedom she discovered after 24 years in a marriage devastated by pornography addiction. From the beginning, there were warning signs. A premarital counselor explicitly advised against the union, but young love and faith con...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when life takes a drastically different path than you ever imagined? Renee Stains' powerful testimony reveals the raw, unfiltered journey of raising a medically complex child for 25 years while fighting to maintain her faith through seemingly endless suffering. When an ultrasound during pregnancy revealed that one of Renee's twins had a large tumor on his fa...

Send us Fan Mail Martha's mother shares her profound spiritual journey through chronic illness, revealing how suffering can refine rather than destroy us when approached with trust and purpose. Her experiences with multiple autoimmune diseases have shaped her into someone who helps others navigate their own challenges with the comfort she's received. • Like a silversmith refining silver,...

Send us Fan Mail Susan Litchford's perspective on suffering will challenge everything you think you know about healing and faith. After 37 years of living with rheumatoid arthritis, she offers wisdom that stands in stark contrast to popular prosperity-focused teachings: what if your unhealed condition is actually a profound spiritual opportunity? Susan takes us back to the moment everything c...

Send us Fan Mail Martha welcomes Erika to speak about moving from victimhood to victory after her husband unexpectedly left their marriage of 16 years despite her faithful Christian life and service. • Growing up deeply involved in church and developing strong spiritual disciplines • Marrying at 19 and living the "good Christian life" as a pastor's wife and mother • Feeling angry wi...

Send us Fan Mail Join us for an enlightening and heartfelt episode as we delve into the emotional journey of infertility. Esther bravely shares her struggles, revealing the pain of waiting, the lies that often cloud our hopes, and the profound strength that emerges through faith. Her story navigates the complexities of longing for motherhood and the many trials faced along the way.  Listen as she...

Send us Fan Mail Discover the transformative power of faith in our latest episode, where unexpected challenges reveal God's purpose in moments of turmoil. Join Martha as she shares a personal story that begins with a simple plan for relaxation at a plant outlet spa, only to lead to a flat tire that changes the course of her day—and her perspective on life. As she navigates through overwhelmin...

Send us Fan Mail The episode emphasizes the transformative power of words and the importance of expressing appreciation to loved ones while they are still alive. Through personal stories and scriptural insights, we explore how verbal affirmations can enhance relationships and foster deeper connections.  • The impact of a teacher’s kind words exercise  • Redefining eulogies: honoring the living  •...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we explore the importance of intentionally prioritizing our lives to fit in what truly matters amidst the busyness we often create. Martha shares valuable insights about control, rest, and alignment with God's plan for a fulfilling life. • The struggle of fitting everything into a busy life  • The jar metaphor for prioritizing big rocks, pebbles, sand, and wa...

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Send us Fan Mail Join me, Martha Gano, alongside my sister Stacey Goddard and cousin Amber Smith as we uncover the staggering reality faced by communities in the western Piedmont of North Carolina after Hurricane Helene struck. We're offering an unfiltered look at the heartache and resilience of those affected, including personal accounts of survival like Pam's, and the sheer devastation...

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Send us Fan Mail Whether we realize it or not, we all have our go-to people, people who help us navigate life’s challenges, make big and small decisions, and who color how we approach our lives.  The crazy thing is… we’re almost never intentional about who those people are, even though they have so much influence in our lives. And we often listen to voices that shouldn’t have a seat a the table ju...

Send us Fan Mail What if the path to your deepest healing and transformation lay in surrendering your most painful battles? Today I bring you, once again, the powerful flow of wisdom, life-changing truth, and blessing that is Susan Litchford.  We'll explore a journey that begins with a heartfelt prayer and a powerful scripture from Isaiah, leading into a raw and honest recount of Susan’s stru...

Send us Fan Mail What if embracing forgiveness could transform your life from the inside out? Join us as we delve into the liberating power of relinquishing judgment and how it can set you free from the prison of resentment. We start by uncovering the deeper layers of forgiveness and the biblical principles from Matthew and Hebrews, demonstrating how this act is not about condoning harmful behavio...