The Better Part - Intentional Living for Christian Moms with a Bible-Loving Catholic Mama

Finances are the #1 stress in a stressed out America right now. With inflation, job changes, and uncertainty in the economy, it’s not a surprise! But God has seen it all before, and He gives us so much guidance in the Bible. This episode does not focus on any specific budgeting philosophy, but instead focuses on three Biblical principles: Not idolizing money (through overspending, overseeing, or o...

The home can be the most peace-filled place, or it can be a major stress in our lives! Where do you find yourself? Three things that cause stress in our homes are: The mess Things breaking Lack of contentment In this episode, we break down tips to help loosen the grip of each of those stresses. By creating routines of tidying and cleaning among kids, keeping up with house fixes as they come (rathe...

It is well known that those the number of decisions someone makes in the day is directly related to the amount of stress the undergo... How many decisions do you think you have to make as a mother? Probably more than the average Joe, I'd venture to guess! And a lot of those decisions you have to think out have to do with scheduling! In this episode we break down three major things that bring us st...

Parenting is a lifelong job that is the most difficult job you will take on, and once you have it, you have it for life! No one can prepare you for the utter highs and devastating lows every parent experiences. Maybe this is why it can be so stressful and anxiety-driving! There are so many reasons parents struggle with peace, but in this episode we focus on three main points: Attachment Expectatio...

Where are you in your personal peace? Do you find yourself as a peaceful person? Or do you feel like you're constantly plagued by worries and stress? Or are you somewhere in between? As said in the last episode, God is the source of all peace, but we can sometimes place barriers that keep us from receiving His peace. In this episode we discuss common barries ones of: Health (Poor health or making...

What does peace mean to you? To me, it is contentment, fulfillment, and being seen, known, and loved by my Father in Heaven. When I am close to Jesus, I am filled with these feelings and all of life gets easier. There is less pressure on anything to work out the way I want or expect, because I am already filled and fulfilled by Jesus. The Bible talks ALL about peace because people of all ages have...

We are starting a brand new series based on PEACE! Could you use more peace in your life? I think we all could! God wants to grant us this fruit of the Holy Spirit, but sometimes we have trouble receiving it. Why? In this series, we will dive into the answer to this question concerning all sorts of topics like: motherhood, marriage, finances, making decisions, and MORE! Join me for the next 9 week...

This is the last episode before we start a new series next week! The last but not least thing that has been helping me grow in faith lately has been THIS PODCAST! Getting vulnerable about what Jesus means to me in a public way has helped me be accountable to "live in a manner worthy of the call [I] have received," (Ephesians 4:1) and to continue sharing about my faith in other ways. Thro...

"Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor;   for if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up!   Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone?" Ecclesiastes 4:9-11 When God created Adam, it says He saw that he was alone. Even though A...

When life is hard (or even when it is not!), it can be hard for me to find something to pray about when I sit down to pray. It helps me to have some set piece of content that I'm going through that serves as inspiration for my prayer. Right now, I'm going through the Catechism in a Year podcast, but here are some other ideas for you if you are looking for some good spiritual reading/listen...

During this time where I have a baby (and therefore an unpredictable schedule), my daily prayer has been less consistent than I like. But going to daily Mass has been something I've been able to keep up, and it has made all the difference! God's grace is SO REAL in the sacraments, and it can make a very tangible effect in our lives! That said, I know that going to Mass with kids can someti...

I have had several experiences being discipled and discipling others, and it has been as helpful as Jesus may have intended when He instituted discipleship with His apostles. In this episode, I share my experience with discipleship and how it has affected my prayer life. I believe that all of us are called to both be guided by a mentor and to help other draw nearer to God by discipling them. Can y...

Since I've been a mom, I've struggled with expectations of my prayer life. I've wanted the kind of prayer that is slow, silent, filled with consolations, and deeply intimate with Jesus. How about you? Unfortunately, finding large chunks of time in which my life is silent is hard, and there are about a billion distractions in my life like chores, volunteer opportunities, homeschooling p...

For the last episode of the marriage series, I interviewed my husband, Davis. We discuss a lot of the topics from this series, but hear the male perspective. This episode is great for wives to hear, but may be even more fun to listen to as a couple and discuss what you heard. Listen in to hear how to: Show your husband the respect he craves Encourage your husband in spiritual leadership Allow spac...

For the penultimate episode of the series, I interviewed my very wise and always lovely mom, Andi Ponsford! She looks back on her marriage of 40 years and reflects on what made it tick. She shares awesome insights about: Her 70/100 rule The Total Woman who: Admires, Adores, Appreciates, and Accepts Tough times not meaning a bad marriage Much more! I was soaking up all the wisdom, and I'm sure...

During last week's episode, I spoke a bit about theology of the body, but I am not an expert. So I have brought an expert on the podcast to be able to share some of her wisdom with us! Monica Ashour is the founder and president of TOBET (Theology of the Body Evangelization Team). She speaks about how God has made us fully, soul, mind and BODY and how therefore the body matters! Tune in to lear...

Let's talk about marital intimacy! Sexual intimacy in marriage should not be underestimated! As Mike Hernon says on the Messy Family Podcast, sex in the grease that keeps the machine running! Sex helps keep our marriages running smoothly and happily along, and should be an ever-present part of our relationships. In this episode, we talk a little about what the Catholic Church teaches about sex...

God loves every part of you and want to be a part of your life. That includes your marriage! How can we grow toward God with our husbands and why would we want to, anyway? These questions are answered in this episode! This episode gives ideas and suggestions for how to grow in your prayer life as a couple based on your shared (or not shared) temperaments! Use these ideas to help bring you, your hu...

Working on a project with another person is difficult. And parenting is pretty much the biggest project you will ever do! Throw in past wounds, different families of origin, and influences from different communities and two spouses are bound to disagree on a lot of it. How can we make sure that parenting doesn't take our marriage down? Make sure your parenting philosophy always serves the marr...

Sometimes we think that our friendship with our husbands is the cherry on top of our marriage. The "would be nice" to have. But if you talk to couples who have had long (and happy) marriages, they often refer to their sense of humor and friendship being the key ingredient. Being friends and just spending time enjoying your spouse may be what you need to keep your marriage running so that...

Marriages can be the greatest joys! They can also bring the greatest pains. This episode speaks to those whose marriages are in a hard state. Some resources to consider: Alpha: The Marriage Course is good for marriages who need a tune up, refresher, or preventative care Hearts Renewed is a program that helps marriages that are struggling through videos, activities, and opportunities for counseling...

Communication is a HUGE topic, but let's go through a few basics: Happy, healthy marriages are marked by at least five times as many positive comments about the spouse or relationship as negative When there is a hurt or a problem, use a soft start up. Before launching into a problem, ask your husband, "Is this an OK time to talk about something important/difficult for me?" and respec...

Let's kick the marriage series off with a fun one! Let's talk temperaments! This is one of the oldest personality tests out there, and it is based more on NATURE than on NURTURE. In fact, often when investigating what temperament you are, you are supposed to think about how you were as a child. As we grow, we tend to develop habits, grow in virtues, and learn how to soften out some of our...

Let's begin a new series on MARRIAGE ! This episode sets a perspective for the rest of this series by: Giving background info on Jenna's marriage story Reminding that our marriage cannot (and is not meant to) be our total fulfillment--that's God's job! Separating major marriage issues including abuse or other patterns of major difficulties from the more common problems husbands and...

Join next Tuesday, May 28th for a new series all about... MARRIAGE! I hope you join me for all kinds of topics concerning marriage, including: communication, friendship, parenting, finances, and more! See you here next week!