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

Learn why you (probably) get so angry as a mom and how God wants to heal these parts of our hearts. Come as you are and be encouraged that God is full of mercy for each of us. He wants us to learn from our anger and refresh us with His life-giving waters. Welcome in, friend! You’re in good company here. Xoxo Stephanie [Connect at 500secondstojoy@gmail.com - I love to hear from you!]

Let’s pray together, friend. We all need the help of Jesus. Let’s lean on Him today and call out to Him in prayer. Xoxo Stephanie [Connect with me at 500secondstojoy@gmail.com - I love to hear from you!)

When the world tells you it’s all about what you “do” and how “productive” you are, I want to offer a different message. I want to remind you that more than anything, you are a daughter of God. Press play and be encouraged, sweet friend. I’m so grateful you’re here. Xoxo Stephanie [ps: email me at 500secondstojoy@gmail.com if you’d like to connect]

Happy New Year, friend! I am SO happy to be chatting with you about my word of the year today. I’ve done this for a few years now and it’s so much fun to see what God wants of me each year. I encourage you to pick a word, too! And I also encourage you to ask the Lord how you can create more space for Him and for silence in this new year. I pray you have a blessed year and I’m so grateful to have y...

Thank you for all you do, sweet mama friend. If no one has told you this lately…THANK YOU. You are so needed and you matter so much. Happy (almost) New Year! May you and your family be richly blessed. Xoxo Stephanie [email me at 500secondstojoy@gmail.com to connect]

It’s almost Christmas! It is almost time to celebrate the birth of our Savior! As we meditate on God’s Word and prepare our hearts to celebrate Christmas well, let’s reflect on Mary’s YES to the Lord. She had free will and she chose obedience. Mary is a beautiful example for us mothers. May you have a blessed Christmas. Thank you for being here. Xoxo Stephanie [email me at 500secondstojoy@gmail.co...

Sorry this is a day late, friends! But let’s sit at the feet of Jesus and hear what He has to say to us. I am feeling a little weary and maybe you are too. This is a beautiful and also tiring time of year. Let’s take time to step back from the busyness and soak in the word of God. Thank you for being here and may God bless you with peace and joy during this Advent season. Xoxo Stephanie [Email me...

Happy Advent! I’m back to hosting the podcast and I’m so happy you’re here! Listen in to the scripture readings for the upcoming Sunday mass and soak in God’s Word during this special time of the year. God bless you and your family! // I’m reading the following: Isaiah 35:1-6, 10 + Psalm 146:6-10 + James 5:7-10 + Matthew 11:2-11. Reach out to me at 500secondstojoy@gmail.com if you’d like to connec...

Today is all about ENCOURAGEMENT. Jenna shares final thoughts and wisdom as we wrap up this series about making decisions with God. It’s the 5th and final week of our special discernment series and I’m so honored to introduce you to my dear friend, Jenna. She is taking you on an exciting journey in the month of November where you’ll be exploring together how to make decisions with God. . . I am so...

We are nearing the end of our series with Jenna and it’s time to feel CONVICTED about our decision-making. It’s week 4 of our special discernment series and I’m so honored to introduce you to my dear friend, Jenna. She is taking you on an exciting journey in the month of November where you’ll be exploring together how to make decisions with God. . . I am so excited to hear how you like this series...

We all want to be consistent, right? Press play and find out how CONSISTENCY relates to discerning God’s will and making good decisions. It’s week 3 of our special discernment series and I’m so honored to introduce you to my dear friend, Jenna. She is taking you on an exciting journey in the month of November where you’ll be exploring together how to make decisions with God. . . I am so excited to...

Need help making decisions in your life? You’re in the right place! It’s week 2 of our special discernment series and I’m so honored to introduce you to my dear friend, Jenna. She will be taking you on an exciting journey in the month of November where you’ll be exploring together how to make decisions with God. . . I am so excited to hear how you like this series and I’m also excited to see how G...

I am THRILLED to introduce my dear friend Jenna to y’all! Jenna will be taking you on an exciting journey in the month of November where you’ll be exploring together how to make decisions with God. . . Today is the introduction and Jenna is laying the groundwork for this excellent series. I am so excited to hear how you like this series and I’m also excited to see how God speaks to you through wha...

I have an exciting announcement for y’all! Press play to learn what it is! Email me at 500secondstojoy@gmail.com with any questions you may have or if you’d like to connect. May you be blessed today and every day! Xoxo Stephanie

We’ve all been there. Prayer doesn’t FEEL good. Prayer feels hard or dry. Prayer feels like the last thing we want to do in our super busy day. We want to pray but we don’t know how. We know we should pray but we feel stuck. You are not alone, friend. Press play and be encouraged in your prayer life. God loves you SO much. Xoxo Stephanie [ email me at 500secondstojoy@gmail.com to connect ]

It ALL Matters To God. Play this on the days you’re doubting your value as a mother or on a day you need some extra encouragement. I promise you that it all matters to God. The little things, the big things, the in between things - He sees it all and He is so proud of you! When you seek Him and do your best to love your family well, He is so pleased with you. Rest in that love today. I pray this s...

Let’s take some time to meditate on what the book of James has to say about wisdom. May this time in God’s Word bless you abundantly! Xoxo Stephanie [ ps: connect with me by emailing me at 500secondstojoy@gmail.com ]

If you’d like to learn about how to honor your spouse and protect your marriage from an accomplished author, speaker, husband and grandfather, then you’ve come to the right place! . . Gary Thomas is my guest today and this interview is POWERFUL. . . I pray that both husbands and wives listen to this excellent conversation I had with Gary. . . Gary Thomas is a bestselling author and international s...

I love when we get to meditate together! Today we will meditate on Psalm 27. I pray this time blesses you and your family. You are so loved and cherished! Thank you for being here. Xoxo Stephanie [ ps: email me at 500secondstojoy@gmail.com if you’d like to connect ]

There is great power in changing the words you use to help you feel gratitude rather than dread. Press play and I pray you are encouraged today. Thank you so much for being here! Xoxo Stephanie [ ps: email me at 500secondstojoy@gmail.com if you’d like to connect ]

Let’s have a relationship with the person of Jesus, and let’s teach our kids how to do that too! The Christian life is all about our relationship with the Lord, and studying His Word is a great way to better know and love Him. Today I’m joined by author, photographer, blogger and homeschooling mom Jodi Mockabee to talk all about raising Biblically grounded kids. It’s a good one y’all! Connect with...

You are doing important work and I would love to encourage you today in your role as a mom. Your work is so valuable and I pray this short episode helps you to feel seen. You’re doing amazing work, mama! Xoxo Stephanie [ ps: if you’d like to connect you can email me at 500secondstojoy@gmail.com ]

God is carrying each one of us. Take some time today to be inspired by children’s book author, designer and creative artist, Amy Kavelaris. Amy shares about God’s truth in scripture and reminds us that we can always trust in our Lord. This interview is such a breath of fresh air and Amy’s new children’s book “Good Morning, Little One: New Mercies and Prayers to Carry You Through the Day” is so bea...

What does it REALLY mean to sacrifice in marriage? Marriage involves sacrifice, yes. But that is actually a beautiful gift we receive when we get married. And there’s so much wisdom my guest shared today for moms who are newer in their marriage or have been married for years. Listen in to learn more about the beauty of marriage from Catholic speaker, author and podcaster, Danielle Bean. If you’re...

Today’s guest is Claire McGarry and she’s bringing us a lot of wisdom to ponder as we discuss the gospel story of Martha and Mary. Claire writes on her blog: “I’m finding that motherhood is impacting my faith in ways I never would have imagined, and my faith is doing the same to my motherhood.” Isn’t that the truth? Our motherhood stretches us in unimaginable ways and it’s how God is helping us to...