Unquenchable Hope

Send a text The bad news? The Bible says, “All we like sheep have gone astray.” The very, very good news? We have a Good Shepherd who takes care of us, comes looking for us if we go astray, and  leads us to some very green pastures if we follow Him. In this episode, Mary Ann and Luanne talk about all things sheep and about Jehovah Rohi, the name of God that means “The Lord My Shepherd.”  Luanne’s...

Send a text At your lowest, your highest, and during all the moments in between, God sees you. In this episode, Luanne and Mary Ann talk about El Roi, the name of God that means “The God Who Sees.” (And if you get the Jetson’s theme song stuck in your head when you read or hear this name, you’re not alone.) Whether this reality distresses or delights you, it’s just a fact: God never takes His eyes...

Send a text When you’re feeling bad, who do you call first? In this episode, Mary Ann and Luanne talk about a healer who’s on call 24/7, never gets a diagnosis wrong and get this—never sends you a bill. His name is Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals. Since God calls Himself by that name, so can we, and He should be our first call, every time, no matter what ails us. Here are the two books Mary Ann m...

Send a text Whether it comes as a just-in-the-nick-of-time “mailbox miracle” or a steady, constant supply, God promises to meet our needs. The hard part? He meets it His way, in His timing. And sometimes that can make us uncomfy. In this episode Mary Ann and Luanne talk about Jehovah Jireh (the Lord will provide), the name of God revealed in the epic story of Abraham and Isaac on Mt. Moriah. And a...

Send a text So, let’s slap the very best version of our resumés (no embellishing, you Millennials) down on the table and compare them to God’s. Did we create the stars and name them all? Did we carve out the Grand Canyon or build the Alps? Do we know the number of hairs on every human being’s head? Uh, no. So why do we think we can do a better job running our lives than He can? In this episode, Lu...

Send a text Most of us have probably done it. With our mouths we say to Jesus, “You are my Lord,” but our actions say, “You’re not the boss of me!” In this episode, Mary Ann and Luanne talk about Adonai, the name of God that means “master and lord.” Parting with earthly possessions, forgoing Caribbean vacations, choosing to do what is almost everyone’s greatest fear (public speaking)—the ladies sh...

Send a text Most of us realize that real life isn’t a Hallmark movie, and that means Christmas can sometimes feel more like something to conquer or survive than the warm, fuzzy, joyous, oozing-with-love holiday we want and expect it to be. If we focus on that gap between our lofty expectations and reality, we’re likely to wrestle with some tough emotions. But in this episode Mary Ann and Luanne of...

Send a text What kind of God would volunteer to be tempted like we are and to feel what we feel—the good, the bad and the ugly? Our God, that’s Who! As the ladies kick off a series on the names of God in the Bible, each of which gives us a glimpse of His amazing character, Luanne and Mary Ann talk about Immanuel--"God with us.” God has always wanted to be with His people and when Jesus came t...

Send a text Boy, can Satan be very creative when he wants to mess up the life-giving, life-changing time we want and need to spend alone with God. He can—and we’re not making this up—even use a barking deer to distract and disturb us. Just ask Mary Ann about that. If you think you’re the only one who finds it hard to carve out time to spend with God in prayer and Bible reading, or to focus on God...

Send a text If the CREATOR OF EVERYTHING called you up, you’d probably answer (after you regained consciousness … and unless, like Mary Ann, you don’t answer calls from strange area codes). Well, guess what? God IS calling—all day, every day—because He wants to share His heart with you and for you to pour out your heart to Him. That time alone with God  is essential if we’re going to grow and flou...

Send a text You’re probably familiar with the story of the “prodigal son” in Luke 15. Whether we tend to be more like the reckless, selfish, broken younger son or his pouty, indignant, self-righteous big brother, one thing’s for sure: the father in this parable is AMAZING.  As he looks down the road every day hoping to see his prodigal return home, that dad is a picture of our Heavenly Father and...

Send a text Mary Ann says she may have “played orphan” when she was a kid (yeah, that’s weird), but there’s nothing fun about living as a spiritual orphan when we grow up. Not when God created us to live in His embrace as a daughter or son. He doesn’t force us to be part of His family, but as Mary Ann and Luanne discuss in this episode, there’s no better place to be than in His house as His belove...

Send a text Ever gone to the grocery store when you’re reallllllly hungry? Not pretty, is it? Everything looks good and you find yourself slinging things in that cart you’d never think of buying if your tummy was full.  (Mongolian fire oil may or may not have been discussed.) That’s how many of us go through life as we try to satisfy the gnawing “love hunger” in our soul. God wants to fill that em...

Send a text Ever play a game called Fruit Ninja? Well, if you want to wait in line behind her grandkids to use Mary Ann’s phone, you can. In  Fruit Ninja, you’re challenged to slice and dice various kinds of fruit that fall down the screen at an alarming pace. You control the sword. There’s a lesson there. In the spiritual realm, God has given us a sword, too—the Bible, His Word—not just to know,...

Send a text What’s going on inside that noggin of yours? That’s an important question because the Bible says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Women, too, by the way.) Scary, huh? Well it doesn’t have to be. In this episode, Luanne and Mary Ann talk about the “helmet of salvation,” the essential piece of the spiritual armor God has given us to protect our minds, and Luanne gets personal...

Send a text Do you ever feel like a human dartboard? Like you’re constantly getting hit with the fiery darts the devil is slinging at you—darts like condemnation, failure, and discouragement? Well, in the immortal words of Captains Kirk and Picard of “Star Trek” fame, “Shields up!” In this episode, Luanne and Mary Ann talk about the “shield of faith”—what it is (and isn’t) and how essential it is...

Send a text Even if you’d rather walk around barefoot in this earthly realm (even on gravel, like Luanne), to experience the supernatural peace God offers in the spiritual realm, you better put on the “shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace.” What are those? Tune in and find out as Mary Ann and Luanne do a deep dive into this essential piece of the spiritual armor God has given us to do b...

Send a text What if you discovered one day that not only was your ridiculously awful credit card debt all paid off, but so were all the other debts you owed? And not only that—someone actually deposited a trillion bucks in your account! Well, that’s exactly what happens spiritually when we accept the gift of salvation God offers us through faith in His Son, Jesus. In this episode, Mary Ann and Lua...

Send a text Every day, hundreds of thoughts come knocking on the door of our minds. How do we know which ones to let in? It's a big deal because the thoughts we allow to move in play a huge role in determining what we do and become. In this episode, Mary Ann and Luanne talk about the danger of lies,  the freedom of truth ... and how to avoid yelling at people on Facebook. You can learn more a...

Send a text Forget to put on your belt and you’re liable to lose your britches. Forget to put on your spiritual “belt of truth” and you’re liable to lose something far more important. In this episode, Luanne and Mary Ann continue their discussion of the armor of God with a look at the first piece of the equipment God has given us to fight spiritual battles. Mary Ann gives a couple of modern-day ex...

Send a text One thing you’ll learn for sure in this episode: Mary Ann hates snakes. Don’t miss her story about her recent up-close encounter with one.  (Warning: This story may or may not involve Mary Ann's  heroic husband running across the lawn in his birthday suit.) Luanne and Mary Ann begin their discussion of spiritual warfare with a look at where the war began and the nature of God&apos...

Send a text  When it seems like we can’t hear from God or sense His presence, is it because He’s too busy or too big to care about our wee little stuff? (Hint: NO, IT’S NOT!!!!) Luanne and Mary Ann finish their discussion on this topic by looking at some lies we’re tempted to believe when we can’t sense God near, as well as some actual reasons why perhaps God allows His kids to experience these “q...

Send a text When someone gives us the silent treatment, we usually assume we’ve done something to tick them off. But what about when it seems like God has gone silent? Does it always mean He’s mad, or can His silence mean something very different? Luanne and Mary Ann talk about this … and weigh in on whether God’s breath probably smells more like peppermint or spearmint. (Yeah, you read that right...

Send a text Luanne gives us a sneak preview of her soon-to-be released book, Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of God,  and encourages us to put on two pieces of armor essential to fighting fear: the belt of truth and the “spiky sandals” of the Gospel of peace . By the way, if you've ever wondered (as Mary Ann has) if girls have "loins" to gird, you'll get your answer. The ladies...

Send a text Who’s afraid of the big, bad wolf? Lots of people, it seems. With mainstream media constantly stoking the flames of fear, it’s more important than ever to know how to experience the supernatural peace God offers—the kind of peace that allowed Jesus to snooze in a boat in the midst of a raging storm. (By the way, do you wonder, like Mary Ann does, why those apostles didn’t wake Jesus up...