WELCOME HEART: Living a Legacy Life

Sheree Shannon knows that what we think makes all the difference in how we live. "You can't change your life," she says, "without changing how you think about it." Good stuff. And practical. The more we know and believe what God says about Himself and ourselves, the more we can be Who God designed us to be and live with peace, strength and a security that all will be well in the end. As believers,...

Today meet, Tiffany Jo Baker, a 3-time surrogate mother, life and project coach, and all-around encourager. I knew I loved her when I saw she signed off all her emails with "cheering you on!" No matter what season we are in or how far we have come or how far we've drifted, we all need someone in our corner "cheering us on."  Hear Tiffany's story of surrogacy and how God used that to "birth" her mi...

Happy Spring! A new year is here—well it still feels like the year has just begun, even though it's March—and time doesn’t stop when I feel stuck, inadequate or needing longer showers (my shower is my “prayer closet” so we need more rain.) I want to take stock, re-evaluate my days and months to make sure I’m investing in what counts. How do we know what lasts? We read in I Peter,  “ . . . since yo...

Nancy Thomason loves kids. And she will go wherever they are to tell them the Good News of Jesus. Nancy worked with Child Evangelism Fellowship for 47 years and she loves talking about what God did through those years because the "searchlight is on God." At 84, Nancy's smile hasn't dimmed nor has her open heart and home for everyone who needs to know that God loved them enough to die for them.  Na...

Cheri Fletcher is my younger twin—an enneagram 7 with a great smile and desire to help women and young people find their purpose, no matter what they may be facing. While watching her husband coach basketball, she recognized that we all need a "game plan" if we are going to endure the normal trials and troubles of this world. Once we know the plan and our purpose, we can thwart Satan at his own ga...

I love a good invitation and this morning’s invitation is from God Himself: “Come to Me and find rest” Matthew 11:28 To find rest, we could just all go home and get in the tub and lock the door, which is always a good idea, but for now let’s see what God wants to remind us of today Why do we need to come when Jesus invites? Women are tired, period. We do too much, often, for too many people, with...

You will love hearing Laura Thomas's story today, not only because she's from the UK and sounds like she lives at Downton Abby, but because her love for God and others shines through everything she says. Laura is an author, speaker, and mentor and blogs at laurathomasauthor.com. She dreamed of becoming a writer as a child and kept it a secret dream for 20 years, and now is a published writer of mo...

Conell and Rhonda Hollins say that a good marriage is worth the work including all the "heated fellowship" involved along the way. They claim that we can be trained to staying married in a loving, passionate and joyful relationship—the kind of marriage God means for us to enjoy and to model to our children and to a needy world.  Parents of three boys, elders in a large church, and podcast founders...

Markus Watson—pastor, podcaster, author, teacher—knows what really matters. His passion is to help show individuals and churches  who they really are and how their gifts can align with the mission of God's heart. A self-described "reluctant" pastor, Markus heard God's call in the prayer of St. Augustine, "Late have I loved You." He learned some very hard things in a very difficult situation but kn...

I met Sarah at a coffee shop during her book signing. She signed my book. We got acquainted. I asked, "What's your mission in life?" (She's young. She can handle big questions. I'm old. I ask them.) "My mission is to share with others the foundational, healing, and transformational love of God." That was a mouthful, and you will love hearing some of Sarah's story that sadly includes childhood sexu...

I met Misty Phillip in 2016 at the SheSpeaks Conference. Since that time, she's authored the top-selling Bible Study entitled: The Struggle is Real: But So Is God, started the podcast, By His Grace-Empowering You to Live By His Grace, and is the founder of SPARK Christian Podcast Community and Conference.  Also, a mom and wife, Misty would tell you that she has only done what she's done by the gra...

Meet Laura whose heart is as big as her welcome—we are kindreds that way, and I'm delighted to introduce her to you! Laura Crosby lives her welcoming legacy each day as she prays, "Lord, may there be Your welcome mat out in front of my life today so that I can love and welcome others to You." She's been mentored well and now mentors countless of men and women on knowing God and representing His we...

We just got through the holidays and they say that the holidays can be one of loneliest times of the year. We want to feel like we are part of a big, happy family that loves and accepts us just the way we are, but instead, we may feel lonely, no matter how many people are around us. Mother Theresa said that the most terrible poverty in the world is loneliness, and she faced poverty every day.   Ar...

Happy New Year! I'm pleased to introduce you to Mary DeMuth and all she has to offer to get our new year started off right. When you ask Mary DeMuth what is the most important thing to know about you, she readily answers: "I love Jesus—He healed me. I couldn't be who I am today without His love." Mary goes on to tell her story of trauma, abuse, and neglect in a way that glorifies the Great Healer...

I first heard about Megan Fate Marshman when our girls came home from Hume Lake Christian Camp and said, "We loved Spirit Girl!" (And Bethany wanted to BE the Spirit Girl--the one who led all the games and was so funny and fun!) Megan still works for Hume Lake as Director of Women's Ministries and is still funny and so fun, but also a great speaker and author. She pastors at Willow Creek Church an...

God is in the hospitality business. He continually invites people to His table. He knows He is the only One Who is “perfectly suited to satisfy and sustain us.” So He reaches out to us. You may have received an invitation before, but never thought it was for you, or, you were too distracted by life to think any more about it.  Listening today to this podcast is yet another invitation from the Ulti...

Billie Jauss can't remember how many places she's lived or how many times her family has moved—she's married to pro baseball coach, Dave Jauss, and that's how that profession rolls. Billie's learned through 30 years of marriage that she can serve God wherever she lands, and she and her husband have made an effort to do just that. Billie has had great opportunities to teach her three sons that lovi...

"No room in the inn!" Sounds like Christmas is around the corner and it is! Do I have room to celebrate the Christ Child or is my planner too full? My life can get cluttered—not just with ordinary stuff—but with good, valuable, worthwhile stuff. And, worship, adoration, joy and peace get thrown out the window in the interest of "getting all the things done." My mind can get like my pantry. Last ye...

Janell Woods, mother of 4 of her own and 4 abroad, and host of "Finding Something REAL" Podcast shares today her struggle to embrace her identity in God and how that made all the difference in facing disappointment, insecurity, and loss. Because she knows firsthand how God is the only one who can meet our deepest needs, she goes after the "girl in the back pew who is unsure about her faith."  If y...

Meg Glesener, a wife of 31 years, and a mother of 8, loves pouring into her family, friends, and church in a very intentional way. She began her podcast, Letters From Home--Everyday Extraordinary Faith Stories - so that we can celebrate the faithfulness of God in His followers, based in the passage in II Corinthians 3:3, "You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by ever...

You may know Holley Gerth as the author of inspiring devotional books and co-host of the popular podcast, Not Just Small Talk, but today we are talking about a book I'm very excited about because I love some wonderful introverts! Holley's book,  The Powerful Purpose of Introverts-Why the World Needs You to be You can change your life, introvert or not. I told her I was a raging Extrovert and she s...

I like it that we talk about hospitality in terms of practice. It means we get better with practice—but of course, getting better or becoming a great hostess is not the goal. Feeling secure and confident and at-east is so that we can better focus on the guest. That's what it's all about We've been fooled into thinking that hospitality has to do with us, the host, rather than the one who needs a pl...

I asked author, speaker, photojournalist, Dorothy Littell Greco, why she began writing and speaking about marriage and I got the right answer: her own marriage had been challenging and hard! Dorothy was quick to say that she and her husband of 30 years, Christopher, recognized they were seriously stuck and if their marriage was going to succeed, they needed to step back, examine what was really go...

You will love this conversation with Jordan Raynor about how to be the boss of your time, living out God's agenda, and being wildly productive without feeling frantic or stressed—instead, just the opposite. I don't like time management books—they make me feel guilty (or frantic or stressed) but Jordan's latest book, Redeeming Your Time: 7 Biblical Principles for Being Purposeful, Present, and Wild...

Today's conversation is with Courtney Lowman from the Journey of Ruth Podcast. I ask Courtney how she came up with that title, what her main legacy is, and how she fought to keep that legacy in focus. Just because we may hear from God and know that He's telling us some robust instruction, it doesn't mean it's always easy to change direction and follow His voice.  To give you a hint. She heard Him...