Your Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson podcast

Episode Summary: Will your anchor hold in the storms of life? In this episode, we’re talking about how to stay anchored in a storm and flourish instead of sink. Joining me is my friend, Cynthia Cavanaugh, author of Anchored: Leading Through the Storms. Quotables from the episode: We need to give permission to others to share their struggles. Be careful not to be married to ministry instead of your...

Episode Summary: In this episode, Suzie Eller and I discuss some truths that just might change everything you thought you knew about joy. I so relate to my guest today because she has experienced one incredibly painful trial after another, and yet through it, she has come to savor the sweet aroma of her Savior walking with her in those trials. Quotables from the episode: After a year of sorrow, I...

Episode Summary: In this episode, we’re talking about how to find hope when things aren’t always as they seem. My guest, Lori Boruff, has been at the place where she felt hopeless, but then found the true source of hope, and has learned that even when life is difficult, things aren’t always as they seem. Quotables from the episode: I know hope because I’ve known what it was to be hopeless. Sometim...

Episode Summary: This is my birthday week, and in this episode, I wanted to give back to you, our faithful listener. I share what was the impetus for my daily social media “Today is a good day…” devotions. With age often comes wisdom. In this episode, I decided to focus on the lies that we often believe, and truths from the Bible about our identity. Quotables from the episode: As long as God is st...

Episode Summary: In this episode, we’re talking about what it looks like to jump out of our comfort zone, have faith and dare with God. My guest today, is Kate Battistelli, mother of DOVE and GRAMMY award-winning Christian recording artist Francesca Battistelli, and author of The God Dare. Quotables from the episode: A “God Dare” is always too big for us—we can’t do it on our own without God’s hel...

Episode Summary: In this episode, we’re talking about the hope we have for moving from trials to triumph. My guest today, Tammy Whitehurst, shares how the hope God gives for today and the new strength He gives for tomorrow turns our trials into opportunities for praise. Quotables from the episode: We often get stuck going backwards, but life is meant to be lived in a forward motion. A broken heart...

Episode Summary: In this episode, we’re talking about our identity in Christ, the reality of spiritual warfare and the importance of praying daily for our children. We’re fighting a real battle that we can’t ignore. This is the kind of battle we fight on our knees. Join me with my guest, Tina Chambers Smith, founder of Raising Kids on Your Knees. Quotables from the episode: Our identity in Christ...

Episode Summary: In this episode, I’m talking with relationship experts, and the founders of the Living Love-Wise Community, Bill and Pam Farrel, about rebuilding intimacy in marriage. Quotables from the episode: For wives, romance means connection. For men, romance starts with respect. Romance communicates to your spouse “You are worth it.” A loving (and romantic) relationship requires intentiona...

Episode Summary: In this episode we’re talking to licensed professional counselor, Michelle Nietert, about how to recognize depression in children, what parents can do to help, and how parents can know when it’s time to seek outside help for their children. Quotables from the episode: One in four children will have mental health issues by the time they are 18 years old. We’ve gotten things confuse...

Episode Summary: Today we’re going to be talking about how to find joy in the midst of life’s painful situations. In fact, our guest today is going to help us understand how joy can be found in any situation. Adria Wilkins enjoys telling a story, adding sprinkles of joy and a few extra dollops to liven it up. After suffering the unthinkable—the death of her 3-year-old son Blake, she found that Jes...

Episode Summary: In this episode we talk about the reality of spiritual warfare and the fact that we can be securely held in the midst of such battles. Quotables from the episode: If you are living and breathing, you will experience spiritual warfare in some way. We were not born on a playground—we were born onto a battlefield. Our previous wounds coupled with bitterness and resentment give Satan...

Episode Summary: In this episode, Christina Custodio and I talk about experiencing joy despite our circumstances. Today’s guest knows what it’s like to face trials and triumph, and experience joy despite her circumstances. Her son almost died from a brain aneurysm. I hope you’ll be encouraged as you listen to today’s episode. Quotables from the episode: I believe that all things can work together...

Episode Summary: In this episode, my guest Christine Trimpe and I talk about Transformation of Body, Mind, Heart, & Soul. Christine has an inspiring transformation story. Not only did she lose over 100 pounds, but she gained a rich relationship with her savior. Listen in to hear how she did it, and you can too. Quotables from the episode: Sometimes weight loss journeys aren’t about physical weight...

Episode Summary: Today we’re going to be talking about how we can exchange our physical addictions to food/sugar for spiritual transformations. My guest today is friend, Wendy Speake, author of The 40-Day Sugar Fast: Where Physical Detox Meets Spiritual Transformation. Today we’ll explore what is fasting, why should we consider it, and what are some of the surprising benefits. Quotables from the e...

Episode Summary: If you have ever felt overwhelmed, worn out, or overcome by holiday pressures, then today is the perfect show for you. Today we’re going to be talking about soul care: how to reduce anxiety with tips on tending to your soul and remaining unruffled during the chaos of the holidays. Whether we have a lot of time or a little time, our Heavenly Father delights in spending time with us...

Episode Summary: How do you put the world on halt, and tell those you’ve committed to that you just can’t do? How do you draw the line between enough and too much? Who determines what is adequate and appropriate and when we cross the line to excessive? Have you ever wrestled with any of those questions? I think it’s common for us to hope for, and even strive for, a picture-perfect Norman Rockwell...

Episode Summary: In this episode, we talk about moving from brokenness to wholeness, and maintaining our hope in God. A misguided search for love & acceptance lured Maureen Hager into the life of an outlaw motorcycle gang. Caught up in a violent gang war, she sustained two gunshot wounds from M16 rifles. While severely wounded, this act of violence was the turning point God used to give her a rest...

Episode Summary: Today we’re going to be talking about how life often doesn’t go the way we planned for it to go, which often makes us wonder where God is or if he sees or cares. My guest today, Tracy Steel, is a lover of both interior design and theology who combines these two passions to creatively help women find peace and understand who God is and his purpose for them whenever their life doesn...

Episode Summary: Today we’re going to be talking about how we can exchange our online distractions for real-life devotion. My guest today is friend, Wendy Speake, author of The 40-Day Social Media Fast: Exchange Your Online Distractions for Real Life Devotion . She’ll be sharing what she has learned through her periods of social media fasting and why we may want to consider doing the same. Quotabl...

Episode Summary: In this week’s episode, we’re going to be talking about how to be thankful for the little things in life when the big things seem to be falling down around us. I remember a time when God spoke to my heart and was really challenging me to examine my heart and answer the question, do I trust God in ALL things? Today, as we approach what is generally considered a holiday at which tim...

Episode Summary: Today we’re going to be talking about the well-known women of the Bible, Mary and Martha. Have you ever seriously considered them? Which one do you identify with most? I’ll confess, I’ve always been more of a Martha wanting to live like Mary. I spent my earlier years very much like a Type-A, driven, achiever, and prized myself on how long my to-do list was, and how much of it I ac...

Episode Summary: Today I’ve got a guest with a riveting story. By all medical accounts, he should not still be living. He is a true miracle man, and shares hope with us. Today we’re going to be talking about how God takes the worst of situations and works them for our good, and how we can find hope and peace in that. Quotables from the episode: When all else fails, God never fails us. Scripture Re...

Episode Summary: Today we’re going to be talking about finding our purpose. Did you know that God created you with a very specific purpose? He has plans for you to fulfill that ONLY you can do. Quotables from the episode: “Your emotions will make you second guess yourself, but your confidence in God will make you stand upright.” Dr. Marina McLean “Knowing your purpose starts by identifying your pa...

Episode Summary: Today we’re going to be talking about the fact that even in spite of hardships and difficulties that God has allowed, He also shows us how to find hope. My guest today has been through trial after trial, but Julie Holmquist shares with us how she maintained her hope despite her hardships. Quotables from the episode: Scripture says “Hope is an anchor for the soul.” Anchors steady u...

Episode Summary: Nelson Mandela said “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.” Today we’re going to have a bit of a different episode. I’ve invited a friend to join me on the program to talk about hope for overcoming racism. Christina Custodio and...