Your Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson podcast

Episode Summary: We’ve been in the middle of a special series of podcasts about defeating anxiety during times of crisis. In this episode, we break down worry, fear, anxiety, and crises, and how they are different, and how they each impinge on our lives. Jesus said not to worry about tomorrow and be anxious for nothing. He never said “except when my bank account dips, or when the toilet paper runs...

Episode Summary: With the Coronavirus outbreak, the world is facing astronomical amounts of worry, fear, and anxiety. In episode 50, we discussed ways of defeating anxiety during a crisis like the Coronavirus. In this episode, Scott and I discuss more practical tips to exchange worry, fear, and anxiety for peace during a crisis. Trusting God is key! Quotables from the episode: It’s important not t...

Episode Summary: We’ve been doing a series on the podcast recently of episodes all related to helping defeat anxiety during times of crisis. Given what so many of us have been experiencing with the current crisis and the disruption of anything normal, it would be natural to realize that our children’s lives are being significantly impacted as well, and this may breed worry, fear, and anxiety. This...

Episode Summary: Everyone will fight challenges and trials at some point in their life, and at the time of this recording, the world is facing the Coronavirus outbreak, and with that has come astronomical amounts of worry, fear, and anxiety. In this episode, we discuss ways to defeat anxiety during a crisis like the Coronavirus. This may be the first real crisis our children have had to face in th...

Episode Summary: If you’ve ever had suicidal thoughts, have survived an attempted suicide, suffered the loss of a friend or loved one to death by suicide, or experienced depression or anxiety. Join me with my guest, Veronica Sites, as we talk about Hope for Recovery for Suicide Attempt Survivors. The Bible tells us in Psalm 34:18 that “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are...

Episode Summary: In this episode, we talk with my guest, Shonda Whitworth, who found herself in the worst of situations…the kind of situation no parent ever wants to experience. She received a call that her son had been arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon under the Texas Law of Parties. She shares not only her heartache but what the Lord has taught her thro...

Episode Summary: It is so easy for us to go about our daily life oblivious to the hurt and pain and bondage of others around us. But human trafficking, exploitation, and abuse are happening to people in our own cities and neighborhoods. In this episode, my guest, Brenda Harkins, and I talk about this troublesome issue, and how victims can find hope and healing. Quotables from the episode: So many...

Episode Summary: If you have ever experienced an unforeseen trial and wondered how God could possibly use it for good, then this episode is the perfect show for you. I talk with my guest, Gina Kelly, about how God can use the absolute worst circumstances in our life for good and for His glory. My guest today experienced a significant tragedy as a young child that threatened her life. Doctors expec...

Episode Summary: If you have ever struggled with depression or loved someone who struggles, then today is the perfect show for you. Today we’re going to be talking about how my guest was able to break the bonds of depression, and wants to offer that same hope to you. So many people suffer with depression in silence because they are ashamed to share their pain. Many who struggle with depression wea...

Episode Summary: If you have ever had marriage struggles or have friends or loved ones who struggle in their marriage, or just want to improve your marriage, then today is the perfect show for you. In this episode, my guest, Pam Farrel, and I discuss how to thrive, not just survive, in marriage. Relationships are hard, but marriage is on an entirely different level. And sometimes the things we lov...

Episode Summary: If you have ever struggled with your thought life or wondered what it means to transform your thought life, then today is the perfect show for you. Join me with my friend, Sarah Geringer, as we talk about how to change your thoughts and transform your life. Paying attention to our thought life is important! As a neuropsychologist, I can tell you we have between 50-70,000 thoughts...

Episode Summary: If you have ever felt like God gave you direction and maybe even a path to take but then life didn’t look like you expected or desired, then today is the perfect show for you. Today we’re going to be talking about maintaining hope even when life doesn’t go or doesn’t look like we expected it to. On today’s show, we’re going to be talking to my friend, Abby McDonald who is going to...

Episode Summary: It’s a common phenomenon: presents are unwrapped, resolutions are made, decorations are put away, bills arrive and with them often come the post-holiday blues. We often feel deflated, let down, and perhaps weighed down by a few extra pounds. Are you having a hard time resuming your normal activities? Has your energy been replaced by the winter sluggishness? Does it seem no matter...

Episode Summary: If you have ever struggled with comparing yourself to others or wishing you were someone else, then today is the perfect show for you. Today we’re going to be talking about how we get trapped in the comparison cycle and what effect that has on us. All of us struggle with comparison from time to time. Comparison can be used as a tool, but not when we use it to determine if we are w...

Episode Summary:  If you have ever failed at accomplishing a New Year’s resolution and then felt bad about yourself, then today is the perfect show for you. The New Year always seems to impose a “re-set,” if you will, on our lives, and often it brings with it the expectation of life-altering changes in the form of resolutions which days later have a tendency to usher in feelings of defeat and fail...

Episode Summary:If you have ever questioned who you are, what your purpose is, or how God views you, then today is the perfect show for you. Today we’re going to be talking about Embracing who we are, and becoming all God created us to be. And in order to know who that is, sometimes we have to dispel some of the lies we have believed about ourselves. My guest on today’s show is author, speaker, an...

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: We all want a peaceful Christmas, but, “life gets busy.” Sometimes we’re forced to slow down, and guess what? We discover we actually CAN let go of some of the tasks and duties that not only weigh us down, but also steal our peace. Don’t we all desire more peace during the holidays? From November first until the decorations come down sometime in January, and then the credit card b...

Episode Summary: Holidays are a busy time, and we experience an increase in stress, commitments, and chaos. But what we really want is to be able to experience the holiday joy while keeping our peace. Today we’re going to discuss some practical ways to keep our peace during the holiday season. Don’t we all desire a more peaceful holiday season? From November first until the decorations come down s...

Episode Summary: We only get one life to live, and we don’t want to take it for granted. In this episode, we sit down and talk with author and speaker, Tracie Miles, about trusting God in Difficult Times, and how to find joy in the hard times. Today’s guest is my friend, Tracie Miles. Tracie is an author, speaker, and Director of COMPEL training for Proverbs 31 ministries. Tracie has walked throug...

Episode Summary: If you have ever been abused by someone in the church, been manipulated by the church, or been under abusive authority within the church, or want to know how to avoid all the above, then this show is the perfect show for you. In this episode, I speak with Athena Dean Holtz about spiritual abuse. Those at greatest risk of being the victim of spiritual abuse appear to be those who d...

Episode Summary: If you have ever felt broken, worthless, or unable to be used by God, then today is the perfect show for you. (And by the way, if it sounds like thunder in the background, there IS thunder in the background. Both Suzie and I were in the midst of terrible storms when we recorded this. But the show must go on. In this episode, I spoke with my friend, Suzie Eller, about how God can h...

Episode Summary: If you have ever felt like God didn’t or couldn’t love you, then today is the perfect show for you. In this episode, I had the opportunity to chat with Wendy Blight about her journey to discovering how much God loves her, and how that has positively impacted her outlook since that time. Wendy shares her most harrowing life experience, and how that caused her to view God initially,...

Episode Summary: If you are the parent or relative of a special needs child or support a friend who is, then today is the perfect show for you. Misty is the parent to a son who had grand mal seizures and was eventually diagnosed with autoimmune encephalitis and PANDAS. The strep virus went to his brain and began to attack his brain, leaving him with multiple deficits. He was born with club feet, r...

Episode Summary: Today we’re talking about how to help someone with depression. October is National Depression Awareness Month. Earlier in the month, we’ve heard several guests share their experiences and their hope-filled perspectives as it pertained to depression. Yet I felt that we would be remiss if we didn’t also have an episode addressing how to help someone with depression because depressio...