Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast

Before the Israelites could enter the Promised Land, they had to stand at the edge of the Jordan River — and trust God to make a way. At a retreat diving deep into the book of Joshua, the leader God appointed after Moses died, I found myself at my own river’s edge, staring at something God was asking me to let go of. But I wasn’t ready. This is the story of how He met me there — in my fear, in my wrestling — and how crossing over b...

What happens when kids grow up in Christian homes, attend church regularly, and still end up thinking more like the culture than like Christ? That’s the question Elizabeth Urbanowicz couldn’t ignore as a classroom teacher—and it sparked a mission that’s now helping families around the world.

In this episode, Elizabeth shares how her background in education and apologetics led her to create Foundation Worldview, a curriculum designe...

Have you felt God calling you to step outside of what you know how to do into an unknown arena? Over 12 years ago I felt led to begin writing. Me, the girl whose college English teacher said that if I didn’t start writing shorter essays, I would flunk her class. I had no idea why God wanted me to write, and sometimes the question still begs an answer, but I was obedient, and God opened doors I never knew were ...

Do you ever wonder if marriage can be great—not for the rare few—but for you? Today’s episode answers that question with a resounding yes.

In her new book, Making Marriage Easier, Arlene Pellicane shares lots of funny (and painful) stories that we’ll talk about today. Like her mortifying story about electrolysis and how her wedding almost went off without her! She also gives practical wisdom like the four key decisions that make ma...

Twelve years ago, Noelle Lawson died from alcohol poisoning. Her husband, Scott, had just been trained to do CPR and was able to revive her before the ambulance arrived. Their lives have never been the same since. Scott and Noelle share their story of alcoholism and how a deadly accident Scott was involved in while in high school delayed his obedience to follow God into the ministry for over 30 years. Both Scott and Noelle share ho...

Have you or someone close to you experienced trauma? Most of us have at one point in our lives to various degrees. Kim Haar had an extreme trauma when her usually calm ex-husband broke into her home one night, beat her for three-and-a-half hours, shot holes in her walls, kidnapped her and took her to her boyfriend's house where he shot him ten times. This horrific story plays out like something from a movie, but unfortunately Kim k...

Today I have three very special guests, my daughter, Elise Roper Younts, along with her husband, Wes, and his mom, Frieda (who's also one of my best friends!). Elise and Wes walked their own lonely journeys through singleness before finally finding each other and marrying last March. Even though for most of their lives they lived exactly 7.3 miles apart, and Wes's mom and I have been best friends for 28 years, they'd never met exce...

One Wednesday night after church I struck up a conversation with another church member, Henry Mitchell, and he shared all of the great things God had been doing in his life. Now I knew Henry had been released from prison over two years prior and that he'd served a long time in prison, but I didn't know how long he'd served or why he'd been arrested in the first place. Henry shared that three weeks after his 24th birthday he killed ...

Cynthia Tobias was on my bucket list since before I started this podcast because of the work she's done teaching about the strong-willed child. Her book, You Can't Make Me: But I Can Be Persuaded, was a key influence in helping me raise my strong-willed daughter, Elise. Before I knew how to handle her stubborn temperament, I would frequently end up frustrated and in a puddle of tears. But once I learned some of the tools and tips C...

Molly Stillman has lived the type of life that when shared, people stop in their tracks and ask, “Wait, what happened?” Molly’s mother, Lynda Van Devanter Buckley served as an Army nurse during the Vietnam War and wrote the bestselling memoir, Home Before Morning. When Molly was seventeen, Lynda passed away after an eight-year battle with an autoimmune disorder due to her exposure to Agent Orange. Four years l...

Christy Braddock has struggled with shame from a teen pregnancy and years later, abortion. The guilt became a heavy weight to carry. Christy got pregnant at 15 and gave her baby up for adoption. Then at 21 she became pregnant again, but this time she decided to keep the baby and get married, thinking this was her second chance to raise a child. But because her marriage was so dysfunctional she made some poor choices, including abor...

As we’ve entered the last week of May, I remember how crazy this time of year is for those who have school-aged children. I know a lot of parents are in what many call Maycember. The chaotic final days of the school year entail so many parties, ceremonies, graduations, proms, concerts, teacher appreciation gifts and sports tournaments. It can also bring lots of anticipation, with kids looking forward to summer...

Liz Cobo says that nothing has deepened her faith and changed her walk with Jesus like studying the Bible. Studying God's Word literally changed her life. Things that were once important priorities aren’t anymore. Things that were once afterthoughts are now at the top of her list. 

Scripture is God's self-revelation and is available to anyone willing to take the time and make the effort to read and study. Liz...

I don’t know about you, but in my home the laundry room is considered one of the most important rooms. It’s command central. When my kids were still at home it was also a disaster on most days. Oh, it might be clean for a few brief hours, but then when everyone started slinging off boots and muddy clothes, you’d never know I’d darkened the door that day.

Many days t...

Husband-and-wife music duo, Kenny and Claire Hilliard both grew up in the upstate of South Carolina before God took them the long way around to finally settle in Nashville, TN.  In 2015, during Kenny’s tenure as a senior pastor and worship leader in Asheville, North Carolina, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Shortly after successful surgery to remove the tumor, Kenny received a second diagnosis, Ehlers Dan...

When my kids were teens, I shared with both of them that I used to curse—a lot. You should have seen the expressions on their faces as their jaws dropped, and eyes grew wide with disbelief.  “Not you Mom! I don’t believe it!” I was pleased that I had to convince them otherwise, glad that I’d decided when they were both very little that my speech needed to change. That, and the Holy Spirit got ahold of me.

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