Grief has a way of making the holidays louder—the empty chair, the quiet phone, the tradition that now feels like a gap. With licensed clinical social worker Mandy Young, we talk candidly about why this season magnifies loss and how to face it with a plan rooted in compassion, faith, and rest. Instead of forcing yourself to “be strong” or attempting to skip December entirely, we explore a gentler path that honors love and creates space for both tears and tenderness.

Mandy introduces the idea of dosing your grief: small, intentional moments to feel and remember so the emotions don’t crash without warning. We unpack her ocean analogy, where early grief feels like riptides and later like shifting waves at your feet. Because holidays are predictable waves, Christmas Eve, church services, family meals, New Year’s, you can prepare with lower expectations, shorter visits, delegated tasks, scheduled breaks, and a friend on standby. We also name what helps and what hurts. Retire the clichés and anything that starts with “at least.” Choose presence over fixing. Say their person’s name. Meet simple needs: trash to the curb, mail collected, tissues and groceries, fresh pajamas, a reminder to shower and eat.

On the faith side, we offer realistic ways to connect with God when focus is hard: listen to Scripture, lean on worship, borrow hope from a friend whose faith is steady, and remember that Jesus modeled rest and limits. Therapy, prayer, and Jesus belong together; feeling distant does not mean God is distant. If you’re grieving, assign roles to your people, a friend for fun, another for deep talk, someone for logistics, and ask specifically for what you need.

If this encouraged you, subscribe, share with a friend who needs it, and leave a review to help others find these tools and this hope.

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When the holiday calendar fills, and expectations skyrocket, opening your door can feel like a performance test. We push back on that pressure and return to the heart of hospitality: seeing people, making room, and letting welcome outweigh perfection.

We unpack why hospitality matters in a hyperconnected yet isolated world, drawing from the way Jesus used meals to restore dignity and build relationships. You’ll hear how an ordinary family table turned into a decades-long ministry, why no one remembers last year’s sides but everyone remembers who listened, and how to include people who don’t have a place to go during the holidays.

Expect practical takeaways you can use this week: a “party box” that reduces last-minute stress, three or four go-to meals you can repeat without guilt, small sensory touches that say “you belong here,” and simple first steps like calling someone who needs a voice of care or inviting a not-yet-close acquaintance to lunch. Whether you host in a cozy living room, a park, or your favorite coffee shop, the goal is the same: open doors, open hearts, and a welcome that points to Jesus.

If this resonated with you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs the nudge to host without pressure, and leave a review telling us one small step you’ll take to practice hospitality this week.

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Ever wish your child would come to you first, not last, when life gets messy? We sit down with therapist and mom Courtney Newberry to unpack how to create a shame-free home where honesty feels safe, boundaries are clear, and grace stays at the center. Courtney draws a clean line between shame (I am wrong) and guilt (I did wrong), then shows how that shift changes the entire tone of discipline, confession, and repair. We talk about the pressures teens and college students carry—performing for peers, meeting moving expectations, chasing instant gratification—and how parents can respond with presence over control.

You’ll hear practical phrases that de-escalate conflict without backing away from truth, including how to validate feelings without crowning them as facts. We explore why predictable rules reflect God’s unchanging character, and how simple, sincere apologies from parents model humility and invite kids to be honest. Courtney shares how prayer turns into a living classroom: when kids hear us pray for them and with them, vulnerability stops being scary and starts feeling normal.

We also address the parent side of the heart: what to do with your own guilt and shame, how to return to your identity in Christ, and how sharing a wise, age-appropriate testimony can break cycles and open conversations. If you’re longing for a home that blends steady boundaries with warm connection—where kids learn to confess, repair, and grow—this conversation offers language, mindset shifts, and faith practices you can use today.

If this encouraged you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review so more families can find grace-filled guidance.

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Holiday rush, heavy schedules, and heart-weary weeks can make gratitude feel out of reach. We open the door to a calmer, deeper way by treating gratitude not as a feeling we chase but as a daily posture shaped by Scripture and practiced in the real moments of life.

If your faith feels stretched, you’ll find simple steps you can try today, on a commute, during a lunch break, or as you're going through your everyday routines. We talk about capturing answered prayers on paper, using Philippians 4:6–7 as a battle plan for anxious moments, and choosing trust when it feels hard to. By the end, you’ll have a gentle but sturdy framework for gratitude that works in joy, in grief, and in the in-between.

If this encouraged you, share it with a friend who needs a breath of hope, subscribe for more faith-filled conversations, and leave a review to help others find the show. Tell us: where did you see God today?

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She walked into rooms with glitter, a gentle laugh, and a quiet focus on Jesus and somehow everyone felt seen. We dedicate this conversation to our friend, Melinda Emerson, whose life of art, hospitality, and prayer taught us how to live with eternity in mind. From choir risers to hospital rooms, her creativity became care, her presence became welcome, and her faith became courage for the rest of us.

We share first encounters that show her calm in chaos, the way she saved seats for newcomers and followed up when they were missing, and how a simple painting turned into comfort after unimaginable loss. You’ll hear community stories that reveal the depth of her impact: custom canvases that carried Scripture into classrooms, a reimagined “tikveh” image that steadied a family through cancer, and a dropped pot of taco meat that turned into laughter and a feast anyway. Through it all, Melinda kept the main thing the main thing eyes fixed on Jesus, hands open to serve, heart ready to pray.

We also get practical about carrying her legacy forward. We talk about slowing down, lifting our heads, and choosing presence over performance. And we introduce Create With Me, our partnership with Together We Foster, building an arts space for children entering foster care—because creativity can give words to pain and dignity to waiting. It’s a simple, local way to honor the woman who turned every hallway into a welcome.

If you're interested in donating or learning more about the Create with M.E. program, reach out to Kara Spencer at kara@togetherwefosternea.org.

If this story stirs you, share it with a friend who needs hope, subscribe for future episodes, and leave a review to help others find the show. Tell us how you plan to “love big” this week and keep the main thing the main thing.

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Ever felt like your calendar is full but your soul is running on fumes? We sit down with Bible teacher and author Tara Dew to get honest about why doing for God often feels easier than being with God, and how abiding can become a daily rhythm instead of an occasional retreat. Tara brings warmth, wisdom, and practical ways to cultivate a life that actually overflows.

We unpack John 15 with fresh clarity: joy grows as we accept pruning, live in God’s presence, and persevere in love. That joy is not the same as happiness; it holds steady when life doesn’t.

Tara offers simple practices for busy women: arrow prayers, scripture on sticky notes, worship woven into chores, and reframes Sabbath as a weekly rehearsal of trust. We also talk about stepping outside to remember our limits in a world that trains us to act like we’re omnipresent and always on.

The conversation then moves to Psalm 23, the heart behind Tara’s new book, Overflowing Peace. “You are with me” becomes more than a line—it’s the anchor that lets us sit at God’s table even when enemies still linger. For women pouring out in motherhood, careers, or ministry, Tara shares gentle, doable resets: say the brave no, delegate where you can, rise a few minutes early to be with God before the noise. We close by spotlighting her passion for equipping pastors’ wives and pointing you to communities and resources that sustain the long journey.

Get Tara's book, Overflowing Joy, at the link below:

https://a.co/d/bOgbm6M

Preorder her upcoming book, Overflowing Peace, at the link below:

https://a.co/d/dFNzGUU

Learn more about Tara's ministry at prepareher.com

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If you’re navigating sorrow, heaviness, or a season that won’t end, pull up a chair. Tessah, Traci & Lori talk through steps you can take when it's not well with your soul. You’ll leave with language for your lament, anchors for your heart, and steps you can actually practice this week. If this conversation helps you or someone you love, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review telling us which practice you’re trying first.

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Follow Lori at:

Instagram: @lorimmcdaniel

@thegreatinvitationlife

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What if honesty with God is the most courageous step you can take today? We invited mentor and soul care leader Lori McDaniel to help us name the ache so many of us carry—those seasons when we mouth “it is well” while our inner life says otherwise—and to show us how hard can actually be holy.

Lori shares her journey from decades of ministry into a new chapter of soul care alongside her husband, walking with pastors, missionaries, and everyday women who feel stretched thin by grief, fatigue, and questions that don’t resolve on cue.

Lori offers a hope-filled reframe you may never forget: this is the only time in all eternity we will commune with God from a place of pain. That doesn’t glorify suffering—it dignifies your story and calls you to steward it as sacred space where intimacy with Christ deepens.

If you’ve felt God’s silence, if your scaffolding has collapsed, if you need language for your lament, pull up a chair.

Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs courage, and leave a review to help more women find a seat at the table.

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Follow Lori & The Great Invitation at:

@lorimmcdaniel

@thegreatinvitationlife

Follow along at:

centralbaptist.com/women

Instagram: @centralbaptistwomen

Facebook: CBC Women's Ministry