Parenting With Purpose: Best Podcasts for Christian Moms

February 20, 2015 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

It’s evening and the house is quiet. I’m snuggled up on the couch with my oldest under the blanket at my feet and my youngest curled up in a ball on my chest. We’re watching The Pioneer Woman on Netflix make homemade everything with dashes of this, handfuls of that, and of course she “eyeballs” the rest of the ingredients. Anyone want to apply for the position of top chef at my house? It pays in hugs and dark chocolate!

While I’ve been on maternity leave and taking a break from blogging to love on my new little one, we’ve been so blessed with friends bringing meals and family pitching in to help us navigate our transition to a family of 5. In the meantime, I’ve been cooking up a long list of delicious posts for you!

I’m looking forward to sharing some incredible books I’ve read, sharing about keeping a spiritual perspective in the everyday happenings of our lives, and adding more entries to the popular Parenting With Purpose series.

I’m so glad to have you along for the ride as we let go of perfectionism in the day-to-day and learn to embrace the freedom we have in Christ. And if that wasn’t enough…there are giveaways in the works too!

{If you haven’t already…you can sign up to have posts delivered to your email to make sure you don’t miss them.}

And now on to today’s post!

Best Podcasts for Christian Moms

This is a post I’ve been wanting to share with you for awhile now. Podcasts are quickly gaining in popularity as a media form. More and more people are realizing how great they are for learning new things or just for entertainment.

Podcasts tend to range in length anywhere from 15 minutes to 60 minutes or more, depending on the type of podcast. This makes them perfect for listening to while folding laundry, going for a run, doing dishes, or commuting to work.

I first discovered the world of podcasting about 6 years ago while I was pregnant with my daughter. Back then I listened to weekly episodes of Pregtastic, a podcast by and for newly pregnant mommas about all things pregnancy, labor & delivery, and babies. It was set up similar to a talk radio show, except without the rude callers!

These days I tend to listen to podcasts about parenting, blogging, and growing a small business – all things I love to learn about. One thing is for sure, if there’s something you’re interested in, there’s probably a podcast about it!

For busy Christian moms looking for help gaining encouragement and tools for parenting with purpose and creating more God-centered homes, podcasts are a perfect way to learn and grow!

God-Centered Mom Podcast

Why I Love It:

This podcast is hosted by Heather MacFadyen, a wife and mom of four boys. She’s also a Speech-Language Pathologist and the owner of GodCenteredMom.com.

Heather interviews guests discussing the topic of staying God-centered. I love her down-to-earth “real life” approach. She’s quick to admit she doesn’t have it all together and she’s learning along with the listener. Guests on the show discuss a variety of topics but all provide godly wisdom for the parenting journey.

Favorite Episodes:

For Freedom Be Set Free with Francie Winslow {GCM Podcast Ep. 4}

I was in tears for most of this one. And then I listened to it again. Because it was that good. This one will break down barriers in your spiritual life and lead you to more freedom in Christ.

Hope for the Struggling Mom :: Interview with September McCarthy {GCM Podcast Ep. 15}

I was so encouraged by this episode. September has been married for 25 years and has 10 children. Yes, 10. She is a treasure when it comes to parenting wisdom.

A Pep Talk with Leslie Johnson {SurseeGal} –Yelling/Reading/Needing {GCM Podcast Ep. 20}

Leslie is an in-real-life friend to Heather and their casual conversation was so encouraging to me as a young mom. Leslie has grown children now and has lots of practical wisdom to share about parenting young children.

Birds & Bees? Oh, help me please :: Mary Flo Ridley {GCM Podcast Ep. 25}

If you’ve been scared to have “the talk” with your children, don’t miss this episode! Mary Flo has been teaching on this subject for many years and has developed her own program called Sooner Than You Think to teach parents how to make these sometimes intimidating conversations with our children easier to approach. You’ll want to bookmark this one to listen to again and share with your friends!

Listen to this podcast on iTunes for iOS or Stitcher for Android.

Parenting on Purpose Podcast

Why I Love It:

Parenting On Purpose is a resource developed by Sheridan House Family Ministries for parents dealing with everyday parenting issues. Each episode is right at 15 minutes, making it the perfect length to listen to during a quick run or household task. You can quickly browse past episodes by topic or by date going back to 2009. This is a treasure trove of Christian parenting resources!

Favorite Series:

The 30 Imperatives of Parenting

This is a fabulous series of 30 different podcasts covering a wide range of imperatives related to parenting children with intention, as we treat training up our children “in the way they should go” a priority in our homes.

Listen on iTunes for iOS or listen on the website

Inspired to Action Podcast

Why I Love It:

It’s like a pep talk for moms. As she describes on her website, Kat brings you motivating interviews, practical tips and lots of fun yet-insanely-useful conversation with people who believe in YOU and the amazing role you have as a mother.

Kat has experience in the radio business, so her podcast is well produced and is always encouraging!

Favorite episodes:

Overwhelmed? Learn To Say Your Best Yes – An Interview with Lysa TerKeurst {ITA Podcast Ep. 57}

Our ladies Bible class is working through this DVD series and in this episode, Lysa shares some key points from her new book. I think we all struggle sometimes with knowing when to say “no” to a request you’re dreading and when to whole-heartedly say “yes” to an opportunity that really makes you come alive.

How Moms Can Take Personal Retreats – with Erin Odom {ITA Podcast Ep. 49}

I met Erin a few months ago at a writer’s retreat and found out that she actually lives less than an hour away from me. So fun! She wrote a great ebook called Your Retreat: A Guide to Giving Yourself a Personal Planning Day and she talks about how any mom can find time for a personal retreat. The 64-page guide includes 35 pages of printables. I’ve found that the book is a wonderful tool to help me define what I want to focus on my life and take some action! It’s available on her site for $3.99 or you can download a Kindle copy on Amazon.

My Story – How God Takes Brokenness Aside and Makes It Beautiful – Kat Lee {ITA Podcast Ep. 39}

In this episode, Kat tells her personal story of growing up without a mom and how God redeemed her situation so that now she’s encouraging moms around the world. It’s a beautiful story of how God weaves pieces of our lives together for our good in the midst of struggles. Warning: you will need tissues for this one!

Listen on iTunes for iOS, Stitcher for Android, or on her website.

Focus on Parenting Podcast

Why I Love It:

Focus on the Family has a long history of providing quality content for Christian families. The guests are always top-notch and provide a solid Christ-centered perspective and advice. I also appreciate the references to scientific studies and consideration of current culture in addressing parenting topics.

Favorite episodes:

Tony Evans – Kids With a Kingdom Perspective

I’m in the middle of reading Tony Evans’ new book Raising Kingdom Kids: Giving Your Child A Living Faith and it is full of practical wisdom on parenting with purpose.

Surviving Your Baby’s 1st Year Series

This is where I am right now and although it’s baby #3 for us, sometimes surviving is all you can do that first year! This series is full of gold nuggets for handling the variety of stressful situations that come up with adding a new baby to your home.

Listen on iTunes for iOS or on the website.

So there you have it…my favorite podcasts for inspiration and encouragement as a Christian mom.

Even More Great Podcasts…

Wondering what else I listen to while folding laundry or commuting to work? Here are more of my favorites:

The Art of Simple – all kinds of topics around the topic of living simply

Big Boo Cast – two mom bloggers sharing life and laughs

Read Aloud Revival – all about the importance of reading aloud to your kids

RV Family Travel Atlas – benefits of camping with your family, even with young kids

And for those of you who are also bloggers or entrepreneurs, you’ll want to check out these:

EntreFamily – one entrepreneurial family shares their experience & interviews others

Learning With Leslie – Become a Blogger – Leslie is a great teacher with an awesome accent to boot!

How They Blog – this one is another podcast from Kat from Inspired to Action all about blogging

Smart Passive Income – one of the first podcasts I listened to, this one is top notch & shares in-depth advice for online businesses

Declare Conference – interviews with speakers from the Declare Conference

Brilliant Business Moms – interviews with other brilliant business moms so you can be one too

Ok, now it’s YOUR turn!

What are your favorite podcasts? Share in the comments your favorites so we can all discover the best podcasts!

{Don’t have time to look through all the podcasts right now? PIN them for later!}

Updated: More Reader Favorites

I asked and you answered! Here are some of YOUR favorite podcasts:

The Relevant Podcast

The Phil Vischer Podcast – creator of Veggie Tales & What’s in the Bible?

Good Job Brain

Homesteady

Pioneering Today

Anything & Everything with Alyssa and Jeff

Sharing with Wed LinkUp, Grace & Truth Linkup, Mommy Monday BlogHop, Works for me Wednesday, Coffee and Conversations, and Family Fun Friday. Note: This post contains affiliate links {full disclosure}.

Marriage Reflection & Renewal: An Annual Commitment

November 17, 2014 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

It’s a Monday and in a normal week I’d be settled in at my desk by now, working on payroll, grant reports, or calling for a quote to fix whatever problem has cropped up with our office building that week.

Instead, I just hopped out of a shower with endless hot water and no interruptions from my toddler wanting to practice his “aim” in the newly discovered potty, all so he can get the promised one M&M for his efforts.

I’m all stretched out, my 33 week pregnant belly protruding as a reminder of what the coming year will bring.

It’s glorious, this lounging on a hotel bed with clean sheets in the quiet while watching my husband pack up our things as we head to our next destination, The Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove for the Christian Blogger Retreat.

At dinner last night at a local dive we visited 11 years ago during our first end-of-the-year retreat as a married couple, we sat together and began the process of reviewing our year.

This reviewing and reflecting together, it’s something we intentionally take time for every year.

We first share the highlights of the past year together, remembering exciting events like my daughter’s first day of kindergarten, finding out we were pregnant with baby #3, the growth of my husband’s business, being brave and stepping into this unique ministry of blogging, and my husband writing and launching his first book.

Then we move on to talking through the coming year. We talk about the things we’re looking forward to, the challenges that lie ahead, and the opportunities for growth we’d like to capitalize on. We talk about what we personally want to focus on and identify a focus for our family as a whole. We talk about relationships we’d like to foster and experiences we’d like to have.

It’s my favorite time of the year.

In the midst of the mundane tasks of the day-to-day, we often lose our spark. We forget the why in what we’re doing. And we’ve learned over the years that a re-set is important.

This time to reflect and renew our commitment to one another, to our family, to our pursuit of God, and to our own growth as individuals is not optional, it’s necessary.

Over the years we’ve had many married friends ask us how we’re able to get away and take this intentional time together. Honestly, we’re blessed with fabulous parents who love our kids and understand the importance of investing in your marriage. But even if we didn’t have such great family support, we’d figure out a way to make this time at the end of the year a priority. It’s that important.

What about you?

Do you and your husband take time away to reflect on the year almost completed and to plan and dream about the year ahead?

I’d love to hear about some of your experiences – what you’ve tried that works and what doesn’t. Do you use any particular resources to assist you in your reflections? If not, what would be helpful to you?

My husband and I are passionate about our end of the year reflection time and would love to serve you in the future with resources for doing just this thing. How can we help you? I can’t wait to hear!

Blessings,

LeeAnn

Sharing with Marriage Monday, Wedded Wednesday, and Inspire Me Monday.

Parenting With Purpose: Reflection & Renewal – PLUS, Enter to WIN our Favorite Things {$250 in Prizes}

October 27, 2014 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

I just returned home yesterday from Allume, a Christian women’s blogging conference. It was a beautiful time of connection, reflection, and renewal.

While the logistics with childcare were a bit tricky this week, I’ve found that getting away for even just a day or two for a women’s retreat or conference allows me to return home refreshed. This means I’m a better mom and wife when I come home than when I left. It’s hard to argue with that benefit!

As you seek to parent with purpose, I’d encourage you to start looking at options for getting away for a few days yourself. Plan to attend your church’s women’s retreat or look for one of these in your area: Extraordinary Women Conference, Living Proof Live, Women of Faith.

Invest in your own spiritual development as a mom and you’ll come home a better and more purposeful parent!

Now For the Giveaway!

While away this past week, I met lots of blogging friends in person who I’d previously met only online. It was an incredible time of relationship building with lots of laughter!

There were so many moments of blessings and now I’d like to bless YOU! Some of my blogging friends and I have joined together to provide our readers with a fun giveaway this week of some of our favorite things.

As we head into the Thanksgiving season, this is just a little way to say “thank you” for the incredible blog readers and friends you are.

Enter to win below using the Rafflecopter form {email subscribers, click over to the blog to enter}. There are up to 58 entries available per person, so you have a great chance of winning this amazing prize pack. The winner will receive the items mailed directly to them by each participating blogger.

I’d love for the winner to be from The Mosaic Life community, so enter away! The giveaway ends October 31st, so if you’d like to use any of these items as Christmas gifts and you’re the winner, you should receive them in plenty of time.

Kayse is giving away a collection of Martha Stewart Office Items.
Britta is giving away a Conair Power Facial Cleanser
Jennifer is giving away a “Be Still” print.
Monica is giving away a Let It Go (by Karen Ehman) Study Pack!
Erika is giving away a super cute coffee cozy of your choice.
Carey is giving away Cravings, a daily devotional for moms.
Kristin is giving away 2 books by Angie Smith – For Such a Time as This & Audrey Bunny.
Anna is giving away a candle, tea, and chocolate.
Bethany is giving away a Ginger & Lime Sugar Scrub & a 5ml bottle of Wild Orange Essential Oil.
Jamie is giving away a Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book.
Amanda is giving away a framed print and a $10 gift card to Starbucks.
LeeAnn is giving away a set of linen notecards.

Enter to Win! {Rafflecopter}

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Looking for more ideas and resources for Parenting With Purpose as you create a God-centered home? You can find the whole series here.

This post contains affiliate links {full disclosure}.

Parenting With Purpose: Day 3 – Maximize Your Mornings

October 3, 2014 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

Yesterday I shared part of my personal story of learning the importance of my role in setting the spiritual atmosphere in the home. If you missed that post or previous ones, you can find all the posts for this series on the Parenting With Purpose Series page.

Today I promised to reveal the resource God led me to as I sought a different way to start my mornings and set the spiritual tempo of my days.

Once I realized that my selfish behavior was dishonoring my husband and leaving me spiritually empty, I knew something had to change!

Searching for An Answer

Not really knowing where to turn, I Googled “intentional mornings” and landed right onto Kat Lee’s site, Inspired to Action.

She had recently released an ebook called Maximize Your Mornings, and I quickly found out it was exactly the direction I needed. Her grace-based, habit-focused, baby-steps approach allowed me to ease into waking up earlier just five minutes at a time without feeling guilty.

Honestly, her approach was refreshing since I’d tried and failed at other online programs designed at improving your life at home. (Someone please tell me I’m not the only one who tried FlyLady’s cleaning routine and failed miserably!)

I needed an approach to mornings that provided concrete “wins”.

I Can’t Do This Alone

While the baby steps approach helped break down the mental block I had constructed for myself surrounding my ability to get up earlier in the mornings, trying to turn this new concept into a lasting habit proved more than I could manage alone.

It turns out, God created people to be in community with one another and I needed just that – accountability to stay the course and a group of people to notice when I didn’t follow through with my commitment.

Success…and Failure

Right around the time I downloaded the Maximize Your Mornings ebook, one of Kat’s blog readers suggested starting a challenge for women on the Maximize Your Mornings journey. They called it “Hello Mornings” and I enthusiastically signed up for an accountability group on Twitter, a new social media platform to me at the time.

Not uncharacteristically, I committed to the first week or so and then promptly dropped off. I’d experienced just a tiny bit of success and then there it was again, failure.

Let’s just say I was glad to remember that God can redeem all of our failures!

Through that experience I realized I was trying to fit my morning time into a list of religious checkboxes. My church upbringing was in a culture that often focused more on rules and religious “to do” lists, leading me to think it was all up to me to be a “successful” Christian woman.

And in this season of my life, I thought “successful” equalled getting up early to do a devotional.

Trying Again – The Hello Mornings Challenge

I was relying solely on myself and found out quickly that it was only in God’s strength that my inner night owl would transform into a willing early bird as I sought a deeper relationship with Him.

And so, I decided to try the Hello Mornings Challenge again.

With a new perspective and focus on God’s strength not mine, I relished my newfound freedom in Christ to pursue relationship, not rules.

This time around in January of 2013 I joined a different Hello Mornings group, one that embraced me and my imperfection while helping me stay accountable to my desire to grow in consistency with my new morning routine.

Almost two years later, four ladies from the original group are still checking in with one another on Twitter in the mornings. We provide encouragement, pray for specific situations in one another’s lives, and share praises from the day to day journey. We certainly don’t do it perfectly, but each of us continues to grow and transform as we seek to reflect Christ in our lives and in our parenting.

Wake Up FOR Your Children, Not TO Your Children

As we continue our exploration into Parenting With Purpose, one key message I want to convey is one that Kat emphasizes when she talks about the Hello Mornings Challenge.

The goal is to wake up FOR your children – to pray for them, to prepare for the day, to center yourself in God’s Word, and to get your body moving instead of groggily rolling out of bed when the littles are pulling your hair, patting your cheeks, and asking for Cheerios and cartoons.

Our purposeful choices in the morning, no matter how small we start, will make a lasting impact on the spiritual environment of our homes and our children will begin to notice the difference!

Setting Yourself Up For Success

As I promised, I’m sharing some key resources to set you up for success in making your mornings a time to set the spiritual atmosphere of your home first thing in the morning.

It’s my prayer that these will be tools you can use wherever you are in your morning quiet time journey.

Maximize Your Mornings – {ebook} – This free ebook is available on InspiredtoAction.com and walks you through the process of taking your very first steps in a morning routine. You’ll also find a blog series by the same name of this page.

Tips For Getting Up Early – {blog series} – This is where you should start if you’re just looking for some practical tips to help you get up earlier (and to save yourself from your husband dragging you out of bed like my husband did!).

Hello Mornings Challenge – {accountability & relationships} – The challenge is OPEN for the upcoming six week challenge through Sunday, October 5th. If you’re ready to find out more about how the challenge works and how you can get involved in a group, this is where you need to start! Note that everyone who accepts the challenge will get a Bible study guide, a free worship song, and an awesome document you can use to walk you through your morning time if you need a little more structure.

God Day: A Morning Song – {morning inspirational music} – If you’re just starting out on your morning quiet time journey, I encourage you to just get up 5 minutes early and listen to this song. As I understand it, Jen Stanbro wrote this song in the midst of her own Hello Mornings journey. I know it will bless you and encourage & challenge you as it does me in the mornings.

If you’d like to get to know Jen’s story about being a mom who said “yes” to God in spite of uncertainty, check out her interview with Kat on the Inspired to Action Podcast.

31 Days of Waking Up Early – {blog series – real life} – Need some boots-on-the-ground inspiration for waking up early? Jacque at A Joyfully Abundant Life is sharing her real life experience of creating the habit of waking up earlier. Join her during October for more inspiration!

How To Transform Your Mornings – {podcast} – If you’re a person who likes to listen and learn, then Kat’s latest podcast is for you! She walks you through her morning time journey and explains both her approach and the Hello Mornings Challenge more in detail.

Follow Along!

If you’re not already receiving blog posts by email, you can sign up to follow along with the series and have the posts delivered right to your inbox. Or, if you’d prefer, follow along onFacebook,Twitter, Pinterest, or BlogLovin.

For those of you who would like to dive deeper into the topic each day, join the moms gathered in our private Facebook group for this series. I can’t wait to meet you and encourage one another on this parenting journey!

Parenting With Purpose: Day 2 – Set The Atmosphere First

October 2, 2014 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

It’s Day 2 of the 31 Day Writing Challenge and all through the month of October we’re diving into Parenting on Purpose: Creating a God-Centered Home.

If you missed Day 1, you can read it here. Just scroll down to the bottom of the page for the list of posts in this series.

Today we’re focusing in on a critical aspect of creating a God-centered home.

Before we can create God-centered homes, we must center ourselves in His word first.

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While there is certainly not a formula for how to center yourself in your relationship with God and in His word, the key message is that we make this a priority in our own lives.

We must be filled up with God’s Spirit and have His truths planted firmly in our hearts before we’re able to pour out grace-filled, purposeful parenting that leads our children’s hearts closer to the heart of God.

While my journey toward centering myself in God’s word may look different from yours, today I’m sharing my path with the hope that it will be the catalyst for some of you to at least begin this journey or even take a few steps forward toward preparing your hearts to create a more God-centered home.

My Story: From Night Owl to Early Bird

My husband would be the first to tell you stories from the early days of our marriage when he literally would have to pull me out of bed in the mornings so I wouldn’t be late for work.

No joke.

I was in my 20s and required another adult to intervene just to get me out of bed. Sometimes I wonder how I ever made it to 8am college classes!

Needless to say, this was not a highlight of our marriage every morning and it continued for years. Years, ya’ll!

I’m thinking this is one of those things my mom should have warned my husband about before he married me, seeing as getting out of bed in the mornings has been a challenge for me as long as I can remember.

Time for a Change

While I can’t recall the exact catalyst for my change in this deeply rooted habit of sleeping in, I do remember we’d recently transitioned my daughter into a toddler bed at the time.

For months, I’d wake up to little hands on my face and then she’d crawl into bed for snuggles. I convinced myself that these sweet snuggles were just too precious to squelch, so I continued to sleep (or at least stay in bed) until the absolute last minute.

Usually I stayed in bed later than the last absolute minute.

As you can imagine, my mornings after I finally DID get out of bed were not particularly productive with me rushing around trying to get myself ready and out the door to work on time.

The Turning Point

My husband ended up taking up the slack every morning, getting our daughter ready and making both of us breakfast. He is gracious but after awhile, his constant “LeeAnn. Get. Out. Of. Bed.” reminders each morning {combined with some conviction from the Holy Spirit} helped me realize my choices in the mornings were dishonoring him and starting our days off poorly.

The atmosphere in our home in the mornings was rushed and irritable and it was my fault.

I definitely was not starting my day off centered in God’s word.

To be honest, I wasn’t setting aside any time for God’s word at this point in my life.

My daughter didn’t sleep through the night consistently until she was 15 months old so I’d been functioning in a state of exhaustion for quite awhile. I used that as an excuse along with some other spiritually challenging situations that should have led me TO God’s word instead of AWAY from it.

As a result, both my relationship with my husband and the atmosphere in my home were suffering. On top of that, I felt completely out of control in many other areas of my life because I was lacking roots in my relationship with God.

Finding A Key Resource

I am a serious research junkie. My husband tells people I can find anything online that I’m looking for and usually that’s true. It’s not a surprise that “Curiosity” was listed as my top strength in an online character strength test he asked me to take not long ago.

So once I realized that something in my morning routine needed to change, I did what I always do when I don’t know what to do or how to do it – research!

It was by God’s grace that my Google searching landed me directly onto a site with just the resource I needed!

Tomorrow for Day 3 of the Parenting With Purpose series I’ll reveal the resource that changed my mornings and led me down a completely different path.

I’ll be sharing:

The challenge that changed everything about my mornings
A free ebook for you to use on your morning journey
My favorite song for starting my mornings off God-centered
An exciting opportunity for you to begin your God-centered mornings the same way I did!

Don’t Miss Out!

The Power of Your Story

September 6, 2014 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

She sits quietly in my office, hands folded nervously, head down and tears streaming silently down her face. Her visit to meet me, a patient advocate for cancer patients, is not one she ever expected to make.

photo credit: jhiner via photopin cc

I reviewed her paperwork while she dabs at the tears, a tad embarrassed at her emotions overflowing onto her cheeks. She is young, married, in her 30s, working in a fulfilling job with wonderful co-workers, with two small children at home. Her diagnosis of stage IV metastatic breast cancer is not one with a lengthy prognosis, but today, that’s not her primary concern.

I determine she qualifies for our financial services and review procedures for how to access the essential medications she needs to preserve the length and quality of her life as long as possible. Nodding in gratitude, she pauses and the tears start flowing freely again.

“Can you help me with my hair?”

In the past 10 years, this is a question as advocates we often are asked and the answer is always yes. Our appearance boutique is stocked with items donated by the community – hats, wigs, scarves, turbans, and accessories – all available at no charge to patients experiencing hair loss due to chemotherapy.

The treatments would soon rob her of her shiny long brown hair and frequently this is emotionally the most difficult time for someone newly diagnosed with cancer, especially a young person. I knew the question was coming but what she said next stopped me in my tracks.

“I’m not worried about what I’ll look like, but I’m worried about my little boy. I still rock him to sleep and he twirls his fingers in my hair before he falls asleep. I just don’t know how he’s going to handle the change in routine and how mommy looks.”

photo credit: Thomas Hawk via photopin cc

Her words, so beautifully spoken as a true parent, more concerned about her son’s emotional state than her own, touched me in a profound way.

While we didn’t have the perfect wig in our appearance boutique that day, our organization purchased her the perfect wig to match her flowing brown hair from funds donated through the United Way to fulfill her most critical emotional need during a fragile time.

“Your donations make a true difference.”

These were the words spoken immediately after I told this story over and over to various groups as I explained the importance of their donations to the United Way and the value provided by our local community-based non-profit cancer support organization.

Usually, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. And the room was typically filled with young and middle-aged men working in industrial settings, men not known for their emotional response including tears.

So what made the difference?

The power of the story.

Stories reach deep down into our hearts in a way that charts, graphs, and numbers just can’t. Stories help us relate to one another as humans, unpacking the truth that our hearts experience the same deep desires.

Stories help us grasp difficult concepts and connect us to the heart of the story-teller.

There’s a reason Jesus used stories to share the most important truths with his disciples. And when we consider the Bible as a whole, it’s just one long overarching story of God’s redeeming love.

As Christians, it’s so important that we embrace the power of stories – ours and others’ too.

“Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story.” Psalm 107:2 – Your story matters!

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Have you considered YOUR story?