Building Strong Homes, One story at a time.

Welcome to the 100th episode of the Building Strong Homes Podcast! What an amazing ride it has been to get this far, and I want to thank all of my listeners for showing up each episode! So, I thought it would be fun to introduce you to my husband, John, and our children, Elise and Jacob, and have them share some of their stories from growing up on the farm. I ask each of them share their thoughts on what it means to build their faith and what kind of legacy they want to leave. John even shares a story I'd never heard before about being put in a police car and hauled off to be interrogated! This was while we were married, y'all! How did the kids know this story and I didn't??

I know this episode is a little different, but I hope our conversation will encourage you as you journey to build your own strong home and family. And don't forget, every episode is now on YouTube so you can see how we interact as well as listen. There's a link below that will take you to the YouTube channel. And I'd love for you to like and subscribe so you'll be updated with every episode. There are also links below to the two previous episodes Elise was on so you can hear a little more of her story. And if you don't follow me on Facebook or Instagram, I hope you'll head over there and follow Building Strong Homes. I'll be sharing more reels and fun stuff about my family over there.

Once again, thanks for being a part of this podcast community and remember to keep building strong!

"Faith is the refusal to panic." This quote by Dennis Rainey had a profound impact on Lori Margo as she walked through her difficult journey with cancer. Because her own mother had been diagnosed with cancer at the same age Lori received her first diagnosis and passed away two short years later, she had every reason to panic. But as she walked her own path, she realized that if you're going to believe the Bible, you've got to believe the whole Bible.

After Lori finally beat her cancer, she lost her dad to the same horrible disease, and even though she told others God had been with her through that hard season, she began to question if that were actually true. So, she decided to start keeping track of God's goodness in the midst of pain. When she sat down to write she immediately came up with 30 instances of how God had been with her in the loss of her father. That started her on a quest to look for God in all of the difficult seasons in her life and she began what she now calls tracking God. She not only does it in her own life, but in her children's as well. And now she teaches others how to track God through their own hard stories. Lori is an inspiration of faith and hope and I know her story will point you in the direction of finding God in the hard, too.

For shownotes go to CarolRoper.org/podcast

Have you ever wondered if God had something specific for you to do? That maybe you missed your calling, or you don't know what your purpose is? I think all of us at least once in our lives have questioned, "What am I here for?" or "Is there an assignment you have for me God?"

Mandy Hood, a self-described introvert, felt God calling her to become involved in helping at a crisis pregnancy center years ago and stepped into a volunteer role. Several years later she felt God leading her to leave her job as an office administrator after 24 years and took a job in that crisis pregnancy center. That career shift led to a one-third cut in her family income. Even though she was terrified, she knew she needed to be obedient. During her time and that position she learned new skills for what God had for her next: create a program to bring women together.

Today, The Connection is a thriving community-based ministry designed to connect women with each other and God. They offer fun social activities, Bible studies, small groups and a mentoring program that is conducive to welcome Chrisitan women and women who may not have a relationship with God. This organization exists and impacts the lives of so many today. My prayer is that her story will encourage you to step into your calling too.

Links to Resources

Find out more about Connecting Women with God

Check out Mandy's books, Let's Get Together: The Story of a Unique Women's Ministry and Let's Make Plans: Journal to Discover God's Plan for You

Did you know the average age of a widow is 59? And there are eleven million widows in the United States with 1000 women becoming widowed every day?? This is a sobering topic none of us likes to think about, but the truth is, because it's so prevalent, we need to talk about it.

Marilyn Nutter suddenly became a widow twelve years ago after 42 years of marriage and knows first-hand that widowhood is an uncomfortable the topic. But she also knows that there are many women out there, like herself, who are hurting and looking for resources to help. Because of this, she's written a book, Hope for Widows: Reflections on Mourning, Living and Change. She wrote it for two groups of people: widows and those who know and love widows. It's a valuable source of encouragement and comfort as widows adjust to their new normal and reimagine an active life with purpose in their future.

She also gives practical tips on how to interact with widows in a way that lifts them up and provides much needed help. And she shares her secret to learning how to do things her husband used to take care of. We also talk a little about how to be better prepared if something does happen to your husband. Marilynn has acquired a lot of hard-earned wisdom over the last twelve years and wants to share that wisdom with you so that your load won't be quite as heavy to carry.

Resources

Order Marilyn's book, Hope for Widows: Reflections on Mourning, Living and Change

Find out more about Marilyn and check out additional resources at Marilynnutter.com

Griefshare

Watch on YouTube Hope for Widows and the People Who Love Them with Marilyn Nutter

Related Episodes

Finding Hope After Loss with Mike Nappa

Embracing Joy in Life: Lessons from Carol McLeod on Finding Happiness Amidst Challenges

Learning to Trust God in Our Suffering with Kathy Burry

What To Do When Your Life Falls Apart with Marilyn Nutter and April White

A Widow’s Journey Part 1 with Melanie Forbes Cook

Is hospitality something that doesn't come easy for you? Are you always worried about how clean (or messy!) your home is? Or that you can't cook? Or that you just don't know how to entertain? My guest today, Sue Donaldson, is the queen of hospitality and she's here to help. Yes, she grew up with a mother who loved welcoming people into their home, but Sue's grandmother, her mom's mom, never invited people in. In spite of that, she decided she wanted to learn how to be hospitable and did just that.

Now, because of her mother's influence, Sue's gift of hospitality is second nature for her. But she's learned that it's not about a clean house or even entertaining, it's about serving others. Pinterest and Instagram have skewed our ideas of hospitality, but Sue has so many practical and creative suggestions about how to make it easy for you.

She also talks about how being a mother of young children is like living on a desert island (amen!) and how important it is to have a community of other moms around you and one of the best ways to do that is by inviting those moms in. Yes, welcoming people past the threshold of your front door can be vulnerable, but it can also be very rewarding.

We also talk about mentoring and a secret to make it easier for both the mentor and the mentee. And Sue has some great free resources she'll share at the end of our interview. You'll be excited to start welcoming people into your home after you listen to this episode.

As the mother of a son, I understand the challenges of raising boys to become good and godly men. When my son was young, I was always second guessing myself and wishing I had a blueprint to help me, and my husband know the best way to lead him down the right path towards manhood. This episode is a resource I wish was available then.

My guests today, Erin and Jason Davis, parents of four boys themselves, have recently released their book, Lies Boys Believe: And the Epic Quest for Truth. In this episode they share why giving our boys a foundation based on truth will help them navigate our difficult culture, how we should encourage our sons to have hearts that please God, not just behave in a way they won't get caught, as well as developing a no-secrets family. I also asked several moms of boys if they had questions for the Davis's and they had some great ones! Erin and Jason were so gracious to answer as many as they could and so this episode is a little longer than most. But I know you're probably struggling with some of these same questions, so I wanted to make sure we addressed them. They have so many practical ideas on how to connect with boys that I know you're going to come away from this episode better equipped and more confident to be the best boy parent you can be.

Check out the show notes at CarolRoper.org/podcast

Is the current status of our world, nation and maybe even your community getting you down? Do some days make you wonder if you’ll ever experience joy again because there’s so much hard in your life right now? My guest today, Brant Hansen, will help us look at the bright side of things by turning our focus to all of the good that is around us. And y’all, I can’t believe this, but I called him by the wrong name a couple of times in this interview and he wouldn’t let me edit that out!

Brant has a humble and empathetic heart and an amazing sense of humor that allows him to share stories from his own life that encourage and lift people up. One of my favorite quotes from this episode is when Brant says, “Maybe we need to all learn how to be awkward. It’s not the worst thing in the world. I could survive that.” He shares many of his awkward moments to prove he knows what he’s talking about. So, let’s learn to get over ourselves and experience joy in the hard.

Mike Novotny is not one to run from tough topics. As a matter of fact, he's even written a book about it called Taboo: Topics Christians Should be Talking About but Don't. Sounds pretty intriguing, right? In this episode we dive into topics that deal with mental health, suicide, pornography and politics. Mike also shares some of his personal struggles as well. I appreciate the fact that Mike isn't just sharing his opinions about these hot-button issues, but that he goes straight to the Bible to share what God says about them. I hope this episode will encourage you to not shy away from tough topics and stand strong on God's word for answers to tough questions.

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 later, Molly turned twenty-one and unexpectedly inherited a quarter of a million dollars from her mother’s estranged family’s estate. Through “retail therapy” and a long series of grossly irresponsible financial decisions, Molly found herself broke with over $36,000 in credit card debt less than two years later. Shame, guilt, and embarrassment set in.

Listen in as Molly shares her journey to faith as she worked her way out of debt and reveals how every messed up, broken story has a purpose. She now helps others through podcasting, speaking and her new book coming out in March, If I Don't Laugh, I'll Cry: How Death, Debt and Comedy Led to a Life of Faith, Farming and Forgetting What I Came into This Room For.

The empty nest years can feel like a season of losing our purpose, especially as a mom. When the kids leave home many of us are plunged into feelings of loss and grief, not knowing how to handle the extra time and conversations with our spouse. Ruthie Gray has been there and feels so passionately about ministering to women in this phase of life that she wrote a book, Empty Nest Awakening: Weaving the Threads of Your Passion into Purpose.

As a mother of four adult children, Ruthie has walked her own journey through the empty nest and has learned a lot about how we can grow and be filled with purpose once the kids leave home. She also addresses the pains of being in the sandwich generation as well as ideas on how to connect with your spouse when it's just the two of you again.

Ruthie is funny and practical and has a lot of great wisdom to share. You'll walk away from this conversation with a renewed perspective of the empty nest and be excited to forge ahead into the future God has for you.

Find shownotes at CarolRoper.org/Podcast