Living Well with Depression | Melissa Maimone

Living Well with Depression | Melissa Maimone

by | Apr 2, 2019 | Uncategorized

Do you struggle with being a Christian who loves Jesus BUT still suffers with depression?

If so, STOP RIGHT NOW and listen to today's Better Together podcast!

"I asked God to take it away a lot. And He didn't. So I had to rethink what He might mean by leaving it there."

-Melissa Maimone, author of The Radiant Midnight

 Melissa Maimone is a Christian speaker and writer who teaches women that an authentic life in Christ can be messy and magnificent at the exact same time. With her unique blend of theology, humor and insight, Melissa provides down-to-earth lessons, practical applications, and life-changing perspectives to real women who are living real lives in the midst of real problems.

Using scripture, art, storytelling and lessons from her own battle with depression, Melissa demonstrates that the light of JOY can be found even in dark places.

Friends, I LOVED my conversation with Melissa because we're talk about depression, mental health and how to live WELL in hard times. So, so good! And I've read and proudly endorsed her new book, The Radiant Midnight: Depression, Grace and the Gifts of a Dark Place. It's a must-now read if you've struggled with depression or just being in a hard place in life. Melissa shows us how God brings beauty and grace into the darkness of Midnight; sometimes we just need someone who has been there too helpus discover it.

Here are some highlights from our conversation today:

    • That God isn't waiting for us to get it together.
    • That there is no darkness too dark for God.
    • That the purpose of suffering isn't simply to get out of it. 
    • That we can have Joy in the midst of difficulty.

CONNECT WITH MELISSA    Website  |    Facebook   |   Instagram

The Radiant Midnight by Melissa Maimone

Melissa Maimone is a Christian speaker and writer who teaches women that an authentic life in Christ can be messy and magnificent at the exact same time. With her unique blend of theology, humor, and insight, Melissa provides down-to-earth lessons, practical applications, and life-changing perspectives to real women who are living real lives in the midst of real problems.

 

Barb’s Bible Journal | Psalm 46:10

Barb’s Bible Journal | Psalm 46:10

by | Mar 29, 2019 | Uncategorized

This year, I’ve chosen Psalm 46:10 as my special verse for the year. Here it is:  

“Be still, and know that I am God! 
    I will be honored by every nation. 
    I will be honored throughout the world.” 

There are a lot of things happening in my life that are outside of my control and I need this verse as a reminder that I need to let go of control and trust God.  

Here are some notes from my journal: 

The phrase “be still and know that I am God” is pretty popular. It shows up on social media a bunch as well as on a lot of coffee mugs. The two words “be still” always soothe my heart. God always seems to know when I’m emotionally swinging like a trapeze artist around from worry to faith and back again. The words “be still” are a command to stop the madness that can bounce around in my mind more often than I’d like to admit. 

Be still – relax, let go, not make can effort, leave matters to God, let go of anxiety  

Don’t you feel like taking a deep breathe right now? Seriously, we probably need to all be still in this moment because there is something in our lives that is making us feel exactly the opposite of being still.   

Yet, be still doesn’t mean that we sit around and do nothing. Be still is an attitude, but it should not keep you from taking action. If you find a lump in your breast, be still doesn’t mean that you sit at home on your bed and hope that it goes away. Be still means that you make the doctor’s appointment ASAP, but that you give your anxiety and worries to God because He cares about you (1 Peter 5:7).   

I did some looking around about when this Psalm might have been written. One commentator* proposed that this may have been written when Jerusalem was threatened by the Assyrians (Isaiah 37:36). Perhaps that is why the later phrases of the verse are so packed with meaning.  

    I will be honored by every nation. 
    I will be honored throughout the world. 

Those two sentences feel mighty prophetic in our world today, especially in our country, where it feels like our culture cares nothing about God.  In these two lines, God declares that He will be recognized as God by the nations that reject Him and that lands all over the world will recognize God’s fame.  

So, if you’ve ever felt like you’ve had to hop on social media and defend God, you actually don’t. God can take care of making sure that His Glory will be known throughout the world – you don’t have to get into a fight with trolls online trying to help God out.   

What’s my takeaway from Psalm 46:10 – I don’t have to be anxious when I remember that a powerful God is taking action on my behalf. 

* https://biblehub.com/commentaries/psalms/46-10.htm 

The Color of Life | A Conversation about Love, Race, Justice & Privilege with Cara Meredith

The Color of Life | A Conversation about Love, Race, Justice & Privilege with Cara Meredith

by | Mar 28, 2019 | Uncategorized

When I use the phrase "racial justice" how do you feel?

Perhaps you're feeling uncomfortable or you're frustrated because you love people like Jesus does so a conversation about race feels unnecessary. As an African-American woman who also loves Jesus, I promise you, this conversation is necessary. And I want to give you permission to feel uncomfortable and even disagree with what you hear - as long as you're willing to stay engaged and don't give up on listening!

In today's Better Together podcast, I'm talking with author Cara Meredith about her new book, The Color of Life: A Journey Toward Love and Racial Justice. She's a Caucasian-American woman who married an African-American man named James Henry Meredith, who happens to be the son of Civil Rights activist and icon, James Howard Meredith. Not sure who he is? Cara talks about her father-in-law at the beginning of our conversation and here's an article where you can see photos.

Here's what Cara and I talk about in this episode:

  • Her father-in-law, James Howard Meredith and his pivotal role in US Civil Rights;
  • Why Cara decided to lean into racial justice instead of assume that it wasn't her fight;
  • Why the term "white privilege" is uncomfortable or offensive to some Caucasian-Americans;
  • Practical tool that Cara uses to engage in conversations about race when she doesn't understand or agree.

Connect with Cara Meredith: Facebook  |   Instagram   |  Twitter 

About Cara...

Cara Meredith is a spiritual writer, speaker, and sought-after conversationalist. The Color of Life, a spiritual memoir about her journey as a white woman into issues of justice, race, and privilege, released last month from Zondervan. She holds a Masters of Theology from Fuller Seminary, writes for numerous print and online publications, and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.

Check out this episode!

Hope and Help for Caregivers | Interview with Sarah Forgrave

Hope and Help for Caregivers | Interview with Sarah Forgrave

by | Mar 28, 2019 | Uncategorized

Are you a caregiver who would love it if someone would stop and ask how YOU are doing?

In our culture today, many women find themselves caring for older parents or chronically ill loved ones. Even as medicine has advanced so much, the support for the endless job of caregiving hasn't kept pace. How do you stay uplifted and encouraged when carrying the responsibility of caring for a loved one?

On today's Better Together Podcast, I'm talking with Sarah Forgrave,  author and speaker who loves encouraging others toward a deeper walk of faith. As one who experienced several years of surgeries and slow recovery, Sarah understands the fears and frustrations of not getting better. But, as the caregiver after her sister's heart transplant ten years ago, Sarah also learned many lessons about the the difficulties of caregiving.

Her prayer devotional for those dealing with medical illnesses, Prayers for Hope and Healing, released with Harvest House Publishers in 2017. Sarah's newest book, Prayers of Hope for Caregivers, releases April 2nd. 

Today, Sarah ministers to those of you who wish that someone could explain how it feels to carry the weight of another's care. We talk about when not to take things personally and how to clarify expectations. I love that Sarah speaks openly and honestly about suffering and how it drew her closer to God. So much good stuff today!

In addition to blogging about prayer, faith, and friendship on her website, Sarah is a monthly contributor to TheChristianMommy.com and has contributed to Guideposts' A Cup of Christmas Cheer and many other websites and anthologies. Outside of writing and speaking, she is the busy mom of two preteen children and the wife of an energetic entrepreneur and toy inventor. When she has a moment to herself, she loves to shop the aisles at Trader Joe's or curl up with a good book and a cup of tea.

CONNECT WITH SARAH: Website  |  Facebook  |  Instagram

Prayers of Hope for Caregivers by Sarah Forgrave (Release April 2019)

 

About your Better Together podcast host...

Barb Roose is a popular speaker and author who is passionate about equipping women to win at life with Christ-empowered strength and dignity. Barb loves speaking at women's conference and leadership events such as the Aspire Women's Events, She Speaks Conference, and the UMC Leadership Institute.

Barb is the author of multiple books and Bible studies. Her writing has been featured in magazines or blogs such as Simple Truth Magazine, iBelieve.com, Crosswalk.com, More to Life Magazine, Just Between Us Magazine, Cherished, InCourage, and Women of Faith.

An avid traveler, reader, and lover of all things chocolate-peanut butter, Barb and her family live in NW Ohio with their dog, Quimby and a very grumpy 10-year rabbit. Visit Barb's online home at barbroose.com.

Check out this episode!

We Are Blessed When We Rest | Barb Roose

We Are Blessed When We Rest | Barb Roose

by | Mar 13, 2019 | Uncategorized


 

Are you tired? Does taking a day off to rest seem impossible?

Listen to one of Barb's teaching messages on the topic of REST. The big idea of her message is this: We are blessed when we rest.

In this upbeat and equipping message, Barb talks about why and how Jesus championed rest for us.

Some of the highlights from this message:

    • We are blessed when rest.
    • When we are exhausted, sin starts looking good.
    • Rest realigns us with God's purpose for our lives.
    • Rest reconnects us with God.
    • Rest revives us.

Sabbath (Rest Day) Prayer: God, I will rest in you today. I will be blessed as I rest today. I trust that you are my provider and I give you what I have and trust you for what I don't.

BONUS! Is your life out of whack? Here's a video clip from the podcast episode where Barb demonstrates how non-stop living can throw our bodies out of whack. She also tells a funny, yet powerful story of how she realized what God needed her to change in her own life.

 

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