Equip and Encourage Women Podcast with Tracy Lynn Dougherty

We’re currently watching the news and social media as people share their stories of the hard they are going through. I have to admit sometimes, I want to roll my eyes at what people are posting is hard. Really?!? Our current situation is hard for all of us, it’s just hard in different ways. We need to LOVE and encourage one another through the hard.

How to Respond to the Unknown We are currently going through uncharted territory, through challenges that we’ve never faced individually or as a country…as a world. Our lives have been disrupted like never before. We have entered the Unknown Zone. I think we can learn so much from Paul in Acts 20 on how to respond to the Unknown. I’m going to share with you five things we need to do while in the Unknown Zone.

I invited one of my mentors and mother of five, Kathie Manning, to teach my Tuesday morning class at PWOC. She reminded us that little is written directly addressing parenting, yet we are to raise these sweet little sinners well. She reminded us that we’ve been chosen and entrusted with the incredible task of teaching our children the Truth, and to raise them in the Truth. Parenting is hard because you rarely get a break, and it can be so mundane. But we must not look at our relationship with our children as an interruption or disturbance. Parents, we must rededicate our hearts to this mission, and this probably needs to happen every single morning. Kathie also shares many great resources. #Parenting, #ChristianParenting, #ParentingWithJesus,

I invited one of my mentors and mother of five, Kathie Manning, to teach my Tuesday morning class at PWOC. She reminded us that little is written directly addressing parenting, yet we are to raise these sweet little sinners well. She reminded us that we’ve been chosen and entrusted with the incredible task of teaching our children the Truth, and to raise them in the Truth. Parenting is hard because you rarely get a break, and it can be so mundane. But we must not look at our relationship with our children as an interruption or disturbance. Parents, we must rededicate our hearts to this mission, and this probably needs to happen every single morning. Kathie also shares many great resources. #Parenting, #ChristianParenting, #ParentingWithJesus,

I invited one of my mentors and mother of five, Kathie Manning, to teach my Tuesday morning class at PWOC. She reminded us that little is written directly addressing parenting, yet we are to raise these sweet little sinners well. She reminded us that we’ve been chosen and entrusted with the incredible task of teaching our children the Truth, and to raise them in the Truth. Parenting is hard because you rarely get a break, and it can be so mundane. But we must not look at our relationship with our children as an interruption or disturbance. Parents, we must rededicate our hearts to this mission, and this probably needs to happen every single morning. Kathie also shares many great resources. #Parenting, #ChristianParenting, #ParentingWithJesus,

The Crazy of Christmas…Let me ask you…are you excited that we welcome December in a few short days, or do you dread the whole thing…wish you could close your eyes and wake up on New Year’s Eve? All these things – the packages, the food, the decorations, the parties – can be a part of Christmas, but Christmas is about Jesus. You know…the “reason for the season.” Is Jesus the focus of your Christmas season or just the Christmas Eve service you attend? #ThecrazyofChristmas #TheReasonForTheSeason #ChristmasJesus

I am so proud of my husband Marshall, an Army Veteran. A few weeks ago, he was the guest speaker for the annual Red River Valley Veterans Day Service in Texas. He spoke of three characteristics exemplified by members of the armed services: fitness, discipline and trust. He also shared a few stories of his experience in the military. He highlighted three fellow military members and included military family members. We are so thankful for our experience as a military family and want to share just a little bit of it with you during November’s Veteran’s Appreciation Month.

What Are You Wearing? Colossians 3 tells us that we are Chosen, Holy and Loved! God is telling us what to put on: patience, humility, kindness, gentleness, compassion and forgiveness….we must choose it. But we want our feelings to decide what we’re going to wear. If we’re out there talking the gospel but not living the gospel we confuse people. But if we talk it and walk it the world can’t help but notice. This is the wardrobe that God handpicked for you Jesus paid a high price for these clothes. Put them on!

What Are You Wearing? Colossians 3 tells us that we are Chosen, Holy and Loved! God is telling us what to put on: patience, humility, kindness, gentleness, compassion and forgiveness….we must choose it. But we want our feelings to decide what we’re going to wear. If we’re out there talking the gospel but not living the gospel we confuse people. But if we talk it and walk it the world can’t help but notice. This is the wardrobe that God handpicked for you Jesus paid a high price for these clothes. Put them on!

What Are You Wearing? Colossians 3 tells us that we are Chosen, Holy and Loved! God is telling us what to put on: patience, humility, kindness, gentleness, compassion and forgiveness….we must choose it. But we want our feelings to decide what we’re going to wear. If we’re out there talking the gospel but not living the gospel we confuse people. But if we talk it and walk it the world can’t help but notice. This is the wardrobe that God handpicked for you Jesus paid a high price for these clothes. Put them on!

What Are You Wearing? Colossians 3 tells us that we are Chosen, Holy and Loved! God is telling us what to put on: patience, humility, kindness, gentleness, compassion and forgiveness….we must choose it. But we want our feelings to decide what we’re going to wear. If we’re out there talking the gospel but not living the gospel we confuse people. But if we talk it and walk it the world can’t help but notice. This is the wardrobe that God handpicked for you Jesus paid a high price for these clothes. Put them on!

What Are You Wearing? Colossians 3 tells us that we are Chosen, Holy and Loved! God is telling us what to put on: patience, humility, kindness, gentleness, compassion and forgiveness….we must choose it. But we want our feelings to decide what we’re going to wear. If we’re out there talking the gospel but not living the gospel we confuse people. But if we talk it and walk it the world can’t help but notice. This is the wardrobe that God handpicked for you Jesus paid a high price for these clothes. Put them on!

I love being married, and I want that for all of you! I want to share with you three things that every marriage needs to be successful. One is…Everyone needs someone that is cheering them on in life, that celebrates success, that encourages them when they feel defeated, that says, “Yes you can, I believe in you!!” That has your back. Listen now for more tools on how to have your best marriage!

Just like you, I’ll never forget September 11, 2001. It changed all our lives. Soon after, it dramatically changed our lives because Marshall started deploying to combat; he went to war. Before deployment, I would spend time daily on my knees in prayer. Not now; I was afraid I would lose control of my emotions... oh no, I was trying to get control, not lose it. I stopped reading my Bible. I had to get my life back under control before I would allow God back into my box where I wanted Him. Crazy, I know! This went on for a few months, and then it happened…I finally broke! In front of a group of women. Fortunately it was a group of women who loved me. They reminded me of two things.

I love to make lists. In fact, I don’t know how people get through life without one. Luke 10:41– 42. “Jesus said to her, Dear Martha, there will always be many pressing things to capture your time and attention. She who has chosen to sit at my feet has chosen the one true thing which will outlast all other matters.” I bet Martha liked lists too. I know I need to spend time daily with God, so I write it on my list of things to do. If the idea of spending time with God daily is new or seems like a great idea but tough to accomplish, I would recommend you start small.

GPS – Global Positioning System – we all have them on our phone. We use them to navigate us through unknown territory, to direct us to where we need to end up. What do you use to guide you through life? To determine your next step? To get you around obstacles? To get you where you need to be? The Perfect GPS for life is God’s Perfect Son, Jesus.

The Benefits of Waiting - Really! Today I’m going to talk about waiting...I don’t like it! I want quick results. In fact, we’re being conditioned more and more each day to expect quick results, to not have to wait. If you’ve been a Christian for more than a day, you’ve probably figured out that you can NOT rush God. Here’s the thing...there ARE benefits of waiting. I’ll share what I’ve learned in the waiting.

3 Things you Should NEVER do if You’re Married! First, you should never, and I mean never, be disrespectful. Now, disagreeing isn’t disrespectful. You will never agree 100% with your husband. In fact, you’re crazy if you think you will. It’s all about how you disagree that’s important. The second thing you’ve probably heard before but need to be reminded. The third thing...I’ll bet you’ve never given it any thought BUT it’s important!! And I think most of us mess this one up!

What Call has God placed on Your Life? I am confident that God has given me a work to complete and that God has given YOU a work to complete, a work that brings Him glory. Are you like Isaiah who cries, “But my work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose.” Have. You ever felt that way?? That what you’re doing is useless and has no purpose? Find out what the Bible has to say about the call God has on your life.

I used to be so jealous of my husband’s mistress. She was revealed within days of our wedding. He always responded to her needs no matter how inconvenient it was. She got his full attention no matter how hard I was trying to fulfill all his needs. I struggled with how much attention she got. I felt like I couldn’t compete. The mistress I’m talking about - his job, his career. What needed to change, was my attitude towards his career. I needed to stop looking at his career as the other woman, his mistress and instead look at his career as a companion who provided us with money, really cool opportunities and that it can be very rewarding.

What I learned when our dog encountered an alligator. Sometimes we’re like my dog Tar. We can’t see the dangers in life. We’re so focused on what we’re doing, so caught up in the crazy of life, we don’t check in with God to see if we’re walking in His will. Sometimes we might be experiencing little zaps, feelings of unease or uncomfortableness, unrest in our spirit, but we try to ignore this because we think we know what we’re doing. We’ve got this. If you feel like something is off, maybe God is trying to get your attention. Maybe we need to turn to our master, to God, to receive further instruction.

Rahab had two reputations: the prostitute and the woman of faith. She had to choose to step out in faith. Many of our decisions have become a habit. The story of Rahab shows the tremendous contrast between one’s past and future potential. The key is faith. It takes courage to change the course of your life. She had to put her past behind her in order to move forward in God’s plan for her life. All my best to you, Tracy Lynn Dougherty

She had to choose to step out in faith. Many of our decisions have become a habit. The story of Rahab shows the tremendous contrast between one’s past and future potential. The key is faith. It takes courage to change the course of your life. She had to put her past behind her in order to move forward in God’s plan for her life.

The woman was in her dark place… even though it was high noon, her shame had driven her to the “dark” time to go to the well. And what did Jesus do…He didn’t say come back when you have it together… He met her where she was… he met her in the dark.

The woman was in her dark place… even though it was high noon, her shame had driven her to the “dark” time to go to the well. And what did Jesus do…He didn’t say come back when you have it together… He met her where she was… he met her in the dark.

The woman was in her dark place… even though it was high noon, her shame had driven her to the “dark” time to go to the well. And what did Jesus do…He didn’t say come back when you have it together… He met her where she was… he met her in the dark.

The woman was in her dark place… even though it was high noon, her shame had driven her to the “dark” time to go to the well. And what did Jesus do…He didn’t say come back when you have it together… He met her where she was… he met her in the dark.

The woman was in her dark place… even though it was high noon, her shame had driven her to the “dark” time to go to the well. And what did Jesus do…He didn’t say come back when you have it together… He met her where she was… he met her in the dark.

Attitude!?! What attitude?? In this podcast I will equip you with 4 ways to CHANGE your attitude. Because we can’t always change our circumstances or the people around us but we can CHOOSE to change something about ourselves, choose to change our attitude.

Don’t let 2019 be just another year of doing the same ole, same ole. Start praying now about what God is calling you to and then start pursing it… do the thing. It’s not too late!

Life can be hard. The secret to when life is hard, when life isn’t palatable, is to add water, but not just any water, Living Water. I’m going to share with you where to find the Living Water you need when you’re going through the hard of life.

Many of us surround ourselves with people who tell us how awesome we are, who affirm all our decisions as good, who constantly lift us up. We do need women like this but we also need women who are willing to say the hard things, the honest things.

As you run through life, towards your own finish line, are you paying attention to the people around you? Sometimes we need to come along side someone, give them a boost, a chance to breathe and then complete the race that has been set before them.

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of speaking at a Women’s Conference in Carl Junction, Missouri. The theme verse was James 1:22 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”Many of us are nodding our heads on Sunday morning or when we’re at home reading our Bibles…we’re agreeing with what the Bible says – but that’s not enough. We need to actually do what it says. It doesn’t say do what it says when we feel like it, when we have the time, when we’ll be perfect at it…Just Do It!If you are a Christ follower, you have been given spiritual gifts. Your gifts are the key to fulfilling the Kingdom Purpose He has set aside just for you.I would love to hear how you use your spiritual gifts for the Kingdom of God.

By popular demand - welcome to the full session on “Let Your Light Shine - Obedience!” God expects His women to be obedient but obedience can be hard! In this podcast, you’ll hear why we struggle with obedience and strategies for success.

In the final video of my 4-part series “Let Your Light Shine - Obedience!” We’ve cover more tools and steps we need to take to be obedient. We need to lean into the Holy Spirit! We cannot achieve obedience without Him. We must also encourage one another.

In the 3rd of my 4-part series “Let Your Light Shine - Obedience!” we’ll focus on the tools and steps we need to take to be obedient. The first one is the easiest, and so critical - open our Bible. We must exchange the lies of the enemy with the Truth.

In the 2nd of my 4-part series on “Let Your Light Shine - Obedience!” I continue with why we struggle with obedience due to things such as “not nice” women. Anyone know a not nice woman? Anyone been a not nice woman?

Welcome to the 1st of my 4-part series on “Let Your Light Shine - Obedience!” God expects His women to be obedient but obedience can be hard! In this series you’ll hear why we struggle with obedience and strategies for success with obedience.

I LOVE Christmas and my favorite Christmas song has always been "Joy to the World!" Christmas is about celebrating the birthday of Jesus. Jesus is Lord, Jesus is King, Jesus is our Savior, Jesus does reign and Jesus is coming again!! Are you ready?

Today, we’re going to talk about forgiving ourselves. Romans 3:23 reminds us that we all mess up “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” If you’re like most of the women I meet, we tend to be very hard on ourselves and slow to forgive ourselves. But here’s the truth: Col 2:13-14 “Then God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins. He cancelled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to the cross.” Do you BELIEVE that? Do you TRUST that? Do you LIVE that?When you have that feeling of guilt, think of it as an INVITATION to seek forgiveness. To choose to remain guilty, to refuse to forgive yourself, is to choose to reject God’s gift and Christ’s sacrifice. It’s like saying, you know what you did on the cross, dying for me on the cross…it wasn’t enough.PS 32: 1-2 NLT “Oh, what JOY for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what JOY for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!” Tired of feeling guilty? Seek forgiveness and experience His overwhelming JOY!! I would love to hear from you. In the comments below, share with me what’s your next step to forgiving yourself?

Tomorrow is the first day of December and the “crazy” is now on steroids. Luke 2: 7 “Mary wrapped Jesus in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Do you have room in your home this December for Jesus? Or have you filled it with busyness, craziness? It is especially easy to catch the “crazy fever” now that we have Facebook and Pinterest to remind us of what we are failing to do – create the “picture perfect” Christmas. Some of us get caught up in the perfect gift for our child. Do they KNOW that the most important, most special, the highest paid price for gift they could ever receive is JESUS? In the comments below, share your strategy to not get caught up in the crazy and to experience the awe of Christmas.

Today, I want to talk about 2 things your husband needs and that you have the power to give him!!

It’s the season of Thanksgiving - a time to remember how blessed we are and to have an attitude of gratitude. A great way to say, “Thank you” to Jesus for our many blessings is to BE a blessing to others – here are 5 easy steps to “B.L.E.S.S.” others.

When someone has wronged us, we want them to stay in the prison we’ve created until they apologize. We want them to feel the weight of what they have done – but DOES CHRIST DO THAT TO US? Today I’m going to share with you 3 steps to forgiveness.

We’re about to enter the season of Thanksgiving...and the season of CRAZY!! During the holidays, sometimes the crazy can take over. I’m going to share my VERY SIMPLE plan to keep the attitude of my heart focused on Thanksgiving, not the crazy.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I suddenly realize that I’m in the middle of a pit of sin. I didn’t mean to end up there, but somehow that’s where I find myself. Proverbs 7 illustrates how we end up there, and also shows us how to avoid sin.

I get that sometimes life can fall into a routine, a rut, and actually be kinda boring. Why not take a break and escape with your husband!! I’ll share four ways to have an affair with your husband. I’ll give you some ideas, but be creative – go for it!

Let’s talk about what every woman wants, and what every woman has the power to give. Our lives have become so crowded that many of us feel invisible. We all want to be seen, valued and known. You have the power! It starts with a simple smile and hello.

Matthew 14:22 says, “Jesus INSISTED that the disciples get in the boat.” God already knows all the storms we will face - past, present and future. Sometimes He will direct you around a storm. Sometimes…He’ll send you into the storm…why?