The Home Inspired Podcast

I so enjoyed this interview with my new friend Dawn Holiday.  Dawn is an incredible thinker and a liscenced psychologist.  She has helped many people find peace and joy and also helped many marriages heal from infidelity and betrayal.   Her wisdom is well worth the listen!    

Vicki Tabor is a very fruitful woman whom I deeply admire.  She has cultivated godliness in her family in a profound way.  We had a great conversation about nurturing self-government in your family.

We live in a time when tyranny is barking down our doors.  What can we as parents do in the face of this onslaught?  The answer?  Raise children who are self governed.  We are raising the next generation and as we train them to live their lives and make their choices righteously, we strengthen the most basic fibers of our society.     In this interview I talk with my friend Scott Allen about cultivating self government at home.  Scott Allen is the president of the Disciple Nations Alliance.  He and his wife Kim had 5 children and homeschooled each of them.  He is passionate about this topic and has plenty of great insight.  Check out other projects he is working on here.

I wanted to add my final thoughts about this season.  We have in our marriages this amazing opportunity to glorify God.  We have to live wisely and soberly in order to do this.  The world is crying out for great marriages as examples of mutual love and honor.   Let's build beautiful, thriving marriages for the glory of God.  

This episode concludes our series on marriage.  I've talked to several friends who are going through financial wilderness together right now.  There are great things about the wilderness but we need to navigate it so as to grow in intimacy with God and with each other.  I hope this helps.  

Full disclosure, this is just our story of finding healthy rhythms in our days, weeks and years that lend themselves to everyone thriving in our home.  Each family has to find the rhythms that work for them.  This is hopefully just a launching pad for you to think through how to integrate healthy rhythms into your life and family.

Can we just thank God for sex?  It's such a beautiful thing with so much power and potential to add to our marital lives.  And yet for many, their sex lives are scattered with hardship or struggle.  Why?  How do we cultivate a great sex life in marriage?  These are our vulnerable insights.  

Hard times will surely come.  And those hard times can either make or break a marriage.  It's important how we respond and how we navigate tough circumstances.  We have to be careful about processing, trimming the fat from our lives and really working through the grief, lies, shock etc.  Austin and I have had our fair share of trials as a couple.  Here's some thoughts about how we've navigate hardship.  

This episode we talk about how we as a married couple have dealt with setting expectations, communicating them and when that is healthy or when it becomes toxic.  We think this is key for having a healthy happy marriage.  Hope you enjoy!!

Today we discuss the controversial passage of scripture in Ephesians 5 about marriage.  The idea of submission is discussed along with how spouses can empower each other.  I believe this will be a liberating conversation for you to listen to.  

Manhood is under attack in our culture.  What are the boundaries for a real man?  How do men walk more fully in their calling and destinies?  Austin has thought about these questions in depth and his answers may surprise you.  

Austin is back once again.  In this episode we try to tackle the important question of how to have a great marriage.  We talk about how to build intimacy, how to ward off accusation, how to support one another through hard times and more.  I hope this adds grace and vision for you in your life and marriage. 

Welcome to season 2 of the Home Inspired podcast!  Thanks for joining me in this journey.  Last season we talked about the definition of womanhood.  This season we are talking about marriage along with changing the format.  For this season, Austin and I will have a series of conversations about everything from covenant to intimacy to sex to manhood.  It's going to be jam packed!

We have reached the end of Season 1.  In this final episode, I've written and compiled some of my thoughts about the definition of womanhood.  I hope it's enlightening.  

In this episode, I interviewed my good friend Hannah Roark who is a screen play writer and amazing "storyologist".  We get to know Hannah through the amazing story of her discovering her calling as a writer.  We analyze the echoes of truth in the movie Tangled.  We look for themes of femininity, positive and negative, themes of masculinity, themes of heroism etc.   Near the end we ask some important questions about how parents can navigate the deluge of movies and stories constantly hitting our kids.  And we laugh all along the way.      

Today I interview Sarah Chambers.  She has had quite of  journey of wrestling within church culture to find her identity and unique contribution as a woman.  She has come through it and on the other side, she is a confident leader and a tender care taker.     It's a really beautiful conversation.  She leads an organization called the joyful mama helping women thrive as mothers and business owners.  

In this episode I interview my friend Judith Murungi.  She lives in Uganda and works as a worldview teacher among the churches there.  She has a powerful story of personal liberation as she came out of a chauvinistic culture into a kingdom culture as a woman.  Her perspective is enlightening.    

In this episode, I bring back my friends Deb Coe and Denna Lantern to have a conversational response to a video lecture I found by Elizabeth Elliot.  In the video lecture found here, Elliot expounds upon what she finds to be true womanliness, a woman's work and a woman's fulfillment.   It's a very interesting launching pad for conversation because it's so counter cultural from where we find ourselves today.  We ask the questions is subordination divine as Elliot purports?  Are there universals for women's work?  What is a woman's true fulfillment?     Important questions to wrestle with in our generation.    

Meet my friend Lisa from Canada.  She and her husband Nelson are global workers with mission global PAOC Canada and partners with Disciple Nations Alliance both in Brazil and Canada.  They have spent much of their adult life in Brazil as missionaries there.  There they raised their children.  Because of her cross cultural experiences, Lisa's  had to think deeply about femaleness as she's gone through life. Now she and Nelson are back in Canada living on a farm.  In this episode we talk about real life struggles of walking in our God given design.  We talk about the challenges of reclaiming our dignity and our calling as women in this culture.  I hope it's enlightening to you.  

In this episode I had some friends over to my house for coffee.  They listened to the first episode in this season, my interview with Darrow Miller.  This was their response.  It's a very dynamic and diverse conversation about womanhood.  We agree on many things and sharpen each other on several other areas.  We touch on women's roles, motherhood, women's work, being led by the Holy Spirit, lies women believe and more.  I hope it's enlightening.         

I'd like to introduce you to Darrow Miller, one of my most treasured mentors.  Darrow is the author of several profound and important books, Discipling the Nations, Lifework, and Nurturing the Nations are among some of his work.     He is the co-founder of The Disciple Nations Alliance.  And several years ago, he invited me and several of his other friends to a gathering in Spain where we recorded a series of teachings called the Grand Design.  It's a free course on God's design for men and women.  It's powerful material to help us renew our minds and be transformed into the people God's made us to be!   I hope you enjoy this interview and check out Darrow's other work. 

The Home Inspired Podcast is taking a fresh turn.  We are beginning a set of seasons in which we deeply explore the biblical framework and understanding for the most fundamental pillars of family and home.     This first season is very personal for me.  It begins with the exploration of femininity, the definition of WOMAN.     For more information about home inspired, check out our website.  There you can find other resources, links to the Youtube channel and a way to sign up for our weekly email letter.  

We are pivoting this podcast from interviews and insights about home building and child raising to seasons where we focus on deeply understanding the pillars of family and home.   This episode ends the Bonus material.  Soon we will launch Season 1: The Definition of WOMAN with a deep dive into biblical femininity.     I hope you will continue to tune in.  I think these interviews and conversations are very stimulating and interesting and ultimately transformational.  

This comes from my very real struggle with keeping the vision clear as a mom. It's sometimes hard to remember what we are doing and why we are doing it but it is essential for us to be on our A game and to be awake and aware of all the He is doing in our families.

Personal boundaries are great as long as they are expanding and growing. Babies are some of the best coaches helping us to grow in compassion and love for a hurting world.

Just a little peak into my process of growing into motherhood with 3 kids. It's not for the faint of heart. But it's good.

Meet my friend Carolyn Allen.  Carolyn has a Masters Degree in Christian Counseling and a Ph.D. in religious studies.  She has authored two books and is currently writing Life-Changing Questions which will hopefully be available in the fall.  Journey Into Wholeness is currently available on Amazon.com.     In this interview she gives timeless truths about how to have a strong marriage while also maintaining a clear sense of personal calling and identity.  She addresses the seasons that women live through and the ways that we can appreciate and embrace each season instead of wishing it away.  And she walks us through simple processes of growing in our intimacy with Jesus!  

Coming off of a hard day of discipling my little 3 year old, I needed encouragement. Here is what I got.

This is a tearful set of thoughts about my process of coming to a better place with God in the midst of struggle and worry.

This interview is one I cannot recommend enough.  This woman is profound!  She speaks out of a deep well of revelation and also experience about how to disciple children.  You just have to experience her for yourself.    Enjoy!

In our crazy paced culture, how do we evaluate success? Could it be that our grids are misguided? I hope this little anecdote encourages you in your journey toward home.

Where do we go from here? How do Gods people relate to the rest of the world when secularism is on the rise? I think we need to recovery our testimony.

Yes we have something special to tell you....an unexpected semi radical turn of events.

This has been the question on my mind and heart. I hope I encourage you to seek Him with a pure heart and complete devotion. We will see his goodness in the land of the living!

It's easy to look at the big things that are happening and think that if only they would go our way, then everything would be great. Meanwhile we have to take stock of what we are forming in the world around us. Do we like the fruit we produce? Let's take stock and do the hard work of transformation.

These are some of my meditations on the glory of God's story during this Christmas season.

Meet my good friend Krista.  Krista dives right in to her story of battling chronic illness for over 20 years.  Through her story of struggle, faith, hope, denial, determination and eventually rest in the goodness of God, I hope you will find your own story as we battle illness in our own lives and the lives of those we love.  Bottom line, God is good and sickness is not from Him.  Krista gets very raw and honest about her process in arriving at this simple, essential truth.  I hope you enjoy it and find solace in her strength.  

This comes from my wrestling about my value and contribution to society. I hope my processing helps you process.

Is there abundant, redemptive life after experiencing childhood abuse?  Cheri Daly's incredibly inspiring interview says a resounding, "Yes!"  God has healed her and redeemed her and now she has an incredible marriage and family.  Please listen to this interview with this deeply wise woman for encouragement and hope!

These are just some thoughts from this crazy time in our nation on how to handle ourselves as we engage culture and the world around us.

This is a special interview.  This is Margie Lillig one of the most remarkable women I know.  She was the mom of my best friend Dawn and my husband's first wife who is now in heaven.  She lost both her children to Cystic Fibrosis and yet she finds life after such devastation.  She is one of the most joy-filled, nurturing people I know.  Her life is a living testament to the power of Christ who enables us to overcome and turn our mourning into dancing!  Her story is an inspiration and I hope you find encouragement through her voice.  

We are post election and I have some thoughts about the hot button issue of abortion. Should it be dealt with on a legislative level? Yes. Is it as simple as our politicians make it? No.

We recently lost our pastor to the corona virus. He was an incredible man who loved people really well. He was particularly emphatic about certain sections of scripture. The priestly blessing is one of those sections. I can't say that I understood why until this week...

This interview is rich.  Felicia Skeldon is much like Harriet Tubman of the underground railroad.  She lived in the bondage and slavery of darkness for much of her life but has now been LIBERATED!  She is a beacon of freedom and divine justice.  We covered a TON of ground and really just a ton of processing with God.  She is continually being sanctified with great hope and faith, pressing on toward the high calling of God in Christ.  And she is an example to anyone who has struggled with significant oppression, abuse, addiction, generational sin, that there is abounding HOPE for you because of Christ and His love!! 

I have the incredible privilege to post this interview.  I interviewed my friend Lis Schmidt only a few months before she went to be with Jesus in heaven.  This interview is a legacy look at her journey through a failed marriage built on religion and a deep dive into the intimacy that the grace-filled life produces.  I hope you can glean from my wonderful friend as much as I have. Note: I've received permission from her husband to publish this.  

My answer? The family has everything to do with education. Hopefully you are inspired and change by this episode.

How can you still be "hot to trot" in your marriage after 37 years?  Check this episode out for some answers.  In this interview we explore identity, intimacy and the practicals of walking with God as a wife and mom.  It's a lifetime of wisdom imparted through my friend Deb.  

We are going to shine in this time as we remind ourselves of the truth!

I cannot recommend this interview enough!!  This woman has one of the deepest, most incredible revelations on Biblical hospitality I've ever heard!  She is a wonderful wife, mom and nurturer.  And God has given her this lens for understanding hospitality.  Even if you've never thought you cared about hospitality, listen to it!!  She is amazing.  This revelation is 40 years in the making.  It is FULL of gems to take with you in your journey!!    

We have an opportunity to build our families on principle and truth. Right now, not is the time. We can return to the foundations and love them out in a more integrated way.

It's a crazy time and yet we cannot lose track of the significance of the small acts done in love. May this inspire you to press on.