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Jodi Stuber & Jennifer Marshall Bleakley

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“It’s hard to be lonely, isn’t it? To miss someone who should be here?”

Jodi Stuber wasn’t looking for another horse for her struggling therapy ranch—let alone one like Solomon. After losing his herd, he was solitary and sad, spending his days standing near the plastic deer in his yard for company. No stranger herself to loss and heartache, Jodi knew she had to give Solomon a home.

The road to recovery wouldn’t be easy. As Solomon struggled to fit in with his new herd and Jodi continued to navigate her own grief, the two developed a deep bond. But just as Jodi and Solomon were both beginning to heal, an unthinkable tragedy struck the therapy ranch. And Solomon was about to teach Jodi the greatest lesson of all.

Written by Jennifer Marshall Bleakley, author of Joey: How a Blind Rescue Horse Helped Others Learn to See, Project Solomon is a powerful story of resilience, sacrifice, and love that reminds us all how much we matter—to each other and to God.

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Amanda Porter

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Dr. Amanda Porter is an introvert and writer who is passionate about faith, hope, mental wellness, and recovery. As a nurse practitioner who specializes in Integrative Mental Health, Amanda diagnoses, treats, and prescribes medication to patients of all ages, of every diagnosis, and across all levels of care. She is board-certified in internal medicine, psychiatry/mental health, and addictions and practices at the nationally renowned Lindner Center of HOPE, a freestanding mental health center associated with the local academic medial center, the University of Cincinnati.

Amanda earned her PhD in Mind-Body Medicine from Saybrook University, where her dissertation studies examined the biological basis of depression. She lives in a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio, with her husband, Joseph, who is a filmmaker and director at Whitewater Crossing Christian Church. Together, Amanda and Joseph have two kids, a boxer mix named Marley, and a COVID cat named Izzy.

In her new book, Dear Anxiety, Let’s Break Up (BroadStreet®
Publishing), Dr. Porter offers education, encouragement, and spiritual
counsel to those who battle anxiety. We cannot always control our circumstances or our futures, but
Dr. Porter assures readers that feelings of anxiety can be managed through our thoughts, behaviors,
and actions.

Many Christians question whether anxiety is a sin and wonder why, despite prayer and faith, it so
often persists. We must remember that God can use our struggles to develop our character, draw us
closer to him, and guide us to truth through prayer and Scripture (Rom. 8:26–28).
In Dear Anxiety, Let’s Break Up, Dr. Porter offers scientifically supported coping strategies,
spiritual guidance, and refreshing encouragement to help readers discover personal freedom. Topics
include:
• Gratitude: Practicing gratitude will soothe anxiety and redirect our thoughts to positivity
and God. We can learn to manage feelings of worry and sadness with reminders of progress
and gratefulness.
• Mindfulness: When we slow down and practice mindfulness, we can focus our attention,
intention, and awareness on the task in front of us. Rather than allowing our emotions to
rule our lives and overwhelm us, we can choose to be calm and trust God in our
circumstances.
• Presence: When we feel overwhelmed, we may feel the urge to isolate, but that’s when we
should seek the presence of trusted loved ones who can offer us comfort or pray with us.
• Healing: Our focus should be on healing, not finding a cure. We may never fully eradicate
the symptoms of anxiety, but through hard work and commitment, we can find healing,
peace, and acceptance.
Dr. Porter has found that many people mistake anxiety as a sin and consequently experience
feelings of guilt. Although anxiety sometimes occurs as a result of our sins, specifically as
consequences of poor choices, we can learn to minimize our anxiety levels by making good
decisions, praying, receiving input from trusted sources, and surrounding ourselves with other
people who make good decisions.
Dr. Porter further encourages those who have grown weary in their search for relief to push forward,
trust God, and choose faith over fear. She reminds us that our victory is found in Jesus, and through
him we can transform a life of anxiety into one of peace and abundance.

Follow Amanda on Instagram @AmandaPorterNP or on her website, AmandaPorterNP.com.

 

Stacey Morgan

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How Launching My Husband into Outer Space Changed the Way I Live on Earth

Stacey Morgan is always ready with a funny or thoughtful story from her own life; whether it be holding down the home front during her husband’s Special Forces military deployments, carpooling, working for the Smithsonian, skydiving, teaching her teens to drive, taking roller-skating lessons, or watching as her husband blasts into outer space. A women’s ministry leader for over fifteen years, Stacey is an executive leadership coach for MOPS International. She and her husband, Army colonel and NASA astronaut Drew Morgan, have four children.

A true story about making the most of your one incredible life!

Stacey Morgan kissed her husband goodbye before he donned his space suit on July 20, 2019, and headed to his waiting Soyuz rocket. With an overwhelming mix of pride, excitement, and terror, she and her children held hands as they watched the rocket ignite and lift off for a nine-month mission aboard the International Space Station.

This is the story of the astronaut’s wife—a journey full of unexpected twists and turns. While the love of her life orbited the Earth, Stacey embarked on a knock-your-socks-off adventure right here at home. This season was different from any Stacey had experienced before. The risks were greater, the loneliness was deeper, and the stress was more intense. Filled with both unique challenges and surreal opportunities, this deeply meaningful season taught her rich lessons about

  • preparing for any mission or adventure life throws at you
  • rediscovering your fun side when you’ve been trapped in survival mode too long
  • trusting God when you feel weak or alone
  • choosing hope in the face of fear and uncertainty
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Francine Rivers

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THE Francine Rivers!

New York Times bestselling author Francine Rivers has published numerous novels—all bestsellers—and she has continued to win both industry acclaim and reader loyalty around the globe. Her novels have been awarded or nominated for many honors, and in 1997, after winning her third RITA Award for inspirational fiction, Francine was inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. In 2015, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). Francine’s novels have been translated into over 30 different languages, and she enjoys bestseller status in many foreign countries. She and her husband enjoy spending time with their children and grandchildren.

SYNOPSIS: 

Available on DVD, Blu-Ray and Digital on March 8th, 2022

Based on the bestselling novel by Francine Rivers, REDEEMING LOVE is a powerful story of relentless love and perseverance as a young couple’s relationship clashes with the harsh realities of the California Gold Rush of 1850. It is a life-changing story of the power of unconditional and all-consuming love. Coming home on March 8, 2022, REDEEMING LOVE shows there is no brokenness that love can’t heal.

REDEEMING LOVE (Universal Pictures) in theaters January 21, 2022 and PVOD on February 11, 2022

CAST:

  • Directed by D.J. Caruso (xXx: RETURN OF XANDER CAGE)
  • Abigail Cowen (“Fate: The Winx Saga,” “Sabrina”) as Angel
  • Tom Lewis (GENTLEMAN JACK) as Michael Hosea
  • Logan Marshall Green (UPGRADE, SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING, PROMETHEUS) as Paul
  • Famke Janssen (X-MEN, TAKEN) as Duchess
  • Nina Dobrev (xXx: RETURN OF XANDER CAGE, VAMPIRE DIARIES) as Mae

LINKS:

Francine’s Social Media:

Michelle Caulk & Sandi Brown

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Sandi Brown, the founder and president of the largest Christian radio ministry in St. Louis, JOY FM, bravely reached out to a local therapist in 2019 as she loved God but did not like herself. Brown vulnerably opened-up to Dr. Michelle Caulk and for the first time spoke out loud about her past trauma, abuse, and struggle with self-love. The new book Healing Out Loud: How to Embrace God’s Love When You Don’t Like Yourself by Brown and Dr. Caulk – assistant professor and director of clinical experiences at Huntington University – is a unique look at a one-year counseling journey from both sides of the couch: the client and the therapist.

For as long as she could remember, Brown had strong negative feelings towards herself. “I loved God, my family, and my job,” Brown said. “I was also intellectually aware of the love they had for me. But for some unknown reason, I still felt unloved and unlovable – and like a complete failure. I didn’t like myself and believed, in my own inner cave, that no one else did either.”

Healing Out Loud captures the insecurities that many women face and creates an accessible path for readers to overcome their vulnerabilities while using biblical principles. Each chapter includes a journal entry from Brown processing her healing journey, Brown’s reflections on that part of her story, and guided questions and reflections from Dr. Caulk centered around issues such as shame, grief, and fractured relationships.

A “Healing Map” created by Dr. Caulk is used as an outline throughout Healing Out Loud to guide the reader’s journey from processing inner pain to liking oneself, loving God, and restoring relationships

Sandi Brown is the founder and President of Gateway Creative Broadcasting in St. Louis. She leads two radio stations, 99.1 JOY FM and BOOST Radio, with a combined weekly reach of over 500,000. Sandi’s latest book is Healing Out Loud, and she’s also the author of the devotionals A Little More Peace and Choose Joy. Sandi currently serves as chairperson for Christian Music Broadcasters. Previously, she worked as a writer and producer for Focus on the Family.

Dr. Michelle Caulk, LPC is a graduate of Argosy University with an M.A. in Mental Health Counseling. Michelle also obtained her doctorate of philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision, and is currently an Assistant Professor and Director of Clinical Experiences at Huntington University in Indiana. Michelle currently lives in Chesterfield, Missouri, with her husband Jason. Healing Out Loud is her first book.

Dr. Daniel Emina & Rick Lawrence

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Psychiatrist and Ministry Leader Combine Their Clinical and Jesus-Centered Practices to Help End Suicide Epidemic

Associate Medical Director of Amen Clinics and Bestselling Christian Author Collaborate to Offer Strategies to Improve Brain Health in New Book, The Suicide Solution.

“There has never been a more important time in history for The Suicide Solution. It is written with practical solutions that provide a new way forward for this epidemic problem. I highly recommend it.”

—Daniel Amen, M.D., founder of Amen Clinics and New York Times bestselling author

Washington, D.C. —Suicide is the second leading cause of death for those 10–34 years of age. With COVID-19, we’ve seen a scary increase in suicides, and if this horrific trajectory perpetuates, suicide will soon become the #1 killer of teens. Dr. Daniel Emina, a psychiatrist and associate medical. Dr. Emina’s therapeutic practices reflect the findings from his clinic’s database of brain scans—the largest in the world—including more than three hundred people who have attempted suicide. Combining these findings and years of practice—along with Lawrence’s background as a sought-after Christian editor, author, and speaker—The Suicide Solution offers a unique approach to mental health through scientifically informed and theologically informed strategies.

“This book is for those struggling to find their way out of a cave of anxiety, depression, and ‘suicidality’—and it’s for anyone who cares for someone who’s found themselves lost in that cave,” write Dr. Emina and Lawrence. “Drawing from the transformational ‘whole person’ strategies of Jesus and informed by the clinical realities of anxiety, depression, and suicide, our hope is to help others embrace a narrative of life instead of death.”

Throughout The Suicide Solution, the authors use computer hardware and software as metaphors for the body’s biology and psychology to show how suicide is generally the culmination of a malfunction or failure of these two systems. Dr. Emina and Lawrence also include a vast array of simple, daily habits that enhance brain health—from walking barefoot outside to naming our negative self-stories.

Related Links:

Rick Social Media:

Website: ricklawrence.com

Facebook: @rickskip

 

Dr. Emina Social Media:

Website: https://www.amenclinics.com/team/daniel-emina-m-d/

Instagram: @DocEminaMD

Emotional Abundance – Solo Episode with Host, Cheryl Scruggs

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Emotional Abundance (Vulnerability)

“My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. And friends, once that’s taken care of and we’re no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we’re bold and free before God (and others)!”

1 John 3:18-21

John 10:10 says this: (Amplified version)

10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].

What does it mean to have life more abundantly?

The term “abundant life” comes from the Bible verse John 10:10,

“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

“More abundantly” means to have a superabundance of a thing. “Abundant life” refers to life in its abounding fullness of joy and strength for spirit, soul and body.

Where in the Bible does it say live life to the fullest?

In the first 10 verses of John 10, Jesus addresses this important topic. He is discussing his role as the Good Shepherd and in verse 10 states his purpose on earth: “I came so that they could have life — indeed, so that they could have life to the fullest.”

When I am talking about being vulnerable, what I’m not saying is you need to be vulnerable with the whole world or everyone!

Being able to be vulnerable needs the element of trust.

Definition of trust: 

“…..firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone.”

What does it mean to be fully known and fully loved?

Author Timothy Keller: “To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything.”

What does it mean for God to know us?

​Essentially, we are describing the fact that God knows everything! He has never discovered anything new because He has always known everything. … Our God is omniscient. You won’t find the word omniscience in the Bible, but what you do find is that God tells us in various ways that He knows EVERYTHING about us. He knows everything about you!”

Is that scary to you? Comforting? Peaceful? Anxiety creating?

From 0-10, how vulnerable do you think you are with your (what you consider) your closest inner circle, spouse if you have one, kids if this applies?

Do they truly know you?

Can u be vulnerable with Jesus and trust Him with your emotions?

This is where it starts……..trusting God, then trusting others.

How does this verse resonate with you?
“Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart
And do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him,
And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].”

Proverbs 3:5-6

 

How do you know if you are emotionally mature?

What are the key characteristics?

  1. Taking responsibility. People with emotional maturity are aware of their privilege in the world and will try to take steps toward changing their behavior. … 
  2. Showing empathy. …
  3. Owning mistakes. …
  4. Being unafraid of vulnerability. …
  5. Recognizing and accepting your needs. …
  6. Setting healthy boundaries.

 

Are you willing to be known? Why or why not?

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Allie Marie Smith

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Do you ever wonder why you’re here, contemplate the purpose of your life or find it hard to push back the darkness?

Allie knows how hard it is to be a girl or woman in our world today. She was the good girl and scholar athlete hiding behind a smile as she worked overtime to keep it all together. But at the age of eighteen, she came undone. Two weeks after she graduated high school, due to a mental health challenge and many complexities, she found herself in the psychiatric hospital wanting to end my life.

She was as broken as a girl could be. Jesus found her there and though her journey has been full of detours and breakdowns, she lives loved by the God who has mended the broken pieces of her life together and given her more purpose and joy than she ever could have imagined.

As an author and the Founder and Director of Wonderfully Made, a Christian ministry for young women, she spends her days writing, speaking and helping girls and women live into their true value and identity.

She’s a California girl and lover of bluegrass who is always covered in dog hair. She loves to surf and adventure up and down the golden coast with her husband Paul and their Golden Retriever Gidget.

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Andi Andrew

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I love (in no particular order), date nights, being a momma, Taco Tuesday, going to the movies with the fam (popcorn with extra butter and peanut M&Ms – always), good reports at our Staff Meeting, dancing at weddings until they kick me off the dance floor, a good historical fiction novel that makes me think and cry, worship, baking, long deep chats that bring change and revelation, reconciliation, the Word of God, prayer, hosting parties (when I’m not feeling introverted), Central Park in Fall, walking my dog in our neighborhood, vacation with my crew, building the church in any way I can, writing, creating, 80’s music, working out, coffee, kombucha, green juice and trying new food.

Here’s a little bit about Andi:

“I was born and raised in Spokane, Washington, and in 2002, met, fell in love with, and married my husband Paul (aka Paul Hot Andrew) in Sydney, Australia where I lived for nearly 10 years. My first three children were born on Aussie soil – pretty much back to back – three kids under the age of three (I’m sweating again just thinking about it). In May of 2010, our family sold almost everything we owned, bar a few keepsakes and clothes of course, packed up our lives and moved to New York City to establish Liberty Church, now a growing church with multiple communities in the city and beyond. We weren’t done having kids just yet, until the one and only American born Samuel Malachi came in to our lives in 2012 (Sam for President). We currently reside in Brooklyn, New York with our four children, Ezekiel (Zeke) Benjamin, Jesse Freedom, Finley Grace, and Samuel Malachi.”

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Becky Keife

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Becky Keife is a beloved speaker and is the Community Manager for DaySpring’s (in)courage, a widely followed online community where authentic women link arms to build community, celebrate diversity, and live courageously for Jesus.

Becky’s debut book, No Better Mom for the Job: Parenting with Confidence (Even When You Don’t Feel Cut Out for It) reflects her passion for empowering moms to find their confidence in God and encouraging women in the thick of it.

She is also the author of the new releases, The Simple Difference: How Every Small Kindness Makes a Big Impact and it’s companion Bible Study, Couragoues Kindness: Live the Simple Difference Right Where You Are. (October 2021)

Becky has been featured on The Hallmark Channel’s Home & Family show, The Crystal Paine Show podcast, HomeLife Magazine, and many more media outlets.

Keife has a Bachelor’s in Creative Writing and Master’s in English. With a decade of experience as a professional editor, she enjoys championing writers and equipping them to use their voice for God’s glory.

Becky is a huge fan of Voxer, Instagram, Sunday naps, and imperfect people leaning on Jesus. She and her husband live near Los Angeles, where they enjoy hiking shady trails with their three spirited sons.

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