The Love Offering

“Is your cup half empty or half full?” How would you answer that question today? Better yet, “What is in your cup?” Amanda Schaefer, from A Cup of Gratitude, is on the show today, sharing how she takes the time to stop and see the good around her. She is reminding us to fill our cups with the living water Jesus provides and overflow as we pour out to the empty cups around us. Connect with Amanda:www.acupofgratitude.orgwww.instagram.com/acupof_gratitudeSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

If you have been hurt, neglected, rejected, or abandoned by your father, it may feel like every aspect of your life is affected by that broken trust--even your relationship with God. But there is hope. Your father wounds do not have the last word in your life; God does. In this episode, Kia Stephens shares her own story of father wounds, along with examples from wounded women in Scripture who were transformed by the love of God.​Join us as she helps you identify your father wounds and offers practical tools to help you overcome insecurity, low self-esteem, and unforgiveness, so you can connect with God as your loving heavenly Father. Take heart, daughter. You can be made whole again.Connect with Kia:www.KiaStephens.comSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:12-13). While Jesus doesn’t intend for us to die for our friends in a literal sense, He does intend for us to lay aside our own selfish desires and put the needs of others first. This may mean sacrificing your sleep, resources, tastebuds, comfort, wishlist, hobbies, timeline, likes, dislikes, recognition, rewards, or other things you might find hard to give up. The key is learning to value others’ interests more than our own. Such love reminds me of our Savior, who not only taught the concept but demonstrated it. Rebecca Lynn is on the show today chatting about her book Proud Police Wife. Rebecca is a mother of three, has a master’s degree in education, is a former elementary school teacher, and is a proud wife to a veteran law enforcement officer. She explains how when your husband is a police officer, you experience a unique set of challenges and fears that others may not understand and how every day is a sacrifice. Living sacrificially feels impossible to do on our own, but it is possible because we have his Holy Spirit living in us. With His empowerment, we can act in ways contrary to our fleshly nature. I pray we follow his lead and surrender our will. Let’s not lose sight of the eternal impact our sacrifice can have. Jesus sacrificed so we could be with him for all of eternity. Could our sacrifice lead others to join him in eternity as well? Connect with Rebecca Lynn: https://proudpolicewife.comSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

While most of us don’t want to admit it, we crave attention. Our social media–obsessed society is proof that people everywhere want to be seen. But this self-promoting system leaves many women feeling overlooked. In today’s episode, Whitney Akin chats about her book Overlooked where she discovered how the human need for attention and approval is God’s intentional design and encourages you to live seen by the God who loves you. Join us to:Understand why you long to be seen.Get real about the ways social media is hard on your heart.Tap into the true source of the attention and approval you long for.Implement practical ways to trade feeling overlooked for a lifestyle of living seen.​You don’t have to live overlooked anymore.Connect with Whitney:www.whitneyakin.comSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Does what we do really matter? Can one person make a difference?When we live intentionally, our choices impact every aspect of our lives. With that purposeful perception comes the conviction that jobs, homes, lifestyles and hobbies can and should be leveraged to their full potential and for a greater purpose than our own comfort.Victoria Duerstock is on the show today sharing about her book titled The Story of Good (EndGame Press) which includes the individual accounts of more than 30 founders that were brought together under the umbrella of "the good MRKT" – a concept store driven by the executives of Vera Bradley to provide an opportunity for consumers to purchase with a purpose. Join us as Victoria shares stories about ordinary people who long to understand their calling. Not one day in the future, but right now. Not giving everything up and living in Africa but taking what they are doing today and leveraging it in such a way it echoes in the hearts of others in an extraordinary way forever. We pray you see yourself in their stories and see how a little kindness goes a long way. Connect with Victoria:https://www.victoriaduerstock.comhttps://www.thestoryofgood.com/brandsVictoria and End Game Press are each donating a portion of the book sales to the Dare To Do Good Fund, a charitable initiative by goodMRKT that connects creators with the resources they need to support their mission driven businesses.Support the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches" (Matthew 13:31-32). The mustard seed is one of the tiniest seeds found in the Middle East, yet it is a fast-growing annual herb that grows up to ten feet tall in just a few short months. While Jesus used this parable to show his kingdom appeared to have small beginnings, it would grow into a worldwide community of believers. Kristy Meinzer is on the show today sharing about her book "Playing in the Dirt: 90 Devotions for Crazy Plant Ladies." We chat about the Great Gardener who is tending to our souls — and how He fosters the fruitfulness in our lives. Join us to be encouraged to continue liberally sowing seeds no matter how small they seem and trust God to help them grow. Who knows who will end up benefiting from the fruit of your labor! Connect with Kristy:Playing in the Dirt on Day Spring:https://www.dayspring.com/playing-in-the-dirt-90-devos-for-crazy-plant-ladies@kskristy on InstagramKristin Cortner's DaySpring devo: Miracle in the Makinghttps://www.dayspring.com/miracle-in-the-making-the-devotional-for-expectant-momsSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Aren’t we tempted to quit when things get hard or uncomfortable? I wonder how many times in our lives we would have realized our dream, the desire of our hearts, or the call on our lives if we had pushed through just a little longer.I think about the way many of the heroes of our faith persevered despite difficult or long-lasting circumstances. Consider how their stories would have changed if they had quit too soon. What if Moses had stopped pleading with Pharaoh after nine plagues rather than ten? The Israelites would have remained in slavery in Egypt. What if Joshua and the Israelites had stopped walking around the wall of Jericho after six times rather than seven? They would have never seen the walls fall and entered into the promised land. What if Noah had only built half of an ark? That would not have floated very well, would it? Nor would his family and all of those animals have lived through the flood. And, what about you? What if you are on the brink of a breakthrough and stop too soon? Lori Ann Wood is on the show today chatting about how a little perseverance goes a long way. She's sharing about her life detour that reordered her priorities and rattled her faith. Her experience inspired her book Divine Detour and she's encouraging us to believe that the path you’d never choose can lead to the faith you’ve always wanted. I don’t know how long you have been circling the same problem or what difficult situation you are facing today, but if you are tempted to give up, I hope you will reconsider. Let’s not miss out on what God has for us by giving up too soon. Connect with Lori Ann:https://loriannwood.comSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

God chooses and uses unlikely people. He proves it again and again through the stories in His Word. The life messages of women in the Bible whose lives were gloriously interrupted still powerfully change lives today. He uses their stories to change us. He uses our stories to change others. How about you? Are you willing to hear and heed His call? To answer His tap on your shoulder? Will you welcome Him into your story? Are you willing to share even the sometimes-raw places of that story so someone else can find the beauty of the with-God life?​Debbie Defuk is the author of Holy Interruptions and she is in the show sharing the stories of biblical women whose lives were interrupted as well as her own personal stories to help prepare you to be ready when God interrupts you. He has miraculously changed lives before. He can miraculously do it again. With your story. Connect with Debbie:DebbieDufek.comdeb@debbiedufek.comSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

God’s Word is the greatest story ever told—and it’s true! But reading it can feel complicated and daunting. It can be hard to know how—or where—to start. Perhaps you just need a friend who follows Jesus to help. Trillia Newbell is on the show today sharing a joy-filled, thoughtful, and realistic pathway through the entirety of God’s Word. Trillia is a trusted Bible teacher and lover of the Scriptures. She’s chatting about her book 52 Weeks in the Word. Join us as she guides us through God’s sacred and trusted Word, a greater knowledge of God, help for daily living, hope in times of suffering, and a deep abiding relationship with the God who loves you. Connect with Trillia:TrilliaNewbell.comSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Are our words a refreshing influence on others or a discouragement? Scripture says “the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Matthew 12:34 b) and our words can bring either life or death (Proverbs 18:21). Therefore, in order to share words that uplift rather than tear down, we must be intentional about filling our hearts with God’s Word. And, on occasions when we don’t know what to say to encourage the people in our lives, we can always use God’s words found in the Bible. Mary DeMuth is encouraging us on today’s episode. She is an international speaker, a podcaster, and the author of over 46 books! She’s sharing how the encouragement from other people has impacted her ability to persevere in ministry and overcome a difficult past. She loves to help readers and audiences live uncaged, freedom-infused lives. Tune in to be encouraged in your faith and relationships as Mary shares her personal stories and biblical wisdom. Let us know how it encourages you or you need encouragement in the comments. Connect with Mary:https://www.marydemuth.comhttps://instagram.com/marydemuthSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.