What's Next God?

11 Kids and Counting?

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Forrest and Caren are currently raising 11 children under the age of 14. That’s right. Eleven children....and they’re such a fun family! Their journey in foster care began 15 years ago and I’m seriously inspired by their story.

I hope you are too.

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May is Foster Care Awareness Month

May 3, 2021

Special Guest: Abbie Phillips

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Abbie is a young, single foster momma that has been loving on kids in foster care since 2015. From teenagers to babies to sibling groups, Abbie has loved, fostered and yes, even adopted.

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Grab your coffee and join us. We’re talking about living life backwards, babies before marriage and what to order next time you go to a coffee shop.

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Prophetic Dreams: Hearing the Voice of God

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My friend Jenn Z is back! In this conversation we talk about hearing from God through dreams. Jenn is in some major transition in her life and has had some significant night dreams that have given her specific guidance and strategy for making decisions about what’s next.

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Sometimes talking about dreams and dream interpretation can sound a little hoky, but I wanted Jenn to talk practically with us about how we can hear the voice of God through our dreams by sharing some of her own stories.

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Jenn is moving to Manchester, England and you’re going to be amazed at how God has been speaking to Jenn over the last four years about this next season in her life.

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Why did I do a podcast episode with my sixteen year old daughter?

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Maya Cole is smart, funny, likes mix-tapes and is 16 going on 78. She’s a regular modern-day teenager with an old soul and I think she’s pretty awesome.

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I wanted this conversation to inspire you to take 30-45 minutes with the young people in your life and just ask questions about the things they love. You may be surprised at the things you’ll learn.

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MelissaMathieson.com

I’ve known Jon and Kalyn more than a decade and today we are reaching all the way back to the beginning to hear their story of how they met, went on a date a few years later, didn’t work out, had a second first date and finally got married.

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We also talk about all things food and gardens and chickens and cooking and well...a surprise I was *not* expecting to hear.

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Follow Jon and Kalyn on Instagram:

This podcast with my friend Joe Edens is all about Attachment Styles!

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Now this is a very new subject to me and Joe is admittedly not an expert on the topic so take this conversation as it is meant to be....just two friends sitting around the table, talking about life and things we’ve learned and experienced on our journeys.

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Today we’re celebrating Social Work Month with a conversation with Kier Vickery who is the director of our Marion County AL Department of Human Resources.

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Social workers are a vital part of our community by connecting people to resources and today we talk about ways we can partner with our local DHR to help those in our community, specifically in the area of foster care.

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If you’d like to learn more about becoming a foster parent or just have a few questions, you can contact the Marion County DHR at (205) 921-6000.

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The Camels Go To Africa

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This episode is just a little bonus conversation that I had with my friends John and Rebekah on Monday while we talked about their life as missionaries.

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John and Rebekah were both single, in their 30s and living in Africa without any thoughts or expectations of finding a spouse. But look at God. He surprised them both.

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To the Ends of the Earth

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On this podcast episode I’m talking with two of my friends, John* and Rebecca* who are currently missionaries in north Africa about how they heard the call of God to go to the nations.

*Due to the location of their missions work, their names have been changed for their safety.

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To make a one-time donation or become a monthly partner to John* and Rebecca’s* work in North Africa, use this link to give directly into their missions account.

Looking Back

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It’s been one year since we officially launched the What’s Next God? podcast.

Dave and I are taking a look back at the last year and share a few major transitions that we’ve personally experienced.

Job changes, parenting adult children and explaining a little bit about our journey into foster care are a few of the things we share.

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For better, for worse

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To close out our Summer Adventure series my friends Louis and Carly are making their first podcast appearance together as husband and wife. They’ve both been on the podcast before but they have recently married and we get to hear a little bit about their summer adventure of getting married and trying to honeymoon during a pandemic.

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The Great Outdoors

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When I think of summer adventure, I can’t help but think of my friend, Travis. Whether it is hiking, camping or floating on inner tubes down our local little river, Travis is my go-to expert for all of my questions about outdoor summer adventures.

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We’re talking about some of our local little gems here in NW Alabama and we hope this conversation inspires you to explore your own city or region to discover new places to explore for your own summer adventure right where you live.

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The Cruise Life

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I’m talking with my teenage daughters Molly and Maya about the ultimate family cruise we took 2 years ago that was probably one of the greatest vacations we’ve done together as a family of five. We also discussed a few of their pros and cons to cruising as a family.

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Jenn and Emily go west

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It’s episode 2 of our Summer Adventure series and we’re talking about the ultimate BFF road trip across America plus a couple other fun things with best friends Jenn and Emily.

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The happiest place on earth

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My friend Emma is here to help us get our Summer Adventure Series started and we’re talking about all things Disney. Emma tells us a few of her favorite places she always goes and a few tricks she’s learned about Disney World over the years.

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Emma is an enneagram 9 and shares what her perfect vacation would be and it might surprise you.

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Fathers - Part 2

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June is the month for Father’s Day and I asked my husband Dave if he would have a couple of conversations with a few men about their thoughts on fatherhood. Today’s conversation is with our friends Richard Wilson and Kevin McBride who are fathers to teenagers and young adults who are transitioning through college, careers and soon-to-be marriage.

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Fathers - Part 1

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June is the month for Father’s Day and I asked my husband Dave if he would have a couple of conversations with a few men about their thoughts on fatherhood. Today’s conversation is with brothers Scott and Andrew Johnson. Scott and Andrew are both fathers to young children and discuss with Dave some of their biggest challenges and their greatest joys in raising small kids.

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Up, Up and Away

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This was a bittersweet conversation to have with my friends Stephen and Brenn the week they moved to a new city and state. We talked about how they met, dated and married and discussed the perfect timing of God in their lives.

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Follow Stephen and Brenn on Instagram to keep up with all their new adventures in Knoxville and if you need a house to buy in Hamilton AL, they have one for sale! See link below as well.

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Life on the edge

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Savannah Wilson is a nurse with a heart for nations. While other single 21yo’s are out with friends and living their best life, this girl has found her passion in medical missions the last few years.

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Official coffee sponsor: Southbound Coffee Co

Use code: WHATSNEXTGOD for 15% off your first purchase.

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Living with Confidence

Meet our new coffee friends

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Josiah and Fields from Southbound Coffee Co. in Columbus, MS are talking with us about all things coffee. They are a non-profit company who puts all their proceeds back into their community and support missions projects across the globe.

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Get 15% off the entire cart on your first purchase with the code: WHATSNEXTGOD

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Being a Grown Up

Meet my friend Jenn

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May is going to be a month of surprises and my friend Jenn is helping me tell everyone about the first surprise that happens this week.

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My world-traveling, nations loving friend Julie has been living in Australia for the last several years and came back home to Alabama with the best accent ever. It’s a little southern and a little Aussie all at the same time.

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Julie is married to Brett, a mum to Ethan and Aya and a friend to many. We chat about what it was like moving to Australia with a new husband and how her identity flipped upside down in the land down under.

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Just Breathe

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We’ve been working on a little project behind the scenes and my friend Holly is here to help me announce it.

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Follow Holly here:

Having coffee with my friend Carly and quarantine or not, this girl is getting married in three and a half weeks! Wedding plans have been adjusted but more adjustments may need to be made in the coming weeks. It’s a tough season for a lot of people and especially brides to be.

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If you’d like to send Carly a little something special to make this bride feel extra loved, here’s her amazon registry and her cashApp.

And go follow her on IG to see the wedding dress she made to wear. Pics will be posted after May 16.

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Will Ferrell, Jerry Seinfeld and a Jamaican Radio Show

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Since the governor of our state has issued a quarantine and shelter-in-place order with the spread of COVID-19 throughout our nation, we’ve been compliant to the order and have not been having conversations with friends over coffee like we’ve been doing with the podcast for 50 episodes (insert sad face here).

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Instead today, we thought it would be fun to have a little storytime with my husband, Dave.

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Do Art Every Day

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My friend Travis is an artist, lover of all things outdoors and an enneagram 5. We talk a little bit about his creative process and what inspires him to do art. If you’re interested in a Travis Binish original, check out his Instagram page and website for a portfolio of his work.

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Where there’s smoke....

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Speaking of fire, my friend Daniel Barnett is the founder of RTR Pro Entertainment and he makes a living providing entertainment and memorable experiences for people during their weddings, proms, corporate parties and anywhere else there’s a party going on.

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If you look up Enneagram 7 in the dictionary, you’ll see a picture of my friend Daniel and he may or may not be wearing a shirt.

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Following Jesus

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Ken and Christy have been married almost 32 years and are passionate about the presence of God. They’re worship leaders who hear from heaven and release the word of the Lord into the earth. Ken has recently authored two books and we talk a little bit today about a couple of significant encounters he has had with the Lord.

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Random Game of Q’s (46-B)

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B is for Bonus episode and my friends Carly and Jenn from episode 46 stuck around a little bit longer to play the random game of questions with me over a second cup of coffee.

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Quarantine

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In the middle of all the craziness that is happening with the coronavirus, it just seemed good and safe to have coffee with friends and talk about what we’re doing with our time while being quarantined. My friends Carly and Jenn have lots of thoughts, ideas and a few laughs to share while we’re practicing social distancing.

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Follow my friends Jenn and Carly, and Carly's business, on Instagram:

Little Girl Arise

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My friend Morgan Morris started her own company with a clothing line designed for women to empower and be empowered.

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If you want to know more about Morgan’s clothing line for women or about the home for women she mentions on the podcast, see the links below.

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Summer Lovin’

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It didn’t happen so fast for these two. In fact it was years going back and forth until one day Beau and Lauren just knew. All the summers, all the stories all led up to a crazy weekend when everything changed.

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This conversation with Beau and Lauren Hatton might surprise you, make you laugh and make you cry all at the same time.

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What is normal?

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Oxford dictionary defines normal as the usual, average, expected or typical state or condition. It’s also a term for a line at right angles to a given line.

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So in seasons of transition, what is normal? When everything around you is changing, what is the standard, the usual or the right angle?

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