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The Love Offering

The Love Offering

By The Love Offering

Loving Fully and Living Faithfully
Real stories of women who are living out their faith in love to God, others, and even to themselves. Tune in to discover how you too can be a love offering to those around you and learn to believe that what you offer matters.
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Kelly Lester

The Love OfferingFeb 12, 2019

00:00
42:34
The Art of Marriage with Dave and Ann Wilson
Mar 26, 202449:08
Taking a Leap of Faith with Rachel G. Scott
Mar 19, 202428:08
Overflowing Joy with Tara Dew
Mar 12, 202435:05
Passing on a Legacy of Faith to the Next Generation with Casey Hilty
Mar 05, 202445:19
Taste and See that the Lord is Good with Stephanie Rousselle
Feb 27, 202438:41
Biblical Wisdom and Practical Advice for Motherhood with Rachael Elmore

Biblical Wisdom and Practical Advice for Motherhood with Rachael Elmore

Most new moms know that the first year is going to be to be full of joys and challenges, peaks and valleys. But even though they've prepared themselves as much as they can, they still find themselves thinking, I knew this was going to be hard. But will it always be this hard? This wasn't what I was expecting, what if I don't know how to take care of this baby--or myself?

Rachael Elmore has been there and knows on a personal and professional level how hard the early days and months of motherhood can be. In A Mom Is Born she takes her expertise as a licensed and clinical counselor and pairs it with her deeply personal story of overcoming postpartum depression after the birth of her first son. She comes alongside readers with practical tools--such as the New Mom Wellness Plan and a postpartum progress checklist--to help find the balance between taking care of their new baby and taking care of themselves. Using scripture and therapeutic insights, Elmore shows mothers how to

develop a biblical plan for navigating new motherhood, the baby blues, and postpartum depression;
stop intrusive thoughts and triggers in their tracks and overcome postpartum anxiety;
process and manage all of the new emotions they are facing; and
start implementing small acts of self-care that will lead to emotional health.

A Mom Is Born gives moms the tools they need to stop spinning in the overwhelming emotions and anxieties of new motherhood and start taking care of themselves so that they can be the connected and emotionally healthy moms God designed them to be.

Connect with Rachael:
www.rachaelelmore.com

Feb 20, 202434:52
Sanity for the Chaos of Everyday Life with Cynthia Yanof
Feb 13, 202434:25
She Believed He Could, So She Did with Becky Beresford

She Believed He Could, So She Did with Becky Beresford

Our culture has been lying to women. The world defines female empowerment as believing in yourself or looking within to find the power to succeed. But what happens when women grow weary from trying to do it all? Jesus offers a better way.

Becky Beresford is on the show today and she's sharing how she used to believe and even promoted some of society’s lies to women. But in God’s kindness, Becky came to the end of herself and embraced healing truth found in the Bible.
Tired and frustrated with self-dependence, Becky wants to be God-dependent. In her book, She Believed HE Could So She Did, Becky invites you to join her as she dismantles commonly held misconceptions and lies so we can live in real freedom and godly confidence.

This is a brave journey toward freedom as we learn to experience Christ-centered empowerment–not by believing in ourselves . . . but by trusting in our faithful God. Join us as we chat about the most common messages promoted by our culture and dependable biblical truths grounded in the gospel:

Believe in Your God vs. Believe in Yourself
Speak THE truth vs. Speak Your Truth
Follow Your King vs. Follow Your Heart
You Be His vs. You Be You
The Future is Found Together vs. The Future is Female

Tune in to discover how to rely on the Holy Spirit in order to battle cultural lies, put the enemy in his place, and live boldly for Jesus. We will be lifted of the burden to find strength in ourselves and reassured of the hope, joy, and power that comes from living in Christ. We don’t have to be the savior of our own stories.
Connect with Becky:
beckyberesford.com

Feb 06, 202428:26
A Warrior Mama’s Prayers with Bethany Kimsey

A Warrior Mama’s Prayers with Bethany Kimsey

Most mothers agree that prayer is part of their parenting dynamic, yet so many mothers, including myself, wonder if the way of prayer is as mysterious and challenging as it can seem.

We often wonder if we’re covering all the topics needed with this little one, and we wish we knew what to pray in the struggles in hard parenting seasons.

Bethany Kimsey walked through these questions and doubts in a season with her eight children in which she desperately needed to see God at work in her children’s lives. Seeking His Word for what praying intentionally looked like began to create ~ A Warrior Mama’s Prayers.

The journal walks a mother through a full year of praying specific scriptures for her child every day, month after month. These prayers are divided into 4 main themes of prayer:
• Praying the Gospel take root in our child’s life
• Praying for their Character
• Praying for the spiritual battle around them
• Praying for their future as they learn to abide in Jesus

Join us as we learn to anchor our prayers in very specific promises and truths from His Word, you and I will have front row seats to watch God work in the hearts of our children. He invites us to partner with Him – what a privilege!

Connect with Bethany:
Bethany Kimsey (mykajabi.com)

Jan 30, 202441:10
Finding Confidence in God No Matter What with Erin Warren
Jan 23, 202441:11
Finding Sweet Release from Cravings that Control Us with Angie Haskell

Finding Sweet Release from Cravings that Control Us with Angie Haskell

All around the world, women yearn for a perfect life they can never grasp. They want to be successful, attractive, sexually fulfilled, and free from distress.

Rather than turning to God, too many try to feast on everything under the sun—diet pills, pornography, shopping sprees, one-night stands, and social media—anything to hit that sweet spot.

In the end, they are left with a deep sense of shame that can draw them further down into a spiral of bingeing, hiding, and emotional self-flagellation. They totally get Paul’s woeful lament, “I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (Romans 7:19).

Consequently, these women build a wall between themselves and God. They fear divine retribution for their chosen form of gluttony while simultaneously operating under the false assumption that God doesn’t want to have anything to do with them.

As author Angie Haskell notes in her book Sugarcoated, “This dangerous form of beratement worms its way into every facet of women’s lives. It burrows into their psyche, making them believe that demeaning treatment from others, as well as themselves, is perfectly normal. And if they dare throw caution to the wind, stepping out in their stilettos to stand up for what they need, it is often met with assumptions from others that their morals and values have flown out the window.”

These women feel alone, unseen and unsatisfied, but Angie wades into their despair. Join us today as Angie empowers readers to take a hard look at their secret cravings, understand where they are coming from, and get on a path that leads to emotional and physical health.

In a society that has become dangerously divisive, Angie reassures women that they’re still deserving of a relationship with God while also standing up for themselves and their needs.
Connect with Angie:
www.angiehaskell.com
@angiehaskell

Jan 16, 202447:00
She’s Not Your Enemy with Jenn Schultz

She’s Not Your Enemy with Jenn Schultz

Sometimes, the women in our lives feel like enemies: The colleague who threatens your position at work. The friend who talks behind your back. The woman who seems to have it all together—while you are barely hanging on.

But the real enemy is the one who is trying to defeat you with lies that lead to isolation, insecurity, and division. Jenn Schultz is on the show chatting about her book She’s Not Your Enemy. On today’s episode she is helping to equip us to battle Satan’s deception through the solid truth of God’s Word. Join us to explore:

How we find true joy when we recognize our unique roles in God’s kingdom
What we lose when we see other women as competition
What to do about envy, jealousy, people-pleasing, and perfectionism
Why we will never be “enough” on our own—and why that’s great news
How our view of God affects our view of ourselves and others

When we find our worth and identity in God, we can cultivate empathy and compassion for those we have labeled as the enemy—including the woman in the mirror—and live with greater joy.
Connect with Jenn:
Home | Jenn Schultz (jennschultzauthor.com)
@jennschultzauthor

Jan 09, 202436:60
Legacy Changer with Kristen Hallinan
Jan 02, 202434:59
Your New Now with Nicki Koziarz

Your New Now with Nicki Koziarz

Dec 26, 202333:18
A Little Calm Goes a Long Way with Evelyn Sherwood
Dec 19, 202335:52
A Little Significance Goes a Long Way with Heather MacFadyen
Dec 12, 202337:01
A Little Remembrance Goes a Long Way with Katie Westenberg
Dec 05, 202329:32
A Little Worship Goes a Long Way with Liv Dooley
Nov 28, 202338:05
A Little Healing Goes a Long Way with Rachel Wojo
Nov 21, 202350:01
A Little Mentorship Goes a Long Way with David Arthur
Nov 14, 202335:43
A Little Less Goes a Long Way with Kaitlin Garrison
Nov 07, 202325:44
A Little Hope Goes a Long Way with Taylor Turkington

A Little Hope Goes a Long Way with Taylor Turkington

At times, our chaotic world reveals hints of the utter brokenness in which we live. As people of faith in a powerful God, we want to lift our faces to heaven to cry out or bury our face in our hands to whisper prayers. Either way we utter things like “God, please help,” “God, what are you doing?” “God, those people are terrible!” And we aren’t alone in those words we lift to heaven. Taylor Turkington is joining us today to talk about her book Trembling Faith (B&H books). We chat about the timeless story of Habakkuk and look at the situation of our own hearts and world. Tune in to learn that the only way to not just survive, but find lasting hope is through gritty, trembling, wrestling faith in the God who works in our chaotic world. Connect with Taylor: https://bibleequipping.org
Oct 31, 202329:13
A Little Friendship Goes a Long Way with Elizabeth Laing Thompson
Oct 24, 202330:57
A Little Understanding Goes a Long Way with Kristi McLelland
Oct 17, 202338:04
A Little Patience Goes a Long Way with Brooke McGlothlin
Oct 10, 202333:36
A Little Peace Goes a Long Way with Keri Eichberger
Oct 03, 202332:51
A Little Closeness Goes a Long Way with Susie Larson

A Little Closeness Goes a Long Way with Susie Larson

God is omnipresent—meaning He's here, there, everywhere all at the same time—so no matter what you're going through today or worried about facing tomorrow, He is closer than you can imagine, and His presence changes everything.
The God of creation cares deeply about every detail of our personal lives. He's in charge of every galaxy and has named every star. He also knows about the hurts in our hearts and the hairs on our heads. He's near and far. His glory fills the universe, and yet He's up close and involved.
Though we believe in our minds that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present, sometimes we don't feel his closeness. How can we walk boldly in our faith, expecting Him to draw near to us as we draw near to Him? Susie Larson is in the show today helping us experience God's trustworthiness and love—even when we feel far from Him. In her book, In Closer Than Your Next Breath, and through today's episode we chat about:
How do I know if I'm hearing the voice of God?
Is feeling good the same as feeling God?
Is there anything I can do when God seems silent?
How should God's presence impact me?

There's nothing like God's presence in our lives, but sometimes we chase the sensational and miss the supernatural. Worship services, retreats or conferences, and mountaintop experiences are great, but too often we rush right by the nuanced, miraculous ways God shows up in our story every day. When we pursue the heart of God through the Word of God, that's when we experience the presence of God—and it makes all the difference in our lives.

Connect with Susie:
www.susielarson.com
Sep 26, 202330:53
A Little Rest Goes a Long Way with Sarah Hauser

A Little Rest Goes a Long Way with Sarah Hauser

The comforting bid of Jesus to the worn and weary soul:

Come to me, all who are weary, and I will give you rest.

You’re tired. Tired in your body. Tired in your soul.

At times, life feels hard, chaotic, or just mind-numbingly ordinary. But what if our souls could find rest even amid the onslaught of chaos and confusion? What if we could exchange that heavy dread and disquiet for a peace that passes understanding? Author Sarah J. Hauser believes that while our outward lives are falling apart, our inner lives can grow stronger.

Sarah is on the show sharing about her book titled All Who are Weary. It was born from Sarah’s own story—her depression, grief, and tears. Sarah, no stranger to weariness, invites us to join her in bringing our heavy burdens to Jesus and taking the light burden He offers instead.

Join us to find deep, lasting rest by throwing off nine soul-crushing burdens: worthlessness, condemnation, worry, self-sufficiency, insecurity, comparison, perfectionism, insignificance, and despair. We were never meant to carry these things in the first place. We will no longer feel stuck, strained, and discouraged but instead, be equipped with Scripture and encouraged by personal stories that help us identify the burdens we need to release. Because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we can live with joy and endurance, come what may. If you’re craving rest for your soul, Jesus invites you to come to Him, because only there can true rest be found.

Connect with Sarah:
www.sarahjhauser.com
Sep 19, 202326:28
A Little Vision Goes a Long Way with Rachelle Starr
Sep 12, 202335:07
A Little Letter Goes a Long Way with Jennifer Dukes Lee
Sep 05, 202331:30
A Little Object Goes a Long Way with Anne Neilson
Aug 29, 202335:05
A Little Number Goes a Long Way with Nichole Suvar
Aug 22, 202331:35
A Little Cup Goes a Long Way with Amanda Schaefer
Aug 15, 202334:33
A Little Forgiveness Goes a Long Way with Kia Stephens
Aug 08, 202348:07
A Little Sacrifice Goes a Long Way with Rebecca Lynn

A Little Sacrifice Goes a Long Way with Rebecca Lynn

“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:
proudpolicewife.com
Aug 01, 202336:50
A Little Look Goes a Long Way with Whitney Akin
Jul 25, 202332:32
A Little Kindness Goes a Long Way with Victoria Duerstock
Jul 18, 202335:11
A Little Seed Goes a Long Way with Kristy Meinzer
Jul 11, 202333:21
A Little Perseverance Goes a Long Way with Lori Ann Wood

A Little Perseverance Goes a Long Way with Lori Ann Wood

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:
loriannwood.com
Jul 04, 202332:36
A Little Interruption Goes A Long Way with Debbie Dufek
Jun 27, 202331:12
A Little Story Goes a Long Way with Trillia Newbell
Jun 20, 202329:43
A Little Encouragement Goes a Long Way with Mary DeMuth
Jun 13, 202331:46
A Little Gratitude Goes a Long Way with Tasha Layton
Jun 06, 202334:12
A Little Clothing Goes a Long Way with Katie Lewis
May 30, 202319:04
A Little Thought Goes a Long Way with Dr. Michelle Bengtson
May 23, 202330:25
A Little Courage Goes a Long Way with Toni Collier

A Little Courage Goes a Long Way with Toni Collier

Show NMany of us feel the pressure to be perfect, but what we really want is the freedom to be broken. We long to hear that our brokenness doesn't discount us, and we want a way out of the pain that threatens to overwhelm us.

Toni Collier is on the show today sharing about her book titled Brave Enough to Be Broken. She shares a biblical road map you can use to heal from the pain, the shame, and the regrets that have tried to steal your joy, so you can rest in the unconditional love, healing, and hope of Jesus. Join is to discover how to bravely process your brokenness so that you can experience the fullness of God's restoration power.

Connect with Toni:
@tonijcollier
May 16, 202332:48
A Little Gesture Goes a Long Way by Dr. Gary Chapman
May 09, 202336:14
A Little Tradition Goes a Long Way with Crickett Keeth

A Little Tradition Goes a Long Way with Crickett Keeth

Do you have any traditions, special dates, activities, or places that help you commemorate significant events in your life? Especially those events where God has done something for you? While traditions often revolve around major events such as the birth and resurrection of Jesus, they can also serve to celebrate personal moments—the little things maybe only you would recognize, such as how God answered a certain prayer, supplied for your need, or made himself incredibly known to you.

Crickett Keeth is in the show today chatting about her favorite traditions and leaving a legacy. She asks us to consider what we are passing down to the next generation. Think about what heritage you want to give to your family and the significance your customs carry. How can you tell others of God’s faithfulness by creating a new tradition of your own or by continuing a tradition that was passed on to you? Whatever traditions you and I practice, I pray they are rooted in biblical truth and keep God at the forefront so future generations can connect with him and connect with each other. Because if there is anything worth passing on, it is Him.

What is your favorite tradition?

Connect with Crickett:
www.crickettkeeth.com
instagram.com/jkeeth52
Crickett Keeth is the Women’s Ministry Director at First Evangelical Church in Memphis, Tennessee, where she writes and teaches the women's Bible studies. She is the author of Before the Throne (Moody), On Bended Knee (Moody), The Gift of Rest (CrossLink), and Sumatra with the Seven Churches (AMG, coauthored with Sandra Glahn). Crickett served on staff with Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ) for ten years and is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary. In addition to speaking regularly at her own church, she speaks and teaches seminars. In her free time she likes to read, play games with friends, travel, and love on her two cats. For more resources for ministry, visit her website at www.crickettkeeth.com.
May 02, 202332:42
A Little Testimony Goes a Long Way with Joanna Weaver

A Little Testimony Goes a Long Way with Joanna Weaver

What is your testimony? Have you ever had a hard time articulating it or believing in its power? While our experiences with Jesus may vary greatly, the impact of sharing them does not. In fact, Scripture tells us the devil is defeated by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11). Jesus already completed his part, and now, it’s our turn to follow through with ours. Consider for a moment how your life might have unfolded if someone hadn’t shared their testimony with you. Because those who have gone before us were faithful to their mission, we heard the good news and had the opportunity to believe. Now we have the same responsibility to tell others about his saving grace. Once we experience him, we are meant to become witnesses for him. Their eternal salvation is at stake. Joanna Weaver is on the show today sharing her testimony with us as she has learned to find intimacy with God in the midst of the busyness of life and embrace trust. What could transform someone’s life more than a relationship with Him? We don’t have to have any special skill to be a witness for Christ. Simply tell your God story and how he has changed your life. This is how the gospel is spread. Your testimony could be the reason someone else can have a testimony of their own. Connect with Joanna: Christian Author & Speaker - Joanna Weaver (joannaweaverbooks.com) The Living Room podcast @joannaweaverbooks Free 5 Day Challenge: Embracing Trust 5-Day Challenge | Join Today! - Joanna Weaver (joannaweaverbooks.com)
Apr 25, 202337:13
A Little Inclusion Goes a Long Way with Nicole Langman
Apr 18, 202334:28