Be Love

Bring some tissues to this episode!  Today I interviewed Randy Hartley who is the father portrayed in the movie and the book Beautifully Broken. It’s about three fathers who fight to save their families, their lives becoming intertwined in an unlikely journey across the globe where they learn the healing power of forgiveness and reconciliation.   Y’all, if this wasn’t a true story you would never believe it was real. Randy takes us on an unbelievable journey of how one man’s family was changed forever by a Rwandan refugee.    In this interview we talk about unimaginable pain and suffering and how we can come out restored and offer forgiveness. I can’t even do it justice to try to explain how this story unfolds. Do yourself a favor and listen to a story that will change you.   Buy Randy’s book Beautifully Broken and watch the movie.    

Have you ever had a kid wake up cranky, be unhappy about the breakfast you woke up early to make, and you still keep a calm and sweet attitude? That’s a hard pass for me. Griping and complaining from others can ruin my mood quickly. How many times do we let someone else; our kids, our spouse, our friends dictate the way we feel, the way we view ourselves?   Jess puts me through a little life coaching session, and we figure out how I can be responsible for how I want to feel, even if others around me might not be up to my expectations. And speaking of expectations; we talk about how the ones we put on others, the unfair ones and the ones not met, impact us.    Jess Klasnick is a life coach who specializes in helping us get unstuck in our attitudes and feelings.    Learn more about Jessica’s coaching: https://www.jessicaklasnick.com/

I read a book recently called Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms. A publicist had reached out to see if we wanted to have the author on the podcast and she sent me a copy of the book. You need to know that I truly research everyone on our show, and read their stuff to see if they will be valuable to our audience.  I do this because I want to give our listeners something that will help them strengthen their own family so they can love others outside their immediate family well    I honestly was a little nervous to read this book, not because I don’t love habits, but I thought it might feel like more things to do in our already busy schedule or even guilt that we aren't doing some habits we should be. BUT…. this book is none of those things. There is so much grace in Justin and this book, and it is wild to see how many things we are already doing in our family that we can just add a little intention to and it will change everything.   I loved this conversation so muc

There is a quote I have been mulling over for some time. “We can’t expect our kids to have a heart for others if we never show them the needs of others”.   As parents we all want our kids to care and love others. We want them to care about the needs of the world, but we as parents also have to show them. Sometimes this can feel overwhelming because there are so many needs and we feel like we have so little time.   Listen to this short podcast today where I give 3 simple ways we can help our kids build compassion for others by showing up for them.   Grab our children’s book that talks all about loving others.   If this podcast inspired you we would love for you to share it and leave a review. Follow us on our social media channels @bestrongstory

I have had Dr. Flanagan on several times, because his words of wisdom and his therapist’s heart are always something that is perfect when I am struggling with a certain area in life. Kelly is a therapist and the author of two amazing books: Loveable and True Companions.    How do we expect our kids to live life with open hearts and love toward others if we aren’t  modeling this daily. Whether it is when we are griping about public opinions on national discourse, or treating someone online with animosity; our kids are watching everything we do. How can we bring open heartedness to all of our interactions, how can we recognize when we close our hearts to others?   Kelly and I dive into the ego and self-protection and why this impacts everything we do including parenting, loving others, and being who God created us to be. Many times we are parenting out of our own wounds that need to be healed.    I can’t wait to hear what you think?   Connect with Dr. Kelly Flanagan  Past BE LOVE. do good episodes with Kelly

Have you ever been in a season of brokenness? Maybe you are in the depths of that season right now. Today I am speaking with Toni Collier, gifted communicator, author, founder of Broken Crayons Still Color.   Toni shares her own story of brokenness with us and inspires us that even in the hardest of times we can stay hopeful. Toni shares with us her past of leaving an abusive marriage, finding ways to provide for her daughter, and her fears along the way.    No matter what your story is, your past, your present right now, she reminds us “Nothing we have done, no matter how devastating or devious, can push us too far out of His love to reach us, rescue us, and restore us.”   Connect with Toni: Instagram Website:http://tonijcollier.com/  For resources about Hope after Brokenness visit Broken Crayons Still Color

Steve is one of my favorite guests on the show, not just because he has a British accent, but because he is full of wisdom and advice for how parents can lead their kids.    Steve is a guru of leadership and an expert in personalities. He is the co-founder of Giant Worldwide a global leadership consulting company, and he has co-authored several books,  The 5 voices is the one we dive into today.   So many times as parents it is hard to parent the kids who are different from us, but Steve gives us the tools of how to truly know your kids, and how to nurture them to be who God created them to be.    We go in depth into personalities, how to parent with high support and high challenge, and his top 2 things of how to raise great kids.    You will leave this conversation with confidence and tools to be the parent you knew you could be.    Get to know Steve: Take the 5 voices free personality assessment: Get his book the 5 voices

I don’t know about you but most families these days are BUSY. Whether it is our family or others I talk to, our life consists of carpooling, sports’ schedules, homework, late dinners, and full time working. Your life might look similar or a different busy if you are in the throes of toddler days of nap times, and schedules.    No matter what I hear from others all the time, how do we make quality time with our kids, something they crave and need the most, when our life is full.    This podcast I am giving some quick tips on how we can carve out time with our family, or add intentional time to the things we are already doing. Like intentional convo in the car, or commitment to dinners even if they are late.   I walk you through a few ways you can start to make quality time a part of your life with your kids.    I promise you will be able to apply one of these to your life this week!   Things we talk about: Quality over Quantity Intentional times in things we are already doing Creating weekly traditions Stayin

I don’t know about you, but this year has been full of things that can create anxiety in ourselves and our kids. Maybe for the first time you have experienced anxiety or are starting to see your kids feel anxious and need help.    Dr. Chinwe is a therapist who specializes in anxiety in adolescents and teens. She has also co-authored the book Seen: Healing Despair and Anxiety in Kids and Teens through the Power of Connection.   We talk about how to notice signs of anxiety in our kids, what is causing this, and ways we can help our kids through this. She gives us practical tips and tools to navigate many emotions that may never have been experienced by our kids before.   Dr. Chinwe gives us hope and encouragement that we will get through this together and she gives us the tools to do so.    Get her book SEEN Connect with Dr. Chinwe on instagram More about Dr. Chinwes work

The age old question for almost every parent is, “How do we find work/life balance?   Is there even such a thing? Many times, it feels like if we just balanced it all we would have a full, complete, and happy life. But sometimes that balance feels like a big unicorn in the sky, something completely unattainable.    If you are a parent who continues to struggle with this, Somer and Michelle are here to help us rethink this question. They are here to give us some practical tools and perspective of what it looks like to dispel the notion of the world that we must have it all together; that we have to wear all the hats perfectly.    Somer and Michelle wrote the book She Works His Way: A Practical Guide for Doing What Matters Most in a Get-Things-Done World. She also founded She Works His Way a place for working women to be discipled.    With passion and wisdom, Myers and Phoebus challenge the modern-day thinking about "boss babe" mentality, helping working women place all dreams, goals, and side hustles under th

Happy New Year! Today we are talking about how to create healthy habits as a family. What does it look like to be an example to your kids when it comes to moving our bodies and eating healthy? How do we help get our families on board?   This podcast is all about simple steps to help our families make healthy habits. We will talk about nutrition, moving our bodies, mindsets, and how as parents we can be encouraging about healthy behavior instead of nagging or shaming.    In my past I was a health and fitness coach and so I know how tricky some of these topics can be, but also how important and gratifying it is when we figure it out.   Topics discussed: How to make a weekly meal plan that all the family will eat.  How to be intentional at the grocery store Ideas of how to be active together How we can model health to our kids   Some Resources we made:  Week of healthy eating plan.  Weekly Meal Calendar   Please leave us a review if this podcast encouraged you.  Did you know we wrote a children’s book to hel

All of us want our kids to stand up to injustices in our world. As Christians we are to love others, come alongside one another, and help each other understand our God given worth and dignity. Fighting Racism should be something we want to dive into head first and do everything in our power to make sure this is not happening on our watch.     Today we are talking about how to fight racism, with Jemar Tisby ,New York Times Best-Selling author. He has written the Color of Compromise and How to Fight Racism and How to Fight Racism (Young Reader’s Edition).   If you have ever wanted to talk to your kids about racism but just didn’t know where to start or didn’t know if you had the knowledge to give them the right tools, this is the conversation for you.   Jemar is a historian, author, and speaker, and helps teach and guide us on how to help ourselves and raise our kids to fight racism.   Sometimes an important topic like this can feel overwhelming to tackle but in Jamar’s book How to Fight Racism he dives into th

It’s the New Year, and for many it means goal setting, and reviewing the past year. So many of us make individual missions and goals for the year, but have you ever thought about getting together with your family and making a mission?   This podcast is a step by step on how to make a FAMILY MISSION!    What do you want your family to be known for?  What attributes do you want others to say when describing your family? What are some areas your family is passionate about?  How can you use your gifts and many God-given talents to serve the world?   We hope you will join us as we share how we created our family mission and how it has impacted us and how you can make your own.    Get your free family mission guide.   Learn more about us: www.bestrongstory.com   Follow us on social media: Instagram: bestrongstory Facebook: bestrongstory   Get our Children’s Book

Do you need some advice before you head to the holidays with family? Worried about what contentious subjects that might be breached as you are passing the mashed potatoes? From politics, to vaccines, to racism, families run the gamut on where they stand. I have heard from people all over the country who are already anxious to be with family who might think differently than them. How do we handle conflict? Differing opinions? When to make boundaries? How to keep tenderhearted to those who push your buttons? Today Sarah Anderson the author of The Space Between Us: How Jesus Teaches Us to Live Together When Politics and Religion Pull Us Apart Sarah comes from a political family and helps us navigate how to find things that we have in common, how to be curious with one another, and how to love each other through differing opinions. If you have any anxiety about being with extended family this holiday season this is a must listen. Connect with Sarah on Instagram. Get her book

Today I have probably my favorite guest ever, my 10-year-old daughter Carter Mae. We talk about her favorite Christmas traditions, what Jesus means to her, and why this season is so special. There is something magical about seeing Christmas through our kids’ eyes. It brings a whole new perspective and joy to the season. Don’t miss the end where we talk about the hope of the season even when this time might feel really dark. We share our  journey with loss during the holiday season, and how light has shown through.   Connect with us on social instagram   Did you know we wrote a children’s book? The perfect gift for the kiddos in your life. It is about the true story of how a lunchbox note changed our life. Get The Lunchbox Note: A Story of Loving Others

Today's podcast is on fire. My guest Bri Stensrud calls us to action to be a family who truly welcomes others. What does a Christlike welcome look like? Bri Stensrud is the Director of Women of Welcome, she is a human dignity advocate and her passion is to equip others to engage more consistently and tangibly in holistic human dignity issues. We talk about her work with refugees, the border crisis, and  how we are called to treat others. If you want first steps of how to teach your family to love what many call the “others”, Bri encourages and challenges us today. She teaches us how to find an injustice that breaks us, and then figure out a way to dive in and be a Christlike advocate. I promise after this episode you will be ready to challenge your family to live bigger and bolder. Find out more about Women of Welcome Connect with Bri on instagram Check out the new Women of Welcome Bible Studies

I don’t know about you but sometimes around the holidays I dream of simplicity. My stress starts to take over when I know I have forgotten a gift or my kids bring me a list of 1038208378 random gifts they DON’T NEED.   It was wearing me out, and I wanted to get our family back to focusing on the real meaning of Christmas. One for my sanity, and two so my kids could practice what it looked like to truly GIVE instead of just RECEIVE.   In this episode, I give some ideas your family can implement this season to help you get back on track, and teach our kids that giving really is better. Make sure you grab our GIVING CALENDAR (things to do each day) here and we will send it straight to your inbox!   Advent devotions I love: Low  Preparing for Christmas Richard Rohr She Reads Truth   Resources for kids: Advent Prep Club Read, Ask, Go Advent calendar   Buy from businesses who make an impact

We are so lucky to have Mary Beth Chapman on the show today. Mary Beth is a mother to 6 kiddos with her husband, singer/songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman and are adoptive parents of 3 from China.    Mary Beth is an author of the book, Choosing to See: A Journey of Struggle and Hope. Her book details the tragedy of losing their youngest adoptive child and the hope that God brings them in the darkest places and co-founder of non-profit Show Hope that helps break down barriers between waiting children and loving families.    Mary Beth and I talk about life before fame, the wonderful and hard journey of adoption, and their non-profit that helps other families adopt.  Mary Beth is so down to earth and vulnerable in this conversation. I promise our conversation will be a bright spot in your week.    For any questions about adoption check out https://howtoadopt.org/ Follow Show Hope on instagram:   Facebook

If you are a parent, you know helping our kids navigate friendships is a big part of parenting. That’s why today I wanted to bring on my friend and producer Jeanette Tapley to give us all the advice on helping our kids make and become good friends.       We talk about everything from drama to boundaries; it all makes this show.  Can we pick our kids' friends? How do we foster good friendships for our kids? Can we read our kids’ text messages and social messages?   How do we model friendship?  Do we tell our kids about our past mistakes?   We cover it all!  Whether you are dealing with mean girl drama, or a new teen who needs some help setting boundaries, this is the friendship episode for you.    Connect with Jeanette:  Jeanette’s instagram Listen to her podcast It’s Time for Coffee

Wanna raise grateful kids? Here are a few tips to help keep gratitude at the forefront in your family.   We all need a little extra dose of gratitude this year and since November is the month of being thankful, I thought this would be the perfect time to make sure we did a few things as a family that kept gratitude front and center.    Join us on our grateful challenge this month!   Listen to this episode for simple ways we are helping our family keep gratitude at the center and some things you can do today; like implementing a gratitude jar, journal, or ideas to encourage others.    Don’t forget to check out our social media to tell us your grateful ideas.  Instagram Facebook:   We would be so honored if you subscribed or left a review.  Did you know we wrote a children’s book: Check it out here