Do the enemy’s attacks and lies drip, drip, drip throughout your day? What’s your response? Do you ignore them and hope they will go away? Or do you fight back?I invited Sandy Storm back to share the strategies she uses when she finds herself on the front line of a spiritual attack. Sandy explains why we can’t be passive and let those drips accumulate. Instead, we must actively engage by using the warfare strategies God gave us. If you listened to Sandy’s story interview on episode 72, you know this warrior not only comes face to face with spiritual warfare in her personal life, but also as a human trafficking abolitionist. This girl means business!Sandy referred to 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. It says, "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."And Philippians 4:8-9. It says, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."I shared Ephesians 6: 10-18 (the armor of God). It says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."You’re going to want to remember the wisdom Sandy shares, so grab a pen and paper or start a new notes page on your phone. Put these effective strategies into practice whenever you encounter spiritual warfare.Want to learn more about Sandy? Please visit authorsandystorm.com.

73: Spiritual Warfare Strategies: Stop the Flow by Cutting Off the Source with Sandy Storm

WARNING: Today’s episode contains graphic content about human trafficking and could be a trigger for people who have experienced abuse or violence at the hands of another. January is National Slavery & Human Trafficking Prevention month. It is difficult to hear the atrocities of human trafficking and its impact on human lives. My guest, Sandy Storm, shares the numerous challenges she faced throughout the twenty years she was exploited and dehumanized, she also shares how during those difficult years, she believed God had a plan for her life. Could any good come from someone so broken? Yes!!! Sandy cried out to God, handing him her broken life. He graciously exchanged her brokenness with salvation wrapped in His unfailing love. Her healing and restoration led her to the realization God made her a new creation. Filled with this life-changing news, Sandy drew close to Him. Remember Joseph’s reply to his brothers? He said, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish the saving of many lives.” God whispered the same words to her and said He preserved her during those horrific years, so she could be a part of the solution to ending human trafficking. Thus, Sandy is a modern-day abolitionist and serves as the Director of Strategic impact for Deliver Fund, a non-profit whose mission is to keep communities safe by bringing human traffickers to justice. Her experiences and knowledge make her a powerful warrior who IS helping to destroy the darkness in our world.Her three novellas based on her experiences – Becoming Navi, Hello Navi, and Goodbye Navi – are available on Amazon. To learn more about Sandy or connect with her, visit her website at authorsandystorm.com. If you are interested in learning more about Deliver Fund’s efforts to end human trafficking or joining their prayer team, please visit deliverfund.org.If you are being trafficked or know someone who is, the Human Trafficking hotline is 1-888-373-7888. All calls are confidential. 

72: Targeted, Groomed & Exploited: Two decades of being trafficked didn't stop her with Sandy Storm

It's January. It seems everyone makes New Year's Resolutions that include trying a new diet, exercising more, and quitting a bad habit. By far, people resolve to get healthier. 64% of people who make New Year's resolutions fail after just one month. Why? They set unrealistic goals and didn't keep track of their progress. On today's episode, Susan Neal joins us again to share four strategies for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. She's clear that these strategies aren't about a diet. They are lifestyle changes that will be maintained for the rest of your life. Maybe you're not interested if that's the length of the commitment you must make. Hold on, please. Susan doesn't just share four strategies; she also shares the benefits of consistently maintaining each strategy. An unexpected bonus for you is that Susan explains how our bodies react to sugar and gluten. If her explanations don't convince you to consider your sugar and gluten intake, I don't know what will!Instead of making New Year's Resolutions that are unrealistic and you forget to keep track of your progress, follow Susan's healthy lifestyle strategies and experience tangible outcomes in your weight, energy level, happiness, and desire to pursue your dreams.Learn more at susanuneal.com. Her books are available on Amazon:Christian Study Guide for 7 Steps to Get Off Sugar and Carbohydrates: Healthy Eating for Healthy Living with God's Food 7 Steps to Get Off Sugar and Carbohydrates: Healthy Eating for Healthy Living with a Low-Carbohydrate, Anti-Inflammatory DietHealthy Living Journal: Track Your Healthy Eating and Living Habits for Improved Health and Well-BeingScripture Yoga: 21 Bible Lessons for Christian Yoga ClassesSolving the Gluten Puzzle: Discovering Gluten Sensitivity and Embracing the Gluten-Free LifestyleYoga for Beginners: 60 Basic Yoga Poses for Flexibility, Stress Relief, and Inner PeaceWant to build or maintain a 'challenges won't stop me' mindset? Check out my book, Challenges Won't Stop Me: An Interactive Survival Guide for Overcoming & Thriving, on Amazon.Visit melonybrown.com for resources to empower and equip you to overcome & thrive!

71: 4 Strategies for a Healthy Lifestyle with Susan Neal

Health challenges don’t only impact our physical bodies. Health challenges impact every area of our lives. When multiple challenges rudely intersected Susan’s path over the course of nine months … well, those challenges exponentially impacted her life.Having been very healthy up to that point made her feel like her life was spiraling out of control. Doctor after doctor. Test after test. Still no answers. Even though she felt depleted and frustrated, she was determined that the challenges she was facing would not stop her. She continued to fight to overcome the challenges. I was curious how she dealt with challenge after challenge impacting her life. She shared how a friend gave her a plaque for her 50th birthday with a verse from Isaiah on it.It said, “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31).She didn’t just read those words. She believed them. She clung to the hope included in those words. “I just had faith that one day I would run, and I would not be weary. And I would walk and not be faint.” She took God at His Word.Finally, after the tenth medical diagnosis, Susan discovered the root cause of her multiple health challenges. With this information in hand, Susan researched how to fight this infection. Among several things, she radically changed her diet, which improved her gut health and allowed her to regain her health. Take Susan’s Candida quiz to find out if Candida is contributing to your health challenges at www.candiquiz.com.Those multiple health challenges tried to stop Susan. But God used them to refine her purpose: to help others reclaim their health. She’s written eight health-related books that will help you reclaim your health. Check them out on Amazon by typing in Susan U Neal.Want to build or maintain a 'challenges won't stop me' mindset? Check out my book, Challenges Won't Stop Me: An Interactive Survival Guide for Overcoming & Thriving, on Amazon.Visit www.melonybrown.com for resources to empower and equip you to overcome & thrive!

70: Clung to Hope with Susan Neal

After four amazing seasons of the Zigzag & 1 podcast, it was time for a makeover! She got an new name and an unstoppable mindset.Let me tell you about all the changes. The most obvious change of course is the name change. This change stemmed from conversations about the book I published in September of 2022 titled "Challenges Won't Stop Me: An Interactive Survival Guide for Overcoming & Thriving." After reading it, several readers said, "Oh, I get it! Your book name describes the mindset of the overcomers you interview on your podcast!" YES! EXACTLY!Their comments led to renaming the podcast and putting a sharper focus on giving the listener more strategies and habits in every guest interview and in my solocast messages. In addition to the overcomer interviews and the strategies/habits interviews, I'm excited about sharing motivational messages via video solocasts. You can listen to them on your favorite podcast app or watch them on my YouTube channel @melonybrown. Going forward on the Resources page at melonybrown.com, I will be adding helpful resources for those times when you're fighting hard to overcome challenges and need more.Be sure to follow the show on your favorite podcast app and on my YouTube channel. Let's go!Buy Challenges Won't Stop Me: An Interactive Survival Guide for Overcoming and Thriving HERE. 

69: Challenges Won't Stop Me podcast trailer: A New Name and an Unstoppable Mindset

When we face very difficult challenges, our faith in God is challenged too. Throughout Jody's daughter's ten-year fight against Lyme disease, she begged God to heal Alex. Despite numerous doctor's visits and numerous treatments, Alex passed away. The pain, loss, and grief Jody felt was overwhelming. She gave into the grief so her mind, heart, and soul could process what she describes as her greatest hurt. But, there came a day when Jody decided she would always grieve the loss of her precious daughter, but she didn't want to be known as the grief girl. Instead of being angry at God, Jody drew closer to God. She praised him for the twenty-two years she was given to love Alex and be her mom. She thanked God for the grace, courage, and dignity Alex consistently showed throughout her battle for seeing these traits in Alex taught her so much. Alex's very difficult struggle challenged Jody's faith in the hardest of ways and the best of ways. Her faith grew in the best way, which looks like God shining in her.  That light shining in her is filled with purpose, passion, joy, and love.When you meet Jody Hudson, she will tell you all about her precious daughter, Alex. But, you won't see the grief girl. You'll see God shining in her instead. Visit The Alex Hudson Lyme Foundation to learn more about Lyme disease and ways to support Jody's mission to increase awareness of Lyme disease, raise money for research, and support patients who have Lyme disease with financial grants for testing and treatments.

68: Not the Grief Girl ... God Shining in Me Instead habit interview with Jody Hudson

No one would ask for or volunteer for a challenge that would end in one's greatest hurt. But we know that varying degrees of hurt and pain come with the challenges of this world.Jody's daughter, Alex, suffered ten long years with unusual symptoms that were considered a medical mystery until finally a diagnosis of Lyme disease was given. Throughout those years, Alex experienced unbearable physical pain and unbearable loss. Loss of playing sports, of going to her dream college, of friends who were busy living their lives, and of living a thriving life.  While those losses are truly tragic, Alex gained a fighter mentality, a determination to never give up, a stronger faith and trust in God, and a desire to serve and love others.Our discussion is based on her book My Promise to Alex: Through Pain Comes Purpose. You'll hear Jody describe the numerous obstacles and challenges she and Alex faced. Yet, each time mother and daughter sought God's direction and then persevered. Both Alex and Jody are courageous overcomers.Even though Alex passed away at twenty-two, she lives on through Jody's greatest ministry: the Alex Hudson Lyme Foundation whose mission is to increase research efforts for Lyme disease while supporting patients via financial grants for their treatments and testing. Learn more at www.alexhudsonlymefoundation.org

67: Your Greatest Ministry Comes Out of Your Greatest Hurt with Jody Hudson

Ever find it difficult to stay focused when you're praying? I know I do!I believe I'd be hard-pressed to find one person who couldn't admit to feeling distracted while praying. While we know prayer is an incredible blessing because we are communicating directly with God, our brains jump to investigate every stray thought and noise. Determination to stay focused works for a while, but then ... well, you know. You realize you're thinking about what you need at the grocery store, how your daughter needs new cleats for soccer, or how you want those new boots but know they are not in the budget.My guest, Kathy McInnis, shares a habit she's incorporated into her prayer time that helps her stay focused: prayer journaling. You'll hear her describe how she uses it, but please know it's not a magic formula. It works for her because she started with writing her prayers in a journal and then tried new ways to connect with God using her journal.If you've always wanted to try prayer journaling or you're just curious how in the world writing in a journal helps you stay focused during prayer, grab a pen and paper and take some notes of the different ways Kathy uses her prayer journal. Make sure to jot down what positive outcomes she's experienced too!Want to connect with Kathy? Go to ferventgrace.org

66: Prayer Journaling: a habit interview with Kathy McInnis

Pause for a moment and think about your companions. Are they healthy companions who offer life-giving interactions by encouraging, supporting, and loving you? If so, those companions are priceless. Or are they toxic companions who shatter your heart by bullying, lying, intimidating, and threatening you? These toxic companions can be humans, but they can also be beliefs.Today’s Zigzag & 1 guest, Kathy McInnis, is the author of Companions on My Journey. In her memoir, Kathy describes the toxic companions who invaded her life during her childhood, her college years, and her first marriage and divorce. Shame, fear, bitterness, and condemnation were the toxic companions that convinced Kathy she was unlovable, unworthy, and unforgivable. The pain was so great she wanted to end it all.Thankfully, Kathy chose not to end her life. A loving, forgiving God took the broken pieces of Kathy’s heart and filled her with love, peace, and assurance that she is worthy.  Whether you’ve encountered toxic companions or not, hearing Kathy’s story and how she fought to overcome will inspire and encourage you. To invite Kathy to speak at your next event or connect with her, go to ferventgrace.org.

65: Who Are the Companions on Your Journey? with Kathy McInnis

My guest, Yvonne Taylor, shared her story of being one of the twenty-one black students who integrated into the all-white Hoxie High School in 1955 in episode 63. Make sure you check out that episode as hearing her experiences will emphasize why her mindset of choosing kindness can truly impact the world.Ever stop to think about the values and wisdom passed down to you from your parents, grandparents, and teachers? You might choose to discard some of it, but some of those values and mindsets are so powerful that they become a part of you and how you navigate life. Yvonne’s parents were diligent about teaching her values that pertained to their faith. Those shaped her beliefs about God. They also imparted ways to treat others. It’s one thing to hear your parents tell you how to live a certain way, but Yvonne was blessed with parents who lived out what they taught.Choosing to show kindness was a value taught and consistently modeled by Yvonne’s parents. A reminder of this value was shared the night before Yvonne and her siblings walked through the front doors of the all-white Hoxie High School. Would she choose kindness as her response when insulted? Would she choose kindness when her white friends from the neighborhood ignored her? Would she choose kindness when a rock was thrown through her kitchen window? Yes. Yes. And yes. Kindness is a choice. And Yvonne chose kindness no matter how others treated her. Choosing kindness became part of Yvonne’s values and have proven to be a way she can impact the world. You can bet she passed down the value of choosing kindness to her children and grandchildren. What if each of us chose kindness as our response? Imagine the impact we could have on our world!Buy Yvonne’s book, Momma, Daddy & Me: When Perseverance Prevails, on Amazon.

64: Impact the World by Choosing Kindness mindset interview with Yvonne Taylor

The civil rights movement was in full swing in 1955, but fourteen-year-old Yvonne Taylor wasn’t paying attention to the news about activists fighting for an end to discrimination and injustice. Nor was she aware of the Supreme Court ruling in Topeka versus the Board of Education that would significantly impact her education. Until … Yvonne learned she and twenty other black students would be integrating into Hoxie High School in Hoxie, Arkansas. That was sixty-seven years ago this month.In this episode,  you’ll hear Yvonne describe how she was treated by white students and teachers and how she responded during her year at Hoxie High School. Yvonne is an integral part of the history of the civil rights movement in the US. No, she didn't speak in front of thousands like Martin Luther King, Jr. did. Nor did she refuse to give up her bus seat like Rosa Parks. You likely haven’t heard of her name before, but I assure you her contribution is no less important. MLK Jr. did something to help blacks gain equal rights. Rosa Parks did something too. Countless others did something, including Ms. Yvonne Taylor.Helen Keller said it best when she said, “I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.” Thank you, Yvonne for doing something. Your brave actions and positive attitude paved the way for black students to access the same quality education as white students.Buy her memoir, Mommy, Daddy & Me: When Perseverance Prevails on Amazon. 

63: Integrating into Hoxie High School 1955-1956 with Yvonne Taylor

Ever feel like your head is going to explode? Incessant noise coming at you from every direction—the news, social media, podcasts, YouTube videos, music you’ve streamed. While some of this noise is educational or informative, some of it is mind-numbing entertainment. After typing that last sentence, I laughed at my words. Sounds like the explanations I’ve given my tutoring students this summer when discussing how the characters in Ray Bradbury’s book, Fahrenheit 451, consume hours and hours of mindless entertainment coming from the walls of TVs while also listening to their ear shells.Why do we need silence and solitude (getting away by yourself)? Silence and solitude break the endless consumption of entertainment and noise. They refresh our minds. They make room for new ideas. And they invite closeness with God.Imagine God trying to compete with all the noise you and I willingly take in. Now imagine purposefully getting away from the noise and listening to and enjoying the silence. Maybe, just maybe, there’s space in the silence for God to talk to you. And me.My guest, Risa Owens, shares how she seeks silence and solitude in her backyard, at the beach, in the mountains, and anywhere she can be alone. No phone. No disruptions. She invites God to come close, for she’s eager to hear what He wants to say to her.She also shares several benefits she’s gained by making time for silence and solitude. Don’t be surprised if you feel convicted enough to pull out your calendar and schedule some time for silence and solitude!Connect with Risa at risascorner.net.

62: Solitude Invites Closeness with God strategy interview with Risa Owens

My guest, Risa Owens, is an author and speaker. While those are interesting professions, what’s most interesting about Risa being an author and speaker is that her educational journey began with the label of mentally retarded*. This label created limits and further ostracized her from her peers.*This term is used throughout Risa’s interview as it was the terminology used during the years Risa was in school. The current (and less offensive) terminology is intellectual disabilities. Risa wrote about her educational journey in her book, The Heart that Grieves of a Little Girl Lost. In this interview, Risa and I discuss several poignant moments in her childhood and how they impacted her. Excerpts from her book:·   “They gave up on me.”·   “I was totally a little girl lost in the mazes of my own life, not knowing where to go or what to do.”·   “The majority of my family didn’t want to be around me because of my condition. Not only was I sick all the time, but I was a freak to them.”When her school updated the educational testing, Risa’s life began to change. In her words: “I turned humiliation into determination.” All these years later, the little girl who was severely limited by an incorrect label is now an author and speaker. She gives God all the credit.  Check out her website at www.risascorner.net and her books on Amazon. 

61: Turned Humiliation into Determination with Risa Owens

Paralympian, Gia Pergolini joins me for an interview. She is an 18-year-old world record holder and gold medalist. I'm a little star struck about interviewing an Olympian!! Gia may be a beast in the pool, but she was full of laughter during her interview. Check out these Olympic facts:·         Since the first Olympic games in 1896, the summer Olympics have only been cancelled three times – all as a result of world wars.·         Not until the 2020 Olympics have the games ever been postponed. They were postponed due to the global pandemic.At the time the games were postponed, Gia was a 16-year-old high school who had been training for her favorite event: the 100-meter-backstroke. She was disappointed but determined to take advantage of the extra time to train. When the Paralympics were rescheduled for the summer of 2021 in Tokyo, Gia was ready!Gia qualifies for the Paralympics due to her diagnosis of Stargardt’s disease. It’s a rare genetic disease that significantly impacts her vision. She is a fighter. Not only does she navigate life with 30% vision, but she is also a fierce competitor in the pool. 

60: Earned the Gold with Paralympian Gia Pergolini

In Tami O’Connor’s story interview – episode 58 – she shared how her daughter Jordyn’s cancer diagnosis and her passing away tested her ‘even if He does not faith.’ Facing those zigzags drew Tami closer to God. She learned that the faster she surrenders when facing life’s tough challenges, the sooner God will show up. She described surrender as running into the fire, believing He will reveal what she needs to learn. She explained, “I can honestly say that walking through what I’ve walked through has allowed me to find my even if He does not faith.” In this episode, Tami shares a deeper understanding of the purpose of Jordyn’s passing: a seed that dies produces a plentiful harvest. It comes from John 12:24, which says, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels – a plentiful harvest of new lives.”With Jordyn’s passing only a year ago, God living and working in Tami can be the only explanation for her joy, contagious laughter, and quest to live fully. Tami discusses the growth she has experienced during the last year, crediting it to intentionally seeking God by studying His Word, journaling, and sharing her heart in prayer. She believes the seed, Jordyn, dying has already started producing a harvest and is expectant for the harvest that will continue to come in the years ahead.

59: A Seed that Dies Produces a Plentiful Harvest deeper understanding interview with Tami O'Connor

A short Bible story from Daniel 3 will help you understand the significance of my guest, Tami O’Connor, finding her ‘even if He does not’ faith. In Daniel 3, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia made a golden image of himself and then issued an edict that stated everyone within hearing distance of the music must fall down and worship the golden image or be thrown into a blazing furnace.Three Jewish men named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down to the golden image, so they were brought before King Nebuchadnezzar. When he asked why they refused, they replied, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”Even if God did not save them from the fiery furnace, these men would not serve his gods or worship the golden image. Pretty bold faith, huh?There are many takeaways from this well-known Bible story. Tami’s story focuses on the takeaway of praising and worshipping Him even if He does not heal a loved one in the way she prayed. Tami referred to it when her 15-year-old daughter Jordyn asked her if she would still praise God if one or more of their family had died in the tornado. Essentially, Tami affirmed that she would praise God even if He had not protected her family.Her quick response stuck with her, causing her to question if she really did have ‘even if He does not’ faith. An intense period of Bible study, prayer, and journaling drew her close to God, developing the even if faith that she would need in the future.Almost a decade later, her daughter Jordyn was diagnosed with a rare stage 4 Sarcoma cancer. Each time she prayed for Jordyn’s healing, she grappled with the question of whether or not she would have that ‘even if He does not’ faith. Jordyn passed away after a brave three-year fight on April 11, 2021. This episode is in remembrance of her.Tami’s hard-earned wisdom after going through several significant zigzags is: “I have found that the faster I surrender and I just run into what I’m having to face, the sooner He will show up. Running into the fire always seems to present a deeper understanding of who He is and who I am in Him. I can honestly say that walking through what I’ve walked through has caused me to find my even if He does not faith.” After listening to today’s episode, I challenge you to take some time to read through Daniel 3 and consider whether or not you have ‘even if He does not’ faith.

58: Even If He Does Not Faith with Tami O'Connor

HOPE – an intangible but very real mindset that God is for you and is working all things together for your good.Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”Do you have a hope-filled mindset? Do you lean hard on hope when life’s struggles overwhelm you? Do you believe God can bless our lives even through difficult times?My guest, Eva Aigner, a precious and joy-filled woman, believes hope carried her through the many zigzags she’s faced in her 84 years. Ms. Eva shares in this mindset interview about how hope carried her:·         through the horrors of the Holocaust·         when her family escaped Communist oppression during the Hungarian revolution ·         when her family boarded the last ship to the United States through President Eisenhower’s Hungarian-Refuge Relief program·         through the years of raising her children in a safe and free country instead of a country with no freedoms and little to no safe places to live·         and when per precious husband, Les, passed away unexpectedlyMs. Eva’s mother, Giselle, modeled what hope looked like in those fear-filled months during the Holocaust before she was forced on a train, leaving Eva and her sister, Violet, alone. When each of the zigzags described above happened, Eva’s mindset of hope strengthened her and opened her eyes to the miracle God was working in her life.She briefly discusses each of those zigzags and how she’s thankful for them. Thankful? Yes, thankful. I am honored to call Ms. Eva my friend. Want to hear Ms. Eva’s story interview? Listen to episode 22 titled, “In Honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day” here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/zigzag-1/id1447918523?i=1000472233085

57: Confidence in What We Hope For mindset interview with Eva Aigner

Are you able to see beauty in your struggles? I don’t mean after the struggle has passed. We often can see the beautiful reasons why the struggle was necessary and for our good after the struggle has passed.I mean are you able to see beauty at the onset of a struggle. A big, unexpected struggle. One you aren’t sure how to navigate. Can you see the beauty then?My guest, Sharon Richardson, shared her story on last week’s episode of her daughter Paige being born with multiple health issues. That was a big, unexpected struggle. She wasn’t sure how to navigate it. Could she see Paige as a blessing? Check out episode 55 if you missed it.In those first few weeks when the doctor’s prognosis for Paige was unsettling, Sharon received a poem titled “Welcome to Holland” by Emily Perl Kingsley that encouraged her to consider this new place (having a daughter with multiple challenges) as a beautiful new place. When she looked at Paige, she could see beyond her struggles and see the beauty in her just the way God created her. Sharon shares how the mindset of “There’s something beautiful here” not only impacted the way she viewed her daughter but choosing that mindset again and again has carried her through other challenges she’s encountered in life. Choosing this mindset at the onset of a struggle is challenging. But as Sharon shared in her story interview, “the sooner you see the blessing, the sooner you receive it.” Blessings are beautiful!Order Sharon’s book, How Deep Is Your Love? A Mom’s Shattered Dreams Are Transformed into Showers of Blessings, on Amazon!

56: There's Something Beautiful Here mindset interview with Sharon Richardson

I LOVE the uniqueness of each of the overcomer interviews I’ve had the honor of sharing over the last ten years! While there may be similarities in their struggles, each overcomer shares unique insights, lessons learned, and ways God transformed her life.My guest for today’s Zigzag & 1 podcast interview is my friend, Sharon Richardson. Having a child with special needs is a similarity Sharon shares with several other overcomers I’ve interviewed, but her insights about why God chose her to be Paige’s mom will remind you of the beauty of being chosen by God. The lessons she’s learned will remind you to look for the blessings instead of focusing on the struggles. The way God transformed her life by being Paige’s mom will remind you how God will transform your life no matter what zigzags intersect your path.Check out Sharon’s book, How Deep Is Your Love: A Mom’s shattered Dreams Are Transformed into Showers of Blessings, and learn more about her at sharonmrichardson.com. 

55: The Sooner You See the Blessing, the Sooner You Receive It with Sharon Richardson

Christine Trimpe joins us again to discuss a powerful habit and mindset that fills her with joy at the start of every day.For three decades, Christine struggled with her weight. Her food provided very little nourishment and left her feeling joyless. As we discussed in her story interview – episode 53 – her turning point was realizing she hadn’t considered inviting God into her weight loss journey. When Christine began studying her Bible a daily habit and feasting on God’s Word, she began losing the excess weight.Jeremiah’s words in Jeremiah 15:16 came alive. He said, “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty.”A deep joy is the amazing outcome Christine’s experienced as a result of feasting daily on God’s Word. Completing this habit first thing in the morning while she enjoys her coffee is her way of starting the day with a positive and encouraging mindset.Learn more about Christine at christinetrimpe.com.Grab a copy of her book: Seeking Joy through the Gospel of Luke: A Christmas to Calvary Advent Countdown 

Challenges Won't Stop Me

Challenges Won't Stop Me

Get Started

Download the App