The Love Offering

If we're honest, that's a sentiment we’ve all shared. Prayer can be challenging and confusing. Often we feel abandoned, betrayed, and anxious. We don't know what to pray for, we don't know the words to say, and sometimes it just feels like there's no one on the other side. Pastor and bestselling author Derwin Gray addresses all of these feelings and thoughts today on the show. Using his book “God, Do You Hear Me?” (B&H) as a guide, Derwin walks us through the Lord’s Prayer (Matt 6:9-13). We also chat about:▫️His time playing in the NFL▫️God’s transformation process▫️Partnering with GodTune in to discover the prayer God always answers. We pray this episode helps you break through to a completely new and refreshing prayer life. “When we try to be good without God we end up being bad. So, the way you become a love offering is you let the unlimited, life-giving, sin forgiving, love of Jesus ravage you.”Connect with Derwin:Derwinlgray.com@derwinlgraySupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Emotions—love them or hate them, we’ve all got them. And we’ve all got to figure out what to do with them. But wait—can we do anything about our emotions? Can we learn how to identify, express, experience—and yes, sometimes wrangle—our feelings in order to live a vibrant, healthy, fruitful life for Jesus?Elizabeth Laing Thompson uses her experiences as a big feeler to encourage and equip different kinds of feelers with the biblical perspectives, practical tools, and scriptural reservoir they need through her book All the Feels (Tyndale) and All the Feels for Teens (Wander). As a woman who has lived every day of her life having All The Big Feelings All The Day Long, Elizabeth knows what it’s like to live life through our emotions—and how important it is to understand, take control of, and grow from those emotions. Whether you have a sensitive soul with more feelings than you know how to name, a logical personality that doesn’t quite know what to do with feelings, or a steady flow of emotions somewhere in the middle, this episode will help you:▫️discover your own God-designed “feelings style” and how it impacts your life and relationships,▫️distinguish fact from feeling and figure out which feelings you can trust, and▫️understand which emotional gifts God wants you to expand, explore, and enjoy.Get ready to throw open the doors of your heart, bringing God to your emotions and your emotions to God—the One who invented feelings and who always welcomes yours.Plus we chat about Elizabeth's other books When God Says No (Barbour), When God Says Wait, and When God Says Go (Shiloh)! So much goodness in one episode! This week’s love offering is to “love someone else through their hard time. Comfort those who need comforted. That is how we redeem those difficult times.”Connect with Elizabeth:http://LizzyLife.comhttps://facebook.com/alizzylifehttps://instagram.com/elizabethlaingthompsonSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The Lucky Few is a social awareness brand on the mission to make a more inclusive and loving world with an emphasis on shifting the Down syndrome narrative. Heather Avis is the founder and chief visionary officer of The Lucky Few and mom of three adopted children, two of which have Down Syndrome. She is on the show chatting about her children’s book titled “Different—A Great Thing To Be!” (WaterBrook & Multnomah, imprints of Penguin Random House). Join us as Heather shares about learning to value the "different" in all people, leading the way to a more inclusive, kinder world in which our differences are celebrated and warmly embraced. This week’s love offering is to say to ourselves and to say to those around us “who you are, exactly as you are, you are loved and you are worthy. Who I am, exactly as I am, I am loved and I am worthy to be loved.” Connect with Heather:https://www.heatheravis.comhttps://instagram.com/theluckyfewofficialSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Anxiety and depression are on the rise. Michelle Nietert is the Clinical Director of Community Counseling Associates in Dallas, TX. She is a mom of two and a former school counselor with over 20 years experience in private practice. She is on the show sharing her expertise on how to protect our mental health and the mental health of our children. We chat about:Empowering our children to struggle well in hard seasonsManaging difficult emotions and age-specific vocabulary to useWarning signs to look for & how moms can help5 ways moms can protect their own mental healthWe pray after this episode you are better equipped to handle the mental health challenges life brings.This week’s love offering is “to be a vessel and be open to the moments to experience God. Let him do the work.”People and Books mentioned:Sissy Goff Dr. Caroline LeafHenry Blackaby - Experiencing GodConnect with Michelle:https://michellenietert.comSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We live in a polarized time. Christians are quick to conceive of themselves either as theologically-minded or worship-minded; either thinking Christians or feeling Christians. The results are damaging: theology without worship is muted, stifled, and cold, and worship without theology is ungrounded, unrooted, and uninformed. This is not the way it was meant to be. Amy Gannett is the author of “Fix Your Eyes” (B&H books) and she is in the show sharing how our theology (our study and knowledge of God) should always lead to doxology (our worship of Him). Worship should always be rooted in theology. When we study the nature and character of God as revealed in his Word, we are invited to respond in the affectionate, obedient discipleship of worship. How can we keep our theology from being mere head knowledge? How do we give our worship roots that will last? By fixing our eyes on God Himself—the object of our study and the object of our worship. Join us to understand core doctrines of the Christian faith, apply them in our daily worship of God, and live them out in daily life.This week’s love offering is to “make your whole self available to God. So often we withhold a part of ourselves. There is a reason that God asks us to love Him with our whole mind, body, heart, and strength.”About Amy:Amy Gannett (M.Div, Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary) is a speaker, writer, and Bible teacher. She is the author of several exegetical Bible studies, and her teaching and writing has been featured on Christian outlets like Well-Watered Women, The Gospel Coalition, JourneyWomen, Risen Motherhood, and Christ and Pop Culture. She is also the founder of Tiny Theologians, which offers training tools for parents and children’s ministries, equipping them to pass on the Christian faith to the next generation. You can find her online at amygannett.com, and on social media at @amycategannett and @tinytheologians.Support the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Despite more ways to stay connected than ever before, our lives still feel less and less connected. We desire healthy friendships but feel less equipped to make and foster them. In this episode Amberly Neese discusses her book The Friendship Initiative. We dive into the friendships and connections Jesus made in the Bible and discover keys for building relationships. We also chat about her book titled Common Ground. Through personal and biblical stories she guides us to peace and reconciliation in all our relationships, reassuring us that it is possible to find common ground with everyone―despite our differences.We pray through this episode you find encouragement and practical help for connecting with others in your everyday life.Our love offering is to be “the fish and loaves. They were multiplied after they were broken. may we be willing to be broken so God’s message might be multiplied.”Connect with Amberly:Amberlyneese.comSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

You exist for such a time as this! Jodie Niznik is on the show today diving deep into the stories of Esther and Jonah. While they endured wildly different circumstances and had distinctly singular callings, they were both appointed by God. They were placed in a certain time and space in history. God carried them through unique experiences and gave them specific gifts. Despite their opposite attitudes of willingness, their lives are proof of the great things we can accomplish when we follow God's call. Join us to learn that you too are uniquely equipped and called by God for a particular assignment in a specific time and place. Now you stand at a crossroads, and the choice is yours. Will you choose to boldly respond like Esther or will you fight your calling like Jonah? It’s time to take brave, bold steps forward into the life you long for!You can be a love offering by “making a relationship with the Lord your highest priority. Spend time with Him and know His voice, so that you can know where He is leading you. Any invitation He has for you is a love offering.”Connect with Jodie:http://www.jodieniznik.comFacebook (@JodieGNiznik)Instagram (@jodieniznik)So Much More podcastSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

There’s a moment in every conversation that can change the whole relationship. A moment when you can either move toward the other person or away from them. Choose to break a negative cycle or continue it. Understand and be understood or remain confused and frustrated. It’s the “miracle moment.” And once you learn how to recognize and respond to it, it holds the power to help transform the relationships you have―at home, in love, and at work―into the ones you really want. In The Miracle Moment, Nicole Unice helps you discover the practical tools to:▫️Learn to respect and respond to your emotions without letting them control you▫️Speak words that help―rather than hurt―the likelihood of your getting what you need▫️Identify and keep yourself safe from toxic people▫️Become comfortable setting and holding boundaries▫️Be your best self even when you’re tempted to shut up, blow up, or give up▫️Step into the space where miracles happen. Your miracle moments are waiting for you: moments of honesty; moments of healing; moments of renewal and lasting change. Connect with Nicole: nicoleunice.comSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Hard things are a part of life. Yet they don’t have to have the final word. They can become the keys to our greatest usability in the kingdom of God—that is, if we let God make good of them, rather than running away and refusing the growth we truly crave.Lisa Whittle is on the show today discussing her new book The Hard Good. In today’s episode, Lisa guides us on a powerful path to progress as we learn to: accept things we wish were different, apologize and forgive first, cheer for someone who gets what we want, open our hearts again when we’ve been hurt, find joy in the waiting,and show up when we want to shut down. Written for those who desperately want to move forward, The Hard Good gives voice to the hard places we all have lived and Lisa’s clear directions as to where to go next. We pray through this episode you realize your hard place is never too hard for God. Allow it to change you, help you, and ready you for the greatest comeback you have ever known.This week’s love offering is to remember that “You can’t fix it so don’t try. We try to offer our story as help, but sometimes we need to just listen. Don’t be afraid to let silence sit. Sit in the grief.”“If you don’t love Jesus you can’t love people. If it doesn’t come from an overflow of our hearts eventually it will become service that in some way serves us.”Connect with Lisa:Lisa Whittle | Author, Speaker & Teacher | Put Your Warrior Boots On (Book)Support the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Inside the soul of every mother lies a heart that becomes a repository of sweet memories, hard lessons, glorious victories, ordinary days, glaring failures, and God’s grace over the years of mothering. The heart of a mother becomes home to jokes around the dinner table, holiday traditions, the tears of childhood, and the love that only a mother knows.Carol McLeod, president and founder of Carol McLeod Ministries, is on the show chatting about her book Rooms of a Mother’s Heart: A Sacred Call and an Eternal Purpose (Whitaker House, April 2021). On today’s episode she shares what it means to be a mother and offers tender encouragement to all women who accept that calling.Topics of conversation:How God’s wisdom can help mothers become stronger Creating beautiful and meaningful relationships with your childrenHow to approach important milestones in your children’s livesThe importance of introducing your children to God and the BibleWe pray that after today's episode you realize how you don't have to be a perfect mom, but you can be a wonderful mom. This week’s love offering is to “lay our lives on the altar of God as a love offering for His plans and His purposes for the next generation.”Connect with Carol:A Jolt of Joy! on the Charisma Podcast NetworkSignificant Women podcasthttps://www.carolmcleodministries.comhttps://www.facebook.com/carolmcleodministrieshttps://instagram.com/carolmcleodBook mentioned:Room’s Of A Mother’s HeartSignificantSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.