Grit 'n' Grace: Good Girls Breaking Bad Rules

What do you feel when somebody says, "It's not about you?" Cheri and Amy felt defensive, but author Sharon Hodde Miller, author of Free of Me, show us that this truth is freedom. We can have more life as we focus less on ourselves, free from seeing everything as caused or reflecting on us. In this interview, Sharon helps us to remove the mirror of self so that we can really see the truth and beauty around us.

As women we're often reluctant to name our gifts and stand in the strength we have. But what if we shifted our thoughts to a place of confidence in the woman God created? Then we can say, "God gave me this gift to serve" or "God's strength allowed me to accomplish something great!" Cheri and Amy discuss practical tools that have helped them increase their confidence and steps to take when our confidence falters. All of it leads to a "so that" that can change our world!

Are you craving confidence to climb the mountains in your life? What if you could MOVE the mountain?Lynn Cowell, author of Make Your Move, shares that God wants to give us confidence to inspire change in our world. Instead of feeling like we're always falling short, God can empower us to be a difference maker! Learn from Lynn about some fun about some amazing women from the Bible that you may have never heard of and find the confidence they reveal at the same time!

Do you have a situation in your life that has you feeling stuck? We've all been there! Cheri and Amy discuss the difficulties of being fixated on a problem and practical ways to shift our focus so that we can move forward. Changing our gaze may be simple but it's sure not easy, so join in on this girlfriends' guide to becoming solution-minded.

We're all on a search for examples we can follow, and Debbie Wilson, author of Little Women Big God, points us to women in scripture who have lived through hard times just like our own. Cheri and Amy dig deep with Debbie into the flawed but fabulous women of Jesus' lineage. Like us, these trail-blazers floundered at times, but we get to learn from their lessons. Join us for this enlightening discussion of how God works powerfully in the lives of imperfect women, giving us a little more light for our own path!

 It seems counterintuitive, but sometimes we have to go backward to go forward. Cheri and Amy talk about how God is reteaching them the basics in order to do a deeper work. The good news for perfectionists and people-pleasers is that we can let go of our try-harder attitude so that God can do His perfecting work in us through the Power of Simple. Take a deep breath... and dive into grace!

Where are you in your walk with Jesus? Just getting to know Him? Needing to fall in love with Him all over again? Donna Jones, author of Seek, uses God's Word and stories to explain God's big truths simple ways that makes our little hearts swell. Every word Donna shares oozes His love! Whether you're a brand new Christian or a woman who has journeyed with God for years, this interview will make you fall head over heels for Jesus all over again.

Disappointment is... well, so disappointing. Amy and Cheri talk about how to re-frame our expectations to deal with our disappointment while still allowing ourselves to grieve in the hard places. It's also possible to walk with others in love through their disappointments. When we apply our grit and God's grace in disappointments, there's hope even there!

Diane Kim, author of Unbroken Faith, was blind-sided by her son's diagnosis of autism. In her conversation with Cheri and Amy, she addresses the struggle to build faith when disappointment tries to rob us of it. Diane's honest, practical style will leave every listener with the tools she needs to deal with life's next let down. (And she shares the five questions to avoid with our suffering friends. So valuable!)

In this hilarious but convicting conversation, Cheri and Amy confess the automobile mishaps they've created with cell phones in their hands, and they grade themselves (brutally) on their device usage. There are lots of gasps and giggles in this one, but some great solutions emerge to help curb our use of screens.

Your cell phone... friend or foe? We've probably all seen it as both at one time or another! Arlene Pellicane, author of Calm, Cool and Connected shares guilt-free strategies for using your devices as a tool without feeling worked-over. When it comes to our online-life, this episode is a needed dose of more peace and less angst.

What makes you feel loved and connected to someone else? We all can probably answer that question quickly, but could we answer if we were asked to tell what makes our friend feel loved? Or our co-worker, child or husband? Listen in as Cheri and Amy discuss how to discover the delights of our peeps so that we can forge stronger relationships with them. Peek into their heart and build a bond!

t's hard to build strong connections in a crazy-busy world. Kathi Lipp reassures us that we already have all we need to create the relationships we want. By becoming students of our kids and those we love, we can come up with practical ways to reach out with individualized care. Don't miss this episode with Kathi's creative and fun examples of how she's connected with her people!

It's easy to slip into creating a death-grip on the wheel of our lives. Sadly, our control manages God's job very poorly. To help us all stop the madness, Cheri discusses the powerful revelations God is giving her within her 2018 word of the year, and Amy explains the counter-intuitive power of Himperfection. If you struggle with control (tell the truth! Cheri and Amy sure do!), then this episode will help you move toward letting Jesus take the wheel. More joy and life are guaranteed when we do!

 It's hard for reforming perfectionists and people-pleasers to give up control! Shannon Popkin, author of Control Girl, shares her struggle with control and how surrendering to God brought her peace and rest. Casting a new light on women of the Bible that we know well, Shannon brings fresh insight to the lessons we can learn from others' control failures. After listening, you'll walk away in the lightness of giving up what we were never meant to carry!

In processing their interview with Ginny Yttrup, Cheri and Amy dive into the central theme of her book Home, escaping from pain. It's our human tendency to want to run from grief and hurt, but sadly, that leads us far from the help we need in Jesus. Make sure to listen for one key question that can keep us close to Jesus in our painful seasons. By surrendering pain, it's possible to grow through it!

In this interview with Ginny Yttrup, Christian fiction writer and author of Home, she shares how she uses story to address the issues we all face-- grief, control, shame and the desire to escape. Listen as Ginny and Cheri dish on the pros and cons of being a Highly Sensitive Person. (And as Amy fan-girls over Ginny, her favorite Christian fiction author of the year!)

Our lives are shaped by our thoughts. That's a little scary, right? If we let our thoughts float through our heads unexamined or if we let others plant thoughts unchallenged, we can move into a negative space in a split second. Cheri and Amy reflect on ways to take responsibility for our thoughts, and it turns out that we should aim to disappoint some people. Cheri shares a counter-intuitive flash of insight that can change your life!

Even the strongest faith can become battered and start to sink when painful circumstances blindside us. How can we respond in a way that keeps us afloat? We have a shocking number of thoughts in a day (make sure to listen to the episode find out how many-- you won't believe it!), and only we can choose if they are positive or negative. Tracie Miles, author of Unsinkable Faith, gives practical steps for choosing thoughts that will sustain us in harrowing times.

As Cheri and Amy processed last week's interview with Tricia Goyer, one of her quotes kept floating to the top, “Our greatest moments of wholeness are actually when we’re sharing our weaknesses.” What does it mean to live out our imperfect stories in a way that impacts the world? How can we help others see Jesus through our brokenness? If we want to be world-changers, we have to learn to live our own authentic but flawed story. We can do this!