December 6- Motherhood: Be Real, Laugh Often, Initiate with Others

Elle Wilkerson and Laura Armstrong:

Elle is a lover of people, cozy days, chai tea lattes, and talking life. Elle has two spunky, hilarious, blondies running circles around her at all times-Hadley (5) and Harris (2). She’s married to Mark, one of the most hilarious, energetic and passionate people you’ll ever meet. Elle cares deeply about people being themselves! She loves bringing authenticity and honesty into every area of life and watching how God uses that freedom to help others go deep!

Laura: On any given day, you can find Laura snapping photos, drinking pretentious coffee, or binging the latest true crime podcast. She’s surrounded by some handsome dudes including her wild sons, Tucker and Cooper, and her husband, Grant—tall bearded wonder, sacrificial, lover of rugby. She cares deeply about extending value to those around her and creating safe places for people to be fully the person God created them to be!

Elle and Laura started The Honestly Podcast in May 2019 as a way to encourage people to come together as our real selves in the mess and mundane of life.

This Friday they will share with us the reality that raising small people is not for the faint of heart. Whether it’s tantrums, mom fails, loneliness, or so many other things, each and every one of us has an area of motherhood that we feel “not enough”. At the Honestly Podcast, we believe that being real with others, laughing at your own mistakes, and having the courage to initiate with those in your communities provides a space to both fail and succeed, survive and thrive, and experience Jesus within the mundane of everyday life.

 

 

November 8- Who’s the Boss? You or Your Money?

 

Hey all! It’s me, Monica. I grew up in Northern Indiana, graduated from Purdue

University (Boiler Up!) and moved back to my hometown to serve as the Children’s Pastor at my home church. There I learned lots about ministry and life but more importantly met a really cute drummer, who, a few years later, became my husband.

On September 25, 2010, I gained a husband and two daughters, Katie and Ashley. A few years later the Lyon Pride added two little boy cubs, Cooper (5) and Camden (4).  Since then we have added Tom (married to Katie) and their two kiddos, Molly (2) and Henry (8 months) and Mike (married to Ashley).

In 2009, debt and poor financial decisions caught up with me and I was forced to

make some hard choices. I was introduced to Financial Peace University. Mike and I decided that we needed to make changes in the way we saved and spent our money. In two years we made sacrifices and were blessed over and over with God’s provision. Since 2010 we have lived mostly debt free. We learned that the Baby Steps are in place to help guide and teach us but ultimately our behaviors were what had to change. Things like monthly budgets and using cash now help us to maintain our debt free status and continue to our goals with money.

Wouldn’t it be nice to not fight and worry about money? How would your life change if you knew all of the bills were paid? What if you got to be the boss of your money instead of it always controlling you? Come out this Friday for all of the simple answers to these questions and more! Just kidding, I wish! But seriously, come out on Friday and I will share more details about our story. Hopefully it will encourage you and challenge you. And maybe some of the things we have learned along the way will help you to find true financial freedom.

October 25- Peace in the Midst of Problems

Amy Greenawalt is an Ohio native, but she and her husband Mark have lived in

Seymour 20 years. They have 4 children ages 16, 13, 11 and 8. Amy is a piano

teacher, and runs a piano studio from her home. Music is a huge part of her

family’s life. She helps supervise a children’s preschool class at BSF in

Columbus, and teaches a preschool Sunday school class at church. She enjoys

exercising with friends, playing the piano, baking, gardening, reading and

watching all her kids’ activities.

Amy will share how God can give us peace in the midst of the pain and struggles

of life. She will also be sharing how to find balance in our busy lives, from

Rebekah Lyon’s new book, “Rhythms of Renewal

October 11- Intentional Healthy Living: Emptying, Filling, and Overflowing

Kelcey Gropp is a wife and mom of two from Wisconsin. She helps lead worship and Bible studies with her husband at their church, continues to work on growing the Fresh Start health ministry that she founded in 2016, and is also in the process of starting an interior design business. (You can find out more about Fresh Start and the health team at www.yourfreshstartlife.com.) She is passionate about Jesus Christ, the Word of God, investing in her own health (in mind, body, and spirit), and sharing what she has learned with others. She loves being in nature, laughing, hanging out with her family and friends, and (when money allows)…a little shopping.

Kelcey will share from her own story some of what she has learned intentional healthy living looks like. She will share how what she has learned has translated into very practical application pieces that she believes women can learn how to incorporate into their lives so that they can live more health-full lives in mind, body and spirit.

“I truly believe that what the Lord teaches us we have the privilege and responsibility of sharing with others.” As a former short-time Hoosier herself, Kelcey looks forward to getting to be with you all in Indiana.

September 27- Prayer: It is Easier Than You Think

 

Margie Newton and her husband, Doug, were led by the Lord to start a prayer ministry called “Mary’s Place” back in 2001. Since that time they have led many prayer retreats and have co-directed the National Prayer Ministry of the Free Methodist denomination. They continue to speak and encourage people in how to develop and gain spiritual growth through prayer.

As a Mom of 2 grown daughters and pastor’s wife for over 40 years, Margie has learned the significance of prayer as a mom but also the challenges of incorporating prayer into life.

Margie will “debunk” some of the “road blocks” of prayer and encourage you in how prayer is easier than you think. It can be incorporated into life – in fact it is life.

Through scripture’s Truth and some very practical “tips” come and hear how something you thought you didn’t have time for can become as easy as “breathing.”

August 30- What Does Faith Look Like in Kids at Different Ages and Stages?

Allison Williams was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, but has been blessed to have spent the past 14 years in full-time ministry in Seymour, Indiana. She currently serves as the Youth Pastor at Reddington Christian Church.  She has a heartbeat for encouraging others and trying to make hard faith concepts more understandable.

She’s authored over 40 youth ministry resources and frequently guest blogs on youth ministry websites. Allison has never met a stranger, loves cooking up new recipes, and is so organized she has two label makers (just in case).

Allison will be sharing on faith development in kids. Moms are incredible at making sure that their kids are where they need to be in every area of life: educationally, mentally, emotionally, physically, etc. But oftentimes, parents overlook the spiritual piece of development assuming that it’ll work itself out later.  Some families do want to cultivate more spiritual conversations at home, but just don’t know where to begin or what their child can handle.  During this talk, we will discover what kids can grasp in their faith journey at every age and stage.  We will also explore some creative ideas and resources that can support growing your beliefs at home.  Join us as we discuss the important work of instilling our faith legacy into our families!

March 29- Marriage Can Be Hard!

 

Dana’s heart is to connect women with God’s heart through the teaching of His Word. After being a stay-at-home mom, Dana taught in colleges in Texas and Tennessee and provided training for businesses and industries. Currently she works at Pier 1 where she loves to connect with women from all over the world! Dana gets excited about meaningful, honest conversation, celebrating small victories, and spending time with her incredible husband, family, and friends.

Dana will be sharing about marriage.  She says, “Don’t be discouraged or disappointed if you find that your marriage is hard!!  The Bible tells us that if we are married–there will be trouble!  We will look at practical ways to handle some of the hard stuff:  expectations, conflict, and communication!  It’s never too late or too early to have a healthy marriage!”