Better Together With Barb Roose

**TRIGGER ALERT** Today’s podcast episode contains highly sensitive content that may cause distress or anxiety depending on your background or current situation. The recent suicide death of billionaire financier and alleged sexual predator, Jeffrey Epstein has escalated the public’s debate about justice for sexual abuse victims. Behind the headlines are countless, nameless faces of humans who’ve suffered humanity's most intimate violation at the hands of another, yet suffer once again because their courage to voice their pain or story is often questioned, even dismissed. “Are you sure that happened?” “What were you wearing?” “Are you making this up to get attention?” “Why didn’t you say anything before?” Rocked by high-profile sexual misconduct allegations, the evangelical church’s shortcomings in responding to and protecting the victims of sexual abuse within their walls were largely thrust into the limelight in 2018. Mary DeMuth, an advocate, survivor of sexual abuse, and a popular evangelical author, helps

Are you feeling scared, frustrated, or insecure about the world that you live in? How in the world do we stay hopeful and positive with so much negativity around us? On today's episode of the Better Together podcast, I'm talking with one of my longtime friends, Melissa Spoelstra. She's a powerful Bible teacher as well as well-known speaker and author about her brand new Bible study, Romans: The Good News that Changes Everything. Melissa and I sat down to talk just a few days after I returned home from El Paso, TX where I'd traveled to welcome home my oldest daughter, Kate, after her 9-month deployment to the Middle East. If you're connected to me on social media, you saw that on my last morning in El Paso, we were at the mall close to the Wal-Mart where the tragic mass shooting happened. In fact, the store we were shopping in went on lockdown and for several minutes we were deeply concerned that the shooter was in our area.  As I reflect on the tragedy of El Paso, the shooting in Dayton less than 12 hours la

Is the empty nest on the horizon? Are you trying to figure out how to let go or figure out who you are now that the kids are grown? If so, you're in the right place!     Welcome to a new season of the Better Together Podcast where we find the hope, the help, as well as practical next steps so that we can all get better together! To kick of off our new season, I'm talking with my friend, Jill Savage about the empty nest season of life. This year, my last child moved out of the house and after nearly 27 years of raising children, I loved this conversation with my wise and fun friend! Jill is the author of the new book, Empty Nest, Full Life: Discovering God's Best for Your Next (August 2019). In today's episode, Jill shares the follow with us: Wisdom:  Jill tells us what empty nest moms need to let go of and what to hold on to.  Encouragement: Are you struggling with tough situations and feeling discouraged? Jill talks about how she navigates parenting adult children dealing with mental illness, homosexuality

What makes your home beautiful is YOU! -Tracy Steel Do you love design shows like “Fixer Upper” or anything else on HGTV? Most of us would love for Joanna Gaines or the Property Brothers to stop by and give our homes a fresh look! However, I’m talking with my friend and fabulous interior designer, Tracy Steel about how you can freshen up your heart and your home this summer. Make sure to check out the photos of Tracy’s beautiful home on the blog page. Not only is she a military wife, mother of two, and a talented designer, but Tracy just graduated from Phoenix Seminary with a Master’s Degree in Biblical and Theological Studies in May 2019. She loves teaching God’s Word and equipping people to fully embrace the space they’re living in. In today’s Better Together podcast, Tracy shares five ways to freshen your heart and home by combining wisdom from God’s Word with practical design advice: Look up (ceilings/Colossians 3:1-4) Clean up (declutter/Colossians 3:5-8) Brighten/Change up: (re-polish/repaint/refurbish

"MOM! What are we going to today?" It's summertime, mamas! Either your kids are out of school for the summer or you're counting down the days, summertime is a HUGE change for a family schedule. If you want to have a great summer with your kids without losing your mind, join me for my conversation today with speaker, author and mom of five, Katie M. Reid.  On today's Better Together podcast, Katie shares five fabulous tips for you can set your family up for success this summer.  Katie is a national speaker, singer/songwriter, and author of Made Like Martha: Good News for the Woman Who Gets Things Done. She holds a Masters Degree in Secondary Education and has been published on sites like: Focus on the Family, TODAY's Parenting Team Blog, Crosswalk, Proverbs 31, and HuffPost. Katie is a fan of musicals and cut-to-the-chase conversations over tea.   During today's conversation, Katie shares the following five ideas: 1. Choose a landing spot in the house for summertime gear 2. Create a family summer activity list

“Single women, we must refute ALL the lies that we’ve started to believe.” I had a sensational conversation with speaker, author and single parent coach, Kaywanda Lamb. We met last fall while speaking at a conference in Louisiana. Within seconds of meeting Kaywanda, I knew that I’d made a new friend. She’s beautiful, brilliant, authentic and deeply wise. A high school Spanish teacher by day, Kaywanda has raised two handsome sons on her own. She began coaching single parents while her boys were young and to support her family, Kaywanda returned to school to advance her education and obtain a Masters in Spanish.  During our conversation today, Kaywanda is going to speak right to heart of single women who are searching, wondering and maybe afraid that they’ll never find a wonderful man who’ll love and cherish them. In fact, Kaywanda shares five lies that women often believe. Here they are: Lie #1. “I don’t think that anyone will ever want me.” Lie #2. “I feel like married women have it better than single women.”

Are you a mom who is constantly giving? Giving your time, energy, and emotions to your kids, spouse, your job and your community?  This episode the Better Together podcast is for all the moms out there who feel like they are along in the jungle of managing kids, homes, unrealistic expectations and the pressure to be all things to all people. Motherhood is no joke - and it ain't for wimps! I remember going almost 13 years without a FULL NIGHT'S SLEEP. I was a zombie y'all. There were the times when I was so distracted that I forgot to send in a form...or forgot to pick up a kid after school. I beat myself up endlessly over the times when I lost my temper or I chose to run errands instead of sit down and read a book with my kids.   After all of the ups and downs of motherhood, do you want to know the best lesson that I've learned? It's actually something that I repeat to myself many days of the week - and I hope that you might do the same. Here it is: "Barb, be kind to yourself. You're doing the best that you c

What do we do when God says no to what we've been praying for? If you've clicked over to this podcast, let me tell you right now: You're supposed to be here right now. I don't even know about your life. But, I know that you need to click play on this episode and hear what my friend, Janet McHenry, has to say. She's the best-selling author of the book, Prayer walk, and the author of the newest book, The Complete Prayers of Jesus. Today, Janet speaks powerful, divine wisdom into the hard question: What do we do when God says no? He didn't heal your loved one; He didn't stop your parent from abandoning you; He allowed the divorce to happen; He hasn't rescued your child from drugs; He's allowed your financial or legal trouble to cost you everything. You aren't alone if you're confused or angry because God hasn't answered your prayer the way that you'd hoped. There are verses in the Bible about God giving us the desires of our heart and God invites us to ask Him for anything. Yet, how do we reconcile God's command

Do you struggle with being a Christian who loves Jesus BUT still suffers with depression? If so, STOP RIGHT NOW and listen to today's Better Together podcast! “I asked God to take it away a lot. And He didn’t. So I had to rethink what He might mean by leaving it there.” -Melissa Maimone, author of The Radiant Midnight  Melissa Maimone is a Christian speaker and writer who teaches women that an authentic life in Christ can be messy and magnificent at the exact same time. With her unique blend of theology, humor and insight, Melissa provides down-to-earth lessons, practical applications, and life-changing perspectives to real women who are living real lives in the midst of real problems. Using scripture, art, storytelling and lessons from her own battle with depression, Melissa demonstrates that the light of JOY can be found even in dark places. Friends, I LOVED my conversation with Melissa because we're talk about depression, mental health and how to live WELL in hard times. So, so good! And I’ve read and prou

Are you tired? Does taking a day off to rest seem impossible? Listen to one of Barb’s teaching messages on the topic of REST. The big idea of her message is this: We are blessed when we rest. In this upbeat and equipping message, Barb talks about why and how Jesus championed rest for us. Some of the highlights from this message: We are blessed when rest. When we are exhausted, sin starts looking good. Rest realigns us with God’s purpose for our lives. Rest reconnects us with God. Rest revives us. Sabbath (Rest Day) Prayer: God, I will rest in you today. I will be blessed as I rest today. I trust that you are my provider and I give you what I have and trust you for what I don’t.   About your Better Together podcast host... Barb Roose is a popular speaker and author who is passionate about equipping women to win at life with Christ-empowered strength and dignity. Barb loves speaking at women’s conference and leadership events such as the Aspire Women’s Events, She Speaks Conference and the UMC Leadership Inst

When I use the phrase "racial justice" how do you feel? Perhaps you're feeling uncomfortable or you're frustrated because you love people like Jesus does so a conversation about race feels unnecessary. As an African-American woman who also loves Jesus, I promise you, this conversation is necessary. And I want to give you permission to feel uncomfortable and even disagree with what you hear - as long as you're willing to stay engaged and don't give up on listening! In today's Better Together podcast, I'm talking with author Cara Meredith about her new book, The Color of Life: A Journey Toward Love and Racial Justice. She's a Caucasian-American woman who married an African-American man named James Henry Meredith, who happens to be the son of Civil Rights activist and icon, James Howard Meredith. Not sure who he is? Cara talks about her father-in-law at the beginning of our conversation and here's an article where you can see photos. Here's what Cara and I talk about in this episode: Her father-in-law, James H

Are you a caregiver who would love it if someone would stop and ask how YOU are doing? In our culture today, many women find themselves caring for older parents or chronically ill loved ones. Even as medicine has advanced so much, the support for the endless job of caregiving hasn't kept pace. How do you stay uplifted and encouraged when carrying the responsibility of caring for a loved one? On today's Better Together Podcast, I'm talking with Sarah Forgrave,  author and speaker who loves encouraging others toward a deeper walk of faith. As one who experienced several years of surgeries and slow recovery, Sarah understands the fears and frustrations of not getting better. But, as the caregiver after her sister's heart transplant ten years ago, Sarah also learned many lessons about the the difficulties of caregiving. Her prayer devotional for those dealing with medical illnesses, Prayers for Hope and Healing, released with Harvest House Publishers in 2017. Sarah's newest book, Prayers of Hope for Caregivers,

"Prepare your bucket list and live your life well.” These are the words a doctor spoke to Heather Dixon in 2015. She's speaker, author and bible teacher who understands the challenges of living with a story that is not easy. Diagnosed with an incurable and terminal genetic disorder that she inherited from her mother, Heather is passionate about encouraging and equipping women to trust in God, face their greatest fears, and live with hope, especially in the midst of difficult circumstances. When she is not blogging at The Rescued Letters or speaking at women’s conferences and events, Heather loves to make the most of everyday moments such as cooking for her husband and son, brainstorming all the possible ways to organize Legos and superheroes, checking out way too many library books, or unashamedly indulging in her love for all things Disney. Heather is the author of Ready: Finding the Courage to Face the Unknown and a regular contributor to Journey magazine. Her second Bible study, Determined: Living Like J

"Hope is knowing that one day I will hold my babies in heaven." -Kaila Mugford Today's episode is one of the most powerful and emotional conversations that I've ever had on the Better Together podcast. I'm talking with my brave and courageous friend, Kaila Mugford about her journey as a mother with two children living with her on earth and two precious little boys in heaven. If you or a friend has suffered a miscarriage or infant loss, Kaila's speaks with bare honesty and vulnerability about her complicated feelings about God, faith, others' advice and how to stand by friends who suffer a miscarriage or infant loss. After you listen to today's episode, please share it with a grieving friend and let her know that you love her.   Kaila blogs about her family’s grief and loss of two children at kailamugford.blogspot.com. Writing is healing for her, and she hopes that her words can bring comfort to others grieving too.   LINKS FROM TODAY'S SHOW: Kaila's blog Still Standing Magazine  

Did you grow up in a home where things were kept silent? Did your parents ask you to keep secrets or warn you not to talk about certain family problems outside of the house? In today's Better Together podcast, we're talking about how to stop suffocating in silence and learn how to have hard conversations. Even as Jesus taught that the Truth of the gospel would set us free from eternal condemnation, we also know that speaking God's Truth also frees us from the strongholds of secret sin, generational curses and other dysfunctional behaviors. My guest is Lori Roeleveld, author of the new book, The Art of Hard Converations: Biblical Tools for the Tough Talks that Matter (2019). Today, Lori explains why we struggle to have hard conversations and how to learn how to have them.  I know first hand how secrets are strongholds that can drain the hope of even the strongest families. If you've been sitting in silence and afraid of speaking up for any reason, Lori's words just might be divine timing for you. Here's what

Did you grow up with a father who was absent from your life? Have you felt the emptiness and ache that accompanies the absence of his love and involvement? On this week’s episode of Better Together, I’m talking with Kia Stephens about her story, her healing and her mission to help women deal with their father wounds. Kia is the found of the Father Swap Blog as well as Entrusted Women, an online community to encourage, equip and uplift writers, bloggers, speakers and authors who happen to be women of color. She a wife and homeschooling mom of two who is passionate about helping women know God as Father. For this reason, she created The Father Swap Blog to help women exchange their father wounds for the love of God the Father. During today’s podcast, Kia will talk about not only the definition of a "father wound", but she's explain how this kind of loss can wreck woman’s emotions and relationships with men if unaddressed. When a father isn't a part of a woman's life, that loss can have a painful and negative im

Are you a woman that likes to get things done? If you’re love to-do lists, then you’re going to love my conversation with Katie M. Reid, author of Made Like Martha: Good News for the Woman Who Gets Things Done. Katie is a self-described modern-day Martha who struggled with the well-known story of two women with two different approaches to life in Luke 10. Have you ever read the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10? It’s a story of two women named Martha and Mary. In one particular situation, Martha worked to get her home prepared to offer hospitality while her sister, Mary sat at Jesus’ feet. When Martha asked Jesus to instruct Mary to help, Jesus answered with the following words: “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all of these details. There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it and it will not be taken from her.” (Luke 10:41-42 NLT) Too many of us have read this story and walked away with the conclusion that Jesus was criticizing Martha for trying to get things d

“Never give up!” That’s the philosophy of Vicki Fitch, an award winning leader, international business consultant and direct sales expert. If you’ve ever dreamed of making extra money to support your family through direct sales or multi-level marketing companies that offer great incentives with flexible schedules for your family, then you’ll definitely want to listen to Vicki’s story on today’s Better Together podcast. Vicki started her first business when she was 12 years old. She purchased her first home at 19 years old and began her first company a year later. As a “serial entrepreneur,” Vicki builds and sells business as a way of life. She’s been in the direct sales business for 20 years, consistently performing at the top 1% of her company and winning the kinds vacations, trips and bonuses that we dream about for our families. But, Vicki’s “never give up” philosophy comes from the difficult experiences in her early stages of her life. In today’s conversation, Vicki and I discuss her struggle to feel love

How do we teach our kids about God when we don't know all of the answers?  How do we get our kids to participate in family devotions when they don't want to sit still?!!! Take a deep breath, Mom and Dad. God knows that you're doing the best that you can. When it comes to teaching our kids about Jesus, you don't need to know the answers and there are some fabulous resources to help you out! On today's Better Together podcast, I had the most delightful conversation with author, Sarah M. Wells. She's the author of the new resource The Family Bible Devotional: Stories from the Bible to Help Kids and Parents Engage and Love Scripture.   Mom or Dad, if you're reading this today and you're worried about messing up your kids' spiritual growth, relax. It's okay to not have all of the answers. You've got permission to say, "I don't know the answer to that, but let's keep reading and see what we can learn."  Sarah wrote the Family Bible Devotional as a faith-building experience to give parents confidence in helping the

When we are intentional moms, it assists us in becoming less-stressed moms.  When we bring our babies home from the hospital, our dream is to raise them in a happy and healthy home. But, from the time that we get pregnant or we announce plans to adopt, others begin giving us their opinions about what we should or shouldn't do. If we're not careful, other people's input will confuse us and add a lot of stress to our already busy lives. Today, I'm continuing my fun and freeing conversation with my friend, Susan Seay. If you listened to part one of our interview, the podcast ended with Susan saying that she hit the wall after the birth of her seventh child. "I became so burdened with my efforts to be a “good mom” and trying to do all the things a “good mom” should do. My list of “should’s” was so long I was ready to give up. In fact, I did give up. I announced it one night at dinner with a simple. I announced to my husband: “I’m done!” - Susan Seay, speaker and author During this episode, Susan shares about the