Episode 99: Jeannie Cunnion

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Jeannie Cunnion joins me for Episode 99. I have been so excited to share this conversation with you because it was so refreshing and encouraging for me personally. If you haven’t heard of Jeannie before, then you should know that she is a mom of four boys who range from teenager to toddler. She is the author of Parenting the Wholehearted Child and her latest book, Mom Set Free.

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We sit down and have an honest conversation about freedom and motherhood.  We talk about the pressures we face in parenting, the things that we need to be set free from and what God has set us free for. There were some moments in this conversation that really have redefined my role as parent and reignited an understanding of the gospel.

Links:

Jeannie's Survival Kit:

  • Coffee

(Amazon affiliate links used when possible--purchasing through these links is an easy way to support the show. Or shop using www.SurvivingSarah.com/amazon and a portion of the what you buy will go back to the show.)

Connect with Jeannie:  Website // Instagram // twitter // Facebook // Pinterest

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

  • @@God is using our kids to sharpen us to become more like Him@@. I think that I knew that in theory but I hadn’t thought about how God chose these kids specifically for a reason to sharpen something in me. And if I could start my day viewing them as a gift that God has placed in my life to sharpen me—to make me more like Him—then maybe that would change my heart. And I think that applies to anyone listening whether you are a mother or not. Think about the most challenging person in your life currently. Maybe that person is God’s gift to you to sharpen you to become more like Him. So when we are in the heat of the moment, frustrated or discouraged, may we remember to ask: @@what is God’s invitation to me in this situation?@@

  • @@Parenting is more about what God is doing in me than me creating these great kids@@.

  • Moms get stuck in so many places and patterns because of the pressure we are under. The gospel has the power to free us from any place where we feel stuck. We feel pressure to be perfect, to be in control, or to transform our kid’s heart.

  • @@The enemy is using that pressure to steal our joy in parenting@@.

  • Jesus is the one who calls our kids to faith. We can get frustrated when we do all the “right” things yet not see the results. It is Jesus who produces righteous character in our kid’s life.

  • @@What is hard for me isn't hard for God@@.

  • God works all things together for good--that good doesn't mean better or an upgrade. The good is that we are conformed more into the image of Jesus.

    What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation  on Instagram or Twitter or you can send me an email here. 

    Thank you for following along life with me. I love being apart of your day. And as always, I hope this show helps you survive a little easier.

    A new episode every Tuesday... just subscribe.

    Subscribe for free on iTunes or Stitcher or your favorite podcast app so that you don't miss out on great conversations with women just like you. Women who are surviving and thriving. You don't have to do life alone. Be inspired, encouraged and entertained by women like Sandra Stanley, Shannan Martin, Jamie B. Golden, Mo Isom, Annie F. Downs, Joni Lay from Lay Baby Lay, Christy Nockels, Kay Warren, Suzanne Stabile and many more.

    Did you enjoy today's conversation? Rate the podcast.

    My goal each week is to encourage you to survive in this very thing called life. If you were encouraged or inspired or entertained, head over to iTunes and leave a brief review with a 5 star rating.

    Here is a recent one from "Mrs2003". She said, “I loved listening to Surviving Sarah and specifically to two recent episodes with mental health professionals. Sarah did a great job of preparing for the interviews by clearly not only having read the books, but letting them impact her thinking when it comes to approaching her own life and those of her kids. I will definitely be listening to more.”

    Your review will help get the podcast in front of new listeners who are just like you looking to know that they aren't alone in life. Thank you for being awesome!

     

     

     

     

Episode 98: Jim Burns

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Jim Burns joins me for Episode 98. I first met Jim many years ago when I worked for Saddleback Church in CA. He is someone that I could have conversations with about parenting, relationships, marriage and faith for hours. He is the President of HomeWord—an organization that exists to equip parents, marriages and families and he the Director of the HomeWord Center for Youth and Family at Azusa Pacific University. He speaks to thousands of people around the world each year and has close to 2 million resources in print in 30 languages. You can see why I like to talk to him!

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I asked Jim to join me around the table to talk about a subject that many of us feel very awkward about. We have an hour long dialog about the topic of sexuality and our kids. We talk about when you should have the infamous talk, what you should know about the “M word", pornography and sexual identities. Alright. I just went ahead and said all the awkward words. Now that I’ve done that, pull up a chair and join the conversation.

Links:

Jim's Survival Kit:

  • Thinking about his legacy with his grandson

  • Dating his wife - spend 20 minutes a week in spiritual time with his wife “closer time”

(Amazon affiliate links used when possible--purchasing through these links is an easy way to support the show. Or shop using www.SurvivingSarah.com/amazon and a portion of the what you buy will go back to the show.)

Connect with Jim:  Website // Instagram // twitter // Facebook // Pinterest

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

  • I think that this topic is one that most of us don’t feel adequate or prepared for as parents. The biggest takeaway is not waiting for one moment or one age to have that conversation but to start sooner than later weaving it into a normal part of your life with your kids. Start talking about sex from ages 3-5. The more you talk about these things hopefully the more comfortable to have these conversations as they grow. Moms of littles, this is the best time because it is not awkward to your kids. I highly recommend Jim’s books to initiate the conversation. That is what we used and it has opened the door to so many natural conversations.

  • The number one place that older kids get their sex ed from is the internet so you are going to have to have conversations with your kids about this. Age of the first exposure of pornography is age 11.

  • If you catch your child looking at porn, don’t make a big scary deal of it. Talk about healthy positive sex. And then talk about some of the things that aren’t healthy. If you see it, here’s what you should do. You almost have to desensitize them to it. We hurt for these people. When our kids are caught or your find out, make sure you are not a one topic parent in your reaction. Get a perspective. Talk with others.

  • 10% will struggle with gender confusion; 1.5-2% are homosexual. It's not healthy to our kids to blast one sexual sin over another. There are 17 references to sexual sin, only 3 deal with homosexuality yet we tend to focus on that one issue. We need to partly normalize that.

What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation  on Instagram or Twitter or you can send me an email here. 

Thank you for following along life with me. I love being apart of your day. And as always, I hope this show helps you survive a little easier.

A new episode every Tuesday... just subscribe.

Subscribe for free on iTunes or Stitcher or your favorite podcast app so that you don't miss out on great conversations with women just like you. Women who are surviving and thriving. You don't have to do life alone. Be inspired, encouraged and entertained by women like Sandra Stanley, Shannan Martin, Jamie B. Golden, Mo Isom, Annie F. Downs, Joni Lay from Lay Baby Lay, Christy Nockels, Kay Warren, Suzanne Stabile and many more.

Did you enjoy today's conversation? Rate the podcast.

My goal each week is to encourage you to survive in this very thing called life. If you were encouraged or inspired or entertained, head over to iTunes and leave a brief review with a 5 star rating.

Here is a recent one from "Mrs2003". She said, “I loved listening to Surviving Sarah and specifically to two recent episodes with mental health professionals. Sarah did a great job of preparing for the interviews by clearly not only having read the books, but letting them impact her thinking when it comes to approaching her own life and those of her kids. I will definitely be listening to more.”

Your review will help get the podcast in front of new listeners who are just like you looking to know that they aren't alone in life. Thank you for being awesome!

Episode 97: Jonathan and Wynter Pitts

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Jonathan and Wynter Pitts join me for Episode 97. I was so happy to invite Wynter back on the show and loved getting a chance to chat with her husband, too. Wynter is the Founder of For Girls Like You and the author of several tween books. Jonathan is the executive director of The Urban Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans. They recently wrote a book called She Is Yours—Trusting God as You Raise the Girl He Gave You. You see, they have four daughters. So their house is loud, messy, busy and fun. They fully understand what many of us are walking through as we raise our daugthers.

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We waste no time and dive right in to the hard stuff. We talk about what to do if we have a hard time viewing our kids as gifts from the Lord. We talk about the power of prayer when it comes to raising our kids. And we talk about how to help them develop their relationship with God, with their parents and with the world around them.

Links:

Wynter's Survival Kit:

  • Good books 

  • Essential Oils

Jonathan's Survival Kit:

  • “I AM so just be” God is everything we need so relax and don’t be stressed out about what might go wrong.

  • Playing golf

(Amazon affiliate links used when possible--purchasing through these links is an easy way to support the show. Or shop using www.SurvivingSarah.com/amazon and a portion of the what you buy will go back to the show.)

Connect with Wynter:  Instagram // twitter // Facebook // website

Connect with Jonathan: Instagram  

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

  • I think one of my favorite parts of the conversation about influence. I know this is true for me that so often we worry about the influence that others will have on our kids. We wonder if we should change schools or churches or sport teams. Scott and I just had a conversation about this very thing last week—fearful that one of ours would succumb to peer pressure as a teenager. But Wynter said to think more about what God can do through her—how she can impact and influence the world rather than worrying out how the world may influence her. This requires a shift in perspective. Notice the ways that your child has a positive influence on another. Give your child opportunities to be a positive influence on others and opportunities to impact the world around them. That is a proactive approach rather than a reactive approach to influence. 

  • Parenting is about investing a lot of hard work. Children are the types of gifts that require assembly; they aren't batteries included type of gifts. Ask God to help you see them as a gift. Its hard to see beauty when we are distracted by other things. We often view our kids as distractions rather than gifts.

  • Relationship always requires more than anything else does. So much of it is building into what you are already doing. Look around at what you already have in place and work from there.

  • @@If we want our kids to love others then we need to give them opportunities to flex those muscles@@.

  • @@My best first play is to give her back to the Lord@@.

 

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What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation  on Instagram or Twitter or you can send me an email here. 

Thank you for following along life with me. I love being apart of your day. And as always, I hope this show helps you survive a little easier.

A new episode every Tuesday... just subscribe.

Subscribe for free on iTunes or Stitcher or your favorite podcast app so that you don't miss out on great conversations with women just like you. Women who are surviving and thriving. You don't have to do life alone. Be inspired, encouraged and entertained by women like Sandra Stanley, Shannan Martin, Jamie B. Golden, Mo Isom, Annie F. Downs, Joni Lay from Lay Baby Lay, Christy Nockels, Kay Warren, Suzanne Stabile and many more.

Did you enjoy today's conversation? Rate the podcast.

My goal each week is to encourage you to survive in this very thing called life. If you were encouraged or inspired or entertained, head over to iTunes and leave a brief review with a 5 star rating.

Here is a recent one from "Mrs2003". She said, “I loved listening to Surviving Sarah and specifically to two recent episodes with mental health professionals. Sarah did a great job of preparing for the interviews by clearly not only having read the books, but letting them impact her thinking when it comes to approaching her own life and those of her kids. I will definitely be listening to more.”

Your review will help get the podcast in front of new listeners who are just like you looking to know that they aren't alone in life. Thank you for being awesome!

 

 

Episode 96: Kim Biddle

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Kim Biddle joins me for Episode 96. She is the founder and CEO of Saving Innocence—an organization whose vision is to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children and restore the cultural values of innocence and human worth. This organization is doing amazing things to rescue and restore child victims of sex trafficking through strategic partnerships with local law enforcement, social service providers and schools. Kim has earned degrees, credentials and certifications to do this important work, but after listening to her story its easy to see that her own life—what she survived in her life—truly prepared her for what she does now. 

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We talk about her story of divorce and how that gave her a deeper understanding and empathy for others. We talk about how she found her identity after walking through a season of grief, how Saving Innocence was started and how we can help change the culture surrounding exploitation and human worth. 

Kim and I met many years ago when I lived in CA. We were both in our twenties—bright eyed and full of expectancy. Hearing what she has walked through since those days is heartbreaking, yet hopeful. There is something so powerful when people decide to be vulnerable about who they are. I think that’s why Kim’s story will resonate with many of you. 

Links:

(Amazon affiliate links used when possible--purchasing through these links is an easy way to support the show. Or shop using www.SurvivingSarah.com/amazon and a portion of the what you buy will go back to the show.)

Connect with Kim:  Instagram // twitter // Facebook // Saving Innocence Facebook // Saving Innocence Instagram // YouTube

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

  • I really appreciated her vulnerability and honesty about her brokenness—what it was like to start over, to feel grief and then to see God confirm her identity and propel her forward to use her past to help others. @@Free people free people@@. I think that statement embodies Kim’s life.

  • Isn't it interesting how what happened to her in her marriage ended up connecting to what she does now? I love that God can weave a story together.

  • Divorce is such a touchy subject and it is one that can cause you to question everything that you once knew to be true. Having friends around you who just let you be broken without expectation is vital to rediscovering who you are.

  • To find herself again, she started by looking for what brought her joy and made her heart come alive.

  • @@There is something beautiful in suffering@@. We don’t know how to suffer well and how to walk through seasons of pain. But there is something magical about pain. It reminds us that we are human and that it is okay to be a depraved human in need of God’s love. 

  • @@How can we help young women change the way they see themselves?@@ This generation has replaced beautiful with sexy. Your value doesn’t depend on how much sex appeal you have. We need some celebrities to step up and shift what its like to proclaim value as heart, mind, body and soul.

  • If we saw each other in a new way—created in the image of God—it would change the way we treat each other and view each other. @@Each person has a thumbprint of God@@.

  • When you come out of a season, ask who am I in the image of God? How am I to reflect You in this season of life? Give yourself grace for that journey and give others grace in their journey.

  • "Life is more like art than we first thought." Maya Angelou We are walking out a piece of art.

    Kim's Survival Kit:

  • Sleeping well & sleeping long

  • Casper Mattress & Pillow - follow this link for $75 off your purchase (SurvivingSarah.com/sleep)

  • Vitamins - her wellness doctor

What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation  on Instagram or Twitter or you can send me an email here. 

Thank you for following along life with me. I love being apart of your day. And as always, I hope this show helps you survive a little easier.

A new episode every Tuesday... just subscribe.

Subscribe for free on iTunes or Stitcher or your favorite podcast app so that you don't miss out on great conversations with women just like you. Women who are surviving and thriving. You don't have to do life alone. Be inspired, encouraged and entertained by women like Sandra Stanley, Shannan Martin, Jamie B. Golden, Mo Isom, Annie F. Downs, Joni Lay from Lay Baby Lay, Christy Nockels, Kay Warren, Suzanne Stabile and many more.

Did you enjoy today's conversation? Rate the podcast.

My goal each week is to encourage you to survive in this very thing called life. If you were encouraged or inspired or entertained, head over to iTunes and leave a brief review with a 5 star rating.

Here is a recent one from "Carollovespodcasts". She said, "I look forward to this podcast every week! It's refreshing, encouraging and just fun! Thank you for all the work you put into this so we can join you at the kitchen table."

Your review will help get the podcast in front of new listeners who are just like you looking to know that they aren't alone in life. Thank you for being awesome!

Episode 95: Kristen Ivy

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Kristen Ivy joins me for Episode 95. This was a special guest for me because we have been friends for over 10 years and we started our motherhood journey together. Not only is she a mother to 3 but she is also the Executive Director of Messaging at Orange and the Director of The Phase Project. She has written several books but most recently published 18 books—one for each phase of a kid’s life.

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We talk about how we as parents have a limited number of time to influence the faith of our kids. So with that, we unpack the phase guides by looking at what it means to number the days so that we may gain a heart of wisdom, what sort of things we can do over time in order to discover what really matters and what conversations we need to have with our kids when it comes to health, sexuality, technology and faith.

Links:

Kristen's Survival Kit:

(Amazon affiliate links used when possible--purchasing through these links is an easy way to support the show. Or shop using www.SurvivingSarah.com/amazon and a portion of the what you buy will go back to the show.)

Connect with Kristen:  Instagram // twitter 

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

  • I bet some of you feel like 936 weeks until graduation feels like an eternity. I know I did. But I bet some of you look at the dwindling weeks make you anxious that you are running out of time. But either way, I bet I’m not the only one who often feels overwhelmed with parenting. That I’m not doing enough. That I’ve messed them up too much. Or that they will one day be in prison. Am I right? But I love how she took the pressure off of us. Small investments over time is what makes the difference. Its okay if you have a day where you don’t feel like you got a lot done because @@its the collection of weeks over time that makes the difference@@. It’s collective conversations or collective events that builds. I want to take those things that really matter and see where I can make small incremental movement. 

  • @@There is no magic bullet to parenting. Its an art, not a science@@. Trying to discover who they are and then constantly making adjustments to give them what they need. Its definitely not a formula. And because of that, you need to pause every so often to relearn your kid just in case they have changed.

  • From the time they are born to graduation there are 936 weeks. You can’t get more and its moving at a consistent speed. Here's a great way to number your days with your kids--its decorative, too.

  • So what really matters?
    • fun over time matters because it builds connection
    • time over time gives you a history together
    • work over time gives your kids significance
    • stories over time give a kid perspective—they begin to shape their worldview
    • love over time it shows your kids that they are worth something
    • words over time give a kid direction
    • tribes over time give a kid a place to belong
  • There are 4 ongoing, progressive conversations that need to happen over time. Conversations about health, sexuality, technology and faith. The phase guides give you words to say to help create those conversations.
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What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation  on Instagram or Twitter or you can send me an email here. 

Thank you for following along life with me. I love being apart of your day. And as always, I hope this show helps you survive a little easier.

A new episode every Tuesday... just subscribe.

Subscribe for free on iTunes or Stitcher or your favorite podcast app so that you don't miss out on great conversations with women just like you. Women who are surviving and thriving. You don't have to do life alone. Be inspired, encouraged and entertained by women like Sandra Stanley, Shannan Martin, Jamie B. Golden, Mo Isom, Annie F. Downs, Joni Lay from Lay Baby Lay, Christy Nockels, Kay Warren, Suzanne Stabile and many more.

Did you enjoy today's conversation? Rate the podcast.

My goal each week is to encourage you to survive in this very thing called life. If you were encouraged or inspired or entertained, head over to iTunes and leave a brief review with a 5 star rating.

Here is a recent one from "Carollovespodcasts". She said, "I look forward to this podcast every week! It's refreshing, encouraging and just fun! Thank you for all the work you put into this so we can join you at the kitchen table."

Your review will help get the podcast in front of new listeners who are just like you looking to know that they aren't alone in life. Thank you for being awesome!