Help & Hope
The Help & Hope Podcast guests address life's darkest circumstances that are often difficult to discuss, yet need to be faced as we help one another walk by faith. These are the real-life testimonies of people who have walked through these experiences and have found their strength in Christ.
Episodes
231 episodes
When Parents Feel Like Failures - A Conversation with Lauren Whitman
If you’re a parent, it’s likely you have had more than one sleepless night reviewing the mistakes and perceived failures of that day. We resign ourselves to carry the emotions of fear, guilt, shame, and regret for the rest of our lives. But do ...
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43:17
Can You Just Sit with Me? - A Conversation with Natasha Smith
Days, months, and years after the loss of her sister, Natasha Smith tried to hide the grief she carried. But the pandemic took away her ability to hide her sorrow and her five-year-old’s response to her unexpected tears gave her permission to g...
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28:08
I Didn't Sign Up for This! When Peace Feels Impossible - A Conversation with Ann Swindell
How are you feeling today? Stressed, overwhelmed, drowning in too much to do, anxiety, the rubble of broken relationships – just life? Are these feelings seasonal or do you struggle with persistent gnawing anxiety? Sometimes, something happens ...
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39:13
Anxiety - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - A Conversation with Liz Edrington
It doesn’t take much research to realize anxiety is a primary emotion experienced not just by teens but also by adults. Our guest, Liz Edrington, is no stranger to anxiety. As a teenager, she felt overwhelmed by anxiety. Now, she is a mental he...
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37:08
And Then the Darkness Came - A Conversation with Edith Yoder
“Edith, we urge you to learn Braille, train with a white cane, and learn to cook blindfolded...” These warnings from Doctors and a Rehab team along with major eye surgery and regular vision-loss monitoring by top specialists at Johns Hopkins Un...
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40:26
Anxious Teen? You Can Help! - A Conversation with Jessica Thompson
According to the National Institutes of Health, nearly 1 in 3 of all adolescents ages 13 to 18 will experience an anxiety disorder. These numbers have been rising steadily; between 2007 and 2012, anxiety disorders in children and teens went up ...
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38:27
The House of Hope - A Conversation with Cori Salchert
Cori Salchert, fosters and adopts “hospice babies” whose own families find it too hard to cope with their child’s terminal diagnosis. She is the mother of over fifteen children, some of whom died in her care. Cori traveled a very painful pathwa...
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46:52
Adoption and Children with Special Needs: A Hard Calling Filled with Joy - A Conversation with Jim and Karen Weaver
Jim and Karen Weaver’s international adoption journey led them to welcoming not one, but two boys into their family, making them parents of four daughters and two sons. In this transparent interview, Jim and Karen share the highs and the lows o...
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56:29
Helping Hurting Children - A Conversation with Darby Strickland
Darby Strickland’s children’s books, Something Sad Happened and Something Scary Happened are designed to not only help children deal with trauma but also equip their parents. In this conversation with Sharon Betters and Heidi Nequist, Darby ans...
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32:59
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Motherhood and Its Idols - A Conversation with Christina Fox
“I end every day feeling defeated because I lost my temper with my kids, vowing tomorrow will be better, but it usually isn’t...I don’t want my kids to be 'less than' their friends. I also want them to stand out as college applicants. But I don...
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36:28
Telling Your Story for the Sake of the Next Generation - A Conversation with Elizabeth Turnage
Have you ever thought about what your family will remember about you when you are gone? Have you considered intentionally leaving a legacy of faith? In this conversation, co-hosts Sharon Betters and Heidi Nequist talk with Elizabeth Turnage, li...
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37:53
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Miscarriage - Deeply Traumatic, Tragically Common - A Conversation with Jessalyn Hutto
The fear of miscarriage is one of the biggest fears of a pregnant woman. Jessalyn Hutto, author of Inheritance of Tears, When Death Enters the Womb knows not only this fear but the reality of miscarriage and the accompanying grief. In this conv...
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44:11
Prayers for Your Baby or Child in a Medical Crisis - A Conversation with Eric Schumacker and Jessika Sanders
As a baby is growing in the womb, we often hear the words, “I don’t care if it’s a boy or girl, as long as the baby is healthy.” Sadly, sometimes, frightened parents hear the words from their doctor, “I’m sorry, but your baby….” You fill in the...
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37:45
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Relationships - Are They Worth It? - A Conversation with Ellen Dykas
Relationships can be so hard and sometimes painful. Are they worth it? What are some of the pitfalls of relationships? How can our expectations of others sabotage our relationships? When someone we care about disappoints us, and they will, what...
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39:46
Ever Growing, Ever Green - A Conversation with Ruth Auffarth
Lucy Malmberg’s grand adventures in life began when her parents hid her in a blanket-covered box as waited in line to board a plane to America from Ukraine after World War II. Her parents passed on to her a legacy of not only love for America b...
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46:41
Preparing for Christmas in the Darkness of Grief - A Conversation with Chuck and Sharon Betters
This was one of the first grief-stricken questions Sharon asked her husband, Chuck, hours after learning of the death of their sixteen-year-old son, Mark. In this poignant interview, Chuck and Sharon Betters speak candidly about how they approa...
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22:49
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A Case for Forgiveness - Part 2 - A Conversation with Anthony Thompson
On June 17, 2015, Dylann Roof, a young white man, attended the Wednesday evening Bible study at the predominantly black Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. An hour later, Roof pulled a concealed weapon and killed nine African-Amer...
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31:19
Living Life with Eternity in View - A Conversation with Lucy Malmberg
Lucy Malmberg’s grand adventures in life began when her parents hid her in a blanket-covered box as waited in line to board a plane to America from Ukraine after World War II. Her parents passed on to her a legacy of not only love for America b...
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47:43
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Faith Based Giving - A Conversation with Doug MacGray
As stewards of the resources bestowed upon us by God, we have a responsibility to invest in His kingdom. By aligning our investments with the values and teachings of Scripture, we fulfill our role as faithful stewards. Chuck Betters talks with ...
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26:42
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A Case for Forgiveness - Part 1 - A Conversation with Anthony Thompson
On June 17, 2015, Dylann Roof, a young white man, attended the Wednesday evening Bible study at the predominantly black Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. An hour later, Roof pulled a concealed weapon and killed nine African-Amer...
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32:14
Preparing for Aging as a Single Woman - A Conversation with Jerdone Davis
Aging is a season of loss on many levels. Married women fear losing their spouse or outliving their children. In fact, today there are 13.6 million widows in America, and about 700,000 women become a widow in the U.S. each year. Single women wh...
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24:07
The Mother-In-Law Dance - A Conversation with Annie Chapman
Google mother-in-law jokes and you can take your pick of numerous sites that offer laughter at the expense of the mother-in-law. Becoming a mother-in-law after pouring your life into your son might be one of the most difficult challenges some w...
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37:45
Loss of a Child - A Conversation with Chuck and Sharon Betters
The phone rings. . .A stranger says, “Mrs. Betters, your son has been in an accident. You must come immediately.” And you know in your heart that you have received the phone call every parent dreads. Your life will never be the same....
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57:28
When Your Wife Dies a Conversation with Jim Meyer
Did you know that every year about 100,000 men are widowed? Though a widow’s grief is just as deep as a widower, men often respond differently to the loss of their wives. In this moving conversation Dr. Chuck Betters talks with Dr. Jim Meyer wh...
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50:30
Breast Cancer - Faith Wears Pink a Conversation With Christine Runge Weiss
Christine Runge Weiss, Founder of Faith Wears Pink, an online support platform for women battling breast cancer, shares how she learned she had breast cancer at the age of forty-four. Her diagnosis followed wave after wave of personal crises. I...
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36:43
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