Welcome back to the kitchen table. This week, Bethany is joined by Gabe and Andrea Olson, the authors of The Big God Books series. As parents, we often turn to books as learning tools for life moments, helping our children gain a deeper understanding of the world. Books can teach kids about complex concepts without them having to experience everything firsthand.

Bethany sits down with Gabe and Andrea to explore their series and discuss how these beautiful books bring God's work to life through tangible stories. Bethany shares her own experiences using this series as a powerful tool for conversation and as a way to validate her children's feelings.

In this episode, you'll hear the real-life moments that inspired Gabe and Andrea's books and discuss the importance of using these stories as reminders of God's goodness. In a world often filled with hopelessness, these stories provide children of all ages with opportunities to talk about and understand God's miracles.

Connect with Gabe and Andrea:

Gabe and Andrea Olson are small business owners, founders of Overflow Worship, authors of The Big God Books and mom and dad to three girls. They are from small town Minnesota and their mission as children’s book authors is to share about the unique miracles (some big, some small) happening in everyday life.

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Welcome back to the kitchen table. Bethany sits down with Natalie Hixson, who shares her powerful testimony about her struggles and triumphs with anger in motherhood. Natalie's story is incredibly relatable, reflecting a silent battle many mothers face.

Together, Natalie and Bethany offer hope and guidance, encouraging mothers to turn to God during these unbearably messy moments. Natalie shares valuable methods for understanding and managing emotions, emphasizing the importance of seeking God first. By turning these messy moments over to the Lord, we can sit with him and use these experiences as opportunities for growth.

Natalie helps us recognize what destructive anger looks like and provides effective tools to create awareness around triggers, helping you gain more control over outbursts. She introduces the "sit and pray" technique to navigate challenging moments: Separate yourself, inhale deeply, tune into your feelings, and invite God into the situation.

Remember, God is walking with you and is committed to you, even during the difficult moments of motherhood.

About Natalie:

Natalie is a wife, mother, and certified professional life coach who helps discouraged Christian moms from overcoming destructive anger and burnout. After learning to thrive in motherhood and process anger in a healthy way, Natalie became convicted to help other moms avoid those dark years of motherhood by helping them to appreciate and process their anger, learn to identify their triggers, and ultimately control their reaction to those triggering situations. She enjoys her own motherhood journey by hanging with her husband Mike and their three daughters in beautiful Bozeman, Montana. She recharges with Jesus, coffee, and adventures with her family like skiing in the winter, hiking in the summer.

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Welcome back to the kitchen table. Bethany sits down with her good friend and mentor, Sandra Stanley, to begin a heartfelt conversation about understanding the myth of balance and accepting that, as mothers, we don’t have to do it all.

Sandra shares her journey of living with purposeful presence during her seasons with her children and how she has learned to say no confidently. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the boundaries of your current season of life and offers wisdom, encouragement, and the assurance that God has a perfect plan for each one of us.

Sandra’s insights provide a refreshing perspective on motherhood, encouraging women to redefine success not by how much they can do, but by how present and intentional they are in their everyday lives.

Through their heartfelt discussion, Bethany and Sandra offer listeners a blend of practical advice and spiritual wisdom, reminding them that God has a perfect plan for each one of us, and it’s okay to trust in that plan rather than trying to control every aspect of life.

Learn about Sandra:

Sandra and Andy Stanley founded North Point Ministries in 1995. Married for 33 years, they have three children, ages 28, 27, and 25. Sandra is the author of two women’s devotional books with companion videos—Comparison Trap and Breathing Room. Her ministry passion is promoting foster care in the local church. She received her undergraduate degree from Georgia Tech and a Masters of Biblical Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. Much of her time these days is spent working on various writing projects and continuing her involvement with Fostering Together—the foster care initiative at North Point Ministries.

For more about Sandra, visit sandrastanley.com.

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• Breathing Room App

As featured in today’s episode, here are the journal pages to help you identify the lies you’re hearing and change your thinking: Journal Pages.

Welcome back to the kitchen table. In this episode, Bethany is joined by a wonderful friend, Joy Pitner, a remarkable woman and mother. Together, they challenge the common cultural belief that women and mothers need a glass of wine to unwind after a difficult day.

Society often teaches us to look for comfort in all the wrong places, especially during moments of stress or even in times of joy. Instead of turning to a glass of wine for a reset, Bethany and Joy encourage us to pause and let Jesus realign and reframe our hearts and minds.

By reflecting on these questions, you can stay grounded in truth and scripture, rather than letting the world define it for you:

• Where is my heart?
• What will bring me peace?
• What will heal my wounds?

Joy brings a wealth of wisdom, reminding us that Jesus is our anchor. His wisdom surpasses human understanding, and by standing on his promises, we can shift our perspective to seek the him for realignment.

Jesus is greater than any worldly comfort, and he calls to us without judgment, even at the end of the toughest days. By grounding ourselves in the Gospel and scripture, we can resist cultural norms and remember that God is bigger than anything we face.

About Joy:
Joy lives in South Carolina on a small homestead with her husband and two children. Joy has a passion for gospel-centered hospitatitly, and loves delighting people with food, creating inviting spaces, and teaching others simple ways to do the same.

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This week, Bethany is applying the five pillars to address tantrums. She provides listeners with a framework to view these moments through a Gospel lens.

Tune in as Bethany offers encouragement for both understanding and handling tantrums in your households. She emphasizes the importance of using all five pillars during these times. Bethany particularly highlights the significance of the second truth, which involves asking for God's wisdom, to better understand your child and bring the Gospel to bear in these challenging moments.

Temper tantrums can be tough, but Bethany delivers uplifting guidance on how to have life-giving conversations that redirect them to the one who can truly help.

Related Scriptures:

Psalm 103 13-14
2nd Thessalonians 5: 14-18

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Welcome back to the kitchen table. Today Bethany welcomes listeners into a conversation that promises to resonate deeply with every parent. Bethany is thrilled to have Kristen Hallinan join her. They explore what it means to rewrite the narrative of our family legacies.

Kristen begins by sharing her personal journey through a childhood marked by chaos, dysfunction, and deep-seated trauma. It's a story many of us can relate to, either in our own experiences or those close to us. But Kristen's story isn't just about pain; it's about transformation and hope.

Kristen reflects on her own generational cycle of hurt. Her answer lies in the profound truth that God desires to use each of us, despite our wounds. He doesn't expect us to carry our burdens alone but invites us to draw closer to him as we navigate our healing journey.

Kristen's journey also highlights the vital role of prayer in parenting. She encourages us to turn to God in moments of triggering, asking for wisdom and strength to parent our children as unique individuals, exactly as they were created to be.

Kristen encourages us to become changers of our family legacies. It's a call to embrace healing, and to parent with intentionality and love. It's a reminder that through God's grace, we have the power to rewrite the stories of our past and shape a brighter future for generations to come.

Purchase Kristin’s Book: Legacy Changer

Connect and Learn more about Kristen:
https://www.kristenhallinan.com/

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Welcome back to the kitchen table. Joining Bethany on today’s episode is the remarkable Karen Stubbs, a mother, author, and founder of Birds on a Wire, a ministry aimed at supporting and equipping moms.

Karen shares her insights on the complexity of motherhood while connecting deeply with both God and our children, and understanding that this journey isn’t one to be walked alone. Karen’s story is one of resilience and wisdom, cultivated through her deep faith in God.

As a mother and wife, her journey has not been without challenges. She shares how her faith has been a guiding force in her life, helping her navigate the complexities of marriage and motherhood. Karen and Bethany share the importance of understanding and connecting with our children on a deeper level. Just as God knows us intimately, can we seek to know and understand our children—their unique personalities, strengths, and struggles.

Karen reminds us to embrace the beauty of the ordinary—to find joy in the simple moments shared with our children. And, we are never alone in our journey through motherhood. God is with us, guiding us and empowering us to face whatever challenges may come our way.

Connect with Karen:
https://birdsonawiremoms.com/karenstubbs

The Survival Guide to Motherhood

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Welcome back to the kitchen table. As Bethany wraps up her inspiring series, we are reminded of the profound importance of standing in God’s word. We pray that our children learn to walk closely with God, developing a love for Jesus that surpasses our own.

We want them to experience a passion for Him that fills their hearts and guides their lives. We want our children to not just know about God, but to truly love him. This love begins with a deep appreciation for the word of God. To truly stand in God’s word, we must immerse ourselves in the scriptures, seeing them for what they truly are: a reflection of who God is.

Psalm 119:97-100 reminds us that the word of God is a source of wisdom, insight, and understanding. As we pray for our children, let us pray that they too will learn to love the word of God.

Purchase the Warrior Mama’s Prayer Journal
https://bethanykimsey.co/products/a-warrior-mamas-prayer-journal

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