The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast

What's your role when your friend is going through a hard season? When she gets the cancer diagnosis, suffers a miscarriage or loses a family member?   On this episode of the podcast, Marissa Henley shares how her friends loved her well while she was battling cancer. She breaks down the different levels of friendship, helps you identify your role based on your level of friendship, and gives practical tips on how to practically — and appropriately — love your friend through suffering. Related Resources: - Get access to an exclusive conversation with Marissa and the Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast co-hosts by becoming a Podcast Insider! It's free, and each month you'll get insider updates on the podcast you can't get anywhere else. Sign up here. - If you have a friend or loved one walking through a cancer diagnosis, grab a copy of Marissa's book, Loving Your Friend Through Cancer. - Maybe you're the one walking through a season of your world being turned upside down. In Lysa TerKeurst's book, It's Not Supposed to Be This Way, you'll find a safe space to wrestle through what you can't make sense of. Click here to download the transcript for today's episode. 

Do you struggle to find a reason to worship these days? We get it ... this year has been tough. So how do we worship when there's so much to be worried about?  Today on the show, our friend Lara Casey from Cultivate What Matters shows us how writing out Scripture is a pathway to praise. When we write the Word, we retain the Word. And being able to recall the Truths in God's Word and rejoice in who He is in the middle of any circumstance is what worship is all about. We hope this episode leaves you equipped and encouraged to cultivate a life of worship, starting with a simple habit.Related Resources:- Your life is crazy, but your Bible study doesn't have to be. Online Bible Studies is a place where you can dive deep into books by your favorite Christian authors alongside a community of women from right where you are. Check out our latest Online Bible Study now!- We want to connect with our podcast listeners each month! Sign up to be a Podcast Insider, and each month you'll receive bonus content, journal prompts and more.- Connect with Lara on her website at laracasey.com.Click here to download the transcript for today's episode.

Complaining and contentment are both contagious.   And these days, it's easy to get caught up in complaining. But how do we choose contentment over complaining? On this episode of the podcast, Melissa Spoelstra walks us through the book of Numbers, where we see the Israelites wrestle with this same problem. She'll show us the secret to contentment in the Word of God, and how it renews our mind and transforms us from the inside out. Related Resources: More than ever, we need a place to quietly learn God’s Word so we can apply and share the Truth. Download our FREE First 5 app and start the first five minutes of your day with biblically based teachings that help you understand Scripture on your own! Join Melissa Spoelstra for a week of intentional contentment with her FREE 7-Day Contentment Project. If our podcast has made a difference in your life, would you consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts.Click here to download the transcript for today's episode.

A note from Proverbs 31 Ministries: Some content in this episode is not appropriate for children, and may serve as a trigger due to circumstances in your past. Please use discretion before listening.  When the unimaginable happens ... the deep heartache, the parenting hardship, the bills that keep coming and your finances aren't enough ... where is Jesus?  On this episode of the podcast, Max Lucado gives us proof that Jesus never leaves us and is more present than ever in the stormiest seasons of our lives. As we look at the miracles of Christ as recorded in the Gospel of John, Max reminds us God is nearer than we know.Related Resources:At Proverbs 31 Ministries, we offer professional and biblical training by industry experts for women who are called to write, speak and lead, through our She Speaks Conference and COMPEL Writers Training membership site. Click the links to learn more! Max Lucado's book, You Are Never Alone: Trust in the Miracle of God's Presence and Power, is available! Order your copy today and recognize that you are never without hope or strength because you are never, ever alone.Click here to download the transcript for today's episode.

When we wake up, we're most likely not going to say, "I'd like to be uncomfortable today." We crave comfort, but growth will never come from it.  What if instead of looking at discomfort as an inconvenience, we chose a new perspective: a mindset that God will use discomfort to shape us and make us more like Him? On this episode of the podcast, our friend Alexandra Hoover shares why God allows discomfort. You'll learn that by remembering who God is, we can see our discomfort as something to lean into instead of run away from. Related Resources:Sign up for our Encouragement for Today devotions for daily, biblical encouragement to help your filter your everyday life through the Truth of God’s Word.Check out our FREE resource library! We've got tons of topical study resources you can download to use for whatever you're going through right now.Connect with Alex on Instagram at @alexandravhoover, or on her website here.  Click here to download the transcript for today's episode.

Do you ever find yourself replaying and reliving the details of the deep hurt in your life?  Whether you’ve experienced pain through an event or a collection of hurt that built over time because someone wasn’t who they were supposed to be, didn’t do what they were supposed to do, or didn’t protect you like they should have protected you, your heartbreak deserves a safe place to be processed. In this episode, Lysa TerKeurst unpacks three crucial perspective shifts that will empower you to start changing the way you see the most painful parts of your situation.Related Resources:If you enjoyed this episode, take it a step further with "5 Healing Perspectives for your Hurt or Heartbreak," a free resource from Lysa TerKeurst. This resource will help you stop feeling held captive by the hurt by using specific scriptures and reflective questions to help you move forward today. You can click here to get your free download!When pain feels deeply personal, do you find it hard to keep your reactions biblical? You aren’t alone. Walk through a step-by-step process to free yourself from the hurt of your past and feel less offended today with the help of Lysa TerKeurst’s book, Forgiving What You Can’t Forget. Order your copy here, and start reading the first three chapters immediately! Click here to order. Click here to download the transcript for this episode. 

When life's seasons change or we are walking through a time of transition, it's easy for our relationship with God to feel dry — or maybe just plain hard. But what if our time with God actually has less to do with quieting everything around us, and instead has everything to do with making an appointment to quiet things within us? On this episode of the podcast, Shae Tate, special projects content manager for Lysa TerKeurst, walks through scriptures throughout the Bible that show us what pursuing God looks like in different seasons. We hope this episode gives you a new perspective to help you walk through that dry place and meet with the Lord in a fresh, new way.Related Resources:Let's face it: This year has felt a little out of control. It seems impossible to keep anxiety, worry and stress from taking up permanent residence. Now more than ever, we need reminders that God really is in control. Worry might have defined much of your 2020, but let worship define the rest of your year. Written by members of our COMPEL Training, 40 Reminders God is in Control: Devotions to Redirect Your Worry into Worship is FREE with a gift of your choice! Click here to learn more. When pain feels deeply personal, do you find it hard to keep your reactions biblical? You aren’t alone. Walk through a step-by-step process to free yourself from the hurt of your past and feel less offended today with the help of Lysa TerKeurst’s book, Forgiving What You Can’t Forget. Order your copy here, and start reading the first three chapters immediately! Click here to order.When we hear or read a teaching or sermon that challenges us, it's natural to ask, "Now what?" What do we do with the information we’re given? How should this affect us? How should it change or transform us? That’s why we created “Now What? A Guide to Process & Apply Biblical Messages" to help you take action with the next practical step to be able to apply that message. Click here to download the transcript for this episode.

Question to consider: Do I have to honor my parents when it seems impossible? One of the Ten Commandments is “honor your father and mother” (Exodus 20:12). But sometimes, obeying that commandment feels exhausting and impossible. During this episode of the podcast, we learn from Lysa TerKeurst and Joel Muddamalle about the difference between obeying and honoring your parents. We’ll tackle expectations and boundaries during different seasons of parent/child relationships and how to navigate those seasons as they change. Whether you are the child or parent in the relationship (or both), this episode will help answer the question: How do I honor my parents when it feels impossible? Related Resources:- When we hear or read a teaching or sermon that challenges us, it's natural to ask, "Now what?" What do we do with the information we’re given? How should this affect us? How should it change or transform us? That’s why we created “Now What?” A Guide to Process & Apply Biblical Messages to help you take action with the next practical step to be able to apply that message. Click here to download this free resource!- “Boundaries aren’t meant to keep another person away. They’re to help keep you together.” - Lysa TerKeurst.  Click here to download the transcript for this episode.

Have you ever been asked to mentor someone, or maybe wanted someone to mentor you, but found it kind of awkward or wished someone told you what to do?  Join Lysa TerKeurst and her friend Shelley Giglio from Passion City Church as Shelley breaks down what mentorship is and what it isn’t. With wisdom from years of experience, she will show us the value of these relationships, and will equip us with tools to flourish in them. Our hosts, Kaley and Meredith, even get to ask her some questions directly related to mentorship in their different stages of life. We promise, you don’t want to miss this episode!Related Resources:Check out these resources by Shelley and her team at Passion City Church. You can visit flourishmentor.com to learn more about Flourish and how to purchase it. There are also free resources for beginning your mentoring journey! Follow Shelley and her team at The Grove @shelleygiglio and @pcc_thegrove on Instagram. Sign up for our Encouragement for Today devotions for daily, biblical encouragement to help your filter your everyday life through the Truth of God’s Word. Did you know we have Facebook groups? Connect with other like-minded friends and find encouragement for your season of life. Join our group for 20-somethings or our group for mamas! Click here to download the transcript for this episode.

What are you longing for? Maybe you're a single woman, and you're longing to get married? Or you are longing to start a family? Maybe you’re longing for a new season, healing or something else in your life to change? That thing deep down inside that you want, that you wonder if you will ever get, can be painful. But how often do we ask ourselves if Jesus is really enough to fulfill that longing?  Join Hannah Schindler and Joel Muddamalle from our First 5 team as they discuss the longings we see throughout the entire Bible, and how those longings are meant to point us to Jesus.  Related Resources:Download our free First 5 mobile app and spend the first moments of your day with God before the hustle of your to-do list begins. We also have study guides to help you dig a little deeper into God's Word.To download the transcript for this episode, click here.