Lifegiver- Military Marriage & Leadership

Who's Really in Charge? Season 4 Finale

We are celebrating the end of Season 4 with a big question that likely everyone has asked... "Who is really in Charge?"  Is it man?  Is it God?  When does God get in involved?  Why doesn't he?  Perhaps you are waiting on orders to your next assignment (like we are) and wondering if the people involved are listening to God.  Or maybe you are praying for a promotion or for your spouse to turn back to God.  Some of you may have even experienced abuse at the hands of someone else and are wondering, "Why didn't God intervene?"  In this Sunday Special, I open up on my own journey to look into the Sovereignty of God and tackle these big questions by diving into what scripture says about it.

Thank you for a fantastic Season 4!

Included in this episode: A portion of James Cordon's Late Night Show.  To listen to the full video, watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgLOv36an3s

 

 

Mentoring is BACK: The Power of Face to Face

We are nearing the end of Season 4 with a fantastic interview with Vernice Castillo of Military Spouse Advocacy Network (MSAN)! There is no one better to talk about the importance and trend of mentoring than Vernice.  In this episode, we come full circle from Episode 1 with a discussion on how mentoring in our military and first responder culture is impacting the wellbeing of so many military spouses who are reporting issues of loneliness, fatigue, exhaustion, and resentment. Listen in and allow Vernice to remind you of why face-to-face is so much moree fulfilling than online connection.  It might open your eyes to what you've been missing.  

If you would like more information on how you can get involved with MSAN, click here: https://www.militaryspouseadvocacynetwork.org/

To listen to a previous episode on mentoring and the various generational shifts, listen to my previous episode: The Village.

Seeking Counseling: Everything You Need to Know

Get ready to take some notes!! This episode is LONG overdue and chock full of so much information.  I get asked weekly, "How do I find a clinician?" "What do I search for?" "How will I know if they are a good fit?"  For years I dug into Psychology Profiles and even websites looking for clinicians that were not only competent, but understood the service lifestyle.  This year, I launched the Lifegiver Clinician Directory- the first ever searchable directory and database of clinicians that have a passion to serve you and some of them are even first responders, spouses, and veterans!  Now you can find someone using the map or search fields to find the kind of provider that works for your family!

 

In this episode I also cover:

• How to know if you need counseling
• The difference between a counselor, psychiatrist, and psychologist
• The different types of counseling and treatments
• My experience with EMDR
• What I look for in a clinician
• How to handle your counseling relationship when it doesn't feel like a good fit.

Stay tuned, Season 4 is coming to a close soon. Listen in as I talk about the vision for Season 5!!!

The Deployment Countdown with BraveCrates

 

Becky Hoy from Brave Crates joins the podcast to share how you can better your marriage even when you are apart.  Becky Hoy believes that deployment is one of the best things that has ever happened for the growth of her marriage and her own personal development. As an Army spouse whose husband has been deployed or otherwise away from home for roughly half of their seven years of marriage, Becky realized quickly that wishing away the days during deployment could not be an option for her. To share this message with other spouses Becky founded Brave Crate. She shares weekly tips and inspiration as a blogger for Brave Blog and and has curated the deployment- positive support community for military spouses called Brave Board.

 

           

 

ABOUT BRAVE CRATE

 

For military spouses, counting down to being reunited with their deployed service member can feel like a never ending journey! That's why each month Brave Crate sends a box of curated self development and personal wellness products that allow her to shift her focus away from counting the days and onto setting goals and finding joy- so that she can conquer the deployment countdown and meet her spouse at homecoming as the strongest and most resilient version of herself.  To find out more about how you can subscribe to Brave Crates or gift someone else, head over to www.bravecrates.com

A Marriage Check Up With Dr. Les Parrott

Dr. Les Parrot joins me for an episode that is all about how couples can use a tool like the Better Love Assessment to get a healthy snapshot or check up on their marriage.  Dr. Parrott is a globally sought after marriage psychologist along with his wife, Leslie Parrott also a marriage therapist. Together, they have written several books and speak on how to improve your marriage communication, reduce conflict, improve your sex life, and much more.  In this episode, Dr. Parrott shares more about the Better Love Assessment (found at www.betterlove.com) in pointing out the individual strengths in your marriage.  Better Love can be a great tool for date night discussions, working on your marriage during a deployment or separation, and even ways to talk through topics that are normally hot topics.  To find out more and subscribe to Dr. Parrott's resources, check out www.lesandleslie.com

 

The Impact of Family Readiness on Marriage

Matt joins me again for another episode where we talk about the impact of Family Readiness on the marriage. For years, decades even, the military has told families that their support makes the mission successful. Unfortunately, families are getting tired and are wondering at what cost. In this episode, Matt and I have an honest conversation on how families indeed play a pay in mission readiness but also how we can change our perspective to a more influential one that can change the trajectory of our entire family.

The Warrior with Blood on His Hands

Most of us know that there are stories of war in the Bible, but what does it say about the warriors?  In this Sunday Special, we take a look at a specific warrior in the God's story and the impact of war on his life. We will address the tough topic of "What does it mean to have blood on your hands?"  What does that say about you?  Your marriage?  When you are asked to be the good in the world, face evil, but to do so requires the willingness to take a life?  Scripture actually addresses this and I'm excited to share with you what I've found.

Forgiveness in Affair Recovery: God’s Design in Marriage

In this Sunday Special, we address the biggest faith question I get during affair recovery, which is how and when do I forgive?  Of course this is a difficult question to answer depending on the damage that has been done.  Join me as I walk with you through scripture that gives us a blueprint for forgiveness and hope for restoration.  I address:

1. What is God's purpose and design for marriage
2. How and why the enemy wants to destroy your marriage
3. What Jesus says about when to forgive, and 
4. How We are not called to repeatedly forgive without boundaries.

Sunday Special's on the Lifegiver Podcast are a chance for us to dive deeper into honest conversations regarding our faith and topics that come up in our marriage.  In the last episode of the Lifegiver Podcast, I shared with you my strategy for affair recovery.  If you haven't heard that episode, listen to it here:https://www.podbean.com/eu/pb-5jwg4-b63b20