Building Strong Homes: Blueprints to Strengthen Your Faith and Family podcast

When I started this podcast, my two best friends, Frieda Younts and Julie Bagwell, graciously agreed to be my first interview. We wanted to help other women find and experience friendship like ours, because good, godly friends can have an amazing impact on your life, as we all can testify. One of the things Frieda said during that interview describes the foundation of our friendship.

She said, “We started with [honoring God in our get-togethers]. When we started with that, God knit us together. That’s why we don’t have huge arguments because we’re knit together by God. He started our friendship, and I think we’ll be friends till we die.”

I sure hope so.

You might be listening to this thinking, “Good for you, Carol. I’m glad you found your friends but I’m still lonely, wishing I had at least one good friend I could count on.” And I understand. I remember how hard those days were when I was a young mom. Or maybe your kids have moved out and you’re struggling to learn how to live this new empty-nest lifestyle and would love to pour out your heart to other women in the same stage of life. Or you may have recently moved to a new community, and you don’t know how to find someone you can relate to.

As I look back at how our friendship formed, I see lessons I’ve learned and things we did right when we weren’t even aware of it. In this episode I share some things we did that I hope will help you find your own lifelong friends.

Join the Building Strong Homes community by signing up for the email updates and receive my baked spaghetti recipe.

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If you'd like to connect with me or have an idea for a Kitchen Table episode you can email me at [email protected]

Watch on YouTube From Lonely to Loved: A Blueprint to Building Lasting Friendships with Carol Roper

Does God care about the little decisions you have to make every day?

The Bible is full of spiritual wisdom. But does God provide specific direction for real-world questions? Questions like Is this the right job? and Which college should my child attend?

The answer is a resounding yes. And in this episode, you will discover how to access God's divine wisdom in any situation.

Jane Glenchur had no concept of a loving heavenly Father who longed to interact with her daily through prayer. To her, God seemed light-years away, too busy running the planet to even notice her, let alone want a relationship. She had head knowledge of God but no heart knowledge.

That all changed when she took a bold step of faith and attended a Beth Moore Bible study and saw the passion Beth had for God. Having grown up in a denomination that had served Jesus up like dry toast, Jane's hunger for a personal connection with Him translated into a prayer that would change the rest of her life: "Lord, I want the same passion she has."

As she continued on in the Bible study, the weekly cry of her heart became, "Lord, make me passionate about You".

Jane's pursuit caused her to realize that God is looking for people who have a passion for Him and that passion unlocks doors to encounters with Him that can be entered no other way. She shares the seven secrets to praying with power that God taught her, along with other gems of prayer wisdom, to help take the guesswork and stress out of decision-making. Her numerous personal stories will motivate you to set apart time with the Lord and tune your ear to His voice during your daily routine.

In this conversation, Jane shows how ordinary believers like you and me can receive extraordinary answers to our prayers.

For show notes go to CarolRoper.org/podcast

Hey listeners! I’m popping into you podcast feed with a surprise! Starting now, I’ll be releasing solo episodes every other week to share some of my life experiences and Jesus moments with you! I’ll still be doing interviews but thought it would be fun to be able to talk directly to you about my struggles and triumphs. And I’m calling these episodes The Kitchen Table. So why the kitchen table? I’m so glad you asked!

I believe the dinner table is an important ingredient in the glue that helps us build strong families. My siblings and my children would agree. And so, these solo episodes that I’ll bring to you, hopefully every 2 weeks, will be short stories of how I’ve seen God work in my own life through sometimes mundane, and other times amazing, experiences and how those experiences have grown my faith. Just like if you came to my house and we sat around my kitchen table enjoying a snack and a cup of coffee (or hot tea for me!). I may even share some things I’m learning in the Word that might encourage you.

And since we’re talking about the dinner table, you might have heard that one of my favorite recipes to make for a crowd is baked spaghetti. It’s the meal my husband and I shared the first time we met, at a church youth group progressive dinner on New Year’s Eve, 1979. My mother-in-law shared the recipe with me years ago and I’ve always made this my go-to meal when I need to feed a lot of people, especially when I had lots of kids over for youth group events or parties. Guideposts magazine picked up our story and even printed the recipe for the baked spaghetti that has kind of become my trademark. So, if you’d like to receive that recipe, go to the link below and sign up and you’ll receive an email where you can download it. You’ll also receive weekly updates about podcast episodes as well as any other events that might be happening and maybe even some of my thoughts on faith and family. You’ll also be able to see a few Instagram posts from recent days.

So, let me know what you think about this Kitchen Table episode and if you have a question or an idea about something you’d like for me to discuss, please don’t hesitate to email me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you! I’ll have a link to that in the show notes.

Show notes and link to baked spaghetti recipe

CarolRoper.org/podcast

Please be aware that this content is not suitable for young children.

George Carneal grew up in the ’70s, raised by a Southern Baptist minister in the ultra-conservative Bible Belt where his world revolved around the church, country fried chicken and trying to fit in with other boys. As disco music pulsated through the speakers in his bedroom, he plotted his escape from the misery and boredom of Southern suburbia before landing in Los Angeles; a city of glitz and hedonism. Much like Alice as she traveled through the looking glass, this is George's journey through a queer culture fantasyland filled with drag queens, drugs and dangerous situations before discovering healing, joy and peace in Christ.

In this episode, George, author of the book From Queer to Christ, shares his painful journey through a secular world at odds with homosexuality, in addition to a religious world that is hostile to homosexuals. He is hopeful that sharing his story through the eyes and mind of a confused child dealing with a same-sex attraction will give some insight into the pain and difficulty of navigating those two worlds. After 25 years of living as a gay man God brought him out of that lifestyle and into His glorious truth. His story will help parents of children of all ages understand how best to influence them for God, as well as teens and adults who are struggling with the LGBTQ agenda in their own lives.

George says that he wrote the book for three reasons:

1. To give Christians insight into what it's like for someone dealing with same-sex attraction and their struggle with faith
2. To give hope to parents who have children in the LGBTQ lifestyle
3. To give LGBTQ individuals who are struggling with this lifestyle to understand that there's a different narrative and that they are being lied to and expose those lies and find peace and give them hope

George has been out of that lifestyle for almost 17 years now and has a passion to help others learn the truth. Through his testimony he wants others to know that deliverance from bondage is possible and there is hope in Christ.

Go to CarolRoper.org/Podcast for shownotes

GeorgeCarneal.com for George's website

George's book From Queer to Christ

I don’t know about you, but in my home the laundry room is considered one of the most important rooms. It’s command central. When my kids were still at home it was also a disaster on most days. Oh, it might be clean for a few brief hours, but then when everyone started slinging off boots and muddy clothes, you’d never know I’d darkened the door that day.

Many days the frustration of laundry, picking up clothes, blankets, cups and shoes (the list could go on infinitely) is overwhelming, especially with kids in the home. Before my children flew the nest, I’d get mad and start to spew at them, wanting to ask the question my mom used to ask us in jest (mostly), “What’d your last maid die of—overwork and underpay?” I always laughed at that question, but now I can appreciate the significance of it. That’s sure what it feels like sometimes.

Listen as I share a perspective I learned years ago that helped me no blow a fuse every time I walked in the door to a messy house and laundry room.

Also, I’d love for you to become part of the Building Strong Homes Community and sign up for my email list where you’ll also receive my baked spaghetti recipe.

You can also click to sign up to become part of my free Facebook community.

Watch on YouTube Are You Harboring Bitterness Toward Your Messy Family? with Carol Roper