Episodes

Endings, Beginnings, and Choices. Why is it so important to consider endings and beginnings and choices?Because Choices become the life we live. And that's a really big deal.In this episode, we talk about good endings that create rewarding beginnings, and other endings that come without asking permission; those experiences that come from other people's harmful choices.We ask:What things should I leave behind?What things are in my heart to pursueWhat steps do I need to take to begin moving in that direction?What will happen if everything stays the same in my life?What could happen if I dare to dream and move with intention toward my dream?"God is all about giving us abundant life and He does give us the power to choose."

In this episode, Val Brown interviews author Barbara Isaac Croce about her book 'A Journey into Hope: An Interactive Journal for Women.' They discuss the importance of processing thoughts and emotions and training the heart to look at life from a "Hope in God" perspective.Barbara shares the Biblical pattern for training the soul found in Psalm 42:11. The Psalmist acknowledges the current state of his soul--despairing and disturbed--then he directs his heart to God, to trust in Him, and to worship Him as his Help, his God to whom he can run.“What you focus on, grows. That’s the truth. If you focus on all the darkness in your life, that’s all your eyes will see—because we’re trained. This is how God made us: He made us to become what we look at. If you look at God the whole time and His goodness and His character, that’s what will grow in your life. And that’s a matter of perspective. And so we train ourselves; we train our hearts to look a certain way. There’s no magic…Hope is …

In this world, we have mental, emotional, and physical suffering; grief, disappointments, trauma, lack, relational difficulties, and more. Trouble and tribulation are common happenings to all. Is it possible to find Peace in a world of chaos with circumstances like these? Cindy Lou Rummel, the author of her new devotional, "Sereni-Tea, Finding God's Peace in a World of Chaos," shares how to find Peace in the most difficult circumstances. She says, "We can only have true peace on this side of heaven through Jesus Christ."

God, if You love me, why did You let this happen to me? Where are You? Don't You care? The heart of God for us in suffering is that we would find Him as very present help in our time of need, our Comforter in our suffering. Bad things happening to us are not an indicator that He doesn't care or that He doesn't love us. God is always good, even when our circumstances aren't good. And His love for us never ceases. Find yourself and the heart of God in the story of Mary, Martha, Lazarus and Jesus from John 11:1-45.

Do you have an impossible circumstance in your life? I do.Lift up your eyes to God and see your circumstances become small in His presence. That's what happens! Seeing Him creates a sense of safety and a knowing that we're welcome to pour out our hearts before Him.Before Him, we are positioned for His miraculous to come to us; the God who sees us and hears us longs to meet us at the point of our need.In this episode, we discuss Matthew 14:1-21. Herein, we find Jesus telling His 12 disciples, to feed the hungry crowd of about 5,000 men and a multitude of women and children He had been teaching--fulling knowing the only food amongst them was five loaves of bread and two fish!Learn how offering God the little we do have miraculously becomes more than enough.We, like those first disciples of Jesus, are called to live from the miraculous supply from Heaven; we and those around us NEED the God of the miraculous.Lifting up our eyes positions us for the miraculous.…

Do you need hope that overcomes in every circumstance? Hope in suffering; a comforting hope for devastating circumstances; hope when circumstances won't change; a God-sourced Hope; a way to direct ourselves out of hopelessness and into this life-giving Hope.This Hope exists--in God."Now may the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

When I feel anxious or afraid in The Storms of Life, God gives me peace, strength & courage to help me fight what comes against me. "Sometimes God calms the storm, and sometimes He calms His child."

Is God a narcissist? Jesus said, "You shall worship the Lord our God, and serve Him only." It is for OUR GOOD that we love Him with all of our heart, with all of our soul, and with all of our might.

You can transform your troubled marriage by recognizing that your differences are strengths. Damaged trust and communication failures can find healing. Find hope, and do the work!

Knowing God - Hindrances & Breakthrough. God jealously wants us to know Him, and Jesus is The Way to Him! We can learn to recognize hindrances and break through to know God personally.

How can I know God personally? There are 3 Must-haves. The route to knowing God is easy, but a relationship takes time and attention to develop, just like getting to know a person, who becomes a close friend. The 3 Must-haves to knowing God are: Desire Him, Pursue Him, and have a living relationship with Him. God passionately loves you, and He desires that you know Him personally. Do you feel His pull? Answer with, "God, I want to know You."

Codependency - My story in dysfunctional relationships. Codependency stifles healthy self-image, and activates coping mechanisms; thereby, we bring our dysfunction into our relationships. It takes time to recognize unhealthy patterns, but freedom and victory await us on the other side!

Being honest in emotions - Let's talk about it! Why is emotional honesty so scary and so hard to communicate? Often the roots are in our family of origin, our church, and dysfunctional relationships.Our family of origin may have taught us that "bad" emotions are unacceptable; "Fix your attitude, or I'll fix it for you!"Church may have taught us that emotions can be overridden by thinking differently; "By the way, here's the verse that fits that!"Dysfunctional Relationships sometimes "forbid" a person to express their true feelings, without a consequence.In this episode, we talk about why being honest in your emotions is acceptable, healthy, and good for the soul and spirit.

Guard Your Mind / Control Your Thoughts - Ashlee Frazier, Guest. Points from our conversation:From her book: What is going into your mind? What are you consuming? How are those things influencing your life? God tells us to guard our minds and exercise self-control over our thoughts.The more we think about something, the stronger, and more controlling that thought becomes.We CAN and SHOULD do the work to take control over our thoughts.Become conscious of what you think and how your thoughts are affecting your emotions and the course of your life; purposefully work with renewing your mind; clean out the closet / maintain the garden [of your mind]; let God and others you trust help.You CAN guard your thoughts and control your mind.

Taking Back the Narrative - Ashlee Frazier. Ashlee, the author of Taking Back the Narrative, talks with us about how external narratives seek an entrance into our minds and then control over our lives.Whatever narrative we embrace shapes our self-worth, our authentic identity, our emotional honesty, how we relate in friendships, our degree of confidence to relate to God in a personal way, the choices we make, and more.Gain the confidence to challenge areas where you have struggled or succumbed to unhealthy narratives and life practices.

Move Your Heart, a podcast to Move Your Life! Your heart is Home for your thoughts, your feelings, and your will to do what you do. If you want to change your life, something has to change in your heart.My friend, someone or something is holding the pen and writing your life story.Is it you holding the pen and you feel your grip slipping?Are you living as a victim or a survivor of someone else’s narrative and imagining what your life could be if only you could break free?You can learn how and where to connect your heart to become a co-writer of your own beautiful story.This is the Move Your Heart Podcast, and I’m your host, Val Brown.Let’s move your heart to move your life.”