Equip and Encourage Women

Let Your Light Shine - Obedience (Full Session)

By popular demand - welcome to the full session on “Let Your Light Shine - Obedience!” God expects His women to be obedient but obedience can be hard! In this podcast, you’ll hear why we struggle with obedience and strategies for success.

Let Your Light Shine - Obedience 4 of 4

Welcome to the final video of my 4-part series “Let Your Light Shine -  Obedience!” We’ve been talking about the tools and steps we need to take to be obedient.

We need to lean into the Holy Spirit! We cannot achieve obedience without Him. Also, we women need to encourage one another.

Let Your Light Shine - Obedience 3 of 4

Welcome to the 3rd of my 4-part series “Let Your Light Shine - Obedience!” We’ve been talking about what keeps us from obedience. Now we’re going to focus on the tools and steps we need to take to be obedient.

The first one is the easiest, and so critical - open our Bible. The Bible is the best place to find what God expects and how He has provided for you to achieve obedience. We must also exchange the lies of the enemy with the Truth. 

Let Your Light Shine - Obedience 2 of 4

Welcome to the 2nd of my 4-part series on “Let Your Light Shine - Obedience!” God expects His women to be obedient but obedience can be hard!

 I continue with why we struggle with obedience due to things such as “not nice” women. Anyone know a not nice woman? Anyone been a not nice woman? Another thing that keeps us from obedience is comparison.

Let Your Light Shine - Obedience 1 of 4

Welcome to the 1st of my 4-part series on “Let Your Light Shine - Obedience!” God expects His women to be obedient but obedience can be hard! In this series you’ll hear why we struggle with obedience and strategies for success with obedience.

We’ll start with what causes us to struggle with obedience. I think other people’s expectations and busyness are two of the biggest things that keep us from obedience.

3 Steps to Avoiding Sin

I don’t know about you, but unfortunately there are times that it seems like I suddenly realize that I’m in the middle of a pit of sin. I didn’t mean to end up in the pit of sin but somehow that’s where I find myself.

I think Proverbs 7 is an illustration of how we end up there. It shows us how we are seduced into sin.

So how do we not lose ourselves to sin.  The answer…is also in Proverbs 7.

I would love to hear from you. In the comments below, what boundaries, what protection from sin, have you placed in your life that could encourage others?

3 Reasons You Need a Friend

This sounds like a strong statement, but I am terrible at making friends! Don't get me wrong...I love women. I want friends but anytime I think about finding a friend, every insecurity I have comes boiling up, screaming ugly things about myself to myself. Insecurity is awful – we’ll talk about that in another episode.

Despite the fear I have about making friends, today I want to share with you three reasons why I (and why YOU) need friends. Studies show that many women don’t have any close friends, but I think most of us would agree that is important. So why are so many of us going it alone?

“Friendship," wrote CS Lewis, “is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What! You, too? I thought I was the only one.’”

In the comments below, share how you push past the fear to make a friend. What's a good way to make friends?

All my best to you,

Tracy

P.S. Does anyone else feel like singing out, "You've got a friend in me!" ?? ;)

Becoming Courageous, Ordinary Women - Acts 4:13

Hi friends,

Today I'm going to share a favorite verse of mine that offers me encouragement as an ordinary woman. Acts 4:13 says, "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus."

If you sometimes feel like an ordinary woman like me, take note: if you choose to spend time with Jesus, He will give you the courage to be bold. You will be anything but ordinary. Check out the podcast below to hear more. In it, I talk about how we can spend time with Jesus and grow in His love.

Once you've listened to the podcast, I'd love to talk with you further in the comments. What have you done lately that took courage? What's your favorite way to read the Bible?

All my best to you,

Tracy

The Garden of Your Life, Part 3: Jesus & the Word

In the third and final segment of our Garden of Your Life series, we’ll talk about the two most important things that our garden needs.

First: the Son, Jesus. We need Jesus. Second: the Word of God, the Bible. This doesn’t mean a Bible sitting on the shelf in your home. This means a Bible that you are reading and engaging with daily.

The Bible is our SOP - our Standing Operating Procedure for life. You must spend time daily reading the Bible to have the healthiest, most productive garden (the healthiest, most productive life). Sometimes we act so surprised by what’s coming up in our lives but we’re not paying attention to the seeds we’ve thrown into our garden of life.

Carrying People to Jesus (and the Excuses that Stop Us)

Are you an obstacle to someone else knowing Jesus? Today, I'm going to talk about excuses we make that prevent us from carrying people to Jesus. We'll take a look at Mark 2:1-5, so grab your Bible and join me to see how we can overcome these excuses.

How to go from “Mama” to “Hot Mama” in 4 Easy Steps

After a full day of being a Mom, it can be challenging to switch roles to “Hot Mama.” In this podcast, I’m going to talk about how to go from “Mama” to “Hot Mama” in 4 easy steps. Number 3 might shock you but it’s the easiest and most powerful step!

3 Tools to Better Your Marriage

I love being married and I want that for you, too! In this podcast, I share three tools to help take your marriage to the next level.

3 Steps to Cleaning Up the Mess I Made

I don’t know about you, but me... well, I mess up. I make mistakes. The Bible is full of people who sinned and messed up but they didn’t allow it to stop them from moving forward. In this podcast, I’m going to talk about 3 steps to clean up the mess.

Losing My Religion at the Airport

Where do you find yourself losing your religion? The airport is where I turn into a crazy woman. Or what about the "12 items or less" checkout lane at the grocery store? Need I say more?!? How do you instead CHOOSE to show grace?

Put FIGHT in Your Marriage

If you put FIGHT in your marriage, it can be powerful!! It's about being intentional in your marriage rather than just always assuming everything is fine. Because if we’re not intentional, next thing we know, everything is not fine.

Who You Are in Christ: Part 1

Oftentimes we allow other people or circumstances to tell us who we are. What would happen if we let God tell us who we are? Join us for the first video in a three-part series to learn powerful Biblical truths about who you are in Christ.

The first truth is that we are loved! 1 John 4:19 tells us that God loved us first! That's where it all begins; everything else stems from this truth. Once we accept this to be true, we will see our lives changing and our ability to love others growing stronger.

3 Characteristics of Christian Friendship

If we look at our Facebook page, it looks like we have a huge group of friends. But if that’s true, why are we so lonely? In this podcast, I’m going to share 3 characteristics of Christian friendships that are critical for healthy relationships.

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone: 3 Things That Keep Us From Answering God’s Call

We want so much to respond with a loud “YES!” when we feel that God has called us to move, to do something different. But many of us are afraid to get away from our comfort zone and step out in faith.
Today I’m going to share with you 3 common things that make us hesitate - or even say no - when we feel the call of God.
My hope is that after listening to this podcast you’ll be encouraged to step out in faith. Trust God’s call on your life. You’ll be so glad you did!
 

The Power of S.L.A.C.K. in Communication: How to Have a Winning Relationship

I did an informal survey of married women and asked them this question: “What’s the most challenging thing about being married?” The most common answer – communication.

In today’s podcast, I’ll talk about different parts of communication: The verbal, the nonverbal, the symbolic messages, and timing. Communication can cause conflict, avoid conflict, or resolve conflict. I’ll give you a powerful tool - S.L.A.C.K. - that will help you have hard conversations without destroying your relationships.

How to Have a Christlike Attitude: 4 Steps to Change Your Attitude

Attitude! What attitude?? Did you know we aren’t called to have just a good attitude, but we’re actually called to have a Christlike attitude in ALL areas of our lives, not just the easy areas? Sometimes people and circumstances can make that, well...really hard!

Because we can’t always change our circumstances or the people around us, we need to choose to change something about ourselves. In today’s video, we'll talk about four ways to change your attitude.