Life Builders By Julie Hamilton

"Saw bye-bye to mommy," the stranger mocked as she yanked Amanda's 3 yr old daughter away from her at the local grocery store. This was Amanda Florczykowski's first encounter with a child sex trafficking ring and it happened in their small town.  Hear the courageous story of one mom's fight to reconcile her multiple painful experiences with a good God, educate others about the horrors of human trafficking, face injustice from trusted authorities, and to walk closely with God through it all.

The tales of the last missing chocolate chip cookie caper and thoughts about misplaced privilege.  This one word in the story of Luke 10 caught me off guard and reminded me of something super important that shifted my quiet meditation times this week! Also, I share how trying to stay undistracted in your quiet time just makes you more distracted! Here's a simple tip to deal with distractions.

"God's picture of your life is greater, bigger, and more impactful than you could ever think." Today's chat with Will G of the "Free Will Talkin" podcast is all about exceeding expectations -whether it's looking back at our lives & what we expected to accomplish, how surrendering his family brought back to him the desires of his heart or even how we often underestimate the potential and value of others surrounding us. Will G shares how to stay on track to see the best days of our lives!

Like the tree in my neighborhood, things around us can look so dead, and yet there remains a little bit of life that makes its way to the surface. Taking things from appearances and situations of death to life is just what Jesus does over and over.  There is hope! 

This chat with Amie Stockstill was a year in the making so we made sure to cover everything under the sun! We did talk about charcuterie boards, why 2019 was Amie's worst year, why women are afraid of their public callings, Let's Echo, true discipleship and how isolating is self-sabotage. We were never meant to walk this road alone.  Also, you get to hear Amie laugh while I choke on an almond and we learn all about Embrace Grace! 

We are all tempted. Jesus was too. Here are 3 big temptations he faced and how he overcame them -- self-satisfaction, the illusion of power or control, and satisfying His ego.   Luke 4 gives us big keys to dealing with temptation! 

Wow, when I hit record two months ago while John Lynch and I were having a conversation about being blindsided, we hadn't heard a thing about COVID19 or the economy collapsing or American grinding to a halt.  But, the words and the prayer spoken at that time have never been more timely for today. As you listen to this podcast, may you be reminded that God is ever present in the midst of the beauty and the rubble. 

In Mark 10, we see a crowd that has two distinct parts? Which part would you be in -- future-oriented or fear-oriented? We have a choice. Also, I share 3 ways that we can keep our hearts towards the hope of the future, based on "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl. 

During this time of social distancing and shelter at home, many who already live alone are feeling the burden in an especially heavy way. You can be literally alone or be in a crowd of hundreds and feel alone. Here's the most important thing to remember. 

"We ride the highs and lows," - Andy Grammar "Smoke Clears"  These days are full of highs and lows seemingly out of nowhere! But if we look at scripture, we notice a pattern--Jesus also goes from highest highs to lowest lows one after the other! Here are a few examples and how we recognize that we are in a typical cycle of life. Hang in there...highs will return again. 

What's been on my heart? Business owners like us who have lost all their income & jobs overnight due to COVID -19. Here are some simple ideas to reduce spending, but mostly just a prayer from my heart to yours. We are with you. God is with you. 

In this crazy time I know one thing, God is still speaking. Sometimes we just feel compelled to do certain things that might not make sense and we may never understand why. Let's take a look at 2 situations in the Bible where incredible gifts were on the other side of people's obedience. When those feelings come, the gut feelings, the urges, the Holy Spirit whispers, here's why it might be important to follow those feelings. 

Executive coaching expert Tracy Smith takes us behind the scenes into the deep dive that surrounds creating a great team with various personalities as well as personal emotional intelligence and strategic development. We talk about Meyers Briggs, DISC, the Enneagram AND the emotional intelligence quadrants! Let's go deep! 

If you're ready to be challenged & fascinated today, check out this podcast with Dr. Andrew Farley and his gift of articulating how small nuances frame the big picture of our lives. He takes simple phrases that many have grown up believing like "Less of him and more of me" or "I die daily" and shows us how they are actually wrong.  His book, Twisted Scripture, uses the Bible to untangle 45 unexpected lies that Christians have been told. 

In this episode, Jackie Dorman teaches us how to do the "heart work", not the hard work! She gives us shortcuts to healing from trauma and becoming who we really are underneath it all -- healed and whole and free.  Please buy her book "The Heart Work: The Secret to Becoming the Real You" and consider attending her online heart-healing workshop starting in Feb! Find out more at JackieDorman.com