Embrace Podcast

A message Andrea received on Instagram inspired this topic for the last episode of Embrace Podcast’s 2nd Season! It lead to questions like - can people outside the faith experience happiness - yes. Can they be moral people - yes. But Andrea uses Philippians 2:1-4 to describe how we can differently encourage and serve others since we are united in Christ. He calls us to, with humility, even value others higher than ourselves. God has helped me see clearly, faithfully follow him, and love others deeply. If you’re on the fence in your faith journey then this one’s for you! If you’re considering having a closer relationship with God - let me tell you, it only makes it better, I promise! And the best part is this… you’re always one decision away from a totally different life.

This is another Bible-head episode, if you’re looking for that then you’re in the right place! Carrie is a female that’s on a mission with True & Lovely Co to equip women and shake up traditional church grounds. We’re used to men dominating the field of teaching scripture context and deeply studying God’s word. Her comment, “women are for more than just childcare,” kind of shows the vibe of this interview! Theology and actually understanding what you’re reading is so valuable, especially if you are really getting out there and want to defend as a Christian why you believe what you believe. When I received the True & Lovely Co book - let me tell you I instantly saw how beautiful it was and made me want to sit down and explore the colorful and thought-out pages. If you’re looking for a Bible study this is a great one! @trueandlovelyco

What started as a school project, Megan created an Instagram page to begin to encourage girls live for Jesus. Follow @shelivespurposefully - it’s full of informative carousels, relatable reels, and basically helps you shift your mindset from being rooted ‘in the world’ to feeling ‘in the spirit’ on the daily. As Megan was in the engagement season during the recording (but is married now!) she talks a lot about not settling. It shows that her followers trust her because they DM and ask her advice about personal situations, and that can get pretty intense! Ultimately, she longs to guide them in walking purposefully and seeing God in even the most practical things. She shares her testimony about chasing perfectionism as a pastor’s kid to finally graduating to a more mature understanding of God after her faith was tested when she was young.

I mean, I knew Anne’s company “Library 4 Kiddos” was going well; that’s why we had her on! But now picture her leading an interactive story time in a city library with SEVENTY-FIVE toddlers. Parents are lining up for membership and are on waitlists to get access to her weekly Zoom read-alongs and children booklists. Anne knows libraries can be an intimidating space for parents. Where to start? What’s age appropriate? Listen to this episode and see what current trends to stay away from. For example, you wouldn’t find her recommending a book that portrays evil as something good - which is surprisingly popular these days! She shares about her evolving faith and journey to marrying Samuel Sey, a Ghanian-Canadian Christian Blogger.

Lead Worship Pastor at Wellspring Church NYC, Patrick keeps it light and thought-provoking while thoroughly discussing why Christians are known for singing to God - which is unique to any other religion out there! Even if you’ve never been a “singing-in-church-kinda-person” - no problem! He guides us how to pray through the process and start to be more open in public. No matter what's going on in our life circumstances, corporate worship creates space to connect with other believers and hear from God.

Jessie is a 12-time published author that’s on a mission to make resources for young girls in her Life, Love and God Series. Some titles include books called, “Crushes: Why Guys don’t have to make or break you,” Family: How to love yours and help them like you back,” and “Unashamed: Overcoming secret sins no girl wants to talk about.” The titles say it all! In our interview we discuss not only the benefits of growing up in today’s world like how much opportunity and education they have access to, and how much encouragement they have to follow their dreams. But also the the hardships of Generation Z (’97-2010 birth yrs) and Gen Alpha (starting 2010’s) like the social media influence, stress and pressure on them to be perfect, and how much more they’re exposed to then millennials (80’s-’96) ever were. If you are looking to mentor and guide younger women to Jesus whether it’s face to face or online - or you are raising young children, you gotta check out this episode!

She runs Christian Girls P.O.P (stands for Purpose, Obedience and Prayer) a digital online ministry for young girls and a teaching podcast. The content she creates is easy to understand and practical, rooted in the word and focused on the young girls heart and the battles they face. This interview is honest, vulnerable, and spicy! Stephanie shares her testimony and how growing up she was dealing with parents separating, suicidal thoughts, and emotionally abusive relationships. Being raised in church, she smoothed things over like everything was ok but on the inside she was broken and lost. Re-dedicating her life to Christ in 2013 changed everything and God worked wonders in her heart compelling her to teach Bible-basics to girls that had a “rachet and messy” story like hers.

We’re here to talk all about GRACE! How is grace a gift to us? Host Andrea Ager Montalvo sits down again with Stephanie Bright as she continues her redeeming faith story with the theme of, “I thought I was too far gone, but His grace said otherwise.” Romans 2:4 says that it’s actually God’s kindness that leads us to repentance and Hebrews 4:16 reminds us that our confidence comes from the throne of God’s grace. Lots of studious research and note-taking were done before this one, and don’t think it’s going to bore you to sleep because they are diving deep while having fun!

Emma Dotter is passionate about our generation knowing the Bible and how to study it! She’s a content creator that writes, podcasts and makes videos to help equip her followers in truth and love. Andrea was shocked and inspired by how much scripture she’s written on her heart and can reference at the drop of a hat!   The main topic in this episode is how we can get our hearts aligned with God’s & recognize who we are in light of who God is. Creator vs creation. Father vs. child of God. When Emma was thirteen, she prayed for a hunger for God’s word - and it’s obvious by hearing our convo that he answered that prayer 10x over. Her goal is to ask big life questions, always be learning and live a set-apart life that points others to Jesus.

Lindsey Strickler is the Marketing and Media Director for the nonprofit FAITH RXD. Their mission is to unite and strengthen the fitness community to live for Christ, share His love, and serve the world: just awesome. Lindsey describes in depth the kind of friendships that come out of local meet-ups and how natural it is for the people that want to become leaders to get mentored by other rooted Christians and strong athletes that meet at the faith workouts at CrossFit gyms. Halfway through the interview it was actually Lindsey’s counter-cultural views on purity and intentional dating that stole the show. Her personal reflection that, “There is so much purpose in singleness,” in her long-term chapter of holding high-to-the-sky standards for men and saving herself for marriage was the biggest take-away. This conversation shows that having a deep love for God helps us want to honor him in all facets of our life and find contentment in each season.