69. Easter Rest

Carissa Bleecker is a wife, mother, and cofounder of a nonprofit organization called McKinney Roots. MR donates thousands of pounds of fresh produce, eggs, and honey to food banks in the McKinney, Texas area.  And all this started because God planted an idea in the hearts of Carissa and her friend Michelle to use their personal gardens to help feed the food insecure in their community. On the show Carissa shares how they got started and how God has faithfully grown McKinney Roots over the past six plus years. To find out more about McKinney Roots you can visit their website here or to donate or volunteer you can visit The Seed Project Foundation website here.   If you are interested in Carissa's adorable crocheted animals, you can contact her through her instagram @carissa_bleecker. 

This week Emily takes a break from the podcast to try not to over do it. To learn more about what Jesus did for you go to jesuscares.com to chat with someone right now. Happy Easter! He is Risen!

Angela Hughes is a Lead Teaching Leader for a women's Bible Study Fellowship class in the Dallas area. However, when she started BSF more than a decade ago, she did not know how to study the Bible. Angela shares her journey through multiple moves and life stages all while having the consistency of studying God's Word with other women in BSF.  Angela is genuine and relatable, and her story will be sure to encourage you to study your Bible more. Emily mentions Episode 54: The Original Bill and the Validity of the Bible.  Links mentioned are: BSF International Blue Letter Bible    The Bible Project Bible Knowledge Commentaries

Dana K. White is a decluttering expert who actually understands struggling to declutter.  In this episode Emily and Dana chat about how Dana became a decluttering expert, much to her own surprise. She also shares how keeping things decluttered is still a struggle for her, and how God has shown her that what He really wanted was her, not for her to have a perfectly clean house. Dana talks about how God wanted her to trust Him with her clutter and how He's used her darkest secret to be the only Christian friend some people have. We did not specifically discuss her easy and realistic decluttering process, but all the information about her process can be found on her website here, as well as links to her YouTube channel, her podcast, her blog, her books, and her courses. You can also follow her on Instagram @aslobcomesclean for updates and information on what Dana is up to. You can find her newest book, "Organizing For the Rest of Us," here or wherever books are sold. 

Greta Eskridge is a mom, wife, second generation homeschooler, author, speaker, adventurer, and so much more. In today's episode Greta and I chat about adventuring with loved ones because she literally wrote the book on taking adventures with your family. In fact, she's written two books on it.  Greta's first book, "Adventuring Together," helped give me the courage I needed to take adventures with my children and husband. So when I saw that she had another book, "100 Days of Adventure," coming out at the end of March, I immediately pre-ordered it and jumped at the chance to interview her about it. Both her books focus mainly on adventuring with your children, but if you have no children or your kids are grown, don't tune out. We chat about adventuring with any loved one - from friends to family, whether you're married, single, or a parent, and Greta wisely observed that the goal of adventuring is connection - adventuring is just the vehicle.  So if you're feeling disconnected, looking for new ways to create connection, or just curious about what adventuring entails, I know you'll enjoy this interview with Greta. Her joy and zest for life are genuine and contagious and I know you'll love listening to her! Greta can be found on instagram @maandpamodern You can purchase her first book "Adventuring Together" here or wherever books are sold. You can pre-order her new book "100 Days of Adventure: Nature Activities, Creative Projects, and Field Trips for Every Season" here or wherever books are sold.

Life isn't easy, but much richer when following God, and Lauren Greci exemplifies someone in love with following Jesus. In today's episode Lauren and I chat about her soon to be released book, but mostly about how she followed God's lead through the entire writing process. Lauren is so encouraging, always pointing back to seeking God first. Lauren mentions BSF, which is a great resource for anyone wanting to study the Bible more in depth, but doesn't have the resources to attend seminary.  Lauren can be found on Instagram at @lifestyleswithlaurenblog and is the host of Go & Tell Podcast. I will post a link for her book "Mercy in the Mess" when it comes out.

February is here and Emily has some feelings about it.  Listen as she chats about February, Valentine's Day, and love with a surprise guest! Websites Emily used for Valentine's Information are NPR, Britannica, and History.com Verses mentioned in today's episode were  John 3:16 1 John 4:7-21 Mark 12:28-31 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

In this episode I chat with Randall Goodgame, creator of Slugs and Bugs music, books, and shows for families. If you've listened for a while, you know how much I love the Slugs and Bugs "Sing the Bible" albums for both my kids and myself. I have learned so much scripture in such a fun way because of these albums!  Randall and I chat about how Slugs and Bugs started, how he uses writing songs with Scripture in his personal life and family life, and ways he's seen God work through something he started for his own kids. You will be so encouraged by Randall's humility and love for creating music and shows that are enjoyable for more than just kids, teach Scripture, and also help families have fun together.  Check out the Slugs and Bugs website here to get information about everything they do. You can listen to their music here on Spotify or on any music streaming service. You can also follow them on Instagram @slugsandbugsofficial

How is your New Year going so far? Mine started much differently than I anticipated, but God was not surprised by my upset plans. In fact, He knew that giving us some down time via a sick family was actually a slower and richer way to end and start a year for our family.  In today's episode I talk more about the New Year and touch on resolutions, but if you'd like to hear more goodness from Good Things Podcast about resolutions listen on Apple Podcast or Google Play to our New Year's episode from last year. It is episode 36. I also got to chat with Natalie Abbott from Dwell Differently on today's episode. She shares what DD is and how it started and the heart of their business/ministry. She and everyone at Dwell Differently love sharing their practical, easy, and fun ways for memorizing scripture. She even said, "Regardless of whether you become a member, who cares, if you just take this method or however it might work for you, put God's word in your mind. It is so powerful."  She is so right. God's word is powerful.  If you are interested in any of the Dwell Differently products to help you memorize scripture you can find their shop here and their membership options here. You can also sign up to receive their free devotional emails and listen to their podcast here. 

Do you ever find yourself doing things to try and create this magical Christmas experience for your family only to find yourself yelling at them to have fun or else? You are not alone.  On today's episode Emily talks with a good friend, Anne Alley, about Christmas traditions and how to simplify your own expectations at Christmastime. Anne shares things her family did while she was growing up as well as discussing things she's done with her family now that she is an adult, including some failed attempts to bring the Christmas magic.  Anne mentions a book her family currently uses for Advent - "Unwrapping the Greatest Gift" by Ann Voskamp. You can find that book here.  Anne also mentions she and her husband being more intentional about trying to take Sabbath. To listen to my episodes about Sabbath start here with episode 49 to listen to my series on rest. It includes episodes 49, 50, 51, and 52.