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Ep.091: Amy Betters-Midtvedt on the challenges of parenting teenagers.

Parenting teenagers is not always easy. That’s probably the understatement of the year.

In this insightful episode, Amy Betters-Midtvedt, author of You’ll Make It (And They Will Too), offers expert advice on parenting teenagers and understanding the complexities of family dynamics. With over 25 years of experience working with adolescents and families and as a contributing writer for Today Parenting, Amy has impacted over a million readers with her compassionate approach to adolescent behavior, emotional growth, and mental health.

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Ep.090: Dr. Kimberly Offutt on fostering compassion.

There are over 400,000 children in the Foster care system. Roughly 125,000 are available for adoption, and 25,000 age out a year. What does compassion say do?

In this episode of Mercycast, Dr. Kimberly Offutt discusses the transformative power of compassion, community support, and advocacy in the foster care system.

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Ep.089: Esther Garrett on finding your way back.

How do you find your way back after the unthinkable?

After experiencing deep pain, we can lose a step. We may feel like we have lost our sense of purpose.

In this conversation, Raleigh Sadler and Esther Garrett explore finding passion and purpose after experiencing trauma and burnout. Esther, the founder and CEO of Safety Compass, shares her personal story of advocacy, the challenges she faced, and how her experiences shaped her ability to connect with others. They discuss the importance of vulnerability, gratitude, and redefining success through kindness and service to others. By 'redefining success, 'they mean shifting the focus from personal achievements to the impact we make on others. The conversation emphasizes that our stories, no matter how painful, can equip us to help others and that God's presence is constant, guiding us through our journeys.

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Ep.088: Joe Dobbins on healing from church hurt.

Many people who leave the church cite “church hurt” as one of their reasons. What is it?

In this episode of the Mercycast, host Raleigh Sadler discusses the topic of church hurt with the author Joe Dobbins. Together, they explore the experiences of individuals who have been emotionally wounded in places of worship and the impact it has on their faith. Joe shares his motivation for writing the book Hope After Church Hurt: How to Heal, Re-engage, and Rediscover God's Heart for You and highlights the need to address the issue of church hurt within faith communities.

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Ep.085: Chris Morris on healthy ways of talking about our mental health.

Over 50% of Christians struggle with mental health.

For this reason, in this episode of the Mercycast, host Raleigh Sadler engages with Chris Morris, a certified mental health coach and author of the new book Resilient and Redeemed: Lessons about suicidality and depression from the psych-ward to discuss the often overlooked topic of mental health within the church.

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Ep.081: Gretchen Ronnevik and Katie Koplin on becoming comfortable with your discomfort.

In this episode, we have a podcast inception—yes, a podcast within a podcast. The hosts of the Freely Given podcast join me on the Mercycast. Katie Koplin, author of Encouragement for Motherhood, and Gretchen Ronnevik, author of Ragged, share their perspectives on being comfortable with being uncomfortable. We explore how the gospel meets us in our discomfort and talk about seasons in life and how, because of Christ, discomfort is not permanent or defining.

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Ep.077: Ginny Owens on how to start over.

In this episode, I talk with Ginny Owens about her journey of starting over and finding light amid suffering. Ginny Owens has spent the past two decades sharing her heart with listeners and readers as a singer/songwriter, author, teacher, and advocate. Her new book, Singing In The Dark, shows how we can experience light in the middle of our suffering.

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Ep.075: Anne Basham on when charity is the wrong choice.

In this episode, Raleigh Sadler interviews Anne Basham, founder of the Inter-Parliamentary Task Force on Human Trafficking, about the importance of influencing policy to address modern slavery. They discuss the dangers of well-meaning intentions in orphanages and the need for foster care as a better alternative.

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Ep.074: Valerie Althouse on reframing pain.

"How do I walk through this in a way that it's used for something that has a greater purpose than maybe I would have chosen for myself?"

In this episode of the Mercycast, Raleigh Sadler talks with Valerie Althaus about living with chronic pain. Valerie shares her personal experience of living with chronic pain and how she has learned to manage it. She emphasizes the importance of finding a supportive community and engaging in hobbies that bring joy and distraction. Valerie also discusses the internal work of accepting and reframing pain, shifting from asking 'why' to asking 'how' to live with it. She encourages listeners to start where they are, acknowledge their pain, and find hope in the bigger picture of eternity.

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Ep.072: Ryan Wekenman on the gift of singleness.

Can you return the "gift" of singleness? Can you get store credit?

In this episode, Raleigh Sadler and Ryan Wekenman, drawing from their personal experiences, explore the challenges of singleness and the significance of finding community and embracing the present moment. They candidly discuss the well-meaning but often hurtful comments single people receive and the societal pressure to find a spouse. Ryan shares his journey of self-discovery and learning to invite God into his singleness. Raleigh reflects on the gift of singleness and the need to reframe our perspective on singleness as an opportunity for growth and connection with God and others. The conversation is a deep dive into viewing singleness in a different light and finding gratitude in every stage of life. It underscores the importance of embracing weaknesses, owning who you are, and not comparing yourself to others. They even share their unique experiences of being single pastors and the misconceptions surrounding singleness. The main takeaway is a call to celebrate where you are, whether married or single.

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