Worthy: Celebrating the Value of Women

In this very important and special podcast, we give a couple of updates about the future of the Worthy podcast.  If you would like to donate as a "thank you", feel free to do that here. 

Colleen interviews Elyse about her latest book:  Friend of Sinners: Lent Devotions on Following the Crucified King (A 43 Day Lenten Devotional to Prepare for Easter | Includes Reflection Questions for Personal Use or Group Discussion) 

Zach is the Lead Pastor and co-founder of Restore. Born and raised in Austin, he holds a Bachelors of Science in Communication, a Masters of Theology, and is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Ministry at Duke Divinity School. Zach is also the author of the forthcoming book, Better Ways to Read the Bible, which is all about transforming the Bible from a weapon that condemns, oppresses, and excludes into a tool that liberates. Zach is the co-founder and board member of the Post Evangelical Collective--a group of pastors, artists, and leaders committed to full inclusion, holistic justice, deep and wide formation, a gracious posture, and the Way of Jesus. He also serves on the boards of the Austin Church Planting Network and the Austin chapter of the Multi-Faith Neighbors Network.

Janyne McConnaughey, Ph.D., award winning author and trauma-informed advocate, lived with the effects of childhood sexual abuse from the time she was three years old until she entered therapy and began her healing journey at the age of sixty-one. Realizing healing was possible for survivors, she first authored three memoirs describing the effects of childhood trauma and the paths to healing. Her most recent publication is Trauma in the Pews: The Impact of Trauma on Faith and Spiritual Practices. Janyne's passion is encouraging other survivors of childhood trauma to seek healing. She is currently a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Tabor College (Masters in Education: Neuroscience & Trauma) and has served for four years as Board Member for the Attachment & Trauma Network (ATN), two as Board President. Janyne builds on her forty-year career in teaching, teacher education, and an expertise in early childhood development to help educators, caregivers, and church ministry workers understand and apply trauma-informed practices. Janyne, her husband Scott, and rescue dog Weber live south of Seattle and enjoy spending time with children and grandchildren. 

Katie Douglass & Brittnay Tausen join us to talk about their book Love Your Neighbor: How Psychology Can Enliven Faith and Transform Community.

Inspired by deep compassion for others and informed from a Christian perspective, psychiatrist Curt Thompson shares fresh insights and practical applications for developing more authentic relationships and fully experiencing our deepest longing: to be known. He's written several books, including: Anatomy of the Soul The Soul of Shame The Deepest Place   Become a Patreon Supporter  

Adam Young is a trauma therapist and the host of The Place We Find Ourselves podcast. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with master's degrees in social work (Virginia Commonwealth University) and divinity (Emory University). Adam regularly speaks at conferences and currently serves as a fellow with The Allender Center. He lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, with his wife and two children.

Natasha Smith is a grief advocate, speaker, and podcast host. She is the author of Can You Just Sit with Me? Healthy Grieving for the Losses of Life. Her work has appeared in Guideposts, Propel Women, Influence magazine, her.BIBLE, and elsewhere. She and her husband, Clinton, have four children and live near Raleigh, North Carolina. You can find her online at imnatashasmith.com.

Faith Chang serves at Grace Christian Church of Staten Island, where her husband is a pastor. She is an editorial board member of the SOLA Network and co-hosts the Westminster Kids Digest Podcast at WTS Books. Her writing on theology, motherhood, ministry, and the Christian life has appeared on Westminster Kids, The SOLA Network, The Gospel Coalition, and The Lausanne Movement. Faith addresses the struggle of Christian Perfectionism - and how God works with us as a "people in process." Through meditations on God's character, she helps women find peace by encountering the love and mercy offered to us through Christ. "Peace over Perfection: Enjoying a good God when you feel you're never good enough"   Become a Patreon Supporter 

Trillia Newbell is the author of the kids' books Creative God, Colorful Us and God's Very Good Idea; a Bible study on Hebrews 11, A Great Cloud of Witnesses; and a Bible study on Romans 8, If God Is For Us, as well as the books Sacred Endurance: Finding Grace and Strength for a Lasting Faith; Enjoy: Finding the Freedom to Delight Daily in God's Good Gifts (2016);  Fear and Faith: Finding the Peace Your Heart Craves (2015) and United: Captured by God's Vision for Diversity (2014). Her writings on issues of faith, family, and diversity have been published in the Knoxville News-Sentinel, and many other Christian outlets. Trillia has spoken at numerous conferences, churches, women's retreats, colleges and seminaries. She spent seven years serving as the Director of Community Outreach for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission for the Southern Baptist Convention. She is currently an acquisitions editor for Moody Publishers. Her latest book is Celebrating Around the Table: Learning the Stories of Black Christians through Readings, Fellowship, Food, and Faith, (Harvest House).

Jenn is an author, speaker, spiritual director, and coach. She loves coming alongside people to help them grow in their relationship with God through spiritual direction, coaching, and intentional story work in the context of a safe-enough community. She believes storywork to be an important component of our discipleship journey. She wrote the book Dim Sum and Faith: How our Stories Form our Souls.

Yana Jenay Conner, MDiv (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary), is a writer and Bible teacher. Her debut book is Living Beyond Offense: Doing the Hard Work of Forgiveness God's Way. She has served in full-time ministry for 15 years in both church and parachurch contexts and has contributed to Jude 3 Project's Through the Eyes of Color; Swing Low, Volume 2: An Anthology of Black Christianity in the United States; and the She Reads Truth Devotional. She is the host of the podcast Living Single with Yana Jenay and serves as the adult ministry director at Vertical Church in Hillsborough, NC.

Almost thirty years ago, she was given a two percent chance to be alive in ten years after a recurrence of breast cancer.  To make matters worse, she went through a divorce and her career ended because she was too weak to work.  Her first book, A Gift of Mourning Glories: Restoring Your Life after Loss, answers the big question that you and many people often struggle with after a difficult loss: "I've survived, but now what?" It turns out the process of beginning anew is a skill you can learn, but few have been taught. Through her signature program, ReBUILD, she has watched Christian women who are separated and divorced beautifully begin anew. Each new ReBUILD group is a reminder that God has a purpose for us, no matter what dirt we're planted in.

Jennifer Houston McNeel is a core faculty member at St. Mary's Ecumenical Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. Her research and writing interests focus on the social world of the New Testament in general and women in the New Testament in particular. She is the author of Paul as Infant and Nursing Mother: Metaphor, Rhetoric, and Identity in 1 Thessalonians 2:5–8 and Under Her Wings: Mothers and Motherhood in the New Testament. Her writing provides an analysis of the stories of mothers in the Gospels and Acts, mothers referred to in New Testament letters and Revelation, and metaphorical uses of motherhood through the New Testament. "Under Her Wings" draws together the motherhood-related themes such as new life, suffering, identity, caregiving, and influence, and offers reflections on why the study of mothers in the New Testament matters.

Eric Schumacher earned a degree in communications from the University of Northern Iowa and an M.Div. in Biblical and Theological Studies from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is pursuing an M.A. in Marriage, Family, and Individual Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.  Eric and his wife, Jenny, live in Iowa. They are the proud parents of five children and a daughter-in-law. Eric is the Pastoral Ministry Director of the Baptist Convention of Iowa.  Eric is a regular contributor to Common Good magazine and has written many worship songs including, Not in Me. He is the author of multiple books: The Good Gift of Weakness Ours: Biblical Comfort for Men Grieving Miscarriage

Chuck DeGroat is a follower of Jesus, a husband to Sara for 31 years, and a father to two amazing daughters. He serves as Professor of Counseling and Christian Spirituality and Executive Director of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Western Theological Seminary, Holland, MI. He is also a faculty member for the Soul Care Institute.   He is a licensed therapist, a spiritual director, author of six books, and retreat leader/speaker. As a therapist, he has specialized in pastoral (and leadership) health, abuse and trauma, and navigating spiritual and emotional obstacles on the faith journey.   He just founded a new graduate clinical counseling program at Western Theological Seminary. He is the author of "Healing What's Within: Coming Home to Yourself and to God When You're Wounded, Weary, and Wandering".

JIM WILDER has been training leaders and counselors for over 27 years on five continents. He is the author of nine books with a strong focus on maturing and relationship skills for leaders. His coauthored book Living From the Heart Jesus Gave You has sold over 100,000 copies in eleven languages. Wilder has published numerous articles and developed four sets of video and relational leadership training called THRIVE. He is currently executive director of Shepherd's House Inc., a nonprofit working at the intersection of brain science and theology, and founder of Life Model Works that is buidling contagiously healthy Christian communities through equipping existing networks with the skills to thrive. Dr. Wilder has extensive clinical counseling experience and has served as a guest lecturer at Fuller Seminary, Biola, Talbot Seminary, Point Loma University, Montreat College, Tyndale Seminary and elsewhere.

As we continue our series on divorce in the church, Martin Cachero from Risen Church joins us to discuss how to pastor congregants going through divorce. He received his B.A. from Cal State San Marcos and his Masters in Theological Studies from Bethel Seminary. He is currently co-vocational serving as co-Pastor at Risen Church and as the Director of Strategic Initiatives with Flourish San Diego. 

Vaneetha is passionate about helping people find hope in their suffering.  All her books: the Bible Study, Desperate For Hope, her memoir, Walking Through Fire, and her devotional, The Scars That Have Shaped Me, encourage people to turn to Christ in their pain. Her story includes childhood bullying, losing an infant son, developing post-polio syndrome, and going through an unwanted divorce. Some of her greatest joys are being a wife to Joel and a mother to Katie and Kristi and you can find her embarrassing them in Raleigh, NC.

Chris Moles is a pastor and biblical counselor dedicated to helping churches and families confront domestic violence and cultivate healthy, God-honoring relationships. Through his ministry—PeaceWorks and PeaceWorks University—he delivers training on abuse prevention, intervention, and transformation, including resources like the Men of Peace program. Chris is also the author of The Heart of Domestic Abuse: Gospel Solutions for Men Who Use Control and Violence in the Home,   Leslie Vernick is a longstanding clinical social worker, licensed counselor, speaker, and author with over three decades of experience serving individuals, couples, and families. She's best known for her bestselling books The Emotionally Destructive Relationship and The Emotionally Destructive Marriage. Leslie travels widely as a speaker, regularly contributes to Christian media, and co-leads training initiatives with Chris to aid churches and counselors in responding biblically and compassionately to destructive relationships