The Shared Cup Podcast

Join us as my guest Kristen Humiston shares her personal story with us. After coming from a dark place of spiritual woundedness, Kristen found herself renewed with hope as she sat with a coach who used the power of insightful questions to draw out the wounds from the deep places of her soul. As she listened to these questions and had space to process through her own thoughts, she realized the transformative power coaching  brings for anyone brave enough to take the step and begin the coaching process. This grew a passion in her to offer the same healing to others who might be in the place she’d been. Sometimes the wounds require counseling and techniques used in a therapy setting. However, sometimes the wounds just need a little light and hope can once again be established.

Because of Kristen’s story, she is now able to help Christian women who may have experienced wounds due to experiences within the church setting begin to see the Truth of Who God is, Who they are in Him, and how they can begin to walk in a way of healing.

Thank you Kristen for sharing your story!

Scripture reference: 1 John 4:19, 1 Peter 4:19

Join us as my guest Jessica Fox shares her story with us. Jessica shares about her time in full time ministry & her 5 years of running her own church. She shares about how this impacted her & eventually led to burnout. This then led to her adrenals failing, depression setting in & a panic attack that lasted 3 hours. Jessica took an 8 week sabbatical to rest and recover. During the 8 weeks, she was not getting better & after going back she ended up at her Doctor’s office again who told her she was not going back & gave her all the paperwork to be on disability.

She’d lost everything & was so tired she couldn’t get out of bed.

Almost a year later she was finally up to about 70%. She wanted a fresh start, so Jessica & her husband started dreaming about moving! The found the perfect location & set the date of when they were going to move.  And that’s where everything changed. In 2019 the Oil industry in Alberta too a dive & that led to Jessica’s husband losing a lot of his business & he was the only provider for the family at that time. They were facing bankruptcy.

The job hunt began for her husband. They had their list of dream spots & “accidentally” ended up interviewing for a job in Arkansas! But it was all God’s divine plan! He was offered the job on the spot & they were moving 3 weeks later.  It was a HUGE leap of faith, just trusting in the Lord.

Join us as my guest Sherri Everett shares her story with us. Sherri’s story starts at a place when she found herself in the ICU in the burn center. They weren’t sure if she was going to live or die. It all started with a simple cold… and then she got to a point where she looked like the Walking Dead. Thankfully the doctors at UNC were able to narrow it down & ended up diagnosing her with a rare disease called MERM. This is a derivative of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. Sherri was burning from the inside out.

But.. everything started to change when the Priest came to pray with her and gave her some of the host. Her body was starting to heal!

Sherri’s story is truly inspirational. Thank you Sherri for sharing your story with us!

Scripture reference: Mat 7:12

Join us as my guest Kristen Rogers shares her story of growing up broken, longing to fill a void in her life. She grew up in a non-Christian home but visited her Christian Aunt in North FL each summer & that’s where she met Jesus. But at a young age, she turned to relationships, boys! She was trying to fill a hole in her heart with boys. Before she graduated high school, she had experienced more relationship trauma than most 30-year-old women; she was cheated on, physically abused, verbally abused, was threatened to be killed, had a controlling boyfriend, you name it, she had experienced it.

That continued through high school. And then she was off to college & full rebellion set in. She started dabbling in drugs & was smoking a ton of pot. But she was still doing really well with her grades.

Then one day, she got a phone call, her Aunt had been life-flighted. And she hit her knees, bargaining with God to save her aunt & if He did, she would follow him.

So Kristin left school & flew down to help care for her Aunt. She stayed for a long time but then decided to move back to be with her parents.

Through this, she started to seek Jesus more. She got a Bible, she started journaling.

Then, her Senior year in college, her mom left her dad. At that point, that’s when depression, anxiety, PTSD set in.

Moving forward, she graduated& went out with some friends, and met her future husband. 

Fast forward, they got married, and had a beautiful baby boy!

There she was, 27 years old, standing at her bookshelf when she had an encounter with the Lord. Everything changed.

God revealed that she add an approval addiction, she was a perfectionist, she was a self sabotager.

Her story is truly inspiring!! If you don’t feel beautiful right now, Jesus can make it beautiful! He turns ashes into beauty! Thank you to Kristin for sharing her story with us today.

Scripture reference: Isaiah 61:3; Psalm 46:10, Psalm 139

Song reference: The Unmaking by Nicole Nordeman

Join us as my returning guest Sara Vogel shares her story of truly being open to God’s plan in her life & the life of a complete stranger. Two years ago, the thought popped in her head, “I wonder what it would take to donate an organ.” Not thinking anything of it, she let it go. But the thought kept returning. Then the same year, in the summer of 2018 Sara saw a Facebook post; a young man in Cincinnati was looking for a kidney. Sara looked into how someone would know if they are a match & started taking steps of obedience.  Mounds of paperwork, bold test, and then the waiting.

As she was going through the process, God gave her opportunity after opportunity to share the story of how God put this on her heart.

So far, she was a match!

Sara was then asked to come to Christ Hospital in Cincinnati for a full day of testing. More bloodwork, blood pressure monitoring, urinalysis, and much more.

It was getting real & she was getting nervous!! Sara asked God to confirm that this was what HE wanted her to do.

That same day, there was an update on the Facebook page. They hadn’t posted in 4 months. The young man that needed a kidney was doing worse! He was now on dialysis 10 hours a day. They were pleading for people to get tested to see if they were a match.

This was a sign for Sara that this was indeed God’s plan.

Then in January 2019 she got the call. She was approved & was a match!

Surgery was scheduled for April 9, 2019.  They both went through surgery that day & the first question Sara asked “How is he?” He was great!

All along, she just knew that God was going to make it all ok. She never doubted his providence!

In August of 2019 Sara got to contact her kidney recipient! She wanted to tell him that God sent her for him!  Then in September she got to meet him & his family.

What an amazing testimony of God’s goodness, his faithfulness & his provision!

Song reference: Peace Be Still ~ Hope Darst

Join us as my guest Ashley Becker shares her story of receiving life-changing news at the young age of 20.  After having symptoms, pain, tests… and no answers… she received a call from her doctor.  In the middle of a mass, they removed was Cancer…. in shock, Ashley wouldn’t comprehend what was ahead.

Everything moved so quickly! Ashley shares about going through all of her treatments & how God, her family, and friends really got her through.

Ashley also shares encouragement for others & is trying to raise awareness to women everywhere about Ovarian Cancer.

Praise the Lord - Ashley has been cancer-free for 2 YEARS now!!

Thank you Ashley for being brave & sharing your story with us!

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11

Join us as Andrea Anderson shares her story of being called by God to help other Christian women with their health. It was something she never imagined she would be doing and she resisted fully stepping into for years out of fear and lack of confidence. Andrea shares what God used to get her attention to pay attention to her own health, the struggles she experienced along the way - especially with anxiety and not feeling “like herself” for years, and what she sees many women struggling with today. Her story highlights how God knows the plans He has for us and His mercy and patience toward us when we’re slow to get on board with that plan.

Join us as my guest Elizabeth Fry shares her story of healing! Elizabeth had lost hope and was tortured by times of despair, bitterness, and loneliness.  She had given birth to twin boys who lived for eight and a half days, followed by a Doctor telling her that her painful and multiple debilitating health challenges would prevent her from ever working again.  So very much seemed lost.  Listen to her inspiring journey of how God helped her overcome these daunting challenges to experience energizing hope, feel good again, and discover anew His mission for her life.  Her testimony is packed with many practical suggestions and empowering perspectives for you to regain joyful hope amidst the particular struggles you face. Thank you again to Elizabeth for sharing with our audience today!

Join us as my guest Melissa Kottelenberg shares the story of her fourth child, Tyson. When Tyson was born, he was sleeping a lot & had to be woken up to feed.  Melissa knew that something wasn’t right, so they took Tyson to the Emergency Room. God placed their Pediatrician in the ER that day who took a look at Tyson & quickly recognized there was an issue.

It was discovered that Tyson was born with severe congenital heart defects.  He's had 3 open-heart surgeries and multiple cardiac procedures, scans, tests, etc and he was at one time heading down the transplant road because he used to get sick so often, the doctors talked about doing not only a heart transplant but also a lung transplant! 

It's a miracle that he is alive because his defects are so severe that they are 100% fatal if left untreated.  Melissa has seen God's providence and cares in so many areas of Tyson’s life! God also led Melissa to the healing powers of doTERRA essential oils that have not only changed the course of Tyson’s life but also Melissa’s! Now… Tyson’s medical team no longer talks about a heart + lung transplant with them! To God be the glory!! Thank you Melissa for sharing with us!

Scripture: Psalm 27:1, Psalm 46:1, Psalm 145:136

Join us as my guest Rachael Shalloe-Cooper shares her story of abandonment and rejection, shaped by a lifetime of poor decisions, which saw more abandonment and rejection. It was a crazy cycle that she couldn’t figure out how to stop. Life wasn’t a joy for Rachael as she tried to escape it anyway possible through drinking, drugs and anything else she could to avoid the pain and trauma. When her children came along she decided to try and fix her life in her own strength, setting up a business and marrying her children’s father. Only 9 months later they were headed for divorce. Faithless and dejected Rachael stepped into a church where she met with Jesus. He filled her heart with the Holy Spirit and set her upon a journey of healing. Filled with faith Rachael now chooses to be faithful to Him because she knows how it is to be faith-less. Life as she knows it has completely changed!  Thank you Rachael for sharing your story with us today.

Scripture: Romans 8:28, John 14

Today Cherlyn shares with us how to unleash our ROAR.

R = Respond. First we have to know how to respond.

• ACTION STEP: Find a promise from God about what’s going on in your life right now and begin speaking it out loud.
• Powerful Quote: “When we know what God says about our circumstances and we declare those things out loud it commands God’s authority over our circumstances”

O = Overcome Obstacles. Second we have to learn how to overcome the obstacles.

• ACTION STEP: take a quick minute to think about your trials – ask yourself were there any traps which you see now in hindsight?
• Powerful Quote: “One of the key things to remember when it comes to the obstacles is we can see them coming.  If we know what to look for. We have to spot the traps

A = Apply. Third we apply what we’ve learned from previous seasons.

• Sometimes our thoughts and feelings are not true. Sometimes they lie to us. Most of us have heard that voice that whispers in our ear things that are not true about us or someone else and get us to doubt, to wonder, to question until we believe the lie
• We need to take those thoughts and feelings captive. Philippians 4:8 says to think on whatever is true. This means we have a choice, we have control over what we think and what we feel and we can FILTER them as soon as they come in and filter them through what we know to be true.
• Action Step: Begin to evaluate your story to find the lessons and then ask God to show you his perspective.
• Powerful Quote: “We cannot avoid trials in the future, oh I wish we could. But, how we survive one trial is an indicator of how we will survive the next one. Unless something changes.”

R = Reveal. And last we reveal our story to others.

• ACTION STEP: You don’t have to wait for the trial to be over: you can start by telling your story to someone over lunch today then over the next few weeks begin to journal about what God has done for you and over the next month think through who your story can help.
• Powerful Quote: “The enemy wants to keep us quiet, when our trials are finally over, he wants us to get on with life. He doesn’t want us to be vulnerable about our struggles and he doesn’t want us to share our triumphs. But I’m telling you to share it because it will help others be overcomers.”

oin us as Rachel Yastro shares her story with us.  Being raised Catholic, Rachel always considered herself to be a Christian. She believed in God, she had a reverence for Him… so she was a Christian.

But after her Freshman year in College, her close friend kept inviting her to church with her. After many no’s, she finally said yes. And she ended up going all summer. The summer ended with her realizing that she was a sinner and needed a Savior. She she gave her life to Jesus Christ.

Just 3 short weeks later… she returned to college, a baby Christian, not yet having a foundation to build on.

This led to her going right back to her old friend groups & doing things the way she did before.

Fast forward to the summer of her Senior year, her boyfriend of 3 years proposed. She said yes!

But the Holy Spirit began to work on her. Rachel’s fiancé was not a Christian. She started to become physically ill over it.

Rachel was wrestling with God over it, and 4 weeks before the wedding, she called it off.

God began opening new doors of growth. First, in TX working with Women of Faith, then to GA with Dream Big Ministries.

It was while in GA that she met her husband Ryan.

The ladies she worked with at Dream big really challenged her to dig into the Bible more, and so she did. And God really came alive to her!

God began to speak to her through stories in the Bible that she had never read before; showing her the picture of Jesus in 2 Samuel & reminding her that she’s invited to eat at the King’s table forever!

This sparked a passion in Rachel to teach the word of God! So much so that Rachel and her husband Ryan started a ministry called Seek Truth Ministries and Media.

Scripture: Genesis 32:24-28, 2 Chronicles 22, 2 Samuel 9, Deuteronomy 32:47, Ezekiel 3:3, Psalm 1:2

Quotes: Os Guinness, Alistair Begg, Corrie ten Boom

Join us this as my guest, Ashley Price, shares her very personal story of being sexually assaulted as a Freshman in college.  Growing up in NJ, Ashley always knew she would live in the South.  She was raised in a non-Christian home, yet just knew that God had a plan for her to marry a Southern, Christian man.  

Ashley grew up close to the beach in NJ & wanted to attend a college in the south, but wanted to be close to the beach. So she searched & applied to one college in South Carolina that was close to the beach & she got in! 

She was so excited to move and start her college days. 

While she was there for orientation, she met a boy and quickly started falling for him. She would see him often & they would spend evenings and nights talking on the phone.

Then things took a quick turn. Ashley had not been feeling good that day, so she stayed in her dorm room with her roommate. The boy she had been talking to wanted to come to visit her, so she said yes.

While he was there, Ashley was sexually assaulted by him and then he left.  Ashley was left wondering what in the world just happened??

After speaking with a close friend that is a Police Officer, Ashley called campus police to report what happened. 

This was the start of something huge at her school.  Because he was a Football player for a D1 school, this became BIG news fast.  After this was made known on campus, other girls started coming forward, over and over again reporting sexual assault by members of the football team.  

Ashely’s action led to the uncovering of a huge coverup of sexual assault incidents on the football team.

Things started to get rough for Ashley, being publicly harassed by students, fans of the football team, etc.  Because Ashley did not yet know Jesus, she started looking to alcohol for comfort. 

Ashley shares how she was heading down a really bad path, but God met her at the age of 24 and she gave her life to Jesus! 

Looking back, she can see God’s protection in her life even when she wasn’t following Jesus.

Even though this was a horrible thing that happened in Ashley’s life, the purpose was for good! She continues to share & see the many ways that God is making an impact. Thank you Ashley for sharing your story!

Scripture: Ephesians 2:10 

Join us as my guest, Clarice Cabanlit shares her story of discovering her true identity with us. Growing up, Clarice would have considered herself average. Others described her as shy her whole life. After high school, Clarice ended up going to a University that she wasn’t really excited about, but she went because it was a “good” school. She entered college not really knowing what God wanted her to do with her life.  So she majored in Business. Halfway through University, she started to feel God calling her to major in Education. But since she had already spent so much time going for Business… she just continued on. After graduation, Clarice got a really good job with a hotel chain. It was a “good” job, but she just kept feeling God pull her to be in Education. So she quit.  Then she ended up job-hopping as she was trying to discover God’s purpose for her life. When an education job opened in Indonesia & she jumped on the opportunity! Her plan was to try it out for a year & that ended up staying 6 years.  After the 6 years, Clarice then felt God leading her to move back to her home in the Philippines. It was at that point where she really started to doubt because there weren’t any job opportunities in education in the Philippines. She was questioning if she really did hear from God.

He then reminded her that God’s plans are always GREAT, not from a human perspective, but because its God’s plans for her life. God then started to reveal to Clarice that it’s not about the career that she chooses, it’s about her living her life honoring him and worshiping him in what she does. God shifted her perspective and she was now really focused on making an impact in children’s lives. God was also really teaching her about her true identity in Christ! As she looked back through the timeline of her life, she could see God’s handiwork in everything she had ever gone through. She now knows that she is fearfully & wonderfully made because God is working in her & through her.

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 139:16, Ephesians 2:10, James 1:5

Join us as my guest Kim Waggoner shares her story with us! Kim grew up in a home where her father was an alcoholic.  Her parents ended up getting a divorce when she was only 10 years old. This left her with wounds that God would reveal later in her life.  God had always been her go-to, someone Kim could always talk to her whole life.  But it had been hard for her to understand God as her Father figure since she had such trauma from her relationship with her earthly father. But as she explained to God how much she loved her children, and that she would do anything for them, God revealed to her that he felt the same way for her.  That changed everything for Kim! After being married & living in an abusive relationship, Kim was led down the path of divorce. As a single mom, she found herself in a spot where she was totally relying on God to get her through and for the protection of her family. Kim also shares how God changed her heart about love, and she then remarried.  Then in 2010, she received a Stage 4 Cancer diagnosis. This challenged her faith at a whole new level. But God was not done with Kim on this earth. He had big plans for her.  Kim shares how God has taught her to work out of a place of rest and grace instead of performance, pushing, grinding, and striving. In the process, he reminded her of her identity as a daughter first!  Women, remember, YOU are enough! God is trustworthy and faithful. You aren’t loved based on your performance. God will guide and direct your workday. Working to perform feels like a heavy yoke.. driven by a taskmaster. Working from a place of grace and rest is a light burden, brings peace, motivated by love.

Thank you so much to Kim for sharing her story with us today!

Scripture: Psalm 4:8, 1 Samuel 16:7, Genesis 50:20, Isaiah 43:19, Matthew 9:17, Isaiah 61:3

Book: God Guides by Mary Geegh

Join us as Reelika Schulte shares her story with us. Reelika was born in the Soviet Union.  She was always an A+ student destined for great things. Reelika found herself in a toxic relationship and found out that she was pregnant. When she was 6 months pregnant, she decided to leave the relationship. Her loving parents took her in to help support her and her son. During this, Reelika struggled with feeling like a failure and felt a lot of shame. But she always had faith & knew God wanted more for her.

It was a turning point in her life when she gave herself permission to feel loved again. After much prayer, God led her to an online dating site. And after a short time, she had a connection with a man through this site.  The problem… she was in Northern Europe & he was in the US. But that didn’t stop them from growing closer in their relationship. Reelika was actively seeking signs of confirmation from the Lord and He started giving her sign after sign. This wasn’t just a husband for her, she wanted to make sure he was the perfect dad for her son.

After a planned “short” visit to the US, Reelika received a proposal for marriage! She left everything behind and started her new life. Five years later, they just celebrated their 5th wedding anniversary & recently added a new baby to the family! And Reelika’s first son is best buddies with her husband! He never even remembers life without his new dad.

Thank you again to Reelika for sharing with us today!

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11, Matthew 6:34

Hi - I’m Alison Liddic - and this podcast is for women who want to experience the overflowing love of Jesus Christ through our own stories - We pray that you are blessed by this message.

Join us as my guest, Cherlyn Decker shares her story of how life changed from one phone call. It was her boss… letting her know that her position had been eliminated.  What would she do?  After leaving her highly successful corporate position to work at a startup, this phone call seemed to come out of nowhere.  It couldn’t be… The loss of this income was over 60% of their funds for the family.

Cherlyn shares how God drew her to His word, giving her scriptures to remind her of His promises. As she dug in more and grew closer and closer to the heart of the Father, she was being transformed. God was making her new! On top of that, he was completely changing how Cherlyn reacted to problems. His loving arms became a safe haven for her, allowing her to find rest in the storm. She is now equipped to face whatever comes her way.

Tune in to learn the steps the Cherlyn took while going through this journey of job loss. And how God started opening new doors for her that now allow her to work with thousands of women worldwide!

Thank you again to Cherlyn for sharing your story with us!

Scripture: Psalm 91:10, Hebrews 13:21, Romans 8:28, Romans 12:2

***This episode is dedicated to Halia Corrine Arnoudse - November 24, 2018 ***

Join us as Denise Arnoudse shares her very personal story of losing her baby girl when she was 18 weeks pregnant. Denise had always dreamed of having 3 children, and she always wanted a girl.  When she was pregnant with her third child, she was hopeful for those words “it’s a girl”. But the way she heard those words were not what she wanted.

When she was 18 weeks along, the doctors discovered that there was no heartbeat for their baby. They were devastated. After delivering the baby, it was at that moment when the doctors said “it’s a girl”… her little girl. Her third and final child. Gone before she ever got to know her.

This changed everything for Denise. Everything that used to be important in her life now seemed to lose its significance. She was mad & was mad a God. Why would God take her baby?

But after seeking the Lord, and working with the Hope Mommies program, her perspective started to change. God started to show her the time that she did get to have with her baby.  And Denise learned how to grieve in a healthy way.

She has also created a space for others to process their grief on her Gracious Grief website.

Thank you so much to Denise for sharing her story today!

Join us as Jennie Hays shares her story of battling her difficulty getting pregnant. Through this process, Jennie learned that she had PCOS, Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome, and wasn’t ovulating.  She had always believed that God has a purpose for everything that He does and that His timing is perfect, but when you are in the middle of infertility you really start to wonder if you are right. Jennie didn’t give up hope, but she found it SO hard to hold on to the small thread of hope she did have. 

Not knowing what PCOS was, or what to do about it. Jennie began to research. She found out that it is an Insulin Resistance Disease and if not treated can lead to Diabetes T2.  She had always been told that Diabetes was irreversible, progressive, and deadly.  She was terrified as she was at that time working in a podiatrist's office scheduling surgeries...most of which were diabetics losing their toes and feet. 

Jennie took this to God asking Him to reveal a way to fix this! He showed her that there is actually a way to reverse it with both diet and lifestyle changes. Immediately, Jennie started this and not only did it reverse the Prediabetes in the first 2 months, but she also started ovulating for the first time in probably over 20 years and the weight just flew off! 

In the first week of December, she had a positive pregnancy test!  They were so excited.  And then a week later she miscarried.  Jennie was devastated! She was heartbroken. They kept trying & trying, but no more positive tests. This went on for 6 months. 

When both step-daughters called in the same week to tell them they were pregnant they knew it was time to stop trying.   

It wasn’t until one day at work Jennie had someone who was sharing their struggles with Diabetes and she was able to share her knowledge with them that God revealed.  

While breaking her heart was never God’s plan, He knew that the infertility journey would not only save Jennie’s life but help her to save the lives of countless other women.  Jennie had a new calling on her life.  To share this new information with women all over the world!

And now, she has two beautiful grandsons to love! Thank you Jennie for sharing your story!

Join us as Ann Visser shares her story of falling head over heels for a boy named Melis. When she got up the courage to ask him out, he told her that he would only date girls that were Christians. Well, this led her to want to know more about Christianity, and with the help of Melis and asking God lots of questions, she gave her life to Jesus Christ. Ann shares her story of met Jesus Christ in a profound way, she and Melis fell in love, got married & had 5 kiddos in 6 years! About 15 years into the marriage, things started to get rocky. Ann was at the point where she said, "I can't do marriage like this anymore." After having a heartfelt conversation, and seeking help, they found their mentor Dr. Gary Smalley who taught then Conflict is the doorway to Intimacy. Dr. Smalley taught them how to fight a good fight. He taught them to communicate more effectively. They found new hope. They fell in love again. They boarded a personal growth journey that has continued to this day...And they even started working with couples in their spare time. Ann started working with women through Open Door Ministries who work with marginalized women.  Now, Ann & Melis have a company helping women & couples called 4 Better 4 Ever Thank you, Ann, for sharing your story with us!

Scripture: Matthew 7:7, Ephesians 4:2