How Your Mental, Physical, and Spiritual Health Connect with Amelia Banks

This episode dives in really deep really quick as Rachel and James interview Amelia Banks on the connectedness of our mind, body, and soul. Amelia is a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA), a licensed professional counselor (LPC), and a church planter alongside her husband, Kendrick, who we met on the podcast in Season 2. Amelia is devoted to seeking justice and holistic health for individuals and her community, which is extremely evident as we listen and learn from Amelia in this episode.

To connect with Amelia further, you can email her at Amelia@pennysparrowtherapy.com or visit https://pennysparrowtherapy.com/#counseling

You can also find more about her church and sign up for monthly newsletters at HisKingdomCollective.com

Follow @the.bless.up.podcast on Instagram to stay connected.

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Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift, and When Faith Doesn't Feel the Same Anymore

It's usually James and Corey having the sports debates on the podcast, but this week Rachel is weighing in a bit -- is this a football house divided... by Taylor Swift? It wouldn't be the Bless Up Podcast without some random debates, a few laughs, and a discussion on faith. Listen in as our house move from football to manna and discuss how to have your faith mature with you and what to do when following Jesus doesn't feel as exciting as it used to.

Follow @the.bless.up.podcast on Instagram to stay connected.

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The Importance of Empowering Women to Lead with guests Tara Beth Leach and Bethany Hammer

We’re taking a deep dive into the world of women in leadership with special guests Tara Beth Leach and Bethany Hammer. Tara Beth joins us as the Lead Pastor at Good Shepherd Church and co-founder of Propel Ecclesia, cohorts for women in ministry. Bethany is the Propel Ecclesia Coordinator and has over a decade of experience in church leadership. Listen in as our hosts, Rachel, James and Corey, have a discussion on difficult moments in leadership and invite our guests to share best practices for empowering women in their leadership.

For more on Propel Women and Propel Ecclesia, follow @PropelWomen on Instagram and visit PropelWomen.org/Ecclesia. Use discount code FreeApply to waive your application fee and apply for the next round of Propel Ecclesia Cohorts.

Find our guests on Instagram: 

@TaraBeth82

@BethanyHHammer

@PropelWomen

Follow @the.bless.up.podcast on Instagram to stay connected.

Bless Up ✌️

The Importance of Empowering Women to Lead with guests Tara Beth Leach and Bethany Hammer

We’re taking a deep dive into the world of women in leadership with special guests Tara Beth Leach and Bethany Hammer. Tara Beth joins us as the Lead Pastor at Good Shepherd Church and co-founder of Propel Ecclesia, cohorts for women in ministry. Bethany is the Propel Ecclesia Coordinator and has over a decade of experience in church leadership. Listen in as our hosts, Rachel, James and Corey, have a discussion on difficult moments in leadership and invite our guests to share best practices for empowering women in their leadership.

For more on Propel Women and Propel Ecclesia, follow @PropelWomen on Instagram and visit PropelWomen.org/Ecclesia. Use discount code FreeApply to waive your application fee and apply for the next round of Propel Ecclesia Cohorts.

Find our guests on Instagram: 

@TaraBeth82

@BethanyHHammer

@PropelWomen

Follow @the.bless.up.podcast on Instagram to stay connected.

Bless Up ✌️

Leading When You’re Not in Charge… And We’ve Been Fired Quick

It’s easy to disqualify ourselves and come up with a thousand reasons why we aren’t leading anyone… but no matter where you find yourself positioned on the org chart of work, home or life, you are leading someone. So how do you lead when you feel like you don’t have control of anything happening around you? Listen in as our hosts, Rachel, James and Corey discuss what they’ve learned about leading when you’re not in charge and the comical reasons they’ve been fired from previous jobs.

Be sure to follow @the.bless.up.podcast on Instagram to stay connected.

Bless Up ✌️

Personal Development & The Worst Way to Ruin Your Shoes

This begins a series of our hosts, Rachel, James, and Corey responding to your questions. A few weeks ago, we asked on Instagram what you wanted to know — everything from episode topics to host intro questions.

Today we’re discussing character, spiritual, and leadership development and the worst way anyone has ever ruined a pair of shoes. Listen in as our hosts laugh ‘til they cry and share their best insights on personal development.

And don’t forget to follow @the.bless.up.podcast on Instagram to get your questions in for this series!

Fruit Roll-ups Don’t Hit The Same As An Adult

There are some things that worked and were great as a kid, but they just don’t hold up into adulthood. It’s the same with our faith. There comes a time in all our lives when we have to move from milk to steak, metaphorically speaking. Listen in as Rachel, James, and Corey discuss maturing in their faith and the practices that helped them along the way.

Chicken (again) & The Pit of Despair

The debate over the best chicken in the world continues, but -- despite James & Corey's passion -- that's not the actual point of this episode. Today, our hosts hit the hard topic of "the pit of despair" and the ladder to getting out. Listen in as Rachel, James, & Corey discuss difficult issues happening in our communities today and how Jesus responds in similar situations.

Does the Church Just Want My Money?

The question many people wonder and few are bold enough to ask: does the church just want my money? Well — here are 3 church planters ready and willing to respond. Listen in as Rachel, James, and Corey discuss their decade-plus of wrestling with the idea of fundraising and the Church.

In this episode, our hosts kicked off something new: Fake Ad Content. For this week’s fake ad, check out the people we love at Lighthouse Ministries  @lhmcanton // cantonlighthouse.org

Competition, Comparison, Chicken, & Coffee

Competition is what we make it — we can make each other better or we can take each other out. Listen in as Rachel, James, and Corey discuss unearned awards, healthy competition, and what happens when we play an infinite game.

Can Faith & Doubt Coexist?

Things get a little chaotic today as our hosts — Rachel, James, and Corey — seek to answer the question, “Can faith and doubt coexist?” Grab some popcorn and get ready to laugh a little at the guys’ ridiculously held theories, but then we promise to deep dive into Scripture so you can draw your own conclusions on the connections between faith and doubt.

Engage in the way that brings you joy

The stuck place — that in-between waiting place where you don’t wanna quit (but you kinda do) and something’s gotta give but you aren’t sure what and you know you’re where God wants you but you’re sure He didn’t mean like this… The stuck place. Today, we’re talking about engaging in that place. It’s not that we gotta quit or gotta leave, it’s that we need to reframe our engagement — engage in the way that brings us joy. Listen in as Rachel, James, and Corey discuss the ways they’ve learned to find joy, remove the pressure, and engage when seasons change.

When you wanna quit

Exhaustion, overwhelm, and a desire to abdicate all responsibilities are all very real feelings. But — most of the time — giving in to quitting isn’t an option we can or should choose. So what do we do? Listen in as Rachel, James, and Corey discuss times they’ve quit and how they’re learning to combat a quitting mindset.

Making the Most of Your Time

In the busiest season of the year, it’s easy to just plow through your social calendar like you do the snow in your driveway — with no real intention and just the goal of getting through. But, what if we showed up for gatherings ready to connect instead of just counting down the minutes? In today’s episode, Rachel, James, and Corey dive into the 5 ways we approach our time and the best ways to be prepared to connect.

Me Monster

We’ve all been in that conversation where someone all a sudden flips everything to be about them — “the me monster” — but did you know there’s more than one way to be a Me Monster? Listen in as Rachel, James, and Corey discuss the times it’s necessary to focus on yourself, and when it’s time to make space for others

Truth & Feelings

Sometimes what we KNOW is true and what we FEEL is true don’t align — so what do we do when the two don’t align? Join Rachel, James, and Corey for an honest conversation on our feelings and the truth.

Making Space

Sometimes we over-complicate what’s actually needed to welcome people into our lives and relationship with Jesus. Join Rachel and James with special guest Rob Browning for a discussion on making space for God to move in our homes and relationships.