On today's episode of She Walks In Truth I have a meaningful conversation with author and speaker Melanie Redd. She is a woman who loves to encourage, equip, train and motivate women in all areas of their lives. Melanie also has great skills in helping others with their businesses. She’s been trekking up the social media mountain and lifting up the name of Jesus as high as she can while doing it.
Her Testimony
Melanie was blessed to be brought up in a Christian home and can’t remember a time when she wasn’t in church. Of course, she had heard the name of God and went to Sunday School, but she didn’t yet have a personal relationship with Jesus. After hearing someone else’s testimony at the age of 11, she talked with her parents to solidify her relationship with Christ – wanting to ensure she could spend eternity in Heaven with Him. So, she let Jesus into her heart that night and started a complete change in her life.
How to Win Your Child’s Heart For Life
Melanie that many of her daughter’s friends, at the age of 18, really cut off their relationship with their parents. So Melanie asked some ladies that mentored her about this and they said, “You have to win the hearts of your children.” Specifically from an early age, so that they want to come and see you once they’re out of the nest. There are some guiding principles on how to do this especially during middle school and high school when these relationships can get strained. Melanie wrote the book to help parents not lose this connection.
If you haven’t set out to do this, don’t panic. Melanie believes you’re never too old to work on regaining trust with your children. You need to build a bridge with love and relating to them, not lectures and complaints. Meet them where they’re at and find a commonality with them. Melanie sees some parents focus on winning the battle, not the war. They may get their child to stop from getting a tattoo or going to one party, but there is so much anger and hurt caused that they start to lose their child’s heart. Take the helicopter view and see how you can form your relationship for life without worrying too much about how long their hair is or how late they are staying up.
Stepping Closer to the Savior
This is a guide Melanie wrote for new believers or those who have been in church but never sought to grow their faith. It’s written to not be “churchy” so anyone 12 and up could pick it up and use it. It’s a self-teaching book that can be used to help your own discipleship in sharing God’s word with others – whether it’s on the street, in your church, or at home with your spouse and children.
Stop and Rest
Another point Melanie highlights is how easy it is to get burned out in ministry. If you don’t take care of yourself, how can you expect to help others? A big message we would like to share with you is to make sure you stop and rest. Are you getting enough sleep? Are you exercising at all? Are you getting away from your kids for a bit and having date nights? Make sure you have a full cup, as it’s a surefire way to help share what blessings God has given you with others.
Links
In the final part of the Better Together series with Carrie Robaina, Celina Baginski and Teresa Ann we are going out with fireworks!!! That’s right, we're talking about marriage. All three of us open up about the things the Lord has taught us about our marriages and relationships at large. Whether you’re married or not, you’ll be able to glean some truth from our conversation so don’t miss out.
Teresa Ann will be the first to admit that she has a huge crush on her husband. I love what she said about love not being this onetime thing; it’s an emotion you should be feeling over and over again, just like God’s love is always there. How we live our marriage on earth is usually a reflection of our intimacy with God. And, of course, things aren’t always easy. Teresa Ann has heard wives say they don’t want to be “cheerleaders” for their husbands if they don’t feel like it 100%, that they’re afraid of faking it. But the parallel here is our relationship with Christ – there are days when we’re strained and hurting but choose to believe anyway. Does that mean we’re faking it then? No! Aligning your heart with God is the same for your relationships. Seeing your significant other as a fellow brother and sister of Christ totally changes the paradigm and can set the course for you to breathe life into your partner every day.
Celina and her husband started off as friends, dating other people. Over time they grew closer and one day Celina realized he had all the qualities she was looking for in a spouse—something she only noticed because she had written down these qualities in her journal. Looking back on their wedding video, Celina noticed the pastor (who they had only met just before the ceremony) talked about forgiveness. While that seemed like a joy-killer at first, a few years in now she has realized that it makes more sense. As you grow with someone, sharing a life, sharing stresses, there’s going to be conflict. What Celina finds herself going back to time and time again is forgiveness, 70 times 7. Focusing on that forgiveness and what is true and noble is her key to maintaining the health of her marriage.
Thank you for listening to our Better Together series. If you loved it and would like to see more series like this one, let me know! Please support Celina and Teresa Ann. Teresa Ann can be found at (LetsTalkStudio.com) and Celina’s can be found at (PearlsInBloom.com).
Listen to this episode and then continue the conversation over in our Facebook community. Be sure to sign up for the She Walks In Truth weekly newsletter at www.shewalksintruth.com.
In Part Three of the Better Together series, Celina Baginiski, Teresa Ann I open up the mic and talk about parenting. We all have kids of different ages and have learned all kinds of surprising things while raising them. You’ll hear Celina talk about how having her kids has been a catalyst for loving her husband more deeply. Teresa Ann goes in depth about removing the word “teenager” from our vocabularies and seeing them for what they really are; young adults.
Celina admits she had preconceived notions about boys when she was growing up, mainly because she was predominately raised around women. But after having her kids she began to realize how sensitive their hearts can be, and in turn, her husband's. But Celina is also a foster parent, something she also acknowledges as bringing her and her husband closer together because if you aren’t going to communicate and work together under the demanding circumstances, then it just isn’t going to work. She has seen firsthand how the gifts God has given her and her husband allow them to be there for their children in different ways. Of course, it’s not always easy. But the companionship Celina feels through her children have made her and her husband feel like they did when they were much younger—just hanging out and having a good time.
Teresa Ann knows that when the world labels something or someone a certain way, it can often be the work of the enemy himself. The initial reaction to hearing the word teenager is, "Yeah whatever. They’re going through changes and so I should just brush off who they are and what they have to say." But this silences their voices, and truly, we are all going through changes all the time. By viewing them as young adults and listening and yearning to understand them there is no way we can go about dishonoring who they are. When you treat them not as they are now, but who they will become, you also honor God’s heart and hope for them as well.
Next week I'll be back with Teresa and Celina for the final part of our Better Together series where we’ll be discussing marriage issues that we’ve all faced, so stay tuned, sister friends!
If you haven’t listened to the previous episode in this series, you can find it right here: Better Together: Part Two | Episode 041. In this series, Celina and Teresa share their journey together as paved by the singular love of God.
Want to get connected with Teresa and Celina? You can find them at LetsTalkStudio.com & PearlsInBloom.com!
Listen to this episode and then continue the conversation over in our Facebook community and be sure to sign up for the She Walks In Truth weekly newsletter at www.shewalksintruth.com.
Women can have a tendency to downplay the gifts and abilities the Lord has bestowed them with. That’s why it is so incredible to see friends like Celina and Teresa Ann feed off of each other’s talents. In Part Two of the Better Together series I ask Celina and Teresa Ann about the conversations they are having with women today to encourage them, support them, and share God’s love and truth.
It’s not always easy to see yourself as God sees you. Celina was the one who stood up for Teresa Ann at school when she was teased for the way she looked. She knew Teresa Ann didn’t see herself in the way that God or herself did. Changing that perception can change so much about a person’s life – it’s like Teresa Ann came to understand to look at the cross not as being tied to our sin, but as a revelation of our value to God. When you can do that, you can start operating from a place of value instead of place of, “I have to do this or else.”
Our world is so performance driven that it can be an easy pitfall to believe the Lord is holding you to the same standards. But that is not the truth. This is the overall message for a Facebook group Teresa Ann and Celina are active in called Godly Chit Chat. Please check it out if you are needing support or have the courage to offer it as well.
Next week we will be back with Teresa Ann and Celina for Part 3 of our series where we’ll be discussing parenting issues that we’ve all faced... so stay tuned, sister friends!
If you haven’t listened to the previous episode in the Better Together series you can listen here! Together, Celina and Teresa share their journey together as paved by the singular love of God.
Want to get connected with Teresa and Selina? You can find them at LetsTalkStudio.com & PearlsInBloom.com !
Listen to this episode and then continue the conversation over in our Facebook community and be sure to sign up for the She Walks In Truth weekly newsletter at www.shewalksintruth.com.
This episode of She Walks In Truth kicks off a four-part series with not just one, but two guests who share their testimonies. Teresa Ann is a previous guest and is the host of Let’s Talk with Teresa Ann on YouTube. In this series, her longtime friend Celina Baginski and amazing creative designer of Pearls in Bloom joins us for a three-way chit chat.
With these two together, I just know God is going to release something special for you in this episode.
Celina started her walk with God at a young age in a loving, but rocky home. She grew up believing that if bad things weren’t happening to her then God wasn’t testing her. Meaning God had either forgotten about her, or the bad things were coming soon. It wasn’t until her twenties that she began to question the paranoia and fear that she had as a basis with her relationship with God. She then found His love that would carry all the way through her first child and her battle with cancer. And through these struggles her friendship with Teresa stood as a steadfast monument to that love. Let their sisterhood inspire you to take step forward with faith first in you relationships with family, friends, and God.
If you haven’t listened to the previous episode with Teresa Ann, you can find it right here: Made New In Christ | Episode 014. It’s one of our most listened to episodes and for good reason. Her testimony shows her travels from a wayward daughter to being redeemed. Together, Selina and Teresa Ann share their journey together as paved by the singular love of God.
Want to get connected with Teresa and Selina? You can find them at LetsTalkStudio.com & PearlsInBloom.com !
Listen to this episode and then continue the conversation over in our Facebook community and be sure to sign up for the She Walks In Truth weekly newsletter at www.shewalksintruth.com.