Creating Digital Safe Spaces :: Chris McKenna [Ep 360]

Where do you turn when life gets messy?  Cynthia said it best, “98% of life is the messy part.” But that sentence doesn’t have to end there, with us shaking our fists at the sky. Instead, get Sidetracked with Cynthia and me as we dive right into life’s messy parts, clinging to the brilliant hope that God is still good to us, and for us.  Pre-order Cynthia’s new book, Life is Messy, God is Good and enter our contest to be on a future episode of Sidetracked!  Connect with Cynthia Yanof:  Website:  https://cynthiayanof.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cynthia.yanof  Instagram:  @cynthiayanof  Podcast: MESSmerized  Links Mentioned:    Life is Messy, God is Good: Sanity for the Chaos of Everyday Life by Cynthia Yanof Enter our Sidetracked Giveaway  Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.

2 Helmi 202442min

How do you measure yourself? How do you decide if you’re succeeding or failing in life? One ruler we often reach for is comparison. Sometimes comparisons are helpful tools we can use to evaluate our processes or methods. But we’ve all seen comparisons go wrong. Who hasn’t thought, “I’m not like her. I must be less than”?  Comparison isolates. It causes us to withdraw from our community or to put up perfect-looking walls that keep people out.  My guest this week is recovering comparison-chaser, Jenn Schultz.  Her new book, She’s Not Your Enemy, shows us the root of the problem isn’t how we are different from one another, it’s that we don’t truly know who we are. Armed with the knowledge of who God made us to be, we are free to celebrate other women and build God’s kingdom together.  Connect with Jenn Schultz:  Website:  https://jennschultzauthor.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennschultzauthor  Instagram:  @jennschultzauthor  Podcast: Called Into Being @calledintobeing    Links Mentioned:    She’s Not Your Enemy: Conquering Our Insecurities So We Can Build God’s Kingdom Together by Jenn Schultz Inner Healing Prayer :: Jennifer Barnett [Ep 323] Psalm 103 Romans 8 Ephesians 1 Related Episodes: Be Vulnerable, Find Your People :: Jennie Allen [Ep 354] Move From Comparison to Compassion :: Karen Ehman [SOM Wk 5] Sidetracked with Fall, Homecoming and Sibling Conflict :: Cynthia & Heather [Ep 432] Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.

22 Tammi 202445min

Have you ever asked yourself, “Is what’s going on with my body normal?”  So often as women, we are quiet about what’s going on with our bodies.  Our concerns have been dismissed before. We’re worried about what will have to change in our lives to fix this nagging symptom. The doctor is busy.  We have to leave this appointment soon to make it on time to the next thing on our lists. So we just deal.  But my guest this week, Dr. Kamilia Smith, says that “quality of life issues should not be extra credit for women.” Our conversation covers a gamut of topics from menopause to sexual health to supplements.  Dr. Smith is the Founder and Director of Charleston House Gynecology in Dallas. Her practice is geared toward caring for all of a woman on the zig-zag road through midlife healthcare.  Connect with Dr. Kamilia Smith:  Website:  https://charlestonhousegyn.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charlestonhousegyn  Instagram:  @charlestonhousegyn  Links Mentioned:    Estrogen Matters: Why Taking Hormones in Menopause Can Improve Women’s Well-Being and Lengthen Their Lives – Without Raising the Risk of Breast Cancer by Avrum Bluming and Carol Tavris  Dallas Pyschologist/Therapist: https://behavioralhealthdallas.com/dr-katie-sardone-psychologist-therapist Dallas Counseling: https://www.mend-counseling.com/ NY Times article on Menopause  Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.

15 Tammi 202446min

What would you do to make sure your child’s faith life is growing strong? Is this something you’re taking on yourself or getting help with? Join us this week as Ben Bevis, a passionate advocate for youth empowerment through faith, shares insights on gathering Mentor Circles around our young people. As the founder of Encircled, Ben is dedicated to helping to launch the Next Generation with sustained faith. Ben and Encircled do this by helping to equip parents, grandparents and mentors by grounding youth in their identity in Christ, discover their God-given gifts and create a vision for their lives. Listen in about how you as a parent can gather a Mentor Circle around your child! Connect with Ben Bevis: Website: https://encircled.org/ Instagram: @encircled.official Email: ben.bevis@encircled.org Links Mentioned: FREE Encircled Parenting Resource (https://encircled.org/parents/) Fuller Youth Institute (https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/) Connected Families (https://connectedfamilies.org/) The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character by Jon Tyson  Related Episodes: Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids :: Dr. Kara Powell [Ep 290] Equipping Your Kids for Difficulty :: Kim Sorgius [Ep 356] Relationships you Need to Be the Mom you Want to Be :: Heather Macfadyen [Ep 341] Exchanging False Beliefs for True Identity :: Jamie Winship [Ep 433]  Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.

8 Tammi 202447min

Happy New Year! We’re starting the year off right with mile-long to-do lists and a complex highlighting system so we don’t forget to wash the dog in the midst of crocheting that giant bow.  JK!   But we are thinking about what went well in 2023 and what we’re focusing in on 2024. Whether you make resolutions or not, evaluating how things are going is helpful and the flip of the calendar is a natural time to do just that. But because we’ve been victimized by the to-do list just as often as we’ve been helped by it, we brought in professional help. Laurel Denise, better known as Lolly, from Laurel Denise Planners joins us to talk about planning and to help us make sense of all those task-thoughts running around our brains.  Getting Sidetracked may be a little more productive than usual this month! (but still with plenty of laughs!) Connect with Cynthia Yanof:  Website:  https://cynthiayanof.com/  Podcast: Messmerized Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cynthia.yanof  Instagram:  @cynthiayanof  Connect with Laurel Denise:  Website:  https://laureldenise.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/laureldeniseloves  Instagram:  @laureldenise  TikTok: @_laureldenise Links Mentioned:   Right Where You Belong: How to Identify and Fully Occupy Your God-Given Space by Heather MacFadyen Cultivate What Matters PowerSheets Life is Messy God is Good: Sanity for the Chaos of Everyday Life by Cynthia Yanof **ENTER to be a guest on our March Sidetracked episode (giveaway ends Feb 9th) Laurel Denise Planners  Pilot Frixion Erasable Pens Related Episodes: Organize Your Mental Load :: Laurel Denise [Ep 444] Cultivate What Matters :: Lara Casey [Ep 146]  Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.

5 Tammi 202451min

How are you handling your mental load? Are you a well-packed Sherpa able to take on any terrain or Sisyphus rolling the ball up the hill only to watch it roll back down?  This is the time of year when it feels natural to look back and look forward. We can evaluate what worked and what didn’t, but more importantly we can listen to what space the Lord is asking us to occupy. Maybe things need to drop off our list. Maybe God isn’t saying “let go” but is tasking you with bringing order to your every day. My guest this week is mom and planner creator Laurel Denise. Laurel shares her journey thus far through motherhood and owning a small business and how she made sense of it all.  Connect with Laurel Denise:  Website:  https://laureldenise.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/laureldeniseloves  Instagram:  @laureldenise  TikTok: @_laureldenise Related Episodes: Sunday Planning :: Retha Nichole [Ep 349] Listening for God’s Leading :: Caroline Cobb [Ep 405] RWYB Week 4 Cultivate What Matters :: Lara Casey [Ep 146] Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.

11 Joulu 202356min

Have you heard the Bible verse “Women will be saved through childbearing”? (It’s part of 1 Timothy 2:15) What do you think that verse means? What do you think it means for the woman facing infertility, or singleness?  My guest this week, Dr. Sandra Glahn, wants to dispel some iffy interpretations of this verse many of us grew up hearing. Dr. Glahn is Professor of Media Arts and Worship at Dallas Theological Seminary and has spent over 20 years trying to better understand what Paul meant in these verses in 1 Timothy, and what they mean for us today. Join me for this fascinating conversation that delves into the role of women and the cultural context of Paul’s letter, 1 Timothy.  Connect with Dr. Sandra Glahn:  Website:  https://sandraglahn.com/  Instagram:  @sandraglahnauthor  Links Mentioned:   Nobody’s Mother: Artemis of Ephesians in Antiquity and the New Testament by Sandra L. Glahn  Vindicating the Vixens: Revisiting the Sexualized, Vilified, and Marginalized Women of the Bible by Sandra L. Glahn   Related Episodes: On the Role of Women :: Joel Muddamalle [Ep 397] Every Mom a Theologian :: Phylicia Masonheimer [Ep 389]  Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.

4 Joulu 202353min

Ready or not, the holidays are upon us! What are your favorite holiday traditions? What are the ones you could leave behind?  Get sidetracked with Cynthia and me as we discuss everything from trees (real, fake, and Jesse) to gift giving philosophies (more or less presents than Jesus?) to elves and shepherds and the awful name your pie might get if it doesn’t come out just right. There’s even help for the mom who just wants to help her kids see Jesus in the midst of all the holiday stuff!    Connect with Cynthia Yanof:  Website:  https://cynthiayanof.com/  Podcast: Messmerized Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cynthia.yanof  Instagram:  @cynthiayanof  Links Mentioned:   The Jesse Tree Heather’s  Mother-in-law’s Wassail Recipe→ combine in a pot: a gallon of apple cider (or juice) with 12 whole cloves, 4 tsp whole allspice, 12 sticks of cinnamon. (optional: 2 cups of sugar, 1 cup orange juice, 6 Tbsp lemon juice). Bring to a slow boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and serve hot.  Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls Recipe  Pioneer Woman Chocolate Marshmallow Pumpkin Pie  Courtney DeFeo’s Light ‘Em Up  Cultivate What Matters Powersheets  Christmas Eve Service Printable  Come, Let Us Adore Him: A Daily Advent Devotional by Paul David Tripp “Pilgrim Rick” Season 1 Episode 8 of This Is Us Related Episodes: Truth in the Tinsel with Amanda White (Ohamanda) :: [Ep 3]  Celebrating Advent :: Tsh Oxenreider [Ep 305] Christmas Traditions with Little Ones :: Jacki Rucksdashel [Ep 142]  Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.

1 Joulu 202347min