Imagine living in a place you love, in a community you adore, when you are told suddenly one day you can’t live there anymore. You are ushered out in a matter of days.  That is what happened to Melissa Robinson and her family when they were working as field workers for a sending organization on a small island.  The new government decided they were no longer welcome.
Chris and Melissa Robinson and their three boys now live and work in Latvia.  It is an interesting, exciting place that we don’t often hear about in the USA.  Melissa has used her gift of playing guitar and singing Latvian music to invite their community members to attend house music concerts in their home. She shares the gospel in song and finds open doors for sharing Christ through music. She also volunteers for Lighthouse Latvia- an organization that cares for people who have aged out of their school system.  Additionally, Melissa and two of her friends have collaborated to create a podcast together called "It’s Tea Time Somewhere". The Robinson family has a story of faithfulness even when questioning what is happening.  It’s very applicable to all of us.

#afrayedknotpodcast
#itsteatimesomewherepodcast
#latvia
#questioning
#trustHim

EP 131, Melissa Robinson, A Frayed Knot

Meredith Wade and her husband, Andrew, have been married for thirteen years and have three children.  Andrew is the Student Minister at FBC Owasso and Meredith is busy homeschooling.  Their road to this part of their journey has not always been easy, however. 
Meredith shares a painful time when they had tried to have a second child for several years and then miscarried.  We talk about things to say and not to say to people who are going through things, or when we don't understand their timeline.  Sometimes we say things meaning no harm, but those comments actually can be hurtful.  Meredith shares her story with honesty and vulnerability.

Recommended Resources:
I Am Not Alone-Kari Jobe
Glory Baby- Christy Nockels
God, I Look to You-Bethel
Psalm 23:6
Matthew 6:25-27

#afrayedknotpodcast
#miscarriage
#infertility

EP 132, Meredith Wade, A Frayed Knot

Katelyn McCormick is a joy to be around!  She's bubbly and kind with a beautiful singing voice.  She loves Jesus and you can see it all over her!
Katelyn and her husband, Noah, have been married for eleven years.  They have two children and were high school sweethearts.  Noah is the Student Minister at Central Baptist Church in Owasso, and Katelyn has her own cookie shop, Cookie Joy Co.  (By the way, we highly recommend her delicious and beautifully-decorated sugar cookies!)
Today, Katelyn shares about going through self-esteem issues and depression while she was growing up; she also shares about her struggles with postpartum anxiety.  It's a situation with which we can all relate.  Depression and anxiety affects most of us at some point.  Even as believers in Christ, we still have an enemy that tries to bring us down.  We can look to Jesus for our peace.

I Believe- by Phil Wickham
Quiet- by Hillsong 
Genesis 16

#afrayedknotpodcast
#depression
#selfesteem
#panic/anxiety
#cookiejoyco

EP 133, Katelyn McCormick, A Frayed Knot

Rhonda McAlister and her husband, Jon, have been married for 35 years and have three sons, three daughters-in-law, three grandsons, and one granddaughter!  She is a Pediatric Physical Therapist and works within schools to help students with special needs.  She has a lot of style and can decorate a room like no other.
Rhonda was adopted as a baby and tells us her story about what it was like to find out that she was adopted at five years of age.  She grew up with amazing parents whom she loves dearly, and for whom she is extremely grateful. She feels so blessed.  They were supportive of her and made her feel special.
Through all of this, she was still interested in meeting her birth mother, to thank her for giving her life and to find out if she knew Christ.  Her mother also used to say she wanted to meet her to thank her.  She got this chance through Ancestry.com when one of Rhonda's sons decided to try it.  It became an amazing story that you can hear today.

Psalm 139
Matthew 22:3
No Longer a Slave- Bethel Music
The Goodness of God- Bethel Music
Wayne and Gloria Yeckley, A Frayed Knot, Episode # 113
Kaitlyn McAlister, A Frayed Knot, Episode #24

#afrayedknotpodcast
#adoption
#allaboutHim

EP 134, Rhonda McAlister, A Frayed Knot*

Where do we start with this guest?  She has been a pillar of strength and an example of love and grace.  We are so in awe of her and excited for you to hear her story of redemption.  
Jennifer Beardslee is a dear friend to both of us!  She and her husband, Bobby, have been married for 10 months.  She has three amazing kids and one daughter-in-law: Camden and his wife, Maddie, Ryleigh and Valerie.  
In 2016 her life was hit with several bombs.  In March, her very young nephew passed away.  In June, she found out her marriage was in trouble, and she tried  with all her strength to work it out for several months before he left.  In March of 2017 she got the “pink letter” and found out she had breast cancer.  To say this woman has been through it is an understatement.
Her story doesn’t end there!  She tells us the scars are always there, but they fade.  We talk about being refined in the fire.  He has restored what the locusts had stolen!

Psalm 91
Daniel 3:19-27
Ephesians 2:20-21
Matthew 7
Isaiah 43:18-19
Proverbs 3:5-6
Forgiving What a you Can’t Forget- Lysa TerKeurst
King of the World- Natalie Grant
Goodness of God- CeCe Winans

#afrayedknotpodcast
#divorce
#cancer
#grief
#restored
#fieryfurnace

EP 135, Jennifer Beardslee, A Frayed Knot

Hunter Wadlington is the Director of Programs at the Mission Community Resource Center in Owasso.  She is so vital to helping those in need with resources and has added so much to the program.  Her road to getting there is part of what we talk about.  Sometimes our roads are not linear and we don't know where they will end up.
Hunter and her husband, Christien, have been married for a little over two years.  They met in their freshman year of high school and stayed best friends for ten years before realizing they were meant for each other!  They are an amazing couple who help serve their community in Tulsa, OK.
Hunter is originally from Virginia and her story of getting to Oklahoma is interesting with lots of turns.  God had a plan the whole time, from the degree she wasn't sure what to do with, to her 
reluctance in moving to Owasso.  Hunter's story encourages us to simply say "yes" to God.

Esther 4:14
Colossians 1:17

#afrayedknotpodcast
#journey
#suchatimeasthis
#theMission
#Frozen2

EP 136, Hunter Wadlington, A Frayed Knot

Kelley La Marr is the sweetest!  She is the Ministry Assistant for the Preschool Ministry at First Baptist Church of Owasso.  She loves serving the staff and the little ones.  She is a great addition to the ministry!
Kelley was adopted as a child and raised with a wonderful family.  She grew up, married the love of her life, Rocky, and had two children.  Then in 2016 she had the joy of meeting eight out of her twelve blood-related brothers and sisters!
However, 2016 ended up being a rough year for her.  Four months after her joyous reunion with her birth family, her husband suddenly passed away.  They had been married for 32 years and had built a wonderful life together.  She also had several other close relatives pass away soon after that in a very short amount of time.  It was grief upon grief.  Yet, she carried on.
Kelley talks about grief and what happens when it is pushed down, eventually it has to show.  She also discusses how she took care of others and provided a place of respite for others during this difficult time.  She is an example of love and keeping open hands. She encourages all of us to minister to the one person that God places in your life each day, however small that may appear. It is not small to God.

A Frayed Knot, Meredith Wade Episode, #132
Psalm 143
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Exodus 15:26
Isaiah 57

Ruth Myers books:
31 Days of Praise
31 Days of Prayer
31 Days of Experiencing God's Love
The Satisfied Heart

Ed Young book:
Path through Pain

#afrayedknotpodcast
#grief
#hospitality
#ministrytotheone

EP 137, Kelley La Marr, A Frayed Knot

This is such an amazing story!! Jessica Thompson lives in Colorado Springs.  She is married to Thomas and they have four kids.  Jessica is a Regional Vice President with Arbonne.  Her husband is an Executive Coach and an advisor to the mayor.
Jessica tells us an incredible story about a woman she met in Rwanda.  They created a bond that has travelled countries and sustained years.  Gaudence made such an impact on her that she got a message from God to go back to Rwanda and find her!  You will not believe the twists and turns in this journey.  She tells us to feel the fear, and do what God says anyway!  This shows how much God sees us and will use us, when we let Him, to change the world!

Ephesians 3:19-20
Purpose Driven Life- Rick Warren

#afrayedknotpodcast
#reconciliation
#Rwanda
#forgiveness

EP 138, Jessica Thompson, A Frayed Knot

Jessica Callahan has such a fascinating story!  When she was five years old, her father was arrested and imprisoned.  During his incarceration, he learned about Jesus and gave his life to the Lord.  This changed the whole trajectory of his life! 
 Jessica and I (Jill) met while serving at God Behind Bars, a ministry that goes into prisons to share the gospel with those behind bars.  When I heard her story of why she serves, I knew we needed to have her tell her story.  She also helps lead worship once a month when going into the prison.
Jessica joined the Navy and served for 12 years.  She is very adventurous and tells us about her love for skydiving which she has been doing since 2008.  She is a go-getter and loves being in the air!
The main thing she shares today is about overcoming a dependence on alcohol.  This was a tough journey as she began to realize she was using it to cope and to self-medicate.  There was pain she was numbing and needed to finally come to grips with.  It forced her to become humble and search for help.  Though not an easy road, she is now 861 days sober!  You are going to love her and her story!

This Naked Mind, Control Alcohol by Annie Grace

#afrayedknotpodcast
#alcoholism
#fearofchange
#skydiving
#GBB

EP 139, Jessica Callahan, A Frayed Knot

Can you imagine being 20 years old and already having been burned in a fire, as well as having a rare neurological issue?  That is what happened to our friend, Addison Hudler.  She has overcome so many difficult situations, and is still standing strong in her faith. Addison is currently a junior at Ouachita Baptist University.
You may remember her mother, Amber Hudler, was on our first episode, and also our guest for Episode #126.  In that first episode, Amber also discussed some of the topics we talk about with Addison, but now you will hear from the daughter's perspective.  These episodes go well together.
Addison was only 7 years old when there was an accident during a bonfire that caused 2nd degree burns on her face and hand.  She was 12 when she started to develop strange symptoms that sent her to many doctors and hospitals, with no answers for a long while.  They did finally get answers and treatment, but not without continued work.
There is a quote from Jeremy Freeman which Addison likes to quote.  It is this: "Sometimes God gets the most glory when someone is healed on earth. Sometimes God gets the most glory when someone is healed in heaven, and sometimes God gets the most glory when someone spends a lifetime enduring."

Recommended Resource:
Firm Foundation, song by Chandler Moore and Cody Carnes

#afrayedknotpodcast
#burn
#pandas
#purpose

EP 140, Addison Hudler, A Frayed Knot*

A Frayed Knot is the podcast of Jill McCormick and Robin Wall. Our stories matter and make us who we are. Every other week our guests share stories that matter, the stories that make us who we are. Even though our stories have knots, we are not afraid. Our stories are frayed. They’re not perfect. We believe the truth of our mess makes us stronger. We hope that God uses these stories to encourage and strengthen your faith as you trust in Him.

EP 138, Jessica Thompson, A Frayed Knot

A Frayed Knot Podcast

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