This episode is for everyone who feels the ache of longing for a loving and nurturing mother but, for your mental health and healing, have had to create firm boundaries with your mother, potentially even eliminating contact with her entirely. No one makes this decision lightly or without pain. Bonnie Gray understands this grief, and all of the confusing emotions that can surface around Mother's Day. In this episode, she shares how God brought her from grief, to healing, and now, to celebration–not for the pain she experienced, but for what He is building and has built in her life today. 

(Scroll down for discussion/reflective questions.)

Resource Mentioned: "the Soul Care Quiz"

Connect with Bonnie Gray:

On her website

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

Her podcast: Breathe: The Stress Less Podcast

Find Jennifer Slattery:

On her website

Instagram

Facebook

Amazon

Subscribe to her free newsletter

Join the private Faith Over Fear Facebook Group

Discussion/reflective questions:
What resonated with you most in this episode?
What emotions tend to arise for you around Mother's Day?
How would you describe your relationship with you mom?
How difficult is it for you to view your mother and your relationship with her "honestly"? 
What are some ways you do or have allowed yourself to grieve the mother you don't have?
How is God rewriting your story and breaking dysfunctional patterns?
What is one thing God might be asking you to do having listened to this podcast? 

This episode is for everyone who feels the ache of longing for a loving and nurturing mother but, for your mental health and healing, have had to create firm boundaries with your mother, potentially even eliminating contact with her entirely. No one makes this decision lightly or without pain. Bonnie Gray understands this grief, and all of the confusing emotions that can surface around Mother's Day. In this episode, she shares how God brought her from grief, to healing, and now, to celebration–not for the pain she experienced, but for what He is building and has built in her life today. 
(Scroll down for discussion/reflective questions.)
Resource Mentioned: <a href="https://thebonniegray.com/soulcarequiz/">"the Soul Care Quiz"</a>
Connect with Bonnie Gray:
<a href="https://thebonniegray.com/">On her website</a>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/thebonniegray">Facebook</a>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/thebonniegray">Instagram</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheBonnieGray">YouTube</a>
<a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/breathe-the-stress-less-podcast/">Her podcast: Breathe: The Stress Less Podcast</a>
Find Jennifer Slattery:
<a href="http://jenniferslatterylivesoutloud.com">On her website</a>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/slatteryjennifer/">Instagram</a>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083247680572">Facebook</a>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00JKQ4ZTW">Amazon</a>
<a href="https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/s5w7a8">Subscribe to her free newsletter</a>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/442736966614671">Join the private Faith Over Fear Facebook Group</a> 
Discussion/reflective questions:
<ol>
<li>What resonated with you most in this episode?</li>
<li>What emotions tend to arise for you around Mother's Day?</li>
<li>How would you describe your relationship with you mom?</li>
<li>How difficult is it for you to view your mother and your relationship with her "honestly"? </li>
<li>What are some ways you do or have allowed yourself to grieve the mother you don't have?</li>
<li>How is God rewriting your story and breaking dysfunctional patterns?</li>
<li>What is one thing God might be asking you to do having listened to this podcast? </li>
</ol>

Life is too short and God has too much for us to do for any of us to live enslaved. Jesus promised His followers would experience filled to overflowing life, a life characterized by joy, peace, and spiritual and emotional vitality. And yet, we daily make decisions based on fear, not faith. In Faith Over Fear, author and speaker Jennifer Slattery helps us see different areas of life where fear has a foothold, and how our identity as children of God can help us move from fear to faithful, bold living.

This podcast covers topics like:

⭐️ How to Overcome Fear
⭐️ Biblical Strategies for Overcoming Fear and Anxiety
⭐️ Powerful Steps to Fight Anxiety
⭐️ Finding God Faithful in Hard Seasons
⭐️ Courage to Wait on God

Jesus has more planned for us than we could imagine and He’s fully committed to perfecting that which concerns us. Fear holds us back, but His perfect love has the power to cast out all fear!

Life is too short and God has too much for us to do for any of us to live enslaved. Jesus promised His followers would experience filled to overflowing life, a life characterized by joy, peace, and spiritual and emotional vitality. And yet, we daily make decisions based on fear, not faith. In Faith Over Fear, author and speaker Jennifer Slattery helps us see different areas of life where fear has a foothold, and how our identity as children of God can help us move from fear to faithful, bold living.
This podcast covers topics like:
⭐️ How to Overcome Fear ⭐️ Biblical Strategies for Overcoming Fear and Anxiety ⭐️ Powerful Steps to Fight Anxiety ⭐️ Finding God Faithful in Hard Seasons ⭐️ Courage to Wait on God
Jesus has more planned for us than we could imagine and He’s fully committed to perfecting that which concerns us. Fear holds us back, but His perfect love has the power to cast out all fear!

Life is too short and God has too much for us to do for any of us to live enslaved. Jesus promised His followers would experience filled to overflowing life, a life characterized by joy, peace, and spiritual and emotional vitality. And yet, we daily...

Faith Over Fear

When Mother's Day Is Painful - Parental Estrangement

When pain enters our lives, most of us immediately ask both “Why is this happening?” and  “Where is God in this?” In this episode, we explore the lie that suffering means God is distant—and the truth that weakness and pain may be the very places where His presence and power become most real.

Through the lens of Tracking God in Your Life and the biblical stories of Paul, Job, Ruth, and Naomi, this conversation reframes suffering as more than disruption. Pain reveals what we truly believe about God, exposes our illusion of control, and invites us into deeper dependence, community, and spiritual maturity. Rather than rushing to fix, manage, or spiritualize hardship, we consider what it looks like to allow weakness to be weakness—and to encounter God’s sufficiency there.

We talk about trusting God without full explanations and recognizing how personal pain can become a pathway to ministering to others. Weakness, loss, and uncertainty often become the soil where empathy, calling, and belonging take root.

Listeners will be encouraged to begin “tracking God” in their own lives—watching for His presence not only in moments of relief, but in the middle of struggle. Even when suffering remains, God is still at work, forming resilient faith and shaping stories that carry hope for others.

Resource referenced: Tracking God in Your Life: How to See God's Work in Your Past, Experience His Presence, and Trust Him with Your Future Kindle Editionby Laurie Polich Short 

Reflective Questions:
Where in my life have I been tempted to believe that pain means God is distant?
When have I experienced God’s strength most clearly in a season of weakness?
What illusion of control might God be gently loosening in my life right now?
How has a past hardship shaped the way I show up for others who are hurting?
What truth about God do I need to hold onto when my circumstances don’t change?
If my pain is an invitation, not just an interruption, what might God be inviting me to notice, trust, or step into today?

Connect with Laurie Polich Short:

On her website

On Instagram

On Facebook

Follow her work on Amazon

Find Carol McCracken:

On her website 

On Facebook

On Instagram

When pain enters our lives, most of us immediately ask both &ldquo;Why is this happening?&rdquo; and&nbsp; &ldquo;Where is God in this?&rdquo; In this episode, we explore the lie that suffering means God is distant&mdash;and the truth that weakness and pain may be the very places where His presence and power become most real.
Through the lens of Tracking God in Your Life and the biblical stories of Paul, Job, Ruth, and Naomi, this conversation reframes suffering as more than disruption. Pain reveals what we truly believe about God, exposes our illusion of control, and invites us into deeper dependence, community, and spiritual maturity. Rather than rushing to fix, manage, or spiritualize hardship, we consider what it looks like to allow weakness to be weakness&mdash;and to encounter God&rsquo;s sufficiency there.
We talk about trusting God without full explanations and recognizing how personal pain can become a pathway to ministering to others. Weakness, loss, and uncertainty often become the soil where empathy, calling, and belonging take root.
Listeners will be encouraged to begin &ldquo;tracking God&rdquo; in their own lives&mdash;watching for His presence not only in moments of relief, but in the middle of struggle. Even when suffering remains, God is still at work, forming resilient faith and shaping stories that carry hope for others.
Resource referenced: Tracking God in Your Life: How to See God's Work in Your Past, Experience His Presence, and Trust Him with Your Future&nbsp;Kindle Editionby&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Laurie-Polich-Short/e/B00IKAGCDG/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1">Laurie Polich Short</a>&nbsp;
Reflective Questions:
<ol>
<li>Where in my life have I been tempted to believe that pain means God is distant?</li>
<li>When have I experienced God&rsquo;s strength most clearly in a season of weakness?</li>
<li>What illusion of control might God be gently loosening in my life right now?</li>
<li>How has a past hardship shaped the way I show up for others who are hurting?</li>
<li>What truth about God do I need to hold onto when my circumstances don&rsquo;t change?</li>
<li>If my pain is an invitation, not just an interruption, what might God be inviting me to notice, trust, or step into today?</li>
</ol>
Connect with Laurie Polich Short:
<a href="https://laurieshort.com/">On her website</a>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/lauriepshort/">On Instagram</a>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/laurie.polich">On Facebook</a>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/Laurie-Polich-Short/author/B00IKAGCDG?">Follow her work on Amazon</a>
Find Carol McCracken:
<a href="https://www.carolmccracken.com">On her website&nbsp;</a>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/carol.o.mccracken">On Facebook</a>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/carologlemccracken/">On Instagram</a>

Suffering and Experiencing the Sufficiency of Christ in Our Pain

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/ec4df1a5-31de-4043-85d7-b4100019dd0c/transcript

What do you do when life takes a devastating turn and God doesn't seem to be helping you?

In today’s episode of Faith Over Fear, Jennifer Slattery sits down with retired Air Force brigadier general, chaplain, pastor, and author Bob Page to talk about trusting God in seasons of hardship and uncertainty.

Bob shares the powerful story of a life-threatening accident that left him in intensive care while his young family faced an uncertain future. To outside observers, it might have looked as if God had abandoned them. But as Bob reflects on that season, he now sees unmistakable evidence of God’s presence and provision—from a nurse who comforted his injured daughter to unexpected financial provision that sustained his family.

Through decades of ministry and personal experience, Bob has learned a profound truth: even when we cannot see or understand God’s ways, we can trust His heart.

In this conversation, Jennifer and Bob discuss:


Why hardship does not mean God has abandoned us


How to speak honestly with God about fear, anger, and confusion


The importance of remembering God’s faithfulness in the past


How God uses painful seasons to shape our purpose


Practical steps to help retrain our minds to see God’s presence

Drawing from Scripture, personal stories, and insights from Bob’s book God Is Still for You: 10 Reasons You Can Be Sure When Life Is Hard, this episode offers encouragement for anyone walking through difficult circumstances and uncertainty.

Key Scripture Mentioned

Psalm 121:1–2

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

Proverbs 3:5–6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…”

Psalm 9:10

“Those who know your name trust in you…”

Lamentations 3:21–23

“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed…”

In This Episode You'll Learn:


Why feeling abandoned by God is a common experience during hardship


How honest prayer can deepen your relationship with God


Why remembering God’s faithfulness strengthens faith


How God often prepares us through experiences that seem like detours


Practical ways to speak truth to fear

Resource referenced: God Is Still For You: Ten Reasons You Can Be Sure Even When Life Is Hard by Bob Page

Additional (free) resource you might find helpful: When Fear Strikes: a 7-Day Reset for Anxious Hearts

Discussion/Reflective Questions:
Have you ever experienced a season when circumstances made you feel as if God had abandoned you? What emotions surfaced during that time?
Looking back, can you identify ways God may have been present in that situation—even if you didn’t recognize it at the time?
Bob talked about the importance of remembering God’s past faithfulness.
What are two or three moments in your life when you clearly saw God provide or guide you?
When fear or uncertainty rises, what truths from Scripture help anchor your heart?
Bob encouraged listeners to speak honestly with God about their emotions.
What might it look like for you to bring your fears or frustrations openly before Him?
Is there a situation in your life right now where you’re struggling to trust God’s purposes?
How might your perspective shift if you asked God to help you see that situation through the eyes of faith?

Connect with Bob Page On his website

Find Jennifer Slattery:

On her website

Instagram

Facebook

Amazon

Subscribe to her free newsletter

What do you do when life takes a devastating turn and God doesn't seem to be helping you?
In today&rsquo;s episode of Faith Over Fear, Jennifer Slattery sits down with retired Air Force brigadier general, chaplain, pastor, and author Bob Page to talk about trusting God in seasons of hardship and uncertainty.
Bob shares the powerful story of a life-threatening accident that left him in intensive care while his young family faced an uncertain future. To outside observers, it might have looked as if God had abandoned them. But as Bob reflects on that season, he now sees unmistakable evidence of God&rsquo;s presence and provision&mdash;from a nurse who comforted his injured daughter to unexpected financial provision that sustained his family.
Through decades of ministry and personal experience, Bob has learned a profound truth: even when we cannot see or understand God&rsquo;s ways, we can trust His heart.
In this conversation, Jennifer and Bob discuss:
<ul data-start="1308" data-end="1612">
<li data-section-id="24iodg" data-start="1308" data-end="1359">
Why hardship does not mean God has abandoned us
</li>
<li data-section-id="1qxfg64" data-start="1360" data-end="1427">
How to speak honestly with God about fear, anger, and confusion
</li>
<li data-section-id="c8243n" data-start="1428" data-end="1492">
The importance of remembering God&rsquo;s faithfulness in the past
</li>
<li data-section-id="1dzza1l" data-start="1493" data-end="1546">
How God uses painful seasons to shape our purpose
</li>
<li data-section-id="411eqt" data-start="1547" data-end="1612">
Practical steps to help retrain our minds to see God&rsquo;s presence
</li>
</ul>
Drawing from Scripture, personal stories, and insights from Bob&rsquo;s book God Is Still for You: 10 Reasons You Can Be Sure When Life Is Hard, this episode offers encouragement for anyone walking through difficult circumstances and uncertainty.
<hr data-start="1983" data-end="1986">
Key Scripture Mentioned
Psalm 121:1&ndash;2
<blockquote data-start="2031" data-end="2159">
&ldquo;I lift up my eyes to the mountains&mdash;where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.&rdquo;
</blockquote>
Proverbs 3:5&ndash;6
<blockquote data-start="2178" data-end="2259">
&ldquo;Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding&hellip;&rdquo;
</blockquote>
Psalm 9:10
<blockquote data-start="2274" data-end="2316">
&ldquo;Those who know your name trust in you&hellip;&rdquo;
</blockquote>
Lamentations 3:21&ndash;23
<blockquote data-start="2341" data-end="2449">
&ldquo;Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord&rsquo;s great love we are not consumed&hellip;&rdquo;
</blockquote>
<hr data-start="2451" data-end="2454">
In This Episode You'll Learn:
<ul data-start="2488" data-end="2789">
<li data-section-id="1om72j1" data-start="2488" data-end="2559">
Why feeling abandoned by God is a common experience during hardship
</li>
<li data-section-id="kztv12" data-start="2560" data-end="2619">
How honest prayer can deepen your relationship with God
</li>
<li data-section-id="xlj1ye" data-start="2620" data-end="2676">
Why remembering God&rsquo;s faithfulness strengthens faith
</li>
<li data-section-id="1tmqhwy" data-start="2677" data-end="2749">
How God often prepares us through experiences that seem like detours
</li>
<li data-section-id="vir1v8" data-start="2750" data-end="2789">
Practical ways to speak truth to fear
</li>
</ul>
Resource referenced: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/God-Still-You-Reasons-Sure/dp/0825449901">God Is Still For You: Ten Reasons You Can Be Sure Even When Life Is Hard</a> by Bob Page
Additional (free) resource you might find helpful: <a href="https://jenniferslatterylivesoutloud.com/downloads/when-fear-strikes-a-7-day-reset-for-anxious-hearts/">When Fear Strikes: a 7-Day Reset for Anxious Hearts</a>
Discussion/Reflective Questions:
<ol>
<li>Have you ever experienced a season when circumstances made you feel as if God had abandoned you? What emotions surfaced during that time?</li>
<li>Looking back, can you identify ways God may have been present in that situation&mdash;even if you didn&rsquo;t recognize it at the time?</li>
<li>Bob talked about the importance of remembering God&rsquo;s past faithfulness. What are two or three moments in your life when you clearly saw God provide or guide you?</li>
<li>When fear or uncertainty rises, what truths from Scripture help anchor your heart?</li>
<li>Bob encouraged listeners to speak honestly with God about their emotions. What might it look like for you to bring your fears or frustrations openly before Him?</li>
<li>Is there a situation in your life right now where you&rsquo;re struggling to trust God&rsquo;s purposes?</li>
<li>How might your perspective shift if you asked God to help you see that situation through the eyes of faith?</li>
</ol>
Connect with Bob Page&nbsp;<a href="https://bobpageauthor.com/">On his website</a>
Find Jennifer Slattery:
<a href="http://jenniferslatterylivesoutloud.com">On her website</a>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/slatteryjennifer/">Instagram</a>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083247680572">Facebook</a>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00JKQ4ZTW">Amazon</a>
<a href="https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/s5w7a8">Subscribe to her free newsletter</a>

When Life Feels Unfair: How to Trust God When Hardship Hits

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/4411fe6d-d719-4e2e-9402-b40900245846/transcript

In this honest and hope-filled conversation,  Carol sits down with Mary DeMuth to explore how our past quietly shapes the way we show up in relationships—and how God can rewrite those patterns.

Together, they name a powerful lie many listeners carry: My past defines my relationships—I’ll keep repeating it. Early wounds, misunderstandings, disorienting seasons, and environments we didn’t choose often create internal narratives about trust, safety, control, and worth. Over time, those narratives influence how we react, who we let close, and how we protect ourselves. Fear and anxiety frequently grow out of these unresolved relational stories.

Mary shares how reflection becomes the first step toward transformation. By mapping our story—identifying key characters, inciting incidents, pain points, and the “muddled middle”—we begin to notice patterns instead of being ruled by them. Disorientation can become an invitation to find God as our true safety. What once fueled control and self-reliance can instead become a doorway to surrender and healing.

The conversation moves from awareness to action. What does it look like to walk differently? Mary explains how boundaries reduce anxiety, how emotionally safe community fosters healing, and how understanding our story shifts us from reaction to intention. When we recognize how old narratives drive current responses, we can pause, invite God in, and choose new patterns.

The episode closes with a practical next step: notice one relationship pattern you keep repeating, ask what part of your past is shaping it, and invite God into that moment before you respond.

Your past may explain you—but it does not define you. God is still writing your story, and He specializes in redemption, even in the places that feel most stuck. You are not too patterned, too wounded, or too late. You are being restoried.

Resource referenced: Restory Your Life: How Jesus Reframes Your Past, Rewrites Your Present, and Redefines Your Future 

Additional (free) resource you might find helpful: When Fear Strikes: a 7-Day Reset for Anxious Hearts

Listener Reflective Questions
Where have you noticed your past quietly shaping how you trust, react, or connect in your current relationships?
What relational lie have you been believing about yourself that may have formed in an earlier season of pain or misunderstanding?
When you feel anxious or controlling in a relationship, what deeper fear might be underneath that reaction?
Who in your life feels emotionally safe—and what makes that environment different from others?
What repeated pattern keeps surfacing in your relationships, and what part of your story might be driving it?
If you believed God could truly restory your past, how might you show up differently in one relationship this week?

Connect with Mary DeMuth:

On her website

On Instagram

On Facebook

Find Carol McCracken:

On her website 

On Facebook

On Instagram

In this honest and hope-filled conversation,&nbsp;&nbsp;Carol&nbsp;sits down with&nbsp;Mary DeMuth&nbsp;to explore how our past quietly shapes the way we show up in relationships&mdash;and how God can rewrite those patterns.
Together, they name a powerful lie many listeners carry: My past defines my relationships&mdash;I&rsquo;ll keep repeating it. Early wounds, misunderstandings, disorienting seasons, and environments we didn&rsquo;t choose often create internal narratives about trust, safety, control, and worth. Over time, those narratives influence how we react, who we let close, and how we protect ourselves. Fear and anxiety frequently grow out of these unresolved relational stories.
Mary shares how reflection becomes the first step toward transformation. By mapping our story&mdash;identifying key characters, inciting incidents, pain points, and the &ldquo;muddled middle&rdquo;&mdash;we begin to notice patterns instead of being ruled by them. Disorientation can become an invitation to find God as our true safety. What once fueled control and self-reliance can instead become a doorway to surrender and healing.
The conversation moves from awareness to action. What does it look like to walk differently? Mary explains how boundaries reduce anxiety, how emotionally safe community fosters healing, and how understanding our story shifts us from reaction to intention. When we recognize how old narratives drive current responses, we can pause, invite God in, and choose new patterns.
The episode closes with a practical next step: notice one relationship pattern you keep repeating, ask what part of your past is shaping it, and invite God into that moment before you respond.
Your past may explain you&mdash;but it does not define you. God is still writing your story, and He specializes in redemption, even in the places that feel most stuck. You are not too patterned, too wounded, or too late. You are being restoried.
Resource referenced: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Restory-Your-Life-Reframes-Redefines/dp/B0FD7QP5C3">Restory Your Life: How Jesus Reframes Your Past, Rewrites Your Present, and Redefines Your Future</a>&nbsp;
Additional (free) resource you might find helpful: <a href="https://jenniferslatterylivesoutloud.com/downloads/when-fear-strikes-a-7-day-reset-for-anxious-hearts/">When Fear Strikes: a 7-Day Reset for Anxious Hearts</a>
Listener Reflective Questions
<ol>
<li>Where have you noticed your past quietly shaping how you trust, react, or connect in your current relationships?</li>
<li>What relational lie have you been believing about yourself that may have formed in an earlier season of pain or misunderstanding?</li>
<li>When you feel anxious or controlling in a relationship, what deeper fear might be underneath that reaction?</li>
<li>Who in your life feels emotionally safe&mdash;and what makes that environment different from others?</li>
<li>What repeated pattern keeps surfacing in your relationships, and what part of your story might be driving it?</li>
<li>If you believed God could truly restory your past, how might you show up differently in one relationship this week?</li>
</ol>
Connect with Mary DeMuth:
<a href="https://www.marydemuth.com/">On her website</a>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/marydemuth/">On Instagram</a>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMaryDeMuth">On Facebook</a>
Find Carol McCracken:
<a href="https://www.carolmccracken.com">On her website&nbsp;</a>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/carol.o.mccracken">On Facebook</a>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/carologlemccracken/">On Instagram</a>

Why Do I Keep Repeating the Same Relational Patterns: Reducing Anxiety by Healing Past Wounds

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/fd65ff0d-d0cf-4b30-a91e-b402002c8bbc/transcript

When Mother's Day Is Painful - Parental Estrangement

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