Shows
Her Solid GroundEpisode 78: Blue Doors And Coming Up For Air Sometimes the chaos and noise of the world is too much, isn’t it? Whether you are trying to manage a trial in your own life or scrolling past another online debate, it is so easy for us to get stuck in the heaviness of it all and to forget the goodness of the Lord. In this week’s episode, Lisa encourages us to come up for literal air by embracing the beauty around us and the simple joys that can point us back to God. Taking a walk. Making a meal. Painting a door. God can use it all t...
2026-02-1719 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 77: Waiting Well: What Is The Desire Of Our Hearts? What does it look like to sit in the tension of our personal desires and God’s desire for our lives? How do we “wait well,” while still fully trusting in God and His sovereign plan? We unpack this and so much more with this week’s podcast guest, Julie DeRuiter. Julie is a youth group leader, a high school teacher, a coach, and a proud aunt of 8 (with #9 on the way). She also happens to be single. Tune in this week as Julie gets real about singleness in the church, the importance of community, where she finds her identity...
2026-02-1038 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 76: The Why Behind Biblical Fasting This week we dive into a topic that can be a little tricky for women: Fasting. Although today’s world often pushes this idea as a health and fitness discipline, it is also a spiritual discipline that many people use to draw closer to the Lord. While certainly not a requirement for Christ followers, fasting is a concept found throughout the Bible, both in the Old and New Testament. In this episode, Lisa and Ali unpack this often misunderstood and misused practice. Tune in to learn what Biblical fasting is, what it isn’t, the why behind it, and ways...
2026-02-0340 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 75: Purpose Over Perfection We are all hard on ourselves. Whether we label ourselves perfectionists or not, most of us have a mental checklist of standards we think we should live up to in all areas of our lives–as a woman of God, as a friend, as a wife or mom, or as a working professional. But what do we do when we don’t hit that standard? Do we bury ourselves in shame, or do we go to the Lord? This week on the pod, Lisa shares about her own struggle with perfectionism and how God has worked in her heart to n...
2026-01-2736 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 74: Organizing the Chaos Welcome to the first episode of 2026! After taking a few weeks off to regroup from the holidays, we are back and excited to dig into God’s truth with you! Although we are well into January, most of us are still in organization and “fresh start” mode, whether that means reestablishing good rhythms or starting new ones. With that in mind, we invited guest Alicia Kavanaugh on the pod to share some of her organizational best practices with us. As Hickory Creek’s own Bible Study Coordinator, we knew she was the girl for the job. (Let’s just say spread...
2026-01-2037 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 73: Advent Week 4: Love Merry Christmas, listeners! This week we wrap up our four-part series on Advent by focusing on the theme of love. And really, what better way to spend the week of Christmas than by reflecting on God’s greatest expression of love to us—the gift of His son, Jesus. This, of course, should also make us reflect on our love for Him. What is it about God that makes you love Him? What attributes of His character make you want to draw near? Tune in to our final episode of 2025 as Lisa shares what she personally loves most about God...
2025-12-2319 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 72: Advent Week 3: Joy When we think about joy at Christmas, most of us think of twinkling lights, rosy cheeks, wrapped gifts, and hot cocoa. But is that the kind of joy that truly fills us, especially if we are dealing with not-so-festive feelings like grief and sadness? This week on the podcast, we welcome back Holly Williams to the show to discuss what Advent teaches us about true, Biblical joy. Tune in to hear Lisa and Holly explore how we can find the kind of joy that sustains in all seasons and what practical steps we can take if we are having...
2025-12-1634 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 71: Advent Week 2: Peace Christmas is in 17 days, are we feeling peaceful yet? Although peace is what most of us want to feel during the holiday season, we are usually too caught up in stress and chaos to actually experience it. If that is you, know that you are not alone. But here’s the good news: There are ways we can intentionally invite peace into our lives this Christmas season, even in the midst of shopping, wrapping, hosting, and doing all.the.things. Listen in this week as Lisa talks us through week 2 of our Advent series and gives us three practical ways...
2025-12-0922 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 70: Advent Week 1: Hope This past Sunday marked the beginning of Advent—a season observed by many Christians during the four weeks leading up to Christmas. Although there are many traditions around celebrating Advent, we’ve decided to bring it to the pod to help us prepare our hearts and maintain our focus on Jesus. Each week, we will unpack one of the four themes of Advent: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. Kicking off this week on Hope is special guest Melissa Kachin. A repeat guest and one of the co-leaders of Hickory Creek’s Advent study, Melissa gives us a great overview of what...
2025-12-0238 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 69: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made This week’s heartwarming episode is one you don’t want to miss. Mom and advocate Lindsey Abbasy shares how raising a daughter with Down Syndrome has changed her life in all the best ways. From gaining a deeper understanding of what it means to be made in the image of God to making a guest appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Lindsay is a beautiful example of what it looks like to use your story for God’s glory. Listen in as Lisa interviews Lindsey about the early years with her sweet daughter, Olivia, and how that led her to...
2025-11-2543 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 68: Spiritual Warfare Is Real As believers, we love talking about Jesus, goodness, and light. And, yes, God’s Word tells us to focus on such things. But there is another side of the spiritual realm that exists and that God warns us about in scripture. There is a battle raging in each of our lives as the enemy works hard to distract, divide, and destroy. Thankfully, God does not leave us defenseless. Tune in this week as Ali and Lisa discuss the realities of spiritual warfare and what God’s Word teaches us about standing firm against the enemy’s schemes to defeat us. (S...
2025-11-1838 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 67: Stepping Into The River For all the achievers out there, this episode is for you. After years of chasing (and winning) earthly accolades, including an Emmy and several Olympic weightlifting titles, it wasn’t until Janah Esquivel gave her life to Christ that she discovered true victory. Listen in this week as Janah gives her full testimony, how small steps of obedience ultimately led her into a life of total surrender and full trust in God and His amazing plans. As Janah explains, her strength and confidence are now found in Christ and what He did for her on the cross – a prize she...
2025-11-1139 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 66: Relationship Over Religion The Bible shows us very clearly: Jesus was all about relationships. In fact, during his time on earth, Jesus rebuked the religious elite because they were using the law and religious practices to exalt themselves, completely missing God’s heart for His people. Can we, as believers, fall into the same trap? Are we prioritizing moral checklists and good optics over intimacy with God and those He calls us to love? Tune in to this week’s episode as Lisa and Ali discuss some of the connotations around the word religion, how the good news about Jesus changes everything, and...
2025-11-0432 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 65: People Over Production God loves it when we serve Him. He loves our ministry efforts. He loves it when we spend our time and talents to further the Kingdom. But sometimes in all our doing for the Lord, we can lose sight of His heart and as a result, we can lose sight of His people. This week on the podcast, Ali and Lisa talk through one of the core values of Hickory Creek Church: “People over Production.” It’s not that production is bad, but when it comes to prioritizing, we need to follow the example of Jesus and always put His pe...
2025-10-2836 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 64: Shifting Seasons, Same God Navigating a new season of life is always a little challenging, but it can be especially emotional when it comes to parenting. This week on the pod, we welcome Hickory Creek’s own Holly Williams, a faithful woman of God and a proud mom of three adult children. Tune in to hear Lisa and Holly discuss all things mid-life, the grief of launching big kids into the world, and the joy and beauty we can find by trusting in a God who is with us through it all.Links:Fo...
2025-10-2142 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 63: Learning Posture This week, we take a hard look at pride and how it can sneak into our faith walks and relationships. Far too often we are so focused on sharing our perspective and being “right,” that we forget that we all have blind spots, and even more so, that God is always trying to teach us something. Can we be people who choose humility and love over proving our point? Listen in as Ali and Lisa talk about why having a learning posture before the Lord and others is so important, why it’s hard, and practical ways we can live i...
2025-10-1437 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 62: Bench Prayers This week on the pod, we are talking with local author and speaker Andi Rispens. As a Bible teacher and student, Andi has always had a passion for learning about God and studying His Word. However, it was a simple question posed to her during a class on spiritual formation that ultimately led her to a deeper, more honest relationship with God. (Spoiler alert: It all had to do with prayer!) Tune in to this week’s episode, “Bench Prayers,” to hear Lisa ask Andi about the “big question” she was asked, why it prompted her to write an entire boo...
2025-10-0743 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 61: Kingdom Mindset If you’ve ever wondered what it means to “be in the world, but not of the world,” this week’s podcast is for you. Most of us like this concept in theory, but when push comes to shove, do we truly seek to honor the kingdom of God over our personal desires or earthly concerns? Tune in as Lisa and Ali unpack why this is challenging, what it means to have a Kingdom mindset, and steps we can take to align our hearts with God’s will and prioritize His purposes over our own agendas.Links:
2025-09-3035 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 60: Safe Families Today on the pod, we welcome guest Caryn Haberkorn, a strong woman of faith and a long-time member of Hickory Creek Church. Caryn’s heart for the Lord has prompted her involvement in multiple ministries, but in this episode, we focus on her work with Safe Families for Children, a volunteer-driven nonprofit that provides hope and hands-on support to local families facing crisis situations. Listen in as Lisa and Caryn talk about God’s call to help those in need and what that could look like in our right-now lives.Upcoming Dates to Remember...
2025-09-2336 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 59: Decisions, Decisions Let’s be honest, being an adult is hard, especially when it comes to making choices. As followers of Jesus, we often feel the added pressure to make the “right choice.” We want to honor God, and we don’t want to do anything that goes against His will. But what happens when we don’t feel His prompting or have clarity on the next step? What if we choose the wrong path? In this episode of the pod, Lisa and Ali talk about hearing God’s voice, how much leeway God gives us in our decision-making, and what it looks lik...
2025-09-1643 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 58: A Season Of Change Welcome back, listeners! After taking the summer off, we are thrilled to be back and to kick off Season 3 of the Her Solid Ground podcast. We have so much goodness planned for our third round of the pod, but as you will learn in this first episode, we are switching things up a bit. Although you will still hear from Ali and Lisa A LOT, we will be changing up the format and adding some new voices to the mix that we know you will love. Tune in to this first episode to hear what prompted this new approach...
2025-09-0938 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 57: The Gift Of Limitations “No limits!” “You can do it all!” “You can achieve anything if you just put your mind to it and work hard enough!” These are the messages culture has been telling us our whole lives. These ideas sound good and even feel good, but they just aren’t Truth. Although we all work really hard to deny them, we do in fact have limitations. Here’s what’s even more true—God designed us that way. Yes, we are made in God’s image, but we aren’t God nor were we ever expected to be. We were created to need God and each oth...
2025-04-2242 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 56: Peace In The Waiting When we talk about Easter, we tend to focus on Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. And of course, these days are worth reflecting on—our Christian faith is built upon the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But what about the day in between? What about Saturday? Most of us don’t dwell on that day. What if we viewed and treated it differently this year? What could that teach us? Tune in this week as Ali and Lisa talk about the space God left between grief and victory and how we can find peace in the waiting.
2025-04-1527 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 55: Unworthy Idols What comes to mind when you hear the word “idol”? From a secular perspective, it is positioned as a positive thing (i.e., “Who is your next American Idol?”), whereas in scripture, it is a huge no-no. God commands us to never have idols and, of course, to never worship them. And while most of us aren’t likely bowing down to golden calves, if we get honest, we all probably have a few idols in our lives: money, our bodies, our careers and aspirations, our relationship status, celebrities, social media… even our homes and families can become idols if we aren’t...
2025-04-0839 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 54: The Grace Episode It’s time for a little grace! As many of you know, The Grace Episode is a recurring feature on the pod that gives Ali and Lisa the chance to revisit some past episodes to offer corrections and/or clarifications. Tune in this week as Lisa and Ali get honest about some of their missteps in the second half of the season, as well as a bonus discussion on the difference between grace and mercy.
2025-04-0135 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 53: Dry Seasons Of Faith We talk a lot about the highs and lows of our faith walks, but what about those middle places when we feel a little dry. For some reason, we may find ourselves feeling apathetic, maybe a little numb, and worst of all, God feels far away. Is this normal? Is this an indication that we are doing something wrong or should be doing something more? This week on the pod, Lisa and Ali get honest about dry seasons of faith—those moments when we aren’t quite sure what God is doing and may even begin to question if He i...
2025-03-2537 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 52: Help Is Not a 4-Letter Word As Christians, we know that serving is part of the gig. Loving our neighbor means helping our neighbor. But are we just as willing to ask for help or even accept help when it’s offered to us? We’re guessing the answer to that question is no. Far too often, we lean away from help because it feels too vulnerable or because we don’t want to admit that we need it. The truth is we all need support—that’s why God gave us each other. Tune is this week as Lisa and Ali chat about their own strugg...
2025-03-1836 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 51: Encourage One Another (More Than A Hype Girl) Everyone loves to be encouraged. I mean, who doesn’t want someone speaking goodness over their life? But what is true encouragement? Is it all about compliments, agreement, and empowerment, or is there more to it than that? Is there a way to cheer each other on and sharpen each other at the same time? This week on the pod, Ali and Lisa unpack what the Bible teaches us about encouragement—what it is, what it isn’t, why we need it, and ways we can live it out.Link:Why...
2025-03-1138 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 50: How We Got Here Drumroll please…. Welcome to Episode 50 of the Her Solid Ground Podcast! To celebrate this milestone, we decided to veer from our typical format and have a little fun. Tune in as Ali and Lisa interview each other about all the things—the early days of the pod, their favorite scriptures, and how they feel about some of life’s most pressing issues: Does fruit belong in dessert? Is an air-conditioner necessary for survival? Can Lisa ever answer a question without overthinking it? This light-hearted Q&A-style episode aims to give you an unfiltered peek behind the curtain while still pointi...
2025-03-0437 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 49: Why Mentors Matter We talk a lot on the pod about the importance of having relationships that not only encourage and support us, but that help sharpen and grow us as women of God. One way we can bring this type of accountability into our lives is to have a mentor. Although mentorship isn’t a new concept, we would bet that most of us aren’t really clear on how we get a mentor and what that relationship would even look like. Listen in this week as Lisa and Ali talk about their own experience with mentorship, why having a mentor matt...
2025-02-2536 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 48: The Freedom In Forgiveness After talking about anger for two weeks, it felt fitting to do an episode on forgiveness. If we truly want to experience freedom from feelings like anger and bitterness, we need to heed the words of Jesus—to not only pray for our enemies, but to forgive them as He has forgiven us. Listen in this week as Ali and Lisa talk about why forgiveness is hard and usually feels unnatural, but how it is absolutely necessary for the health of our hearts. Even in the hurt, we can choose to forgive out of obedience to Christ, trusting that He...
2025-02-1840 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 47: Anger Issues - Part 2 Another episode on anger? Yep—and with good reason. We are banking on the fact that at some level, we all have anger issues. Last week, we learned that the feeling of anger isn’t a sin in and of itself. Even Jesus got angry. The tipping point is understanding the motive behind our anger and even more so, how we choose to deal with it. This week on the pod, Lisa and Ali give some healthy ways we can deal with our anger in the heat of the moment, or what Ali describes as “drive-by anger.” Lisa also shares a...
2025-02-1140 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 46: Anger Issues - Part 1 Anger is a tricky emotion. As Christians, we typically don’t want to admit that it is something that we struggle with and feel. After all, isn’t peace the goal? But the truth is that we all get angry, and let’s be honest, most of us tend to excuse and justify it. Plenty of us have heard others—maybe even ourselves—claim “righteous anger,” but is that something we are even capable of as sinful humans, or is righteous anger something only Jesus can claim? In Part 1 of this two-part series, Ali and Lisa get real about anger—what is...
2025-02-0437 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 45: Red Hot Mess How often do we as women find ourselves feeling like a “red hot mess,” trying our hardest to do all the things while never quite feeling like we are getting it right? In fact, Lisa and Ali often joke that this would be their band name (if they had any musical skills or aspirations). For most of us, this frazzled state of mind is more than a little relatable. But is this really where God wants us to stay? Are we all just red hot messes after all? In this episode, Lisa and Ali discuss their personal struggles with chao...
2025-01-2840 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 44: The Power Of Prayer We’ve all heard about the power of prayer, but is that our reason for praying? Do we only pray so that we get what we want? Should there be more to our prayers than simply stating our needs? This week, Ali and Lisa are tackling these questions and more in order to get to the heart of what God intends our prayer life to be. Instead of making prayer something we “should do” or “have to do,” let’s see what Jesus teaches us and how we can start looking at prayer as something we “get to do.”...
2025-01-2137 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 43: God's Plan Is Better As we head into a new year, a lot of us are planning, setting goals, and maybe even making some resolutions. This is all good, good stuff. We are big fans of intentionality here on the pod. However, as believers, we need to make sure our plans are grounded in the larger truth that God is the One in control and that it is His plan, not ours, that will prevail. This week on the pod, we are unpacking the concept of God’s sovereignty—what that means and why it is good news for us. We may not alway...
2025-01-1435 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 42: The Who Of Christmas Most of us are in the thick of all things Christmas right now – decorating, baking, shopping, and doing our best to attend all the festivities. It’s all so much fun, but let’s be honest…it’s also a lot of stress, chaos, and activity. Some of us are already feeling the fatigue set in and when that happens, it's easy to get distracted and forget what this season is really all about. This week on the pod, listen in as Lisa and Ali remind us to not miss “the who” for “the what” this Christmas. In the midst of all of ou...
2024-12-1035 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 41: Managing Christmas Expectations This week, we welcome guest Melissa Kachin to the pod! Melissa is a wife, mom, and licensed therapist specializing in women’s issues and trauma recovery. She is also a member of Hickory Creek Church and leads and coordinates our Advent study. As we head into Christmas season, we wanted to lean on Melissa’s expertise to help us navigate all the feelings and expectations that usually come with the holidays. As Melissa says, Christmas doesn’t mean we leave all of our difficult emotions and nervous systems behind. Listen in as Ali, Lisa, and Melissa talk about practical ways we...
2024-12-0338 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 40: Gratitude: A Feeling Of Choice? As we get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving this week, we all know that our focus should be on gratitude. But what happens if that is not how we actually feel? Do we just go through the motions and offer superficial thanks to God, or is there a way to be honest about our true feelings and still honor God? This week on the pod, Lisa and Ali discuss what God has to say about lukewarm worship, whether or not gratitude is a feeling or a choice, and how we can position our hearts to be fully present this Thanksgiving...
2024-11-2639 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 39: To Judge Or Not To Judge? How many times have you heard: Judge not, lest ye be judged? Or, in common culture: Don’t judge others. But is that what scripture truly instructs? Many people are framing this idea around the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:1, but you might be surprised to know that this verse—and those that follow—are often misunderstood and misconstrued. Yes, Jesus gives some important information about whether or not we should be judging others, but let’s be sure we understand the fullness of His teaching. Tune in this week as Ali and Lisa take a closer look at scriptur...
2024-11-1938 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 38: Both/And “Both/and" is a phrase we use often on the pod. It’s a way of thinking that acknowledges that ideas that appear to be opposites can both still be true at once. For example, as believers, we can find comfort and hope in the promise of eternal life and yet still feel deep grief when we lose someone we love. We find the idea of “both/and” to be especially true in the Kingdom of God, which is often called “upside down” compared to the ways of the world. This week, listen in as Lisa and Ali take a closer loo...
2024-11-1234 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 37: The Grace Episode The Grace Episode is back! This recurring feature of the pod gives us the chance to revisit some past episodes and offer corrections and/or clarifications. Tune in as Ali and Lisa discuss some of their missteps, as well as the personal lessons they’ve learned so far during Season 2. To help us LIVE IT OUT, this week’s episode also talks through Hebrews 4:16 and teaches us how we can humbly admit our shortcomings and still draw near to God’s throne of Grace with confidence.
2024-11-0532 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 36: The Victory Of Surrender Control–it’s what we all want, isn’t it? Or, at the very least, we want to appear to have things under control. Our tendency is to try and operate in our own strength and accordinging to our plan, but of course, that only works until it doesn’t. Sooner or later, we realize that God is the One in control, and we end up on our knees. So, this begs the question: Why don’t we just start there? This week on the pod, Lisa and Ali talk about surrender and the freedom we find when we finally la...
2024-10-2933 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 35: Sugar-Coated Christianity We talk a lot about the importance of being in God’s Word. However, in this episode, we dig a little deeper and ask the question: How do we approach the Word of God? Do we treat it like our Spotify playlist, reading only our favorite passages and skipping over the challenging verses and stories? Or, rather, are we willing to sit in the hard parts of scripture, meditating on them and asking God to teach us something new about Him through what we are reading? Tune in this week as Lisa and Ali discuss how we can move away...
2024-10-2231 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 34: What Is Healthy Conflict? Most of us would rather live a life free of conflict, but the truth is, that’s just not possible on this side of heaven. Human relationships are messy and emotional, and we are fooling ourselves if we pretend like we won’t ever have to deal with some level of conflict. The real question is: How do we handle conflict in a healthy and biblical way? In this episode of the pod, Ali and Lisa open up about a conflict they’ve faced in their friendship, how they dealt with it, and most importantly, what scripture teaches us about...
2024-10-1536 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 33: Invite People Into Your Mess When you open your home to host others, what comes to mind? For many of us, distractions like Pinterest, charcuterie boards, and sparkly floors take over and add stress and a whole lot of pressure. But is that what God intended when He describes hospitality as a spiritual gift? Are we completely missing the mark when it comes to using our homes as a way to connect with people in our lives? In this week’s episode of the pod, Lisa and Ali talk about the concept of “radically ordinary hospitality” and the beauty that can happen when we litera...
2024-10-0831 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 32: Relearning Friendship Let’s just get real honest for a second—friendship as an adult is hard. As we get older and busier, many of us tend to devalue the role friendship plays in our lives, sometimes even ditching it all together. However, the truth is that we were created for community. God designed us for relationships, both with Him and with those around us. We weren’t meant to do this life alone. In this week’s episode of the podcast, Ali and Lisa discuss a Biblical model of friendship, why these types of relationships are worth our time, and practica...
2024-10-0133 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 31: The No Agenda, Agenda We know that God asks us to share the gospel, but what does that look like in the middle of real life? How do we remain mission-minded without coming off as a salesman or start treating someone as a project? This week on the pod, Lisa and Ali get into the weeds of how we can be intentional without being a total turnoff to someone who doesn’t share our faith. Our motives always matter, and like Jesus, our only motive should be love. God does the saving. Our job is to be curious, build relationships, and create “low risk...
2024-09-2431 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 30: All 8 Billion We all prefer comfort. However, as believers, we are called to something more. Our faith is not supposed to be for our personal benefit alone. It is a gift, yes, but it is a gift we are supposed to share with others. In this episode, Ali and Lisa unpack The Great Commission and what it means for us to get a little uncomfortable as we answer the call to share the gospel with “all 8 billion.” How can we stretch ourselves and share God’s love with all the people He places in our path? Listen in this week as we discu...
2024-09-1735 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 29: First Things First Welcome back to the pod! After taking the summer off, we are back for Season 2 and ready to talk about all the things—dropping the ball on dinner, pool hair, and most importantly, what it looks like to get back on track. Although most of us love the flexibility of summertime, we often fall into the trap of letting our most important priorities fall to the wayside. In this episode, Ali and Lisa talk about what it looks like to embrace the “reset” the Fall offers and reprioritize our lives to make the first things first, including spending time with t...
2024-09-1026 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 28: The Grace Episode 2.0 Today we wrap up Season 1 of the Her Solid Ground podcast. What a crazy fun ride it has been! A huge thank you to each and every one of you for listening each week. When we were brainstorming about how we wanted to close out our first season, we decided the best way was with a healthy dose of grace. For those who listened to Episode 9, you know that The Grace Episode gives Ali and Lisa the chance to revisit some past episodes to offer corrections and/or clarifications. The team decided to make this a recurring feature of...
2024-04-2329 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 27: Rethinking Body Image Body image: It’s a touchy topic, no doubt. However, so many of you asked us to talk about it, so this week we decided to go there—but not in the way you might expect. Instead of talking about diet culture or exercise tips or even our own personal health philosophies, we decided to ground ourselves in what God’s Word has to say about our bodies. Do they actually matter in light of eternity? Does how we treat—and view—our physical bodies have any real impact on our soul? Is this even a worthy topic to bring befor...
2024-04-1631 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 26: Are Boundaries Biblical? — Part 2 Last week, we discussed how to identify the need for a boundary in a relationship. In this week’s episode, Ali and Lisa unpack what it looks like to put those boundaries in place in a way that honors God and enables us to love others well. As Christians, can we be peacemakers without being doormats? Can we establish boundaries without an agenda? Tune in to the second-half of this series as we discuss some of the critical steps to building good boundaries, and spoiler alert—it starts with looking at our own hearts first.Li...
2024-04-0935 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 25: Are Boundaries Biblical? – Part 1 The concept of drawing relational boundaries has created quite a stir in our culture. Is this just a worldly idea people use to justify their own preferences and poor behavior, or is there a healthy way to apply this idea that actually helps us love each other better? In this week’s episode of the pod, Ali and Lisa debunk some of the more secular ideas surrounding the term “boundaries” by focusing on what God has to say about them and their true purpose. Drawing from the biblical teachings of Christian author Lysa TerKeurst, Ali and Lisa talk about God’s...
2024-04-0230 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 24: Holy Week and the Hope of Suffering When we think about Holy Week, most of us want to focus on hope and light and empty tombs and a glorified Savior—all the best parts of the Easter story. But what about all the days leading up to Sunday—days filled with betrayal, suffering, death, and darkness? Are we willing to lean in and meditate on those days, or is our instinct to gloss over and skip past all that it took for Jesus to be victorious? In this week’s episode, Lisa and Ali talk about the hardest parts of the Easter story and why they may ac...
2024-03-2628 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 23: Dollars & Sense No one really likes to talk about money, especially in faith-based spaces. And yet Jesus talked about it constantly. In fact, experts estimate that there are more than 2,300 verses on money, wealth, and possessions in the Bible. So what gives? Why do we shy away from this topic? This week, Ali and Lisa open up the conversation. Pulling from Ali’s experience with Financial Peace University (FPU), Ali and Lisa talk about what it looks like to move from being an owner to a “manager” of our resources and how that can help us break free from financial stress and fi...
2024-03-1939 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 22: There Must Be Rest For The Weary We all need rest. That’s just the truth. But far too often we make rest a “should” in our lives: “I should get more sleep. I should slow down. I should make time to refresh and reset.” In our minds, we know these rhythms are a good idea, yet most of us never make the time for physical rest and in many cases, soul rest. In this episode of the pod, Ali and Lisa discuss the demands culture places on us and how Jesus invites into a different kind of life. In a world that tells us to “go go go,” God enc...
2024-03-1232 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 21: What's Your Best Yes? For many of us, saying “yes” is not a problem. In fact, we often say it too much, which leaves us feeling exhausted and overcommitted. Because we want to be caring friends, parents, and spouses, our instinct is to do all the things for all the people. The problem? We have limits. So, this begs the question: What is our best yes? In this week’s episode, Lisa and Ali talk about discernment and what it looks like to seek God when we are faced with tough decisions. Before we start “yes-ing” all over the place, we need to consider ho...
2024-03-0533 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 20: Purpose In Every Season Let’s be honest for a second. Winter isn’t all that great (to put it mildly). January is like 79 days long, and by February 2, we are all hinging our sanity on some groundhog that may or may not promise us that spring is on the way. But is complaining the best option? Probably not. The truth is that God created the seasons for a purpose, and even more so, He brings purpose to every season—yes, even winter. In this episode of the pod, Lisa and Ali talk about how we can reframe both the literal seasons and prover...
2024-02-2728 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 19: Recap On Faith, Hope, and Love Surprise! Our three-part series on Faith, Hope, and Love isn’t over just yet. In this week’s episode, Ali and Lisa welcome their second guest to the pod, Dr. Julius Wong-Loi-Sing. As the podcast’s resident pastor, mentor, and theologian, it was only natural to have Dr. J share his biblical knowledge and understanding of what he refers to as the “Pauline triad” of faith, hope, and love. Listeners, lean in close, grab a pen, and get ready to take notes—this episode is thought-provoking and loaded with sound bibli...
2024-02-2034 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 18: Love Intentionally It’s Valentine’s Day week, and yes, that means we are talking about love. But don’t worry—we’re not talking about roses and chocolates and knights in shining armor. We are talking about God’s definition of love and how we can be intentional about sharing that love with others. Rounding out our three-part series on Faith, Hope, and Love, Ali and Lisa talk about viewing love as a verb, not a noun, and what we can do to practically “live it out” this week. Instead of rolling our eyes a...
2024-02-1330 min
The Overcomers PodcastE12: Surrendering Control After Her Daughter's Spina Bifida Diagnosis | Lisa Bonnema"Being in control works, until it doesn't." Wise words from Lisa Bonnema. Lisa retells the story of being a type-A overly scheduled and controlling mom who after her third daughter's diagnosis learned to surrender it all at the cross into the hands of Jesus. Letting go of control was, in her words, the most terrifying and freeing thing ever.
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2024-02-0750 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 17: Hope In The Giver As believers, we often take hope for granted. We forget that even though we don’t always understand the ways of God, we always have hope because of Jesus. We have the promise of eternity, and just as importantly, we have the blessed assurance that God will work all things out for our good according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). The problem? We often try to define what those purposes should be. We place our hope in the gift, not the Giver. In this week’s episode, Lisa and Ali remind us that God is not some magician performing magic tric...
2024-02-0631 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 16: Faith Amidst Uncertainty Welcome to part 1 of our three-part series on Faith, Hope, and Love. For the next few weeks, Lisa and Ali will unpack this biblical “triad” one by one— how scripture defines each term and what it looks like to live them out in real life. Kicking off the series with “faith,” Lisa gets personal and tells some of her family’s story of learning to trust God amidst uncertainty. Ali talks about the “control trap” we all can fall into and then challenges us to evaluate where our faith and loyalties truly lie: Is it in God and His promises, or is...
2024-01-3029 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 15: Consistency Over Intensity Whether we realize it or not, our daily habits form us. They create our foundation, and if we do them long enough, they can help us establish roots. But let’s be honest—good habits are not only hard to form, they are hard to keep. Many of us talk ourselves out of doing the things we want to do—or know we should do—because we “just aren’t feeling it” or because it doesn’t look a certain way. In this week’s podcast, Lisa and Ali talk about what it looks like to prioritize time with the Lord without t...
2024-01-2329 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 14: Mary Said "Yes!" When God asks us to do something outside of our comfort zone, how do we respond? Do we accept the invitation with a trust-filled “yes!” — or do we hesitate, question, doubt, and give in to our natural instinct to say “no.” In this week’s podcast episode, Ali and Lisa talk about their tendency to live “no-filled lives” and what it looks like to fully surrender to God when we feel one of His nudges. Looking to Mary as an example, we see how God used one woman’s whole-hearted “yes” to carry out His plan to save us all.
2023-12-1229 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 13: Healing Hope This week, Ali and Lisa welcome their first podcast guest! Jill Curtin is responsible for Healing Hope, a ministry at Hickory Creek Church that focuses on supporting women struggling with infertility. Drawing from her ministry experience and her own personal story, Jill teaches us how we can come alongside our sisters in Christ who might be going through a challenging season in their lives—what we should say, what we shouldn’t say, and why it is important to be especially sensitive during the holidays.Links:Instagram:http...
2023-12-0533 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 12: Let's Get Salty Our speech matters. What we say and how we choose to say matters to God because it reveals our hearts and it impacts those around us. While the world often encourages us to be snarky and quick-witted, God calls us to something higher. When Jesus tells us to be “salty,” He wants us to use our speech for His glory, whether that means responding to others with grace, refraining from gossip, or being brave enough to share the gospel when the opportunity arises. In this episode of the podcast, Lisa and Ali discuss times when they got it wrong, the po...
2023-11-2823 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 11: Make A Grateful Noise! Gratitude is one of those virtues everyone agrees is a good practice, but there is a difference between the self-help type of gratitude and faith-based gratitude. One focuses on the gifts, while the other focuses on the Giver. In this special Thanksgiving episode, Ali and Lisa ask the hard question: How can we position our hearts to be content and, even more so, grateful in all circumstances? They also invite us to “live it out” by sharing a praise as part of the pod’s first giveaway! Listen in for all the details. Links:
2023-11-2128 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 10: God's Math Is Different As Christians, we know that we are not of this world; yet, in the midst of our day to day lives, we can get sucked into wordly measures that can cause us to question our identity, our worth, and our purpose. In this episode, Lisa and Ali remind us that what God values is so much different than what the world values. Greatness in the kingdom is not measured by titles or positions, nor by worldly wins like financial gain and fame. Instead, God cares about our hearts and whether or not we are willing to love, serve, and...
2023-11-1427 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 9: The Grace Episode What does it look like to receive God’s grace? Today’s episode gives us a humbling example. In what will become a recurring feature of the pod, Ali and Lisa look back at previous episodes and admit some of the missteps they’ve made along the way and, more importantly, their need for God’s grace. Knowing this is something we all need, Ali walks us through the steps of understanding and receiving the gospel message, and Lisa invites us all to come before the throne to accept God’s free gift of grace.Links:
2023-11-0728 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 8: Hypocrites For Life? No one wants to be called a hypocrite, but the hard truth is that we are all exactly that— sinners who know what is wrong and still goof up. That doesn’t give us a free pass to make poor choices, but it does remind us that we have a lot to learn and that we should approach God accordingly. Using the story of Paul’s conversion, Ali and Lisa talk about owning and welcoming the process of transformation, including the mistakes we will make along the way.Links...
2023-10-3128 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 7: The Lies We Believe And Memes We Create | Part 2 In part 2 of this episode, Ali and Lisa go back into their “trash can of lies” and pull out two more lies that can steal our joy and hold us back from living in the fullness of Christ. Ali unpacks what God has to say about the troubles we face, and Lisa reminds us that while we are called to love others, they may not always love us back. No matter what lies the enemy or the world tries to tell us, here’s the Truth: We are fully known and fully loved by a good God. He alone is our...
2023-10-2426 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 6: The Lies We Believe And Memes We Create | Part 1 Far too often, we allow the lies of this world to impact the choices we make and the mindsets we hold. Even when we know God’s truth, we can fall into false beliefs about ourselves and what God expects of us. We may even try to live up to memes we’ve created in our minds—images and standards that are unrealistic and maybe even unbiblical. In this episode, Ali and Lisa each dig into their “trash can of lies” and fight back with scripture. Be sure to tune in next week for Part 2 of this episode!...
2023-10-1723 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 5: Eyes To See When Jesus asks us to love others, He doesn’t want us to reduce it to a “check box” item on our “Love To-Do List.” He wants us to genuinely love others as we love ourselves. In this episode, Ali and Lisa talk about seeing the person in front of us from God’s perspective and how that helps us move away from destructive habits like gossip and judgment, and instead, positions us to authentically love and care for our sisters in Christ.Links:Her Solid Ground Podcast (hyperlink: https://www.i...
2023-10-1022 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 4: The "I'm Fine" Balance Being vulnerable is uncomfortable, isn’t it? Saying phrases like “I’m fine” is much easier than admitting how we truly feel, especially in community. But God calls us to share our burdens with Him and with others. We were not designed to do this life alone. In this episode, Ali and Lisa talk about how we can find the balance of when to share, when not to share, and more importantly, our true source of hope and comfort when we are not fine at all.Links:Her Solid Ground P...
2023-10-0321 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 3: The Comparison Trap The pull to compare ourselves to others has always been there, but thanks to tools like social media, that pull feels stronger than ever. In this episode, Ali and Lisa unpack the trap of comparison and the damage it can do to our relationships with others and with God. They discuss why we fall into the trap, how to actively fight against it, and the joy we discover when we step into the unique design God has for each of our lives. Links:Her Solid Ground Podcast (hyperlink: https://ww...
2023-09-2630 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 2: Hype Girl As women of God, we are called to encourage one another, but what does that look like in our everyday interactions? In this episode, Lisa and Ali talk about the early days of their friendship and how they discovered the value of being a “hype girl” – a woman who believes the best about others, comes alongside other women to cheer them on, and actively fights against worldly pressures to compare, compete, and isolate.Links:Her Solid Ground Podcast (hyperlink: https://www.instagram.com/hersolidgroundpodcast/?hl=en)
2023-09-1924 minHer Solid GroundEpisode 1: Welcome To The Pod Description: Welcome to the Her Solid Ground podcast! We are so glad you are here! In this introductory episode, Lisa and Alicia (Ali) talk about the purpose behind the pod, how it got its name, and how they hope God will use it to encourage the women of Hickory Creek Church and beyond.Links:https://www.instagram.com/hersolidgroundpodcast/
2023-09-1219 min
Everyone Loved It But MeBook Bits: The Holiday BreakdownLisa and comedian Leah Bonnema discuss The Holiday Breakdown, which she wrote during Covid. You can find Leah on Instagram. She’s a co-host of Were You Raised By Wolves with Nick Layton. For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website. *The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.
2022-12-1434 minEveryone Loved It But MeA Christmas Carol Lisa and comedian Leah Bonnema discuss A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Leah is a national comedian who wrote The Holiday Breakdown during Covid. You can find Leah on Instagram. She’s a co-host of Were You Raised By Wolves with Nick Layton. In this episode, Leah and Lisa discuss how A Christmas Carol changed how people celebrate Christmas, and made people realize it wasn't just for the rich. Dickens reportedly wrote this book because he was in a financial pinch and needed revenues. Dickens also funded a shelter for women. Book Discussed: Th...
2022-12-0745 minEveryone Loved It But MeReading Goals, Trigger Warnings and Publishing TrialIn this Book Bits episode, Lisa discusses reading goals, trigger warnings, and a massive publishing merger that appears to have fallen apart. Lisa also discusses goals for 2023 including themes such as reading new authors and new books published in 2023. Books Discussed: Mission: Get Daddy Better by Todd McElweeThe Holiday Breakdown by Leah BonnemaThe Hollow Inside by Brooke Lauren DavisPregnant Girl: A Story of Teen Motherhood, College, and Creating a Better Future for Young Families by Nicole Lynn Lewis When We Were Sti...
2022-11-3024 min
The Holy Shift ShowEPISODE 5 - SURRENDER LEADS TO VICTORYEver struggle with burnout, bitterness, or hopelessness? Christine chats with Lisa Bonnema about the paradoxical truth that surrender leads to victory in the upside-down kingdom of God. Plus, Lisa offers helpful tips for avoiding bitterness and burnout and shares her story of learning to cling to hope, even in difficult circumstances.Support the showCONNECTIONS: View the Shownotes Visit the Website Join the Community Listen to Podcast Explore the Blog Connect with Christine Follow on Instagram This show is listener-supported! Your donations are tax-deductible and highly appreciated. CONTRIBUTE HERE.
2022-03-0941 min
The Refreshed Moms Podcast#174 Living a Life of Surrender with Lisa BonnemaMy friend, writer and speaker Lisa Bonnema, describes herself as woman who needed to feel control of motherhood.She micro-managed her children in order to feel good about their safety and care, and yes, it was exhausting.But when she found out that a neural defect had been detected in her third child at her 18-week sonogram, her mothering world was turned upside down.There was nothing micro-management could do to change the diagnosis, and now she had a choice - to go into complete overdrive regarding controlling her daughter's life, or transition...
2021-04-2037 min
Were You Raised By Wolves?Congratulating Brides, Sending Food Back, Leaving Voicemails, Remembering Names, and MoreEtiquette, manners, and beyond! In this episode, Nick and Leah tackle proper greetings for brides, sending food back at restaurants, charging guests at weddings, remembering names at parties, leaving voicemails, standing too close on the subway, and more. Please follow us! (We'd send you a hand-written thank you note if we could.)Have a question for us? Call or text (267) CALL-RBW or visit ask.wyrbw.comEPISODE CONTENTS
AMUSE-BOUCHE: What not to say to a bride
A QUESTION OF ETIQUETTE: Remembering people's names
QUESTIONS FROM THE WILDERNESS: Can you have a cash bar at a we...
2019-10-0722 min