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Pursuing true North

Stacia Freeman: Epic Girl

Ordinary Hero started with one simple goal: to change the world for one. What started as an endeavor to find families for orphans eventually grew into much, much more. Today, Ordinary Hero partners with ministries in impoverished communities in order to advocate for the vulnerable and empower ordinary people to change the life of a child in need.

Kelly Putty: Ordinary Hero

Stacy came to Nashville by way of Mississippi and is a graduate of Belmont University. She enjoyed a rewarding career in the TV & Film industry before encountering Jesus and having her entire perspective on life radically change. Her passion these days is sharing life and truth with everyone she encounters and as the “mom” of Narrow Gate, she has learned how to live in the midst of hundreds of men! Relaxing for her involves gardening, reading, and just being outdoors. Fun fact: Stacy was a national clogging champ! Listen in as she shares her remarkable story of living her way and then trading that in for God’s way – now living her best life!  Stacy is a gifted woman who tells her experience with captivating passion! You will be inspired and uplifted with her testimony. Narrow Gate Foundation holds to a single core purpose: to invest our resources for the Glory of God by making disciples of Jesus. As a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating, inspiring, and empowering Christian discipleship, we equip and train young men, develop business discipleship platforms, and serve the Church locally and globally. https://narrowgate.org They have amazing leather and wood goods sold by their own men for Narrow Gate Trading Co.! You can support them with a donation and buy some amazing products crafted by men who have had their lives changed in profound ways! https://ngtradingco.com Such an honor and priveledge to speak with Stacy! www.pursuingtruenorth.com

Stacy Spencer: Narrow Gate Foundation

I grew up in the Lutheran church and always knew God. When I was in my mid 20’s I started attending a non-denominational Christian church and was rebaptized. I went on a mission trip to South Africa and my faith became stronger than it had ever been. After my husband and I got married, we went through alot of life change. We had a miscarriage, he lost his job, and we moved across the country. We soon had a little boy and I became a stay at home mom. I loved that time with my son. I became pregnant again when my son was 9 months old and, at the same time, my husband started a small business and was traveling 80% of the time. It was hard being a (essentially) single, pregnant mom, with no breaks or help. After our second son was born, life took a turn for the worse. My husband went back on the road right away. All I could think was, “I can’t do this”. I never stopped believing in God, but I started to believe the lies over the truth. The lies of being a failure, the fear of not being able to handle this season, that I couldn’t do it all on my own. It surrounded me and I fell into a deep postpartum depression and quickly became suicidal. I sought help but relief wasn’t coming soonenough. I made the difficult decision to check myself into an inpatient mental health facility for 5 days. After that, my husband went back on the road and I was alone with both babies again, with no breaks, no help. I became suicidal again. One night, I had reached my breaking point. I sobbed, putting my almost 2-year-old to bed, knowing it was going to be the last time I would hold him. I put on worship music and took a Xanax. I thought, “I will wash up and maybe that will give it enough time to kick in, just to take the edge off and change my mind”. I finished washing up and fell face down on the floor, begging God to save me. I swore that if God would get me through this; that I would somehow use it for His glory. By the time I was done praying, His peace (and the Xanax) washed over me and I went to bed. The next day I felt a little better. I felt like God hadn’t left me; that He was stillfighting for me. I found a spiritual mentor to walk with me through this season and a few months later, I was baptized by the Holy Spirit. A few months later, my husband and I were sitting in church, the pastor was speaking on Matthew 11:28, “ Come to me all who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest,” and I thought, “Yes! That’s what I experienced, real rest for my soul!” And I heard, almost audibly, from the Lord “Start a mom’s retreat”! I had no idea how to run a retreat, I had never been to one, how was I going to run one?! But He kept saying, “I’ll take care of it, just be my hands and feet”. So, keeping to my promise of using that season to bring His Kingdom glory, I did it. Restore is an annual retreat in Middle TN for moms. It is 3 days filled with worship, speakers, testimonies, prayer, crafts, down time and time to connect with other moms. We try to keep costs as low as possible so that all moms can attend. We do fundraisers throughout the year to help raise money for scholarships. We also accept donations through ourwebsite. We are a registered 501(c)(3) for tax deductions. The next retreat will be April 3-5, you can register or find out more details at RestoreMomsRetreat.com. Lisa Sanford,  Founder, Restore Moms Retreat If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or attempts, please call the hotline for suicide prevention at – 1-800-273-8255  www.pursuingtruenorth.com

Lisa Sanford – Restore Mom’s Retreat

I am married to Kyle – we have 3 kids(Cash Caleb and August)and a dog named Stella. I grew up in a family deeply entrenched in addiction and unhealthy behavior. I took on the role as caregiver for my 3 younger siblings by the age of 7. At the age of 8 I felt God speak to me and call me to him. It was at a summer camp I got lucky enough to be invited to be apart of and I have never turned back. I knew that my life was his and I was cared for in so many ways by so many people who stuck by me and encouraged me to live life to the fullest. Over time I started giving back the way they gave to me. I got married in 2010 to my tall handsome American husband and moved to the USA from Canada. Eventually, his music industry work brought us to Nashville. We started attending Cross Point Church and it wasnt long before I applied to be on staff at the West Nashville Dream Center. I have been here since we opened and moved into the role of Executive Director almost two years ago. Thats me! You can find out more about West Nashville Dream Center at https://www.westnashdc.com/   TJ Fletcher Executive Director, West Nashville Dream Center

TJ Fletcher – West Nashville Dream Center

Confidence in Self Image Shoot – this topic alone makes people cringe! Even the most seemigly confident, beautiful soul will still struggle with their confidence in self image to a point! It’s taken years for us to manage a healthy self image. Too bad we didn’t realize the truth sooner. Having a healthy and confident self image is critical to valuing yourself from the inside out. We take a dive into our past struggles and current smaller struggles of mainting a confident self image – not only for ourselves, but for our children, as well. Being confident in how God made you will help you lead the best life intended for you.

Confidence in Self Image

Hummingbird Cracker Company was founded by Ms. Krista Francis in the heart of East Nashville, Tennessee. Krista gave us a look into her life’s journey – the good, the really really bad and the wonderful in our episode above. Her heart and her mission is to use all she is given and make the most out of everything in order to love others. Hummingbird’s mission: Hummingbird Cracker Company is in the business of reclaiming. We repurpose fresh vegetable pulp left over from juicing to create a one-of-a-kind cracker that’s hard to forget. Go check out her website at https://www.hummingbirdcrackers.com/ We know you will enjoy this episode and others under our Women of Impact button at www.pursuingtruenorth.com

Krista Francis – Hummingbird Cracker Company

Show Notes for Confident Self Talk How confident are you? What are the things you tell yourself about you? Do you know what you think about yourself plays a vital role in everything you do? Catherine and Jenny discuss what confidence looks like, feels like and how we can work on our mindset to put ourselves in the sweet spot. Spelling out what we think about confidence and how it affects every aspect of life [0:30] Walking into a room you notice the level of confidence a person has [1:07] Jenny’s child gives insight into their negative self talk [2:00] Negative lies become personal truths [2:40] Origin of lies [3:17] Negative input is much louder in our minds than positive inputs [4:00] Recognizing what is happening in your mind is where we start – we miss this a lot before it gets bad [4:30] Grace we give to others needs to be given to ourselves [6:36] Step back and recognize what we are saying to ourselves [7:09] Speaking negatively comes easily when speaking to self and less easily when it comes to others [5:42] Grace we give others should be given to ourselves [6:36] Do some introspecting – what are we saying to ourselves [7:09] After recognizing lies we need to find replacements [7:25] Written affirmations placed in our view is a great tool [8:33] Verses we mention – 2 Timothy 1:7, Jeremiah 29:11 [8:55] Negative self talk hurts God’s heart just like when moms hear their children’s negative self talk [9:51] This is an ongoing, daily struggle for everyone [10:45] High expectations of ourselves can affect our confidence [11:30] Psychology magazine comments on this [12:30] Make attainable goals and realistic expectations of ourselves [14:07] Catherine’s expectations with children – example of this struggle and start of changing it [15:24] When we don’t meet our goals we are met with guilt – mom guilt on this example [16:07] Jenny speaks to giving tangible goals to this struggle [17:14] Jenny’s managing her family’s needs [18:45] Catherine’s findings of ways to combat her struggle [20:57] Goal ideas that are small but attainable – great place to start [22:37] Funny stories about kids not having shoes on in public [23:01] Building yourself up at the end of the day [24:08] Advice on speaking positive words of affirmation to self and children [25:01] Pinpoint where we feel bad and see if there are stressful expectations [27:15] You are valuable to God and His love for you is intense and great [28:00] Follow us on this journey of building your self confidence [29:00] Join us this year for encouragement on ways to build your self confidence in all areas so you can not only feel better mentally, but live life better and in ways that are true! Subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on Facebook and Instagram and sign up for our podcasts on Spotify and iTunes! Don’t forget to share! www.pursuingtruenorth.com

Catherine & Jenny: Confident Self Talk

Please tell us about you and your God story and what led you to a deeper walk with Christ? When people ask me about my life, I find it easier to refer to seasons. The early season of my life was not spent in the church. I knew of God and of Catholicism, but never really made the connection to faith and Christianity. I was introduced to a new church and a personal approach to God in my early 20’s, while still at University. This was a period of time when everything was new and fresh and I wanted to learn everything, but it was also a time of remaking and reshaping my worldview. I moved to Nashville in 1993. This was a season of growing into marriage and motherhood; each of those steps required different tools. I am married to a musician and the challenges we faced with separation and raising children in this structure required a lot of the whole family. This current season, post music industry, has both my husband and I serving Haiti in a full-time capacity. That has required a different tool kit. “Even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.”- Psalm 139:11 (ESV) “May I be steadfast in my faith. May I keep in the forefront of my mind that you are ever present in perceived darkness, walking beside me, holding my hand, guiding me along the right path. With this, perseverance comes easier and hope more palpable.” What Led You to Hands and Feet Project? I have been intricately involved with Hands and Feet Project since the very beginning. My first visit to Haiti was in 2001 and three years later, I linked arms with my husband, Will as he joined his fellow band mate, Mark Stuart, to found Hands and Feet Project. Since that time, I have served as a donor, a guest, a volunteer and as part of the dedicated team. I accepted the position as the Executive Director in January 2018. What We Do? Caring for the Orphaned and Abandoned. Fighting to Keep Families Together. Our Mission: Our Christ-centered purpose is to provide family-style, residential care and sustainable solutions that fight against Haiti’s orphan crisis. Our Vision: First, under the guidance of Haiti’s Child Social Services, we provide holistic, residential care for children in crisis by building and operating Children’s Villages with multiple family-style homes lead by Haitian House Mothers. By utilizing our resources, relationships, and our American and Haitian staff, we strive to create a circle of care around each child with the intent of giving every boy and girl the chance to reach their God-given potential. Second, we will utilize our platform to help create sustainable and dignified jobs to push against the poverty-driven child abandonment and child slavery cycles. We believe the best orphan care strategy starts with a fight to keep families together. How to Get Involved? First and foremost, please pray for Haiti, Hands and Feet Project, our leadership, our staff and the children we serve. “We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy”. – Daniel 9:18 You can visit our website and get more information (https://handsandfeetproject.org/get-involved/ ) on fundraisers, engaging your church, volunteering to serve locally and abroad. Keep up with our organization through social media. Share the story! A great way to stay involved is to sponsor a child that we provide care for (http://handsandfeetproject.reachapp.co/sponsorships). You are able to get updates, communicate with your child and keep up with life at our Children’s Villages. You can support a missionary. They are on the ground every day battling on behalf of each child. They need prayerful support, encouragement and financial gifts. Andrea McGinniss Executive Director, Hands and Feet Project

Andrea McGinniss: Hands and Feet Project

Happy New Year! Jenny and I have been doing a lot of reflecting on the past year for us personally and professionally! I’m sure you all have been doing the same. There are things we can look back on and say, “Wow! Look what God did! I have grown in so many ways!” However, there are also many things we can look back on and say, “I realize I can do better or get some things accomplished this year that I didn’t quite get accomplished last year. As we reflect on the good and the fun and the lovely – we know God was favoring and blessing us. On the hard things – the gut wrenching, sleep losing, anxiety spiking times we can look back on and see also where favor was even if we couldn’t see it at the time. We know He works out things for good for those of us that love Him. Take a listen in to the podcast link above and enjoy our reflections and announcements for this upcoming year! Much love ~ Catherine www.pursuingtruenorth.com

Happy New Year! Reflections on 2019 and Visions for 2020!

Nancy Alcorn - Mercy Multiplied It was during and after college that Nancy Alcorn, a native Tennessean, spent eight years working for the state of Tennessee at a correctional facility for juvenile delinquent girls and investigating child abuse cases. Working for the state on a daily basis gave her direct encounters with secular programs that were not producing permanent results that exemplified changed lives. Nancy saw many of the girls pass the age of eighteen and end up in the women’s prison system because they never got the real help they needed. After working for the state and recognizing that true transformation would never come as the result of any government system, she was appointed Director of Women for the Nashville Teen Challenge program where she worked for two years. Through her experience, she began to realize that only Jesus could bring restoration into the lives of girls who were desperately hurting and searching for something to fill the void they felt in their hearts. Nancy knew God was unfolding a plan prompting her to step out in faith to help hurting young women. In January 1983, determined to establish a program in which lives would truly be transformed, Nancy moved to Monroe, Louisiana to start Mercy Ministries of America (now Mercy Multiplied). She knew that there were three principles to which she must always remain faithful: (1) accept girls free of charge, (2) always give at least ten percent of all donations to other organizations and ministries, and (3) do not take any state or federal funding or any money that interferes with the freedom to share Christ. Several years and many changed lives later, Mercy has established locations in Monroe, Louisiana; Nashville, Tennessee; St. Louis, Missouri; and Sacramento, California. The organization has grown beyond the borders of the United States, including locations in the United Kingdom, Canada, and New Zealand. In addition, plans are underway for more sites in America as well as internationally. About Mercy Multiplied – Mercy Multiplied is a nonprofit Christian organization that equips people to live free and stay free through Jesus Christ. Our residential counseling program helps young women ages 13-32 break free from life controlling issues and situations, including anxiety, depression, sexual abuse, eating disorders, self-harm, addictions, unplanned pregnancy, and sex trafficking. The residential program is voluntary, biblically-based, and completely free of charge. Our goal is to help residents permanently stop destructive cycles, discover purpose for their lives, and experience God’s unconditional love, forgiveness, and life-transforming power. Our Outreach services train and resource Christian leaders and helpers to effectively minister to those who are hurting and struggling. We offer a wide range of life-transforming workshops, discipleship resources, videos, podcasts, and other practical tools. Our goal is to share the life transforming principles used in our residential program to empower men and women of all ages to live in freedom. Find out more about Mercy: Home Find out how to get involved and support Mercy: Get Involved Find resources that Author and Speaker Ms. Alcorn has available: Freedom Tools www.pursuingtruenorth.com

Women of Impact: Nancy Alcorn – Mercy Multiplied

Honestly, we didn’t mean to arrange this week’s topic to be one that is so incredibly hard to do at this time of year! But how fitting isn’t it? Sadly, I though I was almost done with my shopping, just to realize I have more I hadn’t thought of and I need to make a whole new list! I would love to think I can get done with Christmas shopping sooner but I just never seem to be able to be ahead of the game. I will blame my kids late fall birthdays on my inability to focus on Christmas because of their festivities all the way up to Thanksgiving break! Alas – this isn’t even what Christmas is really all about. But somehow this season of rejoicing tends to make us all a form of crazy, one way or another and anxiety runs high in most homes this time of year every year. We have people to care for, things to get, homes to decorate, school parties and fundraisers, work parties, special food to prepare, memories to make all while trying to manage hosting or being hosted! I got tired just typing that! How, though? How do we not be anxious with all of this stuff to do and all the other people we need to interact with? Jenny and I discuss how to be anxious for nothing – and no, we have not always mastered everything we talk about but we are trying! Below is our show notes for the 15 minutes we gave our best tips and tricks for overcoming our anxiousness! Truth of the Week 45: Don’t be Anxious! Welcome to Pursuing true North’s Truth of the Week Series! I am Catherine King and I’m Jenny Cioto! Philippians 4:6 – “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;” NKJV ~Let’s start with the first word – be. What does it mean to be something? MW – have a specified characterization, to belong to a class of, have reality or actuality, to maintain or occupy a place, situation or position – to name a few. ~We are to identify with and occupy a state of non-anxiousness. How do we do this? ~Next part of the verse – pray about everything! ~My daughter asked if it was silly to pray over a grasshopper – how I responded ~When looking into the part of the verse on supplication – it sent me to Prov. 16:3 – “Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established. ESV” ~With thanksgiving – no matter what’s going on we have a lot to be thankful for. If we just listed what amazing qualities our God has, that can make our heart grateful as we thank Him for being Who He says He is. ~ challenge: Replace anxiety with expectant and grateful prayer trusting God will provide deliverance! So glad you joined us today! Hit subscribe so you don’t miss a thing and catch all the new happenings at pursuingtruenorth.com! Don’t forget to like and share us! Have a wonderful day and we will see you next week! www.pursuingtruenorth.com

Don’t be Anxious!

Beth Ann Yakes is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Chairman of Luke 9:2 Ministries! With a passion for teaching and helping the sick, Beth Ann uses her God-given passions and intelligence to both serve the sick here in Tennessee and around the world! She paints a beautiful picture of how she and many others come together and love on and care for the underprivileged who are in need of medical care. Luke 9:2 Ministries’ primary goal is to proclaim the love of Jesus Christ by providing the following in under served countries, High quality medical and dental services in partnership with local Christian medical/dental professionals, water purification equipment along with health and hygiene education in local communities, and education and ministry training to local pastors. Go check out their homepage on all the different ways you can support Luke 9:2 Ministries with your time, finances, and prayer!  https://luke9-2ministries.com/  www.pursuingtruenorth.com 

Beth Ann Yakes: Luke 9:2 Ministries

Being reasonable! Man, sometimes it’s just plain hard to see things from other people’s perspectives and work positively for everyone involved! But – it’s what we are called to do and how we want our feelings to be taken into consideration by others. Jenny and I discuss what God asks of us in this week’s short but sweet podcast! Show notes are below! Truth of the Week 44: Being Reasonable This week’s truth of the week is – Philippians 4:4-5 – “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;” ESV ~I like how Paul tells people to be reasonable AND to let it be known to all. ~Are we always reasonable? It’s crucial to maintain community ~Commentary ESV: Reasonableness – the disposition that seeks what is best for everyone and not just for oneself. ~Make it obvious to those around us that we are looking out for their best interest, not just our own – tangible ways? ~About that first part – always rejoice in the Lord – he repeated it in the same sentence! ~Define rejoice – MW: have joy, possess delight in…..we use this Biblically by focusing that IN the Lord. That’s why we can have it in both good and bad times. ~What does rejoicing look like in good times? ~What rejoicing looks like in bad times? ~Challenge – are we clearly putting other’s needs before ours and rejoicing all of the time? So glad you joined us today! Hit subscribe so you don’t miss a thing and catch all the new happenings at pursuingtruenorth.com! Don’t forget to like and share us! Have a wonderful day and we will see you next week! www.pursuingtruenorth.com Catherine King

Being Reasonable

Kathleen Murphy is a Nashville native and graduate of Belmont University. With a background in ministry and teaching, she left her church & classroom jobs in 2010 to pursue a call to full time ministry outside of the traditional church setting. She currently serves as a community advocate and mentor for youth and their families through, “My Own Backyard.” She is a connector and educator who is passionate about relationships & helping people discover how to walk with God through building & fostering community. She is a writer, speaker, and educational ministry consultant who also serves as the Director of Education for Barefoot Republic Camps. She enjoys coffee, DIY projects, flowers, and spending time with her family. To find out more about My Own Backyard, find us on Facebook! @Backyardnashville Kathleen Murphy Founder, My Own Backyard

Kathleen Murphy – My Own Backyard

Encouraging women in their walk with Christ.

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Pursuing true North

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