Help & Hope

Baseball great Darryl Strawberry readily acknowledges that people often think two things when they hear his name: Darryl was a great ball player, and Darryl lost it all to drugs. In this interview, Darryl and his wife Tracy share their story of drug addiction and how they found a pathway to restoration and wholeness. Their transparent responses to hard questions will challenge listeners to examine their own lives. It’s our hope that their redemption story will offer help and hope to others who are at the bottom of life, and ready to make choices that can only lead to dark places. Is there hope when getting and using drugs are the first things you think of in the morning, throughout the day, and the last thing before you close your eyes to sleep? In this moving interview, Darryl and Tracy Strawberry confidently exclaim, “Yes! There is help and hope!”The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhop

Due to generations of hurt in his family, country music singer Ben Fuller turned to cocaine and alcohol at a young age. He got involved in a devastating drug-fueled relationship which led him to understand better, the other side of addiction. And then, he abruptly lost his best friend to a heroin overdose, and his entire outlook on life shifted. In this Help & Hope conversation with Sharon Betters and Danielle Cantler, Ben talks about how a move to Nashville to pursue a career as a country singer in late 2018 transformed his life. He shares how a family friend invited him to church, and as he walked into the auditorium filled with 3,000 people, he knew one day he would sing “that kind of music” for the rest of his life. Falling face first into his new-found relationship with Jesus, he began writing with a burning desire to share what God did to turn his life around. Today, Ben lives completely sober while sharing his story, which is filled with hope, mercy, and grace. By turning his testimony into songs,

Mention pornography and most people think, “That’s a problem for men.” Yet 76% of 18 – 30 year old American women report that they watch porn at least once a month. Three percent of all women say they either thought they might be addicted or are unsure if they are addicted to pornography. This equates to three million women.* These stats are from 2018, so it’s safe to say the numbers are growing. Is there help for women addicted to pornography? In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Jessica Harris says yes! Jessica shares her own story of how pornography drew her in when she was a middle schooler and how she found solace and acceptance through the internet and eventually chat rooms. Jessica describes the secrecy of her addiction and how it led to shame and guilt that she didn’t know how to break. Then, a woman acknowledged to a group of young adult females that pornography addiction was a woman thing, too. Suddenly, Jessica had hope that the chains of addiction could be broken. Jessica shares her journey a

Julie Sanford is a Recovery Mentor for wives of alcoholics. She is a wife and mom of three who found herself in a situation she never wanted to be in as the wife of an alcoholic. After several years of living in chaos, feeling alone, and unseen, she is now using her journey to help other wives of alcoholics navigate their husband’s addiction. She came to realize that it was not only her husband that needed recovery, but she also needed support. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Julie shares not only her story but hope and encouragement for those in a similar, broken place. Julie offers programs and coaching that equips women with the tools and strength needed to navigate their husband’s addiction without losing themselves in the process (marriedtoaddiction.com).The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this

Send us a textPaul and Jill Miller welcomed their sixth child, daughter Kim, into their home in 1982. It became apparent at a young age that Kim was behind in her developmental milestones. Kim was also non verbal. Kim was diagnosed as having autism, a diagnosis that was just beginning to be recognized by doctors. Kim’s diagnosis not only created enormous stress on their family, but also isolated Jill as she learned how to parent their precious child. In this remarkable conversation Paul and Jill take us back to those early days and how Kim’s life has taught them life-changing spiritual truths and led them to fall deeper in love with Jesus. Paul is author of numerous books, including A Praying Life and A Loving Life. He is Executive Director of seeJesus, a global discipleship ministry which he founded in 1999 to help Christians and non-Christians alike “see Jesus.” Since that time, Paul has taught more than 100 seminars, written a dozen interactive Bible studies, and released three books focused on seeJesus’ c

Send us a textMarriage can be difficult under any circumstances, but adding a child with special needs adds a whole new level of challenges. In this wide-ranging conversation Steve Demme, shares his passion for helping build strong marriages, but in particular wants to offer help and hope to fathers, and even more specifically to fathers of children with special needs. Steve’s special relationship to his son, Johnny (who has Down Syndrome) shines through in this transparent interview and offers help and hope not only to fathers, but to anyone who longs to know God as Daddy. Steve Demme’s BioSteve and his wife Sandra have been married since 1979. They have been blessed with four sons, three lovely daughters-in-law, and three special grandchildren. Their fourth son John has Down Syndrome and lives with them in Lititz, PA. Steve has served in full or part time pastoral ministry for many years after graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and has served on the board of Joni and Friends Eastern

Neglect. Rejection. Sin. Conflict. Change. It’s difficult to attend church when you’ve suffered some of your deepest hurts.Megan Hill understands that church can be hard. In this conversation, Sharon Betters and Megan talk about why church hurt can be so devastating, the root of church hurt, people in the scriptures who experienced church hurt and how they responded to the priceless gift of community, and reasons to pursue life in a local church even when it hurts. Megan gently leads wounded people on a pathway to peace as she encourages us to explore the source of our struggles, find ways to express our sorrow and consider wise actions to take. Others have struggled as well—and found hope. There’s hope for you too.The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministri..., or by

Children raised in the same family sometimes grow up with very different responses to life. Such is the story of Julie Malone and her beautiful daughter, Allie. Julie and her husband, Tim loved their lives as parents and Tim’s ministry to teens. But their idyllic life would take a turn into a foreign land of broken places. Julie says, "I am very thankful for my childhood as I came to know and love the Lord as my savior at a very young age. I really never knew a day without Jesus in my life. I married Tim, and we had 4 beautiful little girls. We were raising our kids to know Jesus. We were a close family. Life was good. But Tim and I often wondered how and when real suffering would enter our lives. For us, it didn’t come in one huge blow. For us it came in pieces. A little ding here, and a little ding there – until the repeated dinging of the chisel brought true hardship that often made me feel weary and worn, and well…broken. And much of this brokenness focused on our journey of parenting our oldest daug

Many people have experienced betrayal, someone violating your trust perhaps by lying, cheating, some kind of abuse, putting their own interests ahead of yours when they promised otherwise. Betrayal affects every part of our hearts, often in ways we don’t understand at first. Some hurts we carry with us to the day we die because they are so deep and seem impossible to resolve. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Wendy Alsup shares the impact of betrayal from her own life, not only through an unwanted divorce but also in her church life. But Wendy doesn’t leave us in the mud of betrayal. Instead, she speaks frankly about the power of forgiveness. Wendy’s view of forgiveness is not stereotypical. Pulling examples from her own life, Wendy talks about the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation and how understanding ambiguous loss can help us as we grieve the losses of betrayal. Whether you are still gasping for air as the impact of betrayal hits you hard or you are carrying the wounds of broken re

Did you know 40 million adults suffer from depression, and 4 in 10 US adults have developed high levels of stress and anxiety since the start of the pandemic? 58% of those are young adults. Clearly, we have a mental health crisis in America. In this conversation, Christopher Cook, author of Healing What You Can’t Erase and host of the WinToday podcast, and no stranger to deep depression, says anxiety acts like a smoke alarm, demanding we find the source of the smoke and deal with it. He uses the acronym SEED to help us understand the 4 steps to uncovering the root causes and replacing lies with truth. His goal is to encourage us to intentionally pursue inside-out transformation by making small choices every day.The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministri..., or by sea

One in four adults are estranged from their parents, so says one 2022 study. According to another study 11% of mothers ages 65 – 75 with two or more grown children were estranged from at least one of them. Most of the time, the seeds for these conflicts were planted during the growing up years of the young adults. Gaye Clark, who is the author of Loving Your Adult Children, The Heartache of Parenting and the Hope of the Gospel talks to Sharon Betters about the seeds of these conflicts and how parents can navigate these tumultuous relationships,starting with personal repentance. This conversation shines a spotlight on the hearts of the parent, not with condemnation, but with instruction on how to respond with kindness rather than anger, gentleness rather than wrath. Gaye challenges listeners to consider carefully and prayerfully how to reflect the fruit of the Spirit in a way that invites an estranged child to “taste and see that the Lord is good”.The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries.

Do these words haunt you: "Mom, Dad, I don't want your rules and morals. I don't want to act like a Christian anymore! And I'm not going to," Barbara Juliani (then Barbara Miller) made this declaration at the age 18. As her father desperately attempted to reason with her, Barbara grew more resentful, choosing a path of immorality that only deepened her parents' pain.Such a declaration from a child, no matter their age, creates havoc and soul-searching in the hearts of their parents, who often ask, “What did I do wrong?”In this conversation with Sharon Betters and Jane Anne Wilson, Barbara Juliani shares her story and addresses some of the ways parents take on the guilt of their children and responsibility for their decisions. You might be surprised by some of her conclusions. Her dad, Jack Miller wrote:"I am not ignorant of human depravity," writes C. John Miller, "but I had long denied that it could exist in our family." That reality, however, forced him to c

“So who am I now that there’s only one place at the table…one pillow with a head dent, one towel damp after a shower? There’s only one toothbrush in the holder. The seat is never left up anymore. I can still write Mrs. in front of my name, but I’m no longer in a marriage relationship. You need two people for a marriage, and there’s only me.” These words, written by our guest, Gayle Roper, capture the longing of every widow. Has a widowed friend ever said, “I wish you could understand the loneliness…how every minute I’m reminded I’m alone…how I long for my husband’s touch, his protection, sitting across the table eating, watching a movie together, going for an evening walk, running errands…I’m so alone.” And you wish you could understand, too, but you can’t. This conversation between Gayle Roper and Sharon Betters is not only for the widow but for those who love her. Gayle gives us a tender glimpse into the daily life of a widow, what a widow can do after her husband dies that will help her find a new level of

In this wide-ranging interview between two mothers who have experienced the grief of the deaths of their children, Nancy Guthrie transparently answers questions asked by Sharon Betters. From how to push the question “why” through the grid of God’s love and sovereignty to practical counsel for protecting marriages assaulted by grief, Nancy doesn’t flinch. Nancy’s loss of two children uniquely qualifies her to offer help and hope in sorrow’s darkest night. No matter how shattered the heart, there is hope in the midst of grief.The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministri..., or by searching Help and Hope in your mobile app store.For MARKINC to continue to offer these helpful FREE resources, we need your help!! Please donate to MARKINC Ministries and invest in offering the

Someone has said there are only two sure things in life – death and taxes. While this is meant to be funny, the part about death is true. Each one of us will die, yet not many of us intentionally prepare for that unique part of our journey. In this conversation, Elizabeth Turnage, author of Preparing for Glory, talks to Sharon Betters about the “art of dying”. Elizabeth answers questions like: How does Jesus show us how to prepare ourselves and our loved ones for our death; how do we say “enough” to medical intervention; what information and documents we should prepare for when we are incapacitated or die; how to leave an emotional legacy, intentionally forgiving and pursuing forgiveness, thanking those who have impacted our lives and much more. This is not an easy topic, but death is the “elephant in the room” and Elizabeth puts a map in our hands to help us navigate this difficult pathway.The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that M

After trying everything she could to stop her slide into a dark depression, young mother Christine Chappell tearfully told her husband she needed help and admitted herself to a facility. In her book, Midnight Mercies, Walking with God through Depression in Motherhood, Christine describes this heartbreaking season but does not leave us in the dark. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Christine transparently tells how depression strangled her and drove her to a point of hopelessness – and yet, the Lord did not abandon her. Christine and Sharon talk about the emotions of depression and how one leads to the next, how God responded differently to each person in scripture who experienced depression, some of the causes of depression in motherhood, and how our culture encourages us to declare, “I got this!” vs. “Help, Lord!” Christine offers practical steps we can take in battling depression and how friends can come alongside a hurting friend. Whether your depression is mild or severe, this conversation will ac

In this moving and sometimes emotional conversation, Sharon Betters talks to Susanna Musser and her friend and counselor, Heidi Scott, about the sudden, accidental death of Susanna’s adopted son, Tommy. Susanna and husband Joe and their entire family welcomed Tommy into their home even though he had severe disabilities. No strangers to raising a child with disabilities, Tommy quickly experienced unconditional love. Yet God often calls us to hard places that are much more difficult than we expected. Through circumstances no one could have imagined, Tommy died. Susanna, with the help of her counselor, Heidi, shares the story of her family, her passion for adoption of children with special needs and the enormous struggle she experienced in trying to reconcile Tommy’s death while carrying self-imposed guilt no parent should experience. This conversation will not only encourage others in similar places, but will give listeners a renewed understanding of the burdens some parents bear and how to help them.The Help &

Do you have questions about same-sex attraction? Is it wrong? Is it ok? Are you struggling with same-sex attraction personally? Is your child?Chuck and I recently had the privilege of asking these questions and many more of Dr. Rosaria Butterfield, nationally known speaker and author of Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert. Dr. Butterfield's down to earth, compassionate, common sense and biblical approach to same-sex attraction resulted in a conversation that we wish everyone could hear. We live in a culture that challenges us to reexamine long held convictions and decide if what we believe is really scriptural or culturally based. None of us wants to be on the wrong side of the issue of same-sex attraction. People we love and respect are making choices that beg for acceptance and compassion. What must our response be? Chuck and I had the unique privilege of asking this and much more of Rosaria. We hope many will listen with an open heart and mind, hungry for truth, and conclude there are solid biblica

Pam Benton started noticing small changes in her pastor husband. Though Wilson had retired, he had agreed to serve as interim pastor in another church for eighteen months. Eighteen months turned into five years. Pam’s concerns grew when Wilson started using notes for his sermons. Since both of their mothers had Alzheimer's, Pam and Wilson did not hesitate to get their doctor’s opinion, hoping for a simple answer, but knowing Alzheimer's was not unlikely. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Pam describes how a diagnosis has changed the direction of their plans for retirement, how important it is to get an early diagnosis and the way the Lord has grown her faith. Pam’s children told her that in spite of a lifetime of ministry, this season of life is perhaps the most important as she models for them how to love their dad well in what many call the long goodbye.The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offe

Relationships can be so hard and sometimes painful. Are they worth it? What are some of the pitfalls of relationships? How can our expectations of others sabotage our relationships? When someone we care about disappoints us, and they will, what questions should we be willing to ask ourselves to determine how to proceed? How can God use disappointments and broken relationships for our good? Is there ever a time to just walk away? Sharon Betters asks Ellen Dykas these questions and more. All of us struggle with relationships. We know this conversation will encourage and equip you to not only understand yourself better but how to navigate what can sometimes be a scary minefield.The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministri..., or by searching Help and Hope in your mobile a