Embrace Grace

"Jesus often went away from people to pray. And one of the greatest joys of your life will be the uninterrupted time you spend with your heavenly Father. The best way to make sure you have that time is to intentionally establish a place to pray. Make it a sacred place, set apart, and safe. If you are willing to make this small move, I promise that the Lord will meet you there face-to-face. You will have conversations, revelations, and answers to your prayers. I know you will grow from that special place. You don’t need a designated set-apart place to meet with God. But trust me, you will want one." - Mary Jo Pierce Tune into the podcast to hear Mary Jo Pierce discuss with Amy her Prayer Chair and her new book, Adventures in Prayer. You will not want to miss this one!  Mary Jo Pierce is the pastor of Prayer & Intercession at Gateway. Her new book, Adventures in Prayer, will be released on March 15 and will be available in the Gateway Bookstore and Mardel. To learn more about Pastor Mary Jo, visit maryjo

If you've had an abortion in your past, God wants to heal your heart. He has healed so many women that have suffered an infant loss through abortion, and there's hope for you too. Maybe that's been a secret that you have never shared with anyone ... but we want you to know that God is a good God and He wants to walk through the healing process with you.  Join Debbie Burrows as she shares with Amy how God healed her heart through an abortion recovery group. By going through a healing support group, you can meet other women that have a similar story and you will realize you are not alone. These support groups can look many ways and you can find the right fit for you - whether it's one on one mentoring, weekly classes with a group or even retreat healing weekends!  Check with your local church or pregnancy center to find a healing class to get plugged into today! 

By the seventh day        God had finished his work.    On the seventh day        he rested from all his work.    God blessed the seventh day.        He made it a Holy Day    Because on that day he rested from his work,        all the creating God had done. - Genesis 2:2-3 Rest is a command from heaven - so what does that look like in modern day? Listen as Mary Jo Pierce, Gateway's Pastor of Prayer and Intercession shares how her life changed once she embraced Shabbat in her home. Hear her and Amy share about if all Christian families imparted rest into their families lives, this could change the dynamic of our families, our communities and our world. 

We have started the process of praying about what a dads program could look like in Embrace Grace. We know the importance to reach the baby dads and we want to be able to connect with them in a way that they need. We want to empower them and help them see how their impact on their child's life can affect their own child's life as well as generations after.  Hear Ryan Ford and his perspective on finding out at 22 years old that he was going to be a dad, and the thoughts and emotions he felt through the journey into fatherhood. His life changed when he laid eyes on his baby boy.  The world needs more dads! Tune in to the podcast today and share with friends!         

Here at Embrace Grace, we believe that birth moms are heroes! Join Amy as she sits with Abby and hears her amazing story of choosing adoption for her son and what God did in her life through the entire process. Abby's story is full of miracles throughout - you will love hearing about it!  Tune in today and be inspired by Abby's bravery! 

A Valentine's Special! Does your marriage need a spark? Tune in to the Embrace Grace podcast show for a Marriage Special show! We know a lot of marriages some time need a spark - but why not keep the spark going by being creative in the romance department? Amy's guest, Tracy Levinson, author of her new and upcoming book, Unashamed, has SO many great ideas on how to keep the fire burning in the romance department!  To connect with Tracy, check out her website www.TracyLevinson.com for even more ideas to strengthen your marriages!     

Shame...who hasn't experienced it? Shame can so easily become toxic. Listen to this passage in Jeremiah 31. "I was ashamed of my past, my wild unruly past. Humiliated, I beat on my chest. Will I ever live this down?" Shame can feel overwhelming, partly because it high-jacks our brain. Brene Brown says the solution for shame is vulnerability and courage. Verbalizing shame attacks to safe people is so redemptive. God encourages us to confess to one another and to bring those shameful feelings into connection and community. He also wants us to experience his feelings he has for each of us. "Oh! Ephram is my dear, dear son, my child in whom I take pleasure! Every time I mention his name, my heart bursts with longing for him! Everything in me cries out for him. Softly and tenderly I wait for him." Can you hear the passionate love God that has for you? He longs for you! Shame, whatever the cause does not cut you off from Him. He delights in you! The valuable lesson that Nancy unpacks with Amy Ford in this podcast i

Becoming someone who finds their worth in Christ alone requires more than just looking like you have it all together. Though many things will try to define who you are, there is only One who truly can. Your past, your job, or the expectations of others are no longer things that have to define your value or your purpose.Tune into the Embrace Grace podcast with Amy Ford and her guest Courtney Cohen! Using the ancient practice of refining gold to illustrate, Courtney guides you through the journey of releasing false identities which have held you captive and embracing your genuine identity, now found in Christ.You don't have to have it all together. You just need to know the One who does! Discover that as you come to intimately know God, your Creator, you will then come to know who He always intended you to be! Grab Courtney's book on Amazon, it is SO good!!! Refining Identity by Courtney Cohen For Courtney Cohen, everything comes down to two questions: Who is God? And, who has He designed us to be? Whether she’

It's Sanctity of Life week and we will be Marching for Life in Washington D.C. among hundreds of thousands of people that have a heart to save babies and love on the moms. Tune into the podcast today as Amy chats with Destiny Herndon De La Rosa of New Wave Feminists about the March and Destiny's amazing testimony of life. We love her stance on pro-life feminism. Her heart for others is contagious and you will love the show today!  "Destiny is a jewel who empowers and captivates her audience. She offers a fresh and young perspective to the Pro-Life movement that is desperately needed. Destiny is changing the world!" -Amy Ford, Embrace Grace Check out Destiny's website at New Wave Feminism!

Have you ever made New Years resolutions and then ended up feeling bad about not measuring up to your own list?  Have you ever noticed, especially when it comes to things like losing weight, that you may not even know anyone who has kept the weight long-term off by following "rules." Could there be a a more gentle, positive, delightful, and more winsome approach to discovering change for your life? Join Amy Ford with her guest, Tracy Levinson as she shares about a fun concept that Tracy came up with called "Bucket List parties" - a time where you and your friends come together and share hopes and desires. One of the questions you might ask each other is, "If you were free to dream without fear or judging your own desires as silly, shallow, unattainable, selfish...truly free to dream...what would make your heart happy, if it occurred in your life? Realistic or not, just dream." Tune into the podcast to hear more about how to ignite change in your own life!  To read more about bucket lists and to check out Trac

Join Amy Ford and Ryan Ford, our very own Embrace Grace "baby daddy" as they do the very first podcast of 2016! Tune in as they talk about what all God did in 2015 as they laid the foundation of Embrace Grace while fine-tuning their processes and procedures and hear their heart as they share some of the exciting things happening in 2016!  2016 is going to be a great year for Embrace Grace!     

It's so bittersweet! We are sad to see Julie moving forward into her next season, serving alongside her husband as they dive into pastoring a church in Southlake, Texas. She has been such a vital part of these past 2 years where we focused on the foundation and getting good at what we do. She helped pave the ground work so that we can grow, grow, grow. We are also very excited to see what God is going to do in her life next. We know God has big plans for her and we will be cheering her on along the way!  I asked her to do a podcast with me as she works her final week at Embrace Grace. She shares her highlights of this past year - what she has loved watching and hearing while working alongside the best Embrace Grace leaders in the country. Tune in and listen to these awesome highlights and if you follow Julie on social media, send her a note to cheer her on as well! You will love today's podcast! 

Embrace Grace stories are my favorite! Lindsey has such a powerful story of how God completely turned her life around. Even with being held at gunpoint by a man that wanted her to abort her baby, and she still chose life. During her pregnancy, Lindsey's eyes began opening to a heavenly Father that has loved her whole life. She began to open her heart to Him and let Him heal all the places in her heart that were broken.  Listen in to our podcast and hear Lindsey's glory story of how God completely lifted her out of a pit, set her feet on a rock and gave her a firm place to stand! 

One of the Dictionary.com definitions of "Chains" is a series of objects connected one after the other used for various purposes. Another definition says it's something that binds or restrains. A lot of times, the seasons or memories in our life connect one after another. If the season or memory was a negative or traumatic event - no matter how long or short the season was, it can become a chain in our life if we don't learn how to lay down our burdens and even receive healing for any wounds in our heart. We have to forgive when it's hard to forgive. We have to learn from each season and see what God wants to speak to our hearts about each one. Chains can hold us back from experiencing life in the fullness and joy that Got created for each one of us.  One of my friends, Gene McGuire lived a life not only bound in spiritual chains, but also physically as he spent over 30 years behind bars for a crime he never actually committed - only was in the wrong place at the wrong time. His pursuit and determination to b

As believers, we can help get brand new Christians plugged into the church by not only creating small groups that can integrate them in, but also we can personally take a part in reaching out and inviting them to sit with us. We can invite them into lunch after church or during the week. We can introduce them to other friends. We can reach out and pray for them during the week. People are trying to get connected in but they try church once and then get lost in the shuffle.  Hear Mary Margaret Gibson with Evantell share how the church can grab these new believers off the steps of the church and plant them into a spiritual family where they feel like they are a part and belong. Her passion is contagious on how she wants to reach the world and share the gospel! http://www.evantell.org/

One of my favorite stories is an Embrace Grace testimonial! We love to hear what God does in the hearts of our sweet blooms! Hear the story of a brave mom that found herself with an unplanned pregnancy last year and how she joined a group at The Village Church in Denton, Texas - her life has never been the same since!  Tune into our podcast today to hear how Brittnie obeyed the promptings in her heart to try God and church, and how she was drawn to Jesus in a way she had never experienced before! 

Every 30 seconds another child is trafficked. It even happens right here in our states, cities and communities. Join our podcast today as Amy invites Josie Carignan, president and founder of Rescue Her to share about how we can take action to help stop this injustice.  Rescue Her is a non-profit charity that exists to fight human trafficking. They take a stand against injustice, are a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves, and help rescue those that are held captive. They help raise awareness about human trafficking, fight for justice, and are a place that allows those that want to take action to do so. This podcast is very eye-opening and Josie's story is inspiring how she started this organization and would do it all for just one. She will fight to RESCUE HER!  www.RescueHer.org  

When pregnancy centers and churches work together to save mommies and babies, our efforts are multiplied! Pregnancy centers do unique work that only they can do well, pregnancy testing, sonograms, parenting classes, post abortion healing, ministering to moms and much more. We NEED centers in our community. They are on the front lines fighting for lives. When churches come alongside the girls, they can help with the discipling and the hearts of these moms that are craving something MORE for their life and searching for God that will heal all the broken places of their hearts. I love what Reverend Tony Evans once said, "The pregnancy center is the first response team and the church is the hospital." Listen in to our podcast today as Amy and Heather discuss Loving Beyond HIPAA. Heather is the Director of Development at Life Choices Clinic in Idaho and sees from both the perspective of working at a center as well as leading her own Embrace Grace group at her local church. The love begins at the center and a seed

Marissa shares with Amy an amazing story of how love found her at a ranch in California and her life began to transform from the inside out. Love fueled her passion to change the world. Her testimony is an inspiring picture of hope for anyone that has ever felt like they have hit rock bottom, and how we can reach our hand towards the heavens and God will lift us up out of the pit.  Marissa now leads an amazing company called Strong Life where she not only trains adults on heart and fitness, but her passion is to empower pre-teen and teens on identity and sharing about how God sees us - as beautiful and brave daughters. Her Strong Girls camps bring freedom to young girls at a pivotal age where they might begin to start to look at the world for their acceptance, but Marissa uses the opportunity to show how we are already accepted as His.  Check out Marissa's website: STRONG LIFE Tune in today!   

We love real stories and our very own Embrace Grace leaders across the nation have beautiful stories of why they are passionate about loving on these sweet moms and babies. Brandi is the leader of Embrace Grace in Decatur and the way she leads inspires us all that we can love without limits. Join Amy and Brandi as they share how God takes our stories and makes something beautiful out of them. To lead is to serve and Brandi has one of the most amazing servant's hearts.