Help & Hope

When you first meet Sue, you sense she is a woman who lives life through a kind and steady grid. Yet, still waters run deep, and for over thirty-plus years Sue and her husband have parented three sons, one of whom was born with Down Syndrome and a brain injury. Joseph will never care for himself in any way. He is totally dependent on his parents for his well-being. In this conversation, you will hear the story of a mother who has experienced a life crisis that is painful, sometimes hard to talk about, sometimes experienced in isolation, yet filled with the hope of a woman who leans into her Lord for wisdom and strength. Sue’s love for Joseph shines through as she reaches back into the early years of Joseph’s life and gives us a glimpse into the parenting of a child with special needs and a brain injury that will never get better. She describes how her pastor shepherded her and celebrated Joseph’s birth and life. She talks about preparing for that day when they are no longer physically able to care for Joseph

When a son, sister, or grandchild begins to behave in unexpected and disturbing ways, family members hope it is simply a phase. For some, it is instead a life-time illness – schizophrenia. The diagnosis of schizophrenia can bring shock, fear, and worry to everyone involved. But in the midst of the numerous challenges, hope doesn’t have to die. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Simonetta Carr shares the story of her beloved son, Jonathan, and her experience of caring for him as he struggled with schizophrenia. Simonetta doesn’t sugarcoat the enormous challenges and emotions that were non-stop. She talks about how she fervently prayed for Jonathan, the fears she had to confront, and how the church came alongside Jonathan and her in this battle. You may not have a loved one with schizophrenia, but Simonetta and Jonathan’s story will give you insight into the enormous battle facing families with such a diagnosis. You can learn more about schizophrenia and find numerous helpful resources in Simonetta’s boo

The words “You have a mental illness” bring fear, uncertainty, sometimes shame, loneliness, and even hopelessness. Christine Chappell heard those words as a young woman. They helped her understand many of her struggles with depression and self-harming behavior, but they also took her into a foreign land where she had no road map. Christine talks to Sharon Betters about how her journey began as a young adult until she knew if she didn’t get help, she might take her own life. While her diagnosis helped make sense of her disturbing emotions, it also confronted her with numerous decisions about treatment and how this diagnosis impacted her identity. Christine shares her story and gives practical ways she learned to navigate this hard place and even found healing. One key for her was to understand that her diagnosis did not define her, so she talks about the importance of understanding our identity in Christ. This conversation is filled with “salty peanuts”, that is, we are hoping you hear just enough to make you

How do you face each day after a diagnosis of ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, knowing you will not survive longer than eighteen months – two years? Pastor Dale Meador joins Sharon and Chuck Betters to answer this question and more as he describes how each day reminds him that he cannot beat this disease. He knows his time on this earth is short. But, for Dale, this disease has renewed his confidence in heaven and God’s perfect love. In this conversation, Dale gives us a glimpse into how he is not only preparing himself but also his family for his absence and much more. Dale’s natural joyful perspective on life comes through, but he wants all of us to know his perspective does not minimize the deep grief and fear ALS patients experience. His desire in sharing his story is for others to experience the same help and hope of Jesus he experiences every day. We are so grateful for Dale’s willingness to offer help and hope not only to the one diagnosed with ALS but also to those who love them. The Help & Hope podca

There is so much we do not know about mental illness, including deep depression that results in the inability to even get out of bed, let alone function in daily life. Many more people than we realize struggle every day to do the next thing with their will because of sadness, a lack of joy and purpose reigning in their hearts. They have tried everything to get better, but nothing helps. Add to this equation the spouse who watches her husband slide into a pit of despair with no explanation. Sadly, Christians often identify a lack of faith or discipline as the root problem. Even the patient suffers from shame and guilt when the root cause is actually a physical and chemical disconnect in the body. In this frank conversation, Jenni Holder describes how her faith-filled husband suddenly experienced repeated panic attacks that were the first signs he had a mental illness that could not be healed with more faith. Jenni and her husband have agreed that they need to share their story as they are experiencing it so th

How do you find purpose when you are excruciating pain 24/7, survived 7 surgeries, and most likely face more? Add to that your status as a double amputee. In this interview, you will meet Warrior Woman Gracie Rosenberger, who was 17 when she was in an almost fatal car accident. In our conversation, Gracie freely shares what life and marriage is like with such challenges. Gracie’s story reveals a woman of strength and determination in the face of impossible obstacles. She has become an accomplished snow-skier, has performed as a vocalist before presidents, and shared stages with some of America’s biggest stars, singing for hundreds of thousands. Gracie and her husband, Peter, have two sons and co-founded Standing with Hope, a non-profit organization that provides prosthetic limbs to people in Kenya. For more encouragement from this remarkable woman, purchase Gracie’s book, Gracie: Standing with Hope. Visit her website, Standing with Hope: http://standingwithhope.com/.The Help & Hope podcast is produced by

Corie Weathers, author of Sacred Spaces: My Journey to the Heart of Military Marriage, transparently shares some of her own marriage struggles as the wife of a military chaplain in this far-reaching conversation. Corie was the 2015 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year. One of her responsibilities was to travel on a one-week overseas holiday trip with US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter. Corie’s personal goal for this trip was twofold: to better understand her husband’s deployment experiences and to bring other military spouses along through her daily video podcast and eventually her book, Sacred Spaces. Every military spouse will better understand their own challenges and struggles as Corie doesn’t hold back in taking listeners into the heart of her own marriage. She poignantly describes intimate, sacred moments such as the realization that when she said goodbye to her husband when he was deployed to Afghanistan, she was actually saying goodbye to life as she knew it. Her husband would leave p

Andrea Herzer, a woman well acquainted with long term debilitating health issues, having spent the last twenty years with multiple illnesses, including regional pain syndrome and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, joins Sharon Betters for this Help & Hope podcast. Numerous times Andrea experienced moments of hope only to have it dashed by another diagnosis, another setback. Certainly, her heart was a fertile place for bitterness and anger to grow. Yet, in Andrea, you are going to meet a woman who discovered incurable faith and a longing to share that pathway to life with others suffering from pain and life-debilitating diagnoses. Through her suffering, the Lord has brought a beautiful source of encouragement in her book, Incurable Faith, 120 Devotionals of Lasting Hope for Lingering Health Issues. 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 a

Lucy Malmberg’s grand adventures in life began when her parents hid her in a blanket-covered box as waited in line to board a plane to America from Ukraine after World War II. Her parents passed on to her a legacy of not only love for America but a passionate love for Jesus. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Lucy freely shares how her faith guided her beloved husband George and her in the co-founding of Wedgewood Pharmacy, now the largest national specialized pharmacy in veterinary compounding and a leader in the animal health industry. Lucy describes the legal battle that took them all the way to the Supreme Court. She also shares treasured wisdom taught by her parents that influences her to this day. Lucy’s intimacy with Jesus and passion for prayer is woven throughout this conversation, including her description of how she lamented before the Lord through four miscarriages and the loss of her stillborn son. Lucy’s love affair with her Savior will instill in listeners a longing for the same intimacy

Marriage 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 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. 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 PA. He is the creator of Math-U-See and the founder of Building Faith Families.The Help & Hope podcast is pr

Bryan and his wife Sharon say the diagnosis of severe autism for his son Matthew confronted them with the reality that the future they had planned would never come. In this transparent conversation Bryan touches on how he and his wife went into survival mode, how he initially thought he could “fix” his son, the spiritual struggles they experienced, and the impact of Matthew on their other children and their marriage. Though their journey has been challenging, Bryan offers help and hope to anyone experiencing upheaval through circumstances beyond their control.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/markincministries/app, 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 MARKI

Paul 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. She was also nonverbal. 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’ core themes: the

In this interview, two sets of parents speak honestly about how their children with an autistic spectrum disorder impacted their dreams, challenged their marriages, and created chaos in their homes. They also describe their special joys in parenting their children. If you are parenting a child with special needs, you will relate to their transparent descriptions of parenting children with a form of autism. These interviews will also better equip friends and family to come alongside of parents of children with special needs. Included is an interview with Alex, a 16-year-old boy with Asperger Syndrome. Alex hopes his words will help parents and children with autism alike to live with hope and strength as they travel this pathway.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/markincminist

Remember playing in the sand, your back to the ocean, oblivious of the huge waves heading toward you? Suddenly, a mountain of raging water crashes over your body, and not only are you slammed into the sand, but, before you can catch a breath, another huge wave pulls you out to into a rip tide. Andrea Maher experienced tumultuous life events that threatened to pull her under a raging ocean of grief, shattered dreams, and hopelessness. Her oldest son’s battle with drug addiction ended when drug-induced hypothermia took his life. Several years later, her youngest son made a decision that would forever change his life and resulted in imprisonment. How does a mother not just survive but find hope and joy when a tsunami of grief repeatedly slams her deeper into an abyss of sorrow? In this transparent conversation, Andrea shares her story as a means of offering help and hope to others slammed by life, holding on by their fingernails. There is hope.The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You ca

Julie Sanford is a Recovery Mentor for wives of alcoholics. She is a wife and a mom of three who found herself in a situation she never wanted to be in: 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 that 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 which equip 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 markinc.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using t

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. 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 in late 2018 to pursue a career as a country singer 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, he h

Is it possible to break free from drugs after a lifetime of addiction? Shelley Tribbitt says yes. After using drugs for over thirty years, Shelley broke free from them, but then had to face the obstacle of the collateral damage that she had done to her family and friends. In this poignant interview, Shelley describes the devastation drug use brought on her family, including the loss of the custody of her children. Her daughter, Bay, joins the conversation, and describes how she reconciled with her mother, and why she never gave in to the temptation of drug use, even though they were readily available.Drug use in our culture is an epidemic. It isn’t just teenagers who fall prey to this dangerous life choice. Shelley’s story reminds us that drugs know no age limits. We are also able to see that reconciliation with estranged family members is possible, though the pathway to reconciliation will be painful and often long.The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Ho

No matter how “innocent” the television program or movie, it seems that the entertainment industry is determined to normalize same-sex attraction, starting with the youngest of children. How does a parent help a child navigate sexuality when so many forces come against a biblical worldview? In this interview, Cooper Pinson of Harvest USA offers practical help so that parents can respond with confidence and wisdom as they help their children understand sexual integrity in a sexually broken world.For more resources and practical help in raising your child to understand their sexuality in this very difficult culture, visit The Student Outreach, which is a branch of Harvest USA, a ministry that seeks to help those struggling with sexual sin.Cooper shares more about helping teens with same-sex attraction in this blog post: First Steps: Student and Same-Sex Attraction.The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visit

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 Sharon 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-sensical, and biblical approach to same-sex attraction resulted in a conversation that they 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 Sharon 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

There are six key scriptures that specifically address homosexuality. Dr. Chuck F. Betters interviews three pastors about their understanding of how to interpret each one of these Scriptures, not as stand-alone words, but as part of the whole Bible. Listeners will be struck not only by the clear presentation of hard words, but by the Shepherd’s hearts of each of these pastors, Rev. Dan Betters, Rev. Jim Weaver and Dr. Chuck L. Betters. This conversation will equip Christians to better understand and communicate with kindness and compassion a scriptural position on homosexuality. The Scriptures are: Genesis 19, Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Cor. 6:9-10, and 1 Timothy 1:10.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 markinc.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministries/app, or by searching Help and Hope in