This week, we’re delighted to welcome back author and speaker Melanie Shankle. Through her reflections on overcoming a challenging childhood and breaking generational cycles of dysfunction, Melanie shares profound insights on motherhood, the power of faith, and how to turn painful histories into lasting legacies of hope and resilience.
Later in the episode, we’ll hear from Lisa Steven, founder of Hope House Colorado, a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting and empowering teen moms. Lisa recounts her beginnings with a difficult childhood and teen motherhood, all the way to leading an organization that helps young moms rewrite their stories and find stability through faith.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Dr. Sarita Lyons
Upcoming interview: Ian Morgan Cron
Jesus Calling commemorative edition
Here Be Dragons: Treading the Deep Waters of Motherhood, Mean Girls, and Generational Trauma
Interview Quotes:
“Having a daughter of my own made me realize I want to do what I need to do to be spiritually and emotionally healthy, to be able to raise her to be everything that God created her to be.” - Melanie Shankle
“I'm a very flawed person trying to raise a flawed person. That’s just life. What I realized was I've got to depend on God if I'm going to do this in a healthy way. And He's going to give me the wisdom and discernment I need to know how to be the best mom.” - Melanie Shankle
“The things that we want to protect our kids from as parents are the very things that God is putting in their lives to give them that grit and that resilience and that strength that they're going to need.” - Melanie Shankle
“Jesus is the thing that will carry you through, and He will give you the strength to fight what you have to fight. He will give you the wisdom to know how to deal with different situations. He will give you the discernment that you need, and He will always love you back to emotional health.” - Melanie Shankle
“There is something so incredibly powerful about being willing to say yes to God when you are the least equipped person, and then watching to see what He does with that.” - Lisa Steven
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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