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Tag Archive: The Crystal Paine Show

September 15, 2020 | Crystal Paine

How to Stop Living in Fear

Every day, in every hard situation, we can choose faith or we can choose fear.

We can choose to focus on the what if’s, worry about what might happen, and fret over the worst case scenarios.

Or, we can remind ourselves of how God has been faithful in the past and trust that He is going to continue to be faithful and good in the present and future — even in dark, difficult, or even downright impossible situations.

Our circumstances do not change God’s character.

I don’t know what you’re going through today or what giants you might be facing, but I do know this: our God is greater than any giant, stronger than any Goliath, and He is able to deliver and help you.

Let’s believe that God is bigger and mightier. Let’s take God at His Word.

He will never, ever, ever leave or forsake us. He is FOR us. And He is still in the miracle-working business.

Let’s talk faith, not fear.

If you need some encouragement to stop living in fear, this week on the podcast, Jesse and I talk about faith versus fear and what has helped us to stop living in a state of stress and fear.

In This Episode: 

[00:36] Welcome back to the show and Happy 40th Birthday, Jesse!

[02:20] Perspective is saving Jesse’s life this week. Learn why. 

[03:59] Electrolytes are saving my life!

[06:46] Jesse is reading more of Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp novels. 

[09:30] This is my first 5-star read of the year: Catch Me If You Can by Frank Abagnale.

[13:44] Why we’re discussing the topic of faith over fear. 

[16:20] How fear and stress affect our health. 

[19:09] This acronym for FEAR is so true. 

[21:32] Don’t let the future take away the joy and gift of today.

[23:31] Three questions I ask myself to help me put things back into perspective. 

Links and Resources:

How to Listen to The Crystal Paine Show

The podcast is available on iTunes, Android, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can listen online through the direct player here. OR, a much easier way to listen is by subscribing to the podcast through a free podcast app on your phone. (Find instructions for how to subscribe to a podcast here.)

Ready to dive in and listen? Hit the player above or search for “The Crystal Paine Show” on your favorite podcast app.

3 Comments
September 9, 2020 | Crystal Paine

A Woman’s Highest Calling (with Jamie Ivey)

“A woman’s highest calling is not marriage or motherhood.” @jamieivey says this in her latest book and on this week’s episode of The Crystal Paine Show. I wholeheartedly concur.

But while most of us probably agree with this statement, how often do we let marriage and motherhood become completely all consuming — whether it’s the overwhelming longing to be married and/or have a baby or in how we walk out our roles as a wife and/or mom.

We can let our spouse’s happiness or our kids’ success become our chief end in life. We spend our days trying to figure out how to fix, solve, and save. We want to be part superwoman and part Holy Spirit. We think our children’s academic scores, social life, and spiritual health is a direct result of our efforts. Our sole job and aim in life is to have a good marriage and great kids.

Here’s the thing: I hope to have a strong marriage and I hope my kids love Jesus, but while I can love well and lead with humility, I can’t ultimately change or fix my spouse or kids — and that’s not my job nor my calling.

As a Christian woman, my highest calling is, as @jamieivey shared on this week’s podcast episode: “To know Christ and to make Him known.”

We unpack this and Jamie shares why we should be pursuing faithfulness over success and what this actually looks like. Download this episode on your favorite podcast player or go to the link in this post to listen in.

In This Episode: 

[00:33] Jamie. shares more about her background and family life.

[02:52] Why did she title her most recent book the way that she did? 

[05:00] What do satisfaction and success mean to Jamie? 

[07:31] Learn why she feels that a woman’s highest calling is not to be a wife and mom. 

[09:40] What is a woman’s highest calling? 

[11:14] Jamie shares advice on how you can make time to spend time with the Lord, even in the midst of a very full schedule.

[14:44] Want to change the world? Start right where you are.

[17:57] What does Jamie say to the woman who feels like she has nothing to offer the world? 

[20:50] How does Jamie acknowledge the work she’s done and not compare to others? 

[23:27] Jamie shares how she’s built relationships with her close friends and why they’re so important to her life and business. 

[26:30] What is the difference between success and faithfulness? 

Links and Resources:

How to Listen to The Crystal Paine Show

The podcast is available on iTunes, Android, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can listen online through the direct player here. OR, a much easier way to listen is by subscribing to the podcast through a free podcast app on your phone. (Find instructions for how to subscribe to a podcast here.)

Ready to dive in and listen? Hit the player above or search for “The Crystal Paine Show” on your favorite podcast app.

2 Comments
September 1, 2020 | Crystal Paine

How to Change Your Life in 15 Minutes a Day

Want to change your life in some way? It starts by consistently changing one small thing…

Get up 15 minutes earlier every day.
Go to bed 15 minutes earlier daily.
Exercise for 15 minutes every day.
Invite one person over for coffee every week.
Eat one salad every day.
Drink two more glasses of water every day.
Read for 15 minutes every day.
Spend 15 minutes playing with your child every day.
Work on that organizing project a little bit every day.
Spend 5 minutes praying every morning.
Show kindness to that difficult person every single day.
Say “I love you!” every morning.
Write a to do list every night before bed.
Go outside and walk for 15 minutes every evening.
Kiss your spouse for 15 seconds every day.

You can’t overhaul your life overnight, but you can pick one thing to focus on daily for the next month.

And little baby steps taken consistently add up to big life change over time.

NOTE: I don’t think necessarily everything you want is going to be fixed or found through consistency, but I do believe that it’s time we stop blaming our circumstances, our shortcomings, or our surroundings for why we feel stuck. Let’s get brave and bold enough to start taking daily baby steps in the right direction.

In this week’s episode of The Crystal Paine Show, Jesse and I explore this topic more and talk about how to practically apply it. Listen below!

In This Episode: 

[01:11] We are starting down the solid food road with Champ — and we’ve both realized how long it’s been since we’ve done this!

[02:54] The 10-minutes to put your baby to sleep YouTube video is saving my life right now.

[05:35] Baby car mirrors are saving Jesse’s life.

[06:44] I might have bit off more than I can chew when it comes to books! 😉

[07:39] One of the books I’m reading is Fully Alive by Susie Larson.

[09:31] How do you change your life in 15 minutes a day?

[14:10] Knowing the finish line is so important.

[19:22] Let’s talk practically how this can play out.

[22:00] What’s the one small change that you are going to commit to? Send me an email and let me know!

Links and Resources:

How to Listen to The Crystal Paine Show

The podcast is available on iTunes, Android, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can listen online through the direct player here. OR, a much easier way to listen is by subscribing to the podcast through a free podcast app on your phone. (Find instructions for how to subscribe to a podcast here.)

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August 26, 2020 | Crystal Paine

How to Have a Great Morning Routine

It’s the beginning of a new school year for us and many of you. With that, come new routines — whether you are homeschooling or your kids are going to school in-person.

In this episode, Jesse and I share strategies for having a better morning routine and how to set up a morning routine that serves you and your family well.

We talk about why a successful morning begins the night before, how to tackle the hardest things first, and the importance of creating more than one morning routine.

Say what? More than one routine?

Yes, you read that right. Curious what we mean? Be sure to listen in!

We also share an update on Champ, why Jesse is loving long drives, a new exercise “program” Jesse inspired me to start, why I’m loving velvet hangers, and a book I’m reading right now.

In This Episode: 

[00:33] The babies are joining us for this one! We give a quick update on Champ.

[03:45] What Jesse inspired me to start recently.

[05:36] Taking long drives is saving Jesse’s life this week.

[07:32] Velvet hangers are saving my life.

[09:05] I have been reading You Be You by Jamie Ivey.

[13:29] A great morning starts the night before.

[14:30] Waking up to a clean house is the best. Here’s how to make it happen…

[14:50] How I plan my days using Google calendar and the difference this makes.

[16:27] What a simple morning routine looks like.

[18:06] Do the hardest, most important things first.

[21:39] Let’s talk about why a routine isn’t a schedule.

[24:10] Your morning routine is not set in stone. It is to serve you.

[26:58] What are the things that could consistently interrupt your mornings? Let’s plan for the interruptions so they don’t disrupt our days.

Links and Resources:

How to Listen to The Crystal Paine Show

The podcast is available on iTunes, Android, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can listen online through the direct player here. OR, a much easier way to listen is by subscribing to the podcast through a free podcast app on your phone. (Find instructions for how to subscribe to a podcast here.)

Ready to dive in and listen? Hit the player above or search for “The Crystal Paine Show” on your favorite podcast app.

6 Comments
August 18, 2020 | Crystal Paine

Our Best Advice for Brand-New Homeschool Parents

This school year looks a lot different for many families. Some of you are never planned to homeschool and your school went virtual so you’ve been unexpectedly doing school at home. Some of you made the choice to homeschool this year as that was what you felt was the best choice for your family.

In this week’s podcast episode, Jesse and I share some of our best advice for brand-new homeschool parents. While we are currently not homeschooling, we have been asked again and again to share some encouragement that we gleaned from our 6+ years of homeschooling and from being homeschool graduates ourselves.

We talk about how your attitude affects your kids, how to keep things simple in your homeschooling, how to make education a way of life, and why teaching character is much more important than having the perfect curriculum.

In This Episode: 

[00:33] A quick life update and what we’ve been up to recently.

[05:30] Jesse has started adding collagen into his diet and he shares more about that this week.

[07:01] Baby Signing Time is saving my life right now.

[10:34] I have been listening to Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison.

[12:33] To all brand new homeschool parents, remember your attitude sets the tone for your home.

[14:42] Even if you don’t feel confident or excited, fake it until you feel it.

[17:43] Don’t be a slave to someone else’s schedule or the way they homeschool.

[22:50] Character trumps curriculum.

[25:27] Life is the best classroom.

[27:21] And a word on “writing your own headlines”.

Links and Resources:

How to Listen to The Crystal Paine Show

The podcast is available on iTunes, Android, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can listen online through the direct player here. OR, a much easier way to listen is by subscribing to the podcast through a free podcast app on your phone. (Find instructions for how to subscribe to a podcast here.)

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August 11, 2020 | Crystal Paine

An Update On Our Foster Care Journey

(See more pictures and videos of Champ here.)

A year ago, we were in the middle of our foster care home study and praying for who God would bring into our home for us to love on.

We were at peace about pursuing this path, but we were still apprehensive and wondering what it might mean for our future. There were so many unknowns, so many what if’s, and so many things outside our control.

I look back on this last year and the 5 children we’ve had the privilege to have in our home — 4 for just a very short-term stint and sweet little Champ who has been with us for almost 4 months.

There are still just as many unknowns, what if’s, and things outside our comfort zone. My heart has been broken in a hundred little pieces over the things we’ve seen and witnessed firsthand and the many kids and their stories whom we weren’t able to say yes to. I’ve cried more tears in the last 10 months than I’ve cried in the last 10 years (okay, pregnancy and postpartum probably played a part in that!).

And yet, my heart is fuller and happier than I can ever remember. The opportunity to love, pour into, and nurture has filled me up in the deepest of places. Seeing my husband and kids sacrifice and serve and love so well has been one of the most amazing experiences.

I don’t know what the future holds. I can imagine it will be full of heartbreak and beauty, tears and love, a roller coaster of emotions, and many things I can’t even imagine.

There are many unknowns, but this one thing I know: I don’t regret for one second saying “yes” to foster care. I look at these pictures and think, “We could have missed this.”

In this week’s podcast episode, we talk very honestly about our foster care journey, what we are learning, how it’s been different than we expected, and what has surprised us. We also give an update on how things are going with Champ and answer some of your specific questions related to his placement with us.

In This Episode: 

[00:36] We are back from vacation and excited to be talking with you!

[01:48] Why packing in tubs saved our lives on our road trip. 

[04:10] How we used them to create a system for keeping everything organized. 

[06:47] Jesse’s Father’s Day present is saving his life.

[10:53] Silas and I are reading The Giver. 

[14:23] Jesse is still reading Near Dark by Brad Thor along with several others.

[15:48] Let’s talk about our foster care journey and share our answers to some of your questions.

[17:51] What did it take to get our home ready for fostering? 

[21:26] How long does the process take? 

[23:23] We have no idea how long we will have Champ in our home. 

[25:46] Why we are okay with the uncertainty that comes with fostering.

[27:19] Learn how we’ve prepared our hearts to have to say goodbye to Champ at some point.

[28:18] Where do children end up if there is no family to foster them? 

[30:36] We have considered adopting a child that we foster but that is not our goal. 

[32:07] What has surprised us the most about fostering? 

Links and Resources:

How to Listen to The Crystal Paine Show

The podcast is available on iTunes, Android, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can listen online through the direct player here. OR, a much easier way to listen is by subscribing to the podcast through a free podcast app on your phone. (Find instructions for how to subscribe to a podcast here.)

Ready to dive in and listen? Hit the player above or search for “The Crystal Paine Show” on your favorite podcast app.

2 Comments