Dear Daughters

Welcome to The JOY Series on the Dear Daughters Podcast! I’m so glad you’re here. I believe that gathering at the table over a simple meal is one of the best ways to love people and invite them to a closer relationship with God. So listen in and enjoy … right now we’re talking about the secrets to joy at the table and I’ve invited my favorite table experts on the show. This week my favorite table expert is Kristin Schell. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, Tony, and one of their four children—the others have left the nest. She loves loving her neighbors, and she wrote a book and travels all over to encourage others to love their neighbors, too. Kristin is known for her Turquoise Table, which started a movement of Turquoise Tables and Front Yard People (ordinary people who create community right where they live) across the country. I’ll let Kristin tell you more about that herself. Kristin believes that our deepest need is to belong, our deepest desires to feel needed and included. And an invitation

I believe that gathering at the table over a simple meal is one of the best ways to love people and invite them to a closer relationship with God. Welcome to The JOY Series on the Dear Daughters Podcast! Right now we’re talking about how to find joy at the table and I've invited some of my table experts to the show.   Jen Schmidt lives in North Carolina with her husband, Gregg, and is a mom of five children and two daughters-in-law. Jen shares her heart for Jesus and hospitality on her blog, Balancing Beauty & Bedlam, and “accidental author” of her book, Just Open the Door. And, she now owns the Becoming Cottage to host ministry events (a lifelong big God dream of hers). Jen loves opening her door to people, engaging in deep conversation filled with truth and grace, and blessing everyone who sits at her table … or stands around her kitchen island. I hope this conversation we have is a blessing and an encouragement to you. We can learn our own kind of table ministry from Jesus. Jesus was always inviting, a

Welcome to The JOY Series on the Dear Daughters Podcast! I want you to have the joy in your life that you are seeking. So this podcast series is all about how to find joy, how to recover joy, how to keep joy…and now secrets to finding joy at the table. I believe that gathering at the table over a simple meal is one of the best ways to love people and invite them to a closer relationship with God. Let’s kick things off with my dear friend, Amy Hannon. Amy is a hospitality cheerleader, author of a beautiful cookbook, and owner of a beautiful storefront in Arkansas called Euna Mae’s, named after her grandmother. She is married with three kids and has a big heart for ministering to others. Amy says that the setting of the hospitality inside your home that is so personal and so real and gives so much delight and joy that it allows us to create deeper relationships with people. I think so, too. We were made in God’s image and our purpose is to reflect His glory. Amy believes that God gave women a heaping dose of te

Welcome to The JOY Series on the Dear Daughters Podcast! I want you to have the joy in your life that you are seeking. So this podcast series is all about how to find joy, how to recover joy, how to keep joy…secrets to getting more joy in your everyday life. We just wrapped up the first few episodes of finding joy at home. Now I am so excited to talk about finding joy at the table. I believe that gathering at the table over a simple meal is one of the best ways to love people and invite them to a closer relationship with God. The believers gathered together and ate a meal with gladness and simplicity of heart. Acts 2:46 At the table, you are sitting to enjoy a good meal with the people you love. Most importantly, you can talk about God at the table. You can minister to people at the table. So to kick us off, I want to share tips for hosting a dinner party! It can be intimidating. You many think that you don’t have the space. You may think that you just aren’t cut out for hosting. But here’s the thing. You can

The joy is in creating. Welcome to The JOY Series on the Dear Daughters Podcast! It’s all about finding joy in the places and things and people closest to you because I want you to have the joy in your life that you are seeking. This week we are wrapping up the first part of the JOY Series, talking all about creating a home you love. This week, I have Kennesha Buycks with me (again!) to get her perspective on creating a beautiful home. Kennesha lives in Seattle with her husband and four kids. She created Restoration House, a home and lifestyle brand that focuses on finding and celebrating the story of each home, and her new online shop where she sells unique and antique things she finds. I love her perspective and creativity and wisdom and can’t wait for you to listen in to our conversation. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the things we don’t like in our home. When that happens, Kennesha asks the question, What can you do? Kennesha believes that the joy is in creating. There’s always something we can add to br

Estate sale shopping is an exercise in creativity. It’s about connecting the dots of the stories behind the treasures you find. Welcome to The JOY Series on the Dear Daughters Podcast! I want you to have the joy in your life that you are seeking. So we’re going to talk about the secrets to getting more joy in your everyday life by creating a home you love. This week, Tori Dear is with me to talk about the joy of antiques, thrifting, and estate sale shopping. Listen in as we talk about everything from my favorite estate sale finds and stories to my estate sale routine (including a McDonald’s coffee run of course) and tips that may help you in your estate sale endeavors. I hope this inspires you to explore new places and I hope that you find little treasures that bring a bit more joy to your home. But, here are just a few of my top secrets to shopping an estate sale well. 1. Find a website that works for you with tracking down estate sales in your area! I use EstateSales.Net, plug in my zip code, and see what’

Your physical space is a place for peace and joy because things in our physical space hold connection to relationships and emotions. Welcome to The JOY Series on the Dear Daughters Podcast! I want you to have the joy in your life that you are seeking. So we’re going to talk about the secrets to getting more joy in your everyday life by creating a home you love. This week we’re going to dive into organization and how it can bring peace and joy to your home. Meet Jenny Aldridge, my guest this week on the Dear Daughters Podcast. Jenny says that she looks at the world so differently than she did three years ago … before she jumped out of the boat so start a new business. Jenny is an organizational coach. She helps people organize their closets and kitchen pantries to shed the negative and bring peace and positivity to their spaces. And she does it all with so much love and acceptance. Listen in as Jenny talks about home organization, from why we hold onto things that can cause us clutter and stress to how an orde

What you surround yourself with every day has lasting power. Welcome to The JOY Series on the Dear Daughters Podcast! I want you to have the joy in your life that you are seeking. So we’re going to talk about how to find joy, how to recover joy, how to keep joy…the secrets to getting more joy in your everyday life. This week we are going to talk about finding joy at home and I am so excited to introduce you to my guest, Whitney Walker. Whitney is a boutique residential interior designer and works out of her studio, Farrington Lane. She lives in Austin with her husband, Bill, and their three young boys. Does your home bring you joy? Whitney says that the key to a home you love is to invest in things you love that enhance your daily life. Start by identifying the intention of your home and what level of investment you want to make. Maybe the first step is just a pretty piece you find at an estate sale or maybe you’re ready to invest in a major change. Listen in as we dive a little deeper into the things that ca

Welcome to The JOY Series on the Dear Daughters Podcast! I want you to have the joy in your life that you are seeking. So we’re going to talk about how to find joy, how to recover joy, how to keep joy …the secrets to getting more joy in your everyday life. The first part of The JOY Series is about finding joy at home. My home brings me such joy. It’s where my people gather, where little treasures are, where memories are created. I love home.  You know what helps create joy in your place? Pray for your home. I prayed for all my homes, from our first house in Austin to our current home, to the Franklin. God has given me so much to be grateful for and that gratitude brings so much joy into our home. I pray that your home brings you joy, too. I hope that you let yourself dream big about and pray big for a home you love. SHOW NOTES Become a Newsletter Friend to stay in the know and get weekly-ish encouragement! Stay at the very charming Franklin in La Grange, Texas! We’re now taking inquiries… Join us Sundays onl

How do I sort through all the hard things that have accumulated in my life the past few years? Thanks for joining me in this mini-mester on the Dear Daughters Podcast these past few weeks as I tackle your deepest questions and biggest tangles. Let’s wrap up our time with one more question I get all the time. This week’s question is: How do I sort through all the hard things that have accumulated the past few years? How do I understand the why behind all the suffering? You need soul alignment to help you sort through all the really big, hard questions in your life. There are three questions I want to address to help you find soul alignment: How should I think about suffering? How should I feel about suffering? What should I do about suffering? I pray that your heart and mind align with God’s purpose in your story. I pray that you allow yourself to feel the heaviness of suffering and allow the grief to bring us through to the other side of suffering … and that it softens your heart and leads you to help other

Why can’t I find or make time for myself?  That’s a question I get from women quite a lot. So let’s talk about it and see if you can wonder a bit on the why beneath it. It’s the last week of this mini-mester on the Dear Daughters Podcast. I’m so grateful you’re here, friend. Let’s keep tackling your deepest questions and biggest tangles. Three ways to make time for you starts with soul goals. You need prioritize the inside health of who you are (those soul-ish parts of you) … your heart, mind, will, and personality. Time to play, to be quiet and to experience joy. Can you think of a time that we need more soul care than right now? It’s all about the little things that bring rest and delight into your life and create a cozy place for people to be invited into. Soul Goal #1: Schedule you into your calendar. Excuse: I’m too busy. You make time in your daily schedule to brush your teeth, to eat, to work and take care of your family … you prioritize a lot of things but what about your soul? You don’t think you’re

Do you get a little prick in your heart when you think about someone you have unresolved conflict with? I’m so grateful you’re here, friend. Let’s keep tackling your deepest questions and biggest tangles in this mini-mester on the Dear Daughters Podcast. This week’s question is: What do I do when I have unresolved conflict in my relationships? You need soul space. You need space to sort things out so you can walk in wisdom in the midst of unresolved conflict. When you have unresolved conflict, you need to start with two things. You need a listener … a mentor, pastor, spiritual director, therapist, depending on the longevity and severity of the conflict … to help us gain wisdom and perspective. You need an appointment with them to make space for yourself to catch up with all the pain. Sometimes we need to address conflict head on … sometimes we need to address it gently … and sometimes we don’t need to address it with the other person at all. But to know how to address the conflict we need to be walking in w

Why is the world so confusing? Welcome back to week two of this mini-mester on the Dear Daughters Podcast! Let’s keep tackling your deepest questions and biggest tangles. This week’s question is: What do I do when the world so confusing? You need soul perspective. The kind that brings peace and rest and joy again. There are two “worlds” you live in: 1) The Big Wide World … in your neighborhood, city, state, across the country, and across the globe. You don’t have much control over this world. And you have to remember that you are getting glimpses of this world through other peoples’ perspectives. 2) Your Small World … your personal world, your relationships, your choices, etc. You have more influence here but it is not meant for you to manage on your own. O LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. Psalm 131:1 Confusion and chaos

Have you been feeling extra stressed out and exhausted lately? Welcome back to the 2022 mini-mester on the Dear Daughters Podcast. I’m tackling your deepest questions and biggest tangles every Monday and Wednesday for the next couple weeks.  This week’s question is: Why am I so stressed out and exhausted? The answer is simple: You need REST. God modeled rested in the very beginning of creation on the seventh day. When Jesus was exhausted, he went away. We were created to need rest, body and soul. You need a Sabbath. You need a God date. A day to enjoy and delight in the little things that refresh your body and soul. You can take a break from everything in your life because God is in control. All those things are part of the beautiful process started by God … and he will complete that process, too. So I hope you feel encouraged and hopeful about your one beautiful life. And if right now, you don’t feel like your life is very beautiful … I want you to remember that you’re still in the middle of your story. SHOW

Have you ever wondered what you’re supposed to do with you life? This next couple weeks on the Dear Daughters Podcast, I’m taking these kinds of questions head-on in a mini-mester kind of way. That’s what I’m talking about on the podcast this month to celebrate 2022. Join me here Monday and Wednesday for the next couple weeks as I dive in with your biggest questions, your deepest tangles.  The number one question I get from women is: What am I supposed to do with my life? I love when women ask that question because it shows me their heart. It means that they are earnestly wanting to know the right thing to do—the thing that will please God. It means they are asking: What is my soul purpose? Here are the three truths you need to know … and what I’m talking about on the podcast today. You were made by God.  You were made for God.  You were made to love God.  I pray that you know those three truths and filter everything in your life through them … because that’s where your soul purpose is found. SHOW NOTES Ge

After the last two episodes about holiday blunders and setting healthy boundaries during the holidays, this week we’re talking all about Christmas! I’m sharing a few important reminders for the Christmas season, like to keep Christmas simple and to not miss the wonderful gift of Jesus. And I share three secrets to the season. I’m also answering some questions like, Christmas Day or Christmas Eve? and matching pajamas or ugly Christmas sweater? So thanks for listening in! I hope that you experience the joy and wonder and peace that Jesus brings. SHOW NOTES Listen to Episode 162: Setting Healthy Boundaries During the Holidays. Listen to Episode 163: Learning from Holiday Blunders. Become a Newsletter Friend to get a weekly-ish dose of encouragement and find out about all the workshops and events coming up. Follow me on Instagram. Learn more about other ACF Ministry Partners here. Listen to more of Sara Davis Regan’s music. :) Join us Sundays online at my home church, Austin Christian Fellowship.  

Holidays are just a little bit happier with pie, don’t you think? In last week’s episode we talked about holiday blunders. The week before we talked about setting healthy boundaries during the holidays. This week we’re talking about all things pie! Maybe you’re a pie expert or maybe you’re like Tori and you’re making a pie for the very first time. Either way, this episode is for you! I’m sharing tips and answering questions you asked. Here are just four of the things I want you to know—and there’s plenty more, so listen in… Try a custard pie first (like pumpkin or buttermilk)—they’re the easiest kind of pie. The pie crust might just be the most important part of the pie. Use a glass pie dish (go thrifting or estate sale shopping to find one). If it looks a little messy, that screams homemade pie. I’m praying that your holidays are filled with joy and wonder and peace—and pie! And I hope you are surrounded by friends and family who will share that pie with you. SHOW NOTES Listen to Episode 162: Setting Hea

You want to be your best but sometimes the holidays can mess with your best intentions. In last week’s episode we talked about setting healthy boundaries during the holidays. This week, I'm here to talk about all the things we tend to do that can make the holidays more difficult (I’m calling them “holiday blunders”)—and how to experience the holidays in a healthier (and more enjoyable) way. Here are some of the blunders. Can you identify with any of these? Forcing old family expectations. Missing the point of gift-giving. Trying to be someone you’re not. Taking on more than you can handle—and not asking for help. Not discussing expectations. Ignoring grief that is triggered by the holidays. Giving the holidays more significance than any other days of the year. I hope this helps you experience the holidays in a new way. I pray that we are able to set healthy expectations and keep the holidays simple so we can fully enjoy this beautiful season. And I continue to pray that your holidays are filled with joy and

Ready or not we’re headed into the holiday season once more! I hope the next couple episodes of the podcast help you to have the most beautiful holidays. The holiday season is joyful and wonderful but it can also be stressful and exhausting if your priorities get out of whack. That’s why I want to take a couple minutes to talk about setting healthy boundaries. Here are a few things discussed in this holiday episode: Why boundaries are important during the holidays. How to stay connected to God during the busyness of the holidays. How to give a kind “no” when it’s one thing too many. How to choose where to spend your energy during the holidays. Ways to honor and set aside time with your priority people. Ways to set a boundary in conversation. How to practice soul care before the holidays. I hope that you get to spend time with family and friends and all the people you love this holiday season. I hope that your holidays are filled with joy and wonder and peace. My prayer for you and for me is that we are able

This week I am sooooo excited to spotlight Brandy Barr’s incredible story on the Dear Daughters Podcast. She found the way to extend ongoing forgiveness and grace after her husband’s infidelity. I am honored for her to share her hard yet hopeful story with you. Brandy is a spiritual mama. Here are a few things you should know about Brandy: She was born and raised in Tyler, Texas, and moved to Austin in 1993 after she married her high school sweetheart. After 7 years of marriage, she discovered that her husband cheated on her. After counseling and another betrayal, they divorced. She is the mother of two boys, Taylor (21) and Jackson (16). . Then something happened that surprised even Brandy. God prompted Brandy to get to know the woman her husband remarried. Here are a few of the incredible things that followed: Brandy invited the woman and her daughter to church. Brandy baptized the daughter. The women asked Brandy for forgiveness … and she was able to extend grace. She accepted Christ and Brandy baptized