This Devoted Life
What started as a Saturday morning coffee date turned into a podcast where we discuss our faith, family, finances and so much more!
In a world that is encouraging you to “live your truth” and to “follow your heart,” we want to encourage you to live Devoted to THE Truth. The Bible has a lot to say about how to live a victorious Christian life, and we want to share practical insight in how to apply those truths to your life as we endeavor to apply them to our own lives as well.
We are passionate about building and growing the nuclear family, as well as sharing our expertise and experience with finances, homeschooling, and over 70 years of combined biblical knowledge.
Join us as we live… This Devoted Life!
James and Shanda
Episodes
41 episodes
38. Strong Fathers Create Stronger Families: A Father's Day Reflection
The statistics are staggering: one in four American children grow up without a father figure, leading to profound consequences in education, poverty rates, and even incarceration. But behind these numbers lies a deeper truth about God's design ...
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31:44
37. Spiritual Spring Cleaning: Decluttering Home and Heart
The spiritual practice of spring cleaning reveals the powerful connection between our physical spaces and our inner lives. As James and Shanda explore in this enlightening conversation, decluttering isn't just about managing possessions—it's ab...
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29:41
36. Special Episode: Determination Over Inspiration/Our 12-Year-Old's Conversation with S.D. Smith
A 12-year-old boy's conversation with his favorite author becomes a masterclass in creative purpose and vocational calling. When young Dawson sits down with children's writer S.D. Smith, their exchange transcends typical author interviews, reve...
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11:33
35. SD Smith: Stories That Shape Our Children/Advocate vs Accuser/New Book!
"All of life is a battle against fear. We fight it on one front and it sneaks around to our flank." These powerful words from SD Smith's Green Ember series perfectly capture the heart of our conversation with the beloved author whose rabbit-cen...
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54:21
34. Whitney Newby: Lift Your Eyes - Finding God's Presence in Life's Chaos
The divine moments hidden in motherhood's chaos come alive in our conversation with Whitney Newby, founder of Brighter Day Press and author of "Lift Your Eyes." Whitney's transition from nurse to entrepreneur reveals how unexpected detours can ...
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40:49
33. SarahRuth Owens: Beyond the Curriculum- Nurturing Hearts Through Education and Togetherness
When longtime friends reconnect after seven years, the conversation flows effortlessly from educational philosophy to practical motherhood wisdom. Join Shanda and her special guest SarahRuth Owens (@kindletogetherness) as they share insights gl...
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37:09
32. Elizabeth Santelmann: Finishing the Homeschool Year Strong/Fascinating History/Snakes and Scripture
Have you ever felt that nagging guilt when your homeschool motivation wanes as the weather turns nice? Or when your spiritual disciplines take a backseat during busy parenting seasons? Our conversation with Elizabeth Santelmann offers refreshin...
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53:43
31: Conflict in Marriage: A Biblical Look at How to Handle Conflict with Your Spouse
Marriage conflict – it's the reality every couple faces, but few know how to navigate effectively. In this candid conversation, we pull back the curtain on one of the most requested topics from our listeners: how to handle disagreements in marr...
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47:45
30: Overcoming Mom Guilt: Finding Grace in Motherhood
Ever caught yourself thinking, "I'm such a bad mom"? That heavy feeling of mom guilt is exactly what we're unpacking in this raw, honest conversation. What began as a late-night confession in our bedroom became this episode aimed at both encour...
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33:48
29: Is Paul Saladino on to something? The Truth Behind Food Industry Claims
When it comes to navigating the complex world of health and nutrition, the journey often feels overwhelming. How do we sift through conflicting information and find a balanced approach that works for our families? Join us for an ho...
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55:44
Devoted Devotional: Rainbows in Bubbles - Seeing God's Goodness Everywhere
We explore the transformative power of thankfulness, sharing biblical insights and practical ways to cultivate gratitude in everyday life. From discovering rainbows in soap bubbles to understanding how thankfulness centers our relationship with...
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10:00
28: Living in Gratitude - Turning Trials into Triumph
Gratitude transforms not just our outlook but our entire lives—yet finding reasons to be thankful during difficult seasons requires intentional practice. In this heart-stirring episode, we explore how 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 offers a deceptivel...
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35:44
Devoted Devotional: Living God's Truth in a Digital World
James and Shanda introduce their new "Devoted Devotional" series focusing on applying biblical truths to everyday life, diving into what Scripture teaches about social media use and intentional living in a digital world.• Shanda shares ...
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13:08
27: The importance of godly friends. How can we equip our children to live in "Babylon?"
In this episode, we dive into the vital role that godly friendships play in our spiritual journey. How do our closest relationships shape our faith? What qualities should we look for in friends who will encourage, uplift, and challenge us in ou...
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34:51
Devoted Devotional - Can you spot the counterfeit? What does the Bible say about God's Word?
We are starting something new! We wanted to do a mid-week "mini" podcast that focuses heavily on God's Word and what he has to say about varying topics.Today, we are talking about how you can spot the counterfeit ideologies that the worl...
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13:02
26: Do you struggle to pray? Transform your prayer life and give your kids vision for the future.
Shanda has been reading a couple books by Donald Whitney that give practical ideas for deepening your prayer life and help you give your children vision for the future God has for them. Our purpose here on earth is to become more Christ-like, a...
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33:44
25: New Season! Both in life and the podcast... join us for a life update!
It's been a while! But we are back and ready to share what God has been doing in our lives the past few months. We are in a new season of life and a new season of the podcast. We hope you will join us in the coming weeks to learn alongside one ...
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48:32
24: 5 Tips for a Tidy Home (from Parents of 4 Kids!)
Small habits yield big change! As someone who is not a naturally tidy person, I (Shanda) share five small tips I have learned to help keep a tidy home. As a busy mom to 4 kiddos, I know how valuable time is! So I'm sharing the thing...
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23:20
23: Making Money with a Side Hustle & How to Die with Zero
We received great feedback from our last episode on family finances! You can find that episode HERE. One of our listeners asked, "Can James share some ways to supplement our family finances apart from our day jobs?" So in this episode we attemp...
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51:04
22: 10 Ways to IMPROVE Your Family Finances & Thoughts on Stewardship from Elisabeth Elliot
Often finances can be a taboo topic within Christian circles, but the Bible is clear that we are to be wise stewards of everything we have been given. Today, we are discussing the topic of stewardship and sharing practical ways to improve your ...
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41:28
21: Creating memories/Joe Rogan & Gary Brecka Podcast/This one thing will ruin your life!
Podcasts are a great way to continue learning and growing, so this week we are sharing a few things we have learned from podcasts we have listened to recently.Joe Rogan and Gary Brecka share some information about the MTHFR gene mut...
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29:28
20: WE'RE BACK! Should you take a social media break? "12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You"
After a lengthy social media break, WE ARE BACK and with renewed vision and purpose!Shanda took an almost 2 month social media break, so today we are breaking down the lessons she learned while taking a break. By the end of the episode,...
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43:26
19: Homeschool Q&A Part 2 - Answering YOUR Questions!
We are continuing our conversation from last week and will be answering more of your questions regarding homeschooling in this episode. Whether you are currently homeschooling and want a peek into how others are homeschooling or you are curious...
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44:15
18: Homeschool Q&A Part 1 - Answering YOUR Questions!
A few weeks back, we asked YOU what you wanted to know about homeschooling, so today (and next week's episode), we are going to be answering those questions!We chose not to script these episodes because we want our answers to be like we...
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29:57
17: Pros and Cons of Homeschooling / Are the "cons" just opportunities?
There are no perfect educational systems, so in this episode we want to be transparent about some of the pros and cons we have experienced within our homeschooling journey. You might be surprised to learn that the cons are not as "negative" as ...
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49:43
