If life doesn’t go the way you expected, how can you keep smiling? It isn’t easy, but it’s possible to find pockets of joy in the middle of even the toughest situations. In this episode, guest Kathy Carlton Willis talks about how she became God’s Grin Gal and how her own hardships gave her purpose in life.

This is for anyone who has ever wished they could escape from regular life for just a few days; a personal retreat is calling your name! A getaway with God is a time to pull away, refresh, and renew. But where does someone start? Author Letitia Suk makes a guest appearance to explain how her own personal retreat turned into a ministry of helping others plan their own getaways. We talk about how it has changed her life and the lives of others.

Is your schedule crammed? Your space full of too much stuff? Your soul overwhelmed with too much of everything? Author Courtney Ellis makes a guest appearance to talk about a simpler life based on the idea that less is more. Courtney is funny and witty and so honest about her own struggles in a way that encourages us to believe we can find the same freedom she has.

Do you ever feel as if you’re always running and never have time to rest? When was the last time you took a day to refresh? I’ll use my own struggle as exhibit A for why a sabbath is important, and I’ll share some resources with ideas for how to give yourself a break.