Morning Cup of Faith Brenda Epperson-Moore and Shelley Anderson Myers

Our world is in need of a hope coach. “I like to say I’m from a long line of hope dealers,” shares extraordinary Author and Hope Coach April Osteen Simons (“Better Than Ever”). April hails from a powerful family of encouragers who inspire millions daily through television, books and social media. April is the youngest of six children in the awe-inspiring Osteen family, which includes her brother, pastor and author Joel Osteen from the Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. April shares, “Growing up Osteen with my mother and father, Pastor John Osteen, was a wonderful life. We traveled a lot, I slept in pews, and when we weren’t in church, my brother Joel and I played church at home. Life wasn’t perfect, but I saw that God was real. I grew up seeing miracles. You can’t talk me out of a miracle for the life of me."
  April accepted Christ into her heart at the tender age of seven. April admits, “I wanted to do it earlier, but I was too shy.” April’s new book “Better Than Ever” is all about getting your happy back, keeping your sanity and enjoying everyday living. April reflects, “I travel, speak and share hope, and I inspire with the word of God. I have this desire to give daily hope to people that life can be better."
 
April is the proud mother of five beautiful children. In her uplifbook and podcast “Better Than Ever” she explores family mindsets and circumstances and positive, hope-filled practical insight and humor on becoming a better you in every area of your life. April beams, “If you’re having a bad day, just do a do-over! A wise woman builds her house. A foolish one tears it down."  April imparts life-changing advice about praying life into parenting during the challenging teenage years. April insists, “So many people say that the teenage years are going to be terrible. I started declaring that the teenage years are going to be great with no rebellion. God holds us accountable to be Mama Bear and protect our children. I rarely let my kids sleep over at someone else’s home, and prayer is everything."
 
April reveals that it was a surprise to everyone, even Joel, when God put him on the fast track with his worldwide ministry. April states, “My brother Joel is still one of my greatest supporters. When I was growing up he was my softball coach and we played on the elevators when my father was in a meeting. Joel is very honored to do what he does; he doesn’t ever take it for granted. Our goal as a family is to cheer people on to their destiny.” What’s in April’s cup today? “Expectation,” April laughs. “My mother taught me to wake up every morning and expect God to move. I shoot for the stars and I expect to see God every day.”

The emotional hangover of the past couple of challenging years is real. This uplifting episode is all about radical self-care, motherhood, parenting, postpartum depression, faith, emotional reset, we cover it all! Our dear friend Tanya Newbould’s first foundation is her faith and she lives in the spirit. She’s an actress, an outspoken PPD advocate and survivor and a Life Transformation Strategist who founded Spiritually Inspired Coaching (www.tanya newbould.com). She helps women recover from the trauma and exhaustion of the past two challenging years and she travels across the country speaking out because she knows that by sharing her PPD survivor story and educating moms, she’s saving lives. 
 
Tanya shares, “We all come here to learn and grow; that is God’s purpose for us. When something bad happens to us we automatically think,”Oh my God, I’m such a mess,’ but your mess is your message."
 
Tanya found herself hysterically sobbing on the kitchen floor four months after the birth of her beautiful daughter which led to her to co-producing the award-winning documentary “When the Bough Breaks “ about the realities of PPD executive produced and narrated by actress Brooke Shields (Amazon Prime, iTunes). Tanya discusses the myths of PPD and how you can help support someone through their motherhood journey. "One in five women will experience postpartum depression after giving birth, which also affects the husband and the baby.” Tanya explains. “You will be okay. Your child will be okay. I want people to know that there’s always help out there, and like the Bible says, this too will pass.”
 
Tanya is a safe place to share your story and seek support. One of Tanya’s favorite life verses is Psalm 4:8 “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Tanya adds, “I want people to know that if they’re feeling lost or afraid to turn to the Lord. God is with you.” Reach out to her if you are a new mother or if the pandemic has left you needing an emotional reset and you need help overcoming overwhelm or developing self-compassion. Tanya's ability to share knowledge and to let others know “you are truly not alone” is her passion. Tanya beams, “My goal is to help empower others to thrive, not just survive.”

Since military conflict began last Thursday, "Morning Cup of Faith" has been praying for the peace and protection of Ukraine. This episode is about the power of prayer and the 8,000 promises God has for us in the Bible. In this moving and deeply personal episode, Brenda Epperson-Moore bares her heart as she shares her “Book of Promises,"  a journal she’s kept for over a decade with scriptures that she speaks aloud daily over her life which breathes new strength in her spirit. She reveals intimate details about her family and prayer life and her favorite scriptures that she stands on every day: Isaiah 54:17, 2 Corinthians 5:7, Isaiah 61:1, and Shelley Anderson Myers' favorite Jeremiah 29:11.
 
Brenda shares, “My ‘Book of Promises’ was inspired by God and and His blessings, and all of the things He’s done in my life, and the things I want to see come to pass. I started this book when my young family was coming together and I was very grateful, but I was in ‘mom-mode’ wondering, what’s next? I’ve always had this burning desire and understanding that God has planted these seeds inside of me and I’m supposed to reach out and encourage people; that is such a huge part of my heart. I was frustrated because I wasn’t in faith. I opened up my Bible and I started writing down scriptures that resonated with where I was at, and I started speaking them over my life daily."
 
It’s important to chronicle all of the miraculous things God has done for us over the years because if we don’t take a moment of gratitude, we tend to forget our answered prayers when we’re enjoying a time of prosperity and rest. Brenda reflects, “Prayers never die. They stay alive and active, and they’re sharper than any double-edged sword. If we really understood the power and the principle behind prayer, we would pray with fervency and more often. I often refer back to my breakthrough moments in my ‘Book of Promises’ when life throws me a curveball. Looking back on those scriptures remind me of God’s faithfulness.”
 
What scriptures would you include in your “Book of Promises?” We encourage you to start writing down scriptures that speak to you in a book or your Bible. God’s word never returns void. Though the crisis in Ukraine is staggering, let’s not underestimate the power of prayer and the greatness of God.

It has been said that no one starts a faith podcast without a great story. Experience the powerful faith warrior journeys of longtime friends and hosts actress-singer-author Brenda Epperson-Moore and Huff Post Guest Writer Shelley Anderson Myers and hear how the “Morning Cup of Faith” podcast was born. Shelley reflects, “God put our feet to the fire, literally, but He always shows you things for a reason.” 
 
“Morning Cup of Faith” started as a Bible study around Brenda’s kitchen table with Shelley and a few friends. Shelley didn’t realize that her faith warrior journey was about to begin when the 2018 Woolsey Fire burned down 24 houses on her street. Her house suffered extensive damage, but it was thankfully was spared. When her family moved back into her house, she felt a darkness that she had never experienced. Shelley reveals, “I encountered an evil presence in my bedroom in the middle of the night. I called Brenda immediately and she helped me turn around the darkness in my house. The enemy is always on the prowl looking for opportunities to take us out. I got very aggressive with the Word, writing down spiritual warfare scriptures and placing them under my children’s mattresses and all around the house. I played Christian radio stations all day. I learned how important it is to pray against spiritual warfare daily. I don’t want anything in my house that doesn’t come from God.”
 
Brenda chronicles her faith warrior journey in her inspirational book “Rise Up: Move Out of the Darkness and into the Light.” She overcame the death of her father at a young age, a sexual assault and being bullied as a size 16 overweight and out of control youth. She was raised by a single mom who sometimes didn’t know where their next meal was coming from. Brenda reveals, “When my father died when I was six years old, I raised my fist to the sky and I said, ‘I hate you, God.” I believe that is the moment that the enemy came into my heart and put an eight year stronghold over my life. That’s why I’m passionate about helping people break strongholds in their lives that are holding them back."
 
When lockdown occurred in 2020, Brenda and Shelley both felt a powerful calling on their hearts to use their media backgrounds to reach out and encourage people with a podcast. Shelley shares, “After all Brenda and I had experienced together, God nudged us to start this podcast and to step out in obedience and faith. Learning how to put on the full armor of God and to get to that strength and joy is not an overnight process.”
 
 How has God been nudging you to step out in obedience and faith?

Did you know that resilience is not serving you? That’s right; you heard us!
 
Phenomenal Warrior Women Coach Liz Svatek explains, "So many people are carrying residual heaviness from 2021. Exhaustion, resentment, bad marriages, fear, weight gain. It’s okay to not be okay. No one is ok. The reason I say, ‘resilience is b.s.' is because we just can’t bounce back. We need to feel it to heal it."
 
Liz believes women aren’t born warriors; we become them. She runs Mastermind Groups, she’s a Warrior Woman Coach, and she hosts the popular podcast, “Conversations with Warrior Women” where she interviews trailblazing women leaping for greatness! (www.lizsvatek.com) Liz shares, “I tell my clients, 'Don’t believe a thought that you think.' Our thoughts are choices. We can reprogram and rewire our brain. It’s called neuroplasticity.”
 
We use our subconscious mind 95% of the time and our conscious mind only 5% of the time, which means we’re all sleepwalking. In this episode Liz will show you how to tap into “radical personal responsibility.” Liz started her podcast “Conversations with Warrior Women” to build a community to help her with her daughter who is dealing with ulcerative colitis and her son with learning challenges who just started a new school. Liz emphasizes, “Fear is a blueprint, an indication of exactly what you need to be doing. You gotta get out of the ‘how.’ The how is none of your business. That’s where God comes in. We all have our own divine downloads.” Put yourself back on the to do list again in the new year and join Liz’s Mastermind Class. One of Liz’s life scriptures is 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but the power of love.” Liz laughs, “I help women break up with fear. He’s a bad boyfriend."

Anyone else forget how to flirt in the pandemic? February is the month of love and we dig below the surface with Dating Coach, Author (“Sexless in the City”) and podcaster Kat Harris (“The Refined Woman”). Kat is all about real talk and straight wisdom about singleness, sex and desire. We talk about life, love, online dating, heartache and how being single in today’s dating culture as a woman of faith can be a real STRUGGLEFEST. Kat shares, “Valentines Day is coming and that can be very triggering. Some people think it’s a marketing scam or Singles Awareness Day, but I’ve always loved Valentine’s Day. I don’t think the timing has ever worked out that I’ve had a boyfriend on Valentine’s Day, but I love love! Sure, I want to be in a relationship right now, but so much of life is about how we choose to show up. What better day to look at what’s possible? Instead of saying as a single person, ‘I’m 36, another Valentine’s Day bites the dust, another year my ovaries are in overdrive,' I can choose to look at all of the love all around me and believe if God can do that for them, He can do that for me." On March 29, 2020, just after the world began to lockdown the popular dating app Tinder broke its record for the most activity in a single day, with more than 3 billion swipes. Online dating is on the rise and Kat talks about her 3 Month Online Dating Challenge, her go-to dating apps and her best advice to be successful with online dating. Kat also shares about her recent break up with complete transparency and vulnerability, and how going through the heartache that her clients experience ultimately made her a better dating coach. Kat reveals, “My biggest breakthrough was realizing that I was honest in my relationship, but I wasn't vulnerable. There’s a big difference. My only regret was that I didn’t love more fully. This break up cracked my heart open. I’m lonely right now. Sometimes I need other people to believe for me. But like scripture says, hope doesn’t put me to shame. Love is always worth the risk.