This week, I speak with Mary Rooney Armand, a faith-based author and speaker who inspires others to deepen their relationship with Christ. She is the creator of the popular blog ButterflyLiving and the author of Uniquely Made: Understanding and Embracing Your Identity in Christ, as well as the creator, along with 33 contributing authors, of Life-Changing Stories. We look at her childhood up to the present to find the beautiful thread of Jesus in her life. You won’t want to miss this inspiring episode!

More places to read ButterflyLiving’s stories and connect with Mary:

www.facebook.com/bfl2022

www.instagram.com/butterflyliving_

www.youtube.com/@maryrooneyarmand

www.twitter.com/maryrarmand

www.linkedin.com/in/maryrooneyarmand

www.butterflyliving.org

*Theme Music “Blessed time” by Ketsa

This week, I speak with Mitch Matthews, who is the creator of the DREAM THINK DO podcast. He’s also a success coach, speaker and serial entrepreneur. His DREAM THINK DO podcast helps people to dream bigger, think better, and do more of what they were created to do. It’s been rated #1 by the Huffington Post and is in top 1% of all podcasts. Plus, as a speaker and elite success coach, he’s spent the last twenty years helping organizations like NIKE, United Airlines, and NASA. Mitch has also built a business training program that has helped thousands of Life Caches from around the world to build successful and profitable businesses they love. Most importantly, he’s a husband, a dad and a life-long learner living a highly-caffeinated life in Des Moines, Iowa. We look at his childhood up to the present to find the beautiful thread of Jesus in his life. You won’t want to miss this inspiring episode!

www.MitchMatthews.com ContactUs@MitchMatthewsLINKS & FREE RESOURCES:

Mitch’s Primary Website: MitchMatthews.com

Mitch’s Social Media:

INSTAGRAM: @mitch.matthews

FACEBOOK: @mitch.matthews.104

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchmatthews

*Theme Music “Blessed Time” by Ketsa

This week, I am speaking with Paula Romand, who holds a BA in English from Bryan College, Dayton, TN, and an MA in English from Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, MO. Paula is a Christian author, speaker, and podcast guest. Her memoir Thriving in the Barren Place was released on July 1, 2025. Paula also blogs on her personal website www.paularomang.com. She lives in the Midwest with her husband, Mark. Their surviving son, Luke, was recently married and is thriving in his new career. We look at her childhood up to the present to find the beautiful thread of Jesus in her life. You won’t want to miss this encouraging episode.

IG: promang869

FB: Paula Romang

YT: paularomang8153

*Theme Music “Blessed Time” by Ketsa

Amazon link for Thriving in the Barren Place: https://a.co/d/0gfgIg

This week, I speak with Kevan Chandler, a best-selling author and founder of the nonprofit organization We Carry Kevan. He speaks worldwide about his life with a disability and how community and creativity are the keys to true accessibility. Kevan and his wife, Katie, enjoy spending time together, growing vegetables, and reading to each other. We look at his childhood up to the present to find the beautiful thread of Jesus in his life. You won’t want to miss this inspiring episode!

http://wecarrykevan.org

Instagram - @wecarrykevan

Instagram - @vanchandler

*Theme Song "Blessed Time" by Ketsa

This week I speak with Nancy Lavo. A love of happy endings and a fiction writing course at the community college started award-winning author Nancy Lavo on the road to publication. She’s published her lighthearted romances in both the traditional and inspirational market. Nancy and her husband live in the great state of Texas. We look at her childhood up to the present to find the beautiful thread of Jesus in her life. You won’t want to miss this encouraging episode!

www.nancylavo.com

Theme Music “Blessed time” by Ketsa

This week, I speak with Kimberly Haar, who is a licensed therapist, author, and speaker with nearly two decades of experience in trauma recovery and marriage and family therapy. Blending clinical insight with deep faith, she helps others move from pain to purpose. Drawing from her own story of healing, Kimberly shares a message of hope and restoration, reminding others that with God, no story is too shattered to be rewritten, and no life too broken to be beautifully restored. We look at her childhood up to the present to see the beautiful thread of Jesus in her life. You won’t want to miss this inspiring episode!

Links to share in Show Notes:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/kimberly.haar/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/KimberlyJHaar

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/keepin-it-real/id1629329737

*Theme Music "Blessed Time" by Ketsa

Are You Ready for our last special episode of the year? On this episode of A Cup of Gratitude, I share personally a bit about my upcoming talk for the Prudent Woman Retreat - And I share about practicing the attitude of listening and then leaning into a word of the year from God for 2026, available tomorrow on all podcast platforms & we will join you next week for Season 11✨

Happy New Year!!!

This week on Special Episode #4 of the Christmas Break series, I speak with Arrica Hess, who is a follower of Jesus Christ, a pastor’s wife, a women's ministry leader, and a homeschooling mom of four kids ages 18, 17, 14, and 10. Ever since she had her second child, she has been a stay-at-home mom. Through raising and observing her children, God has used them to teach her valuable lessons about her relationship as a child to Him as her Heavenly Father. Arrica shares this and more on her blog, A Child Shall Lead Them. You won’t want to miss this inspiring episode!

Links: achildshallleadthemblog.com

https://www.facebook.com/achildshallleadthemblog?mibextid=ZbWKwL

What is The Prudent Woman Retreat 2026 all about?

This year, we’re gathering around a powerful theme: REDEEMING THE TIME.

From January 16–18, 2026, step into a 100% virtual retreat designed for the woman who longs for a deep, intentional encounter with God—right where she is.

Whether you’re curled up on your couch, away on a quiet getaway, or tuning in between life’s responsibilities, this retreat lets you meet with the Lord in the way that fits your life.

What You’ll Experience

✨ A fully online, flexible retreat — engage when and where it works best for you.

✨ 13+ transformational breakout sessions crafted to help you grow, focus, and stay rooted in the Word.

✨ Real interaction with each speaker through our private community platform.

✨ Unlimited access to all recordings — perfect if you’re busy during the live sessions.

✨ An exclusive online group where you can discuss, connect, and ask questions in a safe, faith-filled space.

✨ A digital conference notebook filled with listener guides and actionable worksheets to help you apply what you learn.

Click Here to Join the Prudent Woman Community

Get ready to pull away with God—intentionally, deeply, and purposefully—without leaving the comfort of your home.

For enquiries, email: theprudentwomanretreat@gmail.com

Facebook Community: https://web.facebook.com/groups/1025357944935593

For those not on Facebook, a dedicated YouTube Playlist for all the sessions would be found here: https://www.youtube.com/@IFEOMASAMUEL/playlists