Family relationships can be beautiful—and complicated.

In this episode of With Love & Purpose: Morning Coffee & Christ, First Lady Shantrice Montague gets real about navigating family relationships when love is still present, but communication, expectations, hurt, or boundaries have made things difficult.

Grounded in Romans 12:18, we’re talking about forgiveness, accountability, healthy boundaries, reconciliation, and learning to ask one important question: “Have I done what depends on me?”

Because forgiveness doesn’t always mean restored access, peace doesn’t always mean proximity, and sometimes the prayer isn’t, “God, fix them.” Sometimes it’s simply:

“God, start with me.”

Grab your coffee, bring your Bible, and join the conversation. ☕💜

What happens when a mother and daughter sit down for an honest conversation about friendships, school, faith, and growing up?

In this special episode of With Love & Purpose: Morning Coffee & Christ, I’m joined by my daughter, A’Launa, for a real mother-daughter conversation.

We’re talking about the friendships that build you versus the ones that can distract you, preparing mentally and spiritually for a new school year, navigating change, making better decisions, and what it looks like to keep growing while staying grounded in God.

You’ll hear both perspectives — mine as a mother and hers as a teenager — because sometimes growth looks different depending on which side of the conversation you're sitting on.

We talk about:

💜 Friendships that encourage you and help you grow
📚 Entering a new school year with purpose and focus
🙏🏾 Keeping faith at the center
🌱 Lessons learned through growing and maturing
💕 The mother-daughter relationship
✨ Becoming who God is calling you to be

Whether you're raising a teenager, are a teenager, or you're simply navigating a season where God is asking you to grow, there’s something in this conversation for you.

So pour your coffee, open your heart, and come sit with us.

Want to stay connected beyond the podcast?
Join the With Love & Purpose Email Family for weekly encouragement, devotionals, reflection prompts, new episode alerts, and Behind-the-Brew updates at withloveandpurpose.org.

All of this with love and purpose — morning, coffee and Christ. 💜☕

Not everyone who calls themselves a friend is truly for you.

In this episode of With Love & Purpose: Morning Coffee & Christ, we’re going deeper into friendship and talking about the relationships that look supportive on the outside but may be carrying competition, jealousy, gossip, hidden resentment, or unhealthy access underneath.

We’ll talk about the difference between a friend who corrects you in love and a person who constantly tears you down, why betrayal from someone close hurts differently, how to recognize unhealthy patterns without becoming paranoid, and why forgiveness does not always mean restored access.

And before we point fingers, we’re turning the mirror around too.

Sometimes the prayer isn’t, “God, expose the fake people around me.” Sometimes the prayer needs to be, “God, expose anything fake in me.”

📖 Proverbs 27:6
“Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.”

Grab your coffee, bring your Bible, and let’s talk about discernment, boundaries, healing, and becoming the kind of friend we’re asking God to send.