Worthy: Celebrating the Value of Women

Trillia Newbell is the author of the kids' books Creative God, Colorful Us and God's Very Good Idea; a Bible study on Hebrews 11, A Great Cloud of Witnesses; and a Bible study on Romans 8, If God Is For Us, as well as the books Sacred Endurance: Finding Grace and Strength for a Lasting Faith; Enjoy: Finding the Freedom to Delight Daily in God's Good Gifts (2016); Fear and Faith: Finding the Peace Your Heart Craves (2015) and United: Captured by God's Vision for Diversity (2014). Her writings on issues of faith, family, and diversity have been published in the Knoxville News-Sentinel, and many other Christian outlets. Trillia has spoken at numerous conferences, churches, women's retreats, colleges and seminaries. She spent seven years serving as the Director of Community Outreach for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission for the Southern Baptist Convention. She is currently an acquisitions editor for Moody Publishers. Her latest book is Celebrating Around the Table: Learning the Stories of Black Christians through Readings, Fellowship, Food, and Faith, (Harvest House).

Yana Jenay Conner, MDiv (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary), is a writer and Bible teacher. Her debut book is Living Beyond Offense: Doing the Hard Work of Forgiveness God's Way. She has served in full-time ministry for 15 years in both church and parachurch contexts and has contributed to Jude 3 Project's Through the Eyes of Color; Swing Low, Volume 2: An Anthology of Black Christianity in the United States; and the She Reads Truth Devotional. She is the host of the podcast Living Single with Yana Jenay and serves as the adult ministry director at Vertical Church in Hillsborough, NC.

Jennifer Houston McNeel is a core faculty member at St. Mary's Ecumenical Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. Her research and writing interests focus on the social world of the New Testament in general and women in the New Testament in particular. She is the author of Paul as Infant and Nursing Mother: Metaphor, Rhetoric, and Identity in 1 Thessalonians 2:5–8 and Under Her Wings: Mothers and Motherhood in the New Testament. Her writing provides an analysis of the stories of mothers in the Gospels and Acts, mothers referred to in New Testament letters and Revelation, and metaphorical uses of motherhood through the New Testament. "Under Her Wings" draws together the motherhood-related themes such as new life, suffering, identity, caregiving, and influence, and offers reflections on why the study of mothers in the New Testament matters.

Chuck DeGroat is a follower of Jesus, a husband to Sara for 31 years, and a father to two amazing daughters. He serves as Professor of Counseling and Christian Spirituality and Executive Director of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Western Theological Seminary, Holland, MI. He is also a faculty member for the Soul Care Institute. He is a licensed therapist, a spiritual director, author of six books, and retreat leader/speaker. As a therapist, he has specialized in pastoral (and leadership) health, abuse and trauma, and navigating spiritual and emotional obstacles on the faith journey. He just founded a new graduate clinical counseling program at Western Theological Seminary. He is the author of "Healing What's Within: Coming Home to Yourself and to God When You're Wounded, Weary, and Wandering".

Dr. Alison Cook is a psychotherapist, best-selling author, and host of the top-ranked The Best of You podcast, where she brings her unique blend of psychological expertise and spiritual encouragement to listeners worldwide. She is the author of I Shouldn't Feel This Way and The Best of You, and co-author of Boundaries for Your Soul. Her work empowers individuals to experience healing and wholeness through inviting God's loving presence into every part of the soul. She and her husband, Joe, are the parents of two young adult children. Connect with Dr. Alison at www.dralisoncook.com. BECOME A PATREON SUPPORTER

As we continue our series on divorce in the church, Martin Cachero from Risen Church joins us to discuss how to pastor congregants going through divorce. He received his B.A. from Cal State San Marcos and his Masters in Theological Studies from Bethel Seminary. He is currently co-vocational serving as co-Pastor at Risen Church and as the Director of Strategic Initiatives with Flourish San Diego.

Chris Moles is a pastor and biblical counselor dedicated to helping churches and families confront domestic violence and cultivate healthy, God-honoring relationships. Through his ministry—PeaceWorks and PeaceWorks University—he delivers training on abuse prevention, intervention, and transformation, including resources like the Men of Peace program. Chris is also the author of The Heart of Domestic Abuse: Gospel Solutions for Men Who Use Control and Violence in the Home, Leslie Vernick is a longstanding clinical social worker, licensed counselor, speaker, and author with over three decades of experience serving individuals, couples, and families. She's best known for her bestselling books The Emotionally Destructive Relationship and The Emotionally Destructive Marriage. Leslie travels widely as a speaker, regularly contributes to Christian media, and co-leads training initiatives with Chris to aid churches and counselors in responding biblically and compassionately to destructive relationships

Divorce is often whispered about in the church, but rarely talked about honestly and openly. In this first episode of our series on divorce, we sit down with three women from different stages of life—each with her own story of walking through divorce while navigating faith and community. Together, they share the heartbreak, the hope, and the ways the church helped—or sometimes hurt—along the way. This honest conversation invites us to listen with compassion, break the silence around divorce, and consider how the church can be a place of grace and healing for those walking this road.