Best Laura Picker Podcasts (2025)

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Encounters on the Streets

Play Pause

3d ago

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McKnight Crossings Church youth minister, Nathan Strickland, brings us stories from the teenagers youth group doing service outings in the local streets of St. Louis. We are reminded of the ways that God works through moments we share with the people of our communities around us if we simply go out and meet people in the streets. Nathan reminds us …

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Jane Carter on Embracing Your Weird in Business 25:28

8d ago25:28

25:28

Join Laura as she sits down with Jane Carter, a therapist-turned-business coach who helps Asheville's "soulful solopreneurs" build authentic businesses by embracing what makes them different. Jane shares her journey from therapy to coaching, why she calls her work "stealth therapy," and how running a business brings up all your stuff—in the best po…

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Going for a Walk

12d ago

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McKnight Crossings Church lead minister, Andrew Owens, challenges us to consider how we are interacting with the community around us. Often we close off inside our home, or work location, school, or vehicle. Andrew asks how we put ourselves out into the world so that opportunities to share love and relationship with those who might need it, or find…

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Sumaya Owens of Present Moment Media on Making the Shift From Corporate as a Single Mom 18:28

15d ago18:28

18:28

Join this conversation with Sumaya Owens of Present Moment Media for a talk about making the shift from corporate to entrepreneur as a single mom, plus the world of Digital Media, and learn what the heck a fractional marketing executive is. Find Sumaya at: https://www.presentmomentmedia.org/ or on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/_present_mo…

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Sharing a Meal

19d ago

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McKnight Crossings Church lead minister, Andrew Owens, asks us to consider the example of Jesus Christ using meals and moments of shared food to build community, share ourselves, and lower walls that may be hindering connection. We are encouraged to be as Christ, invite people of all kinds to share a meal regardless of how it may be perceived, or r…

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Building Community for Remote Workers with Ric Pratte of AVL Digital Nomads 24:17

23d ago24:17

24:17

What started as Ric Pratte’s simple desire to grab a beer with fellow remote workers has blossomed into AVL Digital Nomads—a thriving 3,800-member community that's become a cornerstone of Asheville's professional landscape. In this episode, Ric shares how a casual meetup at Wedge Brewing four years ago evolved into a cornerstone local organization …

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Jennifer Pickering on Living Your Life Like a Festival & 30 Years of LEAF 40:59

1M ago40:59

40:59

I have the joy of interviewing one of the founders of LEAF Global Arts Festival, Jennifer Pickering, about 30 years of LEAF. Check out this wide-ranging conversation, where we talk about the new book coming out (hot tip: pre-order now & get LEAF pajamas!!!), and LEAF's work post-hurricane. Jennifer & LEAF bring such rich gifts to the community, you…

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Everyday Encounters

1M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church lead minister, Andrew Owens, starts a new sermon series asking us to look for God in the everyday moments of our lives in the midst of the to-do lists and the busy schedules. Andrew challenges us to, even while watching for the miracle moments, find the presence of God in the mundane and ordinary routines. We are reminded …

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Anna Diemer on Everything About Voice & Singing, Plus the Opera Drag King 25:06

1M ago25:06

25:06

In this episode of Asheville Area Favorites, host Laura Jurgens sits down with Anna Deimer (they/them), a fascinating entrepreneur who's carved out multiple niches in the voice world. Anna is the owner of Deimer Voice Studio, where they specialize in three unique areas: singing throughout the lifespan (especially for folks navigating menopause), ge…

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An Update from Marseille

1M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church MX Missionary Craig Young brings us an update from the mission in France; where it’s been and where it’s heading. In this update we are encouraged to remember the big picture of God’s plan, to see how far we have come in our lives and our faith walk, and to trust that God has a plan ahead. Our job is to share the faith, te…

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Amalia Grannis from Move It Or Lose It on Bringing Love & Sustainability to Your Moving Needs 26:23

1M ago26:23

26:23

I absolutely love, love, love this episode & I think you will too. Join me as I get the pleasure of hearing all about Move It Or Lose It from the wonderful & hilarious Amalia Grannis. Seriously people, don't miss this one. You'll get the scoop on how the end of a relationship played a role in the growth of a business, the deal with those amazing Ra…

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Becca Ploener from Wild Woman Coaching on Risk & Play 24:58

2M ago24:58

24:58

Join this fun conversation with Becca Ploener of Wild Woman Coaching. Becca coaches woman adventurers (especially whitewater kayakers, but others too) to have more fun and push the envelope doing what they love. We talk about embracing risk, the importance of play as adults, and some extra fun waterways around WNC. Find her and her podcast (Wild Wo…

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The Better Part: A Story of Mary and Martha

2M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church guest preacher, Eric McPherson, brings us a clip from the video series, The Chosen, asking us to consider the importance of service but greater still the importance of pausing, to spend time focusing on God and the teachings of Jesus Christ. We are challenged to consider what might be distracting us towards true actions th…

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Marissa Urias with Hire Her Handywoman on a Surprise Business Post-Helene 29:23

2M ago29:23

29:23

This was such a fun episode to record and I hope you enjoy it as much as a listener. Join me in conversation with Marissa Urias from Hire Her Handywoman as we talk all about how she wound up in business for herself rather unexpectedly after Hurricane Helene devasted the Asheville area in late September 2024. Hear about Marissa's unique approach to …

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Faith When Life Is Murky

2M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church guest preacher, Matthew Bardowell, continues our series examining Biblical stories through the lens of the video series, “The Chosen”. Matthew asks us to consider moments of extreme emotional high, and in comparison moments of extreme emotional low; faith compared to doubt. We are challenged to see our moments of doubt as …

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Kyle Clechenko from Strength Ratio on Sustainable Training & Combining Business with Fun 22:38

2M ago22:38

22:38

Today's episode is the second in our "great small-business gyms of Asheville" roundup, as I interview Kyle, a co-founder of Strength Ratio (along with Zach Greenwald, who's busy being a new dad!). Their model is sustainable performance, whether you're a newcomer to fitness or a seasoned professional athlete. Kyle and I talk about his own path from …

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The Woman at the Well

2M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church former retired minister, Jeff Kryder, returns to help us begin a new series focused through the video series, “The Chosen,” beginning with a look at the story of the Samaritan woman at the well.

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Betsy Archer from All Bodies on Movement & Wellness for Everyone (Plus LOTS of laughing) 25:30

2M ago25:30

25:30

Don't miss this fun interview with Betsy Archer from All Bodies Movement & Wellness on Merrimon Ave. in Asheville. We talk about the common challenges facing people seeking health & movement when you're not a stereotypical gym-goer. Betsy explains their approach to making movement fun at all sizes, ages, with mobility or hypermobility issues, and i…

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Pure and Undefiled Religion

2M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church guest preacher and A.C.T.S. Ministers, Katie & Trevor Holloway, ask us to consider the word “religion” and the practices that surround that ideas of that word. We are challenged to consider how Jesus Christ described the idea of a religion that focuses on God, and how we live in comparison; what is our focus and with whom …

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Tess & Karen from Thrive In Home Comprehensive Care Solutions on Putting The Fun in Functional 22:52

3M ago22:52

22:52

This week we hear from Karen & Tess from Thrive in Home Comprehensive Care Solutions -- a unique and really helpful small business in Asheville. They specialize in mobile Occupational Therapy in the home, helping seniors, people with Parkinson's, and others stay independent, remain at home, and do the things they love to do. We also have a little c…

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Singing the Gospel through Darkness

3M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church MX Missionary, Jeff Fogarty, ask us to consider our mindset during times of hardship. Examining the story of Paul & Silas, when locked away in a Roman prison, we see how they still found ways to worship even in those times of extreme hardship. Jeff encourages us to lean on God and His scripture, examining and re-examining …

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Rebecca Williams from Dragon Mountain on Escaping Corporate & Finding Your Thing 25:26

3M ago25:26

25:26

Ever find yourself in a career that doesn't feel at all like what you're meant to do? Join me as I chat with Rebecca Williams, LAc, LMBT, MAOM, DACOM of Asheville's own Dragon Mountain Acupuncture, Bodywork, & Chinese Medicine. She tells us the story of her transitions from Nebraska track kid, through corporate jobs, to following her own call, adve…

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Thank God My Office Is a Mess

3M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church NextGen Youth Minister, Nathan Strickland, asks us to consider how God might use our mess, our mistakes and short fallings, to bless others. Even more we are encouraged to see how each of us can be blessed by our own messes, through God’s ability to turn negative situations into something beautiful for His Kingdom.…

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Small, but Mighty, by God

3M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church guest preacher, Melanie Sewkarran, encourages us to see our small, often relatively non-eventful, life stories through the perspective of God’s view. Often the tiniest moments of our lives have rippling effects that we are wholly unaware of. Melanie challenges us to have faith in God’s plan, perspective, and power to use s…

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The Holy Temple of God

3M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church guest preacher, Chris Fuller, asks us to consider our place in time & space through a universal perspective. We are reminded how large and vast creation, the universe, that we have explored is and how much more is left to be explored. Through this reminder we are shown the scale of our planet, and each of us individually, …

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Leaps of Faith

4M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church guest preacher, and lead minister prospect, Andrew Owens shares the story of his faith journey through plans he thought he would pursue and onto a path that God revealed to him along the way. Andrew asks us to consider where our faith in God might be, not just what faith we are comfortable with. We are challenged to examin…

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Feeding of the 5,000: A Paradigm Shift

4M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church guest preacher, Eric McPherson, asks us to consider the paradigms, the routines, in which we normally live. We are encouraged to consider how our perspectives might change if we shift those paradigms and do something or think about something differently. Seeing things in new ways might give us better understanding of God’s…

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The Conceit, Deception, and Truth of Value

4M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church guest preacher, Matthew Bardowell, brings us a message asking us to consider the ways in which we assign value to people and things. We are encouraged to assign and claim our personal value, our worth, in relation to our role in God’s work; and to recognize the value of others as dependent on God’s love and desires for tha…

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Reflections on a Mother's Influence

5M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church Elders, Don Fitzgerald, Steve Walker, Brad Stevens, & Dave Weiler, bring us selections on how their Mothers impacted and helped each of these Elders grow their faith and shape their lives. The elders encourage us to all see the leadership and example of a God centered mother, challenging us to share extra appreciation toda…

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Serving God by Serving Others

5M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church former MX Elder’s wife, Susie Burge, brings us a message sharing her thoughts surrounding God’s challenge for us to draw close to Him through service to those around us. Not just those like us or in our church community, but everyone. Susie asks us to consider how we are living in service to better the lives of those aroun…

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The God Who Sees the Small Ones

5M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church former lead minister, Jeff Kryder, brings us a message as we begin a new sermon series. Beginning at the events surrounding Hagar’s conception and birth of Ishmael, as told from Hagar’s perspective. We listen as Jeff conveys the possible story of how Hagar, a slave and one of the "least of these," was seen as small and inc…

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Repentance as Celebration

5M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church missions ministers, Philip and Sara Matheny, bring us an Easter morning message laying out how we can celebrate Jesus and the gospel message through the gift of repentance. Philip and Sara challenge us to examine ourselves and where we are in relation to the example Christ has left us. We are challenged to find the celebra…

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The Cleansing of Repentance

6M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church worship minister, Kaylynn Myers, brings us a message asking us to consider the effort it takes to clean the mess that is caused by sin. Often we see a quick and easy description of moving from sin to redemption, but we miss the middle where the change and inner work is done. Kaylynn challenges us to embrace the hard work o…

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The Privilege of Repentance

6M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church former lead minister, Jeff Kryder, returns to help us start a new sermon series focusing around repentance as the Easter story’s time draws closer. We are encouraged to look inward beyond our habit of viewing ourselves as victim to events happening to us, to see where we play a role in the stories we live through. While th…

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The Anointing at Bethany

6M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church NextGen Minister, Jeff McGlawn, leads the church through a mock children’s worship lesson. In our lesson we look into the anointing of Jesus Christ when Mary puts perfume on His feet. We are reminded that our focus should be on God and Christ despite any distractions and that worship is something we should focus on doing a…

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The Lord Will Provide

6M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church guest preacher, Ted Crigler, brings us a message focused on the moment when Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Ted challenges us to remember that even when things are hard we can trust that God will provide. It may not be how we thought it would be and it may take time we weren’t anticipating it taking, but God …

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Know Your Mission

7M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church guest preacher, and lead minister candidate, John Blackmore encourages us to consider our mission as a church and a follower of Christ. John encourages us to find the focus of our mission in the Bible.

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Immersed!

7M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church former lead minister, Jeff Kryder, returns again for the second part of his message to our congregation challenging us to embrace our identity through baptism. Jeff asks us to consider how Jesus Christ stayed faithful to his baptism, and how we can act in the same ways to stay faithful as well.…

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"...Then..."

7M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church retired minister, Jeff Kryder, returns to bring us a message considering the inflection point and importance of baptism in a Christian’s life. We are reminded how life changes with baptism in wonderful ways and in challenging ways. Jeff reminds us that, as followers of Christ & believer’s in God we will be both blessed and…

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Standing Firm by Asking for Help

7M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church guest preacher & MX Missionary, Philip Matheny, challenges us to lean into the cultural discomfort of asking others for help. The act of requesting help opens door to community, relationship building, and sharing the gospel message of Christ. Philip challenges us to not be as self-reliant as might be our habit, but to try …

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Dare to Hold on to God

8M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church guest preacher and ministry leadership coach, Jim Martin, challenges us to consider the moments in life when we find ourselves asking, “Now What?” We are asked to consider where we have our focus in the midst of those hard moments. Jim challenges us to put our focus on God despite the distractions & self doubt, and to rest…

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Standing Firm through Hospitality

8M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church Elder, Steve Awtrey, brings us a message encouraging the practice of active community through the practice of being hospitable. We are encouraged to see our actions when offering care to others as the act of offering that care to Christ, and to God, themselves. Steve asks us to find ways to build community with each other …

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Jesus Enables Us to Stand

8M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church guest preacher Matthew Bardowell brings us a sermon focused on the idea of standing firm when we don’t feel strong enough. We are asked to consider where we find our identity and our strength, in ourselves alone or in something larger than us? Matthew encourages us to look to God to help find our identity.…

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Joy Follows Service

8M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church MX Church’s former lead preacher, Jeff Kryder, returns to bring us a message about how to live in a way that is rooted in Godly wisdom. We are challenged to see ourselves as a piece of God’s larger story and our assignment within that story is to be of service to God and His world, and the people inside it.…

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God's Faithfulness Through Enduring Love

9M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church guest preacher, and MX Youth Minister, Nathan Strickland encourages us to consider God’s love for us and how it endures through all situations we find ourselves in and in which we put ourselves, and God. We are challenged to offer that same type of love to everyone around, even & especially those who are difficult to show …

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God's Faithfulness in Sending His Son

9M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church guest preacher Jayson Vincent brings us a message focusing on building, repairing, and rebuilding relationships. Jason examines the relationships between Mary & Joseph, as well as the relationship between God and all the people involved in the genealogical history of Jesus Christ leading to His birth. We are encouraged to …

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The Word Became Flesh

9M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church guest preacher, Eric McPherson, brings us a sermon message encouraging us to find strength in faith even in moments when fear and powerlessness are overwhelming. Eric challenges us to remember that mindset matters, and that hope is real and true.

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Giving to Please God

10M ago

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God's Faithfulness in the Storm

10M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church guest preacher, senior minister candidate, John Gunter brings us a message based in the book, Lamentations. John asks us to see how the author, during a time of hardship, turns their mind to the promises & faithfulness of God. John challenges us to be mindful of God’s presence and ability to handle the hard moments we find…

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Faithfulness in the Midst of Bitterness

10M ago

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McKnight Crossings Church guest & candidate preacher, Jason Mundie, brings us a message focused on the story of Ruth & Naomi encouraging us to see the hope behind our moments of grief & hardship. We are challenged to be brave in our moments of pain and loss trusting that God will be there with us in it and through it; we are not alone.…