Send us a Text Message and let us know what you think! Happy New Year to you! We're thankful to have you join Martha and Kim for the first podcast of the New Year. As we step into 2026, with our new calendars, plans, and goals, maybe the greatest adventure is not in all our well made plans, but in releasing the grip on the pen and letting God write our story instead. And we don't have to do it alone. Listen in as Martha and Kim unpack what these great expectations may look like. Please ...

Send us a Text Message and let us know what you think! Here is Part 2 of our special tribute to our dear friend Jean Stephens. Please be sure to listen to Part 1. Thank you for listening today and joining us in honoring the life of an amazing woman of God. Thank you for joining us today on the podcast as we continue our wonderful time with Jean Stephens. Jean takes us along on her journey of adventure with Jesus, living in the thrill of a heart surrendered to His Life. If you mis...

Send us a Text Message and let us know what you think! Today we are bringing you a very special encore podcast episode to honor one of our dearest friends and heroes of the faith who just this week has gone ahead to heaven. We would like to offer this recording as a tribute to our dear friend and mentor Jean Stephens, and as a gift to you, our Burst Of Hope family. We'll see you soon Mama Jean. This is Part 1 of our interview with Jean. Part 2 will be offered this week as well. To...

Send us a Text Message and let us know what you think! In this final week of Advent, we focus on the fourth candle of Advent: Love. Love came down to dwell among us and to bring us comfort and joy. Our friend Pat Elsberry, who is an author and speaker, shared a very special Christmas message at a recent Touching Hearts gathering and we recorded it for you to enjoy. Jesus is everything we need! Merry Christmas! We’ll be back with all new episodes on January 5th! Pat’s b...

Send us a Text Message and let us know what you think! Martha and Kim are excited to welcome Amy Johnson to the podcast table today. Amy has been a guest recently and you can listen to her previous episodes (#200 and 201). As they enjoy lively and fun conversation on the Advent theme of joy, it is their hope that you will be spurred on to lean into the Source of Joy Himself, King Jesus. The Father's joy is real and tangible when we gather to talk about him. It is this joy th...

Send us a Text Message and let us know what you think! Peace can seem elusive these days. In the headlines, in our relationships, in our grief, or in our Christmas plans, it feels like peace is slipping through our fingers. The profound reality of Advent is that we don't have to, nor can we, manufacture true peace. It comes to us in the person of the Prince of Peace. Our hope does not rest on the world getting its act together or in our circumstances being just right. Our hope rests in the Pr...

Send us a Text Message and let us know what you think! Welcome to A Burst Of Hope as Martha and Kim begin this Advent season with you. Advent invites us to a time of preparation and waiting, one that the people of Israel knew about for generations. The remarkable truth is that God chose to enter into time itself, submitting to daily calendars and human waiting. Our waiting isn't empty, we expectantly look for Hope to come in the fullness of time, every day. LInk to the book ...

Send us a Text Message and let us know what you think! Thank you for joining Martha this week for A Burst Of Hope as she continues to highlight this season of Thanksgiving. Our hearts need gratitude. This week is an opportunity to press pause before the holiday frenzy and count our blessings. No matter what is going on in our lives, or around the world, there are a million gifts to count. Let this Thanksgiving prepare our hearts for Christmas. We are thankful for you, friend! Please rea...

Send us a Text Message and let us know what you think! What does it mean to set our hearts on thanksgiving when our souls are in anguish? Today we're exploring a truth that might seem contradictory - that our most desperate cries to God can become doorways to profound gratitude. Because when we call out and discover that He bends down to hear us, everything changes. Join Kim as she unpacks Psalm 116 and how thanksgiving and struggle aren't opposites—they're often closely and intimately connec...

Send us a Text Message and let us know what you think! This week Martha and Kim continue their conversation around setting our hearts on hope. Discouragement comes for all of us; how do we find hope when our hearts are spiraling? God's word is full of true stories about real people going through real life challenges like depression and hopelessness. Their journeys are chronicled in Holy Scriptures revealing a God who is genuinely interested in them and is powerful to work on their behalf. We ...

Send us a Text Message and let us know what you think! Welcome to A Burst Of Hope! Martha and Kim are excited to welcome you to the podcast table where they will be talking about new rooms and new seasons of life. When we walk into new rooms, how do we find our place? How do we embrace a new season when everything feels uncomfortable and foreign? How do we let go of the past, even good things, so we can live fully in the present? These are questions we're all faced with at various times...

Send us a Text Message and let us know what you think! This week Martha and Kim welcome Susi Ortiz to the podcast table. Susi is a wife, mom, and women's ministry leader in her church. She has experienced God's redeeming love and shares her story of God's faithful pursuit to fulfill his good plans for her. Throughout her whole life she traces God's hand, even when life was challenging. If you are wondering if God has a purpose for your life, we know you will be encouraged by Susi and he...

Send us a Text Message and let us know what you think! This week on the podcast, Martha and Kim have a conversation about what we set our minds and hearts on. Just like setting the temperature knob on a toaster oven, we can choose where to set our hearts. What does it look like to set our hearts on worship? We intentionally choose to worship God above, lifting our eyes above the things of this earth. Surprise ending! Thank you for joining us! Follow us on our Social Media pages:...

Send us a Text Message and let us know what you think! This week Martha and Kim are excited to welcome Deborah Rutherford to the podcast. Deborah is an author, podcaster, poet, and speaker. She has had a long career in the film and TV industry as a make-up artist. She currently manages her blog, website, and podcast called "Behold Her Beauty" where she describes herself as "an award wining makeup artist who traded my brushes and make up bag for a pen and microphone to help girls and women liv...

Send us a Text Message and let us know what you think! What if the door you thought was locked forever is actually open? This week you'll hear about a God who relentlessly pursues the broken and the forgotten. When you listen to our friend, Sue Faison, describe her miracle story of redemption and hope, you'll agree that we are all part of a bigger story that God is writing. You are heard, you are seen, and you are worth fighting for. Welcome to a conversation about hope, freedom, ...

Send us a Text Message and let us know what you think! This week on the podcast, Martha and Kim have a conversation about what we set our minds and hearts on. Just like setting the temperature knob on a toaster oven, we can choose where to set our hearts. God's word has much to say about that; even how we can avoid traps that are set for us. The Truth is our Hope to a life of freedom in Christ. Thank you for joining us! Email us today and request a free handout called "Setting Our Minds...

Send us a Text Message and let us know what you think! This week Martha and Kim continue their conversation with Amy Johnson. Amy's story is marked by significant challenges, yet her hope remains steadfast in Christ. And her Redeemer is very much alive as you will hear her give testimony. Your heart will be blessed and enriched by listening. Please share this episode, and Part 1 from last week, with a friend who needs some real encouragement. Thank you for joining us at the table,...

Send us a Text Message and let us know what you think! Thank you for joining us on A Burst Of Hope! Martha and Kim are thrilled to welcome Amy Johnson to the podcast table today. Amy is wife, a mom, and a grandma to 2. She is super creative in many ways and passionately loves the Word of God. Amy's story is powerful; she is a beautiful survivor. God's stunning thread of redemption is woven all through out. Her grace filled wisdom points us all to Hope Himself. Please share this episode ...

Send us a Text Message and let us know what you think! This week's guest is Lauren Petersen. Lauren is a wife and mother of 4, including twin boys. She is a pediatric speech pathologist. Lauren's journey to motherhood has not been an easy one; she experienced medical issues herself and difficult pregnancies and births. As she shares openly, you will hear her honest questions to the Lord and see glimpses of grace that held her steady. She truly has a remarkable testimony. This is a...

Send us a Text Message and let us know what you think! We're thrilled to welcome Ashlee Ilg to the podcast this week! Ashlee is a creative entrepreneur, writer, host of the Big Ideas Podcast, founder of Kids Business Day, and homeschooling mom of five, on a mission to inspire bold ideas and brave (even audacious!) faith and redefine purpose. She's a big dreamer who shares her ongoing story of learning to dream big with God—discovering how to say 'yes' to Him even when life takes unexpec...