Joy doesn’t always feel easy—it often feels vulnerable, even risky. In this episode of the Ministry Wives Podcast, Amy Petersen sits down with author and therapist Nicole Zasowski to talk about her new Bible study Daring Joy: What Six Women in the Bible Teach Us About the Power of Celebration When It Feels Risky, Complicated, and Even Impossible.

Nicole shares how her own seasons of loss, transition, and disappointment led her to a deeper understanding of joy—not as a reward for when life goes well, but as a practice we can step into, even in life’s hardest seasons.

• Why joy can seem like one of our most vulnerable emotions
• The difference between gratitude and thanksgiving (and why speaking it aloud doubles your joy!)
• Simple practices that retrain your brain toward joy
• What six women of Scripture—Eve, Sarah, Miriam, Mary, Elizabeth, and Mary Magdalene—teach us about daring joy in the middle of uncertainty
• And more!

• Daring Joy: What Six Women in the Bible Teach Us About the Power of Celebration When It Feels Risky, Complicated, and Even Impossible by Nicole Zasowski
• What If It’s Wonderful?: Release Your Fears, Choose Joy, and Find the Courage to Celebrate by Nicole Zasowski
• From Lost to Found: Giving Up What You Think You Want for What Will Set You Free by Nicole Zasowski

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Suffering is something every believer will face—but what do we do when it feels relentless, unfair, or overwhelming? In this powerful episode of the Ministry Wives Podcast, host Amy Petersen sits down with author and speaker Vaneetha Risner to talk about walking with Jesus through seasons of deep pain.

Vaneetha’s story is marked by challenges: childhood polio, the heartbreaking loss of her infant son, a painful divorce, and the ongoing struggles of post-polio syndrome. Yet, through every valley, she has discovered the nearness of Christ—not through quick fixes or easy answers, but through honest lament and raw dependence on God.

Together, Amy and Vaneetha explore common misconceptions about suffering, the beauty of biblical lament, and how to come alongside others who are hurting with both truth and tenderness. If you’ve ever felt like your faith faltered under the weight of pain—or if you’ve walked with someone in the midst of grief—this conversation will remind you that your hope is not in an outcome, but in a Savior who draws near.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode with Vaneetha Risner:

• Why there is no “quota” for suffering—and how to reframe hardship as a means of drawing closer to Christ
• The false belief that obedience keeps us from pain, and what Scripture really teaches about suffering
• How lament gives language to our grief and creates deeper intimacy with God
• Practical ways to walk with others in their pain without minimizing or sermonizing
• Why our ultimate hope is not found in changed circumstances, but in Jesus Himself

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Watching for the Morning: 90 Devotionals for When Hope is Hard to Find by Vaneetha Risner

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When you put your “yes” on the table, you never know where God might lead. For Lynette Ezell, that yes has looked like navigating miscarriage, parenting biological children, adopting internationally, fostering locally, and supporting her grown daughters as they walk the same road. Through every season, God has proven faithful in both the joys and the struggles of ministry and motherhood.

In this episode of the Ministry Wives Podcast, Amy Petersen sits down with Lynette Ezell—wife, mom of six, grandmother, and ministry leader. Together, they talk candidly about the highs and lows of adoption and foster care, what it means to parent through trauma, and how to keep saying yes to God even when the road is long and hard.

Whether you’re considering adoption, already walking that journey, or simply want to support foster and adoptive families in your church or community, this conversation will encourage and equip you to take the next step of experiencing God’s faithfulness.

• How God shaped Lynette’s family story through both loss and adoption
• What it means to keep your “yes” on the table—even when doors close
• The reality of parenting kids from hard places and why trauma-informed care matters
• Practical ways churches and ministry wives can support foster and adoptive families
• Why your “yes” may look different than someone else’s, but God’s faithfulness remains the same

• The Adopting and Fostering Home Podcast
• Family Advocacy Ministry (FAM)
• Duffel Bags for Foster Care: Launching a Restoring Dignity Ministry in Your Church
• Backpack Ministry Guide
• The Connected Child: Bring Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family by Karyn B. Purvis

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