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Rising Above with Becky Davidson is a place of encouragement, honesty, and hope for families navigating the unique joys and challenges of life with disability. Each episode offers heartfelt conversations, practical wisdom, and faith-filled insights to help you know you’re not alone on the journey. Becky shares stories from her own life as well as uplifting perspectives from guests who understand the road, equipping you with tools and inspiration to face each day with courage. Whether you’re seeking community, strength, or a fresh reminder of God’s faithfulness, this podcast invites you to rise above the struggles and discover joy in the midst of it all.
Episodes
Tuesday Apr 21, 2020
Tuesday Apr 21, 2020
So many times, it is difficult for men to open up about their challenges and struggles, but as a special needs dad, it is so important to have a “band of brothers” who can relate to the unique challenges that come with raising a special needs child. This is a passion of our friend Eric Nixon.
About Eric
Eric lives in Pennsylvania and will be celebrating his 30 years of marriage this year to his wife Candy. Eric and his family spent more than a decade living in hospitals with three sick kids at Children’s Hospital until all three children were diagnosed with a rare primary immune deficiency.
Additionally, Eric has been living with multiple sclerosis for the last 14 years. He rides every year in the MS City to Shore bike ride riding 50 miles from Pennsylvania to the Jersey shore. His wife Candy works at the Joni and Friends Pennsylvania office, and both of them have devoted their lives to helping others affected by disability. They both run individual and marriage support groups for individuals and couples affected by disabilities.
Related Links
No More Peanut Butter Sandwiches
Common Man, Extraordinary Call
Goodnight Superman - Jeff Davidson's blog about being a special needs dad
Thursday Apr 02, 2020
Thursday Apr 02, 2020
Enjoy this discussion with Kandra Benton about looking at the flip side. Despite challenges, Kandra makes the choice to look at the positives in life and get the most out of each day. During this time of social distancing, you will be encouraged and challenged to hear this perspective, and we hope you feel motivated to focus on the good things in your own life during this unique season.
About Kandra
Kandra Benton has been married to her husband Stephen for 18 years. They have three daughters and live outside of Nashville. Kandra is a homeschooling momma, connoisseur of all things taco related, slightly obsessed with Christmas and a lover of writing and words. She spends much of her free time writing about what the Lord is teaching her through raising her daughters and life around her. She loves to laugh and will do what it takes to make you giggle before she leaves your presence!
Thursday Mar 26, 2020
Thursday Mar 26, 2020
About Sandra
As the sibling to a special needs sister and the mother to a special needs son, Sandra has incredible insight into the caregiving world and offers some great suggestions for staying connected during these unprecedented times.
Resources
Self-care for the Special Needs Mom- facebook group
Self-Care and Soul-Care for the Caregiver- podcast
Unexpected Blessings (Free right now on Kindle!)
Wednesday Mar 18, 2020
Wednesday Mar 18, 2020
Life as we know it has changed a lot over the past few days. Join us as Becky & Kim have a conversation about the impact COVID-19 has had on everyone, especially special needs families during these uncertain days. In addition to discussing the changes, we promise to bring a message of hope amidst the chaos as well.
Tuesday Mar 03, 2020
Tuesday Mar 03, 2020
About Matt
When Matt Mooney and his wife Ginny were 30 weeks pregnant with their first child-they received a diagnosis of trisomy 18. Eight weeks later, their son, Eliot, was born. Eliot lived for 99 days and Matt chronicled his life through a blog that would be the beginnings of "A Story Unfinished"- a book written by Matt about Eliot's life and the lessons God taught them through their son. Eliot's story has since been shared with the world through a short video that has been viewed millions of times and was featured on The Today Show as well as The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Matt and Ginny founded 99 Balloons, an organization working with persons experiencing disability locally and globally. The organization grew out of a respite night called "rEcess" that the Mooneys started in their community and has now spread to over 50 sites in three countries.
He currently lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where he busies himself raising Eliot's siblings: Hazel, Anders and Lena. Matt & Ginny adopted Lena from Ukraine after getting to know her through the global work of 99 Balloons. Lena has severe disabilities of her own- including autism and cerebral palsy. These experiences have birthed in Matt a passion for championing more inclusive communities around the globe.
SOAR Getaway for Special Needs Dads
We are thrilled Matt Mooney will be joining us for our special needs dads getaway in April. As you will hear from listening to the podcast, Matt is a whole lot of fun, but doesn't shy away from talking about real life and the challenges of special needs parenting and grief. Dads- we know you'll be blessed and hope you'll join us for this weekend (April 17-19, 2020).
Related Links
Soar Getaway for Special Needs Dads
A Story Unfinished by Matt Mooney
Tuesday Feb 18, 2020
Tuesday Feb 18, 2020
Dr. Joe and Cindi Ferrini have been married over 40 years, have 3 children (A son with special needs who lives with them and 2 married daughters and grandchildren living nearby in the Cleveland, OH area.) They have spoken nationally on special needs and with FamilyLife Weekend to Remember Get-A-Ways on the topic of marriage and family. They have written books individually and together, their most recent being "LOVE ALL-Ways: Embracing Marriage Together on the Special Needs Journey".
Related Links:
Love All-ways book by Dr. Joe & Cindi Ferrini
See more:
My Marriage Matters on Facebook
Favorite Quotes:
"The covenant relationship says that God brought us together for His purposes, and one of his primary purposes is to make us holy, not to make us happy." -Joe Ferrini
"We will have those moments and seasons where we will feel like we can't do it anymore- and that doesn't mean that something's wrong with you, [or] something's wrong with your marriage, it simply means that in that moment, you've had enough." -Cindi Ferrini
"We all need to have time for ourselves, for us as a couple, to really evaluate what’s important to us. And then to get up and do it again tomorrow morning." -Cindi Ferrini
Tuesday Feb 04, 2020
Tuesday Feb 04, 2020
You will love hearing Becky Davidson share her story. Her marriage to her late husband Jeff was full of ups and downs, but through it all, their commitment to one another and their marriage stayed strong.
Related Links:
TWOgether Marriage Retreat Experience (coming February 14)
Read More:
No More Peanut Butter Sandwiches - By Jeff Davidson
Common Man, Extraordinary Call - By Jeff Davidson with Becky Davidson
Favorite Quotes:
“Go back in your mind to when you first met your spouse. Remind yourself of what it was. Why did you fall in love with them?.. Remind yourself of those feelings that you had.” - Becky
“We’re going to take 5 minutes a day to have this conversation, to have this connection.” -Becky
“There wasn’t anything hidden, there wasn’t anything to hide…” - Becky
"Hallmark Movies even make marriage and life and dates seem like this picture perfect, and that's not real. And that's not reality. If you are lining up what you think your marriage should look like based on some romantic movie…" -Becky Davidson
Tuesday Jan 21, 2020
Tuesday Jan 21, 2020
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Enjoy this conversation with Dr. Steve Grcevich from Key Ministry as we learn more about mental health and how churches can respond to this important consideration.
About Dr. Steve Grcevich
Dr. Stephen Grcevich (MD, Northeast Ohio Medical University) serves as the President and Founder of Key Ministry. He serves the primary vision caster and spokesperson for the ministry and plays an important role in Key’s efforts to develop collaborations both within and outside the disability ministry movement with church leaders, other like-minded organizations and the professional community. Dr. Grcevich is a regular contributor for Moody Radio Cleveland and the ERLC (Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention) and is frequently invited to speak at national and international ministry conferences on mental health and other disability ministry-related topics. His first book, Mental Health and the Church, was published by Zondervan in February 2018. In addition to his ministry work, Dr. Grcevich is a child and adolescent psychiatrist who combines nearly thirty years of knowledge gained through clinical practice and teaching with extensive research experience evaluating medications prescribed to children and teens for ADHD, anxiety, and depression. He serves on the faculty of Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, has been a presenter at over 35 national and international medical conferences and is a past recipient of the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
Related Links:
Dr. Steve Grcevich’s book: Mental Health & the Church
Favorite Quotes:
“One of the things that we suggest to churches: Put as many pictures and as much video up online…” -Steve G.
“Do we minister to people and provide them with the same kind of supports for mental health disabilities as what we would physical disabilities?” -Steve G.
Based on a Lifeway study: “What families impacted by mental illness most wanted from their churches was for their pastors to talk about it from the pulpit.” -Steve G.
Tuesday Jan 07, 2020
Tuesday Jan 07, 2020
We know you will love hearing from our friend, Tracey Martin. Tracey is the mom of FIVE children, four of whom are quadruplets! She has been married to her husband Mike, a doctor, for 32 years, but she is honest that it hasn't always been easy. They have dealt with many challenges on staying connected, especially as they have raised two children on the autism spectrum. Their son, Gabe, has profound autism and is non-verbal and their son, Sam, has Aspergers (high functioning autism).
Favorite Quotes
"[On marriage] It hasn't all been roses and sweetness. It's been very hard, but we just cling on to each other and cling on to God to get us through." -Tracey
"You decide…make your own decisions…you're the Mother…and that child is your gift." -Tracey
"Don't get on the autism or special needs bandwagon…if so and so is doing it, I need to do it." -Tracey
Related Links
Tuesday Dec 17, 2019
Tuesday Dec 17, 2019
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
In this episode, we talk to a special friend of Rising Above Ministries, Heidi Clopton. As you’ll hear, Heidi was Jon Alex’s first occupational therapist and was there for the very beginning of Rising Above! You will also hear which annual event was Heidi’s idea. We are thankful for the many ways Heidi has blessed the ministry over the years, and we know you will love hearing from her today!
Favorite Quotes:
"The best thing you can do is find out if there is something that can help them... The most important thing though is to get answers and I feel like you don't need to stay in that place of, 'is there something wrong or not?'" -Heidi
"Get an evaluation. A lot of people think they have to have a diagnosis first, but they don't." -Heidi
"You need the team approach. That is so important." -Heidi
"Therapy happens everyday...and be fun! And be something you enjoy doing with your child." -Heidi
Related Links:
Center of Development Pediatric Therapies http://www.developmental-delay.com/
“Common Man, Extraordinary Call” book by Jeff Davidson with Becky Davidson