In this powerful episode of the Saved and Strong Podcast, host Carrie Watts sits down with author and licensed professional counselor April Timms for a hope-filled conversation about writer life, her new book in The Dove Series, and freedom from trauma and addiction.

April Timms is a dedicated professional and community member of Lake City, Arkansas. She and her husband of 22 years, Anthony Timms, share a deep calling to ministry and service. Anthony serves as a General Baptist youth pastor, and together they have spent over two decades pouring into youth and families through ministry. Their passion for helping others extends beyond the church, as they co-own A Time for Peace Inc., a small group counseling practice. As a Licensed Professional Counselor, April specializes in treating trauma and addiction disorders, offering compassionate, faith-informed care to those seeking healing and restoration.

In this episode, Carrie and April discuss:

• How faith and counseling work together in the healing journey

• Why sharing our stories brings freedom to both the author and the reader

This conversation is for anyone who feels unsure of the next step forward, and for those who want to walk alongside others on the road to healing. You are not alone. Healing is possible. And strength is found in Christ.

Please share this podcast with a reader, mom, counselor, or writer who needs encouragement.

🌐 Website: www.doveauthor.com 📘 Facebook: Soiled Dove – Dove Series 📸 Instagram: @dovebookseries ✉️ Author Email: dove.series.author@gmail.com

🎙 Host of the Saved and Strong Podcast 🌐 Website: www.carriewatts.com

If you feel called to write your story—or finally begin the book God placed on your heart—check out this trusted resource from Hope*Writers:

📘 Write Your Book Guide 👉 http://www.hopewriters.com/a/2148223330/sY22Dv2U

✍️ Need a community of writers to learn and write alongside? 👉 http://www.hopewriters.com/a/2148183199/sY22Dv2U

📚 Ready to get your book published? 👉 http://www.hopewriters.com/a/2148100459/sY22Dv2U

Your story matters. Your healing matters. And God isn’t finished with you yet.

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In this encouraging episode of the Saved and Strong podcast, host Carrie Watts sits down with beauty educator and faith-filled entrepreneur Courtney Johnson Courtney to talk about the powerful intersection of beauty, faith, confidence, and calling.

Courtney shares her personal journey from feeling overwhelmed and unsure with makeup to becoming a trusted guide who helps women simplify beauty and rediscover confidence—inside and out. Together, Carrie and Courtney explore how makeup can enhance God-given features rather than mask them, how faith shapes business decisions, and why community is essential for both personal and spiritual growth. The conversation also dives into real-life rhythms of motherhood, homeschooling, and entrepreneurship, offering practical wisdom for balancing family life with purpose-driven work. At the heart of it all is a shared belief that faith, when lived out daily, transforms not just how we look—but how we live.

✨ If you’re a woman seeking confidence, clarity, and Christ-centered encouragement, this episode will leave you feeling strengthened and inspired.

00:00 – Introduction to Beauty and Faith

02:28 – The Journey to Makeup Confidence

06:44 – Faith in Business and Calling

11:53 – Family Faith Practices

17:41 – Community and Bible Study

19:42 – Encouragement Through Scripture

24:52 – Balancing Work and Family Life

Connect with Courtney, shop, and take the color science quiz:

🌐 Website: https://msha.ke/courtney_courtney#links

📘 Facebook: Courtney Johnson Courtney

📸 Instagram: @courtney_courtney2

link.me/carriewattswrites.com for more about the Saved and Strong Podcast host, Carrie Watts

on instagram: @carriewattswrites

#savedandstrong #restorecollective #courtneycourtney #makeup #beauty #faith #confidence #women #empowerment #homeschooling #community #business #self-esteem #Christian #podcast #faithbasedbusiness #balancedlife #psalm139 #fearfullyandwonderfullymade

Linda Erley shares the moving redemptive facts behind the fiction in this emotional but spirit-filled episode of Saved and Strong.

Linda admits, "This book chose me." as she shares the story behind the story of becoming a debut author of Rainbow Over the Bayou: Jim Crow Through the Eyes of a White Girl, a historical fiction rooted in her Louisiana upbringing and inspired by the influence of a beloved Black housekeeper who helped raise her through the 1950s, 60s, and 70s in Southern Louisiana.

A Christian author and speaker now living in Colorado, Linda writes with a heart for Jesus, justice, and reconciliation, encouraging conversations that build bridges across barriers.

Follow Linda on Instagram @linda.lowe.erley

on Facebook Linda Lowe Erley

And join her book launch team on her website: www.lindaerley.com or email her direct: llerley@me.com

Join us at the Hope*Story Conference January, 29 - 31, 2026 Use Code: CARRIE9444 for 10% off http://www.hopewriters.com/a/21479848...

Interested in Hope*Writers? http://www.hopewriters.com/a/21481831...

More about your Saved and Strong host, Carrie Watts link.me/carriewattswrites

#author #fiction #booklaunch #debut #novel #jimcrow #racialreconciliation #hope #healing #forgiveness #faith #rainbowoverthebayou #savedandstrong #podcast #lindaloweerley

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Linda Early and Her Book 04:34 The Inspiration Behind 'Rainbow Over the Bayou' 08:15 Linda's Faith Journey and Its Impact 10:43 The Writing Process: Challenges and Joys 14:23 The Role of Community in Writing and Faith 15:47 Daily Faith Practices and Their Importance 18:30 Researching Jim Crow: A Journey of Healing 21:15 The Healing Power of Writing 26:53 Conversations on Forgiveness and Redemption 31:30 Encouragement for Aspiring Authors 34:34 Life as a Pilgrimage: Lessons from the Camino