Carol Roper

Hope and Humor After Divorce: Thriving as a Single Mom in Christian Comedy with Kerri Pomarolli

by
Kerri Pomarolli

Christian comedian Kerri Pomarolli knows what’s it like to feel hopeless. After she and her comedian husband divorced, she didn’t think anyone would want to hire her for Christian events again, so she holed up in her bedroom and hid under the covers, binge-watching all five seasons of Friday Night Lights, drinking coke and eating a balanced diet of M&M’s and salt and vinegar potato chips. Becoming a member of the Single Moms’ Club wasn’t exactly on her bucket list, but God revealed a plan for her to reach a whole new group of people. That was the motivation for her to get out of bed and start working again as He provided opportunities she’d never expected. Kerri’s resume includes being on the Tonight Show 29 times and named one of LA’s Most Inspiring People by LA Voyage Magazine and Comedian of the Year by The Hollywood Red Letter Awards in 2022.

The Bravest Thing I’ve Ever Done with Carol Roper

by
Carol Roper

As I pondered the topic for this week’s kitchen table episode, the same thing kept coming to mind. An important question I’d like to ask you: What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done?

When I first thought about that question several things immediately came to mind. Quitting my job as an architectural draftsman and buying a flower shop with my sister-in-law with neither of us having had any background in floral arranging. Buying a computer and learning AutoCAD so I could freelance drawing house plans while working from home–after we lost money in the floral business and had to sell it. And going to a writer’s conference all alone and barely knowing a soul there.

These decisions all took considerable courage, and they had a huge impact on my life. But as I dug deeper, I realized the better answer to that question. Not only because it changed the trajectory of my life, but it also changed me, my marriage and my family.

Beauty from Ashes: How Grief, Loss and Caregiving Revealed God’s Faithfulness with Jessica Ronne

by
Jessica Ronne

Jessica Ronne has endured more heartache than most can even fathom. She found out when she was pregnant with her second son that he’d had a stroke in utero and would be profoundly disabled if she carried him to term. She and her husband made the decision to carry him to full term and let God handle the details. Lucas does have those disabilities but Jess and her husband never wished they’d made a different choice. Then, several years and two more children later, Jess’s husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor and passed away at the age of 33, leaving her to take care of their four small children.
But God didn’t leave her in her grief. She met a wonderful man, a widower with three children and they married, blended their families and even added one more to the mix. Even though Jess has a hard story, she’s used her experience to create The Lucas Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to serving parent caregivers with respite, recognition and resources. She is also the associate producer of the documentary Unseen and the author of four books, including her most recent, Caregiving with Grit and Grace.

The Importance of the Family Table with Carol Roper

by
Carol Roper

Hey listeners! I’m popping into you podcast feed with a surprise! Starting now, I’ll be releasing solo episodes every other week to share some of my life experiences and Jesus moments with you! I’ll still be doing interviews but thought it would be fun to be able to talk directly to you about my struggles and triumphs. And I’m calling these episodes The Kitchen Table. So why the kitchen table? I’m so glad you asked!

I believe the dinner table is an important ingredient in the glue that helps us build strong families. My siblings and my children would agree. And so, these solo episodes that I’ll bring to you, hopefully every 2 weeks, will be short stories of how I’ve seen God work in my own life through sometimes mundane, and other times amazing, experiences and how those experiences have grown my faith. Just like if you came to my house and we sat around my kitchen table enjoying a snack and a cup of coffee (or hot tea for me!). I may even share some things I’m learning in the Word that might encourage you.

From Blackout to Blessing: Breaking the Cycle of Addiction for Good with Melissa Huray

by
Melissa Huray

My guest today, Melissa Huray, lived that life of hopelessness as a former alcoholic who struggled with addiction from the time she was a child. First it was sugar and junk food. Then, because her father was an alcoholic and she saw him go to alcohol to diffuse many situations, she believed alcohol was the magic cure for all of her troubles. But instead of finding healing in the bottle, she found herself in a hopeless cycle of addiction, believing she could stop at any time, but finding that she didn’t have the strength to overcome the hold alcohol had over her. Until she finally fully surrendered to Christ and prayed for healing. Melissa has a fascinating story of turning her life around through the power of Christ, not her own, and using her experience to counsel others living in addiction and bringing freedom through the gospel. In this episode she shares practical tools and encouragement to help addicts and those who love them fight the battle of addiction.