Welcome to Week 8 of our Summer of Stories series! This summer we have been featuring stories of incredible moms that have endured significant challenges. Through these stories, we pray you will remember that God is faithful and always with you through life’s most challenging moments.  In this week’s story, you will hear from the extraordinary Cleere Cherry Reaves. It’s very likely that you have one of her beautiful products and didn’t even know it. Her massive heart for Jesus pours right into her beautiful company. I have enjoyed so many of her books, devotions and gifts for years.  In the first part of our chat, we talked about her business and entrepreneurial spirit. So many of us moms have a creative stirring from God and we often aren’t sure what to do with that. How do we pursue a creative idea while raising kids? We often get overwhelmed and just put it aside. I’m praying that there’s a few moms listening that need to regain confidence and motivation to explore the creative ideas God put inside your heart. The second part of our talk was my favorite! Cleere shares her story of going into labor prematurely and the miracle story that follows. Cleere’s son, Sledge, has faced so many uphill battles and has suffered more than any mom wishes on their child. Maybe you have a child with a tough diagnosis? Or you know of another mom with a motherhood journey that went differently than expected? This episode is for us all. We can all learn from Cleere’s undeniable faith and perseverance as she raises one strong and mighty boy. Love, Courtney Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Small Talk 04:48 Creating Products that Serve a Purpose 09:36 The Challenges and Rewards of Entrepreneurship 13:03 Starting a Business with a Specific Person in Mind 16:11 Supporting and Celebrating Others in the Entrepreneurial Journey 28:12 From Challenges to Miracles: Trusting God's Plan 35:45 The Impact of Perspective on Others 37:37 Embracing Authenticity and Finding Joy 46:01 Trusting in the Character of God 49:59 The Power of Community and Support Connect with Pardon The Mess: Christian Parenting Pardon The Mess  Courtney DeFeo Get your 2024-2025 prayer journal, A Life of Faith Resources from today’s show: Cleerely Stated Promises from the Psalms - card set I bought Ella Unfiltered - Cleere’s new devotional StrongHeart Pardon the Mess is part of The Christian Parenting Podcast Network. As a donor funded ministry, we rely on generous supporters like you to keep this show going. If you enjoy this podcast, please consider giving a gift today. Join the Christian Parenting Legacy Builders community Our Sponsors: * Check out FamilyAlbum: family-album.com * Check out Seed and use my code 25MESS for a great deal: seed.com Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy