Cowrie Shells

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Cowrie Shells

Katharine GRIMES

29 episodes

16 hours ago

Cowrie Shells podcast is premised upon the tradition that cowrie shells have been called ornaments of treasure and that our faith stories themselves can be as treasure. Designed to encourage, empower and connect women who all have two things in common: they love God and want to search intentionally for the stories that He is writing in their life circumstances. Through the medium of both interviews and narrative, listen in to their inspirational stories and get ready to identify and share your own.

Email Katharine at: cowrieshellspodcast@gmail.com to share your own story...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Religion & Spirituality

All content for Cowrie Shells is the property of Katharine GRIMES and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Cowrie Shells podcast is premised upon the tradition that cowrie shells have been called ornaments of treasure and that our faith stories themselves can be as treasure. Designed to encourage, empower and connect women who all have two things in common: they love God and want to search intentionally for the stories that He is writing in their life circumstances. Through the medium of both interviews and narrative, listen in to their inspirational stories and get ready to identify and share your own.

Email Katharine at: cowrieshellspodcast@gmail.com to share your own story...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Show more...

Religion & Spirituality

Episodes (20/29)

Cowrie Shells

Fit for Kingdom Encounters - Exercising Those Spiritual Muscles

Meet Esther Higham – Best known for her animated voice on Premier Christian radio, when it comes to empowering people with Jesus, Esther is as passionate off air as she is during her ‘Inspirational Breakfast’ show. She describes herself as a gatherer and coach, and is full of stories where she has seen faith come alive in everyday situations. How can we best grow our spiritual muscles and throw off the spiritual belly flab? How can we be 10% bolder in seizing every opportunity to see God move? Listen in and discover more.

You can hear Esther on Premier’s ‘Inspirational Breakfast’ Mon-Thurs 7-9am

For more information on MOJO: https://linktr.ee/mojoministers

You can follow Esther on Instagram: @estherhigham

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 hours ago

54 minutes 13 seconds

Cowrie Shells

A Tale of Carrying Hope

A Story of Carrying Hope – in recognition of Baby Loss Awareness Week: 9-15th October 2025

Meet Beth Appleby – Would God still be good if… you were told by medical professionals that the baby in your womb likely had a life-threatening condition?

Having grown up with two missionary parents, Beth was no stranger to the reality that faith comes with its struggles. But when she had to confront this question during her third pregnancy, that faith was to be severely tested. Listen to the remarkable true story behind Beth’s book, Carrying Hope, and be inspired to stand on the knowledge that God’s goodness is unchanging and, with Him, you can embrace uncertainty - especially when it comes to a life or death situation.

To get hold of a copy Carrying Hope, please purchase from Beth Appleby directly at www.carryinghope.co.uk

You can also buy online at Amazon

Be sure to look out for Beth’s upcoming audio edition of the book which will be available worldwide

(Excerpt from book featured during recording is used with author’s permission)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 weeks ago

58 minutes 35 seconds

Cowrie Shells

When Surrender is a Springboard

Meet Katharine Grimes – Exchanging her host headphones for a pair of guest ones to launch a brand new season of Cowrie Shells, listen in to more of Katharine’s own stories of faith. From childhood questions to battling ME/Chronic Fatigue in her twenties, and navigating a barrage of bereavement in her thirties, Katharine has consistently been challenged to choose the path of surrender. In her words, ‘It’s not easy but it’s liberating when you embrace God’s perspective and listen to that still small voice… “Daughter, I’m inviting you to fly.”’

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 weeks ago

1 hour 5 minutes 52 seconds

Cowrie Shells

End of Season One: A Challenge and an Invitation

That's officially a wrap for Season One of Cowrie Shells podcast!

Thank you for being part of the worldwide community of women of faith sharing their stories and consistently pointing others to Jesus.

I’m excited to say that Season 2 will launch in October 2025 but, until it does, I want to leave you with a challenge and an invitation. No matter the depth of your passion for Jesus, why not consider once more what it means to be born again. Do you know who you are and whose you are? Listen back to the voices of several women from Season One and celebrate how they have made knowing God their greatest priority - something that can be true for you too.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 months ago

11 minutes 49 seconds

Cowrie Shells

Showing Up God's Way - Becoming the Powerhouse Leader He Created You to Be

Meet Faith Mwangi-Powell – born in rural Kenya, she is a woman who has defied cultural expectations and become a jet-setter and key leader in the sphere of international development and healthcare. Blessed with a supportive family - a father who valued education, a mother who prized discipline and a grandmother who prioritized prayer – it was not until she recognized the importance of having a personal, dynamic relationship with God that life really took off.

Are you showing up the way God wants you to in the situations He has entrusted to you? Listen to Faith’s amazing tales of boldness and dependence, and be challenged to eclipse self-doubt, pray ceaselessly, and become the powerhouse God created you to be.

You can find more information about Girls Not Brides at: girlsnotbrides.org

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 months ago

56 minutes 1 second

Cowrie Shells

A Time to Dream ... And a Time to Wait

Meet Debz Kefford – What happens when a series of God-shaped dreams take sixteen years to materialise? Listen to Debz’ inspiring tales of a young woman who embraced a career in paediatric nursing in the UK while holding onto a dream for mission in Africa – even when, time and again, she felt God instruct her to put it on the backburner. Be encouraged by her obedience and challenged, in her words, ‘to be faithful where you’re planted.’ Whether for vocation, relationships or fresh adventure, Debz’ story beautifully proves that God’s time frame is best when it comes to fulfilling our dreams.

For more information on Mercy Ships visit: www.mercyships.org.uk or read: Don Stephens, Ships of Mercy: The remarkable fleet bringing hope to the world’s poorest people (Hodder & Stoughton, 2018)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 months ago

54 minutes 16 seconds

Cowrie Shells

Torn Between Two Worlds - When Faith Comes First

Meet Laura Cox – Having felt like a lone ranger in a family which did not understand her childhood beliefs, Laura wrestled with the reality of a foot in two camps: was her faith just an add-on to life or the centre piece? Things came to a head when God spoke some powerful words into her heart – words that required a response and have impacted all her decisions since. Listen to her frank account of the struggles she faced and be encouraged and empowered to be in the world, not of it, pursuing Jesus wholeheartedly, as a woman of faith.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 months ago

41 minutes 30 seconds

Cowrie Shells

Filling That God-shaped Hole and Overcoming Addiction

Meet Paddi Mallett – Having struggled with substance and process addiction throughout her life, she readily admits, even at 58, that she is susceptible to addictive behaviours. But something else comes in tandem with that admission and it is stronger; she also knows that she is completely forgiven and restored by One who is able to fill that gaping God-shaped hole inside her. Listen to her amazing story of how God has met her in her addiction struggles and empowered her today to come alongside and inspire others.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 months ago

59 minutes 18 seconds

Cowrie Shells

Restored and Re-storied - From Hinduism to Jesus and Abuse to New Hope

Meet Shanta Botha – 65-years old and a woman who has known Jesus in many different seasons. Listen to her remarkable stories of restoration: how God drew her to Himself from a Hindu background, and how her faith grew in a place of physical, emotional, mental, and even spiritual abuse, during her first marriage. A committed wife, mum, and granny, she has just celebrated her twenty-first wedding anniversary with her second husband and is living proof that God is able, in her words, ‘to restore one hundredfold.'

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6 months ago

48 minutes 51 seconds

Cowrie Shells

'God, you MUST be joking!' - Seeing Rejection and Singleness through God's Eyes

Meet Linz Daun – catapulted into a heart-breaking situation she never saw coming as a young married woman, listen to her remarkable story of how God met her in the mess, restored and re-storied her circumstances. Thirteen years later, as a single woman of 43, is it possible for her to live a fulfilled and abundant life? Listen in and be inspired by her ongoing story of courage and faith.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6 months ago

55 minutes 16 seconds

Cowrie Shells

Dancing on Disappointment - God's 'ABCD'

Meet Vanessa Smith – Is it possible in the face of a cancer diagnosis to overcome survival mode and embrace the challenges it presents? Vanessa is a woman who has experienced this firsthand, watching her husband become a cancer patient overnight when he was unexpectedly diagnosed with Advanced Lymphoma in 2020. Embarking on a pilgrimage they never expected, listen to how Vanessa has chosen intentionality, creativity, faith, and even OMS monkhood, in a place of ongoing uncertainty at her husband’s prognosis; ultimately learning the secret of God’s ABCD to not just deal with - but dance on - disappointment.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 months ago

50 minutes 12 seconds

Cowrie Shells

Taking God at His Word

Meet Derin Osiname – Nigerian-born, she first experienced a sense of God when she was just three years old. As passionate about God today as she was captivated by Him then, listen to Derin’s amazing stories spanning more than thirty years of God encounter after God encounter. One of Derin’s favourite verses from the Bible is Romans 1:17: ‘The just shall live by faith’ and she is living proof of faith outworked in action. Be inspired and challenged by her stories, underlining the eternal truth that she and we can take God, literally, at His Word - and get excited by her tips for leaping deeper into engagement with the Bible for yourself.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 months ago

1 hour 1 minute 7 seconds

Cowrie Shells

Redeemed Love & Rapha Ministries - Part 2

Meet Jennifer Dass – In Episode 15 Part 1, we heard her honest account of how God intervened in what she felt was a broken marriage and gifted her with a love redeemed. But what happened next...?

Discover the next chapter of their story in Part 2 and listen to how God drew husband and wife into a new shared dream responding to the reality of Christian persecution in Pakistan and creating Rapha Ministries to advocate for those who have no voice. Be inspired by their step of faith together and be challenged to act in obedience to the dreams God is placing on your heart too.

Want to find out more about the amazing Rapha Ministries and how you can get involved and support the work?

Contact Jennifer Dass at: jennifertina57@yahoo.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 months ago

28 minutes 25 seconds

Cowrie Shells

Redeemed Love & Rapha Ministries - Part 1

Meet Jennifer Dass – Pakistani-born, she grew up in a culture familiar with patriarchy and arranged marriages. But home life did not tow the cultural line as her parents modelled a love where they were as one and Jennifer dreamed that one day she’d have a similarly fulfilling relationship. She married Haroon, emigrated to the UK and twenty years on, they are stronger than ever and cultivating the kind of 'oneness' that she longed for. However, love for Jennifer has not always been straightforward; at times it has been painful, costly, and even suffocating. Listen to her honest account of how God intervened in what she felt was a dislocated marriage and gifted her with a love redeemed. Listen too, to how He drew husband and wife into a new shared dream responding to the reality of Christian persecution in Pakistan and creating Rapha Ministries to advocate for those who have no voice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 months ago

42 minutes 12 seconds

Cowrie Shells

Lessons in Obstetrics, Leadership and Obedience

Meet Katharine Backhouse – Dr by profession, she is passionate about leading with vulnerability in both medicine and her local church, encouraging women to put Jesus first. A woman with a desire for family as soon as hormones kicked in, listen to her stories where she chose God’s way rather than her own: marrying a husband who was ‘nothing that I thought I wanted and everything that I needed’ and embracing a journey of infertility leading to one beautiful daughter, not the two she’d always envisaged… In every season of womanhood, Katharine’s aim is to prioritise her relationship with God above all others, praying that she does ‘whatever brings Him the most glory’.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9 months ago

49 minutes 42 seconds

Cowrie Shells

The Unexpected Life: PURA Syndrome and the Pursuit of Joy

Meet Nicole Holmwood – South African by birth and a girl who grew up with Jesus, it wasn’t until her early twenties that, in her words, she ‘got grace’. She has since discovered that God’s plans for her don’t always replicate her own but this doesn't negate the joy He offers. As a woman in her thirties she is living the unexpected life; having emigrated to the UK with her husband, she now cares for her ‘threenager’ and older boy who has a very rare neurodiverse condition, PURA Syndrome. Listen to Nicole’s account of life as a full-time carer and parent – yes, it can be challenging, but her honesty, humour and kindness shine through her every word.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9 months ago

1 hour 4 minutes 52 seconds

Cowrie Shells

Exchanging the Occult for Jesus; A Fresh Start

Meet Cindy Redant-du-Preez – Belgian by birth and living in South Africa, as a child it was the feeling she was a misfit that led her to dabble in the occult. Drawn to the supernatural, she continued to resist God’s power as she got married and emigrated. Right up until the point where she became a mother and found herself, in her words, drawn to the local church ‘looking for good morals for her son’. Listen to Cindy’s amazing story of how she met God when she least expected Him and how He gave her so much more than she had bargained for…

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 months ago

36 minutes 50 seconds

Cowrie Shells

Christmas Cowrie Shells

Just like it says on the tin – Christmas Cowrie Shells is a short bonus episode from me, your host, to you, beautiful listeners and women of faith to wish you a very Happy Christmas 2024! Listen in and be encouraged by the way God is active in our lives and has had His fingerprints all over Cowrie Shells podcast right from the outset. Reflect on what He is doing in your life this Christmas season and what adventures lie ahead in 2025.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 months ago

8 minutes 32 seconds

Cowrie Shells

When Closed Doors Open up a God Adventure… and a House Move

Meet Barbara Pymm – having known Jesus for over 50 years, she continues to see life through the lens of adventure! A wife, mum and grandmother, she is also an author, theology student and a woman passionate about pastoring others. Listen to her tales navigating life waves of grief, uncertainty and change – most recently in the face of the amazing story behind God’s instruction that she and her husband leave their home of 30 years and relocate. Not a small feat when you are in your seventies, be inspired by how Barbara’s journey was opened by closed doors and began with a vision of a ship, setting sail confidently into unchartered waters…

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 months ago

58 minutes 23 seconds

Cowrie Shells

Helped, Heard and Hugged

Meet Jess Sennett – a magnet for children and a woman who wants to make every experience count. Listen to her heartfelt cowrie shell stories recounting how, with God in the mix, career disappointment becomes a place of opportunity, and even the chasm of grief at the sudden loss of her dad is somewhere she can be helped, heard and hugged by God and by others… and ultimately, pass that comfort on.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 months ago

36 minutes