Fortitude Ministries

09/02/2026

There is something about watching your son stand on the edge of adulthood that changes the way you look at motherhood.

My son is 18, and soon he’ll be leaving home and heading into the Air Force.

And if I’m being honest, there is a part of this mama’s heart that would love to go ahead of him and make sure the road is easy.

But I can’t.

And I’m realizing more and more that I was never supposed to.

Our job isn’t to prepare the road for our sons.
It’s to prepare our sons for the road.

To teach them who they are.

To help them know what they believe and WHY they believe it.

To have the hard conversations while they’re still sitting at our table.

To teach them how to make wise decisions when we’re not there to make them for them.

To point them back to Jesus again and again, so when the world gets loud, they know which voice to listen to.

Because eventually, we have to let them go.

And I don’t want my son to need me to clear every obstacle from his path.

I want him to know how to walk through whatever is ahead with courage, wisdom, conviction, and a faith that is truly his own.

Maybe that’s one of the hardest and most beautiful parts of motherhood.

We spend years holding their hands… so one day we’ll have the courage to release them into God’s.

Boy moms, I know I’m not the only one feeling this.

Save this one for the days when you want to clear the road for him instead of trusting the man you’re helping him become.

And send this to a mama who needs the reminder that preparing him, praying for him, and pointing him toward Jesus is some of the most important work she’ll ever do.

08/29/2026

IT’S HAPPENING!!! 🙌

After everything we experienced together last year, I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am to finally share this.

SAVE THE DATE!

NOVEMBER 14 | MOTHER + DAUGHTER
NOVEMBER 15 | MOTHER + SON
AGES 12+

CHOOSE CHRIST OVER CULTURE

This isn’t just another event to bring your kids to.

This is an opportunity to come WITH them.

To step away from the noise and distractions of everyday life and intentionally spend time together.

To have conversations that matter.

To strengthen your relationship.

To laugh, learn, worship, eat together, and create memories.

And most importantly, to remind our kids where their identity, truth, and foundation are found as they grow up in a culture constantly trying to tell them otherwise.

If you were with us last year, you KNOW how special this is.

And this year… we’re going even deeper.

Moms, grandmas, guardians, mentors… start thinking about the young person 12 or older you want sitting beside you.

November 14 + 15. Save the date.

More details and registration are coming SOON!

Who’s coming?! 🙌

And don’t keep this one to yourself! Tag the moms, daughters, sons, friends, and women in your circle who need to save these dates too. Let’s fill the room with families choosing to grow stronger together and choose Christ over culture. Heather Kittelson

08/27/2026

Some people leave a mark on your life that you simply never forget.

It’s taken me a few days to even put this together because, honestly, I’ve struggled to put into words what Tim meant to us.

Our hearts are incredibly heavy as we grieve the loss of our dear friend, Tim Schut.

In 2021, Tim was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Apraxia of Speech (PPAOS), a rare neurodegenerative syndrome that would slowly rob him of what he called his superpower: his speech.

And yet, Tim chose to use his voice while he had it.

Tim holds such a special place in the story of Fortitude. He was the very first guest we ever welcomed onto the Fortitude Podcast. He sat down with us and openly shared about his diagnosis, his incredible love for Jen and his family, and his desire to spend the time he had making memories with the people he loved most.

I don’t think we could have fully understood then just how precious that conversation would become.

What an honor it was to know him.

What an honor it was to love him.

And what an incredible gift it is that his voice, his story, and his perspective on what truly matters were captured in that very first conversation.

To Jen and the entire Schut family, our hearts are with you. There simply aren’t words big enough for a loss like this. We are praying for you and for every person who knew and loved Tim and is feeling the weight of his absence.

Tim, thank you for trusting Fortitude with your story from the very beginning. Thank you for reminding all of us to make the memories, love our people well, and never take the time we’ve been given for granted.

You will be deeply missed and never forgotten.

If you didn’t have the opportunity to know Tim or would like to hear his story again, I encourage you to go back and listen to Episode 2 of the Fortitude Podcast. Hearing his voice and his heart feels like an especially precious gift today.

08/21/2026

We are honored to be a part of the 437 Project!!
Thank you Dan Hermanson and Scheels 🙌

A huge thank you to these sponsors for supporting The 437 Project as our Performance Shoe and Lifestyle Shoe Sponsors! 👟

Their generous support helps provide the high-performance running shoes that will power our project runners through every mile, supporting durability, speed, and consistency throughout the journey. Their sponsorship also provides everyday footwear for those off-route moments—representing comfort, recovery, and the life lived between the miles.

We’re incredibly grateful for these sponsors and their commitment to supporting The 437 Project. Thank you for helping us go the distance, every step of the way!

08/05/2026

“Kinda chic” has been making the rounds, so I thought I’d put a Fortitude spin on it.

Here are a few things we’re choosing to build our lives around:

• Opening our Bible before our phone.
• Choosing our spouse again and again.
• Putting the phone down and making memories.
• Breaking the cycles that were handed to us.
• Choosing presence over productivity.

None of these are about perfection.

They’re daily decisions. Small choices that, over time, shape our marriages, our families, and the legacy we leave behind.

Maybe they aren’t the most popular choices.

But we believe they’re worth making.

What is a “ controversial take” that you are living by right now??

07/31/2026

You may have noticed… the podcast has been a little quiet this summer.

That wasn’t by accident.

Amos and I made the decision to slow down and be fully present with our family, especially knowing this is our last summer with Jacob before he leaves.

And honestly… we wouldn’t change a thing.

We’ve laughed more, played more, and simply enjoyed being together. It’s been a beautiful reminder that sometimes the most important ministry is the one happening right inside our own home.

But…

We miss you.

We miss the conversations, the stories, and sharing what God is teaching us.

The microphones are about to be back on, and before we hit record, we want to hear from YOU!

What topics would you love for us to talk about?

Is there someone you’d love to hear us interview?

What conversations do you wish more people were having about faith, marriage, parenting, healing, or everyday life?

And if you’ve been missing the podcast as much as we’ve missed recording it, this is your sign to go back and listen to a few of our favorites:
🎙 Episode 28
🎙 Episode 42
🎙 Episode 68

Then come back and tell us… what would you love to hear next?

We can’t wait to be back behind the microphones with you. ❤️

07/27/2026

We are incredibly honored to share this with you…

This September, the 437 Project will once again cross the state of South Dakota to bring awareness to mental health and su***de prevention.

And this year, Fortitude Ministries has the incredible honor of being one of the organizations represented.

When my dear friend, Dan Hermanson, called and told me he wanted to run on behalf of Fortitude and Amos’ story, I was overwhelmed with gratitude.

Mental health and su***de prevention are deeply personal to our family. We know the pain these battles can bring, but we also know the hope, healing, and redemption that are possible through Jesus.

Dan, thank you for choosing to carry our story across South Dakota. Your willingness to run for a cause bigger than yourself means more than words can express.

As September gets closer, we’ll be sharing more about the 437 Project, introducing you to the incredible runners, and inviting you to follow their journey.

If you’d like to learn more about the 437 Project, support their mission, or make a donation, we’ve included the links below. Every mile they run starts conversations that can save lives, and every gift helps continue that mission.

Let’s rally behind these runners, pray for every step they take, and continue reminding people that hope is always worth fighting for. ❤️

https://www.instagram.com/the437project

www.the437project.org

***deawarenessprevention

07/24/2026

If you won the retreat package at the Women’s Regional Faith Summit please reach out!