Gospel Matrescence

What if some of the most important moments in your family are the ones that don’t feel fun at all in the moment? In this episode, we explore the powerful idea of “Type 2 Fun” — experiences that are difficult while they’re happening but become deeply meaningful and memorable afterward — and how these moments help build antifragile kids who grow stronger through challenge rather than weaker from dis...

Hypocrite : a person whose behavior contradicts their stated beliefs, feelings, or expectations of others.   Do you ever feel like you are surrounded by little hypocrites?  Or maybe big hypocrites?  Do you ever find yourself acting like a hypocrite and need to correct yourself?  In this episode, Andie looks to Jesus' response to Simon (a major hypocrite!) in Luke 7.  What can we learn from Hi...

Do you ever wonder if your needs as a mama actually matter?  Do you often feel as though you are responsible for other's legetimate needs, but no one is actually concerned about your own legitimate needs?  Then this episode is for you!   Mamas have many legitimate needs:  rest, good food, exercise, time with the Lord, connection with others, time in nature, etc. Seeking to get our needs met i...

In this episode, Andie summarizes the second half of "The Collapse of Parenting" by taking a deeper look into the formation of virtue and reason in a child's heart and mind.  In his book, Sax argues that for thousands of years, parents knew that virtue must be formed through habit in the heart of a child, long before the child has the capacity of reason.  However, in modernparenting...

This episode is a throwback from last year, where we looked into the history and origins of the Christmas celebrations and answer the question, does Christmas have pagan roots? Listen again to brush up on the history of Christmas and enjoy the free gift below! __________________________________________ As Christmas approaches, as believers, it is important that we understand the meaning and origin...

In this episode, Andie gives an overview of the first half of the book, The Collapse of Parenting by Leonard Sax. If you want to get a bird's-eye view of how parenting has changed in the last 40 years and how it has impacted our view of development, virtue formation, and mental health for children and adolescence, consider reading this book!  

Colossians 3 gives some really practical advise to us as parents.  In verses 12-21, we are charged to live as those alive in Christ, and we are warned not to 'provoke' our children.  In this episode, Andie digs into the concept of provoking our children and explores eight very specific ways we tend to discourage our children.  Listed below are the eight ways, spend some time self-evaluat...

Imagine those everyday moments when motherhood feels like juggling glass balls—getting kids out the door, managing emotions (theirs and yours), and trying to stay one step ahead of the day. What we often don’t realize is that behind every one of those moments are the executive function skills —the brain’s mental muscles that help us plan, focus, regulate, and follow through. In this episode, we’re...

In Scattered Minds: The Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder , physician Gabor Maté offers a compassionate, in-depth exploration of ADHD—not as a genetic defect or fixed disorder, but as a developmental response to stress, disconnection, and unmet emotional needs in early childhood. Drawing on both neuroscience and personal experience (he himself has ADHD), Maté argues that the condit...

Today, Andie builds on the previous two episodes about the two types of bonding.  She defines accountability bonding and discusses reasons modern parents are afraid to engage in this type of bonding.  She discusses the benefits that children experience when a wise parent provides this type of steady leadership for children and the malfunctions that occur when they do not receive it.  

In this episode, Andie further explains the two types of bonding (oxytocin bonding and vasopressin bonding) and how they can be applied to our relationship with our children.  

Every thoughtful parent deeply desires to bond in a healthy way with their children and spouse.  We all know that building connected relationships is a vital part of a strong family.  Did you know that there are two distinct bonding systems that God created within each of us? These are oxytocin bonding and vasopressin bonding.  In this episode, Andie defines each of these systems and explains how...

Do you have a confident practice of bringing God's Word to your children regularly?  Do you struggle to know the 'right way' to expose them to the life-giving truths found in Scripture?   In this episode, Andie interviews Lauran Fee from ChildrensFeast.com on the topic of family devotions and how to offer a feast from God's Word to the children under our care.  They share ideas...

“Probably, he will reject nine-tenths of the ideas we offer… Our business is to supply him with due abundance and variety, and his to take what he needs.” -Charlotte Mason  If you’re a mom like me, you’ve probably felt the sting of watching your child disregard your carefully chosen wisdom, your heart-felt encouragements, your earnest attempts to shape their character or tell them an interesting f...

Did you know that worship in the Bible was never meant to be passive but rather physical, communal, rhythmic, and healing?  In this episode, Andie looks at the scientific benefits of community and worship as it relates to the neuroscience of healing trauma and resetting the nervous system, especially in children.   What if the church, and our families, reclaimed worship as a mental health, healing...

Are you ready for all the extra time summer brings?  Do you have a plan to scroll less and read more for yourself and your kids?   Did you know reading might be the missing tool in the development of your family culture and the formation of your character?  Reading does these five things for us and our children: Forms a moral imagination Teaches empathy & awakens affection Provides an antidote...

This episode is part four in a series wrestling with this concept and learning how our reactions to our children growing through these phases can speed up or slow down their path to adulthood!   Andie discusses the tools that are appropriate to use in each stage, as well as the "God's Tools vs. Man's Tools" chart found linked below.   These five stages are: Enmeshment - The chi...

Building on the concepts presented in the last episode, we will take a deeper look at the last two phases (Individuation & Cooperation) of growth to adulthood.  We will look at both healthy responses and unhealthy responses of both parents and siblings when a child follows this natural progression to maturity.  

Building on the concepts presented in the last episode, we will take a deeper look into the first three phases (Enmeshment, Socialization, & Separation) of growth to adulthood.  We will look at both healthy responses and unhealthy responses of both parents and siblings when a child follows this natural progression to maturity.  

Learning to adjust parenting strategies and expectations according to our children's stages of growth can be one of the most challenging aspects of parenting.  In this episode, Andie introduces the five stages of growth from infancy to adulthood. These five stages are: Enmeshment - The child's identity, beliefs,  and emotional experiences are interconnected and enmeshed with their family...

In this episode, Andie discusses the trending show on Netflix called Adolescence.  She gives an overview of the show and pulls out four distinct crises that we are facing today in relation to the welfare of our teenagers.  She leaves you with a challenge to evaluate your life in these four areas and ask the Holy Spirit what adjustments might be needed in your home to provide the strong leadership...

Does the job of motherhood often feel like more than you are capable of doing yourself?  That is because it is!  An "allomother" refers to an individual, other than the biological mother, who performs maternal caregiving or provisioning for children. An allomother is a non-maternal caregiver who invests in children through nurturing, discipleship,  or provisioning.  In this episode, we l...

Gospel Matrescence is hosting our first-ever in-person Spring Retreat on April 4-6, 2025!  The theme will be "Tending Your Own Garden".  As mothers, we are deeply concerned about the garden of our children's souls but we often neglect our own garden.  Join us for three days at a home near the Denver area for a weekend of fellowship, worship, rest, encouragement, recreation, watercol...

A diminishing tendency is an accidental or purposeful propensity to avoid deeply seeing the heart motivation or needs of another person due to your own ignorance, assumptions, or offenses.  In this episode, we define these and do some soul-searching to see if these are affecting our connection to those we love most.   This concept is laid out in the book, How to Know a Person by David Brooks. List...

The episode concludes the four-part series on the Rupture & Repair Cycle by looking at four case studies that will help you visualize how the Clearning Model (one aspect of the Rupture & Repair Cycle) looks in various situations. Listen along and see if you resonate with any of these four case studies.  As you follow along, invite the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to how you can use these...