Hole in My Heart Podcast

Eh, boy. Here we go again! Getting vulnerable. ​As a follow-up to the now infamous (and most listened-to) Episode 24: Is There Hope for Us? , Matt and I [Laurie] give an update on our marriage's healing journey. We get really real. We pray you are only blessed by it. We also talk men's and women's ministries/conferences/retreats and the gifts and drawbacks of them, and I do a HILARIOUS round of Mo...

Who comes to your mind when you think about mentors or disciple-makers? Who comes to mind when you think about sexual discipleship? Anybody? Whether or not we realize it, we are discipled by the world. We learn the significance of sex, its importance (or lack thereof), and how to approach it by the world. We need another way. Our friend and co-laborer in the Kingdom, Dr. Juli Slattery , author, sp...

Friends: If you haven't ever listened to our podcast, start here! We have a special guest, Bill Henson , who is a spirit-filled well of wisdom. If you are a parent of an LGBT+ child, a Christian leader who wants to be more inclusive (while still holding to a historically Christian view), identify as LGBT+, or simply care about LGBT+ people, this one is for you. In addition to talking about walking...

It sends terror through all parents: How do we talk with the kids about sexuality? Yikes. How do we? We bring our first returning guest, Dr. Branson Parler , Professor of Theological Studies at Kuyper College, and Director of Faith Formation at Fourth Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, MI, to talk about it with us. In addition to his theological cred, he brings real-life walking with his five kids,...

If women make up 1 out of every 3 visits to pornographic sites, if 17% of women consider themselves addicted to porn, and if half of women in a recent German sex study admit to watching porn, why don't we talk about it? Why are there so few resources? We talk about it with Amy Riordan, author, speaker, and writer for Covenant Eyes. Additionally, we explore the questions: If we are a woman who wres...

Youth leaders, this one is for you. We talk with our guest and New York City youth pastor, Ray Low, about his journey with sexuality and how his youth pastor walked with him well. We also talk a lot about what it is like to be a double minority as an Asian American and a sexual minority. This was an important conversation we were honored to have.   //: Highlights: "[At church] I saw a different ki...

We laughed a lot on this one. We cracked up, and went to deep heart places with Nate Collins, special guest, author , and president and founder of the Revoice Conference . We chatted about starstruck moments (who almost got taken down by Francis Chan's security team, hmmm, LAURIE?!), vulnerability, and giving the historically Christian LGBT+ conversation a new voice.   //: Highlights: "The way the...

So...shocker: Parenting is hard. Also, life is hard. Today, we follow up with the brutally honest " Episode 24: Is There Hope for Us? " as well as discuss how we, as bleeding-heart parents, can be on mission (to make disciples) with our kids without hurting their hearts...   //: Do the Next Thing: Laurie's post: The Day I Became Wonder Woman Psychology Today: 10 Reasons Why Today's Teenagers Are S...

We have another guest! Dr. Branson Parler! To go with his movie star name and phD, Branson is FULL OF WISDOM! This was one of those conversations where Producer Steve, Matt, and I looked at each other while recording with our jaws dropped. ​He answered a lot of questions we had about the relationship between sexuality, married people, single people, and the Church.   //: Highlights: "Paul can say,...

How can you be a helpful friend to someone in pain? How can you be a helpful person in pain to your friends? How does co-dependency relate to this? We talk about it on the podcast with a guest, Tammy Perlmattur! Tammy Perlmutter is founder and curator of The Mudroom, a collaborative blog encouraging women to speak truth, love hard, and enter in with each other, and co-founder of Deeply Rooted, a b...

"Love... does not demand its own way" (1 Corinthians 13:5). This... this one is gritty. And beautiful. And sounds like two people pursuing God and each other in the midst of pain. It sounds a lot like real life. Today, on our nine-year anniversary, Matt and I open up about the last year-and-a-half of walking through the effects of trauma with a person. May it only bless you.   //: Do the Next Thin...

We talk birthday, which childhood movie traumatized you, and what have you said to friends when they say they can't "feel" and/or hear God's voice? Here's good ol' Francis laying it down per usual: “I hear people complain that they don’t feel Jesus with them, they don’t experience the Holy Spirit. I usually ask them: Are you busy making disciples? ...​ If I want to find my friend Andrew, I can usu...

​Matt, Producer Steve, and I (Laurie) have a guest! We asked last week for feedback on this marriage book and conversation from single people, and my friend Joie VanHolstein answered the call! We chat about how we have seen Jesus romance us lately, and which game show (or reality show) we would unquestionably win (and which we would undoubtedly fail). The Heart of the Matter focuses on fighting th...

Matt Krieg, Producer Steve and I (Laurie) chat about chapter two of Francis and Lisa Chan's book "You and Me Forever." Per usual, deep and silly conversations ensue including: What's up with drivers in California and in the Midwest? {and} What would our marriages look like IRL if the gospel was on display in them?   //: Podcast Extra: I refer to " Sacred Marriage " by Gary Thomas, and this podcast...

Do people in mixed-orientation marriages have a different Bible they live by? Do they have a different set of marital guidelines? In a word: No. We don't. It only seems that way because we--married and single--have been missing the point not only of married life but of LIFE. Life isn't about us. Is isn't about our happiness. It isn't about communication. It isn't about more dates. It isn't about f...

We go a bit off the rails with this one. Matt, Steve, and I (Laurie) talk about our best Christmas presents ever, and then we devolve...yet again...into angst/joy about Trans-Siberian Orchestra. If you've never listened to us, this is a great start to see if you like us. Merry Christmas!   //: Do the Next Thing: For More  

If you choose a life of vulnerability, you choose a life of continuously coming out--no matter your story, no matter your vulnerable places, no matter your struggle. ​ You are always coming out into authenticity. Today, I (Laurie) share one of the first times I came out to a friend. And this is cool: This friend, Amber McClurg, is on the show! Hear Amber and I talk about that first (quite awkward)...

Are you a leader? (Is everyone a leader?) Do you ever feel lonely as a leader? Why is that? What can we do about it? We talk about loneliness on the podcast today as well as big changes that are happening at HIMH (no Matt??!), people who like the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (ew), and visit Gory Island as opposed to Goofball Island to brag about how we got our childhood scars. (Thanks for carrying me...

Let's talk temptation! Often, temptation is viewed as the line before falling into sin. But is there another way to look at temptation that is not so laden in shame and fear? Things we also discussed were Matt's silent retreat (where Laurie didn't respect his silent boundaries!), what do we hope for the new year, and best dates ever.   //: Helpful Bonus: “Temptation comes from our own desires, whi...

It's easy to look around the world and become discouraged. The polarities on any conversation can make a person either want to stand up and scream or dig their heads in the sand and hide.  Is there any gift to choosing neither option? Is there another way to weather the storm of extremes? Matthew Krieg is gone this week but Matthew Tuininga is here as a special guest! He is a professor of moral th...

Happy Thanksgiving to you all in the U.S! We are so thankful for YOU, our listeners! We wish we could spend time hearing what all of you are thankful for around a giant thanksgiving table. Perhaps that's our longing for heaven talking...   //: Do the Next Thing: For More  

Sometimes, Millennials can look at the Christians before them and judge those who have believed a gospel of, "If I pursue God, I will have a lot of money and never get sick." However, Millennials can have their own version of a "health and wealth gospel" in the way we believe, "If I pursue God, I will be happy." But is this true? With SPECIAL GUEST Greg Coles (author of ' Single Gay Christian ') w...

How can we as the Church look more like the Church? It starts with looking at what we have misperceived to be the ultimate connector for too long: sex. We need to confess our idolatry of sex, and lean into relationships in a new way. The crew also discussed worst dates and Christmas favorites. (Hallmark movies? Yay? Nay?)   //: Do the Next Thing: For More  

How can we cultivate intimacy in marriage when we're in a tough season? But wait! This track is not just for married folk. People who are in relationships of any nature will benefit from practical ways to lean into relationships when they are not easy. Also discussed are things to bring on a desert island (hint: bag o' books) and swallowing the first five sentences you want to say when someone tri...

Laurie's "Spiritual Dumbledore" is in the house! Often when Laurie speaks she talks about her mentor/counselor, Carolyn Schroeder. Carolyn was instrumental in Laurie's decision to follow Christ no matter what. Matt, Laurie, Producer Steve, and Carolyn talk Heart to Heart Prayer, how to find your own spiritual Dumbledore (AKA...a good counselor or mentor), and discuss what they wish they hadn't qui...