The Parenting for Faith podcast

We're thrilled today to be hearing from Matt Varah Wilson of PrayerStorm, an organisation which motivates individuals to develop their prayer 'muscle' and a greater passion for intercessory prayer. Matt is a designer/illustrator by trade, a husband to Beth and a homeschooling Dad of three girls. Lucy asked Matt how we can learn to rely more on God in prayer as tired parents, and how we can encoura...

Karen Allen is Anna's guest today on the podcast, chatting about how we can persevere through our flaws and failings - messing up, but not giving up. Karen is a renowned author, inspirational speaker, preacher, teacher, content creator and transformational leader whose passion and purpose includes the empowerment and development of others. As part of her life's mission she is committed to challeng...

In today's episode, Becky catches up with Justin Brierley to chat about the importance of asking questions, and how to approach our children's big questions about God. Justin is best known for hosting the Unbelievable and Ask N.T. Wright Anything podcasts, the former for 17 years. He is a husband, dad of four, author, speaker...and a big fan of questions! Links: - Find out more about Justin Brierl...

Today's episode sees Anna chatting with Phil Togwell about what it means to spend time with God, and how we can encourage our children in it. Phil is International Director for Prayer Spaces in Schools and the founder of Lectio for Families. Part of the writing team for Lectio 365, Phil is a husband, dad, foster carer and lives in the North East. He has a lot of wisdom and experience to share! Lin...

Welcome to Season 6 of the Parenting for Faith podcast! Over the next twelve weeks, we'll be welcoming some fascinating guests onto the show to discuss what we can learn from our children about our relationship with God. Each week will be loosely based on a different chapter of Anna Hawken's forthcoming book, 'Being God's Child'. In today's episode, Anna chats to single mum of three Toro Olusegun...

In today's season finale, Anna chats to Parenting for Faith colleagues Becky Sedgwick and Kate Irvine, both parents of adult kids, about how we can start to parent for faith even if our children are older when we learn about it. If you’ve found this podcast or other resources helpful, could you donate to support this vital work? You or your church can become a friend of Parenting for Faith by maki...

"I DON'T WANT TO GO TO CHURCH!" How many of us parents have heard that refrain before?! In this episode, Rachel helps us unpack what might be behind this statement in a way which helps us and our children take their next steps towards connecting with God. Parenting for Faith is part of the charity, BRF. We are reliant on donations from individuals and churches to make our resources available to as...

It's easy to become overwhelmed as a parent, spinning multiple plates as we try to keep on top of parenting, work, church involvement and our homes. In this episode, we welcomed author and mum of six Elizabeth El-Mostain to chat to us about how to parent for faith when we feel out of time or capacity. Elizabeth shared down-to-earth tips for making the most of our church families to wrap around us...

This week, we had the privilege of talking with Xanthe Barker, a mum of two who lost her husband Sam to cancer in 2018. Xanthe gives us an insight into the life of a solo parent, a bereaved parent, and what this means for her children's faith journey. Whether you have been bereaved yourself, or want to become a better supporter of those who have, this is an essential listen. Don't forget to share...

Two children's and families ministers with a longstanding relationship with Parenting for Faith, Ruth Morgans and Cathy Bond, share their experience of being married to someone who is at a different point on their faith journey. Whether this is something you live yourself, or you're looking for insights to help you support friends, do give this a listen and share with those in your community. Pare...

Rachel Turner, founder of Parenting for Faith and now senior lecturer at CYM, shares her experience of having cancer as a mum of a young child. Please share this episode with others you know who are struggling with illness as they parent for faith. Rachel's words are encouraging, poignant and helpful for all of us, as we aim to support one another through the hardest times. Parenting for Faith is...

Rae Morfin, Head of Therapeutic Practice at TLG, shares her professional experience and Biblical wisdom on the topic of emotional health. It's an important episode for all of us, as we think about how we can best coach our children through their emotions, helping them grow into healthy, functioning adults. Links: - TLG: https://www.tlg.org.uk/ Parenting for Faith is part of the charity, BRF. We ar...

Suzy Wilson, CMS mission partner in Ethiopia, shares her experience of two different church communities in rural and urban Ethiopia. She chats to Lucy about the lessons she's learned in this 'season of seclusion', and offers wisdom and reassurance for others who may find themselves lacking a conventional church community. Links: - Suzy's blog: https://suzyandchris.wordpress.com/ - Open Doors famil...

Kat Wordsworth, author and founder of popular Instagram account About Doubt, shares her story of doubting faith, and chats to Lucy about how we parent for faith when we're struggling with our own. Links: - follow Kat on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/about_doubt/ - buy Kat's book 'Let's Talk About Doubt' (release date 24.2.23, available to pre-order) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lets-Talk-About-...

Rachel Turner, Lucy Rycroft and Rhianne O'Rourke share about how we can parent our children and teens for faith when we (or our spouses) are involved in the unique parenting context of church leadership. The conversation will also be helpful to those of us who aren't church leaders, as we support those who are. Links: - Parenting as a Church Leader online training day: brfonline.org.uk/collections...

Cavan Wood, author and autism dad, shares how we can help children and teens on the autistic spectrum to connect with God and engage with church. We also chat about how we, as parents and carers, can build a support network. Links: - Lunch with Leaders 18 Jan parentingforfaith.brf.org.uk/upcoming-events/#facebooklive - 'Entertaining Angels' by Cavan Wood https://www.eden.co.uk/christian-books/fami...

Happy New Year! This is the start of our new season. We all want our kids and teens to meet and know God but WHAT IF....? This season we'll be answering your questions about what God connection looks like for all sorts of different kids, families and contexts, whatever your 'WHAT IF...?' Rae Morfin from TLG shares how we can help children and teens who have had challenging life experiences to meet...

This is our second Q&A episode with Rachel Turner and the last episode of this season. She answers questions including: - how we can talk to our children about adults close to them who don't have faith and their different choices - what to do if our kids find God boring - how to handle kids with a lot of questions Four simple steps to answering any question your kids asks - parentingforfaith.org/p...

This is our first Q&A episode with Rachel Turner. She answers questions including: - should we prioritise church on a Sunday morning? - how can we encourage our kids to have a faith without forcing them - how to do Sabbath as a family, and - how significant friendships are with church friends? Free Advent downloadable - parentingforfaith.org/post/growing-gratitude-in-our-kids/ The Original Parenti...

This week, we chat to Lizzie Laferton all about how we can help our kids connect with God over Christmas. She also tells us about her new family devotional, The God of Amazing Gifts. The God of Amazing Gifts - https://www.eden.co.uk/christian-books/christmas-and-advent-books/advent-books/advent-devotionals/the-god-of-amazing-gifts/ Parenting for Faith is part of the charity, BRF. We are reliant on...

In this week's episode, Anna chats to Duncan Reid from Raise Up Faith all about media and our kid's digital diet. Raise Up Faith - https://www.raiseupfaith.com/ Parenting for Faith is part of the charity, BRF. We are reliant on donations from individuals and churches to make our resources available to as many people as possible. If you’ve found this podcast or other resources helpful, could you do...

Becky talks to Ed Drew from Faith in Kids all about engaging kids with the Bible. The Adventure of Christmas - https://www.eden.co.uk/christian-books/christmas-and-advent-books/advent-books/advent-devotionals/the-adventure-of-christmas/ Parenting Teens for a Life of Faith - https://www.parentingforfaith.brf.org.uk/resource/parenting-teens-for-a-life-of-faith-the-book/ Parenting for Faith is part o...

We chatted to Rachel Turner, the founder of Parenting for Faith, all about puberty and growing up. She shared how we can have conversations with our kid about puberty, how we can create opportunities for our kids to ask us questions and much more. Parenting Teens for a Life of Faith - https://www.parentingforfaith.brf.org.uk/resource/parenting-teens-for-a-life-of-faith-the-book/ Parenting for Fait...

This episode, Becky chats to Richard Shorter, also known as the non-perfect dad. They talk all about success and failure in sport and how we can equip our kids well for that. Parenting Teens for a Life of Faith book -https://www.brfonline.org.uk/collections/parenting/products/parenting-teens-for-a-life-of-faith-helping-teens-meet-and-know-god The non-perfect dad - https://non-perfectdad.co.uk/ Par...

Anna chats to Katharine Hill from Care for the Family all about building our kids' and teens' emotional wellbeing as well as sharing about her new book 'A Mind of their Own'. - Halloween resources - parentingforfaith.org./topics/halloween/ - A Mind of their own tour - careforthefamily.org.uk/events/tourevents/a-mind-of-their-own/ - A Mind of their own book - careforthefamily.org.uk/product/a-mind-...