The Strong Women Podcast

Step into the enchanted world of the 12th-century nun Hildegard von Bingen. This multi-talented woman was a musician, playwright, abbess, and visionary (tune in to find out what that means!). Dr. Jessica Hooten Wilson returns to explore how Hildegard’s life and work can shape our spiritual imagination and invite us to know God and participate in His world more fully.  The Identity Project  Breakpoint  The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis  Heavenly Participation by Hans Boersma  Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers   Lent is a time to reflect on our need for salvation, repent of our sins, and prepare to celebrate Christ’s resurrection with deep gratitude. Our team has created a free guide with weekly hymns, prayers, and artwork to help prepare your heart for Easter. Join the Strong Women community and download your free copy today at colsoncenter.org/lent.   Summit Ministries’ 12-day Student Conferences are for young adults who refuse to settle. It’s for those ready to take risks, ask big questions, and push past what’s comfortable. There, you’ll find friends who understand and mentors who will help you discover what it truly means to live with purpose. Register for Student Conferences using code STRONG25 for $200 off. Go to summit.org/promotions/strong women.   The Church Affiliate program brings the Colson Fellows Program to your local church. Pastors and church leaders can go through the Colson Fellows Program for free, so they are able to launch a Church Affiliate cohort and bring worldview training to their church members. For more details, visit colsoncenter.org/church.  The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center, which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them. Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly journal: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women  Join Strong Women on social media:   https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC  https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/  https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/  https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc 

Lent is a time for reflection and reorientation toward Jesus. Good music can help us with both of these things. Today I get to talk with singer-songwriter Sandra McCracken about the practice of Lent and how hymns can help us face our humanity and bring it all to Jesus.   The Maker of the Mountain: A Story About What God is Like by Sandra McCracken and Tim Nicholson  Summit Ministries' 12-day Student Conferences are for young adults who refuse to settle. It’s for those ready to take risks, ask big questions, and push past what’s comfortable. There, you’ll find friends who understand and mentors who will help you discover what it truly means to live with purpose. Register for Student Conferences using code STRONG25 for $200 off. Go to summit.org/promotions/strong women. The Colson Center will be in Greenville, South Carolina on Thursday, April 3rd for its next Breakpoint Forum Live! My husband John Stonestreet will be speaking, along with Dr. Katie McCoy and Dr. Andrew Walker. The topic for the evening is, “A New Sexual Revolution: Living as Image Bearers, Male and Female.” Our culture today is confused about what it means to be male and female because it’s lost sight of what men and women are for. God’s Word tells us that God created men and women to bear His own image in the world. Join us for this event to learn how to recover a Christian vision for living as embodied, male and female image bearers of God before a watching world. This is a free event, but spaces are limited. Secure your spot by registering today at  colsoncenter.org/greenville.   The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly journal: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women    Join Strong Women on Social Media:   https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC  https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/  https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/  https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc     

Join me for a very musical episode with priest, musician, and songwriter Josh Bales! Josh and I explore how Lent helps us reckon with our brokenness. Tune in for a deep conversation on the beauty of liturgy and the deep hymns that can shape our worship during this season. Plus, Josh brings his guitar and breaks into song throughout the conversation!    Josh Bales: The story behind the album art for “Come Away From Rush and Hurry”     As of this month, the Identity Project is available for free! That’s right, over 200 videos from Christian experts on identity, sexuality, marriage, and more are available to you for free. We believe this platform is needed now more than ever, because our culture is so confused about identity, and that confusion is shaping the people we’re called to love and disciple. The Identity Project addresses important cultural questions about identity, relationships, and human flourishing from a distinctly Christian worldview, so you can be equipped to point those around you to a solid, biblical identity. The Identity Project features subject-matter experts like Laura Perry Smalts, Mark Regnerus, Katie McCoy, and more. So, join the Identity Project in this new chapter by exploring the platform and sharing it with others. Make your free account today at identityproject.tv.   Lent is a time to reflect on our need for salvation, repent of our sins, and prepare to celebrate Chirst's resurection with a deep gratitude. Our team has created a free guide with weekly hymns, prayers, and artwork to help prepare your heart for Easter. Join the Strong Women community and download your free copy today at colsoncenter.org/lent.   The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly journal: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women    Join Strong Women on Social Media:   https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC  https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/  https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/  https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc 

The season of Lent begins today, and you may be wondering, “What is Lent and why does it matter?” I’m answering your questions about Lent this week with my colleague Maggie, including: What’s the purpose of fasting and how can I practice it? How can I observe Lent non-legalistically? What’s the significance of Ash Wednesday? ... and more! Whether you’ve observed Lent before or not, I think you’ll find this discussion insightful!  The Songs of Lent  Knowing God by J. I. Packer   Strong Women Podcast Facebook Group    Lent is a time to reflect on our need for salvation, repent of our sins, and prepare to celebrate Chirst's resurection with a deep gratitude. Our team has created a free guide with weekly hymns, prayers, and artwork to help prepare your heart for Easter. Join the Strong Women community and download your free copy today at colsoncenter.org/lent.   The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly journal: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women    Join Strong Women on Social Media:   https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC  https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/  https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/  https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc 

Have you ever heard of a “sandwich season”? That's what Kimberly Hudson calls the season of caring for adult children and aging parents at the same time. Through unpredictable days and changing family dynamics, the Lord has taught Kimberly the beauty of trusting Him with her family. Her gentle wisdom reminds us to be grateful for what’s right in front of us and lean on God as family relationships evolve.   Work is one of the biggest ways we reflect and worship God. Many people have forgotten the value of work, and feel a sense of meaninglessness. This month, we will send you the book Full Time: Work and the Meaning of Life by David Bahnsen for a gift if any amount to the Colson Center. This book provides a biblical understanding of work, and why it is so meaningful. Go to colsoncenter.org/swfebruary to receive your copy. The Strong Women podcast exists to display the beautifully diverse ways God invites and equips women to participate in His story. Strong Women is a listener-funded program from the Colson Center that is only available for free because it has already been paid for by hundreds of listeners like you. To join the community of women who make this program possible, visit colsoncenter.org/swmonthly today.  The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center, which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/    Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly book list: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women   Join Strong Women on Social Media:    https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC   https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/   https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/

Quina Aragon is a spoken word poet who knows what it means to wrestle honestly with God and “pour out her troubles before him.” Through her journey with chronic illness, she has embraced the practice of lament in her prayers and poems. Along the way, she has learned that God brings beauty from the ashes of our pain, suffering, and questions. Tune in to hear her story and hear her perform one of her poems!  Love Has a Story: 100 Meditations on the Enduring Love of God by Quina Aragon  Prophetic Lament: A Call for Justice in Troubled Times by Soong-Chan Rah  “To All the Poets” by Andrew Peterson  The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan Work is one of the biggest ways we reflect and worship God. Many people have forgotten the value of work, and feel a sense of meaninglessness. This month, we will send you the book Full Time: Work and the Meaning of Life by David Bahnsen for a gift if any amount to the Colson Center. This book provides a biblical understanding of work, and why it is so meaningful. Go to colsoncenter.org/swfebruary to receive your copy. The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly journal: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women  Join Strong Women on Social Media:   https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC  https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/  https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/  https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc 

I’m answering your questions this week in a special Q&A episode! My friend and colleague Maggie is back to host with me. We talk about things like developing a consistent prayer habit, parenting teens, caring for aging parents, church traditions, and more.     The Book of Common Prayer  Colson Center National Conference: https://colsoncenter.org/  Dancing with Max by Emily Colson    Applications are now open for the 2025-2026 Colson Fellows Program! Participants take a nine-month deep dive into Christian worldview and learn how God’s story of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration explain the world better than any alternative can. They study how the gospel is not simply a matter of eternal destination, but a way of life. You can request more information about the Colson Fellows Program today at colsonfellows.org.     The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly journal: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women    Join Strong Women on Social Media:   https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC  https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/  https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/  https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc   

Jessika Sanders returns to share her journey from radical independence and people-pleasing to experiencing God’s grace at her lowest point. Her path led her from New York to Turkey, where a turbulent cross-cultural marriage brought her to rock bottom, and to an unexpected encounter with God. Her story highlights the profound difference between religious legalism and a living, grace-based relationship with God.    Praying Through Ministries In His Hands: Prayers for Your Child or Baby in a Medical Crisis by Jessika Sanders and Eric Schumacher Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work or Watch or Weep by Tish Harrison Warren The Watchmaker's Daughter: The True Story of World War II Heroine Corrie ten Boom by Larry Loftis   The Strong Women podcast exists to display the beautifully diverse ways God invites and equips women to participate in His story. Strong Women is a listener-funded program from the Colson Center that is only available for free because it has already been paid for by hundreds of listeners like you. To join the community of women who make this program possible, visit colsoncenter.org/swmonthly today.     The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly journal: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women    Join Strong Women on Social Media:   https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC  https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/  https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/  https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc 

Being a stay-at-home mom is not a demotion—it’s a career shift. Sherri Seligson knows what it’s like to trade a dream job for the privilege of staying home to raise her kids full-time. Her story reminds us that it’s the small habits and “little obediences” of everyday life that shape us into who we will become one day. Whether you’re a mom or not, I think this conversation will encourage you that your unseen acts of faithfulness are eternally significant.    Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery  Anne’s House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery  Wonders of the Ocean Realm by Tricia Goyer and Sherri Seligson   Four Views on Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design by Ken Ham, Hugh Ross, Deborah Haarsma, and Stephen C. Meyer  How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens by Benedict Carey  Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri     Register for the Colson Center National Conference by January 31 to get a discount by going to colsonconference.org.   The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly journal: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women    Join Strong Women on Social Media:   https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC  https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/  https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/  https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc 

Are we quick to view children as a blessing, or an inconvenience? Today I get to talk with lawyer Erin Hawley, who was part of the legal team that helped bring an end to Roe v. Wade. She shares her perspective as a Christian, mom, and lawyer, reminding us that even in our radically pro-abortion culture, the Church can be a world-changing force for life like it was in the days of the early Church.    Alliance Defending Freedom  Parenting Teens with Love and Logic: Preparing Adolescents for Responsible Adulthood by Jim Fay and Foster Cline    Register for the upcoming Breakpoint Forum: A New Sexual Revolution at colsoncenter.org/phoenix.   The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly journal: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women    Join Strong Women on Social Media:   https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC  https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/  https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/  https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc