The Parenting for Faith podcast

Sometimes it's tricky to translate the stories of the Bible to what they mean for us today. We were sent in an excellent question about women in the Bible and how to identify with them when the culture seems so different, so Rachel digs into this. She references a piece we did on awkward Biblical love stories, which you can find at parentingforfaith.org/post/awkward-biblical-love-stories Our question today comes from an emotionally, spiritually and physically exhausted parent (can we get an amen?) who'd like some help in how to help her kids grow spiritually when she feels she has so little to give. In our family section, Anna shares about a couple of family devotionals that she likes and some ideas of how to use them so that they feed and resource your family but without being the focus of the discipleship.She mentions Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing by Sally Lloyd-Jones (sallylloyd-jones.com/books/thoughts-heart-sing/)and Indescribable by Louie Giglio (https://passionresources.com/products/louie-giglio-indescribable-childrens-devotional). We'll be making a poll for the final question - if you had to marry someone from the Bible, who would it be? Look out for it and add your answer!

We had a brilliant question sent in from a parent who really dislikes a character trait in their child... that they happen to share. We are willing to bet they are not the only one, so explore some ways to approach this. We've had a variety of questions about how to talk to kids and teens about George Floyd's funeral and wider issues of race and injustice. Rachel shares some thoughts here and we have loads more at parentingforfaith.org/post/injustice In our final section, Anna interviews Mike Palin from the 2:67 project about how we can be supporting the teenagers in our families and our churches during lockdown.

We are answering your questions about parenting for faith in lockdown from our recent Facebook Live event. Find out about upcoming Facebook Lives by following us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or via our website at parentingforfaith.org/upcoming-events#facebooklive You can get video clips of each question and a written summary of Rachel's response at parentingforfaith.org/post/lockdown-q-facebook-live We start with questions about online church and maintaining relationships with people from church. The middle section contains your questions about managing feelings and emotions. The final section answers your questions about where God is in all of this. We have an extra article to help you explore these big questions with your child or teen at parentingforfaith.org/post/big-questions

This week, we're talking about loneliness - in us and our children. Rachel explores how to talk about it and connect with God about it too. This week's question is a parent asking what role, if any, spiritual disciplines have in the lives of parents. Our wildcard section is an interview with Martha Shrimpton, founder of Nimbus Collective (nimbuscollective.org)about the role of creativity in our spiritual lives. She also shares about the free creative sessions she's offering for children, adults and families during lockdown.

It's really important to help our children find their experiences reflected in Scripture but at first glance you might struggle to find any coronaviruses in the Bible, so how can we use it at this time? Rachel shares how to ask yourself “What are my children feeling?” and use that to find a Bible story that helps you to wonder together. For our question today, we hear from a parent struggling to help their child engage with online church. We know this is something many of us are struggling with at the moment. You can see a video and summary notes of this question at https://parentingforfaith.org/post/lockdown-q-facebook-live. For our wildcard section, Anna interviews Olly Goldenberg from Children Can about his series of books God's Generals for Kids. You can find out more at https://www.childrencan.co.uk/product-page/god-s-generals-for-kids-1-6

Sorry there's been a bit of a break since our last episode. Like you, we're all figuring out our 'new normal' and how to get everything done with kids at home! Rachel asks what should we be doing differently during this season? How do we parent for faith in a pandemic? It might not be as different as you first think. In our Q & A section, we answer a question about how to address modesty with our children as they get older. Our final section features special guest, Annie Willmot, author of Cold Cups of Tea and Hiding in the Loo. Anna chats to her about parenting small children, her new book and what encouragement it has to offer us.

This is the recording of our Facebook Live event on how to talk to your kids and teens about faith and the coronavirus. To watch the original video and read the notes, go to parentingforfaith.org/coronavirus If you want to help keep families connected to church and to each other at this time, head to parentingforfaith.org/post/keeping-families-connected For help and advice on running the Parenting for Faith course online while socially distancing, go to parentingforfaith.org/course-online To find out more about the Parenting for Faith Course Watch Party and join in, see parentingforfaith.org/watchparty

Rachel delves into her teenage nerdyness of Greek mythology to give us some encouragement! She reflects on how helping our child to meet and know God isn't a goal to complete but a journey of coming alongside them. Our question today comes from a parent who lives in an Islamic country and wants to explain the call to prayer to her four year old. In our wildcard section, we introduce a new resource that we've produced in partnership with Naomi Graham, Kay Morgan-Gurr and Mark Arnold to make the Parenting for Faith course useful and relevant for everyone, including those parenting or caring for children with additional needs. Becky, our local coordinator, shares what's included and how to access it.

We kick off this week, by looking at a question we often ask 'Has God answered our prayer?' and explore some alternatives. In the Q and A section, Rachel explores a question from a single parent about how to frame for their child their relationship journey as they start dating. You can watch the Facebook Live videos about boyfriends and girlfriends at parentingforfaith.org/post/boyfriends-and-girlfriends-facebook-live . The wildcard section this week is a 'book that you don't have time to read'. Anna reviews John Mark Comer's 'The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry' and shares some nuggets of truth that she gleaned from it. Questions for individual reflection or to discuss with others: - When did you last refer to God 'answering prayer'? What did you mean by that? - Whether you are single or married, do you share with your child(ren) anything about your experience of dating? Are there aspects of that you might want to frame for them? - Do you feel like your life is hurried? What helps you and your family slow down, simplify or take a Sabbath?

Rachel shares from her personal experience of life and ministry, some ideas to help you get 'unstuck' when you hit a dead end in helping your kid meet and know God. She answers a question from one of our Facebook Live events on how to help our kids learn to fail well when they live in a world that punishes failure. Anna interviews Simon Parry about the new streaming channel Allstars Kids Club GO. Check it out at www.allstarskidsclub.com