The Parenting for Faith podcast

Today, we're discussing how we can disciple our adult children. Becky and Kate, from the Parenting for Faith team, are sharing their wisdom on this topic. DATE CHANGE. We're now running the Parenting for Faith course on zoom from 6 March not 16 Jan as earlier advertised. Book the Parenting for Faith Zoom course here - https://www.brfonline.org.uk/collections/events/products/the-original-parenting-for-faith-zoom-course-2025 Watch the Parenting for Faith course online here - https://www.parentingforfaith.brf.org.uk/course/ Thank you for listening today. If you are able to contribute to the cost of producing this podcast, please click here to give a one-off or regular gift: www.brf.org.uk/get-involved/give/ 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. We are grateful for all donations, big or small. They make a real difference. Thank you so much for partnering with us.

Many of us are trying to disciple our children without the example of our own parents. Perhaps we came to faith through friends in our teens or adulthood, or the faith our parents have now is not one that they had when we were growing up. How do we nurture our kids’ faith when we have no example to follow? How do we help them not to make the same mistakes we made? And what are the basics of family discipleship? Here to help us navigate these issues is writer Hope Bonarcher. Native New-Yorker Hope came to faith in her late 20s, after a life of drugs, alcohol and promiscuity. Her life was radically turned around by Jesus, and within a couple of years she was married with a baby! Hope now lives west of Glasgow with her Scottish husband and their four children, who she is currently homeschooling. Links: Follow Hope on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopebonarcher/ Follow Beauty Faith Life on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautyfaithlife/ Read Hope’s articles for Woman Alive magazine: https://www.womanalive.co.uk/hope-bonarcher/2104.bio Thank you for listening today. If you are able to contribute to the cost of producing this podcast, please click here to give a one-off or regular gift: www.brf.org.uk/get-involved/give/ 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. We are grateful for all donations, big or small. They make a real difference. Thank you so much for partnering with us.

Statistics show the importance of an active dad in a child’s life. How can dads be a positive presence in their kids’ spiritual lives, even if they don’t live with them, and how can we all support dads to be the best they can be? The Father’s Club is an initiative led by Christian dads in south-east London to support and equip each other across the generations. Today we welcome founders Isaac Frimpong, Tsion Martins and Gary Baah-Sackey to share their story of setting up the club and their insights into the importance of dads. Links: Check out Father’s Club https://phlive.london/fathers-club/ Check out Tsion’s business https://www.bridgethegapstudios.com/ To help this podcast continue to bless families and churches the world over, please consider giving a one-off or regular gift here: www.brf.org.uk/get-involved/give/ 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. We are grateful for all donations, big or small. They make a real difference. Thank you so much for partnering with us.

Many of us feel despondent if our children tell us they don’t believe in God anymore, or they don’t wish to come to church or pursue their faith. We feel like that’s it - there’s no more hope for our kids to find Jesus - and often feel like we’ve failed in some way. Parenting for Faith founder Rachel Turner is our guest today to tell us that that’s not true! There are no dead ends when it comes to discipleship - only new conversations and new waves to surf. Rachel shares ideas to help us at every stage: when our kids have questions they’re afraid to raise, when our teens no longer want to come to church, when our young adult children leave home without a faith of their own, when our older adult children lose the faith they were once excited about. Links: To help make this podcast happen, we need over £300 per episode. Will you help us? You can give a one-off or regular gift here: www.brf.org.uk/get-involved/give/ 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. We are grateful for all donations, big or small. They make a real difference. Thank you so much for partnering with us.

Prayer is a key part of our lives as Christians - both individually and corporately. For our families, this might involve helping our kids to chat to God on their own, but also praying together as a family. How can we do this in ways which our kids respond to? Sarah Hogben is one of our Parenting for Faith speaking team and we’re delighted to welcome her to the podcast today. She is a wife and mum to three primary-aged children, and works as a Church Children’s Leader. Sarah’s vast experience of helping children of all ages to pray is hugely helpful to us as we unpack what it might look like within our own families. Sarah and her family live in York. Links: For more on Chat and Catch, including a short video and some practical ideas to try out, check out https://www.parentingforfaith.brf.org.uk/tool/chat-and-catch/ Godventure: https://godventure.co.uk/ We hope you found Sarah as helpful and insightful as we did. If you’d like us to keep bringing you great guests and practical wisdom, please consider giving a one-off or regular financial donation to enable this ministry: www.brf.org.uk/get-involved/give/ 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. We are grateful for all donations, big or small. They make a real difference. Thank you so much for partnering with us.

Our dream, as Christian parents, is surely that our kids will find God in the everyday - knowing they can chat to him about anything, ask him questions, and invite him to be a part of their decision-making. But how does this happen, what about if it’s not happening, and where does play fit into all this? To help us think through discipling our kids in the everyday is Joy Wendling. Joy is a family pastor, writer, speaker, podcaster, certified parent coach and founder of Created to Play. She has over 20 years of experience in children, youth and family ministry, as well as a Master’s in Youth, Family and Culture from Fuller Theological Seminary. Joy is based in the Pacific Northwest of America with her husband and five daughters, and loves nothing more than gazing at the mountains from her island home with an ice-cold Diet Coke and a good book. Links: Check out Joy’s website Created to Play: createdtoplay.com Follow Joy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/createdtoplay/ Joy’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@playfullyfaithfulparenting Listen to Joy’s podcast Playfully Faithful Parenting: https://createdtoplay.com/podcast/ Listen to Joy on the Parenting for Faith podcast from 2022 talking about play and the Bible: https://soundcloud.com/parentingforfaith-brf/season-3-bible-play-and-a-question-about-noah Join the Original Parenting for Faith course in January: https://www.brfonline.org.uk/collections/parenting-for-faith-events/products/the-original-parenting-for-faith-zoom-course-2025 Did you enjoy listening to Joy as much as we did? Why not get involved with the Parenting for Faith podcast, by giving a one-off or regular gift to keep this ministry moving? www.brf.org.uk/get-involved/give/ 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. We are grateful for all donations, big or small. They make a real difference. Thank you so much for partnering with us.

Family life is a constant series of changes and transitions as our kids grow and family dynamics change. But what about when a big change hits us, whether something that we’ve discerned as God’s best for our family, or something unplanned and uncontrollable? Dan Hawken is a church Families and Outreach worker in the Forest and Wye valley. His family has been through a number of major life changes in the last couple of years including relocation, serious illness, home education, new job and new school. Sharing his story with us, Dan helpfully guides us back to the God who never changes, who knows the future and who cares for us so well. Links: Postal Bible school: https://postalbibleschool.com/ Join our forthcoming Babies and Toddlers Zoom course: https://www.brfonline.org.uk/collections/events/products/babies-and-toddlers-course-online-2024 This podcast costs over £400 per week to produce. If you value its ministry, please would you consider giving so that others can benefit? www.brf.org.uk/get-involved/give/ 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. We are grateful for all donations, big or small. They make a real difference. Thank you so much for partnering with us.

When it comes to discipling our children, one of the greatest joys and the greatest challenges is surely church. What happens if we need to move church? How can we help our kids see the potential of church, as well as be honest about the difficulties? And what about if our children can’t find their place in church? Helping us unravel this is church planter Paul Pavlou. Paul leads an Anglican church graft in Coventry, hosts the Church Plant Chat podcast and is author of Journey of a Church Planter. He lives in Coventry with his wife and two children. Links: Paul’s book ‘Journal of a Church Planter’ https://amzn.eu/d/5hjzzx3 Follow Paul on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pcpavlou/ Listen to Church Plant Chat: https://open.spotify.com/show/3UdTgD9R39tBlb1g5lHGsY?si=f6ce5f2364c8416e Follow Church Plant Chat on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/churchplantchat/ Watch Paul’s videos based on his book: https://ccx.org.uk/course/journal-church-planter/ Join us for Forge East: https://www.parentingforfaith.brf.org.uk/theforge/ If you love this podcast, why not partner with us to continue its ministry? You can give a one-off or regular gift her: www.brf.org.uk/get-involved/give/ 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. We are grateful for all donations, big or small. They make a real difference. Thank you so much for partnering with us.

Surveys suggest that younger generations of Christians are not reading the Bible regularly. It’s a complicated book, full of tricky bits and things which might seem culturally wrong to our 21st century ears. So how can we encourage our kids not only to read it but to grow to love it? Today’s guest, Trillia Newbell, shares helpful thoughts for us all, whether we have babies, teens or anything in between. She is the author of many books for children and adults including God’s Very Good Idea and The Big Bide Welcome. When she isn’t writing, she’s encouraging and supporting other writers as the Acquisitions Director at Moody Publishers. Trillia is married to her best friend, Thern, they reside with their two children near Nashville, Tennessee. Links: Discover more about Trillia at her website: https://www.trillianewbell.com/ Follow Trillia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trillianewbell/ The Bible Project videos: https://www.youtube.com/@bibleproject The Bible in Ten (David Kitchen): https://www.brfonline.org.uk/products/bible-in-ten-any-book-of-the-bible-cracked-in-ten-minutes-or-less Check out the Original Parenting for Faith course, starting in January on Zoom: https://www.brfonline.org.uk/collections/parenting-for-faith-events/products/the-original-parenting-for-faith-zoom-course-2025 The Parenting for Faith podcast costs over £300 per episode to produce. Why not partner with us to help us reach more parents, carers and others involved in the lives of children and young people? www.brf.org.uk/get-involved/give/ 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. We are grateful for all donations, big or small. They make a real difference. Thank you so much for partnering with us.

It’s one thing following Jesus when life is peachy and the road is smooth - but what about when we face obstacles and hurdles? How do we help our kids navigate life with God when their prayers go unanswered, or it feels like he is distant from them? Helping us navigate this sensitive topic today are authors Eric M. Schumacher and Jessika Sanders. With experience of medical emergencies and miscarriage, Jessika and Eric share what it’s like to walk through a dark season, how we can support families who are struggling, and how we can nurture our own kids’ faith when there are no glib answers. Links: Check out Eric and Jessika’s book ‘In His Hands: Prayers for your Child or Baby in a Medical Crisis’ https://www.eden.co.uk/christian-books/prayer-books/teaching-on-prayer/in-his-hands-9781784989798/ Jessika’s organisation ‘Praying Through Ministries’ http://prayingthroughministries.org/ Follow Praying Through Ministries on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/praying_through_ministries/ Follow Jessika on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jessikasanderswriter/ Eric’s book ‘Ours: Biblical Comfort for Men Grieving Miscarriage’ https://www.eden.co.uk/christian-books/christian-devotional-books/ours-9781784987312/ Eric’s website: emschumacher.com Hear more from Eric on his podcasts Worthy https://worthycelebratingthevalueofwomen.libsyn.com/ and Nothing is Wasted https://www.nothingiswasted.com/podcast Parenting for Faith Babies and Toddlers course: https://www.brfonline.org.uk/collections/events/products/babies-and-toddlers-course-online-2024 Thank you for listening today. If you are able to contribute to the cost of producing this podcast, please click here to give a one-off or regular gift: www.brf.org.uk/get-involved/give/ 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. We are grateful for all donations, big or small. They make a real difference. Thank you so much for partnering with us.