Episode 264: Your Q & A: Dads’ Non-Involvement, Playgrounds, and Telling Our Kids Our Stories

Many Christians drink alcohol, but how can we know if we are engaging ”too much”?  What does “too much” mean? (Is there a “too much”???)   Author and speaker Ericka Andersen has wisdom for us: There isn’t a clear line, rather a lens to look at drinking from the heart. How can we look in our hearts about alcohol?   And how does Ericka know this?   She learned it the hard way: Through her own secret addiction as a mom.    Even her closest people didn’t think she had a problem, but as she looked inward at her heart and outward at the actions it led to, she realized something was wrong. She got help.     How? Was it in one fell swoop? Did she ever struggle again?   Let’s talk about it, find encouragement for ourselves, for a friend, or anyone—no matter their struggles.

Welcome back!! This is season TEN of the HIMH Podcast and we are starting with old and new friends of the podcast, Greg Coles and Julia Hedjuk. They wrote the book, Sexuality Beyond Sex. Oh my stars, this conversation helped us understand why God created us as sexual creatures—whether God calls us to marriage or singleness.  Why did he create us sexual if we don’t have sex? How do “the rules” for our bodies play into this? And what does this have to do with…communion??? And how does this relate to our theme of the season: community? And, how do we pronounce the word “affianced”?? (Thanks @ Greg for making us feel smarter!) Buckle up! This is a great conversation. Next Steps: • Their book, Sexuality Beyond Sex here. • We talk about An Impossible Marriage here. • Join the HIMH Pod FB Group here. • Ask Laurie a Q on IG here. • Watch here.

What if the solution to our addiction problems is not fighting porn but outgrowing it?  Author and addiction recovery coach, Drew Boa, thinks so, and he’s got the research and stories of his own and his clients to back it up. Next Steps: • His book here. • His site here. • Hear our last conversation here. • Ask Laurie a Q on IG here. • Watch here.

It’s time for another round of your questions! Today we are responding to: • “My son talks to me about his prom struggles instead of his dad. Is this okay?” • “What if we send out kids to a school with a trans teacher?” • “My kid was inappropriately touched on the playground. What do I do?” • “How do you talk about your stories with your kids?” Let’s go! Next Steps: • That link I told you about to evaluate if what you are seeing is normal behavior or not? here. • The Raising Kids curriculum here. • Ask me a Q on IG here. • Watch this on YouTube here.

While many people exit the public school system, two women are staying (Laurie’s sisters!).  Not are not only staying but are shining the light. How? Through Bible Clubs. Toss out any image of old-timey flannel-graphs (bless ‘em) and pop in images of two imperfect moms who love Jesus, love their communities, and are bringing the gospel to the public schools. But how in the world did they get to do that? How is it going? What are they seeing? Let’s talk about it. Next Steps: • Luke’s art here. • Names of God here. • Promises of God here. • Jesus Storybook Bible here. • Kingdom of God Bible Storybook here. • Join the HIMH Pod FB group here. • Ask Laurie a Q on IG here.  

You ever felt stuck in your relationship to God because it felt…just too hard?   The season now doesn’t look like 10 years ago. Your friend’s faith seems better than yours. You’re too busy. Too frustrated. Too…disconnected.   What if trying harder wasn’t the goal but trying…less complicated?   Bestselling author and teacher Hosanna Wong is here to help us do exactly that: Uncomplicate our relationship to God so we can reconnect in a new way or connect for the first time.   Next Step: • Her site here.  • Her IG here.  • This book here. • Join the HIMH Pod FB group here. • Ask Laurie a Q on IG here. • Watch it here.

You ever feel like you’re still figuring out how to become a person?   Yeah, us, too.   Bestselling author, therapist, and speaker, Debra Fileta, is here to help us learn some people skills we might not even know we are missing.   Together we talk about many things including:   What are “people skills” and why do we need the more than ever? What are the levels of relational depth? How do we confront well? How do we navigate our own social anxiety?   This conversation was a blessing.   Next Steps: • Her book here. • Her IG here. • Join the HIMH Pod FB group here. • Watch here.

It’s time to talk about AI! We sit down with AI expert Christopher Lind and ask: What even is AI? • How can we have a gospel lens when it comes to engage it? (Is that possible?) • What is the potential for evil? • What about good? • Is there an overlord of AI? (Who controls it?) • How can we help our kids live in an AI world when we don’t understand how to? • What’s the hope? Next Steps: • His site here. • His Substack here. • Join the HIMH Pod FB group here. • Our NEW book here.

We know there is not *a formula* for parenting and discipleship, but is there at least a “Christian” way to do it?    Author Kelsey Kramer McGinnis says, “That’s talk about that.”   Okay! Let's do it. With her book, The Myth of Good Christian Parenting, as our guide, today on the podcast we explore how Christians started to believe there was *a right way* to do “Christian parenting,” and how we can parent in a Christlike way without feeling like we are walking on a tightrope.   Next Steps: Watch it here. Find her book here. Kelsey’s IG here. Join the HIMH Pod FB group here. Read the Krieg’s latest book here.

It’s our first ever Hole in My Heart Podcast LIVE, and we are taking your questions as they relate to raising wise kids in a sexually broken world: What are Matt and Laurie’s stories—and how do they relate to the Hole in My Heart? How did Laurie and Matt get into this work? Why is the gospel so important to conversations around sexuality? How can Christians approach pronouns? How can we help our kids not just put boundaries on porn but build strength to fight it when they encounter it? How can we talk to our kids as they go through puberty?  How can we talk with people who demand we buy into their affirming LGBTQ worldview but refuse to hear ours? As a public school teacher, how can we lead well in these conversations? How can we talk about crushes? My kids are 3 and 5, my sister just married a woman, how do I help them navigate it? How can we talk with our kids about God’s design for sex if it feels too early? (We don’t want to over-expose them!) How can we talk to our kids about modesty? Next Steps: • Find Raising Wise Kids here. • Find the Impossible Marriage book here. • Find Laurie’s Journey Well book here. • Watch the whole event here. • Want to invite Laurie and Matt to your next event? Email [email protected]!