The Greta Eskridge Podcast

Episode 78 Friends, it’s no surprise that I start this episode by going down a rabbit trail. This time it was about hazel nuts. But the real reason I have today’s guest, Tara Sun, on the program is to talk about her new book,  Overbooked and Overwhelmed: How to Keep Up With God When You are Just Trying To Keep Up With Life. Tara and I talk about the story behind the book and I especially loved talking about some of the parts that resonated with me most. One of those was how we both struggle to say no because we both love saying yes. There is a chapter in her book that addresses this by inviting us to be on mission for God and recognizing that sometimes that means saying no to things that aren’t part of that mission.  Another important thing we talked about is that this book isn’t going to give you the perfect organizational system or the best baskets and bins to buy so that you will feel more peaceful and less overwhelmed. What it will do is point you to the true source of peace and that is Jesus. There is so much more we discuss in this episode. I know you’re going to get so much out of it. I did! Listen and share with your friends! And don’t forget to leave a review of the podcast if you haven’t done that already. Help me spread the word! Thanks friends.  Where to find Tara: Find Tara’s book here Find Tara’s website here Find Tara on Instagram here Find Tara’s podcast here  Resources mentioned in this episode: Find the book Domestic Monastery here  The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 77 Today is an exciting day for my podcast. It’s my first return guest, my friend, Amber O’Neil Johnston! And I loved talking to Amber about her new book, Homegrown: Guidance and Inspiration for Navigating Your Homeschooling Journey.  Homegrown is such a unique book. Amber gathered and edited essays from 30 different home schoolers. In this book you’ll hear from veteran home schoolers, home school dads, those home schooling outside the US, home schoolers of different ethnicities, those home schooling one child or many, and second-generation home schoolers (like me!)  I have never read another homeschool book like this and I absolutely being a part of this book and now getting to share it with you. *And here’s your reminder to take a minute today to leave a rating and review for this podcast! It is so helpful for more people to be able to find the show. Thanks for continuing to support and share the podcast. It means the world! Where to find Amber:  Listen to Amber’s first interview on my show here Find Homegrown book here Find Amber’s website here Find Amber on Instagram here  The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 76 Today’s guest is Allie Marie Smith, life coach, founder and creator of Wonderfully Made and author of the new book, Social Media Reset: A 30 Day Guided Journey to Unplug, Reconnect with God and Reclaim Your Joy.   In this episode, Allie and I talk about how so many young girls don’t have a true understanding of who they are in the eyes of God. That can cause them to turn to other things to feel worthy—alcohol, drugs, promiscuity and even social media. The problem is, of course, that those things don’t satisfy.  Since 2010 the suicide rates for young people ages 10-24 has gone up 62% and over 145% among girls. Some teen girls are spending more than 40 hours a week on social media. These numbers should make us sit up and take notice! Allie calls this a  technologically induced mental health crisis. Alli’s response to this crisis has been to share her own story of a mental health crisis and then to offer help to girls just like her to have something better. She wants to help them understand the truth of their worth to God in a world that is trying to tell them otherwise.   In this episode, we discuss having radical boundaries with social media, how social media can be used for good, but it can be used for bad or can cause harm, and how social media can keep us from being present in the moment. We encourage you to delay social media for your kids as long as possible and explain why you should. This is an invitation to step away from the digital world and live the life we were intended to live—deeply connected to God and others. We are inviting you and the people you love to an unplugged and flourishing life. Please accept this invitation to lean into something better and start by tuning into this honest, helpful and hopeful episode!  Resources mentioned in this episode Find the Gabb phone here  (Use the code GRETA for a discount) Find other safe phones here, here here and here Find The Anxious Generation book here Where to find Allie: Find Allie’s blog here Find Allie’s website here Find the Wonderfully Made website here Find Social Media Reset book here Find  Wonderfully Made book here Find her upcoming conference for girls here The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 75 Buckle up friends, this episode is wild! And it is honest and fun and so good! As the title suggests, we are talking about sex. More specifically, how to teach our kids about sex that is honoring to ourselves, others and God. Today’s guest, Rodney Wright, is perfect for this job. He is honest, brave, kind and filled with joy! And as the author of the book, How to Talk with Your Kids About Sex, he has a lot to share. Rodney is passionate about helping people, families, and kids be healthy in their sexuality, because it is a God given gift.  He reminds us that we don’t need to have negative thoughts about sexuality because God created it!  So many of us are afraid to talk to our kids about sex because we have our own stories of sexual brokenness or sexual dysfunction of some kind. We want to do better for our kids but we don’t know how. Rodney reminds us to look at our own story, not with shame but with compassion. And then we continue to learn and grow, because when we know better, we can do better! Ultimately, we need to give our kids a different view of sex than the world is giving them. We need them to know it is about dignity, honor and respect. That is not the world’s messaging about sex. Let’s give our kids a better framework. I have so much more I want to say about this episode, but instead I am just going to have you listen to it! And please be sure to rate and review this podcast and share this episode! Oh, and then go do some puzzles for that healthy dopamine hit! (You’ll get that when you listen to the episode)  Where to find Rodney: Find the organization Rodney works for, Pure Desire, here Find Rodney’s book here Find the Pure Desire Podcast here Find Greta’s book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 74 Today’s guest is the author of 10 books, a mom to 3, a wife to a fire chief of their small town, the founder of The Midnight Moms Devotional Community, has what she calls a neuro spicy brain, and is the author of the new book, Healing Rest: An Invitation for Mommas Who Carry So Much to Lean into the Arms of the One Who Holds It All.  Becky and I have a lot of fun together in this episode. We met long ago at my beloved Forest Home camp and just click. But we also dove into deep conversation, like the topic of her new book, which calls us to true, deep rest. Spiritual rest. I resonated so much with the topic of this book. I think so many of us moms can.  If you’ve been tempted to parent and live in anxiety, listen to this episode and get Becky’s book. If you’ve been tempted to parent and live in fear, especially when it comes to protecting your kids from pornography, read my book It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn. Both these books will remind you of the truth that God really carries and protects your kids. It’s not all on you.  I know you’ll love this episode like I did! And if you do, please consider leaving a review of the podcast on iTunes. It only takes a moment but does a world of good. Thank you!  Where to find Becky: Find Becky’s new book here Find Becky on Instagram here Find Becky’s Midnight Moms Devotional Community here Find Becky’s website here Find Becky’s Bible study here  The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 73 Today’s episode is a going to challenge you to think outside the box. Or at least outside of the way so many parents in America are parenting. My guest today is Claire Morell, author, mom, wife, policy creator, researcher and passionate about offering kids and families something different than the norm for growing up with tech. Through her work in the tech policy space, Claire recognized that kids’ health was in danger due to smart phones and being on social media. She finally decided to put her research into one place, her new book called, The Tech Exit. It is the sobering and convicting guide we need. But it is also really hopeful, helpful, practical and purposeful. Based on dozens of interviews with families who really are living out a tech free childhood, this book shows parents that this lifestyle is possible and it allows kids to thrive. My hope is that you’ll take some of the ideas Claire offers in this episode to help your kids begin taking a tech exit this summer:  Here are some ideas to consider: *Focus on real life experiences that will overshadow the experience on a screen.  *Get lots of practical ideas for this way of life in my book Adventuring Together right here. *Let your kids be bored and learn to play independently and creatively.  *Engage with them in play and experiences rather than sending them off to those things on their own. *Or be even bolder and engage in the 30-day tech detox Claire mentions in this episode. It might feel overwhelming or that you can’t make those changes now, but remember what Claire says, “it is never too late to reverse course!”  I know you’ll enjoy this episode and find it really encouraging, helpful and hopeful!  Where to find Claire and her work: Find Claire’s book here Find discussion questions for the book here  Find Claire’s Substack here Find Claire’s work at the Ethics and Policy Center here The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

A couple reminders I started this podcast with: if you are looking for a ticket to the Literature Soiree I am hosting with my dear friend Rea Berg, founder of Beautiful Feet Books, we have just a few tickets left. Please message me here to get all the info and to purchase your ticket! A Also, if you’ve read my new book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn, I’d be so grateful if you leave a review. Leaving a review, especially given the topic of this book, is immensely helpful for getting others to be brave enough to read it. You can leave a review of the book here! Plus, the book is on sale this week for a really great price! Pick up a copy or 2 to share! Now, onto the show! I know you guys are going to love this podcast episode with Kara Stout. Kara vulnerably shares her story and in doing so, she shows us how doing this can bring healing and hope to others. Kara’s story reminds us that God comforts us in our troubles and brings peace, even when if we are dealing with anxiety. I found a lot of reminders of God’s comfort myself, both in talking with Kara and in reading her book. I hope you’ll get some of that same hope and help when you listen to this episode. Where to find Kara:  Find Kara’s book here Find Kara’s website here Find Kara on Instagram here The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 71— This is the follow up episode to last week’s episode with John Begeman. If you have not listened to episode 70, go back and listen to that one now. In this episode, I am going over some of the things John talked about in more detail. Because he dropped some wisdom! One of the most important things discussed are the power of going first—being willing to vulnerably share our story so that someone else has the courage to go next. Going first might also be the one to recommend the book first (like my book It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn) or the podcast episode (like this one!) to just start the conversation. Every one of us has the ability to go first and bring good to the people around us! Additional things discussed were best practices for responding after your child has been exposed to porn, understanding why people use porn to medicate pain, the positive value in being the first one to talk to your kids about pornography, the importance of getting help for parents of kids who have used or are using porn,  pornography does not mean your child’s story is over and so much more! Like the last episode, this one is filled with hope. And that is possible because we serve One who is greater than he who is in the world! I hope you will listen and share this episode and the last one far and wide. One last thing, if you appreciate this podcast, would you consider leaving a rating and review of it? You can do that on iTunes here and on Spotify here.  On iTunes, scroll down to the reviews and look for button that says, “leave a review”. On Spotify, you just leave a rating. It’s easy!  Doing this is one of the best ways for more people to discover the podcast. Thank you so much! Resources mentioned in this episode and last week’s episode: Find Pure Desire Ministries groups and books here Find Summit Ministries here Find my book It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here Find Hopeful Mom here The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 70-- Friends, this may be one of the most important episodes I’ve ever recorded on the podcast. This is an episode that every parent, and probably every young adult and teen needs to hear. Please listen and then share with everyone you know who could benefit from it.This episode is part 1of this conversation. Part 2 is coming next week where I go through some of the most important things John and I talked about, and I go into them with a little more depth. In part 1, this episode, John Begeman tells his story of pornography exposure as a child that led to years of addiction, shame and hiding. But then he shares the story of the healing he is walking in now as a man in his 20s, free from the bondage porn held in. John also shares how his parents handled this issue of pornography exposure and addiction in his life—what didn’t help and what did. He is very honest, and I believe what he shares is incredibly helpful and important for every parent to hear.You can’t see it because this is audio and not video, but I cried through this entire episode. I cried for John, for his mom, for every child that is exposed to porn and suffers as a result, and for every mom that finds her child has been exposed to porn and has to navigate the fear and hurt that comes from that. I cried for all of us and the way porn is devastating and destroying lives. This episode is raw and real and honest, but ultimately it is hopeful. YES! There is hope still in the darkness. There is always hope because there is always the love of God, which is bigger and stronger than any darkness.And my hope is that with this episode and then with the next, you will feel empowered with tools to make the best choices to help your kids and yourself, wherever you see yourself in this story. John’s testimony as well as the resources he mentions will be such a great help. I pray this episode is a blessing to you and I am so grateful for John and the work he’s doing to help set people free.Resources mentioned in this episode:Find Pure Desire Ministries hereFind Summit Ministries hereFind my book It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn hereFind Hopeful Mom hereFind the 7 Pillars workbook and groups hereThe Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

When her ideal life as a stay-at-home mom didn’t pan out the way she hoped, Julia Ubbenga found herself pleading with God.  Instead of the extra time with her kids that she’d been dreaming of, she felt more like a time stuff. And as she prayed to God about this, she read Luke 12:21, “be rich in what matters.” This planted a seed in her heart, knowing that something in her life around possessions needed to change. Through a series of more learning and growing, Julia embraced minimalism where she got rid of 75% of her family’s things, downsized to a smaller home to reduce debt, and she and her family haven’t looked back. In this process, Julia realized that she needed to declutter her outer home but also her inner home—her heart. She and I discuss the question: what is cluttering up our heart? What do we, and others, use, consume, buy, or do to fill that void? Julia’s book, Declutter Your Heart and Your Home: How a Minimalist Life Yields Maximum Joy, made me face some uncomfortable truths about my own possessions. It was really eye opening and helpful. I really loved talking to Julia about those revelation, her book and so much more in this episode, and I know you will love listening to it!  If you loved this episode and you love this podcast, will you consider leaving a review? It really helps the podcast grow and helps other people find it easily. Just go to your favorite podcast platform and leave a rating or a review, or both! Thanks so much!  Where you can find Julia: Get Julia’s new book here Find Julia’s website here Find Julia on Instagram here The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

As soon as I saw the title of the upcoming book by Dr. Thom Rainer, I knew I had to have him on the show. He told me right away to call him Thom and it was easy because he’s friendly and down to earth. But his newest book, “The Anxious Generation Goes to Church” is anything but down to earth. It is a compelling, well researched and fascinating look at what our kids are navigating with church involvement while growing up in a tech saturated world. And while it would be easy to believe kids nowadays really aren’t interested in church, Thom’s research shows something different. He has found that kids today are interested in spiritual things and are longing for a place to belong. Inviting them to church is not something we should be afraid of. Rather, it should be at the top of our list of things to do to reach the hearts of today’s youth. And if it’s our own kids we’re talking about, Thom’s advice is that we model showing up for church and actually being involved in church. That is the best way for our kids to care about being part of church—by seeing that we care. You will find this conversation encouraging and hopeful. Thom is a loving father and grandfather and his wisdom and kindness felt like a warm hug to me. I loved having him on the show and you will love hearing him share. Go pre-order his book today so you can read it as soon as it hits the shelves. You won’t be disappointed! Where to find Thom: Pre-order Thom’s new book here Find Thom’s website, Church Answers, here  Where to find Greta: Find Greta’s new book here Find Greta’s website here Find Greta’s other books here and here Find Greta on Instagram here The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Well, cue all the tears, team. This episode is full of them. It felt like it was time for a life update, so this episode catches you up on all the big happenings and some of the littler ones too. The biggest one is our eldest son’s engagement to the love of his life, and a girl he’s known since they were both 5. It’s the sweetest story and I loved sharing some of it with you in this episode. The rest of the episode is full of other life updates—trips and conferences where maybe we’ll get to hang out! And also, yes, why I changed my Instagram handle after 10 + years. There is a lot here and you’ll want to check the show notes to links for all the things. As always, thanks for listening and being a part of my community. It means the world!  Links mentioned in this podcast episode: Find out more information about Forest Home Family Camp here. Mention my name for the 1st time family discount! Message Greta to get tickets to the Literature Soirée or with questions here. (scroll to bottom of page) Find out more about Greta’s women’s walking retreat through the Cotswolds here Make sure you are keeping up with Greta and her new Instagram handle here Check out Greta’s beautiful new website here The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

It's almost summer, so let’s talk about one of my favorite ways to pursue intentional connection with our kids and friends—having a book club! Reading books together has been one of the most connecting activities for me since I was a little girl and my mom read aloud with me. It has remained that in my life until now, as I have read books with my kids and with my friends. And then what has taken our reading together to the next level is to celebrate the books we’ve read together by having a book club meeting/celebration—you can call it what you want. These book club celebrations have been a huge part of my kids’ childhood. They have loved them! And still do. And the book club I have had with my own friends for 12 years is still going strong and bringing me so much joy!Book clubs are a way to take reading to the next level and make it feel more special. Invite friends! Make fun snacks! Dress up! Or just gather some friends to sit around the picnic table, have some popsicles or iced tea, and talk about the book you read together. No matter how you do it, being intentional about gathering to read a book together and then celebrating it will be a gift in your life. And I am inviting you to try it this summer!Some of the resources mentioned in this episode:My book, Adventuring Together, that has a whole chapter with instructions for a kid or mom book club and book lists. Find it here.My friend Ainsley’s inspiring Wild + Free book about book clubs. Find it hereFind some Instagram posts about our kids book club here, here,here, here and here, and the famous Hobbit book club here.Find some Instagram posts about our moms book club here, here, here and here.The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.orgRead less 

Friends, I was on the verge of tears, or actually crying, for this whole episode. The conversation is so dear to my heart, and it is so important. I wish I never had to share this information with you, but since I do, I am so glad I get to do it with today’s guest, Rosie Makinney. I’ve wanted to have Rosie to be on my podcast before I ever even had one! That’s just how much she inspires me; how much I admire her and how deeply I appreciate the work she does. She is a mother, wife, podcaster, speaker, author, the founder of the organization, Fight for Love. And in this work that she does, Rosie is indeed a fighter for love, for marriages and for women.       Rosie’s work is two-fold: fighting to educate women about porn use/addiction in the lives of their partners or husbands in order to provide preventative help, and fighting to come alongside women whose partners or husband’s porn use/addiction has caused great hurt and destruction in their lives. Both aspects of her work come out of the pain of her own story with two men who had porn addictions, one who was unrepentant and didn’t see it as a problem and one who admitted a problem but needed help to break free of it. In both cases, Rosie’s compassion and love for women who are suffering greatly due to their partner or husband’s porn use grew and she knew she had to do something to help these women. She let God give her pain purpose and so many women, including myself, have benefitted from Rosie’s courage, vulnerability and wisdom.       You will find this episode to be so full of practical, helpful information. If you are walking through this very thing in your marriage, you will feel seen and understood. We hope you will realize you are not alone. If this is not your story, we hope you will listen anyway, because it is the story of a sister, a friend, a neighbor, a daughter, or a women that sits next to you in church, and she needs your support. Get educated and grow your compassion so you can share both with a woman who is hurting, yourself or someone else.       This episode is very dear to my heart, and I am so deeply honored I get to share it with you. I am so deeply honored I get to share Rosie and the incredibly important work she does with you. Please listen and share this episode. It matters so much. The freedom is worth it!  Resources mentioned in this episode: Find your 4 steps for help with a partner/spouse and their porn use/addiction  here Find the Fight for Love Facebook group here Find Pure Desire Ministries here Find Pure Desire groups for porn users/addicts here Find Pure Desire groups for betrayed spouses here Find Called to Peace here Find Greta’s book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn, here “Of one thing I am perfectly sure: God’s story never ends with ashes.” Elisabeth Elliot  Where you can find Rosie: Find Rosie’s website here Find Rosie’s book here Find Rosie’s podcast here Find Rosie on Instagram here  The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

My guest today is Eryn Lynum: master naturalist, author, bible teacher, home schooling mom, and podcast host. Friends, she’s incredible! And this episode with her is just so fun! We had the best time talking about nature and seeing God at work there. Eryn’s love of nature and God’s word have taught her much about the importance of pursuing rest. But this learning actually began when Eryn was a young teen.   At the age of 14, Eryn learned that she had a potentially life-threatening disease that required rest to keep her alive. This started Eryn on a journey of learning to manage the stress and anxieties of life in a way that was healthy and holy.  In this episode, Eryn talks about her new book, The Nature of Rest: What the Bible and Creation Teach Us About Sabbath Living, and how it is the story of all she’s learned about rest from her own life journey, to studying creation and God’s word. Eryn is a joy to talk to. She is a wealth of fun and fascinating nature knowledge, as well as a wise guide to biblical living. I love this episode, and I know you will too! Be sure to get Eryn’s new book today! You can find it right here.  Resources mentioned in this podcast: Find Eryn’s new book here Find Eryn’s first book here Find Eryn’s website here Find Eryn’s podcast here Find Eryn on Instagram here Find more about Awana programs for kids here The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org