You will recognize the last name “Shankle” because Melanie Shankle is a frequent guest on Pardon The Mess. Melanie is one of my favorite authors out there and it’s so fun to have her daughter, Caroline Shankle, on the podcast today.

She is so delightful and gives such a great perspective of what it’s like to be a young girl learning hard lessons with God by your side. She reflects on “3 giants teens are facing today.” From “fitting in” to “comparison” to “believing God is who He said He is.” It is so helpful for me to hear these things from a young girl that is part of my daughter’s generation.

My favorite part is when she shares about her journey with her faith. How God made it real to her during her college years. She thought she wasn’t good enough to have a strong faith. What an encouraging reminder to our teens that God wants them “just as you are.” 

Make sure you hug your teens today and remind them that their struggles are normal, validate their journey through difficult seasons, pray for them and remind them that God has them. And then send them this episode and let Caroline remind them that these giants don’t have the final say.

Enjoy!

Courtney

Chapters

(02:51) Life as a Grad Student and Author

(05:46) The Journey to Writing a Book

(08:40) Facing Giants: Fitting In and Comparison

(11:40) Believing in God: A Personal Journey

(14:30) Lessons from Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

(17:23) Appreciating Family and Personal Growth

(20:170 Fun Questions and Closing Thoughts

Prefer video? This episode is on YouTube!

Connect with Pardon The Mess:

Christian Parenting

Pardon The Mess 

Courtney DeFeo

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Resources from today’s show:

Connect with Caroline

Caroline’s new book - The Lion and the Bear 

Melanie’s episode on Storytellers Live (watching Caroline struggle)

Impact - A&M freshmen retreat

Melanie Shankle on Pardon The Mess

Here Be Dragons by Melanie Shankle

Christian Parenting Christmas Gift Guide

Christian Parenting resources

10 Questions Series

Pardon The Mess is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

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