Faith in Parents

Ed and Amy are joined by Nay Dawson, founder of Passion for Evangelism, to inspire us to turn LIGHTS ON and transform Halloween into a gospel opportunity for the families on your street. 

Instead of hiding behind the sofa, we explore how to engage our local communities with generosity, joy, and the light of Jesus.

From giant glow-in-the-dark spider webs and pumpkin displays to handing out custom stories alongside sweets.  

With practical inspiration for engaging neighbours, starting spiritual conversations and handling different family dynamics; join us and help make Halloween one of the best nights of the year to show gospel hospitality to those knocking on your front door.

Houses of Light

Light the Night

After years of trying, we have finally got author, Bible teacher, and theological heavyweight Jen Wilkin as our guest!

Riffing off her new children's book, Made Like Me, Jen takes us back to the beginning in Genesis 2 to uncover that while the Bible tells us men and women are different, it loudly celebrates our shared humanity and the beautiful gift of friendship.

Tune in as we chat about...
Cherishing Friendship: Practical ways to push past sibling rivalry and help our boys and girls value each other as teammates, classmates, and lifelong best friends.
Fighting Parenting Cynicism: How to reject the selfish "if I expect little, I won't be disappointed" mindset and confidently expect to see the goodness of the Lord in our homes.
Communion Over Individualism: Teaching our children that they are part of something bigger than themselves.

Whether you are surviving on snacks with toddlers, managing a complex blended family, or parenting teenagers, this episode covers it all! Your home can be a safe place for your kids to fail, exhale and be fully known.

Resources

Jen Wilkin's book Made Like Me

Find more resources for churches and podcasts for the whole family to listen to, head over to the Faith in Kids website. 

For more on identity, gender and friendship, have a look at Who Am I? and to push further into marriage, sexuality and helping children with friendship, go to Growing Up: God's Good Story. 

The Frog and Toad series by Arnold Lobel 

Ever wondered if someone else would do a better job of parenting your child? Maybe a teacher, a kids’ worker, a grandparent… anyone who seems to have more patience, wisdom or energy than you do!

In this episode, Ed and Amy explore God’s good design for families and the incredible truth that you are God’s Plan A for your children. That doesn’t mean you’ll get everything right. In fact, parenting can uncover more anger, guilt and inadequacy than we ever expected. But our children need a parent: They don’t need us to be their Messiah; that job is covered! And we're not meant to do it alone; surrounded by a church family — a team of caring adults to help them see Jesus at work in their everyday lives.

If September has left you feeling exhausted, guilty or like you’re getting it all wrong, this episode is a reminder that God has not made a mistake in giving you your children. You are God’s Plan A — and he is with you in it.

Also listen to the episode Mum Guilt with Laura Wifler. 

The Back-to-school season is here! Between buying six-sizes-too-big blazers, surviving school shoe fittings, and hunting down missing school bags, it is easy to lose perspective in the slog and the sadness of the end of summer. Before you snap your doorstep uniform photo, lift your eyes past the struggle and the big emotions into the gospel opportunities for your family.

Join Ed and Amy as they reflect on resetting family priorities for the new school year. Ed shares what yo-yos up stairs have to do with Christian parenting and Amy gives her top tips for overscheduled weekends, peer pressure and chaotic family Bible times. Explore with them having a distinctive Christian home, keeping Jesus at the centre.  

Whether your school t-shirts are still bright white or already covered in stains, tune in for a much-needed dose of grace for guilty moms, angry dads, and every tired parent in between.

Summer is coming... are you ready?
Six weeks can feel like a very long time when you're looking "down the barrel" of the summer holidays. Whether you are a "free form" family who thrives on adventure or a "routine" family who needs a plan to feel secure, this episode is for you.

Join Ed and Amy as they discuss:

• The "Field of Cows" Principle: Finding wonder and faith conversations in the mundane moments.
• Managing Expectations: Why it's okay that we take our "sin in the bag" with us on holiday.
• The Screen Struggle: Taking charge of technology so it doesn't run your holiday.

Remember: your children aren't getting in the way of your summer holiday—they are your summer holiday.

The Faith in Parents podcast is taking a break for the summer! We’ll be back with a brand-new episode on 26 August.  

Need something to fill the gap? Why not dive into our back catalogue?

Catch up on our mini-series: 

Summer in... #1 | Chile!

Summer in... #2| Yorkshire!

Or, if you're experiencing some post-World Cup blues, check out these two fantastic episodes about parenting as a champion and parenting a champion.

A Summer of Sport #1 | Olympics & Parenting with Debbie Flood

A Summer of Sport #2 | Parenting a Champion with Richard and Rosslyn Perkins

Happy listening, and see you in August! 

End of term season is here!  Between the certificates, sports days finishes, exhaustion and reports, it's easy for both parents and kids to feel the pressure of achievement.

In this episode Ed and Amy dive into how the gospel changes the way we view both success and failure. Appreciating our God given gifts and practical ways to "smart coach" your kids through challenges.

Join us for a surprising theory about snooker balls and the rest we can find in the truth that our value isn't found in an "A" grade, but in being a deeply loved child of the King.

What if one of the most powerful ways to help our children navigate big emotions is also one of the simplest? In this episode, Nick from The Christian Poster Company join Ed and Amy to explore how filling our minds with God's truth can shape our thoughts, feelings, and actions—and how parents can model that in everyday family life.

Find out how closing tabs is relevant to mindfulness and  why a walk past a tree can be a profound "mindful of God" moment for the whole family. 

Join us as we try to help each other and our children make room to think about God.

The Christian Poster Company aims to bring glory to God and joy to your lives with bold, colourful biblical designs. Brought to you by Nick in Liverpool, he started the business in 2020 and in April 2024 took the leap to run it full time.

Looking to God: Mental Wellbeing in the Psalms

Looking to God: Family Moments Video Psalm 34:1-11 

Why do some children save their biggest meltdowns for home? And what’s the best way to respond when your child is struggling?

Trauma counsellor Jean Hedley joins us to share practical help, gospel hope, and simple tools for navigating big emotions. Plus, discover the question that’s often better than asking, “What’s wrong with you?”

A warm, honest conversation about listening well, spotting when children are struggling, and pointing them to the God who never leaves them.

Jean Hedley has 20 years experience working as a counsellor, 15 of which were as a children and young people’s trauma counsellor for a national children’s charity. She lives in Newcastle with her husband and is Mam to 3 grown up boys.

Looking to God: Mental Wellbeing in the Psalms

Faith in Families podcast

Family Moments video

This one is all about that attitude of gratitude. We're going way beyond forcing our cherubs to say 'thank you', this is a deep dive into raising our children to have thankful hearts. Scientifically proven and Biblically approved... Thankful kids are happier kids. Fact!
Dr Anika is back and this one is her favourite topic. She takes us on the three step gratitude journey: 
See it!  
Savour it! 
Say it! 
Ed is doing it in an Aussie accent, Amy can do it with just a glass of water and Anika is riffing off the sound of music, while her dog wees under the stars.
And our favourite line, "Every good thing comes from God with a label that says 'I love you'". 

Anika lives in Cambridge with her husband Matt, their six children and lively chocolate labrador. She works as a pastoral counsellor and tutors for Biblical Counselling UK. Having previously worked as a doctor she is now training in child and adolescent psychotherapeutic counselling. In her spare time she likes to crochet or write poetry. 

Find out more about Looking to God: Mental Wellbeing in the Psalms.  

Faith in Families podcast 

Family Moments video 

Join us for the wisdom of a world expert on mental health in children and young people! Decades and decades of experience, study and learning brought to you for your encouragement. 

Join Ed and Amy in hearing the simplest of steps from Dr David McKie to make the great strides in improving your child's mental wellbeing... Sleep, food and exercise are where it starts. And then listen out for the big news, 'Both of their ears are working for 10 minutes each day'. Don't leave early because you need to find out how your child can 'open the most amazing doorway they will ever have in their life.'  

'The Lord will keep you from all harm- he will watch over your life' Psalm 121

David McKie is married to Gill and they have two adult children. They have worshipped at St Paul’s Cheam for over 25 years where David is a lay preacher. David is an NHS consultant child psychologist and has worked with children, young people and families for over 40 years. David’s passion is the spiritual and emotional wellbeing of all children.

You can watch the 6th May webinar mentioned by Ed in this episode here. 

Links:

Looking to God: Mental Wellbeing in the Psalms

Helping every child's mental wellbeing webinar with David McKie  

Faith in Families podcast 

Family Moments video