This week, we are turning up the heat (again) and sharing about red flags (and green!) to look for in a church. We should be in a church. We should be a part of a church. We ARE the church. But what does a biblical church look like? There is no such thing as a perfect church: we are ALL sinners. But, there are churches that do not reflect what a good, Christ-centred, Bible-focused church should have. If you are a new Christian, you may find this episode to be a helpful guide. And if you're a seasoned Christian and a part of a church, then this will be a good reminder of the kind of church you should be a part of. Disclaimer: we are not experts here! We are purely speaking from our experience in finding a new church multiple times and doing so with much prayer, discussion, biblical reference and discernment. You may disagree with us on some things, and for the most part, that is okay! We address the red flags to look for in a church, but we also talk about the good things (or green flags) to look for in a church. Lastly, we talk about 'beige flags' to look for in a church (so things that are not necessarily a red flag, but just something to consider). Ultimately, we want this to be an encouragement out there for you to be connected into a church and to find a church that reflects the heart of God in the purest way humanly possible. Show notes: Websites: R. C. Sproul https://www.ligonier.org Tim Keller https://timothykeller.com/ Scripture: Matthew 26:16-20 Deuteronomy 4:2 Revelation 22:18-19 Titus 3:9-11 1 Timothy 3:2 Titus 1:6 Acts 2:42-27 Titus 2 2 Timothy 3:16 Acts 20:28 Hebrews 10:25 Episode Chapters: 00:00:00 Highs and lows of the past week 00:07:03 Topic intro – experiences of church and change 00:21:02 – lack of bible-based teaching 00:26:21 – Intentional controversy 00:31:42 – Super rich pastors 00:38:00 – Unapproachable pastors 00:39:57 – No leadership accountability 00:44:20 – Celebrity pastor cult 00:47:21 – Closed door church 00:54:02 – lack of discipleship, 00:55:11 – Songs of me me me 00:57:13 – Lack of diversity 01:00:50 – Opaque finances 01:04:00 – Imbalanced focus on grace/truth 01:05:20 Green Flag – welcoming community 01:06:28 – scripture- focused 01:07:00 – trust in leadership team 01:09:01 – healthy discipleship focus 01:10:10 – opportunities to grow/learn 01:12:20 – strong networks with healthy churches 01:13:35 – emphasis on prayer If you want to purchase Jess's new book Nutrition For Postpartum Playbook, grab it here. Thank you for your support! Please kindly leave a rating and/or review if you are loving the podcast. That would mean so much to us. Sign up to our monthly newsletter here. ReplyForward Add reaction

This week, we are turning up the heat (again) and sharing about red flags (and green!) to look for in a church.

We should be in a church.

We should be a part of a church.

We ARE the church.

But what does a biblical church look like?

There is no such thing as a perfect church: we are ALL sinners. But, there are churches that do not reflect what a good, Christ-centred, Bible-focused church should have.

If you are a new Christian, you may find this episode to be a helpful guide. And if you're a seasoned Christian and a part of a church, then this will be a good reminder of the kind of church you should be a part of.

Disclaimer: we are not experts here! We are purely speaking from our experience in finding a new church multiple times and doing so with much prayer, discussion, biblical reference and discernment. You may disagree with us on some things, and for the most part, that is okay! 

We address the red flags to look for in a church, but we also talk about the good things (or green flags) to look for in a church. Lastly, we talk about 'beige flags' to look for in a church (so things that are not necessarily a red flag, but just something to consider).

Ultimately, we want this to be an encouragement out there for you to be connected into a church and to find a church that reflects the heart of God in the purest way humanly possible.

Show notes:

Website 

R. C. Sproul https://www.ligonier.org  

Tim Keller https://timothykeller.com/  

Scripture 

Matthew 26:16-20  

Deuteronomy 4:2 

Revelation 22:18-19 

Titus 3:9-11 

1 Timothy 3:2 

Titus 1:6 

Acts 2:42-27 

Titus 2 

2 Timothy 3:16 

Acts 20:28 

Hebrews 10:25 

 Episode Chapters 

00:00:00  Highs and lows of the past week 

00:07:03  Topic intro – experiences of church and change 

00:21:02  – lack of bible-based teaching  

00:26:21  – Intentional controversy 

00:31:42  – Super rich pastors 

00:38:00  – Unapproachable pastors 

00:39:57 – No leadership accountability 

00:44:20 – Celebrity pastor cult 

00:47:21  – Closed door church 

00:54:02 – lack of discipleship,  

00:55:11  – Songs of me me me 

00:57:13 – Lack of diversity 

01:00:50  – Opaque finances 

01:04:00  – Imbalanced focus on grace/truth 

01:05:20  Green Flag – welcoming community 

01:06:28 – scripture- focused 

01:07:00 – trust in leadership team 

01:09:01  – healthy discipleship focus 

01:10:10  – opportunities to grow/learn 

01:12:20  – strong networks with healthy churches 

01:13:35 – emphasis on prayer 

If you want to purchase Jess's new book Nutrition For Postpartum Playbook, grab it here.

Thank you for your support! Please kindly leave a rating and/or review if you are loving the podcast. That would mean so much to us.

Sign up to our monthly newsletter here.

 

In this week's episode, we are spilling it all - the propaganda we're not falling for.

We're not generally ones to jump on the latest social media trends, but we felt like this was a fitting one for the podcast.

So, we are sharing some fun, light-hearted ones and some more deep and intense propaganda we're not falling for.

Get ready to laugh, possibly be shocked and maybe challenged in some way.

While some of what we say is irrelevant to our faith, we want to preface that what we talk about in the podcast is solely our conviction. Our prayer is that we always point people to Jesus, regardless of what each person's conviction may be.

If you haven't already, would you take a moment to rate and review our podcast? We are so thankful for your support!

Make sure you join our monthly newsletter, where we share little snippets of our life and favourite things.

Visit Jess's website to get her new e-book Nutrition for Postpartum Playbook: Your ultimate guide to nourishing your postpartum with ease and confidence.

Show notes:

Website

Series:

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/mad-men

Books:

Nutrition for Postpartum Playbook by Jessica Raj https://the-wholesome-mama.kit.com/products/nutrition-for-postpartum-playbook-e-b

Scripture:

Jeremiah 17:9

Psalm 127:3

2 Corinthians 6:14

Matthew 5:28

1 Timothy 6

No episode chapters this week, sorry!

Hey friends,

Welcome to episode 13 of the Hey Sis podcast.

Jess has just released a new book called Nutrition For Postpartum Playbook: Your ultimate guide to nourishing your postpartum with ease and confidence.

In light of her book release, we will be diving into the topic of not just surviving motherhood.

Our modern day motherhood lingo is that 'I am just surviving' or 'I am so overwhelmed'.

While we may feel this way, this doesn't have to be our normal, especially as Christian mothers.

We explore how we can thrive as mothers and not just survive, because we have access to the Holy Spirit at work within us.

We chat about:

• Spiritual ways we can thrive as mothers
• Practical ways we can thrive as mothers
• The lessons we are learning about how thrive and not just survive as mothers.

Make sure to leave a rating and review of the podcast if you have a spare moment - we would deeply appreciate it!

Show notes:

Sign up to our monthly newsletter here.

Purchase Jess's new e-book here.

Website

https://misformama.net/

https://tinyhearts.com/

Protein powder recommendations from Jess

Happy Whey protein powder

Paleo Pro protein powder

MacroMike protein powder

Books

Nutrition for Postpartum Playbook by Jessica Raj https://the-wholesome-mama.kit.com/products/nutrition-for-postpartum-playbook-e-b

Scripture

Galatians 6:9

Matthew 11: 28-30

John 15:4-11

Matthew 6:26-27

Episode Chapters

00:00:00 Weekly catch up and weather update

00:11:00 Intro guest

00:23:40 Starting the day well

00:29:46 It's okay to accept help

00:35:16 Top tips for mama nutrition

00:45:07 Careful what you listen to

00:50:00 Know your season

00:54:14 The basic stuff – water

00:56:32 Think of other mamas

01:00:00 A final encouragement

Hey friends,

Make sure to subscribe to our monthly newsletter, where we give you a little glimpse into our lives and share our favourite things and links.

If you want to learn more about nutrition for mamas and babies head to Jess's business, The Wholesome Mama Nutrition, at thewholesomemamanutrition.com.

In episode 12, we are chatting with our beautiful Mum, Vanessa, about how to raise kids to love God in a godless world.

Our mum and dad have been married for 32 years and have been parents that many other families have admired and seen as role models over the years.

In our western culture, children are more exposed than ever to other world views and philosophies like 'your own truth' as opposed to 'The Truth'.

Our Mum talks to us about:

• Her inspiring journey to faith
• What she and my Dad did to raise us to know and love God
• Encouragement for parents who have children who have walked away from the faith
• Practical tips on how to cultivate a home where Christ is the centre
• A study that she learned about on why children grow to walk away from the faith compared to children who grow to continue their love for and faith in God.

We pray that this episode encourages parents of littles, parents of older kids, and not-yet parents, who want some wisdom in how to raise kids to love God.

Show notes:

Website mentioned:

https://growingfamilies.life/growing-kids-gods-way

Books mentioned:

On Becoming Babywise by Gary Ezzo and Dr Robert Buchannan

Eight Errors Parents Make by Michael Brock https://thewholesomemamanutrition.com/book-review-8-errors-parents-make-by-michael-brock/

Mama Bear Apologetics by Hillary Morgan Ferrer

Videos mentioned:

Kathy Keller Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1GhiRpXg4g&t=202s

Honouring your parents by Alan Meyer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmqxymqFeiw

Scripture mentioned:

Proverbs 3:7

Titus 2: 3-5

Ephesians 6:4

Micah 6:8

Deuteronomy 6:6-9

Episode Chapters:

00:00:00 Weekly catch up and weather update

00:11:00 Intro guest

00:13:35 Fun questions for our guest

00:22:47 Coming to faith

00:27:14 Surviving a coma

00:32:00 Raising Christians when you don't know how

00:34:32 Growing Kids God's Way

00:38:03 Marriage as priority relationship

00:48:06 Raising kids to love God as adults

00:55:25 Being the authority and getting it wrong

01:00:27 Honouring parents

01:02:49 Should we indoctrinate our kids?

01:10:49 Importance of community

Welcome to episode 11 of the Hey Sis Podcast!

This week we chat about the seemingly harmless things or sins that we allow to creep into our lives and homes, that hurt our faith in Christ.

We're chatting about:

• The idols we make for ourselves over our faith in God
• Overconsumption
• Social media addiction
• Idleness vs overproductivity
• And more!

We are sharing our own struggles with some of these 'subtle sins' and want to encourage other Christians to pray that God will reveal to you about what you are doing that is hurting your faith.

We are chatting not from a place of judgement, but humility, knowing that we too fall short of the glory of God and long to be sanctified every day by God's grace and goodness.

Show notes:

Books:

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt https://jonathanhaidt.com/anxious-generation/

Videos:

Conformity in waiting room https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6kWygqR0L8

Influencer Insanity series https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEY8IyB653c&list=PL7Twtitm5QK4K2GaLMhZZs0tA0IlJJFDj

Angel app https://www.angel.com/app

Scripture:

Job 1:6-8

Romans 5: 3

Romans 12:2

Exodus 20:4

1 Timothy 6:10

Proverbs 4:23

Matthew 6:22-23

Proverbs 18:9

Luke 10:38-42

Episode Chapters:

00:00:00 Weekly catch up

00:14:32 Subtle ways of compromising our faith (intro)

00:21:26 Identifying idols in our lives

00:25:13 Social media as an idol

00:34:12 Over-consumption of fashion

00:40:17 Television and music

00:48:05 Idleness and busy-ness as idols

Make sure to subscribe to our monthly newsletter, where we give you a little glimpse into our lives and share our favourite things and links.

If you want to learn more about nutrition for mamas and babies head to Jess's business, The Wholesome Mama Nutrition, at thewholesomemamanutrition.com.

Welcome to Episode 10 of the Hey Sis Podcast!

This week, Bella talks to us about moving from the comfort of her home and family in Australia to foreign England.

Bella shares:

• Why she and her husband, Liam decided to move overseas and why England out of all places?
• Why she gave up her comfort and chose obedience to God when it was hard
• What God taught them in a season of waiting for jobs for over five months
• What's happening in her life right now and what the future holds
• Her advice to anyone who is feeling called to move overseas

This was a listener topic of interest, so we are giving the people what they want to hear ;)

Hope you enjoy hearing about what Bella has been up to over the last few years. If you are hoping to move overseas in the future, have gained some practical wisdom from listening to Bella's story.

Show notes:

Books mentioned:

David and the Very Big Giant by Thornborough and Davison https://www.thegoodbook.co.uk/series/very-best-bible-stories/david-and-the-very-big-giant

Scripture:

Matthew 19:29

Episode Chapters:

00:00:00 Weekly catch up

00:12:45 Intro Bella's journey

00:15:18 Why England?

00:19:02 The plan to get there

00:22:18 The first few weeks

00:26:01 Big surprises

00:30:32 Little surprises

00:34:10 Finding work

00:38:30 Reflecting on 3 years

00:41:35 Advice to other travellers

00:43:40 The sacrifices

Make sure to subscribe to our monthly newsletter, where we give you a little glimpse into our lives and share our favourite things and links.

If you want to learn more about nutrition for mamas and babies head to Jess's business, The Wholesome Mama Nutrition, at thewholesomemamanutrition.com.

Welcome to episode 9 of the Hey Sis Podcast!

Friendship break ups are real and hit hard.

In this episode, we chat about grieving or losing friends as an adult and cultivating a community that you really want.

We explore:

• What the Bible says about friendships
• How we have navigated our own friendship journeys over the years
• What it looks like to grieve and part with a friend well as a Christian
• How we as Christians should be the community creators
• One thing we should do if we crave community

Show Notes:

Netflix Series mentioned:

Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2oKsdI0OZI

Book mentioned:

The House of My Mother by Shari Franke https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/The-House-of-My-Mother/Shari-Franke/9781398547841

Bible verses:

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Proverbs 17:17

John 15:12-14

1 Samuel 18

Matthew 20:28

1 Corinthians 15:33

Episode chapters:

00:00:00 Weekly catch up

00:08:50 Bella's customer complaint

00:14:44 Intro to episode on adult friendships

00:23:36 Bella's reflection on friendships

00:26:56 Jess' reflection on friendships

00:31:30 The lie of 'toxic friendship'

00:35:41 Friendship as Discipleship

00:37:07 Ending Friendships well

00:41:45 Face to Face is better than online

00:46:18 Initiating Friendships

00:50:20 The Grief of Change and Loss

00:54:07 Friendships in Family

00:55:55 Praying for Friendships

00:57:00 Listener Responses

Make sure to subscribe to our monthly newsletter, where we give you a little glimpse into our lives and share our favourite things and links.

If you want to learn more about nutrition for mamas and babies head to Jess's business, The Wholesome Mama Nutrition, at thewholesomemamanutrition.com.

Welcome to episode 8 of the Hey Sis Podcast!

Make sure to subscribe to our monthly newsletter, where we give you a little glimpse into our lives and share our favourite things and links.

If you want to learn more about nutrition for mamas and babies head to Jess's business, The Wholesome Mama Nutrition, at thewholesomemamanutrition.com.

This week, we spill it all! We are sharing our (slightly, but maybe tremendously) unpopular opinions about parenting.

We live in a culture where gentle parenting and attachment parenting philosophies are taking over. But as Bible believing Christians, should we adhere to these parenting philosophies?

We chat through some of the ways we have decided to parent our children with high regard for what the bible has to say.

We know that we aren't perfect parents and pray that God gives us wisdom to parent well every day, which is why we are happy to share with you our opinions and convictions about things like, raising our children to know the Lord, no social media until 18, sleep training and more!

We'll also be sharing some unpopular parenting opinions from our listeners, so stay tuned till the very end.

Show notes:

Websites:

https://solidstarts.com/

https://www.eastershow.com.au/

https://growingfamilies.life/growing-kids-gods-way

https://uk-en.superbook.cbn.com/

Videos:

Franklin animated series https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUIixndCOJ8yauahIoHoWQhKk_NmHpEOb

Little Bear animated series https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ0G6PqJBFE&list=PLUIixndCOJ8xIlKX6JnYNlPOtwMKkeaqG

Books:

The Women by Kristin Hannah https://kristinhannah.com/books/the-women/

On Becoming Babywise by Gary Ezzo and Dr Robert Buchannan

Eight Errors Parents Make by Michael Brock https://thewholesomemamanutrition.com/book-review-8-errors-parents-make-by-michael-brock/

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt https://jonathanhaidt.com/anxious-generation/

Podcasts:

Now that We're a Family https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/

Bible verses:

Proverbs 22:6

Joshua 24:15

Proverbs 29:15

Proverbs 23:13-14

Make sure you subscribe to the podcast! We'd love you to take a moment to leave a comment, rating or review. Every bit helps. Thanks friends!

Welcome to episode 7 of the Hey Sis Podcast!

Make sure to subscribe to our monthly newsletter, where we give you a little glimpse into our lives and share our favourite things and links.

If you want to learn more about nutrition for mamas and babies head to Jess's business, The Wholesome Mama Nutrition, at thewholesomemamanutrition.com.

This week, we are answering a listener question sharing our pros, cons and advice for getting married young.

We share:

• Our marriage journeys.
• The pros of getting married young.
• The challenges of getting married young.
• Advice for young couples (or even older couples) who want to tie the knot in a God-honouring way.

We also share some of our listener responses, so stay tuned for those at the end! We'd love it if you could take a moment to leave a rating or review for our podcast. Thanks for your support!

Show Notes:

Bible verses:

• Matthew 7: 3-5

• Song of Solomon 8: 3-4

• 1 Corinthians 7:9

• Proverbs 11:14

• Proverbs 12:15

• 2 Corinthians 6:14

• Genesis 2:24

Sources mentioned:

The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian

Wedding Costs in Australia

Episode Chapters:

00:00:00 Weekly catch up

00:08.55 Getting married young intro

00:11:21 Our experiences

00:13:40 Pros to getting married young

00:25:42 Maturity and marriage

00:29:21 Keeping purity

00:35:29 Importance of pre-marriage counselling

00:40:47 Marrying a Christian

00:51:00 Financial Realities

00:54:38 Roles of Wives and Husbands

00:58:08 The Leave and Cleave Principle

01:03:14 Listener Responses