It’s An Us Thing

What happens when we turn down the noise?

In Part 2 of their conversation about social media, Christina shares the freedom she experienced after stepping away—the quieting of competing voices, a deeper prayer life, and a greater awareness of the Holy Spirit. She also reflects on how leaving social media changed the way she viewed relationships, responsibility, and the pressure to know and respond to everything happening around her.

Brett and Christina explore the question, “Who is my neighbor?” and what it means to faithfully love and carry the burdens of the people God has actually placed in our lives, rather than feeling responsible for everyone we encounter online.

Social media itself is simply a tool. The question is how we use it—and whether our use of it is ultimately drawing attention to ourselves or bringing glory to God.

Connect with Brett and Christina Varvel

• Brett on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@brettvarvel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Brett on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Join ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christina’s Couch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Buy ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christina's Book⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.brettvarvel.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.christinavarvel.com

What are we really looking for when we post on social media?

Brett and Christina begin an honest conversation about the pros and cons of social media, sharing what they have personally discovered about comparison, validation, and the desire to be seen. Christina shares why she stepped away from social media three years ago and what the Lord began revealing about her heart, while Brett reflects on the unique challenges of using social media as part of his career.

Together, they ask some deeper questions: Why am I posting? What do I hope to receive from it? And where am I looking for my reward—in this life or in heaven?

Rather than simply asking whether social media is good or bad, they explore what our use of it may reveal about what we are seeking and who we are ultimately trying to glorify.

Connect with Brett and Christina Varvel

• Brett on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@brettvarvel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Brett on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Join ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christina’s Couch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Buy ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christina's Book⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.brettvarvel.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.christinavarvel.com

If fear of man keeps us trapped, where do we find true freedom?

In Part 2 of their conversation about convictions and Brett’s film career, Brett and Christina share how God used Scripture, biblical counseling, and honest reflection to help them understand who they are truly accountable to.

They discuss learning to filter their decisions through God’s Word—not only asking, “Is this sinful?” but also, “What is God asking of us?”

They explore the role of conscience, the Holy Spirit, and personal convictions, and how those convictions should lead us toward obedience rather than judgment of others.

They also share how this process affected their marriage, including learning when to submit to one another and how to pursue unity when they didn’t initially agree.

Ultimately, God revealed that their greatest struggle wasn’t the decisions themselves, but the motives behind them. They were more concerned with the fear of man than the fear of God.

Through surrender, God brought freedom—the freedom to make decisions with confidence, honor their convictions without fearing others’ opinions, and pursue God’s calling without being controlled by expectations.

Because true freedom is found when we stop living for the approval of others and start living fully surrendered to Christ.

Connect with Brett and Christina Varvel

• Brett on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@brettvarvel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Brett on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Join ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christina’s Couch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Buy ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christina's Book⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.brettvarvel.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.christinavarvel.com

One of the questions Brett and Christina are asked most often is also one of the hardest to talk about: What is it like for Brett to work opposite another woman and portray romantic relationships on screen?

In this honest conversation, they pull back the curtain on the conversations, emotions, and convictions that come with navigating acting roles and marriage.

They discuss the challenge of separating a character from the person portraying them, the assumptions we can make about others, and how easily we can place our own convictions on someone else.

Through it all, Brett and Christina realized something deeper was happening in their own hearts: they were carrying the weight of other people’s opinions and fearing disappointing people more than fearing God.

They share how God began freeing them from living under expectations that were never meant to define their decisions.

Because the question isn’t ultimately, “What will everyone else think?”

The question is, “Are we faithfully following Jesus?”

Connect with Brett and Christina Varvel

• Brett on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠@brettvarvel⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Brett on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook ⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Join ⁠⁠⁠⁠Christina’s Couch ⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Buy ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christina's Book⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.brettvarvel.com⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.christinavarvel.com

If stability and control are an illusion, where do we find true security?

In this continuation of their conversation about finances, Brett and Christina share how God has used uncertainty to teach them dependence, trust, and surrender. Through stories of unexpected provision, they reflect on how God has faithfully provided while continuing to call them to live differently—including their decision to live on one income and steward their money according to their convictions.

Brett also shares how he realized his career had become more than a calling—it had become a source of identity and security. Together, they explore how even good things like a career, savings, or the ability to provide can become idols when they replace our dependence on God.

Looking back, they can see God’s faithfulness woven through every season.

Because true security isn’t found in what we have—it’s found in the One who provides.

Connect with Brett and Christina Varvel

• Brett on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠@brettvarvel⁠⁠⁠
• Brett on ⁠⁠⁠Facebook ⁠⁠⁠
• Join ⁠⁠⁠Christina’s Couch ⁠⁠⁠
• Buy ⁠⁠⁠⁠Christina's Book⁠⁠⁠⁠

• Visit ⁠⁠⁠www.brettvarvel.com⁠⁠⁠
• Visit ⁠⁠⁠www.christinavarvel.com

What happens when the career you feel called to pursue comes without guarantees?

For Brett, a career in acting and directing means freelance work, uncertainty, and seasons of waiting. In this episode, Brett and Christina talk honestly about how financial uncertainty affected anxiety, identity, marriage, and the pressure Brett felt to measure his worth by his ability to provide.

They share how they’ve learned to budget, steward their money, and live differently rather than trying to keep up with everyone else. But the deeper question is one of surrender: What happens when the thing we look to for security becomes the thing God asks us to release?

Through years of uncertainty, they’ve learned that true provision isn’t found in a career, a paycheck, or a plan.

It’s found in the One who provides.

Connect with Brett and Christina Varvel

• Brett on Instagram ⁠⁠@brettvarvel⁠⁠
• Brett on ⁠⁠Facebook ⁠⁠
• Join ⁠⁠Christina’s Couch ⁠⁠
• Buy ⁠⁠⁠Christina's Book⁠⁠⁠

• Visit ⁠⁠www.brettvarvel.com⁠⁠
• Visit ⁠⁠www.christinavarvel.com

What does it look like to build a family that thrives when life involves travel, unpredictable schedules, and long days on a film set?

Brett and Christina get practical about navigating filmmaking, homeschooling, parenting, and family life, whether they’re traveling together or Christina is holding down the fort at home. They share stories from filming Disciples in the Moonlight and talk honestly about unrealistic expectations in marriage and the choices that make their family unique.

Their family doesn’t always look like everyone else’s—and they’ve learned that’s okay. Instead of letting culture dictate how they should raise their children, they’ve focused on what serves their family well: studying the Bible together, sharing meals, reading aloud, and, most importantly, doing life together while pointing their children to Jesus.

They’ve learned that thriving isn’t about having the perfect schedule or doing things like everyone else. It’s about knowing what matters most and faithfully building your family around it.

Different doesn’t have to mean divided. It can mean doing what God has called your family to do together.

Watch Disciples in the Moonlight on Angel, Amazon, Apple, Fandango, or Google.

Connect with Brett and Christina Varvel

• Brett on Instagram ⁠@brettvarvel⁠
• Brett on ⁠Facebook ⁠
• Join ⁠Christina’s Couch ⁠
• Buy ⁠⁠Christina's Book⁠⁠

• Visit ⁠www.brettvarvel.com⁠
• Visit ⁠www.christinavarvel.com

What does marriage look like when one spouse is on a film set and the other is at home? How do you stay connected, make decisions together, and pursue God’s calling without creating two separate lives?

Brett and Christina get honest about the realities of navigating life project to project. They share how they stay connected when they’re physically apart, make career and family decisions together, and encourage each other when one of them is ready to give up.

They also talk about the unrealistic expectations they each brought into marriage—and how those expectations created strife, affected their relationship with God, and ultimately had to be surrendered to the reality of their life and God’s purposes.

They don’t have it all figured out. But they’re learning that marriage isn’t about building the life you imagined; it’s about pursuing Jesus together in the life He has given you.

Because even when you’re not physically together, you don’t have to live separate lives.

Connect with Brett and Christina Varvel

• Brett on Instagram ⁠@brettvarvel⁠
• Brett on ⁠Facebook ⁠
• Join ⁠Christina’s Couch ⁠
• Buy ⁠⁠Christina's Book⁠⁠

• Visit ⁠www.brettvarvel.com⁠
• Visit ⁠www.christinavarvel.com

In a culture that celebrates celebrity and success, what happens when admiration turns into worship? And how do we stay grounded when people begin to put us—or those we admire—on a pedestal?

Brett and Christina pull back the curtain on navigating recognition, influence, and the subtle pressures of hero worship. Drawing from their experiences in filmmaking and writing, they explore the temptation to find identity in applause, the importance of humility and accountability, and why every gift and accomplishment ultimately points back to the One who gave it.

Whether you’ve ever been in the spotlight, admired someone from afar, or wrestled with the desire for recognition, this conversation is a reminder that our worth isn’t found in popularity, influence, or accomplishments. It’s found in Christ alone.

Because there is only One worthy of our worship.

Connect with Brett and Christina Varvel

• Brett on Instagram @brettvarvel
• Brett on Facebook
• Join Christina’s Couch
• Buy ⁠Christina's Book⁠

• Visit www.brettvarvel.com
• Visit www.christinavarvel.com

Welcome to the first episode of It’s An Us Thing with Brett and Christina Varvel!

In this first episode, Brett and Christina introduce themselves, share why they’re here, and unpack the meaning behind the title It’s An Us Thing—a phrase that has come to define not only their marriage, but the way they approach all of life together.

Brett is an actor and director in the film industry, but more importantly, he is a follower of Jesus Christ, husband, and father. Christina is Brett’s “real wife,” a homeschool mom, author, blogger, and fellow follower of Jesus.

Over the years, they’ve learned that marriage and life were never meant to be lived separately. Their desire is to pursue Jesus together, no matter where He leads them.

In this podcast, Brett and Christina begin tackling the questions they’re asked most often as a couple navigating filmmaking, calling, marriage, parenting, travel, finances, convictions, and all the unexpected adventures that come with life.

So pull up a seat and listen in as they answer some of the most common questions about their not-so-ordinary life—and share why, for them, it’s an us thing.

Connect with Brett and Christina Varvel

• Brett on Instagram ⁠@brettvarvel⁠
• Brett on ⁠Facebook ⁠
• Join ⁠Christina’s Couch ⁠
• Buy Christina's Book

• Visit ⁠www.brettvarvel.com⁠
• Visit ⁠www.christinavarvel.com⁠