Shepherd Press Podcast

In this episode of the Shepherd Press Podcast, Martha Peace joins us to reflect on the story and heart behind The Excellent Wife, and how God transformed her life through the gospel, led her into biblical counseling, and used ordinary faithfulness to impact generations of women and marriages around the world.

Shannon and Martha discuss the foundations of biblical marriage, common misunderstandings about submission and respect, the influence of feminism on women today, and the practical hope found in Scripture. Martha also shares about her own testimony and the providential journey that led to the writing of The Excellent Wife.

This episode offers wisdom, encouragement, and gospel-centered hope for wives, counselors, and anyone desiring to grow in Christ and honor Him in marriage.

Recommended Resources:

The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace

The Excellent Wife Day by Day by Karen Eiler

The Exemplary Husband by Stuart Scott

When Sinners Say I Do by Dave Harvey

In this episode, Shannon McCoy sits down with Ernie Bowman to talk about the deeper heart issues behind our scrolling habits.

Rather than treating screen time as a simple productivity problem, Ernie challenges us to see it for what it often is: a matter of worship, desire, and identity. Together, they explore how social media shapes our affections, fuels comparison, and distracts us from the life God has called us to live.

This conversation offers both biblical clarity and practical help for anyone who feels stuck in the cycle of endless scrolling—and points us to the lasting hope found in Christ.

Recommended Resources:

Help! I'm Scrolling My Life Away by Ernie Bowman

Check our entire LifeLine for Teens Series

In this episode, we revisit a conversation between host Shannon K. McCoy and Johanna Pressley on autism through the lens of biblical counseling.

Together, they explore how parents, churches, and counselors can come alongside children with autistic traits in ways that are wise, patient, and grounded in God’s Word. Johanna shares from both personal experience and biblical training, helping listeners think clearly about diagnosis, identity, and the transforming hope of the gospel.

Whether you are a parent, ministry leader, or someone who desires to better support families affected by autism, this conversation offers both practical help and deep encouragement.

Recommended Resources

Biblical Counseling and Autism in Children by Johanna Pressley

Check out our Critical Issues in Biblical Counseling Series | Ernie Baker, Consulting Editor

• Use code "AUTISM" to get 25% off on Biblical Counseling and Autism in Children and entire the CIBC series.

In this episode, Shannon K. McCoy sits down with biblical counselor and author Rachel Coyle to talk about her new Lifeline for Teens mini-book, Help! I’m Angry. Together, they explore the heart behind anger, the unique challenges teens face today, and the gospel-centered hope that leads to real, lasting change.

• Why anger is more than just a behavior problem—it’s a heart issue
• The biblical roots of anger (James 1 & 4)
• How unmet desires quietly become sinful demands
• How social media and digital culture intensify teen anger
• The difference between righteous anger and sinful anger
• Why behavior modification isn’t enough—and why mind renewal matters
• Practical steps teens can take when anger rises
• How parents can shepherd an angry teen without responding in anger
• Why the local church plays a vital role in helping teens overcome anger

Recommended Resources:

Help! I'm Angry by Rachel Coyle

LifeLine for Teens Series

Confrontation. For many of us, that word alone stirs anxiety, avoidance, or memories of conversations that did not go well. But what if confrontation is not opposed to love? What if it is actually an essential expression of Christlike love?

In this episode of the Shepherd Press Podcast, Shannon chats with Bill Newton, author of Confrontation: The Missing Element in Christlike Love. Drawing from decades of leadership in the military, business, and pastoral ministry, Bill shares how loving well sometimes requires speaking hard truths — and how avoiding confrontation can cause long-term relational and spiritual damage.

With humility and honesty, Bill reflects on both personal failures and growth, reminding us that confrontation, when done biblically reflects Christlike love.

This episode unpacks:

1. How Christians often misunderstand love as avoiding hard conversations
2. What Scripture reveals about God as the ultimate confronter
3. Why fear, self-protection, and comfort keep us from confronting
4. The importance of examining our motives before engaging in confrontation
5. How humility and repentance restore relationships
6. Why church discipline reflects Christlike love — not harsh judgment
7. How to respond faithfully when confrontation is rejected
8. Wisdom for receiving confrontation with humility instead of defensiveness

Recommended Resources:

1. Confrontation: The Missing Element in Christlike Love by Bill Newton

In this episode, Sarah Hopkins joins us to talk about her new book, You Don’t Got This, Mama: A God-Centered Way to Embrace Weakness in Motherhood. With honesty and tenderness, Sarah shares how motherhood exposes our limits—and how those limits are actually invitations to depend on Christ.

This episode unpacks:

1. Biblical motherhood vs. cultural self-sufficiency
2. Embracing weakness instead of striving for control
3. Weakness vs. worth: rooting identity in Christ
4. “Every season has its hard” — finding purpose in difficulty
5. The importance of gospel-centered community
6. Finding eternal purpose in ordinary, mundane moments
7. Raising children with an eternal perspective (“a nursery for heaven”)
8. Understanding motherhood through the lens of the gospel and the Fall
9. Encouragement for weary moms: perseverance and hope in Christ

Resources:

You Don't Got This, Mama by Sarah Hopkins

Sign up to study the book together here!

Would you like to lead a group in your own community? Fill out our leader interest form here

Join author Sarah Hopkins and other women on our study of You Don't Got This, Mama: A God-Centered Way to Embrace Weakness in Motherhood.

This will be a space for moms to gather, reflect, and encourage one another with the truths of the gospel as they apply to motherhood. From sleep deprivation to hormonal shifts, we’ll grow together and remind each other of the God who sustains us in our weakness.

Sign up for our online and in person study options here!

Would you like to lead a group in your own community? Fill out our leader interest form here.

Grab a copy of You Don't Got This, Mama: https://www.shepherdpress.com/products/you-dont-got-this-mama/

In Part 2 of our conversation with Rick Witmer, we focus on applying biblical truth through the “anchors” in his book Walking with God When I’m Afraid. Rick shares how seasons of anxiety in his own life shaped the anchor metaphor and explains how steady meditation on Scripture helps children (and adults!) find stability in life’s storms.

This episode explores how to patiently shepherd anxious hearts with gospel-centered truth, why quick fixes don’t work, and how long-term confidence in God is formed through slow, faithful exposure to Scripture.

This episode unpacks:

1. Grounding fearful hearts in God’s unchanging character
2. Helping children slowly “metabolize” truth through steady Scripture meditation
3. Responding to anxious children with patience instead of urgency
4. Holding grief and worship together in seasons of disappointment
5. Cultivating a reflex of turning to God first in moments of fear
6. Pursuing long-term spiritual formation rather than immediate emotional relief

Recommended Resources:

Walking with God When I'm Afraid by Rick Witmer

Other helpful parenting resources:

Shepherding a Child's Heart

Instructing a Child's Heart

In this episode of the Shepherd Press Podcast, pastor and biblical counselor Rick Witmer joins us to talk about anxiety in children — how it shows up and how parents can shepherd fearful hearts with biblical truth. Rather than offering surface coping techniques, Rick points us to something deeper: anchoring children in the character and promises of God.

This episode offers biblical clarity, practical guidance, and gospel-rooted hope for parents, counselors, and churches seeking to shepherd anxious children with wisdom and compassion.

The episode unpacks:

1. Recognizing how fear and anxiety commonly appear in children
2. Understanding anxiety as both a heart and embodied struggle
3. Biblical versus cultural approaches to childhood anxiety
4. Anchoring fearful hearts in God’s sovereignty, goodness, and care
5. Practical ways parents can shepherd anxious children
6. Modeling trust in God while walking through fear together
7. Using Scripture to cultivate lasting peace rather than temporary relief

Mentioned Resources:

Walking with God When I'm Afraid: 30 Biblical Anchors for Anxious Young Hearts

In this episode of the Shepherd Press Podcast, host Shannon K. McCoy welcomes Richard and Deborah Burton, authors of When Death Does You Part, to discuss their deeply personal experiences with losing a spouse and navigating widowhood. They share how God's grace and promises helped them through their grief, leading to their eventual remarriage. The Burtons offer practical advice for those grieving, highlight the importance of community support, and discuss the emotional complexities of moving forward while honoring deceased spouses. Their conversation centers around the importance of feeding the mind with God's Word, and the hope of a God who redeems all things.

This episode offers biblical clarity, compassionate counsel, and gospel-rooted hope for widows, widowers, counselors, and churches seeking to walk wisely with those who grieve.

The episode unpacks:

1. Walking through grief after the loss of a spouse
2. Trusting God’s sovereignty in seasons of deep suffering
3. The role of Scripture in shaping the heart during grief
4. Common misconceptions about widowhood
5. The importance of community and pastoral care
6. Counseling and supporting grieving believers
7. Remarriage after loss and God’s redemptive purposes

Grab a copy: When Death Does You Part: A Biblically Informed Guide through Widowhood and Remarriage