Strength In Weakness Podcast

A Christian parent asked: does my teenager need to confess their same-sex attraction to the people they're studying the Bible with? Ellen and Morgan tackle this question with honesty and grace — making the key distinction between temptation and sin, why sharing our struggles with safe people brings relief instead of shame, and how isolation makes temptation feel stronger while bringing it into the light sets us free.

Our goal is to offer a framework for these difficult moments. You will learn how to listen well, keep lines of communication open, and trust God with your child's long-term faith journey. Whether you are currently walking this path or want to be prepared to support someone else, this episode provides a compassionate space to process the reality of family dynamics.
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In this episode of The Strength In Weakness Podcast, Ellen and Morgan both showed up to record this episode depleted. Instead of scrapping it, they decided to do something more valuable: be honest about it. What came out of that conversation is one of the most raw and relatable episodes they've ever recorded.

They're talking about the valley seasons of life — those stretches where you're not grieving something specific, you're just exhausted by the accumulation of it all. The unexpected ER visit. The job stress. The ministry criticism. The slow drift away from what once felt exciting and meaningful. The unmet expectations that quietly hollow you out.

Ellen brings her clinical lens as an LMFT and Morgan brings her lived experience as a mom, wife, and ministry co-host — and together they unpack how we actually get into valleys, why we stay stuck in them longer than we need to, and what it looks like to stop fighting the valley and start letting God meet you in it.

They cover the "of course" technique for building self-compassion, the difference between self-soothing and actual emotional validation, what Isaiah 26:3 has to do with your racing heart, and the powerful image of a shepherd carrying a wandering sheep — and what that means for you in your hardest season.

This one is honest, warm, and genuinely helpful whether you're in a deep valley right now or just starting to feel the descent.

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In this episode of the Strength In Weakness Podcast, Ellen Radcliff, LMFT explores What Pride Month Really Reveals About Human Longing.

Drawing from her own experience attending Pride events as a former lesbian, Ellen goes beyond the parades and rainbow flags to uncover the deeper story: a profound human need for belonging, acceptance, and home. She shares a moving story from a support group that reveals how many Christians are quietly asking, “How should we feel about Pride Month?”

This episode offers a compassionate, biblical path through the tension between truth and grace. Learn how to hold firm convictions without hatred, move from anger or fear to “surrendered grief,” and respond to the LGBTQ community with the same love and compassion Jesus showed.

Whether you’re a Christian trying to navigate Pride Month faithfully or simply want to understand the heart behind the celebration, this conversation will challenge and encourage you.

What You’ll Discover:

• Why the longing for belonging is deeply human — and God-given

• The difference between righteous indignation and contempt

• Practical ways to become safe people who offer living water instead of judgment

If you’ve ever felt torn between conviction and love during Pride Month, this episode is for you.

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In this episode of The Strength in Weakness Podcast, Ellen Radcliff responds to a thoughtful youtube comment from a viewer who argued that we worship God in spirit — not with our bodies — and therefore bodily alignment with God's design isn't required.

Ellen takes the comment seriously, honoring the pain that often underlies it, while offering a gentle but grounded theological response: Scripture doesn't actually separate body from spirit. From Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 6 to Genesis and the resurrection, the Bible consistently presents us as embodied people — and that matters for how we live and worship.

This episode isn't about convincing anyone to change. It's about holding conviction and compassion together in what Ellen calls the "messy middle" — the space Jesus himself forged, where truth and grace don't cancel each other out.

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In this episode of the Strength & Weakness Podcast, hosts Ellen Radcliff, LMFT, and Morgan Roberts discuss one of the most important—and often misunderstood—questions for Christian parents:

What is my role in my child’s faith journey?

Drawing from real therapy experiences and personal parenting stories, we unpack:

• The harmful myth that “if you do everything right, your child will follow God”

• How this belief creates shame, fear, and disillusionment for parents

• The difference between influence vs. control

• How your child’s faith journey is ultimately between them and God—not you

We also explore how parenting impacts your own relationship with God, especially when things don’t go the way you expected.

If you’ve ever felt pressure to “get it right” as a Christian parent—or fear that you’ve somehow failed—this conversation will bring clarity, freedom, and a healthier framework.

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In this episode of the Strength and Weakness Podcast, hosts Ellen Radcliff, LMFT, and Morgan Roberts sit down with Kyla Gillespie, author of the new book "Transformed." Kyla shares a concise recap of her personal story—growing up in a Christian home, struggling with gender dysphoria and same-sex attraction, her full transition to living as a man named Bryson, and her eventual detransition after a profound encounter with God's love.

We dive deep into the messy middle of navigating transgender ideologies: how to humanize the experience with compassion while holding firm to biblical truth. Kyla offers wisdom for parents, young people experiencing gender dysphoria, and Christians grappling with polarized views—whether dismissing it as "ridiculous" or bending to affirmation out of empathy.

Hear emotional stories from her book, including pivotal moments with friends who loved her unconditionally through disagreement, and Kyla's reflections on writing such a vulnerable memoir. Discover how surrendering to God brought freedom from self-autonomy and slavery to identity struggles.

Kyla's book "Transformed" releases on March 17th—preorder now on

Amazon!

Preorder Kyla's Book

Kyla's Website

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What do you do when your elementary-age child comes home with questions about gender identity, same-sex parents, or classmates who identify differently?In this episode of the Strength and Weakness Podcast, Morgan Roberts and Ellen Radcliff, LMFT, focus on how Christian parents can navigate LGBTQ-related conversations with young children—without reacting in fear, shame, or panic.Rather than giving a script, this episode emphasizes heart posture, preparation, and emotional grounding so parents can respond with wisdom and love when questions arise.In this conversation, we discuss:

• Why you won’t always be the first to introduce these topics—and why that’s okay

• A practical framework for responding to kids’ questions with curiosity, clarity, and compassion

• How to pause conversations when you need time to think and prayThis episode is especially helpful for parents of elementary-age children who want to be proactive, thoughtful, and faithful—without overcorrecting or overwhelming their kids.If you’re feeling the weight of these conversations approaching, this episode will help you move from anxiety to preparedness, and from fear to steady leadership.Connect With Strength In Weakness⁠: https://linktr.ee/strengthinweakness

In this episode of the Strength and Weakness Podcast, Morgan Roberts and Ellen Radcliff, LMFT, respond to a powerful question from a Christian parent of an LGBTQ child:

“Is this the hill I should die on?”

Together, they unpack what that question really means — fear, grief, love, and the longing to stay connected to your child while remaining faithful to God. They discuss:

• What it means to “pick your battles” as a parent

• Why convictions are not the same as your relationship with God

• How to disagree without making agreement the price of relationship

This episode is especially for Christian parents who feel torn between their beliefs and their love for their child — and who want to know how to walk this road with both truth and compassion.

🎧 Be sure to listen to the next episode, where we continue this conversation and focus specifically on how parents can talk with younger children about LGBTQ topics.

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In this episode of the Strength In Weakness Podcast Morgan and Ellen step carefully and compassionately into a topic many Christian parents are quietly wrestling with: the overlap between autism and LGBTQ identification. With honesty, humility, and personal experience, they explore why autistic individuals may feel “other,” how that longing for belonging intersects with cultural messages around gender and sexuality, and how the church can respond with the heart of Christ.

As both a therapist and a mom to a child with autism, Ellen shares gentle insight into how neurological differences shape identity processing, social perception, and emotional experience. Together, she and Morgan talk through why LGBTQ spaces can feel comforting for those who have often felt misunderstood—and how the Christian community can grow in offering that same warmth, safety, and belonging in a biblical way.⁠

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In this episode of The Strength In Weakness Podcast, Morgan and Ellen explore adoption through a deeply biblical lens—our own adoption into God’s family—and how that spiritual reality can shape the way parents walk with their adopted children through questions of identity and LGBTQ experiences.

Drawing from Ellen’s counseling work and Morgan’s family stories, they talk about the unique ache and beauty of adoption: the grief of expectations that shift, the longing for belonging, and the sacred reality of being chosen and brought into a family by love, not biology.

Together, they help parents see how their relationship with God—as adopted sons and daughters—can guide how they love, steady, and shepherd their children, especially when fear or self-blame rises.

They unpack:

• How God’s adoptive love models patient, non-controlling, unconditional presence

• Why adopted kids may wrestle more deeply with identity and belonging

• How parents can reflect God’s tenderness, stability, and pursuit in moments of tension

• Practical ways to anchor your child’s worth in being chosen—not just by you, but by God

This episode invites parents to breathe again, to grieve and rejoice at the same time, and to remember: the story of adoption has always been God’s story—and He walks with you as you live it out in your own home.

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