What does it take to become a hero in God’s Kingdom?

On this episode of the Collide Kids Podcast, host Christen Clark sits down with bestselling author and Christian parenting advocate Joshua Cooley for an inspiring chat about raising Christian kids, cultivating faith at home, and discovering purpose in all seasons of family life. Together, they explore stories of Biblical heroes, the reality of spiritual growth in the everyday, and how family time can become discipleship time - even for the not-so-perfect parents).

• [00:02:57] Josh shares his unique path from sportswriter to kids’ ministry and author
• [00:09:57] God uses those who feel unimportant or weak
• [00:13:21] The power of honest questions and doubts in spiritual growth
• [00:15:11] Early Church Heroes

Resources:

• "Heroes of the Bible Devotional” 1 & 2 by Joshua Cooley
• Website: joshuacooleyauthor.com
• IG: @jcooley74
• Website: collidekidspodcast.com
• Instagram: @collidekidspod

Clip Finder:

Finding Purpose in Many Passions: "So God has given me a lot of things that I love to do, and it's really great."

— Josh Cooley [00:03:21 → 00:03:26]

Unexpected Career Paths: "I love working with kids, but I never considered it a career option."

— Josh Cooley [00:07:18 → 00:07:22]

Viral Career Change: "So I quit my sports editor job at this paper and became a kids minister."

— Josh Cooley [00:07:37 → 00:07:43]

Viral Topic: God takes the weak and the unimportant and the person that you wouldn't think could do great things for him and does great things by his power, not ours.

— Josh Cooley [00:10:52 → 00:11:01]

Questioning Faith is Okay: "The Bible isn't just a book of rules for us to follow. It's about real people who have real questions that I think we ask too, and God allows those questions to happen. He allows, like, our faith to grow and us to question him so that we can, you know, grow in our faith and understand him better."

— Josh Cooley [00:13:21 → 00:13:39]

Viral Christian History: "Even her own father said, recant, recant Christ. Just say you're not a Christian just to save your life, and then you can believe whatever you want, and she would not do it, and they threw her into the arena with wild animals, and that's a documented story."

— Josh Cooley [00:15:54 → 00:16:08]

Behind the Book: "Yeah, I always tell people that as I'm writing, like, I'm always growing too. That just strengthens my faith."

— Josh Cooley [00:18:21 → 00:18:26]

Faith and History: "History has never disproven the Bible; it's only proven it."

— Josh Cooley [00:19:03 → 00:19:06]

What Makes a True Hero?: "But Incredible Man is like the most un-incredible person you've ever seen, right? He has no skills, no No superhero powers whatsoever. But that leads to a conversation through many pitfalls and pratfalls, I should say, and bruised shins on my part. That leads to a conversation about, okay, if it's not a mask and a cape and the biceps of justice, which is one of his supposed superpowers, then what is it? What makes us a true hero for God?"

— Josh Cooley [00:20:54 → 00:21:22]

Childhood Imagination Adventures: "So we would all assign ourselves like, you're, you're like a warrior, you're an elf, you're a wizard, you're an archer, like the good guys, right? And we would, we would dress up and we'd get our weapons and we'd pretend in my backyard to fight all of these villains."

— Josh Cooley [00:22:56 → 00:23:11]

Bark proactively works to monitor, detect, and alert you to potential issues on your kids' devices. Visit bark.us to learn more about how you can keep your kids safe online. Use the code COLLIDEKIDS to get 15% off Your Bark Technologies Plan !

Support the show

Have you ever thought about opening your heart and community to those around you with disabilities?

In this inspiring episode of the Collide Kids Podcast, host Christen Clark sits down with Jess Berryhill, disability minister and founder of Terre Haute Friendship House. Jess shares how authentic friendship, inclusion, and stepping out of our comfort zones can reshape family life, discipleship, and the way we practice faith at church and in our communities—revealing how every person has value and purpose in God’s eyes.

• [00:05:23] Jess explains what it’s like to live in intentional Christian community with people who have disabilities
• [00:09:18] How stepping into disability ministry helped Jess—and her church—grow in faith and compassion
• [00:14:31] The “origin story” of Terre Haute Friendship House
• [00:19:29] Why heart work and friendship are key to spiritual growth

Resources:

• The Terre Haute Friendship House website: thfriendshiphouse.org
• Contact email: [email protected]
• Website: collidekidspodcast.com
• Instagram: @collidekidspod

Clip Finder:

Empowering Disability Voices: "You can only stand in like a prayer circle or sit at a dinner table or, you know, you know, have conversations with friends and people you love for so long, and like hear those dreams come up over and over and over again until you're like, God, maybe, maybe it's me. Like, maybe we're the vessel for this. Maybe like you're trying to move my feet and not just have me hear these things."

— Jess Berryhill [00:05:53 → 00:06:14]

Adulting and Accessible Transportation: "That's not just us, right? 'Cause part of figuring out adult life is figuring out how we're gonna get to places."

— Jess Berryhill [00:08:17 → 00:08:22]

Viral Topic: How Disability Ministry Began by Meeting One Need: "But I think God had other plans, much bigger plans."

— Jess Berryhill [00:10:53 → 00:10:56]

Unexpected Lessons in Creativity: "God has taught me that, like, he equips us in ways that we may not expect."

— Jess Berryhill [00:13:13 → 00:13:17]

Inclusion in Theater: "I feel like we're missing, like, we're missing the opportunity to see her talent shine."

— Jess Berryhill [00:13:41 → 00:14:31]

Building Community for People with Disabilities: "That ministry has grown from about 6 to 8 to about 100 individuals with disabilities every week and a whole slate of like opportunities for community and belonging."

— Jess Berryhill [00:15:56 → 00:16:06]

Building an Inclusive Community: "What if part of our identity as a church became sort of being a church that welcomes people with disabilities?"

— Jess Berryhill [00:17:41 → 00:17:46]

Making Communities Accessible: "But I don't wanna bring them out if everyone can't participate. And so it actually led to a conversation where we were able to make the bike park more accessible."

— Jess Berryhill [00:18:06 → 00:18:14]

The Power of Relationships in Disability Ministry: "I can teach you about autism, I can teach you about Down syndrome, and those— that knowledge is so important, but it's actually the heart work, it's how God's gonna change your heart that's actually gonna matter."

— Jess Berryhill [00:19:31 → 00:19:41]

Viral Topic: Rethinking Social Circles for People with Disabilities: "A lot of times, like, people that would fall in our acquaintance circle would fall closer to their middle. And also a lot of those folks in their circles are paid to be with them."

— Jess Berryhill [00:20:51 → 00:21:01]

Bark proactively works to monitor, detect, and alert you to potential issues on your kids' devices. Visit bark.us to learn more about how you can keep your kids safe online. Use the code COLLIDEKIDS to get 15% off Your Bark Technologies Plan !

Support the show

What if your child’s passion for stories could be the spark that lights up their faith, purpose, and future?

In this episode of the Collide Kids Podcast, host Christen Clark chats with author and mentor Brett Harris, co-founder of the Young Writers Workshop and Author Conservatory. Together, they explore the unique journey of raising Christian kids who follow their God-given dreams, nurture their imaginations, and discover spiritual growth through storytelling, discipleship, and resilient effort—while building family time and faith at home.

Resources:

• theyoungwriter.com - Young Writers Workshop — online program for young people ages 13 to 25
• The Author Conservatory - College alternative program
• The Green Writer Show — Podcast co-hosted with S.D. Smith for young writers
• The Next C.S. Lewis Fellowship — a free 5-week mentorship experience with training, resources, and scholarships for young writers
• A guide for parents on how to give feedback on their child's creative writing (mentioned as a resource available through their programs)
• Websites mentioned: theyoungwriter.com and authorconservatory.com
• Website: collidekidspodcast.com
• Instagram: @collidekidspod

Clip Finder:

Inspiration for Young Writers: "I had this conviction that if a young person was given the same kind of access and the same kind of knowledge and the same kind of training and practice that we received, they could do this too."

— Brett Harris [00:09:44 → 00:09:54]

Turning Adversity Into Opportunity: "And any parents who have engaged in caregiving know that is a full-time job. I was doing that, and I had to figure out what can I do to earn money, but that's flexible. And that's when I thought, well, hey, I'm really good at helping young writers, and I always have young writers coming and asking for my help. What if I turn that into something where I could serve more people at once? And that's where my first program, the Young Writers Workshop, came from. And that's allowed me to serve thousands of young writers over the years while also allowing me to be that caregiver and walk my wife through her recovery journey."

— Brett Harris [00:10:53 → 00:11:24]

Passion Over Talent: "it actually is that passion and it is the willingness to put in consistent effort and even suffer for it, willing to work, keep working on it, even when it's hard, even when it's not as fun, that actually is the key predictor of success, not how naturally gifted you are or how quickly you, you know, show promise."

— Brett Harris [00:13:12 → 00:13:32]

The Power of Delight-Directed Learning: "But you have to start with the self-motivation."

— Brett Harris [00:16:58 → 00:17:00]

The Power of Community in Mastery: "You're not going to get to a professional level in anything outside of community and outside of coaching and instruction and guidance."

— Brett Harris [00:19:33 → 00:19:39]

Protecting the Spark: "So the first is playful enjoyment, and I, I call that protecting the spark."

— Brett Harris [00:22:16 → 00:22:20]

Viral Topic: Nurturing Young Writers  

"The goal is your child was told the story's not working, and then instead of giving up, they go and rewrite it, and they try to grow."

— Brett Harris [00:24:25 → 00:24:35]

How to Truly Impress People: "Show that when you get feedback, when you don't do a good job, you either can figure out, well, how can I do better on your own? You can ask, how can I do better to someone who knows? Or if they tell you, here's what you need to do better, you go and you do that. That's what's really going to impress people, and that's what's going to let you succeed in the long run."

— Brett Harris [00:24:46 → 00:25:04]

The Power of Reading in Childhood: "My parents filled our home with books, and that's one of the best things they could have done for us. And we also read aloud a lot as a family, which is actually one of the best ways to train a young person to be a good writer, is beautiful language in through the ear."

— Brett Harris [00:27:36 → 00:27:48]

Rediscovering Fiction as an Adult: "As Lewis talks about, you know, someday you'll be old enough to read fairy tales again."

— Brett Harris [00:28:45 → 00:28:49]

Bark proactively works to monitor, detect, and alert you to potential issues on your kids' devices. Visit bark.us to learn more about how you can keep your kids safe online. Use the code COLLIDEKIDS to get 15% off Your Bark Technologies Plan !

Support the show

What if teaching your kids to face challenges on their own is the most important part of raising them to fulfill their God-given purpose?

On this episode of the Collide Kids Podcast, host Christen Clark sits down with Erin Mashaw, COO of Birds on a Wire and veteran Christian parent, for an perspective-shifting conversation about Christian parenting, spiritual growth, and the real work of raising resilient, faith-filled children. Erin shares powerful insights on faith at home, practical discipleship tips, and why letting your kids struggle and learn is a vital part of family life and God’s bigger story for them.

• [00:05:23] Why protecting our kids is sometimes negative
• [00:08:05] Helping kids gain resilience
• [00:11:08] How to teach responsibility early
• [00:18:11] Practical advice for parents

Resources:

• Birds on a Wire ministry for moms (Birds on a Wire Moms website)
• Wire Talk weekly podcast
• Erin’s website: erinmashaw.com
• Book: "A Student's Guide to Sexual Integrity"
• Upcoming book: "Awkward Conversations: How to Talk with Your Kids About Sex, Gender, and Relationships"
• Instagram: @BirdsonaWireMoms
• Website: collidekidspodcast.com
• Instagram: @collidekidspod

Clip Finder:

Parenting Through the Teen Years: "We're kind of parenting in the teenage, young adult years, which is amazing and wonderful and challenging in a totally new way."

— Erin Mashaw [00:03:35 → 00:03:42]

Viral Parenting Debate: "We are choosing to value protection over preparation."

— Erin Mashaw [00:06:08 → 00:06:12]

Empowering Kids to Speak Up: "It's your responsibility because it's your grade. Let's talk about what you could say or how you could say it, you know, to kind of do those like practice conversations at home so that as a parent, you're still coaching and guiding, but you're putting some control in your child's hands to be able to navigate the situation on their own."

— Erin Mashaw [00:09:38 → 00:09:53]

Viral Parenting Confessions: "Hey, I need to apologize to you because I have really leaned in too much in this area."

— Erin Mashaw [00:12:04 → 00:12:10]

Raising Future Adults: "I want my kids to grow up to be adults who can own it and apologize when they mess up. who can navigate a difficult relational situation."

— Erin Mashaw [00:15:48 → 00:15:56]

Raising Selfless Kids in a Self-Centered World: "I want my kids to learn how to love and serve others, and the very best way to do that is to give them opportunities along the way to practice it."

— Erin Mashaw [00:16:51 → 00:16:59]

Parenting Independence Challenge: "She talks about making a list of 2 things that you're doing for your kids that they can already do themselves, and then 2 things that they can almost do for themselves, and stop doing all of it. Oh, that's good."

— Erin Mashaw [00:18:40 → 00:18:52]

Teaching Kids Independence: "What's something that you would like to be able to do for yourself? You know, and ask our kids, like our boys will have said when they were younger, they were like, I wanna learn how to cook dinner. Like, great, what would you like to learn to cook? Let's do it together."

— Erin Mashaw [00:19:20 → 00:19:31]

Viral Topic: The Shift from Purity to Integrity: "sexual integrity feels like something that I can prioritize as an adult, you know, at any point and stage in my life, whereas purity may, some people feel like you can have it and lose it."

— Erin Mashaw [00:22:59 → 00:23:07]

Viral Road Trip Games: "So, I have this idea, I like open, you know, my notebook, and I write like a really big Q on this, you know, and like he doesn't see me doing it."

— Erin Mashaw [00:24:22 → 00:24:30]

Bark proactively works to monitor, detect, and alert you to potential issues on your kids' devices. Visit bark.us to learn more about how you can keep your kids safe online. Use the code COLLIDEKIDS to get 15% off Your Bark Technologies Plan !

Support the show

Have you ever seen dogs competing in sports and wondered how they got started?

On this fun episode of the Collide Kids Podcast, host Christen Clark sits down with Megan Bohinc, a licensed mental health therapist and dog-sport influencer, to explore the unique world of dog sports and how this has become a family adventure. Megan shares how dog sports transformed her life, what training her high-energy champion dog Rain taught her about spiritual growth, and why inviting others in (just like Jesus did) can enrich your faith at home.

• [00:04:02] Megan’s journey from mental health therapy to dog sports
• [00:07:36] Discovering purpose when one door closes and another opens
• [00:15:14] Inviting people like Jesus did

Resources:

• @rain_the_weim
• Website: collidekidspodcast.com
• Instagram: @collidekidspod

Clip Finder:

Therapy Dogs Have Boundaries Too: "she loves treats and she loves her people, but she doesn't love, like, strangers, like, hugging her. Like, her personal bubble is, like, bigger than most. Most dogs."

— Megan Bohinc [00:04:27 → 00:04:39]

Discovering Dog Training: "I went to a dog training class to show this dog, and that's all I knew. Like, I didn't know that there were other options."

— Megan Bohinc [00:08:47 → 00:08:55]

Agility, Barn Hunt, and Escape Room Fun with Dogs: "And then we do barn hunt, where rats are in tubes and you find the rats in this. Like, so I feel like it's similar to an escape room. So, like, you go in and you have things that you have to accomplish, like, you have to do it."

— Megan Bohinc [00:10:35 → 00:10:50]

Learning by Playing: "I think we learn a lot when we play the actual game. Like, hey, we go into the ring and it's like the timer's going, and we had to, like, make it to the finish line at a certain time. I think I've learned a ton. I feel like just kind of playing the game and figuring out how it goes."

— Megan Bohinc [00:13:50 → 00:14:07]

The Power of Invitation: "having someone invite you somewhere, it opens the door to say, hey, like, we want you here."

— Megan Bohinc [00:15:58 → 00:16:04]

Everyday Faith in Action: "celebrating people and encouraging people, inviting people, I think that that shares Jesus more than anything that I could even say."

— Megan Bohinc [00:17:21 → 00:17:32]

Dog Training Treats That Work: "Yes, but, like, the higher values is like the string cheese and the hot dogs are really go to."

— Megan Bohinc [00:19:42 → 00:19:48]

Getting Started in Dog Sports: "I think finding a local club. So there's dog clubs, like all around the country. And also like dog trainers or dog classes that you can look, you know, around where you're living. That may be an option because they have different specific classes for different either sports or different goals that you want to work on or train on."

— Megan Bohinc [00:21:23 → 00:22:00]

Viral Topic: Teen Self-Teaches Dog Agility and Shines at First Trial: "Like how amazing for a 14 year old to go to somewhere that she's never even gone to and even done and trained herself and is there. I just love that."

— Megan Bohinc [00:22:58 → 00:23:10]

Bark proactively works to monitor, detect, and alert you to potential issues on your kids' devices. Visit bark.us to learn more about how you can keep your kids safe online. Use the code COLLIDEKIDS to get 15% off Your Bark Technologies Plan !

Support the show

How can two simple words written during a painful middle school moment inspire families everywhere to wear their faith and love boldly in daily life?

In this episode of the Collide Kids Podcast, host Christen Clark sits down with Robin Frederiksen, founder of the faith-based apparel company Love Well Brand. Robin shares the origin story sparked by her daughter's experience with bullying, how Christian parenting shaped their family business, and why raising Christian kids sometimes means letting our faith show up in surprising ways, even in a sweatshirt. 

• [00:05:35] How Love Well Brand began from bullying
• [00:10:03] The meaning behind Love Well
• [00:14:07] Day-to-day work for Robin
• [00:18:01] Wearing your faith

Resources:

• lovewellbrand.com
• Coupon code for 20% discount: COLLIDE20
• Website: collidekidspodcast.com 
• Instagram: @collidekidspod

Clip Finder: 

Family Values in Business: "We as a family really just have loved sharing that message with people as our world keeps changing."

— Robin Frederiksen [00:04:04 → 00:04:14]

Origin of Lovewell: "That is where Lovewell began."

— Robin Frederiksen [00:06:45 → 00:06:48]

The Power of Heartfelt Connection: "Loving well has nothing to do with what you have, and that has everything to do with your heart and how you treat other people."

— Robin Frederiksen [00:07:50 → 00:07:59]

Faith in Action: "I should turn the other cheek. I should love. Well, it needs to be a reminder to me. And some of that also came from scripture and it actually is in Philippians 1:9, the message, it says we should love and love. Well, like that is what God is calling us to do."

— Robin Frederiksen [00:09:33 → 00:09:54]

Inclusive Fashion for All Ages: "one of the most difficult things I get to do is try to make things for everyone. And that is a very big challenge when we're talking about comfortable, fun clothing, which is part of what we also. Our mission also is so trying to make something for guys and girls from a very young age, all the way through grandmas and grandpas."  

— Company Founder

— Robin Frederiksen [00:10:27 → 00:10:56]

Brand Loyalty Through Comfort: "over a 10 year period we have customers who have closets of Lovewell and the reason they have that is because it's something different and it's comfortable."

— Robin Frederiksen [00:11:47 → 00:12:02]

Supporting Small Businesses: "they're all small local shops, and I love that. So I load stuff in my car and I take it to be printed or I take it to be embroidered and, you know, specify all of that."

— Robin Frederiksen [00:14:39 → 00:14:50]

Viral Topic: The Power of Love Well Across Belief Systems: "We knew that Love well was a message that was very broad and we do have tons of customers who are not Christians necessarily and don't necessarily want to wear anything. That said, this is in the Bible or not in the Bible or, you know, they're just not those people. However, it is such a strong message."

— Robin Frederiksen [00:18:03 → 00:18:30]

Kindness Is Universal: "And I think that has been really the root of this messaging from the beginning is more about treating people the way you want to be treated with kindness and love."

— Robin Frederiksen [00:19:24 → 00:19:37]

Wearing Your Faith: "Wearing your faith really is just about, like I said, bringing your inside out and allowing people to approach you and treating them with, you know, love and kindness when you do that." — Robin Frederiksen

— Robin Frederiksen [00:21:11 → 00:21:26]

Bark proactively works to monitor, detect, and alert you to potential issues on your kids' devices. Visit bark.us to learn more about how you can keep your kids safe online. Use the code COLLIDEKIDS to get 15% off Your Bark Technologies Plan !

Support the show

Can encouragement transform you and your family's purpose?

This week on the Collide Kids Podcast, host Christen Clark sits down with Brandon Rushin, Christian speaker, entertainer, and widely considered professional encourager. Together they explore Brandon’s ministry of speaking and encouraging through hilarious, unforgettable characters, and how they open people up to receive Good News.

• [00:05:09] Brandon introduces himself
• [00:07:30] How Brandon’s mom, vacation Bible school, and a chance modeling gig shaped Brandon’s sense of purpose and calling 
• [00:20:12] Why laughter, joy, and engaging characters open doors for faith conversations

Resources:

• brandonrushin.com 
• Website: collidekidspodcast.com 
• Instagram: @collidekidspod

Clip Finder:

Discovering Talents Early: "And my mom and dad still to this day say there was one day that we were at Disney and my dad said, in front of the castle, I just threw up my hands and said, everybody, look here. And he said, I just entertained people right there. And he said, I could tell right from that moment that God had given you a gift that you were going to get to use."

— Brandon Rushin [00:07:36 → 00:08:00]

Divine Purpose in Childhood Summers: "But I really believe that was God crafting and speaking and teaching me that, hey, I'm gonna. What you're getting from me, you're gonna use for my glory in the future."

— Brandon Rushin [00:10:15 → 00:10:26]

Everyone Needs Encouragement: "Because I feel like everybody needs to know that they're important, that they matter and that they're cared for."

— Brandon Rushin [00:14:07 → 00:14:13]

Breaking Down Barriers with Laughter: "I believe that if you get people laughing, it'll break down their walls, and then they're ready to receive good news."

— Brandon Rushin [00:20:12 → 00:20:21]

Creativity and Faith in Character Building: "And the first thing I do is go to prayer and I pray to God and say, hey, God, either let a character that you've already helped me create be that character to fit this. To fit this theme, or give me the words and the thoughts to create a new character. And tried and true, he always comes through either a character that already. That he's already helped me goes to fit it perfectly, or he comes up with a new character."

— Brandon Rushin [00:24:27 → 00:24:51]

Bark proactively works to monitor, detect, and alert you to potential issues on your kids' devices. Visit bark.us to learn more about how you can keep your kids safe online. Use the code COLLIDEKIDS to get 15% off Your Bark Technologies Plan !

Support the show

Let’s be honest, how often do we compare ourselves with our people or other families?

This week on the Collide Kids Podcast, host Christen Clark sits down with Liz A. Pitman—award-winning author, former educator, and creator of the Pete the Puzzle Piece adventure series—to talk all about Christian parenting, nurturing faith at home, and helping kids (and parents!) discover their God-given purpose. Liz shares personal stories of family life, inspiration from her own childhood, and practical discipleship strategies to help families grow in identity, faith, and self-worth.

• [00:03:03] Liz shares her journey from classroom teacher to children’s book author
• [00:08:13] The origin story of Pete the Puzzle Piece 
• [00:12:26] The traps of comparison for kids and parents
• [00:17:48] Practical tips for ways to help kids embrace their worth and purpose through encouragement, positive declarations, and intentional family time

Resources:

• Liz’s site: petethepuzzlepiece.com 
• 7 Minute Devotions for Busy Parents on Apple Podcasts
• Website: collidekidspodcast.com 
• Instagram: @collidekidspod

Clip Finder:

How Childhood Memories Shape Our Calling: "It's really neat to look back and see how God put the puzzle pieces together symbolically and how he still does do that today in the big picture."

— Liz Pitman [00:06:26 → 00:06:32]

Viral Topic - Finding Purpose in Uncertain Seasons: "if we're truly honest at some point in our lives, I think all of us can feel like that absolutely where we're wondering what our purpose and where we're headed."

— Liz Pitman [00:09:59 → 00:10:09]

Embracing Your Unique Purpose: "It's that we all have our own unique thumbprint. So identical twins even have their own unique thumbprint. And when we can just really let that soak in, that we are one of a kind, that we are an original, that we can't be replaced, God's given us our own unique voice, then we can truly, as we trust in him to give us the strength to do what he's called us to do, really focus, laser focus on our mission and our purpose of why we're here. That's to glorify the Lord and do what he's told us to do and called us to do for Him."

— Liz Pitman [00:13:13 → 00:13:49]

Finding Your Place: "this journey that I will have you read more on involves a journey of discovery where your child, or even you might be encouraged that you have a special place."

— Liz Pitman [00:17:11 → 00:17:22]

Raising Resilient Kids: "But it is so much easier to just set that foundation early in your children so that they don't have to experience as much brokenness that the world can try to throw at them with cracks and you know, the comparison trap and all the things."

— Liz Pitman [00:18:52 → 00:19:07]

The Power of Parental Encouragement: just take those extra moments with your children and encourage them when they come up to you excited with their stories even if it's a busy day because you never know how that could impact them to just continue on in their God given dreams.

— Liz Pitman [00:23:36 → 00:23:50]

Bark proactively works to monitor, detect, and alert you to potential issues on your kids' devices. Visit bark.us to learn more about how you can keep your kids safe online. Use the code COLLIDEKIDS to get 15% off Your Bark Technologies Plan !

Support the show

What if God could use the hardest pieces of your family’s story to shape your kids’ faith, purpose, and compassion for others?

On this special episode of the Collide Kids Podcast, host Christen Clark sits down with the legendary and beloved children’s music leader Charlie Bancroft—known to most as "Uncle Charlie." Together, they dive into the inspiration behind Uncle Charlie’s music ministry and his the powerful story behind the Carlitos4Kids comfort monkey ministry. Don’t miss Uncle Charle’s heartfelt stories, laugh-out-loud moments, and deep wisdom about calling.

• [00:07:26] How Uncle Charlie went from youth pastor to music missionary
• [00:10:41] The story of Uncle Charlie’s ministry in Uganda and how he became “Uncle Charlie”
• [00:17:17] About Carlitos the comfort monkey
• [00:21:02] Powerful testimony of surviving a life-altering car crash and how God uses every piece of our story for spiritual growth and inspiration

Resources:

• carlitos4kids.com 
• About Valued By God (VBG) App
• Uncle Charlie: Fruit of the Spirit song
• Website: collidekidspodcast.com 
• Instagram: @collidekidspod

Clip Finder:

Bringing Hope to Kids in Need: "it's all about just bringing the light of Jesus into their dark little world, you know?"

— Charlie Bancroft [00:03:47 → 00:03:52]

Transforming Lives of Orphans  

"They took orphan children off of the streets that had no parents, no relatives, no nothing. And they built villages for these kids, and they gave them a new mommy that would take care of them."

— Charlie Bancroft [00:10:19 → 00:10:30]

Music as Ministry: "I always kind of labeled Myself as a music missionary, because that was my goal, was to share Christ through my music."

— Charlie Bancroft [00:12:29 → 00:12:37]

The Unique Power of Carlitos the Comfort Animal  

"It's okay to have a comfort animal. And I think it's a beautiful thing to, you know, you can go to the store, Walmart, whatever, and buy A comfort animal for a kid. But the thing that separates Carlitos from other comfort animals, number one is his theme."

— Charlie Bancroft [00:19:02 → 00:19:16]

Turning Challenges Into Purpose: "So I quit griping about what I couldn't do and I focused on and the Lord helped me with this, focused on what I could do... And in time, the less frustrated I got about my situation, the more God healed me, you know? And so it became a healing time, and I began to use that empathy to create a ministry for kids with special needs."

— Charlie Bancroft [00:24:13 → 00:24:41]

Comfort Animals and Hospitalized Kids: "But I thought, you know, every kid has a comfort animal. Every kid has a comfort bear."

— Charlie Bancroft [00:26:25 → 00:26:28]

 Embracing Self-Worth Through Faith: "you don't have to be perfect to be pleasing to God."

— Charlie Bancroft [00:29:09 → 00:29:11]

Bark proactively works to monitor, detect, and alert you to potential issues on your kids' devices. Visit bark.us to learn more about how you can keep your kids safe online. Use the code COLLIDEKIDS to get 15% off Your Bark Technologies Plan !

Support the show

Can family science experiments become powerful tools for discipleship and faith at home?

In this episode of the Collide Kids Podcast, host Christen Clark is joined by Brock Eastman—known to many as Dr. Fizzlebop—to explore how Christian parenting, purposeful family time, and hands-on science can all collide to nurture spiritual growth and inspiration in kids. Get ready for interactive experiments, faith-centered conversation, and creative ways to make raising Christian kids dynamic and fun.

• [00:03:42] Brock Eastman on his passion for science
• [00:08:09] Linking science to faith
• [00:12:46] Bible stories and scientific wonders—finding faith in unexpected places
• [00:15:03] Science experiment demonstrations- straw rocket launch and the fizz inflator

Resources:

• https://www.brockeastman.com/dr-fizzlebop.html 
• Website: collidekidspodcast.com 
• Instagram: @collidekidspod 

Clip Finder:

Family Science Devotionals: "And it's really for parents and kids to do together. It's like a family devotional. And there's 52 super easy experiments to do at home. And you have like 99% of the ingredients in your pantry right now."

— Brock Eastman [00:04:19 → 00:04:30]

Going Viral with Science for Kids: "I think I released these four board books. One is called Super Simple Weather Science, Super Simple Space Science, Super Simple Colors and Counting, and Super Simple Animals and Alphabet."

— Brock Eastman [00:05:04 → 00:05:16]

Discovering Passion in Unexpected Places: "But, you know, reading and writing were the ones I didn't like. And so it's kind of funny because now I've taken that thing I didn't love and became A writer to write books."

— Brock Eastman [00:07:01 → 00:07:09]

Making Spiritual Lessons Memorable: "So my hope is that that's where I put a lot of effort in, is to tie in the experience that kids are going to learn throughout elementary school and high school back to a devotional or a spiritual concept that they can connect to."

— Brock Eastman [00:08:09 → 00:08:58]

Trusting Divine Timing: "God already ordains. He knows the timing of our life, and he already knows, Kristen, in two weeks, in three years, in a decade, a moment you're going to be experiencing and going through."

— Brock Eastman [00:09:00 → 00:09:10]

Unexpected Success: "And funny enough, it's actually my best selling of all my books. It's the one that sells the best."

— Brock Eastman [00:10:33 → 00:10:36]

Viral Topic: Creating Meaningful Bedtime Routines: "It became a very sweet bedtime routine and read. And so Fizzlebop has been a lot of fun connecting family and kids."

— Brock Eastman [00:11:24 → 00:11:30]

Bridging Faith and Science for Kids: "And I believe that when we cement that idea and that concept in these little babies hearts, these toddlers hearts on your lap, around the bed before bed, at the kitchen table early, they are going to keep that, that's going to lock in and they're going to have that as they go through school."

— Brock Eastman [00:12:05 → 00:12:18]

Viral Moments in Miracles: "But in those miracles, in those times when he does things, there's moments where the world changes. Just shows his immense power in creating that."

— Brock Eastman [00:12:57 → 00:13:04]

Viral Topic: The Moon and Creation in the Bible: "You said when God hung the moon and the stars in the sky."

— Brock Eastman [00:13:23 → 00:13:24]

Bark proactively works to monitor, detect, and alert you to potential issues on your kids' devices. Visit bark.us to learn more about how you can keep your kids safe online. Use the code COLLIDEKIDS to get 15% off Your Bark Technologies Plan !

Support the show