If you have a teenager or young adult off to University this Autumn, you’re not going to want to miss this episode! Whether or not they currently identify as a Christian, the student experience offers fresh opportunities to discover their own path of faith, exploring different churchmanships and worship styles, and meeting others whose enthusiasm about Jesus can be infectious.

How can we best support our children as they transition into University students? How can we as churches prepare and commission our school-leavers well? And how can we welcome new students into our churches and homes - aside from the obvious lure of offering free food?

In today’s bumper episode, Lucy asks Pippa Elmes about all these questions and more. Pippa has been working with churches and students for 15 years, locally and then nationally with Fusion. She loves seeing others come alive in their calling.

As part of her Fusion work, Pippa has led the Student Linkup project, helping young people to go as empowered missionaries into university life and equipping parents and churches to champion school leavers as they head off on this great adventure. She still can't get over the great potential and hope in this transition and loves to share that hope with churches, families and students.

Pippa is also a wife and mum of two young girls.

Links:

- Fusion website: www.fusionmovement.org

- Connect with churches in your University town: www.studentlinkup.org

- Follow Fusion on Instagram (@hellofusionmovement) Facebook (Fusion) or Twitter (@fusion_movement)

- Student Linkup box: https://www.fusionmovement.org/resources/product/box

- DMC deck: https://www.fusionmovement.org/resources/product/dmc

Pippa gave us such practical ideas in this episode, as well as the big picture of what student life looks like today. If you’ve been encouraged, why not join us financially so that we can continue to invite wise guests to share their expertise with us?

To give a one-off or regular gift, go to https://www.brf.org.uk/donate/

Parenting for Faith is part of the charity, BRF. We are reliant on donations from individuals and churches to make our resources available to as many people as possible.

We are grateful for all donations, big or small. They make a real difference. Thank you so much for partnering with us.

In today's bonus episode, host Anna Hawken treats us to excerpts of her new book, 'Being God's Child', which is out TODAY!

It's a slim book, comprising ten different ways our children can inspire us to connect with God. Light enough to read on holiday, and perfect for packing in a suitcase!

Whether you've struggled to connect with God since becoming a parent, you're just exploring faith for the first time, or you're a seasoned pro at devotional times, this book is sure to give you a treasure chest of ideas to enrich your relationship with your heavenly Father.

In addition, each chapter has some corresponding ideas to use with your children, as well as a study guide for using this in a small group. We can't wait to hear your stories of how you've used the book and what God has taught you through it!

You can order the book right here: https://www.brfonline.org.uk/products/being-gods-child-a-parents-guide

We love producing this podcast, our books, courses and other resources to enrich your family's walk with Jesus.

Would you consider financially partnering with us to help make these resources happen? Even £3 makes a difference.

Click here to give a one-off or regular gift at www.brf.org.uk/get-involved/give/

Parenting for Faith is part of the charity, BRF. We are reliant on donations from individuals and churches to make our resources available to as many people as possible.

We are grateful for all donations, big or small. Thank you so much for partnering with us.

This season, we've been thinking about what it means to be God's child. But how do we take this further, inviting our kids and teens to become God's children too?

To wrap up this season, Anna speaks with the marvellous Rachel Turner, founder of Parenting for Faith. Rachel answers questions about:

- parenting for faith when our partner isn't a Christian

- parenting really little children for faith

- what to do if our children seem entirely unresponsive to our discipleship

- parenting for faith when we're not in a good place, faith-wise

Overall, Rachel's encouragement is that we can all help our kids to be God's children - we don't need to be spiritual superheroes!

Anna's book, Being God's Child, releases next week! Pre-order here: https://www.brfonline.org.uk/products/being-gods-child-a-parents-guide

Links:

- "What if my partner doesn't share my faith?" podcast episode https://soundcloud.com/parentingforfaith-brf/s5-ep7-what-if-my-partner-doesnt-share-my-faith

- Babies and Toddlers: Nurturing your Child's Spiritual Life https://www.brfonline.org.uk/products/babies-and-toddlers

- "What if I'm struggling with doubt?" podcast episode https://soundcloud.com/parentingforfaith-brf/s5-ep3-what-if-im-struggling-with-doubt

It's been a great season here at the Parenting for Faith podcast, and we hope you've enjoyed it. Look out for some bonus summer episodes, kicking off with Anna's book launch on July 21st! Season 7 starts 12th September, and we can't wait to share our new theme with you all.

If you've been encouraged/equipped/supported by this podcast, why not pay it forward with a small monetary donation to help this ministry reach more families? Even £3 makes a difference.

Click here to give a one-off or regular gift at www.brf.org.uk/get-involved/give/

Parenting for Faith is part of the charity, BRF. We are reliant on donations from individuals and churches to make our resources available to as many people as possible.

We are grateful for all donations, big or small. They make a real difference. Thank you so much for partnering with us.

There is ultimate power and authority in the name of Jesus. What a privilege, then, that as Christians, we have the privilege of using Jesus' name to seek God's kingdom - whether that's praying for healing, deliverance, or for situations to change.

Today we're hearing from the inspiring Olly Goldenberg. Olly is a dad of five and, together with his wife Helen, founded Children Can, an organisation which helps churches and parents disciple children, believing that they can receive all that God has for them, and minister in amazing ways. Olly is a great believer that children can hear from God in the womb, and has some amazing testimonies of God working in and through children.

Like all our episodes this season, today's conversation is loosely based around a chapter from Anna's insightful new book, Being God's Child. Due for release on 21.7.23, you can pre-order it here: https://www.brfonline.org.uk/products/being-gods-child-a-parents-guide

Links:

- Check out Children Can: https://www.childrencan.co.uk/

We hope you're feeling encouraged and emboldened by Olly's words today. We are grateful for his generosity in sharing his expertise with us, and hope you found this an inspiring episode.

If you'd like to be a part of sustaining this podcast, you can do that so easily! Click here to give a one-off or regular gift at www.brf.org.uk/get-involved/give/

Parenting for Faith is part of the charity, BRF. We are reliant on donations from individuals and churches to make our resources available to as many people as possible.

We are grateful for all donations, big or small. They make a real difference. Thank you so much for partnering with us.

Children love to join in with what their parent is doing (even when that's not always very helpful!). We can learn from them in our relationship with God. He is at work in the world doing amazing things - and invites us to join in!

Speaking to Anna today about this topic is Jade Farmer, Tearfund's Youth and Emerging Generation's Manager. Jade shares insights into various issues of social justice, how we can join in with what God is doing to eradicate poverty and injustice, and examples of how we can involve our children in this too.

Like all our episodes this season, today's conversation is loosely based around a chapter from Anna's insightful new book, Being God's Child. Due for release on 21.7.23, you can pre-order it here: https://www.brfonline.org.uk/products/being-gods-child-a-parents-guide

Links:

- Check out Tearfund: https://www.tearfund.org/

- Follow Tearfund on Instagram (@tearfund), Twitter (@tearfund) and Facebook (@Tearfund)

What a gift Jade was to us today! We are grateful for her generosity in sharing her expertise with us, and hope you found this an inspiring episode.

If you'd like to be a part of sustaining this podcast, you can do that so easily! Click here to give a one-off or regular gift at www.brf.org.uk/get-involved/give/

Parenting for Faith is part of the charity, BRF. We are reliant on donations from individuals and churches to make our resources available to as many people as possible.

We are grateful for all donations, big or small. They make a real difference. Thank you so much for partnering with us.

On this week’s episode, we’re thinking about what we learn from our parents, looking at how our children learn from us, and what that can teach us about how we learn from our Heavenly Father.

Dr Anita Devi is our guest today. Anita brings a wealth of experience and knowledge from her career in education. She is an education consultant, author, former SENCO, senior leader and school improvement advisor; her teaching career spans from early years to postgraduate education, in the UK and abroad.

We are delighted Anita has joined us today to share some insights from her multi-faith background, as well as from her knowledge of child development, how we learn and special educational needs.

Like all our episodes this season, today's conversation is loosely based around a chapter from Anna's insightful new book, Being God's Child. Due for release on 21.7.23, you can pre-order it here: https://www.brfonline.org.uk/products/being-gods-child-a-parents-guide?

Links:

- To connect with Dr Anita Devi: https://www.teamadl.uk/Anita-Devi/

- The Life you Never Expected (Andrew and Rachel Wilson): https://www.eden.co.uk/christian-books/family/parenting/the-life-you-never-expected/

- Care for the Family additional needs support: https://www.careforthefamily.org.uk/support-for-you/family-life/parent-support/additional-needs-support/

We hope you enjoyed the insights Dr Anita Devi brought to today’s episode. It is such a joy to produce a weekly podcast to encourage and equip parents, carers and leaders of children and young people. More and more people are finding us every week.

Will you join us as we get this important content out there? Each episode costs money to produce, and you can be part of this exciting opportunity by giving a one-off or regular gift at www.brf.org.uk/get-involved/give/

Parenting for Faith is part of the charity, BRF. We are reliant on donations from individuals and churches to make our resources available to as many people as possible.

We are grateful for all donations, big or small. They make a real difference. Thank you so much for partnering with us.

We were so honoured this week to chat with Dr Naomi Graham, occupational therapist and founder of Growing Hope, a charity which offers free therapy to children with additional needs, as well as support to their families, all through the local church.

We all seek parental love, comfort and protection - but sometimes there are challenges to experiencing that. Naomi chats about these challenges, as well as the huge lessons to be learnt from our children about how we relate to God and seek his love too.

Like all our episodes this season, today's conversation is loosely based around a chapter from Anna's insightful new book, Being God's Child. Due for release on 21.7.23, you can pre-order it here: https://www.brfonline.org.uk/products/being-gods-child-a-parents-guide?

Links:

- Growing Hope charity: https://growinghope.org.uk/

- When Dreams Change course (for parents): https://growinghope.org.uk/wdcreferrals/

- Siblings Group: https://growinghope.org.uk/siblings/

- Naomi's book: Love Surpassing Knowledge: https://www.eden.co.uk/christian-books/understanding-the-faith/general-theological-issues/love-surpassing-knowledge/

It is so refreshing to hear of a Christian seeking to share God's love in such practical ways, using their professional qualifications and experience. If you were encouraged today, would you consider making a small donation to support this podcast?

Each episode of the Parenting for Faith podcast takes a small team to put together: inviting and briefing guests, writing questions, conducting the interview, creating marketing assets and promoting widely. We are so grateful for your support, without which all this couldn't happen.

Find out more about giving a one-off or regular gift at www.brf.org.uk/get-involved/give/

Parenting for Faith is part of the charity, BRF. We are reliant on donations from individuals and churches to make our resources available to as many people as possible.

We are grateful for all donations, big or small. They make a real difference. Thank you so much for partnering with us.

Today's guest is the fabulous Victoria Beech, founder of Godventure, home educating mama and all round creative person.

Children can be so observant of the little details in life, and Victoria shares how we can learn from them in terms of celebrating and enjoying simple things. She helps us to unpack any guilt we might feel about our quiet times not looking like they did before parenthood, and instead suggests that learning to celebrate the big and little things can lead to a broader, richer way of connecting with God.

Victoria just created this lovely Summer Thanks journal, a simple way to practise thankfulness with 31 thanks prompts, one per page with loads of space to draw, doodle or write what you're thankful for. You can even get 10 to share with friends for only £2 each using the code: summer10

https://godventure.co.uk/product/summer-thanks-journal/

Further links:

- Explore Godventure: Godventure.co.uk

- Follow Victoria on Instagram: Godventure.co.uk

- Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theRealGodVenture

- Godventure 'thanks' resources: https://godventure.co.uk/product-category/seasonal/thanktober/

- Developing spiritual habits, based on the concepts in 'Atomic Habits' https://godventure.co.uk/faith-at-home-habits/

- The role of nature in connecting to God https://godventure.co.uk/nature-is-the-first-cathedral/

- How to spend more time outside in nature https://godventure.co.uk/1000-hours-outside/

- Ten places to read the Bible outside https://godventure.co.uk/10-outside-places-to-read-the-bible-or-pray/

- Atomic Habits: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break/dp/1847941834/

- pre-order Being God's Child (Anna Hawken), release date 21.7.23

https://www.brfonline.org.uk/products/being-gods-child-a-parents-guide?

We hope you've been encouraged and inspired by Victoria's words today. If so, would you consider making a small donation to help keep this podcast and ministry going?

You or your church can become a friend of Parenting for Faith by making a monthly gift of £2 a month or more. Alternatively, you can make a one-off donation. Find out more at www.brf.org.uk/get-involved/give/

Parenting for Faith is part of the charity, BRF. We are reliant on donations from individuals and churches to make our resources available to as many people as possible.

We are grateful for all donations, big or small. They make a real difference. Thank you so much for partnering with us.

We're thrilled today to be hearing from Matt Varah Wilson of PrayerStorm, an organisation which motivates individuals to develop their prayer 'muscle' and a greater passion for intercessory prayer.

Matt is a designer/illustrator by trade, a husband to Beth and a homeschooling Dad of three girls.

Lucy asked Matt how we can learn to rely more on God in prayer as tired parents, and how we can encourage our kids to turn to God for their needs.

Links:

- Prayer Storm TV on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PrayerStormTV

- pre-order 'Being God's Child' by Anna Hawken (BRF, 2023) https://www.brfonline.org.uk/products/being-gods-child-a-parents-guide

Wow - what an inspiring episode on prayer! If you've been inspired or encouraged today, would you consider partnering with us, so that we can continue to record this podcast for generations of parents to come?

You or your church can become a friend of Parenting for Faith by making a monthly gift of £2 a month or more. Alternatively, you can make a one-off donation. Find out more at www.brf.org.uk/get-involved/give/

Parenting for Faith is part of the charity, BRF. We are reliant on donations from individuals and churches to make our resources available to as many people as possible.

We are grateful for all donations, big or small. They make a real difference. Thank you so much for partnering with us.

Today we hear from the brilliant Dave Hill. Dave hails from the UK, but currently works as Director of Bethel Kids in Redding, California. He's also the founder of HeartSmart, a schools-based curriculum which teaches children to love themselves and love others, based on 1 Corinthians 13.

Anna speaks to Dave about the HeartSmart curriculum, how it works in schools, and the importance of recognising and sharing our emotions - both with our children, and in our relationship with our Father God.

Links:

- Find out more about HeartSmart: https://www.heartsmartv.com/browse

- pre-order 'Being God's Child' by Anna Hawken (BRF, 2023) https://www.brfonline.org.uk/products/being-gods-child-a-parents-guide

What a helpful episode! We loved hearing Dave's wisdom and experience. It's such an honour to produce these podcasts, week in, week out. Would you consider partnering with us, so that we can continue to record this podcast for generations of parents to come?

You or your church can become a friend of Parenting for Faith by making a monthly gift of £2 a month or more. Alternatively, you can make a one-off donation. Find out more at www.brf.org.uk/get-involved/give/

Parenting for Faith is part of the charity, BRF. We are reliant on donations from individuals and churches to make our resources available to as many people as possible.

We are grateful for all donations, big or small. They make a real difference. Thank you so much for partnering with us.