The Small Town Girl Podcast with Jenn VanHekken

Three of my favorite Gen Zers, Carson, Jackson, and Joey, sit down and share their stories of being a teenage boy in 2020.  They talk about the comparison game, life on social media, why it's so hard to talk to their parents about everything, and what they really want their parents to know.

Plus...we talk about drinking and vaping, the pressure of living up to others expectations, and the one way that parents can really show them love...hint, hint...it involves chicken.

What they Said:

"You should be proud of who you are, but sometimes you want to be like someone else...but we don't really talk about that." - Joey

"There is always going to be that one person that is better than you...and I kind of take that as 'what can I work harder at?' It's more of a growth mindset."  - Jackson

"I actually became friends with most of my classmates by being connected through X-box." - Carson

"You definitely have a lot of power through your phone...you have to be careful with that power." - Carson

"You can't always control what pops up on your phone...but that is where having trust with your parents comes in...so that your kids know what to do with that content." - Jackson

"Listen to them." - Joey, on how to build trust with your kids

TJ Williams, a student at Calvin University and Shantele Wilkinson, a student at Michigan State University sit down and share their transitions from high school to college and the ways that they have navigated that journey.

They share the impact of faith and race on who they have become as college students, and the way they have had to define both of those for themselves.  Plus...we talk about what they miss most about living at home, how social media has defined their lives, and their best advice for parents who are getting ready to send their students off to college.

Where to find them:

TJ Williams

Shantele Wilkinson

Michigan State University

Calvin University

Western Michigan Christian High School

Michigan State CREW

Calvin University Gospel Choir

Their Recommendations:

Childish Gambino

Chance the Rapper

The Soundtrack from Hairspray

Grey's Anatomy

The I-land on Netflix

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

What they Said:

"The club was interesting because people were over on one side playing pool, and here we were on the other side talking about Jesus."

"Being rooted is the first step in maturity...and maturity brings obedience."

"It's really important that once you find your own sense of community, that you help someone else find theirs."

"This year I've been really working on being comfortable with being uncomfortable and growing from that."

"They will be okay, and they will miss you."

PrivaMD Wellness is focused on analyzing, targeting, and resolving root causes using both Eastern and Western medicine. We offer a holistic line of alternative care methods designed to get to the root cause of your concerns and help you bring about optimal health and wellness.  They offer:

• IV Nutrition Therapy
• Ionic Foot Detox
• Infrared Sauna
• Acupuncture
• Diagnostic Testing
• Health Coaching & Education
• And much more

And this month, they have a special just for my listeners.  This month only, you can use the Promo Code BeWell to receive $15.00 off a Wellness Service or 10% off a facial laser treatment.  That is $15.00 off of any of their wellness services. You don’t want to miss out on that, so give them a call today and use the code BE WELL.

From the moment you walk in the door of Lakeshore Orthodontics, you will notice that they are dedicated to providing your family with the very best orthodontic care in a supportive and caring manner. Dr. Charnley and his team have cr

Brendon Enders, host of The Bitter Enders podcast, sits down with me and as we chat all things Enneagram.  We talk about how each number is likely to respond during this time of crisis, how the emotional centers play a part in our responses during stress, and how each number can incorporate healthy practices that can help them weather this storm.

Plus...we talk about the essential "must haves" during lock-down, and the importance of supporting our favorite small businesses. Don't forget to subscribe!

Where to find Brendon:

Facebook

Instagram

Podcast

Recommendations:

Nintendo Switch

Mark Ruffalo

Love is Blind

100 Humans

Enneagram Recommendations:

The Road Back to You

The Path Between Us

The Enneagram Journey with Suzanne Stabile

Typology with Ian Morgan Cron

What we said:

Rebecca Deng, author of What They Meant for Evil, sits down and shares her story of growing up in a small village in South Sudan, fleeing to a refugee camp in Kenya, and eventually qualifying to come to the United States as only one of 79 Lost Girls given refugee status.

She shares how she found a community of support in the church at the refugee camp where she could sing and dance and mourn with those around her, and the way that life in the United States changed her forever.

Plus...we talk about her first experience with snow (she thought the world was ending), how she navigated the American education system and eventually earned her Master's Degree, and the way that God was with her through it all.

Where to Find Rebecca: 

Facebook 

Instagram

"What They Meant for Evil"

What she recommends:

What She Says:

"The focus on lamentation, and the singing of lamentation was so good. We would sing, "Oh, God, why is this suffering happening to me?" And church was the only place you could talk about that."

"The good thing was that the community was there.  If you would lose someone, people would come to your house for seven days and just love you."

"My prayer always was: If I make it out, that will be really good...but if I don't make it to the United States, please guard my heart so I can be happy for others."

"He is a God of abundance, and wants us to have joy...and that's where I see him showing up over and over again in my life."

"We don't have to have the same background or speak the same language...people are people."

"This world is God's mission.  He has been at work on it from the beginning of time, and he will be at work on it until the end of time...whether or not I am in it."

Just breaking in here to let you know about one of my amazing sponsors, Priva MD Wellness. 

PrivaMD Wellness is focused on analyzing, targeting, and resolving root causes using both Eastern and Western medicine. We offer a holistic line of alternative care methods designed to get to the root cause of your concerns and help you bring about optimal health and wellness.  They offer:

• Ionic Foot Detox
• Infrared Sauna
• Acupuncture
• Diagnostic Testing
• Health Coaching & Education
• And much more

And this month, they have a special just for my listeners.  This month only, you can use the Promo Code BeWell to receive $15.00 off a Wellness Service or 10% off a facial laser treatment.  That is $15.00 off of any of their wellness services. You don’t want to miss out on that, so give them a call today and use the code BE WELL.

From the moment you walk in the door of Lakeshore Orthodontics, you will notice that they are dedicated to providing your family with the very best orthodontic care in a supportive and caring manner. Dr. Charnley and his team have created an office envi

Julian Newman, pastor at Tribes Church, and founder of Culture Creative, sits down and talks about his journey from vocational ministry to creative ministry and the ways that he is intertwining the two.  We talk about his upcoming movie, the role that the arts play in our understanding of faith, and the importance of embracing the complexity of all parts of life.

Plus...we talk about diversity and inclusion, what it means to empower each other to step into difficult conversations about race, immigration, and the marginalized, and the one conversation that we should be engaging in that we continue to shy away from.

Find Julian Here:

Facebook

Culture Creative

Tribes Church

Grand Rapids Civic Theater

What he Recommends:

That'll Never Work by Mark Randolf

Rings of Fire by Leonard Sweet

Biased by Jennifer Eberhardt

The Future is Faster than You Think by Peter Diamandis

Imagineers

What he Says:

"We all have a heroic reality or calling or purpose, but not enough of us unleash our inner hero in order to be able to transform the world."

"I think that every writer writes a version of themselves in their stories."

"In the Bible, we have poetry, we have a romance story and an adventure story, we've got a dude that grew up poor and kills a giant and becomes king, we've got a Robin Hood story in there...I think if we take off our lens and begin to look at the Bible as a storybook instead of a textbook, it stirs up our imagination."

"We need to stop removing the complexity of our human condition from our faith, and from our art."

"We have to stop demonizing each other and find a measure of commonality so that we can build a better world for ourselves and for the generation coming up behind us."

"We have divorced ourselves from intellectualism and having meaningful conversations about how we express the idea of being a good neighbor in the world that we're in right now."

"Just because something is our version of idolotry, doesn't mean it's right."

"We have to understand that the Kingdom of God transcends the polarization of our political views.  And the Jesus that I read about cares for the unborn just as much as he cares what happens after they're born."

"It [his upcoming book] is a conversation about how we as believers can be vessels of hope: poets, dreamers, inventors, and people that bring beauty to the world, because that's what we are all longing for."

Episode Sponsors:

Lakeshore Orthodontics

From the moment you walk in the door of Lakeshore Orthodontics, you will notice that they are dedicated to providing your family with the very best orthodontic care in a supportive and caring manner. Dr. Charnley and his team have created an office environment that not only excels at orthodontic care, but is truly a friendly, welcoming environment that patients enjoy visiting. 

Lakeshore Orthodontics has three locations -

Sharon Garlough Brown sits down and shares her journey from vocational ministry to creative ministry and the path that led her toward Sensible Shoes and beyond.

She shares the way that her characters write their own stories, why and how we should practice the spiritual disciplines, and how preparing our hearts for Lent can change the way that we understand God's grace.

Plus...we talk candidly about mental health, the importance of lament, and why purple leaves are so meaningful to her.

Find Sharon Here:

Sharon's website

Sharon's books:

• Sensible Shoes
• Shades of Light
• Remember Me

Facebook

What She Says: 

"I think we often can narrowly define what our time with God is "meant" to look like. We might have a vision of a quiet time where I'm by myself with my Bible open having a time of prayer...but there are so many other ways that we can connect with God."

"We start with understanding who God has created us to be, but then we open ourselves up to the ways that God wants to stretch us and enlarge us."

"We often frame spiritual disciplines as things we should do or have to do...but instead, what we should do is re-cast the entire idea of spiritual practices as ways to practice being awake to the presence of God."

"Ficton can open up the windows so we can see God more clearly and see ourselves reflected in the lives of the characters."

"We live in a day and age of anxiety and depression...and I wanted to write a book to encourage those who are afflicted as well as to exhort the church to be more compassionate and discerning in the way that we care for those who suffer from mental illness."

"Lament is what bridges the gap, the chasm, between what we know of God to be true, and the truth of our circumstances."

Episode Sponsors:

Lakeshore Orthodontics

I’m so excited to introduce you to this week’s sponsor, Lakeshore Orthodontics.  If you know my kids, or if you have seen the many pictures of them that I post on social media, you have already seen the amazing work of Dr. Charnley and his awesome team at Lakeshore Orthodontics.

From the moment you walk in the door of Lakeshore Orthodontics, you will notice that they are dedicated to providing your family with the very best orthodontic care in a supportive and caring manner. Dr. Charnley and his team have created an office environment that not only excels at orthodontic care, but is truly a friendly, welcoming environment that patients enjoy visiting. 

Lakeshore Orthodontics has three locations - Grand Haven, Ludington and Whitehall, MI, where they are proud to offer orthodontic services to patients of all ages, as well as offering flexible payment plans to help you attain your smile, which, let me tell you, I am so grateful for.  And this month, Lakeshore Orthodontics has a special offer for my listeners. Fo

Rich and Deb Stinehart share their story of standing firm in marriage through the storms in life.  From mental and physical health issues to life overseas, they share the ways that God has been faithful through it all and the ways that they have said yes to his plans even when it seemed easier to say no.

Plus, we talk about how they met, what they've learned about listening for God's voice, and how they are moving faithfully into their next chapter of life.

Where to find Rich and Deb:

Facebook

Global Partners

All Shores Wesleyan Church

Episode Sponsor:

Priva MD Physicians

The Priva MD Physicians believe that everyone benefits from personalized, holistic care, which is why they offer both Eastern and Western medicine services tailored specifically to your needs, including Primary Care, Functional Medicine for Women, Pain Management, Acupuncture, IV Nutrition Therapy, Health Coaching and Education, and so much more.

You can start your path to a better you today by heading to their website at privamd.org and contacting an advisor or requesting an appointment right online.  And...as a special benefit for our listeners, they have an awesome deal this month. They are offering 10% off a Diva service with the code PrivaDiva. Just give them a call and give them the code, and you’ll be on your way to your own personalized health care  journey. 

Jason and Holly Grate sit down to share Part 2 of their story.  From an idyllic start in Marion, Indiana, to a slide into addiction and infidelity, Jason and Holly share the journey that took them from white picket fences through darkness and brokenness directly to the foot of the cross.  

Listen in as they share the way that God redeemed even the most broken of situations, turned it completely around for His glory, and are now bringing redemption to others.

Where to Find Them:  

Facebook

Instagram

Recommendations:

The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society by Henry Nouwen

Redemption House:

What they Said:

"You are sowing in your marriage every single day.  You are sowing good seed or bad seed, and eventually what you are sowing will grow."

"I don't know how to explain it. It's just miraculous. There is no other way to explain it."

"So often, when couples are suffering, couples become so focused on themselves, but it's amazing what happens when you take your eyes off of yourself and focus on others."

"Up until everything happened, I could be really prideful. It's really easy to elevate yourself when your sin is thinking too highly of yourself."

"When I was able, by the grace of God, to show my husband grace when he didn't deserve it...it was the first time that I was actually able to see grace for what it truly is."

"Our prayer is 'lead us into the grossest places so that we can minister to those that need it...' and he does."

"God can resurrect anything."

"The way your kids see Jesus is the way that your husband loves his wife."

Jeff and Beth McCord, of yourenneagramcoach.com and becomingus.com, sit down and talk about how the Enneagram transformed their own marriage, and how it can transform yours.  They talk about the importance of understanding each others' core motivations and core longings, and how providing the messages that each partner needs to hear can change marriages from the inside out.

Where to find Jeff & Beth:

yourenneagramcoach.com

becomingus.com

Facebook

Instagram

Free Enneagram Assessment

Favorite Enneagram Resources:

The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile

The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective by Richard Rohr

Typology 

What they said:

"The Enneagram shows 9 different perspectives of how different people see the world, interpret it, and then respond to it."

"The core motivations are why you think, feel, and behave in certain ways."

"The beauty of the Enneagram is that it doesn't just name what's wrong, but it can actually give you a vision of what you can become."

"Fundamentally, whenever marriages change, families change."

This Week's Show Sponsor:

PrivaMD Physicians Group

Brad and I sit down and talk about all things work, career, and calling.  We talk about the way that our calling is designed not only to help ourselves, but ultimately to help others flourish, and the way that faith was never meant to be a Sunday morning activity, but should be brought into the everyday activities of weekday life.

Plus we talk about the relationship between worship, work, service, and creation, the intersection between sacred and secular, tithing, shalom, and skiing.  Basically, we talk about it all!

Find Brad Here:

Facebook

WheelHaus

Made to Flourish

Brad's Recommendations:

Crushing It: How Great Entrepreneurs Grow their Business and Influence, and How You Can Too by Gary Vanyerchuk

An Oral History of Curb Your Enthusiasm

What he Said:

"I feel like I've been put on earth to help people expand their faith, but also to connect their faith to their everyday life."

"Our work has dignity and our work has value.  God created work before the fall and declared that it was good."

"Your calling is that thing you do no matter what your job title is."