The Speakeasy

In this episode, I sit down with author and entrepreneur, Jenessa Wait, to talk about waiting on God when nothing seems to be happening. Her book, Moving with God, is all about getting unstuck and taking faithful steps toward what He's placed on your heart, even when you can't see the path.

We talk about active waiting, which means preparing, praying, and stewarding what's already in your hands instead of sitting still. We also talk about how to tell the difference between God's promises and our own desires, and how the long way with Jesus is always better than a shortcut without Him.

If you're in a season where the waiting feels endless, this conversation is a reminder that God doesn't waste our pain. You don't have to see the whole path to take the next faithful step.

Connect With Jenessa

Book: Moving with God

Jenessa shares nine keys for navigating seasons of waiting, recognizing God's direction, and moving forward in faith.

Follow Jenessa on social media @jenessawait and explore her creative shop featuring hand-lettered designs, apparel, hats, and faith-inspired products.

This Episode is Sponsored by Steward

We spend so much time thinking about how to protect and care for our children today. But have you thought about who would care for them if something happened to you and your spouse?

Having a will and an estate plan in place is one important way to prepare for your family's future.

Steward makes estate planning more accessible with a self-directed platform featuring state-specific, attorney-drafted document templates.

In about 20 minutes, you can answer questions and prepare documents such as a will, advance directive, and financial power of attorney, ready for the required signing process.

Plans start at approximately $199.

Visit https://withsteward.com and use promo code SPEAKEASY10 for 10% off.

Follow the applicable witnessing, signing, and notarization requirements for your state.

Join the Conversation

Are you in a season of waiting right now? Have you ever realized that God was preparing you through something you desperately wanted to escape?

What is one step of obedience you feel He's asking you to take?

Share your thoughts in the comments!

Subscribe to The Speakeasy Podcast for more honest, faith-centered conversations about following Jesus through every season of life.

#TheSpeakeasyPodcast #JenessaWait #MovingWithGod #ChristianPodcast #WaitingOnGod #TrustingGod #ChristianFaith #FaithOverFear #Obedience #GodsTiming #ChristianLiving #SurrenderToGod

In this episode, I sit down with Christian recording artist Leanna Crawford, whose music has carried me through some of my darkest seasons. We talk about the pressure that can come with a dream career, how easily our God-given gifts can become sources of identity, and what it looks like to forgive someone who never apologizes.

We also get honest about infertility and the hard work of waiting on God. Leanna shares the stories behind her songs Still Waters, Revenge, and Ask Him Again, and how each one came from a real place of struggle.

Whether you're trying to find your worth outside your accomplishments, working through forgiveness, or growing weary of praying the same prayer, this conversation is a reminder that God sees you and hasn't lost sight of you.

Connect With Leanna Crawford

Listen to Leanna's album Thank God, featuring songs discussed in this episode, including:

• Still Waters
• Revenge
• Ask Him Again
• How Can You Not
• Make It Through

Find Leanna Crawford's music on your favorite streaming platform and follow her on social media @leannacrawfordmusic for new music, tour updates, and encouragement.

This Episode Is Sponsored by Steward

We spend so much time thinking about how to protect and care for our children today. But have you thought about who would care for them if something happened to you and your spouse?

Having a will and an estate plan in place is one important way to prepare for your family's future.

Steward makes estate planning more accessible with a self-directed platform featuring state-specific, attorney-drafted document templates.

In about 20 minutes, you can answer questions and prepare documents such as a will, advance directive, and financial power of attorney, ready for the required signing process.

Plans start at approximately $199.

Visit https://withsteward.com and use promo code SPEAKEASY10 for 10% off.

Follow the applicable witnessing, signing, and notarization requirements for your state.

Join the Conversation

Have you ever found yourself tying your identity to something you do rather than who God says you are?

Is there someone you've struggled to forgive because they never acknowledged the hurt they caused?

Or maybe you're in a season of waiting, praying the same prayer and wondering if God hears you.

We'd love to hear what resonated with you from this conversation.

Share your thoughts in the comments, and if this episode encouraged you, consider sharing it with someone who needs the reminder that God's love isn't dependent on their success, their circumstances, or the answers they're still waiting for.

Subscribe to The Speakeasy Podcast for more honest, faith-centered conversations about the things we're all walking through.

#TheSpeakeasyPodcast #LeannaCrawford #ChristianPodcast #ChristianMusic #StillWaters #ThankGod #Forgiveness #ChristianFaith #IdentityInChrist #TrustingGod #FaithOverFear #MentalHealth #SurrenderToGod #UnansweredPrayers #ChristianWomen #Steward

In this episode, I sit down with Bethany Kimsey, mother of eight and host of The Warrior Mama Podcast, for a convicting conversation about surrender. We talk about how easily we start treating our children like products to produce instead of souls God has entrusted to us.

Bethany shares how motherhood exposed her obsession with outcomes, and how God used an oak tree she planted to remind her that most growth happens beneath the surface. I also get honest about catching myself measuring my girls by benchmarks that had little to do with who God made them to be.

Surrender isn't giving up on your children. It's trusting God enough to stop trying to be God in their lives.

Website: https://bethanykimsey.com

Podcast: The Warrior Mama Podcast — available on major podcast platforms.

Bethany offers resources, Bible studies, and encouragement to help mothers apply the gospel to everyday parenting.

You can also learn more about her upcoming Rooted motherhood conference through her website.

We spend so much time thinking about how to protect and care for our children today. But have you thought about who would care for them if something happened to you and your spouse?

Having a will and an estate plan in place is one important way to prepare for your family's future.

Steward makes estate planning more accessible with a self-directed platform featuring state-specific, attorney-drafted document templates.

In about 20 minutes, you can answer questions and prepare documents such as a will, advance directive, and financial power of attorney, ready for the required signing process.

Plans start at approximately $199.

Visit https://withsteward.com and use promo code SPEAKEASY10 for 10% off.

Follow the applicable witnessing, signing, and notarization requirements for your state.

Have you ever realized that your expectations for your children were shaped more by the world's definition of success than God's?

What is one area of parenting—or life—where God is asking you to surrender control?

Share your thoughts in the comments. We'd love to hear what this conversation stirred in you.

And if this episode encouraged you, share it with a mother or friend who needs the reminder that God is at work, even when the growth isn't visible yet.

#TheSpeakeasyPodcast #BethanyKimsey #WarriorMama #ChristianMotherhood #ChristianParenting #BiblicalParenting #Homeschooling #SurrenderToGod #TrustingGod #FaithOverFear #RaisingKids #Motherhood #ChristianPodcast #SpiritualGrowth #RootedInChrist

In this episode, I sit down with Carl and Laura Lentz to talk about infidelity, betrayal, forgiveness, and what it takes to rebuild after everything falls apart. Their story isn't about why every woman should stay. It's about why every person deserves the chance to heal.

I ask Laura why she stayed. Her answer was a day-by-day decision built on evidence. Carl didn't just promise to change, he showed it through consistent action, accountability, and counseling. Laura also shares why it took three years before she could truly say she forgave him.

This conversation isn't about minimizing infidelity or saying every marriage can be saved. It's about taking responsibility, finding healing, and letting God into the most painful parts of our stories.

Carl & Laura Lentz — Lights On

Explore Carl and Laura's conversations about healing, accountability, relationships, and life after public failure through their Lights On podcast and their book about overcoming infidelity.

Their book addresses ten practical conversations surrounding betrayal, rebuilding trust, personal healing, and the difficult decisions couples face after infidelity.

Live Action Network

Live Action works to reach women facing unexpected pregnancies with life-affirming information, resources, and hope.

Blake is partnering with Live Action to raise $10,000 to help reach approximately 200 women with life-affirming support. According to Live Action's estimates, a $50 gift can help reach one woman, but gifts of any amount can make a difference.

To support this effort, text BLAKE to 70723 or visit LiveAction.org/donate/Blake.

Steward

Have you thought about who would care for your children if something happened to you and your spouse? More importantly, have you made those wishes legally clear?

Stored is a self-directed estate-planning platform offering state-specific, attorney-drafted document templates to help families prepare essential documents, including wills, advance directives, and financial powers of attorney.

Plans start at $199, and you can save 10% using code SPEAKEASY10 at withstored.com.

Follow the platform's signing, witness, and notarization instructions to complete your documents.

What does genuine repentance look like to you? Have you ever experienced a season when healing took longer than you—or the people around you—expected?

We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

#TheSpeakeasyPodcast #CarlLentz #LauraLentz #LightsOn #MarriageRestoration #HealingAfterBetrayal #InfidelityRecovery #ChristianMarriage #Forgiveness #RebuildingTrust #FaithAndHealing #ChristianPodcast #LiveAction #Stored

In this solo episode, I'm getting honest about friendship, discernment, and boundaries. I knew what the Bible said about boundaries, but I wasn't always putting that wisdom into practice. And the red flags I ignored? They were there all along.

I spent years understanding Jesus' warning about judging as a reason to never make any judgments. But Matthew 7 also tells us to recognize people by their fruit. Jesus calls us to make wise judgments without becoming judgmental. Loving someone doesn't mean trusting them. Forgiving doesn't mean ignoring their behavior. And extending grace doesn't require pretending the red flags aren't there.

Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is recognize the fruit, establish the boundary, and trust God with the rest. Wisdom isn't cruelty, and boundaries aren't the opposite of love.

Matthew 7 — Judgment, discernment, removing the plank from your own eye, pearls before pigs, and recognizing people by their fruit.

Galatians 5:22–23 — The fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

I encourage you to study Matthew 7, spend time in prayer, and ask the Lord for wisdom about the relationships and boundaries in your own life.

Live Action Network

Live Action works to reach women facing unexpected pregnancies with life-affirming information, practical resources, and hope when they need it most.

Blake is partnering with Live Action to raise $10,000 to help reach approximately 200 women with life-affirming support. Live Action estimates that a gift of around $50 can help reach one woman, but every contribution matters.

To support this effort, text BLAKE to 70723 or visit LiveAction.org/donate/Blake.

Have you ever confused extending grace with ignoring red flags? What has God taught you about friendship, discernment, and healthy boundaries?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

#TheSpeakeasyPodcast #ChristianPodcast #ChristianFriendships #BiblicalDiscernment #ChristianBoundaries #Matthew7 #FriendshipBreakups #HealthyBoundaries #ChristianLiving #Faith #Wisdom #Relationships #LiveAction

In this episode, Angie Smith and I talk about moving beyond a faith that puts Bible-verse Band-Aids over our struggles into a deep, honest, surrendered relationship with Jesus. The shallow end can look like white-knuckling, performing, using perfectionism for control, or ignoring painful patterns. Angie encourages us to go underneath: Where did I learn this? What am I afraid of? What does this reveal about what I believe about God?

I got personal about my own perfectionism and realizing it was an attempt to control outcomes and stay worthy of God's favor. But our coping mechanisms aren't our identities. As Angie puts it, you're not a perfectionist as an identity. You're a daughter of God who may have learned perfectionistic tendencies that once served a purpose. Recognizing those patterns isn't an invitation to pile on more shame. It's an opportunity to bring them into the light, hold them against truth, and let God begin changing them.

Angie's new book, Into the Deep, explores the intersection of faith, psychology, learned patterns, identity, surrender, and what it looks like to move into a deeper and more honest relationship with God.

Learn more on Angie's website: https://angiesmithministries.com/

Follow her on Instagram @officialangiesmith

CrowdHealth

CrowdHealth is a community-powered alternative to traditional health insurance. Members receive access to resources including bill negotiators, lower-cost prescriptions and testing, vetted doctor lists, and healthcare support.

Get started for $99 for your first three months using code SPEAKEASY at JoinCrowdHealth.com.

CrowdHealth is not insurance.

#TheSpeakeasyPodcast #AngieSmith #IntoTheDeep #ChristianPodcast #ChristianLiving #Faith #Surrender #IdentityInChrist #Perfectionism #Healing #RenewYourMind #TrustGod #CrowdHealth

Erin and I are talking about the hardest question: what do you do when God asks you to lay down something you worked hard to build? We're both walking through seasons of transition, so this is less "here's how to do it" and more "me too."

Erin spent over a decade building businesses and finding success as an entrepreneur before God asked her to step back to homeschool her family. We get honest about the hardest part: identity. When you've spent years becoming known for something, suddenly losing it feels like losing yourself. The questions start: Who am I without this? What if I'm giving up too much?

Sometimes what feels like losing everything you've built is actually God making room for what He's going to build next. You can be scared and still obey. You can ask God what He's doing and still end with, "I will trust You."

Follow her on IG @erinmeinel

Visit her website at https://erinmeinel.com/

CrowdHealth

CrowdHealth is a community-powered alternative to traditional health insurance. Members receive access to resources including bill negotiators, lower-cost prescriptions, vetted doctor lists, and healthcare support.

Get started for $99 for your first three months using code SPEAKEASY at JoinCrowdHealth.com.

CrowdHealth is not insurance.

#TheSpeakeasyPodcast #ErinMeinel #ChristianPodcast #ChristianWomen #Faith #TrustGod #Obedience #Surrender #Calling #ChristianLiving #HomeschoolMom #Motherhood #LifeTransitions #CrowdHealth

Content Advisory: This episode contains a respectful but direct conversation about pornography, sexual content, and protecting children from exposure. Parents may want to listen with headphones when little ears are nearby.

In this episode, Kristen A. Jensen, founder of Defend Young Minds, and I talk about something every parent needs to consider: preparing our kids for pornography exposure.

I was scared talking about pornography would take away my daughters' innocence. But Kristen helped me rethink the goal entirely: innocence isn't the ultimate goal, preparation is. Our kids need to recognize harmful content, understand why it can hurt them, know what to do when they encounter it, and most importantly, know they can come to us without shame.

You can't bubble-wrap your children from everything. But you can prepare them. You can give them language. You can give them a plan. And you can make sure when the world tells them about pornography, it isn't the first voice they've heard.

Resources

Learn more about Kristen's work, Good Pictures Bad Pictures, the new guide for girls, and free resources for parents at DefendYoungMinds.com/Books.

Connect with Kristen

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DefendYM/

Instagram: @defendyoungminds

X: @defendYM

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/defend-young-minds

CrowdHealth

CrowdHealth is a community-powered alternative to traditional health insurance. Members receive access to resources including bill negotiators, lower-cost prescriptions and testing, vetted doctor lists, and healthcare support.

Get started for $99 for your first three months using code SPEAKEASY at JoinCrowdHealth.com.

CrowdHealth is not insurance.

#TheSpeakeasyPodcast #KristenAJenson #DefendYoungMinds #GoodPicturesBadPictures #Parenting #ChristianParenting #ParentingGirls #OnlineSafety #DigitalSafety #ProtectingKids #Motherhood #CrowdHealth

Jennifer Pepito is back on the podcast talking about the hard stuff: homeschooling can be beautiful and really hard at the same time. She has thirty years of wisdom and helped me work through the questions we all quietly ask—are my kids learning enough? When is it okay to just put the curriculum down?

Here's what Jennifer keeps reminding me: the curriculum serves your family, not the other way around. Sometimes the best thing you can do is close the books and come back tomorrow. The goal isn't measuring success by grade levels, it's asking who you're trying to help these children become.

You aren't going to make or break your children with one hard day. Even the hard seasons are opportunities to depend on the Lord and love your families well.

Learn more about The Inspired Homeschool at InspiredHomeschoolBook.com.

Find Jennifer's homeschool curriculum, resources, and free homeschooling guide at ThePeacefulPress.com.

CrowdHealth

CrowdHealth is a community-powered alternative to traditional health insurance that gives members access to bill negotiators, lower-cost prescriptions and testing, and a dedicated care advocate.

Get started for $99 for your first three months using code SPEAKEASY at JoinCrowdHealth.com.

CrowdHealth is not insurance.

Live Action Network

Live Action works to reach women facing unexpected pregnancies with life-affirming truth, resources, and hope at the moment they are searching for answers.

To support their work, text BLAKE to 70723 or visit LiveAction.org/donate/Blake.

#TheSpeakeasyPodcast #JenniferPepito #Homeschool #Homeschooling #HomeschoolMom #ChristianHomeschool #ChristianParenting #ThePeacefulPress #TheInspiredHomeschool #Motherhood #Faith #CrowdHealth #LiveAction

James Finke is back on the podcast to talk about apologetics and why Christians should be ready to explain what we believe and why we believe it. He's passionate about making this accessible to regular people like us, and we dig into the historical evidence for Jesus, his resurrection, and the early church. But this isn't about winning arguments, it's about being prepared when someone you love starts asking questions.

James shares a story that changed him: an acquaintance died unexpectedly after they'd talked casually about Jesus. It left him asking, what if our silence costs someone the chance to hear the Gospel? That hit me hard. If we truly believe Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, shouldn't we be willing to have those hard conversations with the people we love? Sometimes you're not meant to bring someone all the way in one conversation. Sometimes you're just supposed to be a rock in their shoe, leaving them with a question they can't shake.

Learn what you believe. Understand why you believe it. Love people enough to have difficult conversations. And trust God with what happens after you plant the seed.

Learn more about James Finke, his books, and his work at AuthorJamesFinke.com.

James also created a Christian Author's Toolkit with resources for anyone interested in writing and independently publishing Christian books. Visit AuthorJamesFinke.com/Blake.

Live Action Network

Live Action works to reach women facing unexpected pregnancies with life-affirming information, resources, and hope when they need it most.

To support their work, text BLAKE to 70723 or visit LiveAction.org/donate/Blake.

CrowdHealth

CrowdHealth provides a community-powered alternative to traditional health insurance, including access to bill negotiation, lower-cost prescriptions, and healthcare resources.

Get your first three months for $99 using code SPEAKEASY at JoinCrowdHealth.com.

CrowdHealth is not health insurance.

#TheSpeakeasyPodcast #JamesFinke #ChristianApologetics #Apologetics #ChristianPodcast #Faith #Jesus #TheGospel #Christianity #Bible #SharingYourFaith #GreatCommission #CrowdHealth #LiveAction