Worth Your Time

Monica Ritchie is relatable, approachable and has a TON of valuable knowledge about the Bible that many of us fellow Christians can stand to hear more about. She went to seminary as a young mom and just recently graduated!

As a Bible Teacher who *loves* theology, she often discussing hot topics on TikTok and Instagram, and sends out resources to her email list. Monica's passion is to bring you real faith & theology you can embody, alongside real life.

She says: “I go to seminary so you don’t have to" and she wants to make sure as many people as possible know more about God. Because when you know more about God, you can love Him more deeply! I loved chatting with Monica about mom life, how her beliefs changed in seminary (not in a bad way!) and what its like to live our your calling.

Recent episodes:

Overcoming a Church Cult Background: Leah's Story

Betsy Painter: A Christian’s Guide to Planet Earth

Sheila Gregoire: Why Christian Women Love Her Message on Sex

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My friend Leah grew up in what she calls a "cult," a super-fundamentalist church setting where women were routinely put down, disrespected and where she never heard that God loved her. To her, this is just what Christianity was. As she says, "When you're in a cult, they don't tell you you're in a cult."

It wasn't until years later, in young adulthood, that Leah attended a "normal" Christian church and began to recognize what had happened to her growing up. Thankfully, she encountered a healthy church community walked alongside her, even helping pay for years of therapy to overcome her past.

It's been a long journey, but Leah has been able to emerge from this painful church history and thrive inside a healthy church body for several years now. Rather than running away from God, she got curious and began exploring what it looked like to be a. Christian in a place that was not abusive and that did value her as a woman.

I share Leah's story in my upcoming book, "Reason to Return: Why Women Need the Church and the Church Needs Women." This is the first peek inside a few podcast episodes that will be dedicated to telling powerful stories of the church in the lives of women.

Recent episodes:

Betsy Painter: A Christian's Guide to Planet Earth

Sheila Gregoire: Why Christian Women Love Her Message on Sex

Tiana Schowe: Talking About Jesus on TikTok

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Betsy Painter is a creative writer and conservation biologist, who is passionate about environmental care and its human dimensions. She has studied Religion and Ecology in graduate school with a focus on the beautification of nature in the redemptive Biblical narrative and its implications for environmental hope and messaging today.

I spoke with Betsy about her new book, A Christian's Guide to Planet Earth: Why it Matters and How to Care For it. More and more Christians have been working and supportive of policies and actions to help protect the Earth in recent years. Climate change has become a big issue for many young Christians and its cool to see those who are making a difference.

I thought it was really neat that Betsy studied Religion and Ecology -- what a neat combo. And to bring in a Biblical narrative to all of this is so important. When I think about Earth, my mind roams back to Eden and all the majestic creativity God put into forming this planet, it's many kinds of plants, animals, mountains, waters and mysteries. Betsy has a world of knowledge and I think every Christian needs to care about this issue!

Recent episodes:

Sheila Gregoire: Why Christian Women Love Her Message on Sex

Tiana Schowe: Talking About Jesus on TikTok

Natalie Runion: Why We Choose to Stay in Church

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Jennifer Lahl is founder and president of The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network. She has written, commented and produced multiple films on the concerns and ethics of things like egg donors, surrogate pregnancy, sperm donation and the problems with the Big Fertility industry.

Most people haven't thought much abut these issues, but they are becoming more and more prevelent and are worth consideration, especially if you find yourself dealing with fertility issues.

In this episode, we talk about:

How Big Fertility targets and exploits poor and vulnerable women

The trauma that comes with not knowing one's biological parents

Lack of regulation in the fertility industry

The money & corruption inside the fertility industry

Coming trends like human cloning and more in-depth genetic prenatal testing

After going through IVF myself, I became wary of the fertility industry and now have even more concerns. People don't want to think about what Jennifer brings to the table, but this stuff is cultivating the future and we have a generation of children without parents, children being brought into the world on purpose without a mom and a dad and much more. It's worth paying attention to!

Recent episodes:

Sheila Gregoire: Why Christian Women Love Her Message on Sex

Tiana Schowe: Talking About Jesus on TikTok

Natalie Runion: Why We Choose to Stay in Church

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Is surrogacy bad news? Today, I’m talking with Jennifer Lahl, founder and president of The Center for Bioethics and Culture. She has written, commented and produced multiple films on the concerns and ethics of things like egg donors, surrogate pregnancy, sperm donation and the problems with the Big Fertility industry.

Most people haven’t thought much abut these issues, but they are becoming more and more prevalent and are worth consideration, especially if you find yourself dealing with fertility issues.

In this episode, we talk about:

How Big Fertility targets and exploits poor and vulnerable women

The trauma that comes with not knowing one’s biological parents

Lack of regulation in the fertility industry

The money & corruption inside the fertility industry

Coming trends like human cloning and more in-depth genetic prenatal testing

After going through IVF myself, I became wary of the fertility industry and now have even more concerns. People don’t want to think about what Jennifer brings to the table, but this stuff is cultivating the future and we have a generation of children without parents, children being brought into the world on purpose without a mom and a dad and much more. It’s worth paying attention to!

Some of Jennifer’s films include:

Eggsploitation

Anonymous Father’s Day

#BigFertility: It’s All About the Money

Breeders: A Subclass of Women?

*You can watch all the films for free on YouTube or here! Here’s our interview on video:

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Christian sex advice has a bad rap. Sheila Gregoire is changing that. She's been making waves in the Christian world for several years now. Her latest book, The Great Sex Rescue, dives deep into the patriarchal culture of Christian sex "advice" and ideology over the years.

On social media, and in her book, she calls out specific teachings and ideas that have been harmful to women and to Christian marriages specifically for decades. What I find fascinating is that both theologically conservative and theologically progressive Christians love her!

As a conservative myself (and fan of Sheila's work), I wanted to dig deeper into what it is that appeals to Christians from across the spectrum. I spoke with Sheila and her daughter and co-author Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach for an article I was writing, but I loved the audio so much I asked if I could share it!

This episode may sound a little different than a typical one, but totally worth a listen -- as Sheila and Rebecca share their unfiltered opinions about what's gone wrong and how they are trying to fix it! This is my second time chatting with Sheila! You can catch our first interview on the podcast here.

Recent episodes:

Tiana Schowe: Talking About Jesus on TikTok

Natalie Runion: Why We Choose to Stay in Church

Monet Carpenter: Finding Spiritual Nourishment in Every Season

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Tiana Schowe doesn't care about how many followers she has on TikTok, but she does have a lot of them -- nearly 100,000. A couple of years ago, she started talking about her faith, evidence for it and whatever Biblical item God led her to that day.

Her diligence and authenticity, willingness to address hard topics and critics, has led people to really hear her voice on the fastest growing social media platform around. Many have been hesitant to join TikTok, but after personally jumping on board this year -- I can tell you, we need Christian voices there!

I was intrigued by Tiana's message and her personal story, so I asked her to come chat about her TikTok ministry and why she does what she does! If you have an interest in speaking for the Gospel on social media, she is a good person to hear from!

Recent episodes:

Natalie Runion: Why We Choose to Stay in Church

Monet Carpenter: Finding Spiritual Nourishment in Every Season

Anne Wilson: Christian Singer and Songwriter

>>>> PRE-ORDER MY NEW BOOK: Reason to Return: Why Women Need the Church and the Church Needs Women!

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Natalie Runion is a lot of fun to chat with. When I found her account, @RaisedToStay, on social media, I immediately knew I needed to get her on the podcast. Her own description is best here: "For those of us who have been called and crushed, loved and sometimes left, welcomed and wounded by the Church yet our anointing keeps us holding on."

In honest, authentic fashion, Natalie talks about her childhood as a pastor's kid, becoming a pastor and what makes her stay even after hardship and heartache. Her message is for those who have stayed and wandered, those who understand that church is not just a building, but a people and the home and heart of Jesus.

I loved talking with her and we're book twins in that both of our books coming in out 2023! Don't miss checking our her upcoming book!

Recent episodes:

Monet Carpenter: Finding Spiritual Nourishment in Every Season

Anne Wilson: Christian Singer and Songwriter

Kelly Speck: Raising a Son Born with Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy

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Monet Carpenter is a beautiful, creative soul who is called to speak and help women process pain, find purpose and nourish their souls! On her website, she says this; "How we process the hard contributes to how we protect and grow our hearts."

She is a wife, mom, nurse, writer and founder of Purposed Box, which she intends to help women grown their faith despite the busyness of life. I also love the description that says "Soul care gifts to nourish your spirit."

Monet says she hopes to give you the courage to examine and heal your own hurt, while allowing God to glorify himself through your own story!

Recent episodes:

Anne Wilson: Christian Singer and Songwriter

Kelly Speck: Raising a Son Born with Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy

Nancy Pearcey: Christianity and the Human Body

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Anne Wilson is beautiful inside and out. The singer and songwriter from Kentucky has seen some of her songs rise to popularity quickly and her ability to create meaningful melody and lyrics are one-of-a-kind.

I found her by accident, searching for songs about the Church. That's when I stumbled upon her song, "Sunday Sermons." I liked it so much, I decided to listen to her whole album on Pandora. Then, I was hooked! I rarely listen to a full album or get attached to one artist, but there was something about Anne that got me good.

I was so excited when she agreed to come on the podcast and our conversation doesn't disappoint. Even as a 20-year-old, our conversation encouraged me as a Momma! When she talks about how her parents raised her, and her own faith journey before and after the death of her big brother, Jacob, I was moved and grateful.

In this episode, we talk about:

Growing up in the church, but not always loving it

Anne's unexpected journey to singing (which began when she first sang publicly at her brother's funeral)

The art of songwriting and how her creativity works

Her heart for the Lord and why she'll always use music to reach them

Anne's role models and inspirations

Tune in and enjoy one of my favorite episodes of the podcast!

Recent episodes:

Kelly Speck: Raising a Son Born with Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy

Nancy Pearcey: Christianity and the Human Body

Chelsey Youman: Pro-Life, Holistic, Comprehensive Care

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