Worth Your Time

Claire Culwell is an abortion survivor. She was adopted as a baby and grew up with an incredible, loving family. As an adult, she was inspired to find her birth mother. Soon after that meeting, her birth mother revealed something shocking: she had nearly been aborted.

Pregnant at 13, Claire's mother was unknowingly carrying twins. When she had an abortion, the procedure took the life of only one baby. In this episode, you'll hear for the child that survived.

In her new book, "Survivor: An Abortion Survivor's Surprising Story of Choosing Forgiveness and Finding Redemption," Claire tells her beautiful story. I was lucky enough to be able to write a review of this book for Christianity Today this month as well!

I absolutely loved speaking with Claire and I don't think you'll find anyone with a more beautiful heart. Her grace and perspective on her life and her birth mom are to be admired. I hope you enjoy this episode.

Recent episodes:

Christina Crenshaw: Faith, Culture and Getting Cancelled

How MOPS is Reaching Out to Moms in Crisis

Katharine Hayhoe: Christian Climate Scientist

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Christina Crenshaw, Ph.D. a professor, researcher, writer, and human trafficking fighter. She's also a mom of two and someone who recently experienced her own form of "cancel culture" when a group of students at Baylor targeted a tweet she shared, labeling her "transphobic."

In this episode, we discuss the tweet that turned her world upside down and how she chose not to back down from her beliefs, which stem from her work in trafficking, which often goes back to protecting women's spaces.

You don't want to miss Christina's insightful thoughts on sex, gender, academia and keeping Biblically rooted in our beliefs and convictions. I have absolutely loved following Christina recently and was thankful to speak with her for this thought-provoking interview.

Recent episodes:

How MOPS is Reaching Out to Moms in Crisis

Katharine Hayhoe: Christian Climate Scientist

CBN’s Dana Brown Ritter: Married to a Quadriplegic and Raising a Toddler

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) has been around for nearly 50 years and it has been such an important ministry to moms of little ones over the years. MOPS partners with local churches to bring moms together for fellowship, food and ministry -- usually while they get a few hours of childcare thrown in!

Michelle Cowan started worked with MOPS just as COVID begin and has been part of the incredible adaptation the past year required. Despite the struggle of meeting in person, the program really took off online -- creating "Mama Meetup Groups" by topic and geography, as well as launching a few other new initiatives.

In this conversation, Michelle shares her passion for getting the Gospel to moms. We talk about the unique ministry of reaching women who may be unchurched or dechurched in a way that isn't pushy or unhelpful. It's sometimes tough to reach demographics that aren't specifically looking for faith resources, but MOPS helps care for larger needs and in turn, can present Jesus to women in that way.

I have been involved in MOPS on and off since my first baby was 4 months old -- and certainly gotten a lot of out of the fellowship and community it provided me!

Recent Episodes:

Katharine Hayhoe: Christian Climate Scientist

CBN’s Dana Brown Ritter: Married to a Quadriplegic and Raising a Toddler

Devi Abraham: Untangling Sexual Ethics for a New Generation of Christians

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Katharine Hayhoe is a Christian and a climate scientist, as well as the Political Science Endowed Professor in Public Policy and Public Law in the Department of Political Science at Texas Tech University and the Chief Scientist at Nature.org.

In this interview, I speak with Katharine about her work in the world of climate change and environmentalism as a Christian. She is a pastor's wife and has much to say about why faith and science aren't in conflict.

In this convo, we discuss:

Why the Bible and science aren't in conflict

Why Christians should be the first people to be environmental keepers

How climate change & pollution affect the most vulnerable

Myths about scientists not being faith-based

How the Church can do a better job approaching science

Katharine's passion and expertise shown through and it was a joy speaking with her. I walked away feeling invigorated and inspired to continue pushing for energy policies and taking actions that will help others and the world at large.

Check out some of the links we mentioned in the podcast:

Biologos

Young Evangelicals for Climate Action

Evangelical Environmental Network

Like video? Watch our interview on YouTube here.

Recent episodes:

CBN's Dana Brown Ritter: Married to a Quadriplegic and Raising a Toddler

Devi Abraham: Untangling Sexual Ethics for a New Generation of Christians

Ellie Sanazaro: Choosing to be a Special Needs Mom

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dana Brown Ritter is the Washington Bureau Chief for the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) and has been a journalist for the past 20 years of her life. In this interview, we talk a bit about her rising career and the drama of working in the news business curing the Trump era.

In the second portion of the interview, we pivot to hearing about her incredible love story, how she met her husband, who is a quadriplegic and the story fo their son's adoption. Dana has never known her husband without his disability, but an 8-year friendship and long distance relationship eventually turned into marriage!

Their faith has guided them through it all. You don't want to miss the stories of how God moved in this relationship and the way He showed up for Dana during the adoption process of her son, now two and a half.

Recent episodes:

Devi Abraham: Untangling Sexual Ethics for a New Generation of Christians

Ellie Sanazaro: Choosing to be a Special Needs Mom

Faith and Politics: How can Christians do them well?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

*Please note: We had some connection issues, so even after editing, there are several breaks in the audio, but I do not think it affects the convo much!

Devi Abraham is a freelance writer, co-host of "Where Do We Go" podcast and mom of two living in Australia. Despite living so far away from me here in the United States, Australia is part of Western Christianity and she also grew up in a missionary family. Devi has a lot of fresh thoughts on things like politics, race and culture.

Her podcast description is "untangling sexual ethics for a new generation of Christians," You can imagine how that caught my attention -- and I promptly binged several episodes! She and her co-host, Jessica Van Der Wyngaard (who created the documentary film "I Survived I Kissed Dating Goodbye" about and with infamous author Joshua Harris) talk about all things human sexuality and break down some of the things the Church or Christian culture may have done wrong in the past.

She also writes about motherhood and is just a delight fo a person to speak with!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the latest episode of the "Worth Your Time" podcast, I speak with Ellie Sanazaro, the author of a new children's book, Image Bearer Book.

When Ellie was pregnant with her first child, she was told her baby had a chromosomal abnormality similar to Down Syndrome. She and her husband prepared to welcome a baby with special needs. After Rosalie was born, they found out the prenatal tests has been wrong.

And yet, Ellie felt God had prepared her heart to be a mom to s child with special needs. Within a few years, she had had another baby and adopted a little boy with Down Syndrome named Finn (who is adorable!). This beautiful story led her to write this book, featuring children with all kinds of special needs.

Don't miss Ellie's story here -- and be sure to pre-order her book now (I immediately bought 2 copies!). It has such an important, special message we can all teach our children!

Connect with Ellie & Finn:

Instagram for Finn

Instagram for Image Bearer book

Facebook

Buy the Book!

Recent Episodes: 

Kaitlyn Schiess: Faith and Politics -- How to Do Them Well

Jennifer Maggio: Single Moms and the Church

Rachel Welcher: The Damage of Purity Culture

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kaitlyn Schiess is a student at Dallas Theological Seminary and the author of "The Liturgy of Politics" -- a book that couldn't be more timely! The wisdom in these pages is endless, which is why I was so excited to speak with her about a topic I am so passionate about.

In this interview:

Why it's important to be very intentional about what you read/watch/listen to daily (and what questions to ask yourself about that)

How the hyper-focus on "Jesus and me" relationships over community purpose has been a detriment to the faith

What does evangelical mean and how did last week's riot at the Capitol reflect on American Christians?

What does it mean to be taking actions now that have a truly heavenly, lasting purpose?

Don't miss this important conversation about how Christians can wisely and lovingly engage in politics, fully living out the call on our lives to steward this world and what we've been given well.

Connect with Kaitlyn on Twitter & Instagram.

Recent episode: Jennifer Maggio: Single Moms & the Church

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jennifer Maggio first became a single mom at the age of 17 years old. She had another child two years later and struggled as a young mom seeking guidance and support. She had been through trauma as a child and wasn't sure where to find what she needed. Though she left the Church for some time, her faith eventually led her back to a community of believers.

Ultimately, she realized there was something missing: a ministry or support group for single moms. The vast majority fo single parent households in the United States are led by Moms and 67% or more of those families do not attend church. There are both logistical and personal reasons for this high number, but Jennifer knew there was so much women could gain from faithfully meeting with women who could understand their lives.

Life of a Single Mom ministries began with a small group of women at her church and quickly grew to a huge group of women -- and Jennifer realized she was on to something. Now, this ministry has served over 400,000 women in the past 10 years! This ministry is so very important today, at a time when there are more single moms than ever before. The Church should be the one stepping up to ensure they know they are cared for, loved and supported.

Follow Jennifer and LSM:

Facebook

Instagram (LSM)

Instagram (Jennifer)

Previous Episodes:

Rachel Welcher: The Culture of Purity Culture

Arian Simone: Faith and the Fearless Fund

Childhood Cancer: Parenting in Faith with Angelise Schrader

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join this live "Worth Your Time" video podcast episode with author and editor of Fathom Magazine, Rachel Welcher. Rachel just published an incredible book: "Talking Back to Purity Culture."

This book spoke to me is SO many ways. I grew up in the thick of purity culture and have suffered a lot of damage thanks to the misguided lessons I internalized as a teenager. From sexual purity youth rock conferences to purity rings and awful lies, we talk about it all in this interview.

Rachel has interviewed so many women, and had her own experience with the deception of purity culture. We talk about how you talk with your kids, how to deal with Church hurt, how Christians made sex and marriage an idol. Anyone who grew up in the church will appreciate this conversation.

Past episodes:

Arian Simone: Faith and the Fearless Fund

Childhood Cancer: Parenting in Faith with Angelise Schrader

Megan Westra: Having a Curious Faith

Alexandra Hoover: Women, the Church and Holy Surrender

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices