Family Episodes

Hope + Help for After Divorce with Vaneetha Rendall Risner

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, host Christine Chappell interviews Vaneetha Risner about the complex emotional landscape of navigating life after divorce and her new book, This Was Never the Plan: Walking with God Through the Heartache of Divorce. During the conversation, Vaneetha shares her personal journey, discussing the challenges of processing grief, anger, and shame, while also emphasizing the importance of faith and community support. They delve into the role of lament in healing, the necessity of forgiveness, and the hope found in trusting God amidst uncertainty. Vaneetha encourages listeners to engage their pain, seek community, and recognize that rebuilding life after divorce can lead to new beginnings.
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3 days ago

Hope + Help for Reproductive Loss with Tanya Flores

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, host Christine Chappell interviews Tanya Flores, co-founder of Reproductive Loss Network . They discuss the profound impact of reproductive loss, including miscarriage, infertility, and abortion, and how these experiences can affect individuals physically, spiritually, and relationally. Tanya shares her personal journey and the importance of compassionate responses to those grieving. The conversation also highlights the need for Christ-centered counseling approaches and the significance of creating supportive environments within churches for those experiencing reproductive loss.
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4 months ago

Hope + Help for Wayward Children with Stuart Scott

Why is the issue of wayward children one so difficult to talk about in the church? How might parents respond to the anguish they feel in response to their wayward child? What are some practical ways that can parents work against (or begin to reverse) relational disconnect? And what can parents be praying for as they wait on God with hope? Stuart Scott addresses these questions and more in this new episode of the Hope + Help Podcast!
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10 months ago

Hope + Help for Counseling Children with Julie Lowe

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, Christine Chappell interviews Julie Lowe about her book, Building Bridges: Biblical Counseling Activities for Children and Teens. During the conversation, Julie helps listeners to understand why counseling children is different than counseling adults, explains the importance of "wooing" children to Jesus, and discusses some of the benefits and challenges of collaborating with parents during the counseling journey. She also offers a biblical rationale for using "expressive activities" to enter into a child's world, unpacks how using Scripture as a story can better connect a child's life experience back to the Lord, and shares some of the top tools/props/resources she uses in her counseling room during sessions with youth counselees.
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5 years ago

Hope + Help for Discouraged Parents with Marty Machowski

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, Christine Chappell interviews Marty Machowski about his book, Parenting First Aid: Hope for the Discouraged. During the conversation, Marty explains why parents sometimes feel isolated when walking through challenges involving their children, and offers practical insights on how to handle heated exchanges in the home. He also discusses the importance of keeping an eternal perspective when parenting trials come, comforts listeners with the reminder that God understands what they are going through, and exhorts discouraged parents to reflect on key gospel truths that can persevere them through seasons of heartbreak or disappointment.
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6 years ago

Hope + Help for Storms in Marriage with Jeff & Sarah Walton

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, Christine Chappell interviews authors Jeff & Sarah Walton about their book, Together Through the Storms: Biblical Encouragements for Your Marriage When Life Hurts. During the conversation, Jeff shares biblical truths that sustained him during sudden job loss, as well as practical wisdom for men striving to be leaders of their home in the midst of future uncertainties. Sarah reflects on the walking through periods of hopelessness, living with chronic illness, and the grief that comes when life doesn't look like we expected. Together, Jeff and Sarah offer gospel hope for marriages strained by circumstantial difficulties, showing couples how to cling to Jesus—and to each other—through the storms.
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6 years ago

Hope + Help for Parenting Methods with Jim Newheiser

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, Christine Chappell interviews author and IBCD Executive Director Dr. Jim Newheiser about his book, Parenting is More Than a Formula. During the conversation, Jim summarizes common Christian parenting methods and examines the dangers of adopting unbiblical or extra-biblical approaches to child-rearing. Jim also demonstrates how belief in "parental determinism" is contrary to the Scriptures, defines a biblical view of parenting "success," offers practical helps for pursuing gospel-centered parenting, and shares how he counsels married couples who find themselves in conflict over differing opinions pertaining to parenting methodology.
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6 years ago

Hope + Help LIVE for Parents of Depressed & Anxious Teens

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, we’re premiering Hope + Help LIVE, a periodic segment of the podcast that features unscripted, live recorded interviews previously broadcasted on Facebook. This conversation features authors Jessica Thompson and Joel Fitzpatrick. During the live chat, we talk about the various ways our respective households are navigating the coronavirus pandemic, and offer encouragements to parents of depressed and anxious teens who may be struggling to care for their child in today’s quarantine contexts.
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6 years ago

Hope + Help for Family Worship with Don Whitney

In this episode of The Hope + Help Project, Christine Chappell interviews Don Whitney about his book, "Family Worship," exploring why it's important, how to deal with common stumbling blocks that arise, and practical wisdom for busy families who want to develop a regular (yet doable) routine in the home. During the conversation, Don shares scriptural support for the practice of family worship and explores reasons why today's families may struggle to make it a priority in their daily lives. He debunks the notion that large amount of prep time is involved and offers three areas of focus for leaders who desire to become intentional in cultivating a routine. Don also encourages listeners not to have unrealistic expectations about the time spent together, but to embrace the reality that chaotic families will have chaotic family worship—and that's okay!
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6 years ago

Hope + Help for Grandparenting with Larry McCall

In this episode of The Hope + Help Project, Christine Chappell interviews pastor and author Larry McCall. They discuss Larry's book, Grandparenting with Grace: Living the Gospel with the Next Generation to help us better understand what it means to build a legacy worth following through intentional, gospel-centered relationships with our grandchildren. During the conversation, Larry explains harmful trending mindsets regarding our "golden years," and rich, biblical wisdom for cultivating fruitful family relationships through intentional grandparenting. He also cautions that Christian family heritage does not guarantee our grandchildren's salvation, helps listeners discern how to avoid overstepping boundaries when it comes to our adult children's parenting choices, and provides practical suggestions for navigating various familial challenges such as broken families and long-distance relationships. Larry also offers listeners six ways grandparents can be praying for themselves as they strive toward leaving behind a gospel-saturated legacy.
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6 years ago

Live Radio Interview: How to Talk to Your Depressed Child

I had the pleasure of being interviewed on The Ride Home with John & Kathy radio show regarding my article at The Gospel Coalition, "How to Talk to Your Depressed Child." For fifteen minutes, we spoke about some of the challenges and necessities of caring for a child who is walking through depression. While I would have loved to have been able to expand on certain points (and of course, I neglected to say a few things I wish I would have), I hope the interview offers some helpful insights into the incredible difficulty of the situation, and stresses the need for compassion, grace, and God's truth in the midst of a disorienting season.
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6 years ago

Hope + Help for Dads and Sons with Joel Fitzpatrick

In this episode of The Hope + Help Project, Christine Chappell interviews author Joel Fitzpatrick about his book "Between Us Guys: Life-Changing Conversations for Dads & Sons" to discuss how both parent and child can lean in to important conversations with the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. During the interview, Joel talks about what biblical manhood is meant to look like and the importance of teaching our sons to embrace a gospel-centered view of women. He also addresses biblical wisdom for helping dads and sons navigate friendship problems, performance pressures, identity traps, as well as some helpful ways to practice generosity and financial stewardship.
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6 years ago

Hope + Help for Raising Young Children with Sam Crabtree

In this episode of The Hope + Help Project, Christine Chappell interviews author Sam Crabtree. They discuss his newest book, "Parenting with Loving Correction: Practical Help for Raising Young Children" to discover how the gospel of Jesus Christ helps parents pursue consistent, faithful discipline that mirrors the grace-giving, truth-speaking God of the Bible. Sam explains what corrective discipline looks like from a biblical perspective, outlines why establishing an atmosphere of affirmation and correction is important in a Christian home, and highlights the difference between destructive fear and healthy regard for parental authority. He also addresses the issue of corporal punishment, lays out three core imperatives for wise correction, and speaks powerful words of encouragement to parents who are struggling to implement consistent disciplinary standards for the children in their care.
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6 years ago

Hope + Help for Anxious Teens with Jessica Thompson

In this episode of The Hope + Help Project, Christine Chappell interviews author/speaker Jessica Thompson on the topic of her new book, How to Help Your Anxious Teen. During the conversation, Jessica unpacks some of the commonly overlooked factors that can contribute to our teen's anxiety, the harmful ways parents sometimes approach helping their child, and how the gospel of Jesus Christ offers teens and parents alike the assurance and hope needed to walk through anxiety recovery. She also explains the dangerous effects of "helicopter parenting," why today's culture has a disdain for normalcy, and the importance of fostering an environment of grace and age-appropriate transparency in our homes.
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7 years ago

Hope + Help for Anxious Moms with Sara Wallace

In this episode of The Hope + Help Project, Christine Chappell interviews author/writer Sara Wallace on the topic anxiety in motherhood and her new book, Created to Care: God's Truth for Anxious Moms. Sara discusses God’s good design for our “mother bear” instincts, the heart struggles that take place when fear dominates our parenting, how to approach concerns over our children’s salvation, and how the gospel of Jesus Christ offers anxious moms the necessary resources to learn how to trust God with their children’s lives. She also highlights some of the ways moms can fall into guilt-ridden performance traps and control idolatry, offering anxious mothers words of encouragement and comfort for the weary—but priceless—privilege of raising children.
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7 years ago

Hope + Help for Facing Infertility with Glenna Marshall

In this episode of The Hope + Help Project, Christine Chappell interviews author/writer Glenna Marshall on the topic of infertility, suffering, and her new book, The Promise is His Presence: Why God is Always Enough. During the conversation, Glenna shares about her personal experiences with infertility, church hurt, and chronic illness, unpacking the devastating heartbreak of deferred hope and the dangers of basing our beliefs about God's goodness on whether or not he will give us "good" things. Glenna shares how her struggle with infertility negatively impacted church fellowship and personal friendships, gives suggestions on how to respond to seasons of spiritual dryness, and soothes sufferers with words of comfort for when the grief of barrenness feels all-consuming.
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7 years ago

Hope + Help for Teen Girls with Lindsey Carlson

In this episode of The Hope + Help Project, Christine Chappell interviews author/writer Lindsey Carlson on the topic of growing in godliness as a teenage girl. Lindsey shares why she was compelled to write her new book, Growing in Godliness: A Teen Girl's Guide to Maturing in Christ and unpacks what the path of spiritual maturity looks like for a young Christian. She talks about the struggles today's teens have with finding purpose and identity, as well as the challenges that arise when it comes to managing moodiness, struggling with sin, and finding motivation for attending worship services. Lindsey also helps listeners understand why learning to trust God's plan for their lives is a difficult, but necessary part of growing up in Christ. This conversation is geared toward the teen girl, so if you know a Christian young woman in your life, invite her to take a listen!
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7 years ago

Hope + Help Bonus Episode: Heart Change in Motherhood with Christine Chappell

In this episode of The Hope + Help Project, Christine shares a bonus episode on the topic of heart change in motherhood based on stories from her book, Clean Home, Messy Heart: Promises of Renewal, Hope, and Change for Overwhelmed Moms. The episode is an edited version of a talk recorded in front of a live audience and unpacks the challenges of sacrificial love, comfort idolatry, repetitive sin habits, and self-reliance in motherhood, explaining how the gospel of Jesus Christ offers women hope and help for progressive, meaningful change.
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7 years ago

Hope + Help for Weary Moms with Christina Fox

In this episode of The Hope + Help Project, Christine Chappell interviews author Christina Fox on the topic of weariness in motherhood and her new book with P&R Publishing, Sufficient Hope: Gospel Meditations and Prayers for Moms. Christina shares about her reluctant struggle with postpartum depression, the importance of having proper expectations in motherhood, and how to turn from helplessness to hope in Christ. She also addresses common heart issues that moms of all ages wrestle with, such as control idolatry, discontentment, and general discouragement with the motherhood experience.
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7 years ago