This is our last week walking through the key doctrines of the Christian faith as we cover the end times. We discuss why Revelation is one of Whitney’s favorite books of the Bible and how you can better learn to see the gospel clearly in how God says that the world as we have experienced it will end. Today’s guest is Whitney Capps. Whitney is a nat…

This week, we are covering the importance of the Church in the Christian faith, coinciding with Week 7 of the Everyday Theology Bible study. We discuss details like why is it essential that we are part of a church and how we see women using their gifts in the church. We also talk about how church can be messy or even painful sometimes. Today’s gues…

Every week, we are covering a key doctrine of the Christian faith and seeking to apply it to our everyday lives to coincide with the Everyday Theology Bible study. Today, we are talking about salvation. Today’s guest is Ruth Chou Simons. Ruth is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and speaker. You can learn more about her at GraceLaced.com and on I…

This week we are talking about humanity, and that walks alongside week 5 of the Everyday Theology Bible study. We are answering questions like: What does God say about us and how should that inform the way we live? and What is true freedom in Christ and how do we live out our identity as the imago Dei? We are talking with Gretchen Saffles today. Gr…

Jackie Hill Perry joins Mary Wiley to discuss the Person and work of the Holy Spirit in today's episode that correlates with Week 4 of the Everyday Theology Bible study. Jackie is the author of Gay Girl, Good God and Jude: Contending for the Faith in Today's Culture. She also is a poet, teacher, and hip-hop artist whose latest album, Crescendo need…

What you believe about Jesus matters. Kristi McLelland joins Mary Wiley to discuss the Person and work of Jesus in today's episode that correlates with Week 3 of the Everyday Theology Bible study. Kristi is a speaker, teacher, and professor at Williamson College. She has a Masters in Christian Education from Dallas Theological Seminary and has dedi…

Kelly Minter joins us to talk about who God is and what He does on the Everyday Theology podcast today. We discuss God's holiness, goodness, wrath, and faithfulness and why it matters in our everyday lives. This series is based on the Everyday Theology Bible study by Mary C Wiley. Available where books are sold.…

By Mary C Wiley

Today’s guest is Emily Jensen, cohost of the Risen Motherhood podcast and coauthor of Risen Motherhood: Gospel Hope for Everyday Moments by Emily Jensen and Laura Wifler. Today we are diving into how to talk about what God asks of us and how to talk about those truths with our kids. Who hasn’t heard a kid talk about what he wants to be when he grow…

Barnabas Piper, author of The Curious Christian, and other books, joins us today to discuss what it looks like to raise kids who are curious about the world, leading them ultimately to worship God for who He is. Why did He create so many different things? Each thing He made can point us to worship. Today's sponsor: bottlesodes.tv Today's featured r…

We've probably all dealt with this question at some point in our Christian lives: "How do I KNOW I am saved?" We want a certificate or a box checked that guarantees we are secure and don't ever have to wonder, but we don't get this in Scripture. We do however, get the Holy Spirit as a down payment of what is to come. We need to know that doubt is o…

All kids need to be reminded that although earthly parents may fail or be absent for one reason or another, God is the perfect parent. Lisa Harper adopted her daughter Missy four years ago, but as a single mom, she's needed to answer some questions that not all kids ask. Missy may not have a "skin" daddy, but she does have a Daddy God, and this is …

Every parent's fear is that their kids will scream something like, "Mom, that kid looks weird." in a public location about a stranger. Dorena Williamson joins us to discuss how to help our kids recognize the image of God in all people, including those who are differently abled from them. Dorena is honest and kind, reminding us to seek out proximity…

Did you know the Bible talks about money more than 2000 times, and Jesus talks about money more than any other subject? We all know that it can be the demise of a person when they love money, and but it also is necessary for us to survive. So how do we raise kids who are generous givers and who use money the way God intends that we do? Art Rainer d…

Jason Duesing joins us to talk about hope in a world of cynicism, and how we can lead our kids to a foundation for a life of hopefulness rather than allowing them to be overwhelmed with the disappointments of this world. The eye is the lamp of the body. We have to be skilled in directing our kids' gaze. It's a proactive thing to direct them to hope…

"Being deeply rooted in Scripture, in Bible study, in a trust of a God who loves you so much is what helped us in this situation to say God has not changed, God has not abandoned me, and why would I turn my back on the one who has taken me this far?" Walking through tragedy is never easy, and it is even more difficult when you must explain and re-e…

It doesn't take long living in the world to realize that bad things happen. And they are really unavoidable. Bad things happen to all people. But why? Is God not in control? Does He care? Bad things happen ultimately because sin has broken the world. God is still in control, although He is not the author of evil or bad things. As we see through Job…

God could make us obey. After all, He's God, but He doesn't. In many ways, He allows us to choose obedience or disobedience, belief or disbelief. Listen in as we answer, "Why doesn't God just make us all obey Him?" And BONUS! Listen after the featured resource break for tips on helping your kid who is afraid of the dark. Featured Resource: It's All…

The concept of having a relationship with Jesus, or Him being our best friend as we so often describe it for kids, is so hard to grasp for concrete thinkers when they know they can't actually see Jesus. How can we help them know that Jesus is a better friend than any person we could know on earth? Emily Jensen from Risen Motherhood joins us to talk…

God cares about animals - He created them and even sustained them through Noah's Ark. Prov 12:10 even says that the righteous care for their animals. But, is my pet in heaven? Well, that's more complicated. Romans 8:18-27 says Jesus came to redeem all creation. The Bible doesn't say exactly what happens to our pets, but we do see that there are ani…

The Lord's Supper is one of those moments in church life that can be difficult to understand for kids. Talking about blood is normally not something we do much unless one of our children is literally bleeding, so to think of Jesus' blood and it's symbolism in the cup that we take is a little weird. Not to mention, SNACK TIME! Bread and juice? Of co…

Katie Orr joins us to talk about understanding God as our perfect Father, even if and especially if a child's earthly father is absent or not the best example of godly love and care. Although this is probably not a question your kids will ask directly, it is an important conversation for you to begin with them to help them understand that when they…

With historical evidence - both inside the Biblical text and outside it - we can certainly confirm that Jesus was a person who lived in a certain time of history from the town of Nazareth. What must be taken on faith is the rest of the story: that He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, took on the wrath of God for sin on the cross, died, wa…

Danielle Bell has been serving in children's ministry for 21 years, and is currently at Dawson Family of Faith in Birmingham, Alabama. She recently adopted an adorable little girl from the foster system, and is passionate about helping people serve kids and families within the foster system well. In this episode, we talk about why foster care matte…

Jamie Ivey and her husband, Aaron, worship pastor at The Austin Stone Community Church, live in Austin, Texas with their four kids and two dogs. Through her podcast, The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey, she uses a raw a nd intimate approach to connect with her audience. Jamie’s prayer and hope is for God to use her words to encourage and show others tha…

Today's guest is Jana Magruder. Jana is the Director of LifeWay Kids and brings a wealth of experience and passion for kids ministry, education, and curriculum writing. She and her husband, Michael, along with their three children reside in Nashville, TN. Why do we pray? If God really is in control and is all-knowing, shouldn't He know what we need…

Dorena Williamson is a bridge buider, speaker, writer, and worship leader who knows the power and beauty of racial awareness. She and her husband, Dr. Chris Williamson, planted Strong Tower Bible Church in Nashville, Tennessee, and have spent more than twenty years ministering to its richly diverse faith community. Dorena and Chris have four childr…

Prayer is the most important weapon we have against the enemy, and the Bible even says that Jesus intercedes for us while He sits at the right hand of the Father. Yet, there are often questions about the nature of prayer. Because it's a conversation with a God who we cannot see who knows all things and is entirely in control it seems like it may be…

Why would God, if He knew Adam and Eve would sin, put a tree in the garden that would sentence them to death if they ate from it? We know God is sovereign, and there also is need for humanity to obey. A love without choice is not love at all, so God gave us the opportunity to obey out of love. And yet, Jesus was not God's plan B. Even as consequenc…

It can be easier to help kids understand how Jesus is the same us - how He was born, was a child, and had all the experiences we have, but it's much more difficult to help kids understand how He is different - that He is God and He is sitting at the right hand of the Father today interceding for us. In this episode, we talk about how we should spea…

Trillia Newbell is the author of Enjoy, Fear and Faith, United, and God’s Very Good Idea. She's been published in Desiring God, The Gospel Coalition, and more. Trillia is married to Thern and they reside with their two children near Nashville, TN. You can find her at trillianewbell.com and follow her on twitter at @trillianewbell. Today, she joins …

The work of translation cannot be emphasized enough. We want God's Word to be carried to every tribe and tongue so that they may read His Word for themselves in the language that they speak and even think in so that the Word of the Lord may dwell richly within them and also so that they might understand the gospel. We are so blessed to have so many…

Sometimes God asks us to do things that are uncomfortable or challenging. We see it throughout Scripture, but we don't want it to be true of us. And, even when we step out in faith and do the hard things God has called us to do, it doesn't always work out like we hope. But, God is always in control and obedience s always what is most satisfying and…

If you are listening on April 4th, make sure to check out the #MLK50 live stream here: https://live1.thegospelcoalition.org This event is put on by the ERLC, which Dan Darling works with, and I am so thankful they have made this event on racial reconciliation available for all of us online. Today's episode covers some topics that some find controve…

Today, we're not talking about a specific question kids are asking, but rather how we can help kids build a framework for the whole story of Scripture. We'll talk about explaining creation, the fall, redemption, and restoration as a good foundation to build upon as they learn the stories in Scripture and realize that it all points to Jesus' sacrifi…

Good Friday was a traumatic day - full of difficulty, pain, and shame for Jesus. Good Friday was the day that He carried His cross up to Golgatha and was crucified. Jesus was completely innocent of sin, but took on God's wrath on the cross so that we might be able to have a right relationship with God. Through His death, He paid for our sin with Hi…

As we read the Old Testament and all the times God promised to send a Messiah, Jesus' entrance into the world can seem like it took FOREVER. We read from Adam and Eve to Noah to David and on into the minor prophets, and God's people were yearning all along for a Savior, waiting on His arrival. Then, between the books of Malachi and Matthew were 400…

We talk a lot about what's different from before we were Christians to deciding to follow Jesus, but that doesn't mean it's super easy to talk about with our kids. That's no different for Jamie. Of course, we know that there's no weighting of sin in the Lord's eyes and that even one of the "tiniest" sins is deserving of death (Romans 6:23), there a…

It shows the sin in the world and how sin has broken certain people, and that brokenness twists their minds and hearts that they feel they need to lash out. I hope that this helps my kids understand the profoundness of human need - that sin is constant and everywhere and our need for a Savior is obvious in all aspects of life and in every day. As C…

The quick answer is "God's glory," but it has far-reaching implications. Our lives are not for our own enjoyment or our own pleasure, but for Him. Why would God create a world He knew would rebel against Him? We have to let some tension hang here, as we don't know all the ins and outs of the mind of God, but we know God created us knowing we would …

Trillia Newbell is the author of Enjoy, Fear and Faith, United, and God’s Very Good Idea. She's been published in Desiring God, The Gospel Coalition, and more. Trillia is married to Thern and they reside with their two children near Nashville, TN. You can find her at trillianewbell.com and follow her on twitter at @trillianewbell. Sometimes, we mig…

Lisa is the author of 6 books, speaker, founder of Ministry Strong and the 5 Word Prayers Daily Podcast. She has also been a wife for 22 years and is the mother of 3. Today, we talk about if God cares when we feel lonely, afraid, and unhappy. Does God want these things for His children? Absolutely not, but because of the world's brokenness through …

Brandon Smith discusses heaven, hell, and the new heaven and earth that will be ushered in when Jesus returns in today's episode. He talks with us about how to discuss eternity and these concepts with young kids, we talk about judgment houses and their versions of heaven and hell, (Anyone go to one of these in the early 2000s? Do churches still do …

Rachel C Swanson is the author of the Big and Little Coloring Devotional and is a mom of three. She joins us today to help us understand what sin is and how to raise kids who confess sin and ask forgiveness quickly. I love how this conversation so simply leads into a conversation about the Gospel and our need for rescue from sin that can only be do…

Why are there children who go to bed at night hungry? Why do earthquakes or tornados destroy entire towns? Micah Fries is here to answer our tough question today of "Why do bad things happen?" Listen in as we talk about how sin has invaded every piece of life on earth, how we shouldn't sanitize Bible stories, and how we can parent kids who love God…

Dan Darling is the Vice President for Communications for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention (ERLC), and is the author of multiple books including, The Original Jesus. He writes regularly for Christianity Today’s CT Pastors, Relevant Magazine, The Gospel Coalition, For the Church, and others. He holds a ba…

Aaron is the Brand Manager of The Gospel Project and writes at Blogging Theologically. In this episode, we talk about the need to discuss Bible stories without avoiding hard things with age appropriateness, God calling Aaron's family to move to the US from Canada, and how we just never know what is going to come out of our kids' mouths. We talk abo…

Brittany Salmon (Masters in Intercultural Studies and pursing a PhD at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) joins me to talk about the Holy Spirit and shares a ton of encouragement for those moments when you totally botch a conversation with your kids and when you are busy and struggle with balancing all the plates that you have spinning. Rea…

Brian Dembowcyzk (Managing Editor of The Gospel Project and dad of three) answers this question often with his kids. His daughter, Hannah has a limb difference and a prosthetic, so she deals with feeling different or being told she is different often. Brian wisely leads us to remember that God does have a perfect version of the human body, as seen …

Don’t think, “Oh it would never be my child that struggles with this.” If they come home from college or from some class with new questions and new ideas, don’t panic. Helping kids understand the need to own their own faith and remind them of God's love for them seen in Him sending Jesus to pay for our sin. Read more show notes at http://www.marycw…