The Greta Eskridge Podcast

What a joy it is to finally share some bits of my newest book with you! I am so excited that in just 6 weeks you’ll be able to begin using it to help your families. While this is the book I never wanted to write, I am glad that God gave me the strength and courage to do so. Even more, I am glad that so many of you will have the tools to protect your kids from danger and damage of pornography. I know this book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn: a Parent’s Handbook to Helping Children and Teens Develop Sexual Integrity, will be a great help to many. I am celebrating that!  So in advance of the book coming out, and in hopes to help you see all the ways it will be helpful to every parent, teacher, youth worker, aunt, uncle, and anyone who cares about kids, I am answering questions you asked about the book.   I am also asking you to help me spread the news about the book by sharing my Instagram post about it, sharing this podcast episode, and by pre-ordering the book if you haven’t already. Your support will get this book into so many more hands! If you’d like to pre-order the book, below you’ll find all the places to do so. Thank you for all your help and support. You can’t know what it means to me, and far more to the many kids and families whose lives will be touched because of you.  Where to pre-order my new book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Christian Book.com  (currently on sale!) Baker Book House  (currently on sale!) Thrift Books   The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Today’s guest is my internet friend, Elizabeth Parsons. I found Elizabeth a few years ago when I ordered some of her elderberry syrup kits and over the years, I’ve learned so much from her. She is a former pediatric RN, a home-schooling mom to 6 and she runs her own holistic living business. Elizabeth helped me learn to pursue natural healing remedies for my family, starting with her elderberry syrup. Her Instagram page is full of truly helpful tips from what to do when your child has a wart, to how to help your child with an ear infection or a burn and so much more. I have learned so much from her in an area of my life and motherhood where I really wanted to grow. In this episode Elizabeth and I talk about how she moved from the traditional medical field to a more wholistic, natural led mindset, when there is a place for each. We also talk about her surprise twins born at home, yes really! We cover home schooling, making simple choices to start whole health living and so much more! I loved our conversation, and I know you will too. Please be sure to follow Elizabeth so you can start learning from her too.  Where to find Elizabeth: On her website here On Instagram here  Resources mentioned in this episode: Find Elisabeth’s elderberry syrup here See the “Swaps Highlight” in Elizabeth’s Instagram highlights here Find more information on Bible Study Fellowship here  The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Hello friends and happy new year! This is the first episode of 2025 and it is a wonderful one. Before we get to it though, I want to be sure to remind you to pre-order my upcoming book, It's Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn: A Parent's Guide to Helping Children and Teens Develop Sexual Integrity. You can place your pre-order here . When you pre-order, you won’t pay until the book is sent to you,, you’ll get the lowest price on the book, and best of all, you’ll be helping get this book and it’s vitally important message out into the world! Pre-orders really can do that. The book will release on March 4th, so please get those preorders in today!| Now about today’s episode. I loved talking with my friend, Sue Lee, or Madame Lee, as her French students call her. Sue is a real life friend of mine, a home schooling mom to 3 and a home school French teacher to students all over the US. She is wise and funny, smart and cultured, motivational and kind. She’s just great! Sue shares her story of learning 4 languages, and ultimately landing on French as her absolute favorite. She also shares why she believes it is so important for everyone to learn a new language and how doing so opens up worlds of culture, art, food and culture. You will come away from this episode inspired to learn French alongside your kids with Sue’s new course, French Feast with Madame Lee. I know you’ll love this episode! Find all the info about Sue and her courses below.  Where to find Madame Lee: On her website here On Instagram here  Resources mentioned in this episode: Find French Feast here Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry here The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Hello friends and Happy New Year! Or happy New Years Eve, depending on when you listen to this. Whenever it is, I am so glad you are here. Thank you for being a part of my community in 2024 and I pray you continue in 2025. For this last episode of the year I decided to do a Q & A. It was a lot of fun! And I promise that if I didn’t get to your question this time, I will in the future since I am going to be adding these to my podcast line up every month or so. Thank you for sending in such great questions. You make my job easy! And this is your last reminder of 2024 to you to grab your copy of my upcoming book, It's Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn: a Parent’s Guide to Helping Children and Teens Develop Sexual Integrity. If you pre-order now you’ll get it as soon as it releases, won’t get charged until the book ships, and your orders get the book out into more book stores and retailers. It truly helps more people see this book and get the message they need so much! Pre order info below! I am already looking forward to all that 2025 holds and I can’t wait to share it with you. God bless you!  Resources mentioned in this episode: Pre-order your copy of It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Merry Christmas all! Whether you are up late wrapping presents, up early making breakfast, or on a long drive to visit family and friends, I am glad to spend a little bit of Christmas with you. In this episode I am so excited to share one of our family’s favorite Christmas stories with you. It is a true story from WWI, and happened on Christmas eve and Christmas day in 1914. There are numerous places where you can read about the real life event. There are even pictures, taken by soldiers who were there experiencing it. This is a heartwarming tale and I hope it fills your heart with hope. And that it will remind you that even in the darkest times, the light still shines!  God bless you all.  Resources mentioned in this episode: Get your copy of Shooting at the Stars here Read more about the Christmas truce of 1914 here See pictures and watch a video about the Christmas truce of 1914 here See James and Lilly’s original coloring sheets here 

In this episode I got to talk with the wonderful Lyndsey Mimnagh of Treehouse Schoolhouse. Lyndsey and I talk for a bit about home schooling and then we get to the heart of the episode, celebrating Christmas with our families in meaningful and intentional ways. This episode is full of inspiration and ideas, but also there is a lot of grace for the mom who might feel overwhelmed by Christmas when she’s in a tough season. Lindsey offers fun and creative ideas, but she’s also great at providing simple and practical ways for any family to have fun at Christmas. There are so many ideas for Christmas this year and next. I came away inspired and I bet you will too.  Where to find Lyndsey: Find Lyndsey on her website here Find Lyndsey on Instagram here Find Lyndsey on You tube here  Resources mentioned in this episode: Get 15% off all products from the Treehouse Schoolhouse shop here  *Use the code GRETAESKRIDGE15 Find Greta’s cinnamon roll recipe here Find The Legend of the Candy Cane book here Find An Orange for Frankie book here Find The Christmas Miracle of Jonathon Toomey here Find the “Favorite Things” party details here Find the “If You’re Sad at Christmas” post here  Some of my favorite quotes from this episode: “We need to see something pretty that helps us strive toward something and at the same time we need to know how to do it. I want to be a place that provides both.” Lyndsey Mimnagh “We can see who God has designed our children to be when they play.” Lyndsey Mimnagh “School doesn’t have to be in a classroom. School doesn’t even need to be in a home. School can be outside!” Lyndsey Mimnagh “If you missed the start date of advent, you can start on whatever day of December you’re on! This is the freedom we need as we celebrate Christmas.” Greta Eskridge “Wherever you are at this moment in December, it’s OK to say, I am going to put some of these ideas into practice this week. It’s not too late!” Greta Eskridge  “If you are in a season where it feels heavy and hard, and you have circumstances that don’t lend themselves to doing all the Christmas things, that is OK. But also, if you are in a season where you can, or you are a person who finds doing all the crafts and Christmas activities life giving, that is OK too. We can be in both places at different times.” Greta Eskridge “What kids want and need is a calm and peaceful mom.” Lyndsey Mimnagh “Even if I want to be the Pinterest Christmas mom, if that comes at the expense of my peace, then it is not worth it for me.” Lyndsey Mimnagh “You have the freedom to do as much or as little as you can mange this Christmas because the focus of Christmas is Jesus and that is what we want to bring our kids back to over and over again.” Greta Eskridge  The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org   

Don’t forget to pre-order my new book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn: A Parent’s Guide to Helping Children and Teens Develop Sexual Integrity. This is the book you need to give you all the tips and tools for keeping your kids safe from the danger and damage pornography can cause. And most importantly, this book will help you feel confident and comfortable having some of the most challenging conversations with your kids. Pre-order it today, right here! What a perfect time to talk to my friend Alyssa Bethke about her new book, When Doing it All is Undoing You: Meeting God in Your Unmet Expectations. The Christmas season feels so full of to-do lists and activities and many, many expectations that are impossible for us to meet and that leaves us feeling like we’re letting down others and often feel let down ourselves. Alyssa shares her own journey of coming to a place of being undone and what it looked like to draw near to Jesus and His care for her when she began to tend her heart. We also talk about the importance of travel, having novelty and wonder in our lives, and peeing in the woods! So take a deep breath and settle in to be encouraged by this episode. I know you’ll come away from this episode feeling refreshed.  Where to find Alyssa: Find her and her husband Jeff’s website here Find Alyssa on Instagram here Find Alyssa’s book here  Resources mentioned in this episode: Matt 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Ann Voskcamp’s gratitude journal here  Some of my favorite quotes from this episode: “When I go for my walks, I try to notice one thing that is different or new. It helps me be less distracted and more present, to put away my phone and to ask myself what do I see and what do I feel?” Alyssa Bethke “Being an observant person, a curious person, a person who finds joy in your every day are powerful and important things to make a part of our everyday life.” Greta Eskridge “I felt like it was my responsibility to make sure everyone around me was OK.” Alyssa Bethke “I think you need a season of caring for your heart.” Alyssa Bethke “The goal of life is not to be free of pain but to be more and more intimate with the Lord, and letting Him see us through the pain rather than keep us from the pain.” Alyssa Bethke “It’s OK to come undone and come to the end of ourselves because that is where God does His best work in our lives.” Alyssa Bethke “I wanted to live in my ideal life not my reality, but when we are honest with God He will meet us in our reality.” Alyssa Bethke “God always meets us with such grace and kindness. It’s His kindness that leads us to repentance.” Alyssa Bethke “We have to ask ourselves, ‘who or what are we doing all this for? What is my legacy? What do I want to leave behind?’” Greta Eskridge “Every day I go for a 30 minute walk, without my phone, and I’m going to talk to God. And I ask myself, ‘where have I felt God’s presence and where have I not felt God’s presence’? This was such a time for me to tend to my heart and commune with Jesus.” Alyssa Bethke “The world is telling you all these things you need to be and do and that is going to leave you disappointed. But instead, by tending your heart and going to Jesus you’re going to find the antidote to that anxiety and stress and disappointment.” Greta Eskridge “There is always wonder to behold so go on a wonder hunt!” Alyssa Bethke The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Where to Find Corrie: Find her website here  Resources mentioned in this episode: Find Corrie Ten Boom’s book, The Hiding Place here Find out about visiting Corrie’s grave here Read about when Davy and I visited Corrie Ten Boom’s grave here Find the graphic novel Corrie ten Boom’ story here Find Good Book Mom’s reviews and book lists here Find the Christmas Mice book here Find the Promises Made, Promises Kept book here Find the Manger in Danger book here Find the A Wonderous Mystery book here Find the Little Pilgrims Progress book here Find the Little Christmas Carol book here Find The Best News of All book here Find the Shooting Stars book here 

Happy Thanksgiving my friends! I am delighted to share a Thanksgiving tradition I’ve had for the past 6 years with you today. Every year the day or 2 before Thanksgiving I share a post I wrote years ago detailing a Thanksgiving misadventure I had with my kiddos that involved an overturned Trader Joe’s grocery cart and myself and two of my kids sitting in the middle of the grocery aisle crying. It was rough. And it felt so symbolic of the weary season of motherhood I was in at the time. I wrote the piece to remember that moment, but even more to remember that weariness. I don’t ever want to be smug towards a mom of littles who is stretched so thin and just needs to be seen and heard. So this essay is for you if you are in that season now, or if you need to remember it. I am with you in both those places. I hope you enjoy hearing me read it! And if you’d like to read it yourself, you’ll find it right here. Thanks for listening and sharing! The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

I truly loved this conversation with my long time internet friend, Elizabeth Ensor. Elizabeth is so inspiring to me. She is intentional in her role as a wife, mother, home educator, a creative and as a woman. She wants to make the most and the best with what she has, and she is doing it! In this episode Elizabeth shares with us about the guide she created to glean wisdom from mothers farther along the path than we are. After Elizabeth’s mom passed away, Elizabeth missed being able to talk to her mom with questions and really she had a yearning for godly wisdom from seasoned mothers. So she made what she was looking for! Learn all about this resource she made. She tells us more in today’s episode.  Where to find Elizabeth: Find her website here Find her Seasoned Moms guide here Find her on Instagram here  Resources mentioned in this episode: Find the Seasoned Moms Interview Guide here  Some favorite quotes from this episode: “My mom was always right there and very intentional about what we did.” Elizabeth Ensor “Her approach to motherhood and life has inspired me and every good part of me is from her!” Elizabeth Ensor “There is this idea in the business world, this 3 percent rule that if you invest back into yourself, you set money aside, then you are going to grow as a person and a leader. So even as a mom and home educator, we may not be bringing in a lot, but our emotional health and wisdom runs the home.” Elizabeth Ensor “Every seasoned mom just tells me to enjoy it. Enjoy your kids.” Elizabeth Ensor “Wisdom is mentioned in the Bible over 200 times and we are commanded to seek it.” Elizabeth Ensor “We need to have the humility to say, ‘I don’t have this all figured out and I need some help and wisdom from someone farther along than me and someone whose children I admire. Those are the people I want to learn from.” Greta Eskridge “The investment you make, not just in your children but in yourself as a mom, to raise your children well is valuable.” Greta Eskridge  “Whatever season I am in, I want to fully enjoy it.” Greta Eskridge  “We need to be heard in the moments when it’s hard and then we need to be reminded to really celebrate, even when it’s hard, because the seasons don’t last forever.” Greta Eskridge  

I am thrilled to introduce today’s guest to you. Barrett Johnson is the founder of a ministry called Imperfect Normal Families Only. Barrett is just like the title of his ministry, so real and so approachable. I loved talking with him. In this episode we talk about Barrett’s newest book, Disciple Them Like Jesus: Leading Your Kids the Way Christ Led the Twelve. We discussed what discipleship is and how we can disciple our kids. As a dad to 5 and grandparent to 8, Barrett is full of practical and Godly wisdom for raising our kids to know and love Jesus better. I found his book and our conversation so helpful. Please be sure to listen to the end of this episode as Barrett shares a current battle he’s facing and yet manages to encourage mightily. I’d be so grateful if you’d join me in praying for him.  Resources: His website here His Instagram here His book here His courses here My new book here  “We’re all imperfect, normal families and we serve a God who loves us that way!” Barrett Johnson “The Bible is full of principles, guidelines, directives and stories about what is important to God. And that is training people up to know who Jesus is and join Him on His big agenda to redeem humanity. The Great Commission says to ‘go and make disciples’.” Barret Johnson “If making disciples is important to God, why wouldn’t we be doing that in our homes?” Barrett Johnson “Discipleship fundamentally is learning to walk in the ways of Jesus and join Him in His plan. Live out Ephesians 5:1. Be imitators of God.” Barrett Johnson “Since our kids imitate us, we need to imitate God.” Greta Eskridge “When we walk with God, He helps us discern and see what is really going on in the heart of our child. Not just their behavior, but what is happening in their heart.” Barrett Johnson “We need to model to our kids how to pursue relationship with Christ.” Greta Eskridge “When your kid comes to you and confesses something you can say to him, ‘we’re going to run together to the arms of God’.” Barrett Johnson “Deeply connected relationships with our kids do not happen automatically or accidentally.” Greta Eskridge “I am finding joy and wonder in lots of little things that I would have neglected before my current circumstance. I am saying, ‘God, show me the good things in this day that you’ve given me.” Barrett Johnson   The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

*Don’t forget to pre-order my new book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn: A Parent’s Guide to Helping Children and Teens Develop Sexual Integrity. You can get your copy here! And would you consider leaving this podcast a rating and writing a quick little review? A sentence or two would be so great and helpful. You can leave one here. Both of these things would be so helpful to me in spreading the word about my mission to help families create connection in a disconnected world. Join me!  Today I am so excited to welcome homeschool grad and young author, the wonderful Millie Florence! This was my first time meeting Millie, but we share some friends and life experiences, so it felt like we were old friends right away. Millie has multiple middle grade novels out in the world, and her newest novel, Beyond Mulberry Glen comes out in January of 2025. I loved talking to Millie about this new book, about home schooling, about creativity, writing, publishing and more! I know you’ll love this conversation too. Enjoy!  Where to find Millie: Her website here Her newest book here Her Instagram here  Resources mentioned in this episode: Pre-order goodies here Brave Writer (a home school writing program) here Honey Butter (Millie’s first book) here Ingram Spark (self-publishing book distributor) here Waxwing Books (Millie’s publisher) here   Some favorite quotes from this episode: “Home school is customizable.” Millie Florence “My mom wanted our home school to be directed by the things we delighted in.” Millie Florence “There was never a time in my life when I didn’t want to be a writer.” Millie Florence “You’re never going to be ready. You just have to do it.” Sarah Mackensie “Look at what you have and use that to the best of your ability.” Millie Florence 

I am delighted to introduce you to today’s guest, my friend Alicia Hutchinson. Alicia and I have been online friends for a long time, and I have enjoyed learning from and have been inspired by her through those years. Alicia is a home schooling mom of 4, the founder of the Learning Well Community and the Learning Well Journal. She is not afraid to go deep and in fact, she’d much rather go deep than waste time with small talk. As a result, we dive deep right away in this podcast episode where we talk about a lot of things, but especially focus on home schooling in the high school years. I know you will enjoy this episode! Where to find Alicia: On her website here In her home school journal here On Instagram here and here Resources mentioned in this episode: Some favorite quotes from this episode: “Hard things are not bad things, and sometimes they’re the best things!” Alicia Hutchinson “The growth that happens from 14-18 is phenomenal and I would not miss that for the world.” Alicia Hutchinson “High school is like the frosting on the cake!” Alicia Hutchinson “There is a fear that comes with keeping kids home in high school but we don’t have to give into that.” Greta Eskridge “I can’t teach my kids physics, but I bet I can find someone who can!” Greta Eskridge “Everything you say yes to, you are saying no to something else.” Alicia Hutchinson

Don’t forget to pre-order my new book!  Get your copy of It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn—A Parent’s Guide to Helping Children and Teens Develop Sexual Integrity clicking on the title of the book.  Today’s episode is extra fun because it is my first episode with a guest from outside the Untied States. Meet Dave Boden, my friend from England! Dave is also the husband of one of my dear friends, Leah Boden, who is also known as Modern Miss Mason. Dave and I thought it was great fun that he was a guest on my show before Leah was. We sure had a great time together in this episode. I especially loved talking to Dave about his heart for reaching the next generation for Christ. Whether you have teens in your life or will one day, this episode will remind you that teenagers and young adults are craving meaning and purpose in their lives and we can help them find that through Jesus. I know you’ll love this conversation.   Where to find Dave: On Substack here His website here On Instagram here His book Like or Follow here His book Parallel Faith here  Resources mentioned in this episode: Get a discount on bulk orders of Dave’s book Like or Follow from 10 of Those here  Some favorite quotes from this episode: “The heart of my family is all about the next generation. That is what we’re passionate about. We’re captivated by reaching the next generation.” Dave Boden “If we’re open to teens and we don’t think the worst of them, we’ll see they’re such incredible people. At that time of life, they’re so excited about the world and they have ideas and questions and they want to learn.” Greta Eskridge “Discover how Jesus can reframe your world with hope and purpose.” Dave Boden “A part of our call as Christians is to leave our Christian bubble, bridge the gap and go where people are.” Dave Boden “There are three questions every person has: who am I, what am I here for and where do I belong? Young people are asking these questions and searching for the answers.” Dave Boden “Jesus is a real person who answers the real questions in our lives, but the places young people are searching won’t necessarily lead them to this answer.” Dave Boden “Your kid might be pretty good at attending church. But the goal of Christianity is not to church people. The goal of Christianity is to help people become like Jesus.” Dave Boden “So for me the end result is how Christ like are my children becoming? And how can our children become Christ like if they don’t know Christ?” Dave Boden “Young people are looking for adventure. They’re looking for a sense of purpose. They are looking to right wrongs. And they’re longing for hope.” Dave Boden “Teen don’t want to just be told about their faith. They want to go out and do it!” Dave Boden “We’re meant to be inspired by Jesus and then go out and do inspiring things with Jesus! That message is incredible for teenagers! It helps them know they’re called to a great destiny.” Dave Boden “Let’s rebel against low expectations! Jesus has incredible expectations for all His disciples.” Dave Boden “Parents are so scared of the teen years. And I just tell them that it is an amazing time! Just like they were incredible humans when they were babies and toddlers and preschoolers, they’re incredible humans when they’re teenagers!” Greta Eskridge  “We should say to teens, “look at all you can do as a young person of faith!” Greta Eskridge  “As parents we need to support our kids as they make their faith their own. And a lot of times that looks like saying, “yes, you can have your friends over to sit around and talk about God. I’ll make snacks.” Greta Eskridge  The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

This is your reminder to pre-order my new book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn: a Parent’s Guide to Helping Children and Teens Develop Sexual Integrity, today!  I have been asked to write this book for years and now, I have! Your pre-orders are tremendously helpful in growing the reach this book will have. I need your help in getting this book into as many hands as I possibly can, so pre-order and share away! You can pre order It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here  In today’s episode, I get to talk with my friend Amber Johnston. Amber is a wife, a home-schooling mom to 4, a world traveler, author and speaker. She is also a world changer! One of the things that has most impressed me about Amber in my years of knowing her is the way she sees something that needs to be done and she does it. This is the way she changes the world. It is inspiring and hopeful. We talk about this and so much more in this episode. You are sure to enjoy it.  Where to find Amber: Find Amber’s website here Find Amber’s first book, A Place to Belong, here Find Amber’s second book, Soul School, here Find Amber on Instagram here  Where to find the books mentioned in today’s episode: Find Soul School here Find The Read Aloud Family here Find Honey for a Child’s Heart here Find Honey for a Woman’s Heart here Find Honey for a Teen’s Heart here Find Book Girl here Find Read for the Heart here  Some favorite quotes from today’s episode: “The freedom of home schooling is one of, if not the best parts of home schooling. Even as a kid, I recognized the beauty of the freedom of home schooling.” Greta Eskridge  “My husband originally suggested home school and I burst out laughing. It was literally the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard. Then I joined a home-schooling group and that changed everything for me becau was in constant community.” Amber Johnston “Those moms gently and consistently told me I was the best. They spoke truth into me and built me up and that made all the difference.” Amber Johnston “My kids were always visitors to someone else’s stories and that was something we had to radically change.” Amber Johnston “You know your kids and you know what makes their learning come alive. That’s a beautiful part of home schooling.” Greta Eskridge “If there is a book you want to read but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” Toni Morrison “Don’t complain. Don’t talk about it. Be about it!” Amber Johnston “I am really proud to have that work not just for home school moms but into perpetuity and into society and to be able to say there was a point in time when these authors and illustrators were given their flowers and really focused on.” Amber Johnston  The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Reminder to pre-order my new book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn: a Parent’s Guide to Helping Children and Teens Develop Sexual Integrity, right now and it will arrive at your door step March 4, 2025! You all have been asking for this book for years and I have been praying I could write it for years and now, I have. Please go ahead and pre-order it now as that is tremendously helpful in the reach this book will have. And then share the heck out of it, OK? I’ll need your help in getting this book into as many hands as I possibly can. You can pre order It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here  Today’s episode is part 2 of my conversation with Anna and Nathan Sutherland. Today I get to speak with Nathan and our conversation it going to enlighten and inspire you! Nathan and his wife Anna are the founders of Gospel Tech, an organization that exists to equip families to use tech in a God honoring way in a tech saturated world. Rather than painting all tech as bad, Anna and Nathan want to help families talk about tech, communicate the gospel and connect the hope in the gospel to the use of tech. It is a beautiful mission and they are doing it so well!  In an effort to get more of this message into the hands of more people, Nathan wrote the book, Gospel-Centered Tech: Raising Faithful Followers of Christ in a Digitally Distracted World. This book will enlighten and inspire you to push forward in using tch in the best way possible with your family—a way that honors God. Yes, you can honor God with your tech use! Nathan’s book and our conversation is honest and helpful and it is also hopeful. That is such an important element whenever we talk about tech use and screen time. It is not all doom and gloom! I know you are going to love this episode like I did.  Where to find Nathan: Find Nathan’s book here Learn more about Gospel Tech here Follow Gospel Tech on Instagram here  Some favorite quotes from today’s episode: “There are two kinds of tech: tool tech and drool tech. Tech that helps us build is on the tool side and tech that helps us consume is on the drool side.” Nathan Sutherland “Drool tch comes to the table with it’s own goals. It wants to take our time and our focus and our money. And until we understand that, we’re going to wonder why we keep fighting with our family. We’re never going to understand why it’s always Fortnite and never Microsoft Word.” Nathan Sutherland “We aren’t perfect in our tech use. But the goal isn’t to be perfect. The goal is to be humble enough to recognize we need a savior and that applies to our tech too.” Anna Sutherland “We need to know understanding what operant conditioning is so that we can have compassion for our kid when they’re stuck in the loop of social media or a video game.” Greta Eskridge “Technology isn’t fair. It’s designed to increase engagement and build habits. That is not an accident. They’re using a mind bending amount of data to give you things you didn’t even know you wanted. And to make you think you need things that you never wanted.” Nathan Sutherland “The definition of addiction is when you give up what you need to get what you want.” Nathan Sutherland “When we understand how tech works it gives us the opportunity to come to our kids with compassion and grace and understanding rather than the frustration we often resort to.” Greta Eskridge “Dumb phones are great!” Greta Eskridge  “Porn is bombastic now. I don’t know if the porn I saw in 7th grade even counts as porn anymore. I’m not 100% sure that we adults understand what kids are experiencing from their pocket device or their friend showed them on the bus.” Nathan Sutherland “It’s not about porn proofing. It’s about equipping them to make the best choices. It’s about not being afraid to bring it up with them. It’s about not being afraid to answer their questions. These are all things we can do to help our kids be resilient in this world that is saturated with porn.” Greta Eskridge  

I shared some big news at the start of this episode: my new book is available for pre-order! That’s right, you can go pre-order my next book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn: a Parent’s Guide to Helping Children and Teens Develop Sexual Integrity, right now and it will arrive at your door step March 4, 2025! I am just overjoyed to be sharing this book with parents and giving them the tools they need to talk to their kids about a subject that can feel daunting, uncomfortable, scary, painful or just too difficult. Or maybe a mix of all of those things. I am here to help! You all have been asking for this book for years and I have been praying I could write it for years and now, I have. Please go ahead and pre-order it now as that is tremendously helpful in the reach this book will have. And then share the heck out of it, OK? I’ll need your help in getting this book into as many homes as I possible can.  Pre Order It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here  And now, for the rest of today’s episode:  I get to speak with Anna Sutherland and our conversation it going to inspire and excite you! Anna and her husband Nathan are the founders of Gospel Tech, an organization that exists to equip families to use tech in a God honoring way in a tech saturated world. Rather than painting all tech as bad, Anna and Nathan want to help families talk about tech, communicate the gospel and connect the hope in the gospel to the use of tech. It is a beautiful mission and they are doing it so well!  In alignment with that mission, Anna just wrote a book called The Graceful Disconnect:  25 Days to a Quieter Heart in a Tech Saturated World. In this episode I get to talk with Anna and Nathan, but really focus on Anna’s book. Next week you’ll get to hear from Nathan and his book! Anna’s book is a challenge, but it is a doable challenge. And an inspiring one that most of us, if we’re honest, need to take part in. I can’t wait for you to learn more as you listen.  Where to find Anna: Find Anna’s book here Learn more about Gospel Tech here Follow Gospel Tech on Instagram here  Some favorite quotes from today’s episode: *“Moms, this is why I am writing to you. As much as we’d like to turn a blind eye to that screen time number that pops up (our own and our children’s) we simply cannot. We are fools if we think the conditions of our hearts aren’t impacted by what we digitally consume.” Anna Sutherland *“Most conversations take at least seven minutes to really begin.” Sherry Turkle *“The car is a space where we default to isolation. What if, instead, it became a place for conversation and connection?” Anna Sutherland *“You can speak a common language because you share the time in the car instead of everyone doing their own thing.” Greta Eskridge  *“Even as a kid, I recognized there was a break in connection when people put their headphones on.” Greta Eskridge *“We’re playing the long game as parents. We want these kids to launch and to be successful adults. Our job is teach them how to do that. Life is a parenting opportunity.” Anna Sutherland *“Tech is the easy default because we don’t have to deal with our kids. But easy is not the goal.” Anna Sutherland *“My grandma was a stay-at-home mom and her ministry was cookies. That’s attainable. I can make cookies! And she prayed for us every day and it’s incredible to have that kind of prayer covering. She made a difference for the kingdom.” Anna Sutherland  Don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast. And I’d be so very grateful if you leave a 5 star rating and a short review of the podcast. Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. Thank you for listening and being part of my team.  I love you guys! Greta  

What a fun and important episode this is. A few weeks ago I shared a photo on Instagram introducing our son William and his new girlfriend, Georgia. The response was full of joy and excitement for William and Georgia but also for our whole family, as this was something to celebrate. There were also a lot of questions from my Instagram followers. They wanted to know details like: how old are our kids when we let them start dating, how do set up healthy boundaries with dating, how did I feel about “losing my sons” (spoiler alert—I’m not losing them!) and so many more questions. So I decided to turn it all into a podcast episode and here we are! I can’t wait for you to listen and to get a glimpse at the beautiful and good way God can uses dating in our kids’ lives to bring them toward Him and toward pursing relationships that are honoring to Him and to one another.  The two books mentioned in this episode can be found here: Chasing Love: Sex, Love and Relationships in a Confused Culture by Sean McDowell Outdated: Find Love That Lasts When Dating Has Changed by Jonathan “JP” Pokluda  If you enjoy this episode, will you please consider sharing it on your socials? Or text it to a friend? Sharing my podcast is so helpful and I deeply appreciate it! And I also always appreciate podcast reviews. Have you left one on iTunes yet? I’d be wildly grateful if you leave one today. Thanks, team! Love, Greta 

This episode is a really special one. I am delighted to introduce you to today’s guest, John Fort. John is the director of Be Broken Ministries, which exists to help individuals and families move from sexual brokenness to wholeness in Christ.  John is also the author of several books, including Honest Talk—a New Perspective on Talking to Your Kids About Sex, which we talk about today. John vulnerably and courageously shares his story of sexual and pornography addiction and how God has redeemed his story to give him a purpose driven by hope and healing.  I loved talking with John!  He is full of wisdom, reassurance and, there’s that word again, hope. He encourages parents to be honest with their kids about their own sexual past and then shows us how to do it. I read his book cover to cover in a few days and I can’t encourage you enough to get your own copy. But start by listening to this episode and getting to know John better. You’ll be so glad you did!  Find John here: Be Broken Ministries Find John’s books here: Honest Talk—a new perspective on talking to your kids about sex Father-Son Accountability : Integrity Through Relationship  Some favorite quotes from today’s episode: *”I was a little afraid to get into this work but God kept shutting all the other doors. It was like He said, “I didn’t bring you out of this for nothing.” John Fort *”There is so much freedom in honesty.” Greta Eskridge  *”Look at what God did! He did it for me and He can do it for you.” Greta Eskridge *”If parents would be brave enough to tell their own story then their kids would be able to say, ‘oh you do understand!’ and then they could talk.” John Fort *”He realized at that moment that he was not too broken to be loved by his parents or by God. For the first time he felt a surge of hope that he had someone to talk to about sex and maybe his father could help him. That event , just hearing his father’s sexual story became the turning point for this young man to actively engage in his own journey to sexual wholeness.” John Fort *”My problem had nothing to do with sex. I was using pornography and other sexual things to deal with emotions I didn’t know what to do with.” John Fort *”The days I looked at pornography as a teenager were the days something bad happened and I didn’t know what to do with that.” John Fort *”If in our house we never talk about body parts, we never talk about anything, that gives the silent message that it’s not OK to talk about these things.” John Fort *”We surveyed a bunch of teenagers and asked why don’t you talk to your parents about sex. They had two answers: ‘I’m afraid my parents won’t understand my past’ or ‘I’ll get in trouble for what I say or even what I ask.’” John Fort *”Your story is simply a way to show them it is OK to talk about these things.” John Fort *”We can pretend its not happening or we can just talk about it.” Greta Eskridge  *”You don’t even know what your kids are dealing with until you ask. And the older they get the more often we have to ask them what they’re seeing and what they’re hearing.” John Fort *”People are looking for help for their addictions and hope for their broken hearts. They want living water. If we run away or become judgmental or uncomfortable any time we see sexual pain, we will miss the greatest opportunities to enter the pain of their sexual brokenness and share the love of Jesus Christ.” Julie Slattery *”Emotional resilience is connected to sexual wholeness.” Greta Eskridge  *“We think that telling our story is going to make our kids not respect us, but the opposite is true if we do it well.” John Fort  Thank you so much for listening and being a part of my show! I’d be so grateful if you’d leave a rating and review of the podcast if you haven’t already. I appreciate each one of you. Keep chasing joy! Greta The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org 

I am so excited to welcome my friend Anjuli Paschall to my show! Anjuli is a real life friend of mine and this episode reflects that. We laugh and cry together easily, share stories, and if we had cups of tea or coffee in our hands, it would feel like you had joined us as we hung out together in a coffee shop.  One of the things I appreciate so much about Anjulu is that she doesn’t try to fix everything with some cliché sentiment. Instead she listens intently and asks how I feel, thus inviting me to take my feelings to God instead of pushing them away. She is also not afraid to be vulnerable and through that she invites me into intimacy with her again and again. She is the kind of friend you want on the other end of the phone, text or across the table. Anjuli is a fellow author. She and I have walked through writing 3 books together! Her latestes book is called Feel—a Collection of Liturgies Offering Hope for Every Complicated Emotion. This book is like having a conversation with Anjuli. You’ll feel seen, heard, and loved as you go through the book. It is a beautiful book and unlike anything I have ever seen. Our conversation will give you a glimpse of the book and all it has to offer. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!  Where to find Anjuli: Get Anjuli’s newest book, Feel, here Find Anjuli on Instagram here Find Anjuli’s website here Finds Anjuli on Substack here Get Every Moment Holy book here  Some of my favorite quotes from this episode: “It takes time to look at your feelings, all of them, as an invitation to look at what your heart is trying to tell you.” AP “Feelings are an invitation to wholeness, growth and intimacy.” AP “The relationships that are the nearest and dearest to our are the ones where we can be vulnerable and share our true feelings.” AP “God can hold it all.” GE “God wants to be with us where we are.” AP “He wants to heal us not to fix us—not just be better, do better, feel better.” AP “God cares about what we feel, but He cares more that we become--whole, loving children of God who reflect His son.” AP “We can hold both the good and the hard at the same time and they don’t cancel each other out!” GE “There is a sacredness in tears. They are not a mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition and of unspeakable love.” Washington Irving “God made us feelers and we don’t have to be afraid of the feelings that He put in us.” GE