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Don't Mom Alone Podcast - Doubt, Questions & Your Teen’s Growing Faith :: Mary Jo Sharp [Ep 375]
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Doubt, Questions & Your Teen’s Growing Faith :: Mary Jo Sharp [Ep 375]

Don't Mom Alone Podcast

08/22/22

46m

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Doubt is a normal part of a growing faith. When the big questions come, you can navigate them with confidence.

Is it worth it to go to church? If God is loving, why would he allow bad stuff in the world? Did God really create me the way I am on purpose?

Questions and exploration are rites of passage for the teenage years as each of us grapples (in varying degrees) to figure out who we are and where we want to go in life. With a near endless supply of voices, ideas, and influences from the internet and culture at large it can feel like our kids are in danger of being lost in a sea of information we have no control over.

But all is not lost! My guest this week, apologist and writer Mary Jo Sharp, encourages us to walk with our kids into the tunnel of doubt. She reminds us that contrary to what we might think, we really are still the biggest influencers on our child’s religious views and that the culture we create in our homes around self transformation and questioning can help our kids make their faith their own. By giving them a safe space to ask and discuss the big questions of life we will likely give ourselves a seat at their decision-making table.

Mary and her team create resources for parents and teens as they walk through doubt and faith finding at DarkroomFaith.com

Connect with Mary Jo Sharp: Links Mentioned: Related Episodes: Featured Sponsors:
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Previous Episode

Marriage is like riding a bike with no training wheels - you have to keep pedaling to stay up. There’s no easy downhill, no coasting. It’s worth it, but it’s work. Add a kid or a few in there with work and bills and activities and it’s easy for us to stop the pedaling of intentionality that builds a strong marriage.

My guest this week is Kimberly Beam Holmes and without God’s intervention and her parents’ commitment to do the hard work of repairing their broken marriage she wouldn’t be alive! Now she is committed to helping couples build strong relationships through the organization her father started, Marriage Helper. They are passionate about situations that feel hopeless and she encourages us that while growing a healthy marriage isn’t simplistic, there are simple places for us to start.

Connect with Kimberly Beam Holmes: Links Mentioned: Related Episodes: Featured Sponsors:
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  • Thrive Causemetics. Now is a great time to try Thrive Causemetics for yourself! Get 15% off your first order when you visit thrivecausemetics.com/DMA.

Next Episode

What fear pops up in your parenting again and again? Maybe it’s, “how do I teach my kids that they can do hard things in a loving way?” or, “what if my kids make bad decisions?” or “what if I’m a bad mom?”

These fears can feel overwhelming and that the answers to them are complicated. My guest this week gives us an unexpected ally in overcoming the fears that grip us as moms - reading aloud. It sounds almost too simple, but author and mom of 7, Jennifer Pepito, shows us that the stories we share with our kids can help them navigate some of the tougher experiences with life. By exposing our kids to character building stories we can infuse them with perspective and thoughtfulness as they face life’s difficult situations. She also encourages us that forgiveness can be an avenue to freedom from fear in our lives and specifically our parenting.

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode briefly mentions suicide. If you or anyone you know are struggling with suicidal thoughts please reach out to someone you trust. You can call or text 988 anytime of day or night.

Connect with Jennifer Pepito: Links Mentioned: Books Mentioned: Related Episodes: Featured Sponsors:

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