The Teach Your Children Well Podcast

What does it take to raise resilient, Jesus-following kids when it feels like you’re swimming upstream against culture, norms, and sometimes even your own doubts?In this final extended episode of the season, Sarah Cowan Johnson hands over the mic to Andrew Mook, founding pastor of Sanctuary Church in Providence, Rhode Island, to turn the tables and interview her. Together, Sarah and Andrew dig deep into the major themes, surprises, and the most memorable moments from this season of The Teach Your Children Well Podcast.Reflecting on their shared passion for family discipleship, Sarah and Andrew examine why discipleship is at the heart of all parenting, how the Western church’s default approaches are often falling short, and what it looks like to help kids and ourselves embrace a faith that lasts. They candidly tackle the dizzying array of cultural narratives bombarding parents, how to “decode” the world for your kids, and ways to build rhythms of faith into busy family life, even when you feel spiritually dry or out of your depth.They talk about various topics from swimming upstream in areas of sexuality, technology, and hurried family schedules, to building weird but wonderful faith communities, to why boundaries, not legalism, are essential to spiritual formation at home. You'll also hear directly from Sarah’s son Silas, whose honest reflections add both humor and practical wisdom for parents eager to see faith flourish in the next generation.This episode is candid, encouraging, and deeply practical, reminding every parent that though the way of Jesus can seem lonely or hard, you’re not alone. Together, small habits and honest conversations can shape a faith that lasts through every stage of life.Listen to the full conversation now.This episode highlights the following themes:Why discipleship is the key to faith that lastsWays for spiritually dry parents to lead with authenticity, not perfectionThe crucial but overlooked role of faith communities in raising resilient kidsLinks from the episode:Learn more about Andrew Mook and Sanctuary ChurchListen to sermons from Sanctuary ChurchListen to Sanctuary Music and Andrew’s project, Breton YardLearn more about Sarah Cowan JohnsonRead Teach Your Children Well by Sarah Cowan JohnsonRead The Anxious Generation by Jonathan HaidtRead Wherever You Go, I Want You to Know by Melissa KrugerExplore Sarah’s library of family discipleship practices and resources hereLearn more about prayer journaling and imaginative prayerHear Sarah’s talk on hearing God’s voice as a familyVisit Sarah’s websites here and hereRead the transcript hereTake the survey hereCredits✅Special offer: Visit ivpress.com and use the code IVPTEACH25 for 25% off and free US shipping on any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.✅Producers: Kaitlin Borek, Helen Lee, and Travis Albritton✅Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts✅Social Media Manager: Makayla Payne✅Podcast Art: Kate Lillard✅Theme Song: "Childlike Wonder" by ReveilleDisclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.As an Amazon Affiliate, this channel earns commissions from qualifying purchases when you use the links above.

Feeling unsure about how to talk to your kids about sex?Many Christian parents want to raise their kids with a healthy understanding of sex, sexuality, and identity. But most don’t know where to start. Some are still working through their own experiences with shame or silence. Others are afraid of saying the wrong thing.In this episode of The Teach Your Children Well Podcast, author, editor, and poet Rachel Joy Welcher joins Sarah Cowan Johnson to help parents move from a fear-based narrative about sex to a redemptive, biblical vision of sexuality. Drawing from her book Talking Back to Purity Culture, Rachel unpacks what the church got wrong about sex, how those messages impacted a generation of Christians, and how parents can do things differently with their own children.Sarah and Rachel explore how to teach kids that sex is not merely about setting boundaries but about love of God and love of neighbor. They talk about giving our kids a theology of desire, the importance of honesty and nuance, and how to walk with children through big questions with compassion and hope.Don’t let fear or shame lead the conversation. This episode will help you start honest, gospel-centered talks about sex, identity, and God’s good design with confidence and compassion.Tune in now.This episode highlights the following themes:How purity culture shaped Christian views of sex and bodiesPractical ways to talk about sex without shame or fearHow to affirm your child’s dignity while teaching self-control, consent, and characterLinks from the episode:Learn more about Rachel Joy WelcherRead Talking Back to Purity Culture by Rachel Joy WelcherRead Rachel Joy Welcher’s IVP Kids book, Charlie Can’t Sleep!Read Rachel Joy Welcher’s poetryLearn more about Sarah Cowan JohnsonRead Teach Your Children Well by Sarah Cowan JohnsonRead Redeeming Sex: Naked Conversations About Sexuality and Spirituality by Debra HirschLearn more about Axis and subscribe to their Culture Translator emailsLearn more about Sarah’s recommended resources on sexuality hereRead the transcript hereTake the survey hereCredits✅Special offer: Visit ivpress.com and use the code IVPTEACH25 for 25% off and free US shipping on any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.✅Producers: Kaitlin Borek, Helen Lee, and Travis Albritton✅Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts✅Social Media Manager: Makayla Payne✅Podcast Art: Kate Lillard✅Theme Song: "Childlike Wonder" by ReveilleDisclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.As an Amazon Affiliate, this channel earns commissions from qualifying purchases when you use the links above.

Grief is not a detour from discipleship—it’s part of it.When families walk through loss, parents often don’t know how to support their kids and process their own pain at the same time. What do we say? What do we do? And how do we help our children name their emotions and meet God in the middle of them?In this episode of The Teach Your Children Well Podcast, host Sarah Cowan Johnson talks with Natasha Smith, grief advocate, speaker, and author of Can You Just Sit With Me? and Black Woman Grief, about navigating grief as a family. Whether it’s the loss of a loved one, the end of a season, or something else entirely, Natasha reminds us that grief is part of being human, and God meets us in it.Sarah and Natasha talk about the difference between lament and despair, the power of naming emotions, and how grief can become a space of spiritual growth for both parents and kids. They explore why sitting with pain is so difficult, especially for adults who feel pressure to "hold it all together" for their children. Natasha shares how parents can model emotional honesty without overwhelming their kids, and why creating room for questions, sadness, and even silence can be a powerful part of discipleship. If you're navigating your own grief, helping a child process theirs, or wondering how to talk about loss with your family, this conversation offers practical wisdom and gentle encouragement to meet grief with grace. This episode highlights the following themes:What healthy grief looks like, and how it can form usWhy emotional honesty is discipleshipHow to create space for lament with your kids“Steal This Idea” prayer:Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”God of love,As a sign of sorrow, As a protest against death, injustice, and loss, As an act of holy defiance against what should not be,We tear this cloth,Not to sever hope,But to open our hearts in grief before you.Hold us in our sorrow,Meet us in the tearing,And do not let this grief be wasted.Amen.Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”Links from the episode:Learn more about Natasha SmithRead Can You Just Sit With Me? and Black Woman Grief by Natasha SmithRead Hopeful Lament by Terra McDanielLearn more about Sarah Cowan JohnsonRead Teach Your Children Well by Sarah Cowan JohnsonRead the transcript hereTake the survey hereCredits✅Special offer: Visit ivpress.com and use the code IVPTEACH25 for 25% off and free US shipping on any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.✅Producers: Helen Lee, Kaitlin Borek, and Travis Albritton✅Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts✅Social Media Manager: Makayla Payne✅Podcast Art: Kate Lillard✅Theme Song: "Childlike Wonder" by ReveilleDisclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

Phones at the dinner table. DMs at midnight. Screens that seem impossible to put down.Digital life is part of everyday life. But how do we raise wise, healthy, spiritually grounded kids in the midst of it?In this episode of The Teach Your Children Well Podcast, host Sarah Cowan Johnson talks with Jamie Gordon, a licensed social worker, mom of three, and director of the social work program at Screen Sanity, an international nonprofit equipping parents to navigate tech and screen use with clarity and purpose. Jamie also serves as the intake coordinator at legal firm Husch Blackwell’s human trafficking clinic, where she supports survivors with care and expertise.Sarah and Jamie unpack the real-life effects of screen time, from emotional dysregulation and loneliness to redefined friendships and dopamine-driven addiction cycles. But they don’t stop at the problem. With warmth, insight, and numerous practical tips, they offer tools to guide families toward digital health, deeper connection, and Christ-centered purpose amid our tech-saturated world.Tune in to a conversation that will leave you encouraged and equipped to parent intentionally and faithfully in the digital age.This episode highlights the following themes:The science behind dopamine, addiction, and screensA faith-based lens for forming your family’s tech boundariesHow to talk with your kids, not just at them, to understand the “whys” behind their technology choicesLinks from the episode:Explore free and paid resources at screensanity.orgExplore Screen Sanity’s Social Media PlaybookExplore Screen Sanity’s First Phone Comparison ChartRead Andy Crouch’s book The Life We're Looking ForRead Jonathan Haidt’s book The Anxious GenerationLearn more about Sarah Cowan JohnsonRead Teach Your Children Well by Sarah Cowan JohnsonRead the transcript hereTake the survey hereCredits✅Special offer: Visit ivpress.com and use the code IVPTEACH25 for 25% off and free US shipping on any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.✅Producers: Helen Lee, Kaitlin Borek, and Travis Albritton✅Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts✅Social Media Manager: Makayla Payne✅Podcast Art: Kate Lillard✅Theme Song: "Childlike Wonder" by ReveilleDisclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.As an Amazon Affiliate, this channel earns commissions from qualifying purchases when you use the links above.

What if your child doesn’t “fit the mold” of what is considered successful and flourishing?Christian parents in today’s culture can get swept up in the pursuit of achievement, perfection, and performance. They often feel pressure to measure their children’s success by grades, behavior, or milestones. But what happens when your child doesn’t hit those marks—or when you begin to question whether those marks matter in the first place?In this powerful episode of The Teach Your Children Well Podcast, host Sarah Cowan Johnson welcomes Amy Julia Becker—author, speaker, and mother of three—for a profound conversation on parenting, disability, and what it really means to live the good life. Amy Julia is the author of To Be Made Well, White Picket Fences, Small Talk, and A Good and Perfect Gift, and the creator of the Reimagining Family Life with Disability workshop. Through her writing and podcasting, she helps others explore how disability, faith, and culture shape our vision of wholeness.Amy Julia opens up about how her vision of the good life, once shaped by merit, achievement, and perfection, was undone and lovingly rebuilt. Through formative moments such as her own health crisis, the loss of a loved one, and the birth of her daughter Penny, she began to see that limitation is not a flaw to be overcome but a deeply human experience that can draw us closer to God. Sarah and Amy Julia reflect on how parenting through the lens of disability reveals the hidden values we carry, and how belovedness—not performance—is the foundation for true identity and growth. Whether or not disability touches your family directly, this conversation offers a deeply human invitation to embrace limitations, see God’s image in every child, and parent with grace rather than pressure.Tune in now to reimagine family life through a lens of grace, humanity, and spiritual formation—one that embraces both gifts and challenges, and makes room for every child to flourish.This episode highlights the following themes:How cultural narratives about success distort our vision of the good lifeWhy every child—regardless of ability—bears the image of GodHow to shift from performance to belovedness in our parentingLinks from the episode:Learn more about Amy Julia BeckerRead Amy Julia Becker’s books: To Be Made Well, White Picket Fences, Small Talk, and A Good and Perfect GiftLearn more about Sarah Cowan JohnsonRead Teach Your Children Well by Sarah Cowan JohnsonRead the transcript hereTake the survey hereCredits✅Special offer: Visit ivpress.com and use the code IVPTEACH25 for 25% off and free US shipping on any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.✅Producers: Helen Lee, Kaitlin Borek, and Travis Albritton✅Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts✅Social Media Manager: Makayla Payne✅Podcast Art: Kate Lillard✅Theme Song: "Childlike Wonder" by ReveilleDisclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.As an Amazon Affiliate, this channel earns commissions from qualifying purchases when you use the links above.

Parenting in today’s world can be a daunting task. Our kids are surrounded by increasing cultural pressure, whether it’s around technology, academic achievement, or finding their identity. And many Christian parents feel ill-equipped to guide their children through it all.But, in the face of today’s cultural narratives, how might the biblical narrative provide a clearer path forward?In The Teach Your Children Well Podcast, host Sarah Cowan Johnson—ministry trainer, consultant, and author of Teach Your Children Well: A Step-by-Step Guide for Family Discipleship—seeks to answer this question. A parent herself, Cowan Johnson knows firsthand the challenges of navigating societal pressures and the hope and possibilities when we turn toward the way of Jesus.In this brand-new podcast, Cowan Johnson sits down with nine expert guests—including Jon Tyson, Justin Whitmel Earley, Natasha Smith, and Amy Julia Becker—to explore critical parenting topics such as mental health, gender, grief, and so much more. Each episode explores what the world says about these topics, and then how the biblical story responds, ultimately offering wisdom and good news for the twenty-first-century parent.Cowan Johnson will also give listeners practical, gospel-shaped ideas they can use in their own homes.Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or watch on the IVP YouTube channel.The first episode of The Teach Your Children Well Podcast drops on June 23.Links and CreditsLearn more about Sarah Cowan JohnsonRead Teach Your Children Well by Sarah Cowan Johnson✅Producers: Helen Lee, Kaitlin Borek, and Travis Albritton✅Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts✅Social Media Manager: Makayla Payne✅Podcast Art: Kate Lillard✅Theme Song: "Childlike Wonder" by ReveilleDisclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.