On the Hole in My Heart Podcast, Laurie Krieg, her licensed-therapist husband, Matt, and their friend ”and most professional radio voice,” Producer Steve talk about how the gospel is good news for everyone every day. They most frequently talk about sexuality, addiction, trauma, discipleship, parenting, and mental health through a historically biblical sexual ethic lens, and with a bit of humor.
…
continue reading
To launch our spring season focused on parenting and discipling the next generation, we are starting with YOUR QUESTIONS. We toss around: “What parts of ‘the sex talk’ were helpful for us when we were growing up?” “How can we protect our kids’ bodies without being a helicopter parent?” “How can we approach school systems that don’t agree with our b…
…
continue reading
Happy new year! Let’s talk about friendships? Author and pastor Bryan Loritts joins us today to discuss: Are friendships seasonal? (Should they be?) How can we make and keep lifelong friends? How should we think about boundaries with friends? | Highlights | “The reason so many of our relationships are superficial is we are too scared of taking the …
…
continue reading
If you care about the gender conversation at all, we believe this conversation is critical. Dr. Abigail Favale wrote Laurie’s favorite book on gender this year called “The Genesis of Gender,” and the conversation about it is—*chef’s kiss*—rich and practical. Together, they talk about: —Is sexual difference an afterthought of the Bible? How can we d…
…
continue reading
We LOVED this conversation. In the midst of divisive ... everything… in the world today, it reminded us about what really matters: JESUS. THE GOSPEL. And that sharing Jesus (evangelism) is an absolute joy when you love Him. Theologian, author, and our friend, David Bennett, is the one who reminds us of our first love (Jesus), and also helps us thin…
…
continue reading
We’re trying something new called Laurie’s Book Club, where “she reads the book so you don’t have to. Granted, we would love it if you read the book and “discussed” it alongside us on the pod, but if you’re anything like most of the world, you’d love to hear a summary of the book, any major nuggets, a little discussion, and call it a day. That’s wh…
…
continue reading
Suffering, eh? Sounds … super … fun. Ya know, the older we get, the more we realize just how important our theology of suffering is when we are … well, suffering. As Kelly Kapic said in today’s episode, “You don’t realize how flimsy your theology of suffering is until you use it as a resource to live on.” For example, if we think suffering should b…
…
continue reading
When I [Laurie] met Kat, she was planning to marry her girlfriend and was considering transitioning to male. But God was already drawing Kat to Himself, and He tapped me on the shoulder to join the process. Hear the whole discipleship journey between us today on the podcast. | Highlights | “I would be doing absolutely nothing and I would feel this …
…
continue reading
A new Barna study says 54% of Christians watch p*rnography. This number is only 7 percentage points behind the percent of all U.S. adults who consume it (61%). We need help. How can we get the help we need for our addictions at a soul-deep level? Author and therapist Sam Jolman is here to assist. Together, we discuss: —Is male sexuality just extra …
…
continue reading
Many of us grew up in the church hearing that weakness was a good thing: In our weakness, God is strong through us. If that’s true, why does weakness feel so terrible? Today, we talk with author, podcaster, and pastor, Eric Schumacher about “the good gift of weakness,” why many of us don’t like it, and why it is the best place to thrive as a human …
…
continue reading
Something we so appreciate about Dr. Preston Sprinkle is he doesn’t tell us what to think, he encourages us to think about what we are thinking about. When it comes to engaging politics, we need people to help us think about politics biblically first. If you’re like us, you’re all done with politics…yesterday. And yet, we cannot escape it. Is there…
…
continue reading
If you have ever struggled to process your story (and who hasn’t??), this episode is for you. Author, teacher, and child-of-a-one-time angry father, Lisa Jo Baker, takes us by the hand and guides us to take the tiniest look back so we can move forward into healing. | Main Themes | Why do we avoid going back into our stories? Why do we need to? (Do …
…
continue reading
If you’re a parent or mentor of young kids right now like we are, I am pretty sure you could marinate in fear every day of the week. Add the fact that it is up to us parents and mentors to teach these kids facts and wisdom about sexuality and body safety, and you can just find us in a panic attack on the floor every-other day of the week. But what …
…
continue reading
It’s that time again: Let’s take your questions and try to respond with wisdom! Here are the ones we respond to today! How do you know when or if you need to move on from a therapist? How can we walk with people experiencing unwanted sexual desires? How do I recover my soul from burnout? How do I talk with my kids about a family member who is trans…
…
continue reading
Today, we conclude our two-part series looking at strategies to intentionally and evangelistically approach Pride Month. To continue the conversation, we talk with Elizabeth Delgado Black who is an evangelist and the co-founder and president of Kaleidoscope. Together, we talk about practical ways to love LGBTQ people like Jesus as well as: Can we t…
…
continue reading
Some Christians write off June’s Pride festivals as Sodom and Gomorrah. They don’t think anyone there could possibly want God. Are we so sure about that? At least two ministries in the U.S. are regularly going to Pride festivals in their areas, and they are seeing people come to know Jesus because of their presence, preaching, and practical love of…
…
continue reading
When we are going through suffering, we don’t usually think, “Hmm, what treasures might God have for me to discover here?” It just feels like suffering. However, author and major stroke survivor, Katherine Wolf, has a message for us: God has gems for us to find in the darkness. “If you have to go through hardship, why not get the treasure? My goodn…
…
continue reading
“Hope in the gospel and discouragement are not mutually exclusive,” Pastor Derwin Gray encouraged us on today’s episode. But, how is that possible? The world can feel so defeating: Politics, racial division, pastor scandals, congregant sin, and the drudgery of faithfully trying to do this thing called advancing the Kingdom of God wherever we are ca…
…
continue reading
This is a very gentle but powerful episode. Since having the conversation, I (Laurie) can’t stop seeing the people-as-trees metaphor everywhere. How? You’re just going to have to listen to find out. :) // Highlights: “We all have the seasons in life. We can’t expect the same things of ourselves in every single season. When we don’t experience seaso…
…
continue reading
Christy grew up in a hyper-legalistic system that added rigid rules to the gospel of Jesus. (You might have seen glimpses of it if you watched the documentary, ‘Shiny Happy People.’) Even after leaving, Christy internally battled the legalism that attached itself to her knowledge of the real Jesus. How did she break free—not only physically, but me…
…
continue reading
Oh, wow. This story. How does one woman go from a childhood of following Jesus as much as she knows how, to professional hockey, to same-sex relationships, to transitioning to male for six years, to finding the real Jesus, and then to de-transitioning in the midst of a loving church community? This episode has her story. Hear a testimony and take p…
…
continue reading
1
Episode 214: What is Uniquely Hard and Hopeful for Married People Now? With Chris Bruno and Tracy Johnson
46:13
Is anyone else feeling like they are in a rut in their marriage? Maybe you’re not in crisis mode, but it’s kinda just . . . meh? It’s easy to function; to sit on opposite couches and scroll on your phone. But, do you wonder if marriage could be better than that—not with some fantastical potion or even a weekend intensive per se, but what if it bega…
…
continue reading
We are going to talk about singleness until we as the Church get this right, friends. People talk about how marriage gives us a vision of eternity in how two different people seeking union shows the world a picture of how God (who is so different from us) will be one with His church. But, how does singleness show us a picture of what we will experi…
…
continue reading
It’s the end of 2023, so we are reflecting, looking ahead, and asking, “Do Laurie and Steve look alike?” Lol… (Matt and Laurie’s kids seem to think so…) HOWEVER, the conversation mostly revolves around… What did we learn in 2023? Based on what we learned, how do we want to engage 2024 with more wisdom? What simple tool did and are we using (and you…
…
continue reading
This time of year can feel unfair: “Just kick back and enjoy the season! But also get the perfect present for everyone. But don’t do too much! #selfcare But do enough so that you tell people you love and appreciate them. But don’t! But also do.” Thank the Lord we brought in our friend and wellness expert, Bonnie Gray, to help us learn how to approa…
…
continue reading
Ya’ll. This episode. It could put language to some things some of us have been holding onto for too long. How? Author and scholar Zach Wagner, author of ‘Non-Toxic Masculinity,’ unpacks: What is toxic masculinity? How does it relate to Purity Culture? How did Purity Culture affect both men and women? How can men and women approach each other with a…
…
continue reading
How would you pastor a congregation filled with a range of people from academics to farmers, and then walk them through the human sexuality conversation? Pastor Aaron Henning, lead pastor at State College Alliance Church in Pennsylvania, tells us how engaged the topic with a congregation that was and is exactly that makeup. How did he do it? What d…
…
continue reading
Today we continue our Courageous Pastors series by interviewing Tom Kang, a lead pastor in Los Angeles, CA, on how he led his congregation through the human sexuality conversation. Additionally, we explore: What is unique about Tom’s West Coast church and their cultural vibe? How can pastors cascade the human sexuality conversation to all of their …
…
continue reading
We are so excited about this: Today, we are launching a mini-series interviewing three pastors from the South, the West Coast, and the East Coast on how they went from conceptualization of a sermon series on human sexuality to actualization. Why? In 2019, Barna shared the results of a study that said three of the top four things pastors feel both p…
…
continue reading
We get questions related to this topic often. Parents and disciple-makers of young kids are understandably anxious and wondering; How can we guide kids in a way that makes them both courageously truthful and loving? Pastor and author, Sam Allberry, comes back on the show to help us answer discipleship questions based on his new children’s book on m…
…
continue reading
Moving forward can feel terrifying: Like we are jumping out of an airplane and we don’t know if we have a parachute. Why does it feel that way? Today, author, multi-ministry founder, and teacher, Christine Caine, joins us to answer this question as well as: What happened to us in Covid that made us extra afraid of moving forward? Why is moving forw…
…
continue reading
Today on the podcast, ministry leader Brenna Blain joins us to help us discern how, when, and where to share our own stories with others. Together, we unpack: How do you know when you are ready to share? What was Brenna’s most challenging audience to share with? What are the benefits and challenges to opening up? //Highlights: “The question I have …
…
continue reading
It’s the season seven launch!! We are so glad to be back with you all, and are equally glad to engage last season’s identity theme one more time to ensure we take it from the ethereal to the practical. The person here to help us do this is the author of ‘Finding Your Best Identity’ and ministry leader, Andrew Bunt. Andrew joins the team today to ta…
…
continue reading
“I think there are reasons we deny our pain including that we can are overwhelmed (‘Where do I start?’), the fear of ‘This will make things worse”… Or, we don’t have he community around us to help us process.” --Steve O'Dell Today, as only the Holy Spirit can do, these first three Shorts episodes link together. So today, we continue our accidental …
…
continue reading
“One thing I have learned about Jesus is that He wants to sit in uncomfortable emotions with me [Heb. 4:15]. If I am not willing to sit in these emotions, then how is He supposed to sit in them--with me?” --Matt Krieg Oh, dear, wise Matt. Today on HIMH Shorts (where we toss around the host table, “How has the gospel been good news for you lately?),…
…
continue reading
Heyyyyy!!! We may be in-between seasons, but we missed you all so much we wanted to drop three, surprise mini-episodes for the next three Fridays!! In HIMH Shorts, Matt, Laurie, and Steve will host brief (heh heh, we will try!), one-topic conversations answering, "How has the gospel been good news for you lately?" This week, Laurie is up! She heard…
…
continue reading
Today, we wrap up season six by asking Matt, Laurie, and Steve if we have met our goal for the season: “Do you feel like you can walk into any room confidently because your identity is more rooted in Christ?” So, have we? :D We truthfully answer this question as well as: What we do when we feel tempted toward sexual sin or with wanting to buy every…
…
continue reading
1
Episode 201: Q & A: Kids, Libraries, and the Pros & Cons of Coming Out with Laurie, Matt, and Steve
49:54
The lines are open, friends, and we are taking your questions today! What questions? How do you recommend talking with young kids about LGBTQ things/the definition of marriage? Should marriage make us happy or holy? (Or is that the wrong question to ask?) What qualifies as abuse in a relationship? (How does it compare to misuse of a person?) How sh…
…
continue reading
Oh, man…from start to finish this conversation sings…! Author and ministry leader, Toni Collier, helps us to finish the final “I am” in our identity series by exploring “I am healing for…” What we mean by this is when you’re going through a dark time, have you ever considered the people you will impact if you keep going through the darkness to the …
…
continue reading
Today, we talk codependence (over-reliance on people for our sense of stability), counter-dependence (under-reliance on people), and interdependence (healthy dependence on people) on the podcast, and the conversation does not disappoint. Psychologist and author, Dr. Alison Cook, leads us biblically through questions about codependence as well as: I…
…
continue reading
What is it about adult friendships that can make them so hard to cultivate? People move, change, or we simply lose touch. What is the secret of friendship making (and keeping)? (Is there one?) Author and founder of The Friendship Lab, Sheridan Voysey, is back on the podcast today to help us unpack these questions as well as: Why is friendship often…
…
continue reading
Humanity’s desire to “be known” starts somewhere deep in the soul. However, when some of us experience being known, it can be such a jarring experience that we move toward a couple of options: Stoicism (“I’m good without that deep knowing…that’s too uncomfortable…”) or addiction/consumption (“I need that feeling more!”). What’s the proper response …
…
continue reading
Today, we continue our identity series by exploring our deep-rooted need to know we are redeemed. Why? How? We ask these questions and more of our guest, theologian and author, Branson Parler. We also explore… What if we feel we are too far gone to be redeemed? How does suffering play into this conversation? How does all of this help us walk with f…
…
continue reading
If you take away how people perceive you and how you perform tasks, what is left of you? Today on the podcast, we are launching a series on identity with the goal to help us know who we are “in Christ” so deeply that we can walk into any room with confidence. Join us today as we talk about the origin of this series as well as: What comes to mind wh…
…
continue reading
Whenever we hear people talking about some of the topics we engage in (sexuality, marriage, addiction, sin, repentance, trauma, etc.), we hyper-tune our ears for what they believe and how they hold to what they believe. If you’re curious about our views, this is the episode for you! Today, we answer: What is our philosophy of approaching the LGBTQI…
…
continue reading
We do! Who is Steve? Who is Laurie? Who is Matt? Today, we are going to get to know the people behind the microphones. Steve shares his story of depression, feeling inauthentic, and finding hope in Jesus in the midst of addiction. Matt offers his journey of depression and subsequent porn addiction in marriage. Laurie shares how she learned to trust…
…
continue reading
You guysssss!!!!! After over a year off of the air, the Hole in My Heart Podcast is back!!! We are back and we got a shiny new studio and some awesome new friends who are producing this thing. Through a new partnership with West Michigan’s 91.3 WCSG, the Hole in My Heart Podcast has the opportunity to reach more people with the truth that the gospe…
…
continue reading
Well, dear family, we have an announcement. What is it? First, let's hang out for a while, and talk about... How did that "word for the year" go for you? In light of that reality, how has the gospel been uniquely good news for you this year? What is coming next for the podcast and our ministry in 2022? We'd love for you to sit at the podcast table …
…
continue reading
The ugly truth has just come out: One spouse has just confessed to unfaithfulness and the other is reeling in shock. Where do we go from here? Is there hope for a marriage in crisis? Does Jesus have something to say to this place? We are thrilled to bring back our friends Johnny and Amanda McKenna, who have been in this place and walked through—wit…
…
continue reading
Did you know that CS Lewis’ lifelong best friend was gay? Did you know that Francis Schaeffer was against orientation-change pursuit for gay people? Did you know that Billy Graham was a compassionate defender of gay people who fell into sexual sin? Did you know that John Stott encouraged the church to “repent of the crippling ‘homophobia’… which ha…
…
continue reading
In a world of pain, identity can be hard to find. With a diagnosis of PTSD, it can be even harder. How do we navigate knowing who we are—and equally important, who God is, in a world that assaults us with lies day in and day out? How do we do that with trauma? With cheerfulness and grace, Bonnie Gray tells her story and helps to answer these questi…
…
continue reading