Ep. 397: Beyond Evolution with Sy Garte

In this episode, Jay sits down with Jeremy Pryor to explore what it looks like to build a thriving multi-generational Christian family in a culture that often prioritizes independence over connection. Jeremy shares the story behind his familys four-generation household, the biblical foundations for treating family as a multi-generational team, and how countercultural habitslike a weekly multi-generational mealcan deepen identity, strengthen relationships, and create long-term family discipleship. Together, they unpack the dangers of hyper-individualism, the impact of technology on kids, and the surprising joy found in reclaiming ancient rhythms such as Sabbath-style meals. Jeremy also offers practical steps for parents who want to introduce meaningful, sustainable traditions that anchor their children in faith, family identity, and gospel-centered community.

Jeremy Pryor is a family identity expert and author of the book Family Revision. His passion is helping families discover and live out their multigenerational mission to further the Kingdom of God.

Key Takeaways

• Why modern Western culture struggles with hyper-individualismand how it harms families.

• The biblical idea of a multi-generational family team and how it differs from the fragile nuclear model.

• Jeremys real-life example of four generations living, working, and discipling together.

• How intentional weekly rhythmsespecially a multi-generational family mealcan transform family unity and identity.

• Practical steps for starting meaningful family traditions that are enjoyable, sustainable, and spiritually rich.

• Why children thrive when they grow up with strong family identity, shared stories, and rootedness.

• How reclaiming ancient practices like blessings, Sabbath-style meals, and storytelling helps parents disciple their kids.

Lets Parent on Purpose is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcasting Network. For more information, visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Resources & Links:

• Family Meal Template: https://courses.familyteams.com/family-meal

• Family Identity Through Everyday Chores with Jeremy Pryor

• Your Family As A Team with Jeremy Pryor

• Check out www.youthministry.coach

• Daily Devotional Podcast Guided by Faith: www.guidedbyfaith.net

• Join my Things for Thursday Email List and get a free Marriage Snapshot Tool and Fun Family Conversation Ebook! 

• Support Lets Parent on Purpose as we help families thrive through the gospel: https://letsparentonpurpose.com/support/

In this conversation, attorney and author Justin Whitmel Earley unpacks how embodied habits shape our spiritual lifewhat he calls habits as liturgies. Drawing on neuroscience and Scripture (Genesis 2:7; Romans 5; Ephesians 2; Psalm 23), Justin explains why the body often leads the heart, how practices like box breathing + breath prayers, sleep and Sabbath, and fasting and feasting can realign our loves, and how parents can build grace-based rhythms that form their homes. Jay shares his own story of grief and healing to show how God uses humble, repeated practicesfriendship, worship, exercise, daily prayerto restore joy. If youve wrestled with anxiety, distraction, or unhealthy relationships with food/tech, this episode gives practical, theologically grounded steps to start small and stay faithful.

Justin Whitmel Earley is a writer, speaker, and lawyer. He is the author of The Common Rule, Habits of the Household, and Made for People, though he spends most days running his business law practice. Through his writing and speaking, Justin empowers Gods people to thrive through life-giving habits that form them in the love of God and neighbor. He continually explores both how physical habits are more spiritual than we think and how spiritual habits are more physical than we think. He lives with his wife and four boys in Richmond, Virginia, spends a lot of time around fires and porches with friends, and is a part-owner of a local gym. You can follow him online at justinwhitmelearley.com.

Key Takeaways

• Habits are liturgies. What we do repeatedly (often unconsciously) forms our loves; your identity tends to follow your practices, not just your ideas.

• Embodiment matters. God made, saved, and will resurrect us in bodies. Spiritual formation happens through the body, not around it.

• Top-down meets bottom-up. Pair truth in the mind with training in the bodye.g., Scripture + breath, theology + sleep rhythms, confession + tech limits.

• Breathing as prayer. Use box breathing to calm the nervous system and pair it with breath prayers (e.g., inhale: The Lord is my shepherd; exhale: I shall not want).

• Sleep & Sabbath are starting points. Begin the week (and each day) from rest, not for restwork from Gods finished work.

• Food as formation. Redeem eating with the twin practices of fasting (dependence) and feasting (delight); both counter indulgence and shame.

• Fight habit with habit. You usually cant think your way out of what you practiced your way into; stack small, embodied practices.

• Parenting is daily formation. The household is a monastery where we practice loving God and neighborbedtime blessings, screen rules, mealtime conversations, and pause-prayers change the parent, not just the child.

Conversation Highlights

• Why habits as liturgies reframes everyday routines as worship.

• Jays testimony of grief, trauma, and how embodied rhythms restored joy.

• Breathing as the intersection of theology, psychology, and physiology.

• The Jewish day begins at sundown: a paradigm for starting with rest.

• How ultra-processed foods hijack dopamine and how fasting/feasting heal.

• You cant think your way out of what you didnt think your way into.

Reflection / Small-Group Questions

1. Where do your current habits reveal what you actually love?

2. Which embodied practice (breath prayer, sleep/Sabbath, fasting/feasting, exercise) do you sense God inviting you to try first? Why?

3. How could you redesign one household moment (bedtime, mealtime, screens, discipline) to make it a mini-liturgy?

4. In a season of anxiety or grief, which small, repeatable habit most reliably pulls you back to God?

Resources & Links:

• The Body Teaches the Soul Justin Whitmel Earley 

• Habits of the Household Justin Whitmel Earley

• Breath as Prayer: Calm Your Anxiety, Focus Your Mind and Renew Your Soul

• Justins Website - https://www.justinwhitmelearley.com

• Check out www.youthministry.coach

• Daily Devotional Podcast Guided by Faith: www.guidedbyfaith.net

• Join my Things for Thursday Email List and get a free Marriage Snapshot Tool and Fun Family Conversation Ebook! 

• Support Lets Parent on Purpose as we help families thrive through the gospel: https://letsparentonpurpose.com/support/

Lets Parent on Purpose is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcasting Network. For more information, visit www.ChristianParenting.org

In this conversation, Jay Holland and Rita Diapoules discuss the framework of children's ministry, focusing on the 'Ages and Stages' concept that helps parents understand how to guide their children spiritually as they grow. They emphasize the importance of habit stacking in daily routines to reinforce biblical truths, the significance of teaching biblical concepts appropriate to each age group, and the necessity of creating high-value touch points for families. Rita shares practical tips for parents to integrate spiritual discussions into their daily lives and the importance of partnering with the church for the spiritual growth of children.

Takeaways

• Children's ministry should focus on long-term spiritual growth.

• The 'Ages and Stages' framework helps parents guide their children.

• Habit stacking can integrate spiritual teachings into daily routines.

• Parents are the primary disciplers of their children.

• Regular spiritual conversations are crucial for faith retention.

• Teaching should be age-appropriate and build on previous knowledge.

• Creating a community helps parents feel supported in their roles.

• Parents should actively engage with their church's children's ministry.

• Simple reminders can help reinforce biblical truths at home.

• Prayer and Bible reading should be prioritized in family life.

Lets Parent on Purpose is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcasting Network.

For more information, visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Resources & Links:

• Ages and Stages: A Discipleship Framework for Church and Home 

• Check out www.youthministry.coach

• Daily Devotional Podcast Guided by Faith: www.guidedbyfaith.net

• Join my Things for Thursday Email List and get a free Marriage Snapshot Tool and Fun Family Conversation Ebook! 

• Support Lets Parent on Purpose as we help families thrive through the gospel: https://letsparentonpurpose.com/support/

In this conversation, Dr. Sy Garte shares his remarkable journey from atheism to Christianity, exploring the intersection of faith and science. He discusses his personal experiences, the complexities of evolution, and the importance of understanding inheritance in biological processes. Dr. Garte emphasizes that science and faith are not mutually exclusive, advocating for a perspective that sees scientific discovery as a way to appreciate God's creation. He also provides insights for parents on how to discuss science with their children in a way that celebrates discovery while affirming their faith.

Takeaways

• Dr. Garte's journey from atheism to Christianity was influenced by both intellectual and spiritual experiences.

• He emphasizes the importance of spirituality in human existence.

• The concept of inheritance is foundational to understanding evolution.

• Evolution does not contradict the biblical account of creation.

• Why Dr. Garte prefers the word divine design over intelligent design.

• Recent scientific discoveries suggest that even single-celled organisms exhibit agency and purpose.

• Science and faith can coexist and complement each other.

• Parents can equip their children to understand science as a celebration of God's creation.

• The history of science is deeply intertwined with Christian thought.

• Truth is unchanging, and God created everything for His pleasure.

About Sy Garte

Sy Garte, PhD in biochemistry, is the author of Beyond Evolution: How New Discoveries in the Science of Life Point to God (Tyndale, August 2025) as well as the award-winning book The Works of His Hands: A Scientists Journey from Atheism to Faith (Kregel, 2019); and Science and Faith in Harmony: Contemplations on a Distilled Doxology (Kregel, 2024); and He has been a professor at New York University, the University of Pittsburgh and is currently Visiting Professor at Rutgers University. He has held leadership positions at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Uniformed Services University. Sy has published over two hundred peer-reviewed scientific papers and five books, as well as articles on science and faith. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the American Scientific Affiliations (ASA) quarterly magazine God and Nature. He is a fellow of the ASA, and Vice President of the Washington DC Metro chapter. He served as lay leader at his United Methodist Church. Sy was raised in an atheist, Marxist family, and was baptized 13 years ago. 

Lets Parent on Purpose is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcasting Network. For more information, visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Resources & Links:

• Check out www.youthministry.coach

• Daily Devotional Podcast Guided by Faith: www.guidedbyfaith.net

• Find Dr. Garte at https://sygarte.com/

• Get Beyond Evolution: How New Discoveries in the Science of Life Point to God: https://amzn.to/4mzDyem

• Get The Works of His Hands: A Scientists Journey from Atheism to Faith: https://amzn.to/3Vthrv9

• Join my Things for Thursday Email List and get a free Marriage Snapshot Tool and Fun Family Conversation Ebook! 

• Support Lets Parent on Purpose as we help families thrive through the gospel: https://letsparentonpurpose.com/support/

In recent days, our children have experienced another horrific act of evil with the assassination of Charlie Kirk.  There are some ways in which Charlies murder was unique - his explicit Christian faith, the motives behind the murder, and its brutal public nature caught on video for the world (and our children) to see.  In other ways, this is just one more horrible act of traumatic violence that our children are exposed to.  In this episode, Jay shares four helpful guidelines for moms and dads to help their children process this (and other) wickedness. He then shares his recent episode of Guided by Faith, where he directly addresses young people to help them process the murder.  Listen as Jay shares the following wisdom for moms and dads:

Be compassionate 

• Grieve for somebody whose life was cut short.

• Grieve for the friends and families of those affected. 

• Grieve with your child that they had to be exposed.

Be curious 

• Can you tell me what you heard or saw?

• Who was with you when you heard? What was their reaction?

• What was your reaction? What do you remember feeling right away? What are you thinking and feeling about it now?

• The Lord promises to be with us. In what way was the Lord with you when you heard about this?

Be cautious 

• Dont fan the flame of fear.

• Dont fan the flame about contempt.

• Dont fan the flame of vengeance.

• Pay attention to how obsessed you are getting with the situation.

• Pay attention to how obsessed your child is getting. You might need to make time for more conversations, or let them talk to a pastor or other trusted counselor. 

Be courageous 

• Your children will remember your tone and your spirit more than your specific words. 

• Ground your hope and emotions in the reality that Christ has overcome the world. 

• Remind your children that Christ has overcome the world, and that he is coming back to set all things new. Until then hes promised us that the world will have trouble, but hes also called us to be his salt and light in the world. 

• We dont have to live afraid when we are living out Gods mission.

Lets Parent on Purpose is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcasting Network. For more information, visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Resources and links mentioned:

• How to Walk With Loved Ones Through Trauma with Eliza Huie Part 1: https://letsparentonpurpose.com/part-1-how-to-walk-with-loved-ones-through-trauma-with-eliza-huie/

• How to Walk With Loved Ones Through Trauma with Eliza Huie Part 2: https://letsparentonpurpose.com/part-2-how-to-walk-with-loved-ones-through-trauma-with-eliza-huie/

• Daily Devotional Podcast Guided by Faith: www.guidedbyfaith.net

• Join my Things for Thursday Email List and get a free Marriage Snapshot Tool and Fun Family Conversation Ebook! 

• Support Lets Parent on Purpose as we help families thrive through the gospel: https://letsparentonpurpose.com/support/