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Sep 17 • 47:13
Honest Talk with John Fort
Episode:

Honest Talk with John Fort

September 17, 2024 • 47:13 • Greta Eskridge

This episode is a really special one. I am delighted to introduce you to todays 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 Talka 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, theres 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 cant encourage you enough to get your own copy. But start by listening to this episode and getting to know John better. Youll be so glad you did! 

 

Find John here: 

Be Broken Ministries 

Find Johns books here: 

Honest Talka new perspective on talking to your kids about sex 

Father-Son Accountability : Integrity Through Relationship 

 

Some favorite quotes from todays 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 didnt 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 fathers 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 didnt know what to do with. John Fort 

*The days I looked at pornography as a teenager were the days something bad happened and I didnt 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 its not OK to talk about these things. John Fort 

*We surveyed a bunch of teenagers and asked why dont you talk to your parents about sex. They had two answers: Im afraid my parents wont understand my past or Ill 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 dont 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 theyre seeing and what theyre 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! Id be so grateful if youd leave a rating and review of the podcast if you havent 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

 

Podcast:

The Greta Eskridge Podcast

With Greta Eskridge
We're living in a time filled with distraction and disconnection from the things that matter most. Things like faith, family, friendship, and childhood innocence feel harder and harder to hold onto. But I believe a joyful, connected life is possible with Jesus's help because he offers us life to the full! It's time to open our eyes to the wonder God has put all around us, so join me each week on The Greta Eskridge Podcast as some of my favorite friends and I explore ways to create connection in our families and chase joy through both the peaks and valleys of parenting and life.
All Episodes:
May 13 • 44:51
What Nature and Gods Word Teach Us About Rest with Eryn Lynum

My guest today is Eryn Lynum: master naturalist, author, bible teacher, home schooling mom, and podcast host. Friends, shes incredible! And this episode with her is just so fun! We had the best time talking about nature and seeing God at work there. 

Eryns love of nature and Gods word have taught her much about the importance of pursuing rest. But this learning actually began when Eryn was a young teen.   At the age of 14, Eryn learned that she had a potentially life-threatening disease that required rest to keep her alive. This started Eryn on a journey of learning to manage the stress and anxieties of life in a way that was healthy and holy.  

In this episode, Eryn talks about her new book, The Nature of Rest: What the Bible and Creation Teach Us About Sabbath Living, and how it is the story of all shes learned about rest from her own life journey, to studying creation and Gods word. Eryn is a joy to talk to. She is a wealth of fun and fascinating nature knowledge, as well as a wise guide to biblical living. I love this episode, and I know you will too! 

Be sure to get Eryns new book today! You can find it right here. 

 

Resources mentioned in this podcast: 

Find Eryns new book here 

Find Eryns first book here 

Find Eryns website here 

Find Eryns podcast here 

Find Eryn on Instagram here 

Find more about Awana programs for kids here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

May 6 • 59:08
Angel Qthe Kid Safe Browser Weve Been Waiting For with Josh Thurman

Todays guest, Josh Thurman, has a pretty remarkable biofrom being a dad to 6 to a Navy Seal, hes one amazing guy. But one of the things hes very proud of and we can all be very grateful for, is his involvement as a co-founder in a brand-new company called Angel Q. 

Angel Q exists to keep kids safer online by using AI as a buffer and guide while kids are online. Unlike other browsers that have no built in safety features, and that are constantly serving up more and more content for kids, Angel Q curates a childs time online to not just keep them safe from problematic and dangerous content, but also to bring their time online to a natural end after a reasonable amount of time. 

This episode is full of a lot of really important information for parents to be aware of. From the predatory nature of the tech industry, the growing rates of depression for teen girls, and the ways AI can be used for good to keep our kids safe, even though that felt confusing to me at first. I came away from my first, and now my second, conversation with Josh feeling so incredibly impressed by what Angel Q is doing to protect my kids and yours.  

And listen to this! Angel Q has given my listeners the incredible opportunity to get an entire year subscription for free! Just use the code : FOUNDERSFREEYEAR 

This is a limited time offer so take advantage! I cant stress enough how important this tool could be for your family. 

 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Learn more about Angel Q here 

Sign up for Angel Q here  (dont forget to use the free code!) 

Learn more about Josh here 

Find Angel Q on Instagram here 

 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Apr 29 • 37:16
The Best Potluck Dish, Favorite Books to Grow Your Childs Faith, 2 Reasons I Home School and more!with Greta Eskridge

It's time for another episode where its just me and you chatting about all kinds of thingsfrom my favorite dish to bring to a potluck, the one of the most impactful books Ive ever read to my kids and all sorts of things in between! 

This is a fun and insightful episode, albeit kind of random. And I cant decide if my ability to talk about practically any subject at length is my superpower, or just one of my most annoying traits. If its the former, break it to my gently, OK? 

I hope youll get some helpful insight from this episode and be sure to check out the links below as I have included all the things mentioned in the episode. I know youll get a lot out of them. 

Last thing, please remember to order my new book, Its Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn, if you havent already. Or if you have read it, to leave a rating and review on Amazon. You can do that right here and it is wildly helpful when you do! 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find Gretas favorite stove top espresso maker here 

Find Gretas favorite milk frother here 

Find copies of The Hiding place here (original version) here (young readers) and here (youngest readers)  

Find Instagram post about visiting Corrie ten Booms grave here 

Find my Home School 101 highlight here 

 

Find Greta: 

Find Gretas books here, here and here 

Find Greta on Instagram here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Apr 22 • 42:13
No, You Dont Have to be Afraid of the Teen Years with Abbie Halberstadt

Home schooling mom of 10, podcaster, author of 2 beloved books and pickleball champion.  

One of the things I love about Abbie is that she is vocal about her how much she loves spending time with her teens. Like me, she really enjoys the teen years and has made it a bit of her personal mission to remind the mamas with littles that the goodness doesnt stop the moment their kids hit puberty. 

So in this episode Abbie and I talk about all things having teens. We talk about parenting with expectant hope. That means determining that well love our kids through their whole life, not just when they are cute and cuddly babies. We discuss ways to connect with our teens and how that starts by enjoying being with our kids when they are little and then continuing that as they grow. 

One of the things our kids will face as they grow up, and especially in the teen years is exposure to pornography. Abbie and I talk about how we can prepare our kids for growing up in a porn saturated world and also share with them about Gods good plan for sex. This part of our conversation was really helpful and honestly so powerful. I just know youll get a lot from it! And friends, if you are looking for more information on this topic, and still havent gotten my new book, Its Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn, this is your sign to get the book! Its time! Get your copy right here. 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find the Parenting and Pornography video here 

 

Where to find Abbie: 

Find Abbies books here and here 

Find Abbies website here 

Find Abbies podcast here 

Find Abbie on Instagram here 

 

Apr 15 • 1:6:53
Filtering the Noise in a Loud World with Aubrey McGowan

Friends! Have you gotten my new book Its Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn yet? If not, listen to todays guest give a review of the book at the end of the podcast and be inspired to get your copy right here today! 

I met todays guest, Aubrey McGowan, at a home school mom conference called Wild and Free! What a fun way to meet this guy. Aubrey and his wife Jen are tremendous musicians, and they have performed at many of the Wild and Free conferences I have been a part of. Aubrey is also creative in other ways: hes a passionate communicator and a gifted writer. 

In todays episode we are talking about Aubreys new book, Filter the Noise: how to Hear Gods Voice in a Culture of Chaos

We have so much noise in our life--the noise of the physical world, the noise of the digital world and the inner noisethose voices in our head that so often tell us things that arent true. 

Aubrey asks the question: what does Christ say to this?  

While the world tells us we always need more, Christ tells us He is enough. 

Aubrey shares with us the practice he outlines in the book that can help us filter the noise we dont want or need in this life. But Aubrey reminds us: The power is in Jesus, not in the practice 

This practice is a way to point people to Jesus 

Friends, this is a longer than usual episode, but when Aubrey gets fired up he brings the wisdom and the fire and I dont want to stop him! So sit down, grab a cup of coffee and be inspired by what Aubrey shares here. Lets go! 

 

Resources from this episode: 

Quote from Gordon Hempton: "We have an epidemic of extinction of quiet places in our world." 

Pray Psalm 23 every morning 

Find the book Gods Smuggler here 

Quote by Corrie ten Boom If the devil cant make you sin hell make you busy 

 

Where to find Aubrey: 

Find Aubreys book here 

Find Aubreys website here 

Find Aubrey on Instagram here 

Find Aubreys Family Field Guide ministry here 

Find Aubreys mens ministry Whetstone here 

Listen to Aubrey and Jens music here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

 

About the Host

Greta Eskridge

Greta Eskridge is a second-generation homeschooler, an author, a speaker, and a podcast host. Greta’s faith in God is the lens through which she sees the world.

Greta loves encouraging parents to pursue joyful, connected parenting. And she is passionate about helping families create connection in a disconnected world through things like purposeful adventures, online safety, and keeping their eyes wide open to wonder. Greta firmly believes that “joy is the serious business of heaven” and is on mission to chase joy through both the peaks and valleys of parenting and life.

Greta lives in sunny southern California with her artist husband, Aaron, and their four kids--1 young adult and 3 teens. Greta loves nature, books and coffee and her favorite place to be is on a hiking trail. 

More from Greta →