What if your family’s favorite Christmas traditions are powerful tools for discipleship and faith at home?

In this festive episode of the Collide Kids Podcast, host Christen Clark sits down with Justin Herman—online pastor at Mariners Church, father of four, and creator of the “Carpooling with Jesus” podcast. Listen in as they swap jokes, share inspiration for Christian parenting, and dive into practical ideas for raising Christian kids, making family time meaningful, and nurturing spiritual growth through everyday life and holiday fun.

Resources:

• Carpooling with Jesus: @carpoolingwithjesus
• Home Alone a Christian Movie Theory: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/mpkVVrecsNE
• Website: collidekidspodcast.com
• Instagram: @collidekidspod
• Christen’s Amazon Recommendation List

Clip Finder

Breaking the Routine: "Dad coming to school was not part of the routine."

— Justin Herman [00:07:51 → 00:07:53]

Viral Topic - Turning Complaints into Creation: "And she's like, well, why don't you start your own? And I thought about it for, like, three months, and I put a lot of work into it. And we launched last January, Carpooling with Jesus, which is a daily, short devotional podcast for kids."

— Justin Herman [00:08:28 → 00:08:43]

Viral Topic: What Would Jesus Say at Your Breakfast Table?

Quote: "if Jesus were sitting with you at the breakfast table or riding with you on the way to school, like, what would he say? Like, what would be that thing he would give you to help you start your day?"

— Justin Herman [00:08:52 → 00:09:00]

Viral Topic: Faith-Based Parenting Communities: "It embeds some automatic community of like minded parents who want the best for their kids, knowing that the best for their kids is Jesus."

— Justin Herman [00:12:00 → 00:12:07]

Viral Podcast Giveaway: "If they message me on Instagram and say, hey, you know, I started listening because of Collide, I will mail them some limited edition Carpooling with Jesus stickers for their kids."

— Justin Herman [00:12:50 → 00:13:01]

Viral Holiday Tradition: "When you drive around and see Christmas lights, I think that's a really easy, cheap thing to do, right? Like, it costs no money at all, right? Getting the. Get in the car, bring some snacks, drive around neighborhoods, see Christmas lights, the whole thing."

— Justin Herman [00:17:24 → 00:17:34]

The Real Family Tradition: "So it might not be the same thing we do every year, but every year we do it as a family."

— Justin Herman [00:18:20 → 00:18:25]

How Growing Up Among Bills Fans Shaped My Faith: That one thing shaped more of my thinking around people and around, you know, now as an adult, around ministry that planted seeds that grew into big, beautiful trees of faith, trees of ministry, trees of care for others.

— Justin Herman [00:21:09 → 00:21:25]

The Importance of Parental Guidance: You want more on the ledger of things that your kids experience for the first time to be with you than to be with anyone else.

— Justin Herman [00:23:04 → 00:23:12]

Bark proactively works to monitor, detect, and alert you to potential issues on your kids' devices. Visit bark.us to learn more about how you can keep your kids safe online. Use the code COLLIDEKIDS to get 15% off Your Bark Technologies Plan !

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What if practicing just one tiny habit together could spark powerful spiritual growth in your family all year long?

On this episode of the Collide Kids Podcast, host Christen Clark sits down with Christie Thomas, veteran children’s ministry leader, author, and fellow mom, to talk about raising Christian kids, faith at home, and making discipleship doable... even during the busiest seasons! Hear practical inspiration for building faith-filled family time, why you don’t need to be a spiritual “expert,” and fresh ideas for simple but meaningful spiritual habits during Christmas and all year.

Resources:

• Christie’s Website: littleshootsdeeproots.com
• Book Amazon List: amazon.com/shop/christenclark/list/1RLTNBPSOOZY5
• Website: collidekidspodcast.com
• Instagram: @collidekidspod

Clip Finder:

Finding Your Calling: "But when it kind of became official as something that I actually got paid for, when was during my term as a children's ministry director, I did that for most of 12 years. Had a few babies in there, but Most of the 12 years I was doing that. And in that time I started writing things for families to take home and I ended up publishing those take home pages as a book."

— Christie Thomas [00:05:32 → 00:05:55]

Changing Career Dreams: "But yeah, it is very cool that God did take what I loved when I was a child and kind of, I stopped writing probably for 15, 20 years, like creatively and. But then he brought it back into my life."

— Christie Thomas [00:07:49 → 00:07:59]

Letting Go of Parenting Pressure: "I started talking to other families and realized, you know what? This looks different in every family. So even though books are, you know, the, the big names of the day, it doesn't have to look like that."

— Christie Thomas [00:08:55 → 00:09:31]

The Power of Little Things in Discipleship: "I can't take my child's heart of stone and turn it into a heart of flesh, or only God can do that. So I started realizing, well, what can I do? Well, I can do these little things."

— Christie Thomas [00:09:31 → 00:10:07]

Going Beyond Sunday School: "And his teacher, who'd been teaching there for like 20 years, during parent teacher interviews, she says, he knows a lot about the Bible. And I thought, okay, doesn't everybody? Like, we're all Christian school kids here. But he stood out for that."

— Christie Thomas [00:10:29 → 00:10:42]

Viral Parenting Strategies: "I could take that to God and I could say, what's something small? That I could do something that takes like 30 seconds and he would give me ideas."

— Christie Thomas [00:11:41 → 00:11:50]

Parenting Hack for Faithful Families: "the purpose of it is to be an interactive play based devotional...it's also designed for you to sit on one Bible story for a whole week because I originally wrote it to go along with my Sunday school lessons so that families would take this home, they'd have five days of really simple things to do at home that they would actually remember to do because it was simple and short and, and consistent."

— Christie Thomas [00:22:37 → 00:22:56]

Bark proactively works to monitor, detect, and alert you to potential issues on your kids' devices. Visit bark.us to learn more about how you can keep your kids safe online. Use the code COLLIDEKIDS to get 15% off Your Bark Technologies Plan !

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Can worship shape your family’s purpose and inspire lifelong faith for your kids?

On this episode of the Collide Kids Podcast, host Christen Clark welcomes David Ray—pastor, worship leader, and co-founder of Doorpost Kids Worship—for an encouraging and funny conversation about raising Christian kids, building faith at home, and helping children discover the true meaning of worship. From middle school slang to practical ideas for family discipleship, David and Christen dive into simple ways families can nurture spiritual growth, serve together, and prioritize faith in everyday family life.

Resources:

• David’s Website: doorpostsongs.com
• Website: collidekidspodcast.com
• Instagram: @collidekidspod
• Email christen@collidekidspodcast.com for the resource page "100 Ways for Kids to Serve"

Clip Finder:

Why Early Childhood Shapes Our Worldview

"The reason that it's so important for kids is because increasingly we are finding just how much of the way we view the world is formed during our childhood. You know, Barna is telling us that, you know, the way we view the world sort of morally is basically formed by about age 9, and we're kind of locked into a worldview by about age 13."

— David Ray [00:08:49 → 00:09:11]

"Why Worship Is Like Riding a Roller Coaster"

Quote: "A roller coaster almost demands that kind of response from us. And that's like a little picture of what it means to worship God because of who he is, because he's so worthy, he's so deserving of praise. He demands a response from us."

— David Ray [00:10:11 → 00:10:28]

Habits That Shape Kids' Faith for Life

"Lifeway Research did a study recently about what are those activities that kids can engage in, those behaviors that they can learn that are going to result in spiritual health in adulthood."

— David Ray [00:14:49 → 00:15:01]

Empowering Kids to Serve in Church

Quote: "I really just have a heart for churches to expand their vision for finding places for kids to serve in the church."

— David Ray [00:17:33 → 00:17:41]

Is Church Attendance Enough for Spiritual Growth?

"Mere attendance is sort of in a spiritually neutral category when it comes to our children's future, according to this Lifeway study."

— David Ray [00:21:20 → 00:21:30]

The Ultimate Hope for Our Children

Quote: "the thing we really want most for our kids is that they would grow up to follow Jesus and have a relationship with Jesus and be invested in what he calls us to as believers. And so if we want to do that, we got to develop that when we're kids."

— David Ray [00:23:35 → 00:23:51]

Parents and the Power of Early Worship

"One of the things I'm so grateful for is the example that my parents set for me and that they, that they put me in positions to start learning what it means to worship."

— David Ray [00:28:28 → 00:28:37]

Bark proactively works to monitor, detect, and alert you to potential issues on your kids' devices. Visit bark.us to learn more about how you can keep your kids safe online. Use the code COLLIDEKIDS to get 15% off Your Bark Technologies Plan !

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How can compassion and faith shape your child’s courage and kindness especially in the face of bullying?

In this episode of the Collide Kids Podcast, host Christen Clark sits down with Dr. Heather Thompson Day, bestselling author and communication expert, to discuss her new book "Can I Sit Here?" and covers Christian parenting and navigating tough topics like bullying and lonliness from a faith-filled perspective. Get ready for an authentic conversation about family life, the power of compassionate communication, and practical ways to build spiritual growth and purposeful faith at home, even during life’s hardest moments. Just in time for the holidays!

Resources:

• Heather's Resources: heatherthompsonday.com
• Website: collidekidspodcast.com
• Instagram: @collidekidspod

Clip Finder:

Bullying and Empathy in Children's Books: "And it's called can I sit Here? And it is literally a true story of her experience going up to a group of kids in the cafeteria with her little lunch tray as a new student and asking, can I sit here? And they all looked at her and got up and left."
— Heather Thompson Day [00:06:25 → 00:06:38]

The Power of Compassionate Communication: "How do I allow my heart to remain soft despite a situation that is very, very hard?"
— Heather Thompson Day [00:08:25 → 00:08:32]

Facing Rejection After Bravery: “Kids were saying her body was made wrong. Kids just making fun of her. Tons of stories of exclusion.”
— Heather Thompson Day [00:09:51 → 00:09:58]

Viral Parenting Insight: "If you yourself, as an adult, with all of your communication strategies and resources, would not stay in a situation in which you are being repeatedly targeted, harassed or bullied. Do not ask an 8 year old child to stay in a situation with very little resources, right? Very little help, very little safety or security to just keep going back."
— Heather Thompson Day [00:10:07 → 00:10:30]

Viral Parenting Insight: "Your brain is never going to tell you what went right. Your brain is wired in the negative. It's only going to tell you what goes wrong."
— Heather Thompson Day [00:13:38 → 00:13:47]

The Power of Documentation in School Issues: "documentation is your best friend. And all that means is write down the date and try as hard as you can to have a few sentences as to what happened and just keep a little journal documenting... so that the school administration can see, oh, my goodness, this is a kid who has been trying to get help, and nobody's listening to them"
— Heather Thompson Day [00:14:47 → 00:15:20]

Viral Topic: Technology and Social Struggles Among Kids
"It seems like even my young kids are struggling socially in way, I think because of technology, we're struggling to make connections that human beings are actually wired to experience."
— Heather Thompson Day [00:20:40 → 00:20:52]

Building Connections by Trying New Things: "You have to be willing to step into other people's world. And so looking for shared experiences."
— Heather Thompson Day [00:21:39 → 00:21:43]

Bark proactively works to monitor, detect, and alert you to potential issues on your kids' devices. Visit bark.us to learn more about how you can keep your kids safe online. Use the code COLLIDEKIDS to get 15% off Your Bark Technologies Plan !

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Can one simple act of generosity change a child’s life and spark faith and purpose for an entire family?

In this inspiring episode of the Collide Kids Podcast, host Christen Clark sits down with Izabella McMillon to share her incredible true story of growing up in communist Romania, finding faith in secret, and receiving an Operation Christmas Child shoebox that transformed her life forever. Together, they explore the power of Christian parenting, raising Christian kids, and how participating in Operation Christmas Child can be a means of discipleship for your family.

• [00:05:04] Izabella shares what life was like under communism in Romania
• [00:09:17] The miraculous moment Izabella discovers a hidden Bible in her home
• [00:13:00] How an underground church impacted Izabella’s faith
• [00:25:13] Practical tips for families on packing shoeboxes

Resources:

• samaritanspurse.org/occ
• Website: collidekidspodcast.com
• Instagram: @collidekidspod

For more stories of Operation Christmas Child, listen to episodes #187, #145, #105, and #52.

Clip Finder:

Life Under Rationing: "And one of my most vivid and fun memories from my childhood is running on the streets and getting in line and standing in line to get something at the grocery store. I know that might sound really strange to a lot of our listeners, but standing in lines, for us, that meant that we would get something we didn't have."
— Izabella Mcmillon [00:05:57 → 00:06:15]

Growing Up Under Communism: "So what communism tried to do is to make sure we didn't stand out as individuals."
— Izabella Mcmillon [00:08:13 → 00:08:18]

The Unexpected Power of Reading Scripture Without Understanding
Quote: "We kept reading these stories because I believe that when we read God's word, even when we don't fully understand it, he starts working in us."
— Izabella Mcmillon [00:12:51 → 00:12:59]

Faith Under Threat
"And even when someone like my brother and I came as newcomers, he didn't know if we were innocent newcomers or we were spies who were built in by the government. So he had to be very careful to protect all the children who were there."
— Izabella Mcmillon [00:15:14 → 00:15:28]

Childhood Memories Without Electricity: "So the only way that mom and dad would let us go outside to play is if it snowed outside because then it wasn't pitch dark and there was something for us to do."
— Izabella Mcmillon [00:18:00 → 00:18:10]

How to Participate in National Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child
Quote: "From now on until the 24th of November, we are in National Collection Week. So if you even go on the website samaritanspurse.org occ you just type in your zip code and you can find the closest drop of location to you and you can drop off your shoeboxes."
— Izabella Mcmillon [00:35:55 → 00:36:11]

Minno Kids
Minno is the #1 source for high quality, faith-filled content for kids! Start your free trial today! gominno.com

Bark proactively works to monitor, detect, and alert you to potential issues on your kids' devices. Visit bark.us to learn more about how you can keep your kids safe online. Use the code COLLIDEKIDS to get 15% off Your Bark Technologies Plan !

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What if a simple family tradition could transform holiday excitement into lifelong purpose and faith?

On this episode of the Collide Kids Podcast, host Christen Clark welcomes Tim Penner and Jo Rivard, the creative minds behind Tiny Truths, for a conversation filled with laughs, inspiration and practical ideas for raising Christian kids. Discover fresh ways to make Advent meaningful, nurture spiritual growth during family time, and help your family shine their light not just in December but all year long.

Resources:

• Tiny Truths website: https://tinytruthsbible.com/
• CTA Kids: https://www.ctainc.com/collections/tiny-truths
• Podcasting with Purpose Webinar Nov. 18: https://subscribepage.io/nGKK4E
• Website: collidekidspodcast.com
• Instagram: @collidekidspod

**Special thanks to Minno for sponsoring this episode! Visit gominno.com to learn more about this amazing streaming service.

Clip Finder:

The Power of Creative Partnerships: "I've never had a creative partnership like this that just seems to work so well. There's so much joy in it and there's so much fun in it, but also we're doing this meaningful work."
— Tim and Jo - Tiny Truths [00:08:27 → 00:09:05]

Adapting to Change in Animation: "I studied classically hand drawn animation, right as everything was going digital... I was fortunate enough to find a studio that liked my drawings and liked my ideas enough to say, we'll teach you how to do this on a computer... So it was an incredible."
— Tim and Jo - Tiny Truths [00:09:57 → 00:10:35]

Joining Forces for Animated Kids Books: "I had always wanted to make kids books. And it just seemed like we had the perfect combination of skills to come together and make little funny, silly animated kids books with little simple animations and funny sound effects."
— Tim and Jo - Tiny Truths [00:11:28 → 00:11:48]

Viral Parenting Inspiration: "I think it's an opportunity for parents and kids to start to discover all of the ways there are to really live out the way we're meant to Live and to reflect God's love in the world the way we're meant to."
— Tim and Jo - Tiny Truths [00:14:07 → 00:14:18]

Viral Family Holiday Traditions: "We sort of try to have a good mix of all the ways in which we think that you can shine your light in the world and share God's love with your neighbors, with each other, in your Family. There are intentional days of rest put in as well, which we think is very important."
— Tim and Jo - Tiny Truths [00:16:37 → 00:16:50]

Viral Topic: The Beauty of Advent's Pause
"It's a chance to slow down, to remind ourselves of what's important in the season, to remember the Christmas story and to remember what our role is in it."
— Tim and Jo - Tiny Truths [00:18:56 → 00:19:08]

Minno Kids
Minno is the #1 source for high quality, faith-filled content for kids! Start your free trial today!

Bark proactively works to monitor, detect, and alert you to potential issues on your kids' devices. Visit bark.us to learn more about how you can keep your kids safe online. Use the code COLLIDEKIDS to get 15% off Your Bark Technologies Plan !

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Can embracing weakness actually make your family stronger in faith and purpose?

This week on the Collide Kids Podcast, host Christen Clark sits down with Joel Conwell Arcieri, a tech professional and children’s author, for a deeply encouraging chat about spiritual growth, vulnerability, and family life. Joel opens up about his journey from pastor’s kid to author, how his own challenges with anxiety inspired his new book for kids, and practical ways Christian parenting can nurture emotional intelligence, faith at home, and true discipleship.

• [00:10:30] Joel shares the childhood experience behind his book
• [00:13:36] Why weakness and failure are vital for spiritual growth
• [00:21:47] How reading children’s books as a family can inspire honest faith conversations and strengthen purpose in raising Christian kids.

Resources:

• Website: jconwell.org
• Amazon: The Boy in the Tree
• Podcasting with Purpose Workshop - Online Nov. 18
• Website: collidekidspodcast.com
• Instagram: @collidekidspod

Special Thanks to MINNO for sponsoring this episode!

Clip Finder:

Vulnerability and Emotional Intelligence: "When Weak Is okay is just such a beautiful story about vulnerability and emotional intelligence."
— Joel Conwell Arcieri [00:02:33 → 00:02:40]

Parenting & Mental Health
"When we're open and honest about the things that we are struggling with or things that we're having a hard time with, or maybe we have some anxiety and just having an open conversation with our kids about that to the level that they can understand, I think that's helpful for them to process what they're going through, because they might think, mom and dad don't understand this because I'm going through something in my mind."
— Joel Conwell Arcieri [00:20:58 → 00:21:19]

The Power of Weakness
"When we stop fighting our weaknesses and let God work through them, that's when his power really shows. That's when others can see it too, and be encouraged by how he works in our story and works through our lives."
— Joel Conwell Arcieri [00:33:55 → 00:34:08]

Bark proactively works to monitor, detect, and alert you to potential issues on your kids' devices. Visit bark.us to learn more about how you can keep your kids safe online. Use the code COLLIDEKIDS to get 15% off Your Bark Technologies Plan !

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What if the time your family spends together watching shows or reading books could spark spiritual growth and lifelong faith?

On this episode of the Collide Kids Podcast, host Christen Clark sits down with Jess Wolstenholm,VP of Education and Research at Minno Kids, a leading Christian streaming and publishing platform for families. Together, they dive into Christian Parenting, raising kids who abide in Christ, practical discipleship ideas for family life, and how to fill your home with inspiration and purpose through age-appropriate faith-filled media. Plus, Jess reveals some exciting new projects coming to Minno that will encourage family time and make Faith at home fun and meaningful.

Resources:

• Website: www.gominno.com
• Youtube: @minnokids
• "Podcasting with Purpose" Webinar Nov. 18, Follow on social media for more infrmation: see @christenclark
• Website: collidekidspodcast.com
• Instagram: @collidekidspod

Clip Finder:

Making Faith Matter in Children's Media: "We just really want to help kids and families experience Jesus together through the media that they consume. Because we know kids are consuming lots of media, and parents, you know, it's a struggle because you want it to matter. You want it to be good media."
— Jess Wolstenholm [00:05:31 → 00:05:44]

Why Are Families Staying Faithful?
"All these people are leaving the faith. Why aren't we? I mean, we experienced a lot of loss. We lost four babies and two moms, and both of our moms in the span of five years."
— Jess Wolstenholm [00:08:50 → 00:09:03]

Elevating Christian Kids Media
Quote: "We're so focused on making sure that kids have all of the same really excellent, educationally appropriate, age appropriate shows that you would see on a PBS Kids or a Sesame, but through a faith lens."
— Jess Wolstenholm [00:14:55 → 00:15:11]

Dual Language Kids' TV Shows
"We have a brand new show called Guillermo and Will and it is a dual language preschool show with two little puppet worms. Guillermo speaks Spanish and Will speaks English and they're the best friends... kids are going to learn in every episode three to four words in English and Spanish so they can understand both languages."
— Jess Wolstenholm [00:15:12 → 00:15:40]

Jesus’ Love for Children: "one of my favorite things about the show is just the really sweet, gentle interaction between Jesus and the children. And I really hope that's something that kids take away... To know, like, that is how Jesus feels about children."
— Jess Wolstenholm [00:20:51 → 00:21:10]

Bark proactively works to monitor, detect, and alert you to potential issues on your kids' devices. Visit bark.us to learn more about how you can keep your kids safe online. Use the code COLLIDEKIDS to get 15% off Your Bark Technologies Plan !

Some days, you might play The River for some nice background music. Some days, you'll play it so your kids don't hear anything inappropriate. But some days, you listen because life has knocked you down, and you need help getting back up. We're here for all of them. Our goal is to introduce as many people as possible to Jesus through music and service. You can listen and get connected at https://riverradio.com/

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