So many parents are quietly exhausted—not because they don’t care, but because they’re trying to be perfect.

In this episode of Encounter Grace, Justin sits down with Susan McKnight to talk about why perfection was never God’s requirement for parenting—and why grace, not performance, is what actually forms healthy kids.

Drawing from Paul David Tripp’s teaching on God’s present grace, Susan helps us reframe parenting as something that happens between the cross and eternity. We explore why God calls unable people to parent, how our weaknesses become invitations to depend on Him, and why parenting is as much about God’s work in us as it is His work in our children.

This conversation is honest, pastoral, and deeply freeing for any parent who has ever felt like they’re failing.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why healthy kids don’t need perfect parents
  

• What “present grace” looks like in everyday parenting
  

• How God uses parenting to expose—and heal—our hearts
  

• Why confession and humility are gifts to our children
  

• The difference between grace-filled parenting and permissiveness
  

If you’re a tired parent, a young family just getting started, or a leader walking with others through the challenges of parenting, this episode offers hope, clarity, and a reminder that God’s grace is not just for salvation—it’s for today.

#ChristianParenting #ParentingWithGrace #GospelCenteredParenting #EncounterGrace #FaithAndFamily #ImperfectParents #HealthyFamilies

Why do the opening pages of the Bible matter so much—for our faith, our lives, and the world we’re trying to love well?In this episode, we introduce a new Encounter Grace segment, “Why This Matters,” where we slow down and revisit foundational truths that quietly shape everything else. And there’s no better place to start than Genesis 1–3—the introduction not only to Scripture, but to reality itself.We explore how these three chapters reveal who God is at the deepest level:Genesis 1 shows us God as Creator, declaring the goodness of the material world.Genesis 2 reveals God as King, calling His people into meaningful, culture-shaping work.Genesis 3 unveils God as Redeemer, displaying grace on the very day sin enters the story.Rather than treating Genesis as abstract theology or a battleground for debates, this episode asks a more personal and practical question: What was God revealing about Himself to His redeemed people—and what is He still revealing to us today?If you’ve ever wondered why creation, culture, work, embodiment, grace, and human dignity matter so much to Christian faith, this conversation will help you see Genesis 1–3 not as distant history, but as a living foundation that brings clarity, hope, and purpose to everyday life.Because when we truly encounter the God who is Creator, King, and Redeemer, it changes how we see the world—and how the world encounters grace through us.#Genesis #BiblicalTheology #ChristianWorldview #BibleStudy #EncounterGrace

We all want change—but most of us don’t know where to start. Big goals feel overwhelming, and trying to change everything at once usually leads to nothing changing at all.In this first episode of our new year-long series, 1 Habit to Change Your Life, we start with the foundation: how habits actually work—and why they quietly determine the shape and direction of your life.Drawing from everyday experience, brain science, and lived wisdom, we explore why your brain is constantly turning repeated actions into autopilot patterns—for better or for worse. Skills become habits. Reactions become habits. Even distractions become habits. And once a habit forms, it begins to lead you.The key insight of this episode is simple but powerful: with focus and intentionality, you can choose which practices your brain turns into habits—and therefore which outcomes your life moves toward.You’ll learn:Why habits conserve mental energy and shape long-term directionHow repeated practices physically change the brain over timeWhy lasting change happens by degrees, not overnightA realistic rhythm for building habits without burnout or overwhelmThen we introduce Habit #1 in the series:Deep Breathing Throughout the DayThis practice may seem small, but it has outsized impact. When emotions rise, the first thing to go is oxygen to the brain. Learning to pause and breathe creates space to think, respond, and choose wisely—rather than react and regret.You’ll be guided through:A simple, repeatable breathing patternWhen to practice it during the dayWhy it calms the body and steadies the mindHow to build it into your daily rhythm until it becomes second natureOur invitation is straightforward:Choose one intentional practice. Do it daily for 40–50 days. Let it become habit. Then build the next one.Over time, small practices compound into meaningful, lasting life change—the kind God often invites us into.#OneHabitToChangeYourLife #ChristianPodcast #SpiritualFormation #HabitFormation #EncounterGracePodcast