Ask Mom and Dad

Ask Mom & Dad
  • 5.0 (9)
  • Parenting
  • Updated Weekly

Greg and Tonya spend time each week talking together about things that have been a part of their life journey and answering the various questions that have been posed to them along the way.

  1. Sep 19

    EpisodeWhat If God Promised You Something You Almost Missed?

    Tonya has been trying to write a book for a couple of years. Not because publishing is hard now—anybody can print one. Because the story itself keeps getting bigger than the moment that started it.It began with their youngest son. Accidents. Fear. A stretch in Phoenix that felt like a desert on the outside and in her soul. And then this quiet thing she almost walked past: a promise God had already tucked into Elijah’s name, spoken back to her when things were at their worst. God would protect him. He was there.In this episode of Ask Mom and Dad, Greg and Tonya sit with that book while it’s still unfinished. Seven chapters mapped. About eighteen thousand words in. She’s aiming for something you can actually hold—deep enough to carry the promise, not so padded it loses what God put on her heart. Along the way they talk about Amazon books, instant “experts,” AI that can catch a muddy sermon but shouldn’t write your life, and why a story still needs a living soul behind it.If you’ve ever felt a promise in the dark and didn’t know how to tell it, this one is for you. CHAPTERS  00:00 Coffee, Questions, and Getting Settled  01:31 Why Everybody Suddenly Has a Book 07:21 The Book Tonya Can’t Rush 14:18 Elijah, the Desert, and a Promise She Almost Missed 18:15 Filling It Out Without Losing the Thread 20:19 Tools Can Help—They Can’t Live the Story 32:52 Why a Book Doesn’t Make You an Expert 38:37 Trusting the One Who Holds the Whole Thing Together

  2. Aug 28

    What If Church Isn’t Somewhere You Go—It’s a House He’s Building in You?

    Greg and Tonya keep meeting the same kind of faith: know the commandments, work hard, make it to Sunday, want the life God blesses.Just not always God in the center of it.This episode is about that gap. The fear of God is not a short list that makes you a good person. Jesus made it personal—love Him with everything, then treat the person in front of you like they already belong. They sit with Psalm 127 and the anxious toil we dress up as responsibility. They sit with Ephesians 2, where the wall that said “you don’t belong here” comes down, and strangers become members of the household of God.That’s the turn. You don’t visit the temple anymore. You’re being built into it. Jesus is the one holding the load. The gathering is the house coming alive in one room. And the people you pass in the grocery store are not on the other side of a wall He already tore down.If He’s building the house in you, you don’t have to protect it. You can invite people home.Come sit with Greg and Tonya. CHAPTERS 00:00:11 – Ask Mom and Dad 00:06:34 – Sacred, Secular, and Muddy Water 00:10:48 – Fear of God Isn’t a Checklist 00:15:14 – Anxious Toil and the Gift of Rest 00:17:12 – Belonging Without Being the Center 00:21:45 – The Wall Came Down 00:27:40 – When the Temple Starts Talking 00:32:00 – He Carries the Load. You Have a Role. 00:39:59 – Living It Around Your Own Table

  3. Aug 14

    How Far Will You Go to Make Room For Someone?

    We just got back from England, where churches stand on nearly every corner… and yet so many people have never actually encountered Jesus.Greg and Tonya talk about the difference between “here’s a place to sit” and “come sit with me.” They dig into why the word “religion” itself can become a wall, what people really mean when they say “I’m not religious,” and how genuine relationship—not more programs or prettier buildings—creates the kind of access that changes everything.From a widower who just wanted to die, to a woman with tattoos talking about angels in the park, to the quiet work of preparing the ground so the seed can actually take root… this conversation gets honest about the barriers we don’t always see and the comfort zones we have to leave if we want others to feel at ease enough to meet Jesus.Pull up a chair. This one’s worth listening all the way through. CHAPTERS  00:00:00 – Opening Banter and the Real Question 00:02:46 – England: Churches Everywhere, Understanding Nowhere 00:05:06 – Jesus as a Person, Not Just a Feeling 00:14:57 – Visible Access vs. Meaningful Access 00:26:47 – “Places to Sit” or “Come Sit With Me”? 00:27:21 – When the Word “Religion” Becomes the Barrier 00:38:27 – Preparing the Ground and Leaving Comfort Zones 00:49:34 – Listening for Stories and Lowering the Walls

  4. Jul 31

    Has the Mission Field Come Full Circle—Taking the Gospel Back to the Land That Once Carried It to Us?

    We spent ten days bouncing between Oxford and the southern edges of London helping mission teams move from place to place. What started as practical work turned into a running conversation about everything from tube seats that try to dump you on the floor to food that actually lists real ingredients first.Along the way we kept running into the same quiet surprise: a Christian history that is still thick in the air even when a lot of people no longer notice it. Older men who pray with a weight that feels older than the room. Door-to-door conversations that open more easily than we expected. Standing in places where the gospel was fought for and realizing how much of what we take for granted came from there.Greg and Tonya process the funny, the awkward, and the weighty parts of the trip without polishing it up. If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to carry faith into a culture that still has the memory of the gospel but not always the life of it, this conversation is worth sitting with. CHAPTERS 00:00:00 – Funky Toes and Why Older People Talk About Things Nobody Asked For 00:01:56 – Back From London: Ten Days of Mission Work and No Real Plan 00:06:03 – Scones, Fig Bars, and Why the Food Tastes Different 00:10:01 – “Way Out” Signs, Restroom Confusion, and Gen Z Slang 00:14:13 – Hearing Prayers That Carried a Different Weight 00:21:00 – Aging Churches and the Men Who Still Live the Faith Out Loud 00:27:00 – When Ease Makes a Nation Forget Where the Gospel Came From 00:33:00 – Door-to-Door Conversations and Learning to Talk About a Broken World 00:36:00 – Tyndale, Wycliffe, Kings, and the God Who Uses Them AllTAGS MissionTrip,

  5. Jul 10

    Hollywood Lives, Strange Gravestones — Where Is the Hope That Lasts?

    Hey, it's Greg and Tonya—jumping into a conversation that started with a walk through a famous LA celebrity graveyard and quickly got real. We talk about the minimal, often sad markers on stars like Natalie Wood, Farrah Fawcett, and Dean Martin, contrasting them with the faith-filled family plots that feel connected and hopeful. All that fame and fortune, yet so little evidence of what is lasting. What is the evidence of peace or eternal hope. We dive into Ephesians 1, the true inheritance we have in Christ, and why that changes everything about how we live, grieve, and leave a legacy. Along the way we touch on actors finding faith today, Ruth's faithfulness, Job's trials, and what it means to build your life on something that doesn't fade.If you've ever wondered what your life will be remembered for—or how to hold onto hope when things get heavy—this one’s for you. Come have a seat at the table with us. CHAPTERS 00:00:02 - Fun Intro & Graveyard Discovery 00:01:51 - Celebrity Graves vs Family Faith Markers 00:05:17 - Ephesians 1 and Eternal Inheritance 00:06:14 - Epitaph Games & Hollywood Stories 00:14:03 - Grief, Lost Children & Hopelessness 00:20:12 - Modern Actors Finding Christ 00:31:32 - Ruth, Naomi & Legacies of Faith 00:45:49 - Wrapping Up: London Trip & Final Thoughts

  6. Jun 25

    What If Everything You Believe Is a Lie?

    Greg and Tonya sit down and just start talking about how discouraging the headlines are and how hard it is to know what’s true anymore. They wrestle with why so many people—even in Christian circles—end up putting their hope in politics, theology, or systems instead of in Jesus Himself.From Adam and Eve trusting the first lie to modern deceptions, they unpack how we got here and what it actually looks like to walk with Christ daily instead of just collecting the right beliefs. They share from Philippians, talk about the song “All I Have Is Christ,” and give straight warnings about anything or anyone that tries to stand between you and Jesus.If you’re tired of the noise and hungry for something real, this honest conversation from two people who’ve been married a long time and love Jesus more will meet you right where you are. Come listen—you might walk away encouraged to press on. CHAPTERS 00:00:15 - Podcast Kickoff and World Feels Heavy 00:01:52 - Headlines, Lies, and Where Real Hope Comes From 00:03:02 - History of Getting It Wrong Since Genesis 00:08:00 - Theology vs. Knowing Jesus Personally 00:11:20 - Pressing On Like Paul in Philippians 00:15:15 - Back to the Garden: Intimate Walk with God 00:20:36 - All I Have Is Christ and True Humility 00:30:50 - What the Church Is Really For (and Warnings)

  7. Jun 19

    What Does Juneteenth Reveal About America’s Need for True Rebirth?

    Greg and Tonya sit down and immediately start laughing about their cluttered house, messy closets, and how hosting Bible study forced them to clean up. But the conversation quickly turns serious as they wrestle with what real rebirth looks like — for their church, for our country, and for us personally. They dig into Juneteenth, the Civil War, Lincoln’s call for national prayer and fasting, Stonewall Jackson’s surprising story, and how God sometimes removes even godly leaders to accomplish His purposes. From Philippians 2 humility to the danger of thinking we know better than God, they explore why anger and division keep growing and what it takes to get back to unity. If you’ve felt discouraged by the news, politics, or the feeling that everything is falling apart, this episode will challenge and encourage you. Come listen as Greg and Tonya remind us that only God can truly heal and rebuild. CHAPTERS 00:00:14 - House Clutter, Kids, and Forced Cleaning 00:02:13 - VBS Plans and Rebuilding Church Life 00:04:22 - Church Life Cycles and National Rebirth 00:05:27 - Juneteenth, Civil War, and Lincoln’s Prayer 00:15:01 - Trusting God Over Politics and Human Plans 00:24:02 - Philippians 2, Humility, and Working Out Salvation 00:35:18 - Higher Ideals, Anger, and Unity in Christ 00:37:55 - Joshua’s Warning: Don’t Forget God

  8. Jun 4

    What Lenses Are You Wearing When You Look at the World?

    Greg and Tonya kick things off laughing about their exploding tomato jungle and the never-ending quest for the perfect homegrown tomato before diving headfirst into real life. They unpack their morning Bible study in Philippians, where Paul prays that love would abound more and more with knowledge and discernment.The conversation gets honest fast: how do we tell truth from noise in a world full of tickled ears and YouTube cathedrals? They talk about the danger of making government, doctors, or cultural voices into idols, why true agape love changes how we see everything, and what it really means to put on the right lenses before you interpret the world.If you've ever wondered how to stay grounded when everyone around you is resonating with whatever feels good, this one's for you. Come sit on the couch with Greg and Tonya. CHAPTERS 00:00:14 - Intro & Tomato Garden Update  00:06:00 - Diving into Philippians & Prison Epistles 00:10:00 - Caesar vs Christ: Loyalty in Roman Culture 00:19:00 - Who Are You Actually Listening To? 00:22:00 - The Lenses We See the World Through 00:31:00 - What Real Agape Love Looks Like Today 00:44:00 - Renewing Your Mind & Finishing Strong

See All (131)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Greg and Tonya spend time each week talking together about things that have been a part of their life journey and answering the various questions that have been posed to them along the way.

Information

  • Creator
    Ask Mom & Dad
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    131
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Ask Mom & Dad
  • Show Website
    Ask Mom and Dad