Parent Forward

Julie Ann Luse
  • 5.0 (17)
  • PARENTING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Parent Forward: Where Parenting Meets Spiritual Formation with Julie Ann Luse Parenting is more than managing behavior — it’s sacred, formative work. Parent Forward invites you to see raising kids through a new lens: as a holy journey of becoming, both for your children and for you. Join longtime ministry leader, mother of three, and spiritual formation guide Julie Ann Luse as she explores the everyday moments of parenting through the lens of faith, neuroscience, and soul-deep connection. Through personal stories, research-backed insights, and biblical wisdom, Julie Ann helps parents move beyond quick fixes and behavior charts to embrace the slow, beautiful work of forming souls — including their own. Every episode offers gentle encouragement, honest reflections, and practical steps to help you cultivate a spiritually nurturing home where love, grace, and presence shape the next generation. If you’re longing for deeper connection, tired of parenting tips that miss the heart, and hungry to weave your faith naturally into daily family life — Parent Forward is for you. It’s not about perfection. It’s not about performance. It’s about becoming — one faithful step at a time. Subscribe and begin moving forward today.

  1. 12/23/2025

    God is not quite like that | Advent Series Episode 4

    Episode Summary In this episode, we sit with one of the most tender and often misunderstood names of God: Emmanuel, God with us. For many of us, “God with us” sounds beautiful… but feels far away, especially when grief, loneliness, shame, or exhaustion are pressing in. Instead of offering explanations or tidy theology, this episode makes space for honesty, lament, and presence. We explore how Emmanuel did not begin in the manger, but in the cry of an enslaved people where God first revealed himself as the One who sees, knows, and comes near. Not to rush us forward, but to sit beside us. This episode is for anyone who feels weary this Christmas. For anyone who doesn’t need fixing, only companionship. Exodus 3:7–8 (NIV) “The Lord said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out… and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them…’” This is the birthplace of Emmanuel, the God who sees, knows, and comes down to be with his people. Mentioned in This Episode The Joyful Journey: Listening to Emmanuel by Dr. James Wilder, Anna Kang, John Loppnow and Sungshim Loppnow  The Rabbit Listened  by Cory Doerrfeld [read to you by me - on instagram] Emmanuel Journaling Bonus Episode. Interested? Email me: Julie@ParentForward.com Closing Prayer [inspired by The Rabbit Listened] Father God, I don’t need you to fix this right now. I don’t need answers. I don’t need explanations. I just need you here. Father, sit with me in this place. This place I don’t know how to clean up. This place I don’t know how to name. This place that still hurts. I bring you the grief I can’t carry, the anger I don’t know what to do with, the exhaustion that won’t lift, and the ache that words can’t reach. Father, you see me. You know what this feels like from the inside. And you’re not afraid of any of it. So stay with me, Emmanuel. Hold what I cannot. Carry what is too heavy. Be near enough that I can breathe again. I don’t need to feel better. I don’t need to be okay. I just need to know that I am not alone. And I trust, even here, that you are with me. In your name, Father. Amen. Support the show Let’s Stay Connected: Instagram: @parentforwardpodcast Website: www.parentforward.com

    13 min

  2. 12/18/2025

    Treasuring What We Never Expected | Advent Series Episode 3

    The moment my hand met the cold stone in Nazareth, the story shifted from stained glass to skin. We meet Mary not as a distant icon but as a teenage girl in a small, ordinary room whose life was interrupted by impossible news and who chose to treasure and ponder rather than shut down. That posture becomes our guide for Advent, a way of holding confusion without losing the thread of hope. I share the journey from jet lag to the Church of the Annunciation, down into the grotto that tradition calls Mary’s home, and how that space reframed Luke’s quiet line: she treasured these things and pondered them in her heart. We explore what treasuring means in practice and why it matters for a restless brain. When stress closes in, the amygdala narrows attention to threat. By pausing to let a small mercy land, a kind word, a warm touch, a moment of ease, we feed our nervous system evidence of safety and let goodness register long enough to become memory. The road then winds to Bethlehem, where a glittering tree clashes with the raw reality of a birth in a cave. With help from older Christian symbolism, the evergreen becomes more than décor: life that holds through winter, light threaded into darkness. The problem isn’t the tree; it’s the pressure we wrap around it. When we let go, the symbol points us back to Mary’s reality and our own: God arriving in ordinary places amid noise, scarcity, and uncertainty. You’ll leave with a simple daily practice for December: name one small mercy and give it ten extra seconds. Write it down, breathe it in, whisper thank you. It won’t erase the hard parts, but it will widen your capacity to feel God’s nearness, not just think about it. If this conversation helped you slow down and find light in ordinary moments, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs calm, and leave a review so others can discover these grounded practices. What small mercy will you treasure today? Support the show Let’s Stay Connected: Instagram: @parentforwardpodcast Website: www.parentforward.com

    14 min

  3. 12/10/2025

    The God Who Draws Near | Advent Series Episode 2

    The holidays can feel like life on fast-forward: bright, loud, and strangely thin. We’re told to be present and grateful, yet our minds race and our senses pull inward to cope. This conversation slows the moment down and shows a kinder way forward—how quiet noticing interrupts overwhelm and makes room for gratitude that actually sticks. We begin by naming what’s real: December pressures the nervous system to scan for problems, not beauty. From there we explore a gentler practice of attention—lingering for one breath when a small good thing appears. A laugh from the next room, the warmth of a mug, the way light rests on a wall. These aren’t big spiritual performances; they’re soft openings where gratitude starts. We draw on two anchors from Scripture: Mary being met in an ordinary day with the words you are highly favored, and Moses hearing God’s promise, my presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. The Hebrew panim—face—reminds us that presence is attention turned toward us, producing not mere relaxation but groundedness and courage. You’ll hear simple, story-driven examples—a dad undone by a child’s quiet touch, a crowded evening interrupted by a single laugh—that illustrate how small sparks can reorient a tired heart. We offer a clear practice to try this week: choose one moment, only one, and let it land for the length of a breath. No striving, no checklist, just enough space to notice what’s quietly good. Along the way, we hold both ache and hope, honoring Advent as a season where longing and nearness live side by side. If this resonates, take the practice with you and see what shifts. Subscribe for the next part of the series where we’ll learn how to treasure those small joys so they settle deeper. If today helped you breathe easier, share it with a friend and leave a review—what small mercy did you notice? Support the show Let’s Stay Connected: Instagram: @parentforwardpodcast Website: www.parentforward.com

    9 min

  4. 12/06/2025

    Light in the Low Places | Advent Series Episode 1

    Light in the Low Places | Advent Series Episode 1 Scripture: Isaiah 9:2, 6–7 Advent is beautiful, but it can also feel heavy. If you’re stepping into December already tired, carrying invisible weight, or feeling like wonder is out of reach, this episode is a gentle place to land. In this first week of the Advent series Light in the Low Places, Julie invites you into a slower, more honest kind of preparation, one that welcomes your grief, exhaustion, longing, and hope. Together we explore why the holidays often feel heavier than we expected, how our bodies respond to cultural pressure, and the quiet assurance that God draws near to weary people first. If you don’t feel ready, spiritual, or “in the Christmas spirit” — you are not behind. You are exactly where Emmanuel loves to arrive. Let’s Stay Connected: Instagram: @parentforwardpodcast Website: www.parentforward.com

    10 min

  5. 07/03/2025

    Episode 9: SACRED PLAY SERIES pt 4 | When play grows up: Why Growing Up Doesn't Mean Giving Up Wonder

    SHOW NOTES: https://parentforward.com/sacredplayseries-whenplaygrowsup/ Remember when play came naturally? When laughter flowed freely with your little ones? Then something shifted. The sidewalk chalk disappeared, games became "dorky," and eye rolls replaced giggles. What happened to that sacred sense of wonder we once shared with our children? This episode explores the beautiful tension of parenting older kids while trying to maintain—or recover—our capacity for sacred play. We dive into the neuroscience behind why imagination fades (it's called synaptic pruning) and the hopeful reality that our brains can build new pathways back to joy through intentional practice. We challenge common myths about teenagers: they don't actually want to be left alone; they crave meaningful connection beyond screens; and yes, they still want moments of silliness and delight—just in different forms. Looking to Jesus as our model, we find someone who embodied playful spirituality through questions, stories, and inviting people to notice the world around them. His posture of curiosity reminds us that God delights in questions rather than fearing mystery. What blocks us from embracing this divine playfulness? Often it's shame, exhaustion, or the persistent feeling that we haven't earned joy yet—that we don't deserve delight until the to-do list is complete. But what if play isn't a luxury but a spiritual discipline essential for our wholeness? Whether your children are toddlers, teens, or somewhere in between, this episode offers gentle permission to start small: one moment of shared delight this week. Because it's not too late to rebuild wonder—for your children's sake and your own. Join me on Instagram @parentforwardpodcast to share how it goes, and tune in next week for a special behind-the-scenes episode about the heart behind Parent Forward, plus a giveaway of my favorite parenting tools! Support the show Let’s Stay Connected: Instagram: @parentforwardpodcast Website: www.parentforward.com

    17 min

  6. 06/12/2025

    Episode 8: SACRED PLAY SERIES pt 3 | Play as Sacred Space: Meeting God in Imagination

    SHOW NOTES: https://parentforward.com/sacredplayseries-sacredimagination/ The spiritual life of children doesn't look like adult faith—it's wilder, more embodied, and deeply imaginative. When my daughter gathered her stuffed animals and announced "Jesus is here and we're going to listen with our hearts," I realized she wasn't just playing—she was creating sacred space in her own intuitive way. Decades of research by experts like Catherine Stonehouse and Scotty May confirm what many parents have glimpsed: children naturally encounter God through creativity and play long before they can articulate faith in adult language. Their book "Listening to Children on the Spiritual Journey" documents countless moments where kids express profound spiritual insights through art, storytelling, and imaginative exploration. One child described feeling Jesus's love while painting; another built a LEGO church and experienced it as genuine worship. This isn't coincidental. Jesus himself taught primarily through parables and metaphors—he didn't offer three-point sermons but invited listeners into imaginative participation through stories about seeds, coins, and lost sheep. When our children ask if God has wings or what heaven smells like, they're engaging in precisely the kind of imaginative theology Jesus modeled. Eugene Peterson captures this beautifully in "Christ Plays in 10,000 Places," suggesting that divine presence saturates our ordinary world—not just in church but in cardboard castles and backyard adventures. The challenge for parents is simple but profound: can we set aside our need to control and correct, stepping instead into our children's worlds with reverence and curiosity? This week, try joining your child in play without leading. Ask open-ended questions like "Where do you think God is in this story?" or provide gentle prompts such as "Can you draw what it feels like when God is close?" Your presence—not your perfection—is what creates space for sacred play. Something beautiful happens when we enter our children's imaginative worlds: we remember what our souls have forgotten. We rediscover wonder, mystery, and a faith that breathes and moves. Join us next week as we explore what gets in the way when play feels hard, and how to gently find our way back to joy. Subscribe now and become part of our community of parents seeking faithful formation, one imaginative step at a time. Let’s Stay Connected: Instagram: @parentforwardpodcast Website: www.parentforward.com

    14 min

  7. 06/04/2025

    Episode 7: SACRED PLAY SERIES pt2 | The Playful Parent - Why kids need you to be silly again

    SHOW NOTES: https://parentforward.com/sacredplayseries-theplayfulparent/ What happens when a parent chooses to be ridiculous on purpose? Something sacred emerges in those unguarded moments of laughter and play. Through a story about a tension-filled dinner transformed by an impromptu Sound of Music performance, we discover how play creates connection beyond what words could achieve. That moment of shared silliness didn't just lighten the mood—it created a sanctuary where everyone belonged, where even a resistant three-year-old found her way back to joy. We've been taught that adulthood means productivity and emotional efficiency. Play gets labeled as childish or optional, something we outgrow when "real life" begins. But researchers like Dr. Stuart Brown and Dr. Karen Purvis have discovered something profound: play isn't decorative—it's developmental. "The opposite of play isn't work," Brown notes after decades of study, "it's depression." When play fades, confusion and emotional disconnection take its place. Even Jesus modeled this playful approach to transformation. His stories about camels squeezing through needle eyes and people with logs protruding from their eyes weren't dry theological points—they were vivid, sometimes absurd windows into the kingdom. What if Jesus told them with the joy of a campfire storyteller, using humor not to entertain but to invite? This week's spiritual practice is beautifully simple: be silly. Use a funny voice. Make up a secret handshake. Narrate bedtime like a nature documentary. For some of us, this feels harder than it sounds, especially if we were raised where play wasn't safe. But when we meet our children in the absurd, we're communicating something profound: this space is safe, you are free here, joy doesn't need to be earned. Join our Parent Forward community by visiting parentforward.com where the conversation continues with weekly insights and resources. Has this episode stirred something in you? Share it on Instagram @parentforwardpodcast and leave a review to help others discover this soul-nourishing approach to family life. Let’s Stay Connected: Instagram: @parentforwardpodcast Website: www.parentforward.com

    16 min

  8. 05/28/2025

    Episode 6: SACRED PLAY SERIES pt. 1 | Play Is Holy — Rediscovering Joy in a World That Worships Work

    SHOW NOTES: https://parentforward.com/sacredplayseries-playisholy/ Remember when laughter came easy? When joy didn't need a reason? Somewhere along the way, most of us traded imagination for efficiency and forgot how to play. This profound loss isn't just about missing out on fun—it's about missing a sacred pathway to spiritual formation. When my daughter asked me to pretend to be a baby bunny, I froze. The request seemed trivial, even inconvenient. Yet in that moment of hesitation, I recognized something deeper at stake. She wasn't just asking for my time; she was inviting me into a forgotten posture of lightheartedness and freedom. What followed—my awkward hopping and nose-twitching that sent her into fits of giggles—created a connection between us that felt holy, a moment where heaven brushed against earth. Theologians and children's spirituality experts have long recognized what most adults forget: play isn't a break from serious work—it might be the work itself. When children were asked what they would say if Jesus appeared at dinner, they didn't ask him to solve problems or answer theological questions. Their responses were beautifully simple: "Will you stay for dinner?" "Will you hunt for bugs with me?" "Will you have a tea party?" They didn't ask Jesus to fix anything—they invited him to play. What if the divine is found not in our striving but in our silliness? What if play is prayer? This episode opens a new series exploring sacred play as spiritual practice—not as another item on your to-do list but as a gentle return to something your soul already knows. Join me in rediscovering the God who rejoices over us with singing, who delights in our delight, and who never tires of playing. Share your own stories of rediscovered play on Instagram @parentforwardpodcast or visit parentforward.com for resources to help you continue this journey. The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these—perhaps it's time we remembered how to enter it. Let’s Stay Connected: Instagram: @parentforwardpodcast Website: www.parentforward.com

    13 min
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About

Parent Forward: Where Parenting Meets Spiritual Formation with Julie Ann Luse Parenting is more than managing behavior — it’s sacred, formative work. Parent Forward invites you to see raising kids through a new lens: as a holy journey of becoming, both for your children and for you. Join longtime ministry leader, mother of three, and spiritual formation guide Julie Ann Luse as she explores the everyday moments of parenting through the lens of faith, neuroscience, and soul-deep connection. Through personal stories, research-backed insights, and biblical wisdom, Julie Ann helps parents move beyond quick fixes and behavior charts to embrace the slow, beautiful work of forming souls — including their own. Every episode offers gentle encouragement, honest reflections, and practical steps to help you cultivate a spiritually nurturing home where love, grace, and presence shape the next generation. If you’re longing for deeper connection, tired of parenting tips that miss the heart, and hungry to weave your faith naturally into daily family life — Parent Forward is for you. It’s not about perfection. It’s not about performance. It’s about becoming — one faithful step at a time. Subscribe and begin moving forward today.

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  • Creator
    Julie Ann Luse
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Parent Forward
  • Show Website
    Parent Forward

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