30. To the Women who Mother the World's Children with Kayla Craig

 
 
 

Overview

Kayla and Lauren have been online friends for 10 years, writing and mothering in similar spaces. This conversation takes a deep dive into the relationships parents have with others who mothered our children both before and after they joined our families. Kayla writes heartfelt prayers for parents who are in need of a ministry of words in seasons of deep grief or spiritual dryness. Her top-rated Substack newsletter offers weekly breath prayers, playlists, and encouragement for raising safe and whole families.

Kayla is also the author of “Every Season Sacred” and “To Light Their Way.” With a background in journalism, she hopes to bring curiosity and compassion to how she shows up not only as a writer and podcaster but also as a neighbor, friend, and parent. She considers herself a contemplative extrovert and is the creator of the popular Liturgies for Parents Instagram and Podcast. Her wonder-shaped writing has been featured in a vast array of books, devotionals, and Bible studies. She lives in a former convent with her pastor husband, four kids, and two dogs in her Iowa hometown.

“I think about the people that have been the most nurturing, that have stood in the gap and they are people that have seen some of the deepest pain and yet are capable of digging out this deep well of joy and hope.”

- Kayla Craig

“Nurturing does not have to be one-dimensional in its gender. As women, we are made in the image of God and that means that god has very maternal characteristics just as much as he may have paternal characteristics.”

- Lauren Pinkston

“As a parent you don’t want your kid to hurt. You want to take it all away, but there’s sometimes where we just sit with them and that’s how we can be like Jesus in that moment.”

- Kayla Craig

Episode Highlights

1:52 - Kayla Craig Introduction

11:15 - Parenting and how motherhood changes you

12:50 - The formation of women in our lives

17:52 - Parenting adopted children

26:44 - Expanding the network of safety and influence outside the home

31:40 - Recognizing the importance of people in the lives of our kids before we met them

36:40 - Kayla’s second book “Every Season Sacred” and spiritual rhythms

Links

⁠⁠⁠⁠Kindred Exchange⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Become a monthly donor to support this show and our mission

Emmaus House - Learn more about their work with orphaned youth in Haiti

Liturgies for Parents Podcast - Tune into Kayla’s podcast for a moment of peace in the chaos of life.

“Every Season Sacred” - Reflections, prayers, and invitations to nourish your soul and nurture your family throughout the year

“To Light Their Way” - A collection of prayers & liturgies for parents

Connect with Lauren

Email / Instagram / Leave a Review

Connect with Kayla

Instagram / Facebook / Substack

 
 
 
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29. Helping Organizations Transition to Better Care with Brent Phillips