Does sharing the gospel with your kids seem like it’s a one-and-done event, or like it has to be super formal? Join me as I chat with the incredibly wise Bethany Kimsey, founder of the Warrior Mama podcast and mother of 8, to demystify the Gospel and offer practical, real-life advice on how to genuinely share it with your kids.
Discover why “gospel moments” don’t have to be formal or forced, how to move beyond quick-fix behavior correction, and the secret to making the Good News both memorable and meaningful for your whole family. If you’ve ever felt unsure how to talk about the Gospel with your children—or even wondered if you truly understand it yourself—this is the episode for you!
✨ In this episode:
- What the Gospel really is (in under one minute!)
- Four simple “gospel quadrants” for everyday family life
- Moving past behavior modification to heart transformation
- Creative, bite-sized ways to weave Gospel truth into daily routines
- How to recover from “Jesus juking” (and why grace starts with you)
- Encouragement and resources for parents to grow in faith alongside their children
📚 FOLLOW-UP RESOURCES:
- Bethany Kimsey’s “Reset: Anchoring Your Motherhood in Gospel Truths” Course
- Warrior Mama Podcast (Bethany Kimsey): Daily, bite-sized doses of Gospel hope
- Free Gospel Printables
- Family Bible Study: “Clues of the Good News”
Subscribe on your favorite listening platform for practical tips, real parent interviews, and encouragement as we become faith gardeners together!
TRANSCRIPT (simplified)
I recently came across a quote that really stuck with me:
“Not only have most people on the planet never heard the good news of Christian spirituality, I am doubtful whether many churchgoers have even heard it clearly presented. And some who’ve heard it thousands of times are tentative when asked about it.”
Wow, right? If the gospel is essential to Christianity, we should be able to clearly share it with others—especially our children!
That’s why I’m thrilled to introduce today’s guest: Bethany Kimsey, founder of the Warrior Mama podcast. Bethany is passionate about helping parents understand the gospel deeply so it can naturally overflow into everyday family life.
Meet Bethany Kimsey
Christie: Bethany, welcome! Can you start by telling us a little about yourself and your family?
Bethany: Thanks, Christie! I’m so glad to be here. I’ve been married to my husband for 28 years, and we have eight children—four boys and four girls. Yes, they are all our biological children, and yes, our house is busy! It’s truly been a blessing to walk this path of motherhood and marriage.
What Is the Gospel?
Before we talked about how to share the gospel with kids, I asked Bethany for a clear, simple definition of what the gospel actually is.
Christie: For parents who might feel uncertain, how would you explain the gospel in under a minute?
Bethany: A lot of people would say, “The gospel is that Jesus died for me and I asked Him to be my Savior.” While that’s true, it’s just part of the story.
I teach my kids that the gospel has four parts:
- Who is God? — God is holy, sovereign, and our Creator.
- Who are we? — We are created in God’s image but are sinful and separated from Him.
- Who is Jesus? — Jesus is God’s Son who came to live, die, rise again, and is now seated at the right hand of God, working on our behalf.
- What does this mean for me? — Because of Jesus, we are invited into a whole new life with God—not just a one-time salvation moment but an ongoing, intimate relationship.
I like to explain it like this: salvation is the doorway into a whole new land. But many people stop at the doorway. They never realize that there’s an entire new world of relationship, adventure, and transformation waiting with Jesus!
Christie: That’s such a powerful image. It reminds me of the end of The Last Battle from The Chronicles of Narnia, where they go through the stable and find a whole beautiful world inside—bigger and better the further they go.
Bethany: Exactly! Walking with Jesus is about going further up and further in. There’s always more to explore in life with Him.
How Do You Share the Gospel with Your Kids?
Now that we had a clear vision of the gospel, I wanted to know: how does Bethany actually share this with her children?
Christie: If I were hearing this ten years ago, I might think I need to sit my kids down for a 20-minute lecture on the gospel. Is that how you do it?
Bethany: No, not at all! (laughs)
It’s woven into daily life. I don’t schedule a big “gospel talk.” Instead, I take advantage of everyday moments—when my kids are discouraged, when they make a mistake, or when they’re celebrating something good.
In those moments, we talk about:
- Who God is (He’s faithful, kind, strong)
- Who they are (deeply loved but needing a Savior)
- What Jesus has done (forgiveness, transformation, hope)
- What this means for their situation (trust, courage, forgiveness, etc.)
It’s not about one big conversation; it’s about thousands of tiny seeds planted over time.
Christie Thomas:
Did you have any specific struggles with having these gospel conversations, either with little kids, big kids, or even in your own parenting journey? Just to backtrack for a sec — how old is your oldest child?
Bethany Kimsey:
My oldest is twenty-six, so I’ve been parenting for twenty-six years now.
Christie Thomas:
Wow, amazing. So what have been some struggles you’ve faced in sharing the gospel across those years?
Bethany Kimsey:
I think the biggest struggle for me — and maybe a lot of moms can relate — is something we call in our home a “Jesus juke.” Let me explain. In sports, to “juke” someone means you fake them out so fast that they stumble. In parenting, a “Jesus juke” is when your kids are arguing, or something’s going wrong, and instead of having a real conversation, you throw a Bible verse at them and move on.
For example, if two of my kids are fussing, I might say really quickly, “Hey! The Bible says you need to be kind to one another. Jesus wants you to be kind. Now stop it!” and then rush off to the next thing I need to do. I’ve technically referenced scripture, but I haven’t really led them to the heart of God. I’ve just used the Bible like a quick weapon to modify behavior.
Christie Thomas:
You mean it’s like a fast slap of truth without real connection?
Bethany Kimsey:
Exactly. It’s not life-giving; it actually hardens their hearts. When we constantly rub up against truth without it sinking deep, it’s like when you’re digging a ditch and your hands get calloused. Constant rubbing creates tougher skin — you stop feeling anything. In the same way, if we’re just tossing truth at our kids to control their behavior, their hearts get calloused toward God.
Christie Thomas:
You can’t feel the pain anymore.
Bethany Kimsey:
Right. And even worse, the truth starts to feel irrelevant to them. God becomes just another lecture, another frustration. Not a living, loving Father who wants to walk with them.
So for me, a huge growth point was learning not to treat gospel conversations like quick fixes. I needed to slow down and be intentional — not just throwing scripture around to get the behavior I wanted, but actually inviting them into a deeper relationship with Jesus, even in the hard moments.
And so we take all of those things, and we break them down into manageable little moments so that the gospel becomes not just something we say, but something we live. Because if it’s not real for you, it’s not going to flow out naturally to your kids. It’s for the mom who’s like, “I want to teach my kids about Jesus, but I’m still trying to figure out what that means for me day to day.” That’s who this course is for.
It’s not heavy or overwhelming. You don’t need a theology degree. It’s for the woman doing dishes or folding laundry or waiting in the school pickup line. It’s about forming a gospel fluency, where grace and truth begin to color everything—your thoughts, your words, your responses.
Christie Thomas:
That sounds so perfect. Because what you’re describing is a way to root yourself in the gospel so deeply that when you’re talking with your kids—even in discipline or in dorky hymn-singing moments—what flows out is life-giving, not just behavior-correcting.
Bethany Kimsey:
Exactly. It’s about moving from reaction to response. And that only happens when we’ve sat with Jesus and let His truth shape us first. The course is just a tool to help you start that process.
Bethany Kimsey: I don’t know that I feel joyful all the time — and honestly, I think sometimes we misunderstand what joy really is. In my course, I help shift that perspective a little bit. You’ll not only better understand joy, but you’ll also learn how to experience it in your everyday life. And as you grow more confident in the gospel, it will naturally start pouring out of you — I promise.
The course is called Reset: Anchoring Your Motherhood in Gospel Truths. It’s designed to create space for you to meet with the Lord and be equipped by Him. Each day, there’s a short two- or three-minute video from me and a little time in your Bible. Over six weeks, you’ll dive deeper into what grace, mercy, peace, and joy really mean — not just in theory, but in your real, messy, beautiful life as a mom.
One of the core truths we explore is this: God’s mercy meets your mistakes.
When you truly grasp that — when you understand that His mercy fully, completely, and totally meets you in your worst moments — it unlocks your days. You’ll find so much more confidence, real rest, and even notice anxiety start to diminish.
📚 FOLLOW-UP RESOURCES:
- Free Gospel Printables
- Family Bible Study: “Clues of the Good News”
- Bethany Kimsey’s “Reset: Anchoring Your Motherhood in Gospel Truths” Course
- Warrior Mama Podcast (Bethany Kimsey): Daily, bite-sized doses of Gospel hope
0 Comments