Parent Forward
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.
Episodes
15 episodes
Episode 14: Let Me Tell You Where I’ve Been | The Stories Behind My Voice and Why I See Parenting the Way I Do
This episode is a little different.Instead of teaching or offering a framework, I’m inviting you into the story behind the voice you’ve been listening to.Because what you’re hearing on this podcast isn’t just ideas or strategies. ...
Episode 13: God is not quite like that | Advent Series part 4
Episode SummaryIn 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 gri...
Episode 12: Treasuring What We Never Expected | Advent Series part 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 t...
Episode 11: The God Who Draws Near | Advent Series part 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 forw...
Episode 10 : Light in the Low Places | Advent Series part 1
Light in the Low Places | Advent Series Episode 1 Scripture: Isaiah 9:2, 6–7Advent is beautiful, but it can also feel heavy.If you’re stepping into December already tired, carrying invisible weight, or feeling lik...
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," an...
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 a...
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 abou...
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 profoun...
Episode 5: When your kid lies - What's really going on?
SHOW NOTES: https://parentforward.com/whenyourkidlieswhatsreallygoingon/Lying often reveals what our children are trying to protect through fear, confusion, or attempts to preserve connection. This episode explores how to create a family...
Episode 4: Forgiveness Rewires Both Parent and Child
SHOW NOTES: https://parentforward.com/forgivenessrewiresbothparentandchild/Forgiveness in parenting isn't just about cleaning up after mistakes – it's where transformation begins for both parent and child. When we mess up and repair with...
Episode 3: Raising Spiritually Resilient Kids in an Age of Questions
SHOW NOTES: https://parentforward.com/raisingspirituallyresilientkidsinanageofquestions/Raising spiritually resilient kids isn't about having all the right answers or preventing doubt. It's about creating relationships where questions ar...
Episode 2: Presence Over Perfection
SHOW NOTES: https://parentforward.com/presenceoverperfection/Parenting doesn't have to be about getting everything right—it can be about being present in the moment with our children. Julie Ann Luse explores how shifting from perfection ...
Episode 1: The Forming Power of Parenthood
SHOW NOTES: https://parentforward.com/theformationalpowerofparenting/Parenting isn't just about raising kids; it's about being spiritually formed through the mess, beauty, and everyday moments of family life. We explore how shifting our ...
Trailer - Beyond Tips and Tricks: Parenting as Spiritual Formation
Parent Forward reimagines parenting through spiritual formation, creating space where your soul and your child's are truly seen. This podcast moves beyond tips and formulas, offering a place to slow down and listen deeply to your child, yoursel...