MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in marriage , family , Christian parenting , and finding purpose

Tiffany Stein joins me on the podcast today for a vulnerable and thoughtful conversation about grief, disappointment, and what it looks like to keep wrestling toward God when life falls apart. Tiffany shares the heartbreaking story behind her book Mourning God after losing her infant son, David, and how that loss led her into not only grief over what she had lost, but also grief over the God she thought she knew.
Today’s conversation isn’t just for someone who has experienced the death of a loved one. We talk about the many forms loss can take—church hurt, broken relationships, shattered expectations, illness, estrangement, and dreams that never came to be—and how those losses can unravel what we thought we believed about God. Tiffany offers such a wise and honest framework for lamenting for those seasons when God feels silent, prayer feels dry, and faith feels like you’re just barely hanging on.
This conversation is deep, hope-filled, and incredibly practical too. Tiffany shares what helped her in the darkest season of her life, how the body of Christ can carry people when they have no strength left, and some genuinely helpful ways to love people who are hurting without resorting to the usual stitched-on-a-pillow responses. If you’ve ever wondered whether God can handle your honest disappointment, or if you’re walking with someone through sorrow and want to love them well, I think this episode will meet you right where you are.

All things Cynthia
Mourning God by Tiffany Stein
Every Moment Holy, Volume II: Death, Grief, & Hope
Author: Douglas Kaine McKelvey
Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers
Author: Dane Ortlund

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Kari and I are back for week two—and this time we’re talking dating from the girl-mom vs. boy-mom perspective. We start by admitting the obvious: most of us got approximately zero dating advice from our parents, so we learned “the hard way”…plus a sprinkle of questionable magazine wisdom.
We get into what we hope our kids look for—without turning dating into an interview process: someone pursuing Jesus, someone kind to people who can’t do anything for them, someone consistent when the “camera is off,” and the importance of paying attention to red flags (including the love-bombing, too-much-too-fast stuff that can feel flattering but isn’t always healthy). Carrie also shares why girls need to trust their gut—because so many women can look back and say, “I sensed something was off…and I ignored it.”
And because we’re coming at this from both sides, we talk about what girls often don’t realize about boys: how much courage it takes to ask someone out, how insecurity can hide behind humor, and why moms should teach daughters how to say no kindly. We wrap with dating in a digital world—DMs, “texting is too formal” (what?)—and our favorite big-picture reminder: leave people better than you found them, because the person you date may be someone else’s spouse one day, and you’d want their future wife/husband to be thankful you were part of their story.
Don’t miss today’s dating advice with the amazing Kari Kampakis!

All things Cynthia
How’d I Miss That
Is Your Daughter Ready?: 10 Ways to Empower Your Girl for an Age of New Challenges by Kari

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Well, I went to A&M last weekend to see Brett and speak to the loveliest group of women, and let me just say: visiting girls in college versus boys is a completely different experience. Completely. Different. More on that on today’s show.
Today’s guest is Kari Kampakis—or the “raising girls whisperer,” as I like to call her. She is so wise, steady, and incredibly helpful when it comes to understanding girls, and I loved getting to go to Birmingham last fall to tape a few shows with her in person at her home. She’s just as darling and thoughtful off the mic as she is on it.
We’re doing two weeks with Kari, and this is week one. In this conversation, we dig into the soft skills that matter more than we often realize—especially perseverance and work ethic—and how those qualities are actually built in the everyday moments of parenting. Kari shares practical, encouraging insight on helping kids take ownership of their effort instead of just their results, and why consistent habits and character formation often matter far more than natural talent in the long run.
Whether you’re raising girls or boys, there is so much wisdom here for every parent. I can’t wait for you to tune in!

All things Cynthia
How’d I Miss That
Is Your Daughter Ready?: 10 Ways to Empower Your Girl for an Age of New Challenges by Kari

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Mary Marantz joins me on MESSmerized today, and this was such a thoughtful, encouraging conversation. We talk about how we both went to law school and ultimately chose paths that didn’t necessarily make sense on paper, but aligned much more with how God wired us. Mary shares about growing up in a single-wide trailer in West Virginia and how that background shaped her grit, her work ethic, and also her tendency to tie achievement to worth.

We spend a lot of time unpacking fear and the ways women quietly underestimate themselves—perfectionism, overthinking, procrastination, and constantly assuming someone else is more qualified or better. One of the biggest takeaways is how easy it is to over-idealize other people’s success while minimizing our own, simply because we see their highlight reel and live inside our own messy middle.

We also talk about procrastination and the deeper fear behind it, the danger of waiting for the “perfect time,” and how often fear doesn’t say “never,” it just says “not yet.” It’s a really honest conversation about comparison, calling, and showing up anyway—even when you don’t feel ready, qualified, or confident—trusting that God can use ordinary obedience more than perfect performance.

Can’t wait for you to listen!

Order How’d I Miss That & PLEASE PLEASE leave a review!
Mary Marantz’s Achiever Quiz 
Mary’s book: Dirt and Underestimated

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First, THANK YOU. My new book is officially out in the world—woohoo! I cannot tell you how grateful I am for the encouragement, the screenshots, the texts, the DMs, and the stories you’ve already shared. It means more than you know. If you’ve read How’d I Miss That?, I would be so thankful if you’d leave a quick review on Amazon (or wherever you purchased it). Reviews really do help more people find the book, and I’m incredibly grateful for every single one.

Matt Chandler is back on Messmerized today, and we start where all deep spiritual conversations begin: with him attempting to hit a baseball at a “pre-Passion Passion” event in Rangers Stadium—in front of pastors and ministry leaders, which somehow ups the pressure. We relive the moment, compare notes on how ruthless our children are (his son uses brain surgery as debate material), and agree there’s an age where you stop competing with your kids because you already know how it ends. 

From there we pivot to the real Passion—45,000 students worshiping with everything they’ve got—and talk about his new 30-day devotional, Awake and Alive, written for those of us who feel tired, distracted, or spiritually numb and don’t want to stay that way.

We also talk about what it actually looks like to “wake up” in everyday life—especially when you’re disappointed with God or feel yourself drifting. Matt shares two questions he asks himself every quarter that are incredibly clarifying: one reveals what stirs his affection for Jesus, and the other exposes what quietly robs it. We wrap with marriage wisdom from 25 and 27 years in, and why your spouse can be a gift—but never your savior. 

We’ll link Awake and Alive (out now), his upcoming Becoming Like Jesus, and yes—How’d I Miss That? too—because the theme here is simple: don’t drift through what matters.

Awake and Alive
Pre-Order: Becoming Like Jesus
How’d I Miss That
All things Cynthia

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