Mama of the Wild Crew Podcast
Mama of the Wild Crew Podcast
Hosted by Alexis Schmoker – wife, mama of two, nurse, and Jesus lover. This podcast is all about embracing the beautiful chaos of motherhood, finding joy in the messy moments, and leaning into faith through it all. Whether you're navigating sleepless nights, toddler tantrums, or the everyday miracles of raising little ones, you're not alone. Join Alexis as she shares real-life stories, heartfelt conversations, and encouragement to help mamas everywhere find grace, laughter, and purpose in the wild adventure of motherhood.
Let’s find the joy in the chaos—together!
Mama of the Wild Crew Podcast
Diapers, Worship, and Doing the Next Right Thing: A Conversation with Worship Leader Kristen Christy
What happens when the beautiful dreams we hold for motherhood collide with unexpected heartbreak? Kristen Christy knows this terrain intimately. As a worship leader, mother of four "earthside" children, and a woman who has walked through the valley of infant loss, she brings profound wisdom about finding joy even in life's most difficult seasons.
Motherhood often feels like a delicate balancing act—juggling the needs of our children, our marriages, our work, and ourselves. But what if balance isn't actually the goal? Kristen challenges us to release the pressure of "having it all together" and instead embrace a life of open hands and surrendered control. Her refreshing approach of simply "doing the next right thing" offers freedom to mamas drowning in expectations.
Kristen's faith was tested in ways she never imagined. The raw honesty she shares about questioning God's goodness while ultimately discovering deeper trust will resonate with anyone who has faced disappointment or grief. Her journey reminds us that our broken pieces, when surrendered to God, can become the foundation for unexpected beauty and purpose.
One of the most powerful concepts Kristen introduces is "inviting the glorious into the mundane." Whether you're singing worship songs on a platform at church or whispering lullabies at 2 a.m., every moment becomes sacred when we recognize it as worship. This perspective transforms how we view the repetitive tasks of motherhood—the endless laundry, meal prep, and child training—revealing them as opportunities for deep heart work and divine encounter.
With the unique perspective of raising both teenagers and toddlers simultaneously, Kristen offers encouragement that the seeds planted during those exhausting early years truly do bear fruit. Her story is a beautiful reminder that motherhood isn't just about surviving the chaos—it's about discovering joy in the midst of it.
Follow Kristen Christy on instagram at
https://www.instagram.com/kk.christy?igsh=OHpxbjltMzZpdGxq
It would mean the world to me if you would like, subscribe leave a review and/or share with a friend if you enjoyed this episode! Please find me on Instagram, tag me, comment, or DM me. Let me know what you enjoyed and what you’d like to hear next. I love hearing from you!
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XO, Alexis Schmoker
Mama of the Wild Crew
📸: A heartfelt thank you to Jordan Allen of Cr00ked Teeth Photography for capturing this stunning cover photo.
Welcome to Mama of the Wild Crew podcast, the podcast where we embrace the messy, wild, beautiful journey of motherhood together. I'm your host, alexa Schmoker, mama of two beautiful kiddos, wife, nurse and lover of Jesus. Motherhood is full of hard moments, unexpected chaos and those days where you just really don't have it all together. But in the midst of it all, there is so much joy. On this podcast, we're diving into the real, honest conversations about motherhood the challenges, the triumphs and everything in between. We'll hear the stories of incredible moms from all walks of life, share wisdom, laughter and let's be real probably a few tears, and we're going to discover how to embrace the joy in this chaos. So, whether you're rocking a baby to sleep, folding that never-ending pile of laundry or sneaking away for a quiet moment with your coffee, welcome, mama. You're not alone here. Hit, subscribe and join me on this wild adventure of motherhood. I can't wait to do this journey with you.
Speaker 1:Hey, mamas, and welcome back to another episode of Mama of the Wild Crew podcast, where we gather to celebrate the beautiful and messy and deeply meaningful motherhood moments. Today's guest is someone whose story will stir your soul, whose faith will absolutely encourage your heart. Kristen Christie is a mama of four earthside babies, a worship leader and a woman whose story is marked by both deep sorrow and breathtaking joy. From experiencing loss and grief to finding strength through surrender, to walking into her calling as a mama and a ministry leader, kristen brings so much wisdom, raw honesty and light to our conversation. I'm so grateful to share this space with her today and I can't wait for you to hear her story. Welcome, kristen.
Speaker 2:Hey, alexis, thanks so much for having me. I'm excited to be here today. So my husband, bill, and I have been together for 18 years. We just celebrated 18 in March. We met and married when I was in college. Fun fact he's six and a half years older than me when I was in college. A fun fact he's six and a half years older than me. He loves Jesus with all his heart and he's literally just the most kind serving husband and dad. He works on staff at our church as worship pastor and I serve alongside him as well. And we moved back to Colorado about 12 years ago to the one place I said I never, ever wanted to live. But God just totally changed my heart and I love it so much and never want to leave Together.
Speaker 2:We have four amazing kiddos. Liam is 15, carbon copy of his dad, very musical, loyal, loves to serve other people. Our son, alex is 13. He's our little comedian and lives life large. Our son Alex is 13. He's our little comedian and lives life large. And we totally thought we were done having kids after our two boys and we walked through three miscarriages, but then we were surprised to find that we were expecting again in 2019. But our sweet Cadence was actually born prematurely and only lived for 45 minutes. I'll share more about her later but she just opened our hearts to desire more children. And our sweet Eliana girl is four years old now. Her name means that God has answered our prayers and truly she is just that. She is so precious a girly girl, sugar and spice, with curly red hair. And then God absolutely went above and beyond our hopes and dreams and gave us Adeline Nicole, who is going to be two this Sunday, and she's the perfect little bookend to our family.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's so sweet and I know you've said before that you love names and so I never knew that your daughter was named after that. So that's really precious. I do love that, oh okay, so every mom that comes on this podcast, we go through a little mom fail question just to get the sillies out, and most of the time mine have to do with my kids, but this morning it was me, so I was getting my kids ready for school and got everyone out the door. Everyone was dressed. They had their hair done. You know, clothes were on, shoes were on get them to school. I'm walking out getting ready to go done. You know, clothes were on, shoes were on get them to school. I'm walking out getting ready to go to work. I have my slippers on, and this is not the first time this has happened. So I'm still wearing my slippers right now with my scrubs, because I haven't changed. But I love it. I'm like a mom fail on my part, but at least my kids are dressed right.
Speaker 2:One or the other. It's either them or us, never both Right. Something's got to give Right.
Speaker 1:I'm like no one. No one has noticed so far. So we'll, we'll see. I'm sure someone's going to point it out eventually. Um, but what is your like? Most cringiest, unpredictable mom fail.
Speaker 2:Oh goodness, okay. So having two boys life is never dull, never dull. I have two stories actually. I'll make them short, I'll make them quick. One is like a fail and then one just like makes me laugh.
Speaker 2:So my biggest mom fail was one year we were taking our boys skiing and my husband and I both thought that like the other one had grabbed the boys' ski pants. And when we got there we were unpacking everything and we're like, okay, where are the ski pants? And I was like no, we forgot them. Oh my gosh. And so luckily I had packed like a couple of extra pairs of like PJ pants that were fleece, and it was a warmer spring day, so we were just able to just double up their pants. But we only lasted like a couple hours and I just like I could not believe it because it was like a few hours to actually drive there.
Speaker 2:So that is my biggest mom fail. But then one time we were in target making, you know the big potty stop and the family restroom running here and there. Anyway, my little Alex had his favorite car in his hand. He was maybe two and I had just suggested here let mom hold your car while you go potty, and not 10 seconds later I heard a splash and I was like, oh no, the car had dropped into the potty and fell down to the bottom.
Speaker 2:Oh no, the biggest meltdown and it was like, okay, I've, I can't leave this car here. What am I going to do? So I like plunge my hand into the potty and grab it out. I was just like, oh, mortified that I had to touch the toilet water, but for years after that I carried a pair of disposable gloves and a folded metal hanger just in case I needed to rescue any other toys. But it's still me.
Speaker 1:That is so funny, the things you will do that you never thought that you would ever do before but you will do as a mom Number one, like to prevent a meltdown. You're like we are in target, that's right. How funny. Oh, that is so in the gloves and hanger. So where did you like store those? Did you just throw them?
Speaker 2:in my backpack Just like down in like a deep pocket of it.
Speaker 1:How funny. Now we're all going to have to add that to our list, especially the disposable gloves, because you probably really need disposable gloves majority of the time. Various different things. Okay so, kristen, you talk about inviting the glorious into the mundane, and I loved how you said that. Okay so, kristen, you talk about inviting the glorious into the mundane, and I loved how you said that. Okay so what does that look like in your day-to-day life as a mama to four littles? How do you anchor yourself in the truth when days can feel just heavier, repetitive?
Speaker 2:Yes, so I latched onto that phrase. I first heard it from Kristi Knuckles years ago and it just hit me so deeply that I could go through the very routine and ordinary parts of my day, like we do as moms, and still invite Jesus to be right there with me. And it's like it's a biblical concept that Jesus came to women. Like he came to them in the middle of their ordinary days, like, like the woman at the well she was just going in and drawing water, like that was very routine thing, um, or Mary and Martha were preparing for a dinner party and, and Jesus came to those women. And so it's.
Speaker 2:I know our days can feel heavy and repetitive, but that's where some of our deepest heartwork is done as Christ followers. Like it's easy for us to put on a smile and give our all when others are watching, when it's something that's flashy and exciting and notable. It's so easy, like for me, to lead worship on a Sunday morning and pour out my heart to God in those moments that are seen. But it feels really draining to show up fully at 2 am when my toddler has had a bad dream and needs me to sing her back to sleep. But it's actually those moments, those ordinary moments, that my life is being poured out in just as much worship as when I'm on the platform at church.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely. I love that you brought out Mary and Martha too, because I feel like I I connected that so much being Martha, like I can get myself so busy and even in the same scenario, like preparing for parties or dinner parties, and just like rushing around and sometimes feeling frustrated, like I feel like I'm doing this by myself and it's like reworking your mind, like okay, I need to focus on what is important. Like I'm able to have a gathering at my house with people that I love and like prepare things for them, and like I need to invite Jesus into those moments, instead of like focusing on just the tasks at hand and get yourself into like that, that wheel for sure.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, yeah, it's like, it's just, it's like we have to humble ourselves being able to like serve Jesus Like that's actually serving. You know, when it's when it's not glamor, when it's not like oh, this is so sparkly and fun, and you know, but I'm not going to lie like, that's hard sometimes. But inviting the glorious presence of Jesus into my everyday, ordinary moments is absolutely my heart and my aim every day even when I don't do it very well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that is so beautiful. Last week and she talked about how, like she would literally write an attribute of God on her hand, like to look at it and remind herself, like whenever she's doing the mundane and the ordinary throughout the day, and like that is such a good thing to do, cause, again, our lives, like as moms, are not always glamorous, and writing a thing on your hand is like probably the most easy practical thing that you could truly do, like it's not going to be a Prince, like Pinterest worthy, like drawing on the wall or whatever it may be, but it's just like something that you can look at and remind yourself every day, during the the mundane, during the ordinary, like attributes. Yes, I love that too. Okay, so you shared how your journey through loss has deepened your faith, and I'm so sorry that you guys watched through that. I did not know that. Can you take us into that space? How did you wrestle with God in your grief and what did your surrender begin to look like for you as both a mother and a believer?
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely so. Walking through Cadence dying was the absolute most gut-wrenching thing I've ever had to do. It was a total surprise and shock that we were expecting another baby back in August of 2019. We weren't trying to get pregnant and honestly, we were trying not to but from the beginning, we embraced this idea of having another baby and we were excited to welcome another life into our family.
Speaker 2:So when she was born prematurely, at 22 weeks, um, and only lived for 45 minutes, I was just devastated that this precious baby that I had not even asked God for, um was just ripped from me. Like it just felt like a cruel trick, um, and I've known of other women who have experienced late-term loss, but I never knew the absolute gut-wrenching experience that that that is like like my heart physically hurt and some days, like I felt like I couldn't breathe. My body was also going through like just all the normal postpartum things, like your milk's coming in and you're bleeding and you're having the hormone swings, like all the things, but there's like not the baby, there's just emptiness. And the middle of the nights were so hard because I would just wake up sobbing and just not understanding why, like why I was living this terrible nightmare, and so it definitely shook my faith and just made me take this step back and be like wait. I've read about God's goodness and his faithfulness in the Bible and I sing about all he has done and all that he can do. But this, this death, this loss and pain and grief like this does not feel like goodness or faithfulness and I really had to wrestle through that truth that God is good and God is faithful. Like that's his character, that's who he is, regardless of what I'm experienced or walking through in life, and we're all going to go through hard things that we would never choose, but Jesus walks with us through that pain and loss. Like we, we grieve as followers of Jesus, but we grieve with, with hope, because we have eternal life with God forever. And like Jesus actually promised that we would face trials. He said that we we would take, we would have hard things that we walk through, but that we could take heart because he has already overcome.
Speaker 2:So like I went from this place of feeling so wrecked, so numb, so abandoned to rebuilding my faith and my trust, like taking it to a deeper level that I had never had and it just became more personal to me in a way, my relationship with Jesus was more personal in a way that it never could have been without just the completely shattering experience of losing our first baby girl, um, because it pushed me to, like, search God's word and to soak my broken spirit and his truth, to speak out loud who God was. Um and I, like I, I found every story I could have other women who had experienced loss and trauma. I sought godly biblical counsel from a counselor and also started writing my story just of infant loss and grief, just to process everything.
Speaker 1:Right, oh, I cannot. I cannot imagine what you guys walked through. And I'm so sorry that you guys walked through that, because losing a child, I feel like, would just be it's I mean, it's every mom's fear. Honestly, if you're speaking truthfully, like that is just what you fear all the time and I just I'm so sorry that you guys had to walk through that and you're so true, like whenever you're in that grief and that vulnerable state, like God gives you that strength.
Speaker 1:And what is it? Maybe second Corinthians, where he says but he said to me my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness so that Christ's power may rest on me. And it's like you almost have to grasp, like grasp onto those things and just tell yourself over and over and I hope that if there's other moms out there, or if you know of a mom, you have a friend that's going through that, what would you kind of say or help someone walk through that? You said that you had some searched out other moms that had gone through this, you had gone to counseling, um, I think. Do you think that it was like hard to take those steps, or how would you encourage someone else to just do that, or a friend to walk through someone, or even a husband to encourage to take those steps of healing?
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely. Like all of it is hard again. Like just that feeling of like numbness, of like wait, what do I, where do I go from? Like how do I proceed forward, is absolutely difficult. I would say give yourself grace and know that while that loss is always with you, it's always part of who you are, that that the depth of the pain does subside eventually.
Speaker 2:And as a friend walking with somebody through loss, I would say just being there, being a listening ear, like I think sometimes when we go, when we watch our friends go through tragic things, it's like we don't know what to say and sometimes it's just saying I don't know what to say, but I'm here for you, like I'm, I'm a listening ear, I'm, I don't I don't have words to fix it, I don't have words to change it. And then also just like reaching out on you know special days and birthdays of their heaven, going and just remembering them and saying their names, like it's just, it's so special when someone will tell me you know something about cadence or something about that season of loss that that stood out to them and ministered to them as we were like walking through that, like that means so much to me.
Speaker 1:Right, right, cause you want I mean I feel like you probably do want to invite that conversation in, and do you? How do you like face it with your boys? Do you keep her in conversation? Do you talk about cadence with your boys or how to? How does someone navigate that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we have a photo of her that we took, with her little hat and blanket and everything it's so, she's, she's in with you know, like the family pictures and that kind of thing, and so we, we still talk about her from time to time and, of course, our little girls are, you know, are old enough now that they're beginning to ask who is this. And you know, um, so, like I mean, our boys came to the hospital after cadence had passed away and they were able to hold her and, um, like it, just it gave us opportunity as parents to be, like, you know, our, our time on earth is really so short and for some of us, like cadence, it's shorter than we anticipated.
Speaker 2:But just knowing that this life is so temporal and being able to share that with our boys and being like, hey, heaven is where we're, where we're going, you know and we need to live every day as though it was our last and love other people well and lead them to Jesus, so that they can spend eternity with us in heaven too.
Speaker 1:Right, spend eternity with us in heaven too, right? Well, you have walked through just both of these seasons of heartbreak, and you express that you've walked through hiddenness. And in what ways has, would you say, your motherhood like redefined your identity, not just as a mom, but as a daughter of God?
Speaker 2:Yeah, hiddenness and heartbreak. I like how you put that. I'm walking with the Lord through learning about seasons in life, like just realizing that there are absolutely seasons of of hiddenness where, like can life can feel dark, like it's unseen, and there's like this deep work being done, kind of like when a seed is planted in the ground and we don't see the plant or the flower that's doing so much work under the soil. It doesn't mean that that hidden season for that plant isn't worth anything. It's actually worth everything because, just like that plant or flower needs that hidden time to have the seed crack open and to root down and then push up through that dark and dirty place to come up above ground, we need those times too.
Speaker 2:Or like seasons of heartbreak, where our life is left in broken pieces and shards of pain and like it just doesn't make sense in our minds.
Speaker 2:We can offer up those broken pieces to God and surrender and ask him to use them for our good and for his glory, and he does it every single time and honestly, like my identity, I feel like it's still in constant overhaul, if I'm being honest. But when I remind myself that I am first and foremost a daughter of God that, no matter what outside circumstances are happening, I can always focus my heart on whose I am, because the outside things are outside of my control, but I can always surrender me to God's best. I can always humble myself before God and stand firmly in whose I am. Not what is happening, because I serve a God who is still God even in unfamiliar or hard or ugly things that I would never choose for myself. And how I trust God most and surrender to him when I'm walking through those things is more important than like why am I walking through this? It's like, okay, god, how can I serve you through this? And then that helps to root me more in whose I am instead of the why, if that makes sense.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:I feel like that has been something that I've been trying to really focus on over like the last I'd say, probably six months, because I reflect back.
Speaker 1:I have a daughter, that's three, and so I reflect back, especially through, like those middle school, high school times and I just wish that I had, I was more firm in my identity, like as a daughter of Christ, throughout, like those high school times, college times where I really struggled with like anxiety and I'm like I look at myself now and still again like I know that my identity is in Christ, but I can find myself, like you said, just going, I guess, not forgetting it, I guess whenever I'm busy in day-to-day life, so really trying to anchor myself in being a daughter of Christ and my identity is solely found in that, and then the rest of the things come from that, like being a mother comes from that, being a wife comes from that, being a nurse comes from that, because I feel like at that time my identity was being a soccer player, was being someone's girlfriend, it was not being loved by the one true King, and so I really want to get that, get that right in my own life and then reflect that and teach that to both my daughter and my son.
Speaker 1:But I think I'm just more like I don't know, I guess aware of it with, guess aware of it with my daughter, because my husband is just so good about that. He's not like I wouldn't say like your flashy Christian talks about it all the time, but whenever it comes to someone who is like deeply aware that he finds his identity in God, I mean it's just him, like he is just strong and sturdy and when big things happen or anything like it just doesn't seem to phase him or shake him Like it does me, or even like in the past through high school and college, when things have happened, like he just isn't shaken by the world. Yes, yeah, I want to root our kids in that. So I love that you spoke on that, because I think that's definitely something that I'm trying to be intentional about now. That's awesome.
Speaker 2:I love that. I love that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you have callings of many different beautiful things. So you talk about motherhood, your worship leader, wellness, encouragement. How do you balance these roles and what does it mean to you to live a life of worship in every area, even the unseen ones? Oh, balance, right the question.
Speaker 2:I have given up on balance and perfection. I used to feel so in control of like everything I did. I used to feel so in control of like everything I did, Like I had everything under control, and literally it feels laughable these days because it's like okay, like there's just so much that feels like outside of my control and it's like oh Jesus, I just I can see that living that way doesn't even leave room for my need of a savior, Like because if I'm in control, like, I don't need God, Right.
Speaker 2:But, oh, my goodness, girl, I need God. So I have just come to this place of like living with open hands, where I'm not grasping so hard to hold everything on my own, um, and with all the roles that I have. I'm just constantly asking God each day like show me what your best is for me today or this week. Like I talk a lot over on my Instagram about like doing the next right thing, because for me it's become like less about balance and more about constantly evaluating what is the next right thing, like just this next moment, lord, kind of the like give us today our daily bread. You know where it's. Like okay, it's just just enough for this moment. What? What do I need to do? Because I know I can't juggle everything. Like I'm a human, so I have limitations and that's a good thing, but I know that as moms like we, we do have to juggle a lot, you know.
Speaker 2:But I love how you also mentioned like living a life of worship in every area, in every role, because that's just it.
Speaker 2:Like all of it is worship to Jesus. So, whether I'm on the platform on a Sunday leading worship or I'm singing a whispered lullaby in the middle of the night to just an audience of God and my baby girls, like it's worship just the same and it all matters to God. And kind of going back to the story of Mary and Martha, like ultimately, martha came to Jesus so exasperated, like Lord, I just can't do it all, and he was so gracious, it's like choose the better thing, like let me walk with you and talk with you and have relationship with you. And I think that that's part of learning to maybe let balance go sometimes and just be like okay, jesus, I can't do this. I need your strength, I need your wisdom to be able to to do everything that I need to do and the things that I can't get to and the things that I can't do, just trusting that, if we don't have the capacity for whatever those things are in the season that we're in, that that's okay, that it's okay to let those things go.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah, and I feel like that can be so hard to identify sometimes, but, like you said, just going to God and asking him with open hands like what, what do you have for me today? What is the next right thing? Because your plate can always be full, like and as moms, I feel like we can, we can always make our plate full and overflowing. Oh yeah, it's very easy to do and sometimes the hard thing is is to cut things back. Yes, and if you're spreading yourself so thin, you can't possibly worship and all the ordinary aspects of life, and you know, we're called to. We're called to. So whether you're eating or drinking or whatever you do, do it for the glory of God. And whenever you're so spread thin, how do you do that? And that can be something that I struggle with is trying to say no to things, whether it be a birthday party or a baby shower, because you want to go to all those things and you want to enjoy all those things Totally there with you. It can be so hard to, I don't know, just say no, because then you feel bad and guilty, but you have to, I don't know, just prioritize your time with your kids or your time with your husband, whatever it may be. Like you said, that doesn't always have to be your choice or your decision. Go to God with it. Go to God with everything that you do. Yes, yes, yeah, so I do. I do love that and I can definitely relate to the balance.
Speaker 1:That is like the million dollar question, um, and if you do not follow Kristen on Instagram, I will put up her stuff in the show notes too, because, like you said, on your Instagram, you, you do. What do you call the chats with Kristen? What do you? What do you call them? Combos with Kristen, combos with Kristen. I was like what is that called? And they're so good. You always put up like such encouragement and it's not just encouragement, it's like practical things, like you said, like doing the next right step. As moms like again, we don't always have time to sit down and read through all these parenting books or whatever it may be that we want to, but, like your, your information that you put out is so relatable and so practical and so encouraging that you know it just gives you, like that fuel and something to latch onto to go through throughout the day. So I definitely recommend going over and following Kristen. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1:Hey there, wild Crew Mamas, some super exciting news. If you're like me, these days any day is a hat day. Literally, probably every day is a hat day, and we have two new hats for Mama of the Wild Crew podcast. I am so excited, and huge shout out to my sister-in-law, bree, over at Schmokey Designs, for taking these ideas and bringing them to life. We have Mama of the Wild Crew podcast hat and we also have the cutest hat. It says motherhood is my ministry. And ain't that the truth, guys, head on over to our Instagram at Mama of the Wild Crew underscore podcast, dm me or comment on one of the posts and let us know that you want your hat today.
Speaker 1:Growing up, our parents had a super special tradition. We kept this big stork in our garage and whenever someone, either in town or one of our friends, had a baby, we would all load up and go over to their house and put this stork in their yard to help them celebrate. It was one of my favorite childhood memories and my sister, addison Sewell, has carried on that tradition. She is the proud owner of Owosso Storks, offering personalized stork deliveries to families celebrating the arrival of a new baby, whether it's a baby announcement, a baby shower or to celebrate the birth of a little one, owasso Storks is the perfect thoughtful, sentimental gift. There are even options to celebrate proud big siblings and even those furry little family members.
Speaker 1:For a sweet, memorable gift, reach out to Owasso Storks. Check them out on Instagram. That's at Owasso Storks, at O-W-A-S-S-O-S-T-O-R-K-S, and you can find their contact info in the show notes. Guys, this is just the sweetest gift. I have personally been blessed by a stork from Owosso Storks before. Owosso Storks was a thing and it was just the sweetest thing. So definitely reach out to Owosso Storks thing. So definitely reach out to a loss of starts. Okay, kristen, you said that surrender is essential to how you love and how you raise your children. Can you speak to a specific moment or season where you had to fully release control and what God taught you through that?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I think the specific monumental thing was of releasing control was definitely when we had to give cadence back to God. Like that was when God gave me that picture in my mind of open hands. Like with my fingers spread apart, god's blessings and favor can flow through my hands so much more freely when my hands are open rather than when my fists are balled up tightly, and like it was just this realization that it's like you know what, it doesn't matter if I'm pregnant with a child or I've birthed that child, or whether it's my husband or anything that I am doing in life. Like I literally don't have control of those things and so it's just by keeping my hands open and stewarding those things for whatever period of time I have to do that, um, that God is just able to move so much more freely when I'm surrendered.
Speaker 2:Let me be clear I really don't have this whole surrender and trusting figured out, far from it.
Speaker 2:Like it is still something I wrestle through and I'm learning and I'm growing in deeper ways all the time. Like it's like peeling back layers of an onion. Like just when I think I'm like oh man, I am doing really well at trusting you Lord. Then he's like, okay, we're going to go to a new level then here you know, um, but he just leads me in. He's he's been leading me in this season into just trusting him in new ways, like expanding my borders, of releasing control, which is equal parts frustrating and freeing, and uncomfortable and humbling. But God is so good and faithful Like I can always tell that I am much more at rest when I am doing what I can do in my life and in raising my children and in loving my spouse. When I am doing those things, I am at so much more peace than when I'm striving and trying to control my kids' reactions or what my husband is and isn't doing, and that kind of thing, you know.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah, absolutely, because man control is such a hard thing to let go of. It really is, and it's like a balance, though, because it's it's such a responsibility. So I go through times, too, where I'm like I need control, and then sometimes I feel like I'm the opposite end of the spectrum, like I don't want any of this control, like God, please take all of it. So, like you said it is, it is really like an ebb and flow, like we absolutely work on, like surrendering, but it's it's a continuous, like work in progress.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes for sure, for sure, like that dying to ourselves daily.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Every morning it really does. It really does take every morning, every day, like just diving into the word, dying to yourself and just you know, start new, yep, yep, because just like with your kids. Every day, there is always something. That's right, that's right, that's right, always something. And you said, okay. So your husband? You said he works in the church too. What does he do?
Speaker 2:He does so. He is a worship and media pastor, so he's in our worship department, helps with putting together videos and getting those together for the weekend, and he plays lots of instruments. He can play piano, the guitar bass. He's teaching himself the drums.
Speaker 1:He sings.
Speaker 2:So do you have kids musical too? They are. Yes, I started teaching the boys piano when, well, I think they were like four, four or five. And Liam's amazing Like he's gotten to the point where he plays better than me, so his dad has to teach him because he's outgrown me. Um, and then Alex played piano for about four years and then just a couple of years ago he decided he wanted to switch to guitar. So that is his, his love. He really enjoys playing guitar. You guys are like that's right, and Eliana loves singing. So anytime we're like at worship practice or anything like, she'll grab her microphone and she stands up there next to us singing and worshiping, and so it's so sweet.
Speaker 1:That is one of my favorite things is watching my daughter, crew Pearl, worship, because she worships.
Speaker 2:Yes, I love that. It's so pure too. Well and so on Wednesday nights.
Speaker 1:Um, I'm a small group leader for high school kids, high school girls, so they do um, like worship service with the kids and it's the kids that lead it, like the high school students that lead the worship, which I think is so awesome, because they didn't do that when I was a kid. Yeah, and I'm like I would have. I would have loved that. But for the last one of the school year, I took her out of like the little preschool that they have there while we're doing our small group and brought her in to watch the big kids worship and she has not stopped talking about it Like it was the coolest thing, because I think she always sees like adults worshiping, which is also so cool. I love that.
Speaker 1:She's like surrounded by that, but it was just like seeing big kids worship was cool, and she just stood in the aisle and sang and danced and you know she loves to like listen to worship music in the car. So it is so cool and it just fills my heart so much. I love it. Little worshipers, I know it is just the cutest, okay. So now that your boys are getting a little bit older and stepping into responsibility and identity, what has that revealed about your long-term fruit of staying faithful in those quiet years at home.
Speaker 2:Oh man, it is such a joy and blessing to see my boys as teenagers while raising toddlers again. It keeps so much in perspective because, yes, like there are some long days of raising babies and toddlers and wondering like I don't even know, am I doing this right? Is anything getting through? Am I really messing them up? Like being able to see the boys as teenagers it's like okay, there is some things that was getting through and I think I was doing a few things right, like, um, having a huge age gap, like it's just confirmed over and over that, while those years of snuggling and feeding and changing your babies and then the training and correcting and cleaning up toddler messes, like it can feel so long and so mundane.
Speaker 2:Um, but it's all joy and it's all a blessing because we're stewarding the hearts and lives of our children, like we always say, like we aren't babying babies, we're raising adults, we're preparing to launch the next generation of humans that God created for this exact moment in history, and there's no greater joy than being able to partner with heaven to make an impact in this world that outlives us. So, yeah, it's, it's been, it's been a joy. I'm not going to lie. It's also been tricky, like having toddlers and teens is is really wild Some days, is really loud, is really crazy. But when I step back and just look and and see you know, okay, it's, it's all going to work out, it's all going to be okay, even in the crazy moments. So it is we.
Speaker 1:My youngest sister is just graduated college this weekend, so we have a big age gap too. So it's fun and I mean it changes like through the seasons. I feel like it's gone like in and out of being like more of a mom role on my end to now we're like kind of navigating, it's like more of a sister role, you know, instead of just because we're so far apart in age. So it's so cool to like see that transition and then also to see her flourish. I mean she is just she's about to go to PA school, so it's really cool and so I'm excited for you guys to kind of go through that too and your boys to go through that. That's so fun and I can't even imagine like the boy girl difference, because boys just got to love and protect those little girls, huh.
Speaker 2:That's right. That's right, and they do. They're amazing brothers.
Speaker 1:I tell them all the time I'm like man, you're going to be good dads one day. Absolutely, because, I mean, most boys aren't exposed to that. I feel like, even having my sister that much younger, it just exposed me to babysitting and changing diapers and you know, I was old enough to participate in those things, whereas a lot of people didn't. And how cool is that for boys to be able to do that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly, and just help and care. And I loved how you talked about raising the next generation, because it's have you seen like that Instagram I forget my brain's not working, maybe trend, I guess it would be called where, like you say the old phrases to your kids and let them finish it, like children should be seen and finish it, you know, and just like all those different phrases and it's so cool, like what kids say, you know they're not saying like and not heard, like they're saying just all these crazy cool things and it's like, I think the the mindset of just that kids are a blessing and they are the next generation and it's not like, oh, this generation, like, it's like this generation is awesome, absolutely.
Speaker 1:And yeah, pouring into that and being like able to steward the next generation, I feel like it's such a cool responsibility and we were blessed to be like surrounded by high school kids all the time. My husband's a high school soccer coach, so we are just like surrounded by high school kids all the time there and then at church we've poured into like high school kids and I feel like it is obviously I'm not by high school kids all the time there. And then at church we've poured into like high school kids and I feel like it is obviously I'm not a high school mom, but high school age is, I feel, like one of my favorite ages, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're amazing, it's, you know, it's like a lot of times we label where it's like oh, the terrible twos and threes and oh, wait till they're teenagers. And it's like I mean we could say it in a totally different light Like just wait till they're teenagers. Like when we pour into them and when we value them, like they feel that they see, that they you know, and so when we're not dreading the next season, like, sure, each season comes with difficulties and trials and frustrations, but they're all so beautiful too, they're all so sweet in their own right as well, and I mean, honestly, I'm enjoying my boys as teenagers, like they're cool people, like you know they're. They've got their own thoughts and their own feelings and and beginning to see them, um, pursuing what God has called them to do and created them to do is it's really neat to watch.
Speaker 1:It's so cool and I've like connected with a few high school girls who are just like so on fire for God and it's so cool just to see them live that out in their day to day and just I mean the way they talk and the way they act and the way they carry themselves, like I'm just constantly impressed by them and I just absolutely love it. Like I'm just constantly impressed by them and I just absolutely love it and I love that, like my kids have that to look up to.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, I love that too. When like it's it's. We need other people like, as moms we pour out and give so much, but I think that there's something so valuable, too, about inviting other people to help, lead and guide our children too, whether that's their grandparents or, like you're saying, like these teenagers who just love God with all their heart and like that they're role models, like our little kids are looking up to them anyways, and just having that for them is so awesome.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it excites me. I'm excited for you. Okay, Kristen, I appreciate it so awesome. Yeah, so it excites me. I'm excited for you. Okay, Kristen, I appreciate it so much. Thank you so much for coming on today and sharing your heart with us, letting us see both the beauty and just the vulnerability of your brokenness and how it shaped your journey. Your story is a reminder that there's so much hope on the other side of heartbreak and that motherhood is sacred even in the mundane. Even in the mundane, even in the worship, like worshiping every single day is. It's just not a song. It's how we live and how we surrender and how we love our families in the day in and the day out.
Speaker 1:If today's conversation has moved you, I encourage you to follow Kristen on Instagram. It's at kkchristy. At kkchristy, it's where she encourages women to do the next right thing in their health, in their home, in their faith. All the things moms. So mamas, wherever you are today, whether you're in the thick of it, whether you're walking through a season of peace, and just know that your story matters, You're not alone. We're here for you. There's so many mamas out there that love you and that are praying for you. So thank you so much for joining us on here today at the Mama of the Wild Crew podcast. Mamas, I love you. You are in my prayers all the time and I cannot wait to see you next time, Kristen. Thank you, you next time, Kristen. Thank you, Mama. I'm so grateful that you took time out of your busy schedule today to listen to Mama of the Wild Crew podcast.
Speaker 1:I'm Alexa Schmoker and I hope you love this conversation and that it resonated with you. Thank you so much for opening up your circle and letting us in as we walk through this wild ride of motherhood together. Remember, in the chaos of motherhood, there is always joy to be found, so keep looking in those little moments that make it all worth it. Be sure to follow along on Instagram at mamaofthewildcrew underscore podcast. Please don't forget to like, subscribe and share our podcast. I'd love to hear from you. So comment, tag me, DM me, let me know what you think and let me know what you'd like to hear next. Mama, I am praying for you. I love you and I cannot wait to see you next time. Thank you.
