What does it look like to walk alongside a student wrestling with sexuality, identity, or shame, not with a list of rules, but with the love of Jesus? In this episode, we sit down with Laurie Krieg, Director of Parent Programs and Discipleship at the Center for Faith, Sexuality, and Gender, speaker, and co-author of the forthcoming Raising Wise Kids in a Sexually Confused World (2026).

Laurie opens up about her own story of experiencing same-sex attraction in college, the mentor who helped her feel the deeper needs beneath her desires, and what it actually means to move from chains to freedom. From there, the conversation covers practical and theological ground that every campus leader needs: what marriage, singleness, and sex are really for, why a theology of yes is more compelling than a theology of no, and how hospitality has been one of the most powerful tools in her ministry.

We also talk about what students are really asking when they push back on faith, how to lead out of scars rather than open wounds, and why clarity of language with peaceful gospel confidence may be the most important thing leaders can bring to this generation.

Whether you are a campus minister, a parent, or someone still working through your own story, this conversation is full of wisdom, honesty, and hope.

Resources and Books Mentioned

• Raising Wise Kids in a Sexually Confused World by Laurie and Matt Krieg (forthcoming 2026)
• Journey by Laurie Krieg (self-published soul care workbook, available on Amazon) — a gospel-centered discipleship resource for individuals, mentors, and groups wrestling with sexual brokenness
• Laurie and Matt's marriage book (available through their publisher)
• Whole In My Heart podcast, co-hosted by Laurie and Matt Krieg
• Center for Faith, Sexuality, and Gender — cfsg.org
• A Praying Life by Paul Miller — Laurie's most recommended resource for transforming your prayer life
• Emotionally Healthy Spirituality podcast by Pete Scazzero — particularly the episode on "doing the work before the work"
• Gospel and Life podcast (Tim Keller) — specifically the sermon "Paul's Prayer for Experience" based on Ephesians 3:14-19
• The Gospel Comes with a House Key by Rosaria Butterfield — cited as an influence on Laurie and Matt's practice of radical hospitality

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Brenna Blaine is a contemporary theologian, bestselling author, and teacher whose life story is anything but a straight line. From a painful childhood marked by abuse and her parents' marital struggles, through years of wrestling with same-sex attraction, self-harm, and suicidal ideation, to a dramatic encounter with God on a YWAM base in Maui, Brenna's journey into faith and ministry is the kind that defies easy packaging.

In this conversation, Brenna opens up about receiving a bipolar diagnosis in the middle of her ministry career, what it means to pursue spiritual maturity when symptoms do not disappear, and how the church has often failed students by treating emotional health as a threat to faith rather than a part of it. She also shares what it looks like to steward your story wisely, why lament belongs in our worship vocabulary, and how ancient spiritual practices are some of the most countercultural tools available to the next generation.

Whether you are a student trying to make sense of your faith and your struggles, a campus minister walking alongside people in pain, or someone who just needs to hear that God is actually big enough for your real questions, this episode is for you.

Books

• Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
• The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
• Brenna's own book: Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

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JP Poulter has spent nearly two decades at the intersection of technology, communication, and faith, from shaping global digital strategy at the LEGO Group to founding one of Europe's pioneering voice technology agencies. Now, as a fractional Head of AI and Innovation and founder of consultancy Three Point, JP is one of the clearest voices helping churches, ministries, and organizations navigate what he believes is the most transformative technology in human history.

In this conversation, JP breaks down what AI actually is in plain terms, why the church tends to follow culture rather than lead it, and what campus missionaries need to rethink right now about how they're preparing students for an AI-shaped world. He also gets personal, sharing how campus ministry in London shaped his faith, why he thinks the church needs to be 100x more present online, and why Joshua 1:9 keeps coming back to him in this moment.

This one is equal parts challenging and encouraging. If you work with college students or lead in any ministry context, you don't want to miss it.

Website: https://www.jamespoulter.co.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamespoulter

Resources JP mentioned

• "The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry" by John Mark Comer: https://www.johnmarkcomer.com/books/the-ruthless-elimination-of-hurry
• "The Anxious Generation" by Jonathan Haidt: https://www.anxiousgeneration.com
• Center for Humane Technology (Tristan Harris): https://www.humanetech.com
• Google DeepMind Podcast hosted by Hannah Fry: https://deepmind.google/discover/the-podcast
• Relevant Magazine/Podcast: https://relevantmagazine.com

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