The Speakeasy

Jennifer Pepito is back on the podcast talking about the hard stuff: homeschooling can be beautiful and really hard at the same time. She has thirty years of wisdom and helped me work through the questions we all quietly ask—are my kids learning enough? When is it okay to just put the curriculum down?
Here's what Jennifer keeps reminding me: the curriculum serves your family, not the other way around. Sometimes the best thing you can do is close the books and come back tomorrow. The goal isn't measuring success by grade levels, it's asking who you're trying to help these children become.
You aren't going to make or break your children with one hard day. Even the hard seasons are opportunities to depend on the Lord and love your families well.
Connect with Jennifer
Learn more about The Inspired Homeschool at InspiredHomeschoolBook.com.
Find Jennifer's homeschool curriculum, resources, and free homeschooling guide at ThePeacefulPress.com.
Sponsors
CrowdHealth
CrowdHealth is a community-powered alternative to traditional health insurance that gives members access to bill negotiators, lower-cost prescriptions and testing, and a dedicated care advocate.
Get started for $99 for your first three months using code SPEAKEASY at JoinCrowdHealth.com.
CrowdHealth is not insurance.
Live Action Network
Live Action works to reach women facing unexpected pregnancies with life-affirming truth, resources, and hope at the moment they are searching for answers.
To support their work, text BLAKE to 70723 or visit LiveAction.org/donate/Blake.
#TheSpeakeasyPodcast #JenniferPepito #Homeschool #Homeschooling #HomeschoolMom #ChristianHomeschool #ChristianParenting #ThePeacefulPress #TheInspiredHomeschool #Motherhood #Faith #CrowdHealth #LiveAction

James Finke is back on the podcast to talk about apologetics and why Christians should be ready to explain what we believe and why we believe it. He's passionate about making this accessible to regular people like us, and we dig into the historical evidence for Jesus, his resurrection, and the early church. But this isn't about winning arguments, it's about being prepared when someone you love starts asking questions.
James shares a story that changed him: an acquaintance died unexpectedly after they'd talked casually about Jesus. It left him asking, what if our silence costs someone the chance to hear the Gospel? That hit me hard. If we truly believe Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, shouldn't we be willing to have those hard conversations with the people we love? Sometimes you're not meant to bring someone all the way in one conversation. Sometimes you're just supposed to be a rock in their shoe, leaving them with a question they can't shake.
Learn what you believe. Understand why you believe it. Love people enough to have difficult conversations. And trust God with what happens after you plant the seed.
Resources
Learn more about James Finke, his books, and his work at AuthorJamesFinke.com.
James also created a Christian Author's Toolkit with resources for anyone interested in writing and independently publishing Christian books. Visit AuthorJamesFinke.com/Blake.
Sponsors
Live Action Network
Live Action works to reach women facing unexpected pregnancies with life-affirming information, resources, and hope when they need it most.
To support their work, text BLAKE to 70723 or visit LiveAction.org/donate/Blake.
CrowdHealth
CrowdHealth provides a community-powered alternative to traditional health insurance, including access to bill negotiation, lower-cost prescriptions, and healthcare resources.
Get your first three months for $99 using code SPEAKEASY at JoinCrowdHealth.com.
CrowdHealth is not health insurance.
#TheSpeakeasyPodcast #JamesFinke #ChristianApologetics #Apologetics #ChristianPodcast #Faith #Jesus #TheGospel #Christianity #Bible #SharingYourFaith #GreatCommission #CrowdHealth #LiveAction

In this solo episode, I'm reflecting on what happens when we finally begin to heal. What if joy, playfulness, and whimsy aren't distractions from a serious life with Jesus, but actually evidence that we're getting better? Over the past year, God has been teaching me to slow down and rediscover the enjoyment of life. I spent years understanding the Christian life through suffering and perseverance, but He's showing me another truth: He created us to experience joy too.
This past year has required dismantling identities I built and allowing God to tear down what I could never dismantle myself. Healing can feel violent. But somewhere in the cracks, I began noticing flowers. A candle while I work. Tea on a rainy afternoon. Being present enough to actually recognize a beautiful moment while it's happening. Learning to rest was ultimately learning to trust, and I'm discovering that whimsy doesn't mean ignoring suffering, it means noticing God's goodness while you're still walking through the hard things.
Sometimes the flowers grow right through the cracks.
Sponsor
CrowdHealth
CrowdHealth offers a community-powered alternative to traditional health insurance. Members receive access to resources including bill negotiation, lower-cost prescriptions, and vetted doctor lists. When larger healthcare expenses arise, members contribute through the CrowdHealth community.
Get your first three months for $99 using code SPEAKEASY at JoinCrowdHealth.com.
CrowdHealth is not health insurance.
#TheSpeakeasyPodcast #BlakeGuichet #Whimsy #ChristianLiving #ChristianPodcast #Healing #BiblicalJoy #Rest #Faith #RootedHope #TrustGod #CrowdHealth

What if one of the most powerful things you could do for your marriage is also one of the simplest, and most overlooked?
In this episode of The Speakeasy Podcast, I sit down with Brad and Heidi Mitchell of Build Your Marriage for an honest, practical conversation about praying together as a married couple and why this simple spiritual rhythm can have such a profound impact on a relationship.
Brad and Heidi have been married for more than four decades, but their story hasn't been without difficult seasons. They share how they met as teenagers, navigated the rocky early years of marriage, and eventually faced one of the deepest betrayals a marriage can experience: infidelity.
Their story is ultimately one of forgiveness, reconciliation, and God's ability to restore what feels completely broken.
Sponsor
CrowdHealth
CrowdHealth offers a community-powered alternative to traditional health insurance. Members receive access to resources including bill negotiation, lower-cost prescriptions and testing, and doctor recommendations. When larger healthcare expenses arise, members contribute through the CrowdHealth community.
Get your first three months for $99 with code SPEAKEASY at JoinCrowdHealth.com.
CrowdHealth is not health insurance.
#TheSpeakeasyPodcast #BuildYourMarriage #ChristianMarriage #Marriage #Prayer #PrayingTogether #ChristianPodcast #MarriageAdvice #Faith #Jesus #BradAndHeidiMitchell #CrowdHealth

What happens when you've achieved everything the world says should make you happy, and you're still empty?
In this episode of The Speakeasy Podcast, I sit down with baseball legend and ordained minister, Darryl Strawberry, for a powerful conversation about surrender, grace, obedience, and the transformation that happens when Jesus becomes Lord over every part of your life. Darryl is a four-time World Series champion and eight-time All-Star, but today, he says the most important part of his story isn't what happened on the baseball field. It's what happened when a man who seemingly had everything finally surrendered his heart to Jesus.
Live Action reaches women facing unexpected pregnancies with life-affirming truth, resources, and hope. You can help support their work by texting BLAKE to 70723 or visiting LiveAction.org/donate/Blake. 
CrowdHealth offers a community-powered alternative to traditional health insurance. Members receive access to bill negotiation, lower-cost prescriptions and testing, vetted doctors, and community support for larger healthcare expenses. Get your first three months for $99 with code SPEAKEASY at JoinCrowdHealth.com. CrowdHealth is not health insurance.