129. Feeling, Not Fixing (with Ryan Clevenger)

Guest Bio: 

Ryan Clevenger is a podcast producer at Our Daily Bread Ministries. He and his wife, Jennie, have been married for fourteen years, and have four daughters. Their first daughter, Eleanor, was born two months early and had to be in the NICU for thirty-three days. Their oldest three daughters are biological siblings who were adopted from Guyana, South America. Ryan did his PhD in historical theology with an emphasis on the Trinitarian theology of the early church. His wife, Jennie, is an RN with sixteen years of experience working in postpartum and pediatrics. Ryan and Jennie regularly take mission trips to Guyana, South America. While there, Ryan often teaches classes in Bible and theology to the national pastors in the seminary. Their whole family is actively involved in their church, Christ Church Anglican, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Show Summary: 

Father’s Day may bring up good memories or disappointment. Are you someone that celebrates with your dad, or do you feel the loneliness from a lack of a good father in your life? Thankfully we are invited to have a relationship with our heavenly Father who stands with us in every emotion we face. Our guest today, Ryan Clevenger, tries to model the love God has for us by showing up for his daughters to help them navigate every feeling. On this episode of God Hears Her, join Elisa Morgan and Eryn Eddy Adkins as they talk with Ryan about his journey into becoming a father, and listen to how he shows up for his daughters. 

Notes and Quotes: 

• “Sometimes prayer is the only thing you can do.” —Ryan Clevenger

• “My job as a father is to try and show my children what it means to look like Jesus and to point them to Christ.” —Ryan Clevenger

• “I have to remember that I can’t fix all of my daughters’ problems.” —Ryan Clevenger

• “You have to learn who they [daughters] are. You have to spend time with them to be able to relate to them.” —Ryan Clevenger

• “Sometimes you just have to feel it, don’t fix it.” —Eryn Eddy Adkins

• “The thing about humans is that we have to explore. Some people have to learn by failure.” —Ryan Clevenger

• “Fathers, when you’re present, be fully present. Enjoy  as the gifts they are.” —Ryan Clevenger

Links: 

• God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/

• God Hears Her newsletter sign-up: https://www.godhearsher.org/signup

• Ryan’s Discover the Word series: https://discovertheword.org/series/testing/

• GHH Episode 92 with Jennie Clevenger: https://www.godhearsher.org/podcast/called-to-care

• Subscribe on iTunes! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast

• Elisa’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elisamorganauthor/

• Eryn’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eryneddy/

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