<![CDATA[Home Fires]]> https://dropwave.io en Sun, 08 Mar 2026 00:24:49 +0000 Sun, 08 Mar 2026 00:24:49 +0000 https://assets-cdn2.dropwave.io/f3cf78c2-47ce-44ce-a6c7-f9ea1c67b886/cover-art/9qUkeKs4xF3QxlR3MXffOVtm7M55jXx4oZABxYXb.png https://dropwave.io <![CDATA[Home Fires]]> No audio@canonpress.org no <![CDATA[A BBC Writer Walks Into a Church]]> In this episode, Tilly talks to James Cary, BBC sitcom writer, author, podcaster, YouTuber and stand-up theologian. They talk about what it was like for Cary to work in British television as a conservative Christian white male, as well as the writing process, shows and books that influenced each of them, and Cary's decision to homeschool in the UK of all places. It is clear from this episode that James has spaghetti brain, which we always thought was a woman thing.
...
James Cary writes a funny headlines about the Bible and Church history every Thursday at The Wycliffe Papers., hosts The Standup Theologian Podcast , and tours his one man show God, the Bible & Everything in 60 Minutes. He's the author of The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer and The Sacred Art of Joking.  
...
Other books referenced in the episode (among many):
Anything by PG Wodehouse
]]> Tue, 10 Feb 2026 07:25:00 +0000 No 4713 full <![CDATA[Is my child reading too much? Audience Q&A]]> In this episode, Abigail and Tilly jump into a grab bag of questions recently discovered in Spotify. They discuss the latest developments in Minneapolis, handling winter storms with joy, Tilly's father's gumbo recipe, critical mothers-in-law, questions to for dads to ask potential suitors, different approaches to homeschooling, and more. 

]]> Tue, 03 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +0000 No 3517 full <![CDATA[ICE Raids, Cross Con, and Self-Control]]> In this first episode of the new year, Tilly and Abigail mainly just catch up. Some big things happening in Abigail's world (we won't spoil it!) and Tilly's recent experience with the young folks at Cross Con. Also a goodish amount of talk about rivers, old buildings, and the ICE Troubles in Minneapolis.

]]> Tue, 20 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000 No 3333 full <![CDATA[Better Systems For Managing Your Home / Katie Voetburg | (S5 E28)]]> In this super practical conversation, Tilly interviews Katie Voetburg from Now That We're a Family Podcast and The Get It All Done Club. They talk about meal prepping, the 80/20 rule, to-do lists, three kinds of work/rest days, identifying "prime movers" in your home, eliminating friction around small tasks, and how Katie organizes clothing and socks/shoes with six children 8 and under.

]]> Tue, 02 Dec 2025 17:00:00 +0000 No 3384 full <![CDATA[Holiday Survival Tips | (S5 E27)]]> From the wonder of children's joy in the season to stockings, stuffing, turkeys, and spreadsheets, Tilly and Abigail talk about all things holiday prep. Listen along for hosting tips and reminders of how we can grow young and new inwardly, even as we get older.

Link to recipe: 
https://www.simplyscratch.com/simple-herb-sourdough-dressing/
]]> Tue, 25 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000 No 3266 full <![CDATA[How to Build a Story / Christine Cohen | (S5 E26)]]> In this episode, author and Camperdown MFA Director Christine Cohen comes on to talk about story--writing it, watching it, and reading it. Tilly and Christine take a deep dive into story structure and some of the challenges of bringing a character to life. What are some of the differences between writing for the screen and writing for print? Does a basic knowledge of basic story structure help us to be more appreciative and aware as consumers of story?

]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000 No 3716 full <![CDATA[Order vs. Chaos in Homemaking | (S5 E25)]]> Bringing order
 
Today, Abigail and Tilly talked about order vs chaos in homemaking. They jump off with a discussion on the "order" of a fir tree branch vs. the "chaos" of that branch deconstructed into neat little piles. What is the purpose of the items we use every day, and what does it look like to put those things into order, as a service to the people we live with? What does sloth look like when we are faced with homemaking tasks that are particularly difficult for us?
]]> Tue, 04 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000 No 3399 full <![CDATA[The Secret to Great Hospitality / Jenni Naselli | (S5 E24)]]> Jenni Naselli is back on Home Fires! After a brief update on her past year of life and the many changes it has brought, she and Abigail spend some time talking about the benefits of collaborative hospitality. How can you partner with others in order to accomplish more than you could alone? What resources can you bring to the table to share with others—whether your hard work, your support, your home, your expertise, your service? God has good work for us all and boy is it fun to work together!

]]> Tue, 21 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000 No 2593 full <![CDATA[Are You a Smothering Mother? | (S5 E23)]]> Are you a smothering mother? Tilly and Abigail use an article by Michael Clary to jumpstart their conversation on overprotective mothers. What are the root causes of overprotectiveness? How does it look as your children grow older? How might overprotectiveness harm daughters, not just sons? The good news is, there is grace ready to help us walk by faith as moms and act toward our children as free women raising confident, free, Christian people.

]]> Wed, 15 Oct 2025 21:35:00 +0000 No 3553 full <![CDATA[Encouraging Your Husband in the Fight | (S5 E22)]]> This past month has put believers in contact with the death of several saints. Tilly and Abigail talk about how to respond to the news of these deaths, particularly Charlie Kirk's assassination. They discuss Erika Kirk's example of godly womanhood, why we're prone to grab at the arms of our men when they're entering the arena, and the mercy poured out on our country through God's word being proclaimed in the public square. How can we evaluate our lives in light of our mortality? What do we want to do differently as wives and mothers and Christian women? How is God humbling us through these events? And most importantly, if your life were to end soon, are you eager and ready to be in the presence of the Lord?

]]> Tue, 30 Sep 2025 10:00:00 +0000 No 2800 full <![CDATA[Friendships and Secrets | (S5 E21)]]> Secrets can be tasty, delicious, and enticing. Knowing other people's secrets can give us social standing and make us feel important. Spilling the tea can give us a form of exaltation in the moment. But how do we rightly discern when to keep a secret and when to bring something to the light? How do we grow as women of discretion? Are we good 'secret-aries' for our husband, our friends, our children? Tilly and Abigail talk all about secrets and the temptations that come with them.

]]> Tue, 16 Sep 2025 17:00:00 +0000 No 3593 full <![CDATA[Wearing Clothes 101 | (S5 E20)]]> Abigail and Tilly talk about immodesty, particularly the attitude of heart that is loud and shouts, "Look at me!" What is the connection between a sinful fearfulness and immodesty? In our current cultural moment, there is no opting out of battle over how women should dress and present ourselves. Our clothing, hair, and presentation has become a war of ideologies, so that even a discreet woman will be noticed because she is set against the zeitgeist of cross-dressing and gaudiness. Yet God still sees the quiet heart and regards it as very precious.

]]> Tue, 02 Sep 2025 15:15:00 +0000 No 3457 full <![CDATA[Women and The Perverse Desire | (S5 E19)]]> In this episode, Abigail and Tilly talk about the perverse desire--the desire for the impossible. Do women have a unique ability to desire and even demand things that are logically incompatible? What does this look like on the ground? How does it affect marriage, spiritual life, and vocation? What does Scripture have to say about desire?

]]> Tue, 19 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000 No 2898 full <![CDATA[Should Women Work Outside Of The Home? | (S5 E18)]]> Tilly Dillehay and Abigail Dodds, in this episode of Home Fires, answer Micheal Foster's question: Should women work outside of the home? The two give their thoughts on what true biblical and feminine work looks like inside the home and outside of the home. And what that means for women who are searching for careers.

]]> Tue, 05 Aug 2025 15:30:00 +0000 No 3527 full <![CDATA[Femininity and Hard Work | (S5 E17)]]> Tilly and Abigail continue answering questions from listeners. First they talk about whether and how daughters should be raised with vocational training, particularly if it's similar to men's vocational training. What should an unmarried woman do in terms of a career (or not)? They touch on the invisible weights husbands carry and how learning to see these invisible weights can help a wife respect her husband and do her part. They also answer a question about how to build character into your children as they grow.

]]> Tue, 29 Jul 2025 20:00:00 +0000 No 2818 full <![CDATA[Q&A Episode | (S5 E16)]]> In this episode, Tilly and Abigail answer questions from the last few months. But the questions were such big topics they only got into about three: miscarriage, encouraging reluctant daters, and parenting toddlers (and teen sons). Too much to talk about; will likely get into more questions next time so feel free to submit questions in the interim!

]]> Tue, 08 Jul 2025 10:00:00 +0000 No 4006 full <![CDATA[Trends in the Church | (S5 E15)]]> In this episode, Tilly and Abigail talk about fashion vs. substance. They spend the first 20 minutes or so talking theory, jumping off from an article by Clint Manley on our desires being mediated by the sight of another person enjoying something. Then they move into the idea of trends, as they relate to clothing, food, worship styles, and culture building. Are trends good, bad, or neutral? How do they work in the church? Are we imitating Christ when we set trends? Who are we looking to ultimately, to discover what is attractive and enjoyable?

https://dc.swosu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3341&context=mythlore

]]> Tue, 24 Jun 2025 15:00:00 +0000 No 3451 full <![CDATA[No Time To Be Dumb / Rachel Jankovic | (S5 E14)]]> In this episode, Abigail visits with Rachel in Moscow, Idaho. They talk about common temptations for young women, sentimentalism, and facing difficult times as a mother with courage and faithfulness.

Check out more from Abigail, Tilly, and other Christian women on Canon+: https://canonplus.com/ 

]]> Tue, 10 Jun 2025 16:00:00 +0000 No 2989 full <![CDATA[Biblical Counseling and Unfulfilled Longings / Janet Aucoin | (S5 E13)]]> In this episode, Tilly interviews Janet Aucoin, a pastor's wife, mother, and grandmother who has many years of experience in Biblical counseling. They talk about the Biblical counseling movement, discipleship in the church, being the "taste" to others without trying to be the "feast" for them, and living the Christian life with unfulfilled longings.

Check out more from Abigail, Tilly, and other Christian women on Canon+: https://canonplus.com/ 

]]> Tue, 03 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000 No 3345 full <![CDATA[Self Care and the Happy Wife | (S5 E12)]]> In this episode, Abigail and Tilly discuss self-care and connect it all back to (again) marriage. What does self care even mean? What are some principles of sabbath rest and body stewardship that are worth discussing, if we reject worldly claims about self care? What does all this have to do with marriage? They also discussed the very subtle ways we try to control our husband's behavior, and the fears that might lie behind those attempts. How do you build relational capital in a marriage so that your input is actually helpful and functional?

Check out more from Abigail, Tilly, and other Christian women on Canon+: https://canonplus.com/ 

]]> Tue, 27 May 2025 16:15:00 +0000 No 3687 full <![CDATA[What Are We Gonna Do About That, Honey? | (S5 E11)]]> In this episode, Tilly and Abigail do another deep dive on marriage. They talk about ways of being a genuine helper, bringing ideas and concerns up in truly helpful ways. They talk about ways of talking about your husband that are helpful to both you and to other women, and matching that honor in the way you speak TO him in private. Why are men drawn to kind women of all ages? When you live in the fullness of Christ's goodness to you, how does that affect your marriage?

Check out more from Abigail, Tilly, and other Christian women on Canon+: https://canonplus.com/ 

]]> Tue, 13 May 2025 15:00:00 +0000 No 3492 full <![CDATA[Chasing the Inner Ring / Joe Rigney | (S5 E10)]]> In this episode, Tilly and Abigail are joined by Dr. Joe Rigney to talk about Lewis's essay The Inner Ring. What is the inner ring and how does it affect our friendships and relationships in the church? How does it manifest differently between men and women? What are the dangers of becoming an "inner ringer"? How should women conduct themselves in the many circles of influence they are a part of?

Check out more from Abigail, Tilly, and other Christian women on Canon+: https://canonplus.com/ 

]]> Tue, 29 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0000 No 3382 full <![CDATA[Improving Your Marriage | (S5 E9)]]> In this episode, Tilly and Abigail talk about ways that a wife can improve her marriage. A wife has immense power in the Spirit to change the atmosphere of her marriage. But how? How specific should we be in asking for what we want? Should we offer input in the form of "helpful" questions? What is the role of thanks and gratitude in the atmosphere of a marriage? What is the role of the marriage bed? What words can we use to let our husbands know we believe he is capable of making decisions and getting things done? Are you ready to try the "three thanks a day" challenge?

Check out more from Abigail, Tilly, and other Christian women on Canon+: https://canonplus.com/ 

]]> Wed, 23 Apr 2025 17:00:00 +0000 No 3692 full <![CDATA[Single and Satisfied | (S5 E8)]]> Abigail introduces her friend, Katie Semple, to the Home Fires listeners. They talk about being faithful during a season of unwanted singleness (even when navigating awkward and insensitive comments) and also how married women and unmarried women can serve alongside each other in the family of God with great fruitfulness.

Check out more from Abigail, Tilly, and other Christian women on Canon+: https://canonplus.com/ 

]]> Wed, 16 Apr 2025 19:05:00 +0000 No 3529 full <![CDATA[You are Worthy | (S5 E7)]]> In this episode, Tilly and Abigail talk about self-worth and women. When people repeat the message "you are worthy" to women, citing this as the reason why Christ came and died for them, what are they trying to do? What is the proper kind of self-worth, self-esteem, self-regard? Is that even the right question? What is it about women that make us feel like we need to tell them about their worth?

Bonus: Abigail gives an honest review of the Bosch oven, which may lock itself and refuse to talk to you.

Check out more from Abigail, Tilly, and other Christian women on Canon+: https://canonplus.com/ 

]]> Tue, 08 Apr 2025 17:30:00 +0000 No 2720 full <![CDATA[Hide The TV | (S5 E6)]]> In this episode, Abigail and Tilly talk about social media. How do we steward social media, with all its opportunities and challenges? How do we steward our time and attention? What are the blessings that social media have brought to our lives? (Abigail and Tilly's real-life friendship is one.) How do we protect our kids from the harmful effects of early use? Is Tilly right and should we all just opt out and also move our TVs to the garage? Or is Abigail right and we should learn to use these apps on mission?

Check out more from Abigail, Tilly, and other Christian women on Canon+: https://canonplus.com/ 

]]> Tue, 01 Apr 2025 17:05:00 +0000 No 3255 full <![CDATA[Raising Creative Kids, Pt. 2 | (S5 E5)]]> In this episode, Abigail and Tilly talk continue and round out the conversation about raising creative kids. They talk about the three essential ways we set our kids up to make good art in God's name. Then they bring everything back to the domestic arts. What are the ways we foster excellence and creative skill in our homemaking, and how do we pass these skills on to daughters?

Check out more from Abigail, Tilly, and other Christian women on Canon+: https://canonplus.com/ 

]]> Thu, 27 Mar 2025 20:07:00 +0000 No 3623 full <![CDATA[Raising Creative Kids, Pt. 1 | (S5 E4)]]> In this episode, opening with a mini "poncert" (podcast+concert?) Tilly chats with her sisters, Callie Pittman and Phoebe Deffenbaugh, on the creatively oriented home they grew up in. Their father Morgan Cryar was a CCM artist who encouraged entrepreneurial thinking. Callie and Phoebe discuss their path into the music business, and they begin a discussion on how young people develop natural ability into real skill. Expect more on this topic in future episodes!

Check out more from Abigail, Tilly, and other Christian women on Canon+: https://canonplus.com/ 

]]> Tue, 18 Mar 2025 18:00:00 +0000 No 3056 full <![CDATA[Who's Gonna Marry Your Daughter? | (S5 E3)]]> In this conversation the ladies talked about marrying off children without becoming Mrs. Bennett and maintaining standards without adopting worldly attitudes about marriage prospects. Also, why you should not enter pageants or give your friends homemade wine.

Check out more from Abigail, Tilly, and other Christian women on Canon+: https://canonplus.com/ 

]]> Tue, 04 Mar 2025 18:00:00 +0000 No 3326 full <![CDATA[Writing Well and Aging Wisely! | (S5 E2)]]> This week, the Home Fires ladies talked shop about the writing process, why demons would want you to "diversify your pleasures," the temptations of aging as a woman, and fearing God as the ultimate guard against becoming the foolish older woman described in Titus 2.

Check out more from Abigail, Tilly, and other Christian women on Canon+: https://canonplus.com/ 

]]> Wed, 26 Feb 2025 22:00:00 +0000 No 3598 full <![CDATA[Home Fires Returns! | (S5 E1)]]> In this episode, Abigail and Tilly get re-acquainted after two years of not podcasting together and leading very full lives, five states apart.

]]> Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:15:00 +0000 No 3310 full <![CDATA[Q&A: Farewell to Season 4 | (Ep 4.11)]]> On this final episode of Season 4, Jenni and Abigail do their best to tackle your poignant questions about a myriad of topics. We really needed another hour or two!

On a personal note from me (Abigail), thank you for listening this season and bearing with the change of host and having only me on for interviews! Thank you for being gracious and rolling with the changes, despite missing Tilly. And many thanks to Jenni for stepping in so cheerfully. God has been kind! I hope this season blessed and edified you in the Lord. I'm not sure what the next season holds or who might be in your earbuds, but for now we'll just say, "As the Lord wills!" Until next time, keep those Home Fires burning.

]]> Tue, 02 Jan 2024 12:00:00 +0000 No 719652 full <![CDATA[Rosaria Butterfield on the Lies Christians Believe | (Ep 4.10)]]> Abigail welcomes Rosaria Butterfield back to Home Fires to discuss her new book, Five Lies of our Anti-Christian Age. Rather than begin at the beginning of her book, we begin at the end, starting with the Lie #5: Modesty Is an Outdated Burden That Serves Male Dominance and Holds Women Back, then work our way backwards.

As you would expect, Rosaria pulls no punches--she is as clear, direct, and forthright as anyone I've ever met, and I love her for it. I hope you will, too. Listening to Rosaria should be a potent reminder to Chistians everywhere that you can't love people if you aren't willing to tell them the truth. For too long evangelicals have believed that they could simply pretend the enemies of God were their friends, and have, perhaps unwittingly, lost the opportunity to actually love their enemies with the truth. Let Rosaria's unwillingness to pretend or play games with the truth of God's Word blow some clean Gospel air into your lungs. 

 

]]> Tue, 26 Dec 2023 12:00:00 +0000 No 700452 full <![CDATA[A Tale of Two Mothers | (Ep 4.9)]]> One question that has come up several times this season from listeners is some variation of: do you have any advice for parenting teens? Another frequent question is: do you have any advice for moms of young children? 

The good news is that being a godly and faithful mother of teens starts when your children are little. The two questions really can't be pulled apart. In this episode Abigail and Jenni work through a recent talk Abigail gave alongside Tom on parenting teens. They talk about the significant changes that happen in your role as a mother as your children grow into young adults and how mothers can help press the wisdom of Christ into the corners of her growing child's life with God's help.

Lastly, they look at the tale of two mothers in Scriptures and how these two mothers advised their grown children--one in the worst way imaginable and the other for the good of her daughter. 

 

]]> Tue, 19 Dec 2023 12:00:00 +0000 No 667255 full <![CDATA[Stability of Soul for an Anxious Age with Joe Rigney | (Ep 4.8)]]> Abigail welcomes Joe Rigney back to Home Fires to talk about his recent online course called Leadership in An Age of Anxiety. We particularly zoom in on the role of women both for good or for ill in how different communities function, such as the home, the church, friend groups, and more. How do we respond when other people are offended? What do we do with our own reactive feelings when the temperature is rising?

Joe points us to the Scriptures for wisdom on how to be women with clarity of mind, stability of soul, and a readiness to act in godly ways through the many crackling, pressure-cooked situations we may find ourselves in.

]]> Tue, 12 Dec 2023 12:00:00 +0000 No 764854 full <![CDATA[How to Shop Like a Christian! | (Ep 4.7)]]> Christmastime presents a lot of opportunities for shopping! But what's the point of shopping, really? How can we take what is often a wordly grab at materialism and instead shop as Christians--in a way that glorifies God? 

We explore the heart of generosity that should motivate our shopping and how to avoid the pitfalls of worldliness, asceticism, and buying the false ideologies that some stores sell alongside their products. 

We hope this episode encourages you in this Advent season! Whether you have a little or a lot, a big budget or a small one, we pray God will enlarge your heart as you give generously to the people he's given to you. Merry Christmas! Christ has come and he will come again, soon. 

]]> Tue, 05 Dec 2023 12:00:00 +0000 No 626854 full <![CDATA[Impossible Christianity with Kevin DeYoung | (Ep 4.6)]]> There are few authors who so regularly produce content that has its pulse on what normal Christians need to here--either by way of encouragement or rebuke or topic. Kevin DeYoung is one of those writers. 

In his new book, Impossible Christianity, he again finds a way to address a common problem among Christians--the problem of making Christianity impossible in ways that God never intended it to be. Without in any way lessening the clarion call of Christ to lose everything for his sake, Kevin reminds us of a Savior whose yoke really is easy. 

I really hope you'll listen in on this conversation and go grab this book. There's no cheap grace in it--only the powerful grace of God to produce joy and good fruit in God's children.

]]> Tue, 28 Nov 2023 12:00:00 +0000 No 683456 full <![CDATA[Education is Discipleship! | (Ep 4.5)]]> Jenni and Abigail talk all things "education." What is education? Is education even the right word to describe what Christians are supposed to be doing with our children while they're under our instruction and care? What are our duties as mothers when it comes to educating and discipling our children? 

Join us as we lean on God's word, God's truth, God's grace, and God Himself as the foundation for all real "education." And discover with us that this duty to educate our children in the Lord is not the burden some might have you think--but rather an intensely good labor of love with rewards beyond telling.

And don't miss our One Big Thanksgiving prep tip. 

]]> Tue, 21 Nov 2023 12:00:00 +0000 No 681455 full <![CDATA[Bekah Merkle on Beauty and Interior Design | (Ep 4.4)]]> How do we know if something is ugly? How do we know if something is beautiful? Is it all just in the eye of the beholder? Why does it matter? Bekah Merkle helps us think about beauty by turning our thoughts to God's thoughts. And very happily for us, we discover that God has given us a vast and wide array of beauty in his created world to observe and imitate. So, while beauty is objective, it is also wonderfully expressed in in more ways than we have yet to uncover. 

If you avoid decorating or tend to think you're just not good at it, this may be a great place for you start. Get inspired by thinking about the purpose of decorating and interior design! We don't have to be fancy or showy to truly and beautifully love our people with the inside of our homes. 

]]> Tue, 14 Nov 2023 12:00:00 +0000 No 647653 full <![CDATA[Michael Clary on God's Good Design | (Ep 4.3)]]> I’m eager to share this interview with author and pastor Michael Clary about his new book, God’s Good Design. Michael shares some of his personal story, his love for the local church, and what prompted him to write this book (spoiler: struggling young women). He also helps us connect how we’re made to the Scriptures and to our God-given purpose in life.

Join us as we consider what worldly ideas masquerade as enlightenment, when in fact we need to unlearn those false ideas about men and women and learn to see and love the reality of how God has made men and women.

Here's a link to Michael's worthwhile book.

 

]]> Tue, 07 Nov 2023 11:00:00 +0000 No 730054 full <![CDATA[Hospitality Is Skiing Down Hill | (Ep 4.2)]]> Today we're mulling over the hurdles and roadblocks to Christian hospitality. What is it that really keeps people from welcoming others in? Is the problem with our homes or with our hearts? Do some people just have the hospitality gene and others don’t?

We take a close look––not just at the hurdles––but the great reward of hospitality. It is such a wonderful inheritance from the Lord to get to spend and be spent for others. Don’t miss the huge blessing hospitality is—not just for those receiving it—but especially for the ones offering it. Plus, some bonus insights on downhill skiing.

]]> Tue, 31 Oct 2023 11:00:00 +0000 No 625052 full <![CDATA[Introducing Jenni Naselli! | (Ep 4.1)]]> With Tilly away caring for a new baby, homeschooling littles, working behind the scenes for a new coffee shop endeavor, and generally tending her actual home fires, Jenni Naselli graciously joins Abigail and agrees to be put in the hot seat for an interview. 

Jenni shares how she came to trust Christ as well as the story of how she met and married her husband, Andy. Get ready to absorb some helpful wisdom as you hear how Jenni's parents carefully and tenderly shepherded her through her young adult years. We don't have to do exactly as Jenni's parents did, but we can learn so much from the godly principles they exhibit. 

]]> Tue, 24 Oct 2023 11:00:00 +0000 No 563053 full <![CDATA[Q&A: Farewell to Season 3 | (Ep 3.14)]]> Tilly and Abigail team up to answer the great questions you all sent in. They talk about raising girls (friendships, dating, reading, and more), friendships with other couples, hospitality practices, dealing with spousal conflict, and pass right over your questions about head coverings and Christian Nationalism. Fun cap to the season!

]]> Wed, 22 Feb 2023 02:01:00 +0000 No 785856 full <![CDATA[Megan Basham on Believe All Women | (Ep 3.13)]]> This week, Megan Basham joins us to talk about the widely supported claim that inside and outside the church, we should "believe all women." Where did this phrase come from? What does it mean? What does it mean for the local church, the local university, the family, and the justice system?

]]> Tue, 14 Feb 2023 07:00:00 +0000 No 723654 full <![CDATA[Preparing Children for Marriage | (Ep 3.12)]]> Abigail and Tilly talk about the kinds of people we want our children to marry. How did our own experiences shape our desires for the kids? What kind of advice does a mother have to offer her son or daughter as they grow up? How can we help prepare them to be and to choose a godly spouse?

]]> Tue, 07 Feb 2023 07:00:00 +0000 No 510855 full <![CDATA[Greg Morse and the Hard Words of Scripture | (Ep 3.11)]]> This week, Greg Morse joins the podcast to talk about the "hard words" of scripture. We read and discuss challenging statements that ask us to make hard choices: to repent or remain in sin, to worship God or worship false gods. Greg's own testimony is an illustration of how the Lord often uses "hard words" to move our hearts and change our lives.

]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2023 07:00:00 +0000 No 622252 full <![CDATA[Wisdom and Her Companions | (Ep 3.10)]]> Tilly and Abigail cozy up and chat about wisdom. What are some of the companion virtues that run in a pack with wisdom? What are counterfeit forms of wisdom that we see today? (I.e., "deep thoughts" of oversharing Christian writers, pragmatism that is really just worldly wisdom, "humor" that is really just scoffing, etc.) 

They also talk about the delights of wisdom, how scripture directs us to ask for it, because it's a gift. Wisdom comes from scripture, but must be mediated through the work of the Holy Spirit.

]]> Tue, 24 Jan 2023 15:16:00 +0000 No 595199 full <![CDATA[Justin Dillehay and Intellectual Virtue | (Ep 3.9)]]> Tilly's husband Justin joins the podcast to talk about something he's been trying to train her in for the last ten years: intellectual virtue. How do we become God-honoring thinkers, who are honest, teachable, open to reason, lovers of truth, curious, attentive listeners, just, courageous, studious, and patient? How do we recognize intellectual virtue in other voices that we tune in to? Can we change our minds when the evidence demands that we do so? Can we also protect ourselves from becoming reeds blown by every wind of doctrine? How does this intellectual responsibility fit into the practical life of the mother at home? All questions answered in full by pastor Justin Dillehay and Abigail;)

---

Epistemology, W.J. Wood (early chapters referenced in episode)

The Wisdom Pyramid, Brett McCracken

]]> Tue, 17 Jan 2023 07:00:00 +0000 No 686455 full <![CDATA[Remembering and Rejoicing at Christmas with Jenni Naselli | (Ep 3.8)]]> This week, we're joined by Jenni Naselli for a relaxed conversation about how our families keep the Advent season. We also touch on the day-after slump, which strikes all and sundry, and the ways to bless others when you're the guest instead of the host.

We'll be taking a break for the Christmas season. We'll pick up and finish out Season 3 in the new year! See you then!

]]> Tue, 29 Nov 2022 14:32:00 +0000 No 623882 full <![CDATA[Affirmation Practice | (Ep 3.7)]]> Today, Abigail and Tilly talk about how to practice affirmation in the home and in the church. How do you affirm other human people--husband, children, friends, family--without falling into flattery, or even idol worship? Jumping off of Practicing Affirmation by Sam Crabtree, they try to get a handle on how God-centered affirmation can be a tool for building people up and strengthen relationships.

]]> Tue, 22 Nov 2022 07:00:00 +0000 No 376852 full <![CDATA[Joe Rigney on Being the Smile of God to Your Children | (Ep 3.6)]]> This week, Joe Rigney joined us on the podcast to talk about parenting. We discussed what it means to show our children the Father's pleasure in them by demonstrating our own fatherly or motherly pleasure. We also chatted about sharing interests with our kids, discipline in an atmosphere of fellowship, and parenting special needs kids. (And Jane Austen?!?)

]]> Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:00:00 +0000 No 713252 full <![CDATA[The Abstention Bias | (Ep 3.5)]]> Abigail and Tilly discuss the human tendency to assume that to abstain from something is more virtuous than to partake in it. They relate this to women in the church bumping up against each other's consciences and practices. Why is it that women often take one another's convictions as a personal challenge? How can we allow iron to sharpen iron without being at the mercy of every suggestion made by another family's personal practices?

]]> Tue, 08 Nov 2022 07:00:00 +0000 No 610052 full <![CDATA[Confessing Sin to the Folks You Live With | (Ep 3.4)]]> In episode 34, Abigail and Tilly cozy up in separate states again to talk about confession. James 5:16 tells us to confess our sins one to another. What does that mean on the ground? How do we practice the regular confession of sin in our homes and in the church, and what exactly does confession do for us? 

]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2022 06:00:00 +0000 No 635652 full <![CDATA[Parenting as a Father with Tom Dodds | (Ep 3.3)]]> Abigail's husband Tom joins the podcast to talk about parenting! He shares wisdom from his years growing into fatherhood. Fathers have the unique responsibility to proclaim godly precepts to their kids and to pursue holiness for themselves and their family, in order to prepare godly offspring. 

]]> Tue, 25 Oct 2022 06:00:00 +0000 No 543054 full <![CDATA[Sloth and the Christian Woman | (Ep 3.2)]]> This week we discuss the sin of sloth. What does the Bible say about the sluggard? What does sloth it look like on the ground? Is it possible for such busy women to even BE slothful? (Hint: yes it is) Fun times discussing the sin nobody thinks they struggle with.

]]> Tue, 18 Oct 2022 06:00:00 +0000 No 572055 full <![CDATA[Welcome Back and Big Life Changes | (Ep 3.1)]]> Tilly and Abigail settle down in person in a fourth-floor office of Bethlehem College and Seminary to catch up on life. 10 and 20 year wedding anniversaries, graduating children from high school, new hobbies, new responsibilities, new human beings, and why you shouldn't approach the Bible the way Abigail approaches painting a picture of a mountain... nothing is below our notice in this first episode of Home Fires, Season 3. 

]]> Tue, 11 Oct 2022 06:00:00 +0000 No 781055 full <![CDATA[Q&A: Farewell to Season 2 | (Ep 2.15)]]> Tilly and Abigail close out season 2 by answering as many as possible of all the good questions listeners sent in. They talk about: Keeping a home during the single years, the Enneagram, book recommendations, disagreeing with presumed Christians on major issues, raising daughters to think about homemaking, education, and work, maturing in the faith (if you're already reading your Bible), and truths that get them through the difficult days.

]]> Mon, 28 Feb 2022 14:22:00 +0000 No 830453 full <![CDATA[Andrew Peterson on Writing and Keeping Place | (Ep 2.14)]]> Andrew Peterson joins the podcast to talk about his newest book, The God of the Garden, as well as the creative process, the Wingfeather Saga, his emotional life, and raising children in a creative home. This was a really fun conversation.

]]> Mon, 21 Feb 2022 14:06:00 +0000 No 674256 full <![CDATA[Alistair Roberts on the Dance of the Sexes | (Ep 2.13)]]> Alistair Roberts joins us to share some of his thoughts on how the whole Bible attests to the roles and relations of men and women. It's possible that there was more talk about Song of Songs in this discussion than in any previous episode, but it wasn't our fault.

]]> Mon, 14 Feb 2022 11:00:00 +0000 No 984152 full <![CDATA[Stories in the Christian Home | (Ep 2.12)]]> Tilly and Abigail discuss the nature of story, and ways that stories have shaped them and their children through the years. How do we tell our family stories to our children? What stories do we feed them as we seek to shape their loves and characters? 

]]> Mon, 07 Feb 2022 11:00:00 +0000 No 771453 full <![CDATA[Friendship with the Opposite Gender | (S2 Bonus Episode)]]> In a conversation that was cut for time, Tilly and Abigail chat about friendships with men. What does it look like? What does it not look like? Why the push in Christian circles to reaffirm intimate friendships between men and women who aren't married? How do we relate to one another in the church as brothers and sisters?

]]> Mon, 31 Jan 2022 11:00:00 +0000 No 173452 full <![CDATA[Homemaking in Stages with Nancy Wilson | (Ep 2.11)]]> Nancy Wilson joins us to talk about homemaking as a calling that changes shape through the years. The details change quite a bit from when kids are small, to when they're teenagers, to when they leave the nest and the home continues to be a center of ministry. In every stage, homemaking is a calling that requires walking by faith.

]]> Mon, 24 Jan 2022 11:00:00 +0000 No 670855 full <![CDATA[Female Friendship in Lonely Times | (Ep 2.10)]]> This week, Tilly and Abigail discuss friendships past, present, and future. How do friendships bless and edify us? How can we be better friends in those seasons when we are tempted to ask, "but who is being a friend to me?"

]]> Mon, 17 Jan 2022 11:00:00 +0000 No 727253 full <![CDATA[Social Media and the Heart of Gratitude | (Ep 2.9)]]> Tilly and Abigail cozy up indoors in separate states to talk about the heart of gratitude, how it is affected by social media, and then social media itself and how to use it. With different social media habits that serve different ends (and different seasons of life), they each have something to share about how social media interplays with their spiritual and social lives.

]]> Thu, 13 Jan 2022 02:01:00 +0000 No 781656 full <![CDATA[David Mathis on Humbling Yourself Under God's Hand | (Ep 2.8)]]> David Mathis joins us in this first episode of 2022 to talk about the scriptural pattern of humble-self. What do we do when God's hand descends and presses us down, stripping us of our possessions, relationships, and dignity? What spiritual practices prepare us to humble-self? How do we talk about our sin before God and others? Are we actually as special as we think we are? (hint: yes and no) We found this conversation incredibly practical and encouraging!

]]> Mon, 03 Jan 2022 11:00:00 +0000 No 750053 full <![CDATA[Don't Swerve | (Ep 2.7)]]> In the last episode of 2021, Tilly and Abigail talk about whether we can know things, and whether we can make confident assertions about any of the things we know. When we women encounter people we disagree with--in person or in the internet world--our instincts tell us to swerve and avoid disagreement. Is there anything we should be willing to argue about this Christmas season? Popular wisdom says the more mature you become, the less you can be sure about. Is this true? Does humility mean becoming less sure of who God is and what he says in his word?

]]> Mon, 13 Dec 2021 11:00:00 +0000 No 709652 full <![CDATA[Who's Excited for Christmas? | (Ep 2.6)]]> In this slumber party style episode, Tilly and Abigail get real relaxed and chat about the things their families do to rev up for the advent season. Why does Christmas get more stale every year for some, and better and better for others? Also, is Abigail going to sing her original Christmas hymn next episode? Does she need a pie cart? Also, why does Tilly's son sit and stare at a train for half hour stretches, and what is a 48-hr shower?

]]> Mon, 06 Dec 2021 11:00:00 +0000 No 754452 full <![CDATA[The Productive Household with Steven Wedgeworth | (Ep 2.5)]]> Are homes just the place where we put our keys down at the end of the day, watch some TV, and fall into bed? Why are the home and workplace such separate realms for most families? Few of us are running a family farm anymore. So what can we do to make our homes a center of productivity, culture-building, learning, and true recreation?

]]> Mon, 29 Nov 2021 11:00:00 +0000 No 1557670 full <![CDATA[Spiritual Warfare in the Home | (Ep 2.4)]]> Tilly and Abigail talk about how mothers in particular engage in the great battle against "the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Eph 6:12). The home is not located safely behind the combat line, out of danger; rather, the line of combat runs right through the home. Women are in active combat roles, so what are the areas of Satan's attack that might be specific to Christian mothers?

]]> Mon, 22 Nov 2021 11:00:00 +0000 No 1619664 full <![CDATA[Untethered Empathy with Joe Rigney | (Ep 2.3)]]> Abigail and Tilly discuss empathy with Joe Rigney, author and President of Bethlehem College and Seminary. When we are ministering to one another in the church and home, is "empathy" as it's commonly understood always helpful? How does the sharing of another person's emotions help us to love them well, and how could hinder us in loving them well? How do we discern the righteous response to another person's joy, anger, and grief?

]]> Mon, 15 Nov 2021 12:00:00 +0000 No 863493 full <![CDATA[Bread of Life with Abigail Dodds | (Ep 2.2)]]> Tilly and Abigail talk about Abigail's new book, Bread of Life. While each of them (by coincidence!) keep an eye on pumpkin bread baking a few rooms away, they discuss baking and the Christian walk, Jesus as the "what is it" manna, Eve spewing out the word of God in order to accept and digest the lies of the serpent, and four kinds of Bible reading women... this episode is a fun preview of a beautiful, practical, and beautifully written book about Jesus, the bread of life.

]]> Mon, 08 Nov 2021 11:00:00 +0000 No 1680467 full <![CDATA[Losing Your Home | (Ep 2.1)]]> Abigail and Tilly catch up and tell about the biggest things that have happened in life over the past year. They  make no promises at all about the super duper secret planned episodes for season 2, but leave you to imagine all those exciting guests and topics!

]]> Mon, 01 Nov 2021 11:00:00 +0000 No 779134 full <![CDATA[A Homey Christmas | (Ep 1.15)]]> In Abigail's bedroom, the ladies settle into deep armchairs with cups of tea and chat about Christmas. In their most relaxed conversation to date, they manage to talk about a few substantive things... but first they find they must discuss monochromatic Christmas decor, "fencing" Christmas like you would the Lord's table or the marriage bed, and why it's a bad idea to gift gifts to charities in a giftees name. This is the final episode of Season 1.

]]> Wed, 16 Dec 2020 03:39:00 +0000 No 431098 full <![CDATA[I Wish I Had Your Home | (Ep 1.14)]]> Tilly and Abigail talk about envy. What do we do when others are blessed in ways we aren't? What if they have the family, the talents, the home, the life we wish we had? How do we handle the borrowed glories God bestows on others? Why isn't God as "fair" as we are?

In our very first in-person recording, they try to subdue the silliness and get down to business on a topic that both find fascinating and that Tilly has written a book about (Seeing Green, 2018).

]]> Tue, 08 Dec 2020 07:00:00 +0000 No 495888 full <![CDATA[The Power of Stories with Barry Cooper and James Cary | (Ep 1.13)]]> Abigail and Tilly are joined by two British blokes to talk about stories and the Christian home. How can we tell stories in our homes that will strengthen our faith and plant seeds in our children? What narratives do we tell ourselves throughout the day, and how does this affect our joy? What are the false narratives our culture is telling, and what how does the Great Story contrast with those false narratives?

James Cary and Barry Cooper are Reformed Brits with a background in comedy and writing who host a podcast together: Cooper and Cary Have Words. Abigail and Tilly are both fans, and now you get to enjoy them as much as we have.

]]> Tue, 01 Dec 2020 07:00:00 +0000 No 423746 full <![CDATA[Broad Complementarity with Kevin DeYoung | (Ep 1.12)]]> Kevin DeYoung joins Tilly and Abigail to bring us all up to speed in the conversation about complementarity. Within the complementarian world, there are some who call themselves "narrow" or "thin" complementarians. This camp believes we should be very careful to say anything about different roles for men and women outside the church and the home, where scripture is most explicit in its commands. On the other hand, "broad" or "thick" complementarians hold that if there are different roles for men and women in the home and church, this probably has implications for all of life--that these differences between the genders arise from natural law and have broader application.

This debate may not have come into your life yet, but if it hasn't, it will soon. What are men and women? Are they distinct all the way down? Why do some disagree about how to apply this reality in the church, the home, and the world at large?

]]> Tue, 24 Nov 2020 15:16:00 +0000 No 397223 full <![CDATA[Marital Submission in the Home | (Ep 1.11)]]> Tilly and Abigail discuss marital submission and settle all of your questions once and for all.

But seriously, they talk about the challenge of being a Christian wife who seeks to adorn herself by being submissive to her husband (1 Pet. 3:5).  Marital submission is lovely, but it is often difficult. Like climbing on the back of a tandem bike, a woman's role in marriage requires effort and coordination.

They discuss the difficult marriage (as referenced in 1 Pet. 3:1-2), as well as the more typical Christian marriage between an average Christian woman who expects much from her average Christian man doing his best. They also ask whether it's better to submit in full agreement, or to submit despite disagreement.

]]> Tue, 17 Nov 2020 07:00:00 +0000 No 639254 full <![CDATA[Technology and the Home with Tony Reinke | (Ep 1.10)]]> Tilly and Abigail are joined by Tony Reinke to talk about technology. What is technology and how do we approach it as Christians? Is it something eye distrustfully, but put up with? Or is technology a built-in part of God's world, something we as God's creatures can use with his glory in mind?

Tony Reinke serves as a senior teacher at Desiring God, and hosts the popular podcast Ask Pastor John, addressing questions of theology, ethics, and Christian living. Reinke currently resides in the Phoenix area with his wife and three children. He's the author of several books, including 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You and Competing Spectacles: Treasuring Christ in the Digital Age (Crossway, April 2019), explores what it means to spiritually thrive in an age of visual enticements.

]]> Tue, 10 Nov 2020 07:00:00 +0000 No 452271 full <![CDATA[Safe at Home | (Ep 1.9)]]> Tilly and Abigail talk about home as a "safe space." In the midst of a culture that seems to have a lot of new ideas about what constitutes safety and danger, can we think of our homes as the place of retreat? Is it more dangerous to be out in the world with our guards up, or inside the four walls of our home with our guards down? What do older, wiser saints show us about the work of the home and safetyism? On Election Day, when many of us are hunkered down in our "safe space" waiting for results, this seemed like a good episode to release.

]]> Tue, 03 Nov 2020 07:00:00 +0000 No 417895 full <![CDATA[The Home Enfleshed with Rachel Jankovic and Rebekah Merkle | (Ep 1.8)]]> Abigail and Tilly are joined by Rebekah Merkle and Rachel Jankovic from the podcast What Have You. They talk about the nitty gritty details of what it looks like to offer your home up to God as a sacrifice of praise. What does it look, smell, feel, taste, and sound like when we preach the gospel through the physical things we do in our homes? Can we do this even when things are crazy?

Look for some fun stories about Abigail the fainting goat, and interesting quotes from Bekah, such as "leave Jesus out of this." The authors of Eve in Exile (Merkle) and Loving the Little Years (Jankovic) are longstanding influences for Abigail and Tilly, and this conversation was so much fun.

]]> Tue, 27 Oct 2020 06:00:00 +0000 No 692374 full <![CDATA[The Conscience and the Home with Andy Naselli | (Ep 1.7)]]> Tilly and Abigail talk with Andy Naselli about the conscience. What is the conscience? What do you do when yours is calibrated differently from your friend's or your husband's? How do you care for your children's sense of right and wrong? How do you care for your own conscience, and what can you do when you realize your conscience has been misguided?

Andy is the co-author of Conscience: What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ and, for children, author of That Little Voice in Your Head.

]]> Tue, 20 Oct 2020 06:00:00 +0000 No 465904 full <![CDATA[Bored at Home | (Ep 1.6)]]> Abigail and Tilly talk about being bored while home with young children. Our culture has a preferred solution: outsourced childcare. But what does the boredom actually indicate? Is it necessarily a problem? They jump off by talking about a book by Erica Komisar called Being There: Why Prioritizing Motherhood in the First Three Years Matters.

]]> Wed, 14 Oct 2020 02:18:00 +0000 No 568806 full <![CDATA[Radically Ordinary Home with Rosaria Butterfield | (Ep 1.5)]]> Abigail and Tilly talk to Rosaria Butterfield about the radically ordinary role of the home in reaching lost and lonely people. What are some creative ways of opening our homes to real people in the age of Covid? How do we talk to unbelievers about sin? How do we edify other Christians in our homes?

]]> Tue, 06 Oct 2020 06:00:00 +0000 No 412217 full <![CDATA[Hobbies and the Home | (Ep 1.4)]]> Tilly and Abigail talk about things we do that aren't particularly efficient but are worthwhile for other reasons. What are hobbies for and how do they contribute to the Christian home?

]]> Tue, 29 Sep 2020 06:00:00 +0000 No 588985 full <![CDATA[The Things of Home with Joe Rigney | (Ep 1.3)]]> Abigail and Tilly talk to Joe Rigney about how the material blessings of the home can be enjoyed in tandem with worshiping God, the giver of all good gifts.

]]> Tue, 22 Sep 2020 05:30:00 +0000 No 549522 full <![CDATA[Table Fellowship in the Home | (Ep 1.2)]]> Abigail and Tilly talk about food, dieting, and the freedom Jesus brings to table fellowship. What does that mean for the home? What does it mean for hospitality? What does it mean for people (like Tilly) who are naturally bad cooks?

]]> Tue, 15 Sep 2020 06:00:00 +0000 No 554946 full <![CDATA[(A)Typical Homemaking | (Ep 1.1)]]> Abigail and Tilly talk about women and the home, as well as gender roles as part of a created order.

]]> Sun, 06 Sep 2020 23:20:00 +0000 No 678043 full <![CDATA[Home Fires Preview]]> We are Abigail Dodds and Tilly Dillehay, and we're here to encourage you to make your homes a wartime outpost of life in Christ. 

Follow us on Instagram or Facebook to hear when a new episode comes out. Episode 1 will be released Monday, September 7! Keep those home fires burning!

]]> Sat, 05 Sep 2020 19:01:00 +0000 No 13186 full