Teach Kids to Pray w/ Chrissy Metz & Bradley Collins

SPEAKER_00: 0:07

Welcome back to the Coffee and Bible Time podcast. For those that may be listening for the first time, our podcast is an offshoot from our main platform, YouTube. Our channel is called Coffee and Bible Time, where our goal is to help people delight in God’s Word and thrive in Christian living. We also have a website and storefront with Bible studies, prayer journals, courses, and more. And I’m so excited to tell you about our brand new in-depth Bible study academy. Have you always wished you knew how to in-depth study the Bible for yourself, but you just don’t have time to go to Bible college? Well, join us this year as we adventure through 12 different courses designed to give you the background and the tools to study the greatest book ever written for yourself. You can find out more information about the Academy on our website at coffeeandbible time.com. I’m Mentor Mama, and today we are going to be talking about introducing young children to prayer and how it can mold their faith, prayer life, and family bonds. The concept of God and you know knowing what to say to God can be very intimidating for little ones. But if we teach children how to talk to God and help them learn that their prayers for others matter, it can be an instrumental factor in building a firm foundation of faith that will last a lifetime. Our guests today, Chrissy Metz and Bradley Collins, have co-written a new children’s book titled When I Talk to God, I Talk About You. They are here to talk about the importance of modeling prayer to young children and watching them grow in faith through that tender introduction at an early age. But first, a word from our sponsor. Hey, mentor mama here. At Coffee and Bible Time, we recommend you introduce Jesus to your kids as early as possible. That’s why we’re partnering with the Talking Jesus doll. The Talking Jesus doll is so cute and made of the softest, snuggliest material. And you guessed it, he talks. When you squeeze his hand, he speaks 10 phrases that Jesus said in the Bible. From the Lord’s Prayer to John 3.16 and everything in between. It’s so important to introduce children to the love and lessons of Jesus in their formative years. I love this product and so does everyone else. The Talking Jesus doll is loved by families on four continents and has hundreds of five-star amazing reviews. Kids are learning Bible verses and even using the doll to minister to others. So if you have kids, grandkids, nieces, or nephews, this is the perfect birthday, Easter, or Christmas gift. Go to JesusDoll.com and use promo code CBT Doll to get 10% off your purchase. That’s JesusDoll.com, promo code CBT D O L L to get 10% off your purchase. Emmy and two-time Golden Globe nominee Chrissy Metz, who many of us know for her portrayal of Kate Pearson on the award-winning NBC series This Is Us, also starred in the hit 20th Century Fox faith-based film Breakthrough. She also performs I’m Standing With You on the Breakthrough soundtrack. Chrissy’s other credits include Superstore, The Last OG, American Horror Story, My Name is Earl, Entourage, and the Netflix film Sierra Burgess. Chrissy Metz is from Homestead, Florida, and she recently released her memoir, This Is Me, which debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list. Chrissy’s co-author and boyfriend, Bradley Collins, is a songwriter and creative community advocate living and working in his native Nashville, Tennessee. Through a decades-long career spanning artist and songwriter development, music publishing, real estate, event production, and more, Bradley has worked to protect and expand creators’ rights alongside promoting responsible urban growth and rapidly expanding Nashville. Bradley grew up in the music business, closely watching his father, Grammy nominated producer and publisher Tom Collins. Bradley’s career began at the legendary Acuff Rose Music Publishing. Bradley moved on to work in artist management, publishing, and more, expanding into an independent entrepreneurial role that allows him to support and counsel creators while making time for his own music. Please welcome Chrissy and Bradley. Thank you. Hi, thanks for having us. Oh, thank you. I’m so excited to have you guys here. I know professionally you both are very busy people. So, what inspired you to write a children’s book together?SPEAKER_03: 5:52

Well, I taught preschool. I have a very big family. And when Bradley and I were getting to know each other during the pandemic, when we official like officially met, um, we just sort of talked about like what was important to us. And for me, I was prayer was always really important in my life. My grandmother really instilled that and in me in a very young age. I mean, I was like going to church and so excited about going to church and would go on my own once I got older. It was just really important. Like I was definitely searching for a connection and a relationship with a higher power. And so we just talked about how important it was also for kids and how they should um feel loved and supported and bolstered with self-confidence and also have hopefully a connection to a higher power. And that was really the beginning of wanting to write a book like this.SPEAKER_00: 6:52

Oh I love that your professional background, you know, as a preschool teacher really impacted because I I imagine you really know how kids think and feel and act and respond.SPEAKER_03: 7:09

I would see, you know, so much through circle time and how, of course, cognitive you know, growth is so important with reading books to children, but also for them to have pictures to look at and for them to have the ability to ask questions about the book. And this really is something that we hope will foster connection with whoever the reader is to the to the um child, but also help them to want to ask questions about all sorts of things, you know, and um specifically hopefully about prayer and faith and who they are and who they’ll become as as young people.SPEAKER_00: 7:50

So yeah, absolutely. Well, your children’s book points kids at a very young age to God and the power of prayer. Uh, can you tell us a little bit more specifically why you found it important to teach young children that they too can pray to God?SPEAKER_01: 8:10

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, for me, that’s really my story about how the book started. I about the same age that this book’s intended for. My grandfather was very sick. And I remember going to church and watching my parents and grandparents praying to God. And I and when he was sick, I saw my mom and grandmother incredibly stressed. And I didn’t know if I could pray to God too or not. I didn’t know if that was something that I could that I could speak to. And the book, through writing it, answered a lot of those questions for me that yes, you can pray. And kids can learn how to pray. They can pray for their pets, they can pray for their friends at school, they can pray for their grandparents to be better. And uh that’s a lot of what I struggled with when I was seven, eight years old, because I didn’t know that, yes, God wants to hear what I have going on, and it doesn’t matter how how small or how big it is. Um, starting a daily prayer routine and a dialogue is really important for children. And we’re seeing a lot of um parents come to us saying that this was this book has been a catalyst for them to start that conversation and that and it’s told through animals. So it’s a very gentle delivery where you can see how animals take care of each other. It’s the same thing with mother with parents and children.SPEAKER_00: 9:38

That’s so beautiful. In looking at the book and your own personal life, how does the book reflect your faith life and your understanding of prayer?SPEAKER_03: 10:40

Well, for me, I was always, I always thought, like, can I only pray in church? Do I only pray in the morning or at night? And what we hope to reiterate in the book is that you can literally pray anytime, anywhere, as much as you want. And that for me is how I live my life. I mean, I literally pray all day, every day for other people. Pray for, you know, with obviously the things that I um I always say God’s will, you know, thy will, not mine be done, because my ego might want something that is not intended for me. But that, you know, it’s also important to talk about gratitude and to to to be thankful for everything you’ve received. So that’s something else that um, you know, we wanted to bring throughout the book. But yeah, for me, it’s just about being able to pray anywhere, anytime, as much as you want, and knowing that nothing’s too big, too small.SPEAKER_00: 11:44

Yes, you know. Yeah, for sure. I know I think the same for me too. When I was I was young, I didn’t realize we could pray anytime or all day long either. So I love that you’re, you know, sort of bringing this idea to the forefront. Well, your book is described as a touching ode to unconditional love. So tell us how have you experienced God’s unconditional love in your own lives and how do we pass that on to our children?SPEAKER_01: 12:22

Uh, unconditional love in my own life. I think, yeah, I have to look at when I was at my lowest, you know, which was during quarantine when I was incredibly scared. And I had just left a job I was really good at for a long time. Um, and I knew there was something else out there for me, and I couldn’t figure out what it was. And that led me to writing and songwriting. And I remember praying, and I had first time, well, not first time, but I just felt like my prayer was immediately answered because I was praying about um how am I gonna do this? I’ve never seen anyone do this before. Um become a writer after being somewhere for so long. And it came to me that just because no one has been on this path before, it doesn’t mean it’s not my path. And I felt like that was a a really um powerful, loving message to me that I carry with me daily, walking into co-writes, writing appointments, anything um that I have that support and it really took away a lot of the fear from from what out from what I was experiencing. Like we all were during quarantine, but yeah, um, it’s really helped me here today.SPEAKER_03: 13:37

I think for me, um I’m really feel the presence of unconditional love and everything, you know, um in everything that I do and don’t do, you know, I I really trust and believe that there is a plan for all of us, and it’s not always what I want and in my time, and yeah, you know, being of service to people and then reaping the reward from the blessings that I’ve gotten. I’m like, oh wow, like the more I can give, the more I receive. And that for me is unconditional love. And I’m just so grateful for that and feel so blessed that I have the ability to do that, you know, especially coming from very humble beginnings, you know. So um, yeah.SPEAKER_00: 14:30

Um yeah, I love that, you know. Bradley, what you said there kind of reminds me of my brother in that he’s a lighting designer um on Broadway, and just when that during that pandemic when everything shut down. And I just remember them initially thinking, oh, it’s just gonna be a couple months. Like little did we know that it was just gonna go on and on. And I love how you turn to prayer and ask God to get you through. I’m sure it was a very difficult time.SPEAKER_03: 15:04

I also think it’s interesting because it obviously most of us in our lifetime have never gone through a pandemic, that even if you weren’t religious, people did pray because there what else could we have done? What else, you know? So that that to me is also very moving and very powerful. That all we could do was surrender and trust and pray, you know, for the bigger picture.SPEAKER_00: 15:30

So absolutely, yes, agree. Well, it’s really interesting that children’s books often impact adults just as much as they do children. I remember reading so many to my kids. What are your hopes for parents and grandparents who read this book to their children?SPEAKER_01: 15:53

Well, a hope is that what we’re already seeing feedback from friends and honestly strangers talking about um how this book was the the door to let them talk to their children about prayer and how and what it means, and that they can open up and pray on on their own. And it is doesn’t they don’t have to have their appearance around. Um and it’s just something that they can start in their daily, their daily routine, and that you know, that God wants to hear what’s on their heart and what they what they have to say. Um and it’s a way to speak directly.SPEAKER_03: 16:34

Yeah, and for me, I think that you know, one of the three lines in the book is that the reader says to the listener, you know, that there’s a plan and a purpose for us all, and that you’re made from love and held in it too, and that you know, we all have a purpose and a journey, and that I hope that can be reiterated to the parent or whoever’s reading the book. Because maybe they didn’t hear that as a young child, or maybe that wasn’t fostered in their own lives, and that they can feel like, wow, they’re purposeful and powerful too. Um, because that obviously bolsters the connection between the parent and the child, and then the way that the parent or the mentor, whoever’s reading, walks through the world, and so the kid and and the child. And so, yeah, hopefully it’s um a cyclical love of um just knowing that you’re purposeful.SPEAKER_00: 17:31

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, there’s no doubt in my mind that this this book is gonna touch the young and the old. That’s that’s for sure. Well, you’re giving adults an opportunity to be part of their children’s faith journeys from a very young age. Who would you say was instrumental? I know you kind of both hinted towards your grandparents at the beginning there, but who would you say was instrumental in your own lives that really influenced your faith walks?SPEAKER_03: 18:05

Definitely my grandmother. She lived with us in Japan, and I was um I lived there since I was, you know, about a year old to about nine years old. And those are very um informative years. And we were like best friends. Like she would pick me up from school and make my lunch, and you know, my mom was working a ton. So um it just really and I would see her reading her, you know, whether it was through a Bible or like a little note card, and she would always send those to me and was you know, put them in birthday cards, and it was just always really important. And I always revered her so much in the way that she sort of you know walked through life that I was like, oh wow, she must be doing something right. And so I wanted I want to do that too. And then, you know, it prompted me to to go on my own journey with God, and so definitely my grandmother for sure.SPEAKER_01: 19:00

Yeah, and for me, I mean, I’ve always had to kind of figure things out for myself, which is how my family dynamic was. But seeing my grandfather so sick, like in a roundabout way, that’s how I learned about it because he wasn’t a he wasn’t not a Christian, but he wasn’t a practicing Christian, I’d say. And when he got really sick, he became a Christian, and I saw that whole um transformation in him, personality and what he believed in. And I saw how important it was because you know, we look at things like happened with Tamar Hamlin and how everyone dropped to a knee and prayed on the field. And you know, it’s when when you’re at your your your lowest and your your your weakest, I feel like we turn to prayer. And I’ve through all this, I’ve learned you don’t have to do it just then, you know, when things are great. That’s just as important to pray for. I always say, you know, thank you for the blessings I have, and thank you for the blessings I don’t know I have. You just never know what is working for you, you know.SPEAKER_00: 20:09

Yeah, yeah. And I can only imagine how many things that we do take for granted that are blessings that are bestowed upon us. I mean, probably when we get to heaven, we’ll realize like, oh wow, I really was not as thankful, maybe as I should have been.SPEAKER_01: 20:25

Yeah, thankful. All I had to do today was deal with traffic, you know. Thank you so much, you know.SPEAKER_03: 20:30

It’s or how about you know, when you’ve forgotten to, you know, lock the door and you’ve missed an accident on the freeway, you know, something like those things are wow, so so powerful. And I always try to remind myself and just sit that gratitude when those kinds of things happen because there’s a bigger, there’s a bigger, you know, bigger purpose for sure.SPEAKER_00: 20:54

Yeah, yeah. I remember as a kid, I think maybe in Sunday school or somewhere, learning like our life on earth is you know, the dot on the page, but heaven is the the arrow that never ends, it just keeps going and going. And so if we can kind of keep that long-term vision in mind, it helps the current position that we’re in. Well, the book’s artwork is incredible.SPEAKER_01: 21:25

It’s well, that’s Lisa Fields, our our our good friend and super talented Lisa Fields. We’re so lucky that she was available to do the illustrations, and she also did all the artwork on our album, Prayed for This Day, but she’s just unbelievably talented. Um, the book is told through respect of animals caring for each other, and it’s the first thing she’s ever done with animals, which is hard to believe. But she’s just so great, and everyone talked about the artwork, yeah. Um, even if the children are very young and can’t um read everything yet, they get a lot out of the artwork, and we just think she’s so talented.SPEAKER_00: 22:08

Yeah, for sure. What was that process like of turning over your words to someone else to sort of interpret visually?SPEAKER_01: 22:19

Well, I think we had trust that she was the right person. I think Christy and I just independently came to her. Um, but the process of it was we liked what she did, so let’s not mess it up. You know, let’s let her do what she does. And we had a couple of little changes. I wanted some more fireflies in there, which the fireflies in the book is the warm, safe light of God around you. If you read through it, you’ll you’ll you’ll you’ll see. that the fireflies get a little more prominent throughout the the book.SPEAKER_03: 22:50

But what did yeah, I just love the fact that she can convey so much emotion through the animal’s eyes. And obviously um the connection between the parent and you know the the the adult and the younger animal the you know the duckling. She just I don’t know you I feel like you can just see the way that she wanted to tell the story and it was like through the picture you you tell the story twice in in a way that even if you can’t read like you were saying you definitely get the message and um it’s just so tender and so sweet and we’re like just in awe of her. I know it’s amazing.SPEAKER_01: 23:37

Yeah it’s amazing what she what what we wrote and what she drew just worked so well together and it’s it’s just so we’re so lucky to to be working with her.SPEAKER_00: 23:49

Yeah I I started following her on Instagram I’m like I have to see what else she’s up to too and I mean especially when I got to that one photo of the sea otters I was like that’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen I know it’s too much it’s like too much. I think that’s your favorite picture is one of my favorite didn’t that would be a great one to have the original like painting on your wall it’s so so darn cute. So there’s another whole angle on this book Chrissy um you’re a singer as well as an actress and we’ve heard that there is a companion album that goes along with the theme of this book. So tell us a little bit more about that and Bradley what was your role in the project?SPEAKER_03: 24:42

Yeah so the the album titles Prayed for this day um and we essentially just started writing music because what they were going to pair with the audiobook didn’t seem totally exact as to what we wanted. And so we’re like oh maybe we’ll do an instrumental and then we got very lucky to be partnered with Phil Barton who is an amazing singer songwriter and especially in the kid world he’s had a lot of experience and then Liz Rose who is just an amazing songwriter and Runaway June um a girl group who did harmonies on one of the songs and so we just wrote I think the 10 songs in about four days and it sort of poured out of us and we obviously took a lot of the the through lines from the book um to each song and my some of my nieces and nephews got to sing on some of the songs so it’s really special.SPEAKER_01: 25:38

So Riley and I co-wrote all the album together and yeah we co-wrote the album together with Phil Barton and then three with Liz Roast and one with Jennifer Wade of Runaway June and Phil and I co co-produced it with our friend Brad Winters and it’s it’s a companion to the to the the book um you know we say it completes the thought to the book it brings all the animals to life in the songs um and it’s you know it’s something that you can you can read the book to a child at night and set them to sleep with a good intention and this album is a lullaby album and it’ll send them peacefully you know to bed.SPEAKER_03: 26:18

Yeah there’s a couple fun songs one silly and fun and the other one’s called Friends and you know obviously in the book we talk about making first friends and learning how to share and care for your friends and there’s a song um called Learning to be brave that is indicative of the little duckling on the mom of you know duck’s back like just dipping his little toe in the water his little web foot in the water you know learning how to to swim for the first time and so just lessons that we wanted to impart on the listener and there’s a couple lullaby songs and uh one song in particular called No Matter What the one that Runaway June’s on and Natalie plays Fiddle on I love that message because I think we all need to know that no matter what you choose, no matter your path no matter you know we we always want to appease our parents or appease people in our lives that no matter what you choose, you know, we’re gonna love you and you’re gonna be loved no matter what that’s very important for me.SPEAKER_00: 27:23

That’s beautiful well that’s so exciting and such a great sort of add-on right to the book I mean when you first wrote that did you even think about the album doing that at the time or no I mean we’re songwriters too so you know anything happens to us we have to write about it but it’s it when the idea came and we were presented with the the first um music for the audiobook we’re kind of like I think we can do something with this and um it it flowed very easily we’re very grateful because we had a pretty tight deadline to get it done but the response to the album has been been really great. That’s amazing four days that’s incredible well before we go uh Chrissy I just have to ask you I I loved your the movie you were in Breakthrough that was amazing.SPEAKER_03: 28:18

Any future faith-based films on the horizon for you or it’s so hard because um unfortunately I think with faith-based films they don’t always get the budget that they are deserving of and but then it’s hard to get them off the ground which means it’s hard for people to join you know um so I for me I want to be a part of something that means something and so I haven’t read anything recently that I was like super drawn to do but obviously always open to it.SPEAKER_01: 28:55

So yeah we’ll see we’ll see what happens yeah oh like you say God he has a plan right where can people find out more information about both of you and be able to purchase the book and the album the album is on all streaming services so Apple Spotify anywhere that way and the book is available in all bookstores Amazon Barnes and Noble and it’s going to be in Walmart soon.SPEAKER_03: 29:24

And local bookstores support your local bookstores support local bookstores that was the one um yeah um Chrissy Metz just all my handles on Instagram and Facebook and all that jazz.SPEAKER_01: 29:37

Yeah I’m I’m Bradley underscore collins on everything else.SPEAKER_00: 29:42

Yeah okay follow us there and check out the book and we’d love to hear what you all are thinking and how you feel about the book and the album that really those messages mean a lot to us so oh yeah they’re so encouraging I was I think looking at one of your posts and I saw what some of the people wrote that it was so positive and encouraging and I’m like in tears reading it’s about it said you know so nice it’s just like what you hope yeah you know um received and then it is and you’re like oh my goodness this is amazing so yeah it’s not lost on us that’s for sure I remember when I was following your Instagram and then all of a sudden Bradley came into the picture and I was like I’m glad things are going well for you guys. Now hey Bradley Bradley Bradley I’m like I get it I get it well we will be sure and put all the links to everything that you mentioned in our show notes Chrissy and Bradley thank you so much for taking the time to join us congrats again congratulations thank you so much for our listeners be sure and pick up a copy of the children’s book and the album the book When I talk to God I talk about you you can find the link in our show notes lastly head over to the Coffee and Bible Time website for our prayer journals that will help guide and document your prayer life at coffeeandbible time.com Thank you so much for joining us on our podcast today. We love you all have a blessed day