Laugh and Grow Bible Easter Special, Interview with Jessica Wolstenholm

Hi friends,

This week, we have a special Easter treat! This interview and Easter resource is great for parents, children’s leaders or anyone who wants to share the story of Jesus with a young audience or friend. Today, we are speaking to Jessica Wolstenholm, the VP of Education and Publishing and Executive Producer for Minno. Minno has an Easter special we want to share with you. Be sure to check it out and share. It is about two hours long. (See below).

In this interview, we discuss teaching truth to youth, working in Christian entertainment and Minno. Thank you Ms. Wolstenholm and Icon Media Group for making this interview possible.

Wishing you all a blessed Holy Week.

Modern Witnesses (“MW”): Congrats, Ms. Wolstenholm, on your new Laugh and Grow Bible Easter Special. Tell us about what you hope viewers come away with from this project:

Jessica Wolstenholm (“JW”): Thank you. And please call me Jess! I think our biggest hope for kids and families that view the Laugh and Grow Bible Easter Special is that they come away with a deeper understanding of the real meaning of Easter: God’s big love for us!

MW: As a mom, how do you educate your children and root them in spiritual truths and Christian values?

JW: I believe the most important thing we can do as parents to pass our faith down to our kids is to consistently plant seeds of truth in their hearts through regular spiritual rhythms and routines. I think a lot of parents get overwhelmed when thinking about this because they fear they won’t do it right or that they won’t be able to follow through with their best intentions. But there is no right or wrong way to disciple our kids and we definitely don’t have to do it perfectly. The key is to just start. Do it scared. Do it imperfectly. 

The most important place in our home for this is the family dinner table. That is where most of our faith formation happens. We keep books and Bibles near the table so we can grab one after dinner and linger while we talk about spiritual things. You may be imagining a picturesque scene of fully engaged kids listening intently to their Bible scholar parents about all things theology. But this couldn’t be further from reality! It’s not always pretty. Sometimes the kids are just not into it. Sometimes we don’t have the answers. What matters, though, is that we’re practicing and learning together.

“I believe the most important thing we can do as parents to pass our faith down to our kids is to consistently plant seeds of truth in their hearts through regular spiritual rhythms and routines.”

MW: Is there a special family tradition you and your family keep?

JW: We have several family traditions that I love but one of my favorites is that we serve regularly together. Whether it’s a food pantry around the holidays or in our church’s kids ministry, the four of us serve together at least once a month. In their research on what makes faith “sticky” for kids, Fuller Youth Institute recognized serving and more particularly, families serving together, as one of the sticking points for kids and life-long faith. Serving together not only strengthens our connection as a family, it also opens up opportunities for gospel-centered conversations and reminds us that the world is so much bigger than our little bubble.

“The key is to just start. Do it scared. Do it imperfectly.”

MW: What are your top three essentials (this can be anything you don’t leave the house without)?

JW: I hate to admit it, but right now in the season we are in, my phone is extremely important. As a full-time working mom of teens, it’s so helpful to be able to stay connected to them throughout the day. There are several apps we have found essential to our family such as Circle for technology management, Life 360 for location, and Greenlight for their finances. 

My other essentials in this stage of life are lip balm and reading glasses—eyesight over 40 is no joke! 

MW: You are VP of Education and Publishing and Executive Producer for Minno. Tell us about your journey to that role.

JW: You know, it’s amazing how God works all things together for our good! When I look back at my career path, it is so clear to me that He orchestrated every step, leading me from one assignment to another that all culminated in this dream job! I worked for several years in the Christian music industry where I met the team I now have the privilege of working with at Minno. I held roles in marketing and brand management, all the while serving in my local church as a kids ministry leader. Later, I went back to school and got my masters in education because I wanted to study the intersection of faith, child development, and education. I’ve always been passionate about discipleship so when God opened the door for me to put all of that experience to work for Minno, I jumped at the opportunity.

MW: What advice would you give to a young woman who wants to work in Christian entertainment?

JW: First, figure out your “why.” If you only want to work in Christian entertainment because it sounds fun, I’m afraid you will be very disappointed once you get into it. Don’t get me wrong, all of my jobs have been fun. But many of them have been very, very hard and disheartening. It’s like any other ministry role—there are good and bad aspects to it. So make sure your motivations are rooted in Jesus and a desire to build the kingdom of God. Then you’ll be ready, no matter what comes your way, to represent Him well in your work. Besides that, I’d say to research the area you want to go into and try to form authentic connections with others in that space.

MW: If a mom or children’s leader reading this hasn’t heard about Minno, what would you share with her?

JW: Those app essentials on my phone have definitely changed throughout the years but not long ago when I had young kids, Minno was my essential! Our team puts so much thought into the content we create and curate for families. We have heard countless stories about kids who are growing a deeper understanding of God and the Bible because of the Minno shows they watch. A Minno subscription is about the same price as a big coffee but it’s a long-term investment into the spiritual lives of your kids. 

Minno is such an easy way to start a routine like I mentioned earlier. We have shows like our 5 Minute Family Devotionals or the Minno Day Show that provide a daily rhythm of faith formation that will feel completely natural because it’s embedded into something kids already want to do—watch TV and play! So give it a try. I believe Minno will have a great positive impact on your family life!

MW: As we near Easter, is there anything you would recommend to parents as they teach and inculcate complex faith topics with their children, such as death, resurrection and salvation?

JW: What I like to tell parents is: don’t feel like you have to share it all at once. In education, we often talk about something called Spiral Curriculum. This is a teaching method that finds an entry point into a topic and starts small, then circles back to the topic over and over, adding layers of learning that a child might later be ready to understand at each point. Depending on the age and stage of your child, pray about what he or she might be ready to hear about Easter. You can start with simply this, “At Easter, we celebrate how much Jesus loves us!” Once they are ready, you can talk more about His death and resurrection and what that means for our sin and salvation.

MW: Do you have any upcoming projects or things parents and worship leaders should keep on their radar?

JW: Besides the Laugh and Grow Bible for Kids (we are adding new episodes every quarter!), we are very excited about Young David. This is an animated series (of Disney or Pixar quality) that imagines the life of David when he was a young teen. Each short episode is an adventure story that shares one of the character traits that eventually made him God’s chosen king of Israel. Two of the episodes have incredible worship songs in them! The series is a great way to introduce kids to David, his worship, and character values.

MW: We love asking this of all of our guests… If you had to define Christianity in one sentence, it would be:

JW: Christianity is practicing the way of Jesus. It’s deciding to enter into a personal relationship with Him and then committing to walk with Him so closely that you begin to act like Him—sharing His truth and love with everyone around you. I’m currently reading John Mark Comer’s book, Practicing the Way. It is an incredible look at this perspective on what it means to be a Jesus follower. 

Please make sure to check out the Easter special here!

Check out Young David here:

Jessica Wolstenholm,  VP of Education and Publishing for Minno

Jessica Wolstenholm, M Ed is the Vice-President of Education and Publishing at Minno, a global media & technology company helping Christian kids and families experience Jesus every day through world-class content. Editor of the award-winning children’s Bible, The Minno Laugh and Grow Bible for Kids, and Executive Producer on the animated series, “The Minno Laugh and Grow Bible,” Jessica writes, speaks, and creates with expertise in faith formation, curriculum/education, and parenting. After 25 years in children’s ministry leadership, Jessica is using her passion and experience to develop content that provides age-appropriate, spiritual and educational growth for kids and families. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in business from Belmont University and received her master of education degree from Liberty University.

ABOUT MINNO

Minno is the leading voice globally for using media to spark kids’ imaginations and curiosity around God and the Bible. The Minno Kids streaming service is available as an app on all platforms. Minno Originals creates shows produced in partnership with top industry talent. Minno’s publishing program includes the award-winning, best-selling “Minno Laugh and Grow Bible for Kids.” With the fastest-growing YouTube Channel for Christian Kids, along with parent resources, blogs, life guides, and more, Minno is where God’s goodness and love comes to life for kids. To find out more, go to www.GoMinno.com.

Until next time, keep witnessing!

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