Podcast Blog: S5, E19 - Ashley Kinkead, Repairing Estranged Relationships

Can you imagine going 22 years without being in contact with your parents - not even knowing your father's whereabouts? Or caring? And then not only reconnecting, but repairing the relationships and starting over?

That's Ashley Kinkead's journey. She shares her story and her learning in this episode of the Practical Faith Academy podcast, and in her new book, "After the Locusts: A Story of Hope for Anyone Estranged or No Contact with a Parent".

One thing that struck me about this episode was the work Kinkead did before approaching her parents. Recognizing she needed to build a bridge, she first spent a year in a 12-step program for this purpose, working on herself, building her faith, praying, and preparing. Then Kinkead was able to execute her plan for reconciliation.

During our conversation, Kinkead walks us through how no contact led to regular contact, shares her model for reconciliation, and gives her insights on living out her faith, including what she does each day as soon as her feet hit the floor. Finally, she shares hope for anyone who is estranged.

Highlights of the podcast:

3:25 What does seven-day practical faith mean to Kinkead

4:30 What it was like for Kinkead to be estranged from her parents for 22 years

7:56 What caused her to reconcile

10:16 What forgiveness looked like in her family’s case

13:32 Her six-step process for building a bridge

17:18 The difference between peacemaking and peacefaking

19:06 Peacemaking involves hard conversations

20:14 How quickly can relationships be restored?

21:32 You have to change before you’re ready to build a bridge

24:05 How parents should approach prodigal children

25:26 The hardest part about putting faith into practice

27:01 Her best tip for maintaining a seven-day practical faith

28:09 How to follow Kinkead and find her book

30:05 A message of hope for anyone in an estranged situation

The Practical Faith Academy podcast can now be played directly on the Cecil Taylor Ministries website at https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com/podcast. While on the site, please check out everything Cecil Taylor Ministries offers, including our Instant Content books and video studies for individual learners, small groups, and churches.

The episode is also available on major podcast platforms (Apple, Spotify, Audacy, iHeartRadio, YouTube) and hosted on Podbean. Search on each platform for "Practical Faith Academy."