Dannah Gresh
10 min read ⭑
“I discovered that biblical purity wasn’t something I could achieve by behaving well enough. Jesus purifies us. In his presence and through his blood, we are cleansed.”
Dannah Gresh, bestselling author and speaker, understands the power of testimony. Opening up about her past has not only brought her freedom but also helped numerous other teenage girls and women. Over 300,000 readers have discovered biblical sexual integrity and found healing through her book “And the Bride Wore White.” Likewise, the ministry she founded, Pure Freedom, is on the way to helping families make 10 million parent-child connections centered on Christ. She also hosts the “Pure Freedom With Dannah Gresh” podcast, creating space for honest conversations about freedom and walking closely with Jesus.
The conversation below is an encouraging one. From Nana’s beef potpie to walking off anxiety to life-changing encounters only the Holy Spirit could’ve orchestrated — Rapt asked, and Dannah answered. And we’re excited to share it all with you.
QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT
Food is always about more than food; it’s also about home and people and love. So how does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind your web bio?
There’s no restaurant that can outcook anyone in my family. So if I get a vote, I’m almost always going to choose eating in — with family crowded around the table.
Our go-to recipe? Nana’s beef potpie.
Now, before you picture a golden, flaky crust, let me explain: it’s not a pie at all. It’s a big pot of hand-rolled flat noodles, little bits of potato and rich beef broth. It’s humble. Hearty. And to us, absolutely delicious.
Here’s a video that shows how we make it.
The recipe was born during the Great Depression, when Nana’s family needed to make something out of almost nothing. One beef bone. A potato. An egg. A little flour. Salt and pepper. Somehow, that became dinner. And eventually, it became tradition.
I know it may not sound like much to you. But to me, it tastes like comfort.
When I smell that broth and see those flour-dusted noodles being rolled across the counter, I remember my Nana. I can still hear her laughter. That’s the funny thing. You’d never have known this recipe was born out of hardship. By the time it reached me, there was no taste of scarcity in it. No hint of the difficult days that created it.
It just tasted like joy.
That’s one of the beautiful things family dinners can do: stabilize us through hard times. We thank God for what we have. And sometimes survival becomes a feast.
Curated Lifestyle; Unsplash+
QUESTION #2: REVEAL
What “nonspiritual” activity have you found to be quite spiritual, after all? What quirky proclivity, out-of-the-way interest or unexpected pursuit refreshes your soul?
I walked my way out of anxiety. Now, I know sometimes it takes much more than this, and I’ve been there when I needed a doctor’s help, but let me share how this battle taught me the beauty of walking.
Anxiety hit me out of the blue in 2022. I’d never struggled with it much, but suddenly, I was waking in the night terrified. Not of anything in particular. Just … everything at once. So I started walking.
I chose one promise from Psalm 91: “You will not fear the terror of night” (Ps. 91:5, NIV). I walked and meditated on those words, hoping two things would happen: that walking would tire my body enough to sleep through the night, and that if I did wake up afraid, I’d have something true to hold onto. It worked. Over time, the anxiety lost its grip on me. But something else happened, too.
I began to wonder if walking could be a deeply Christian physical practice. Other religions connect physical movement with spirituality — yoga, tai chi and other practices are designed to cultivate spiritual awareness. And I’ve noticed that false religions often counterfeit something real that belongs to God. Meditation is one example.
Could walking be something Christians have overlooked? The Bible certainly uses “walking” metaphorically. Walk by the Spirit. Walk by faith. But God also met people while they were literally walking. Abraham journeyed with God. Israel walked through the wilderness. Jesus told his disciples, “Follow me” — and they spent three years walking with him.
Walking isn’t commanded as a spiritual discipline. But I’ve discovered it can be a beautiful place to practice one.
QUESTION #3: CONFESS
Every superhero has a weakness; every human, too. We’re just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re all broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite, and how do you confront its power?
I believe my tombstone might just be engraved: “She was transparent.” But that freedom was hard-fought.
As a teen girl, I got tangled up in lust. I had sex for the first time when I was 15. I was a baby. How old were you? Did you tell anyone?
I didn’t. Not for 10 years. I was holding tightly to my good Christian girl image. Then the purity movement hit, and instead of feeling hopeful, I felt like damaged goods.
So I went to my Bible. God, I need to know what this word purity means.
And Scripture began to redefine it for me. I discovered that biblical purity wasn’t something I could achieve by behaving well enough. Jesus purifies us. In his presence and through his blood, we are cleansed. As I began to experience that truth, I had to tell someone about the freedom happening in my heart.
First, I told my husband of just a few years — the man who thought he’d married the driven snow. I expected rejection, but he held me. And my joy increased.
So I told my mom. More freedom.
James 5:16 encourages us to confess our sins to one another and promises healing. I learned that one on the hot pavement of life, and now nothing can keep me from being honest and transparent. I call it living in pure freedom.
QUESTION #4: FIRE UP
Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your current obsession? And why should it be ours?
My husband, Bob, and I are in the memory-making business. We want to create moments that help parents, couples and kids experience Pure Freedom. (That’s the name of our ministry.)
During a recent weekend at our farm, we shared something with our friends that I want you to know, too. A few years ago, Pure Freedom set what seemed to me like an audacious goal: Create 5 million parent-child connections by the end of 2028.
We count a “connection” anytime a mom and daughter or dad and son or a husband and wife intentionally experience biblical truth together — studying the Bible, listening to a podcast, attending an event or having a meaningful conversation.
Bob believed we could reach 5 million. I thought it was audacious. Guess what? We’re not just doing it. We did it.
As I write this, God has allowed us to create 6,397,867 parent-child connections — and counting. That’s more than 6 million opportunities for families to laugh together, open God’s Word, pray, worship, talk about something that matters — or simply make a memory they might carry for the rest of their lives.
So we’ve revised the goal — 10 million parent-child connections by the end of 2028.
And we’d love for your family to be part of the next one.
We have podcasts, live events, online studies and more. Listen to the “Pure Freedom” or “Happily Even After” podcast together. Bring your daughter to a True Girl event or your son to Born to Be Brave. Read “And the Bride Wore White: 7 Truths to Live in Sexual Integrity … No Matter Your Past” with someone you love.
QUESTION #5: BOOST
Whether we’re cashiers or CEOs, contractors or customer service reps, we all need God’s love flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?
Recently, I received one of the most wonderful compliments of my life. Pure Freedom board member Rob Laskin was remembering something that happened when I was just starting out as an author.
When “And the Bride Wore White” first came out, our home phone number was printed in the back of the book. I remember thinking, If just one person reads this and calls me, it will make all of this worth it. Well, someone did. Rob’s wife, Linda, was using the book as a Bible study with teen girls in Santa Barbara. She called our house looking for some advice.
Bob answered. And being Bob, he said, “How about if Dannah calls in one night to your Bible study?” The next thing I knew, I had a list of those girls’ names. Before the call, I prayed over each one of them.
Then I called. We talked. We prayed.
Years later, Rob told me that Linda still remembers those prayers. She said I prayed for those girls as if I knew them. The prayers felt specific. Personal. Exactly what they needed.
Here’s the thing: That wasn’t me. That was the Holy Spirit.
You cannot fake that kind of fruit. That’s why our number one core value at Pure Freedom is: Prayer is our first work. It comes from John 15:1-5. Jesus said that apart from him, we can do nothing.
QUESTION #6: inspire
Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied habits that open our hearts to the presence of God. So let us in. Which spiritual practice is working best for you in this season?
I have a little habit. It’s kind of private, but here goes. When something good happens in my day, I say, “Look how much Jesus loves me.”
Sometimes I say it out loud. Sometimes it’s just between Jesus and me. A parking space opens up exactly when I need one. “Look how much Jesus loves me.”
My favorite country singer is headlining at our county fair. “Look how much Jesus loves me.”
My horse gives me one of those glorious trail rides where everything just feels right. Or an unexpected check arrives. A friend calls at the perfect time. Dinner tastes especially good. The sunset stops me in my tracks. “Look how much Jesus loves me.”
Now, I know a parking space isn’t proof that Jesus loves me. The Cross settled that question once and for all.
And I know he loves me just as much on the days when the parking lot is full, the horse misbehaves, the check doesn’t come and life hurts.
But James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17, NIV). So when I notice something good, I give him the credit. It’s all his anyway.
And you know what? This little habit changes me. I notice more. I thank him more. I enjoy him more. And I’m simply more grateful.
QUESTION #7: FOCUS
Looking backward, considering the full sweep of your unique faith journey and all you encountered along the way, what top three resources stand out to you? What changed reality and changed your heart?
A.W. Tozer’s “The Pursuit of God” is worn out at my house. It’s a classic blueprint for living in God’s daily presence and thirsting after the divine. And almost anything he writes is rich.
A second one would be “The Knowledge of the Holy,” which is about how to be more in touch with the Spirit of God.
I’ve been rereading “A Tale of Three Kings” by Gene Edwards. It’s good for anyone who has church hurt, and I have some that’s really fresh. Everyone has some, but we ought to never let that be about Jesus. It’s not from him. It’s from sinful people. I remember once when Pastor Tim Keller said the reason the Apostles’ Creed says we “believe” in one holy church — the only thing in that creed that’s a visible reality — is because it’s not as it should be. One day, we will be the holy church. Right now, we’re just the broken church, but we’re still God’s Plan A. And there is no Plan B. So heal your hurt and get back in there.
Certain things can be godsends, helping us survive, even thrive, in our fast-paced world. Does technology ever help you this way? Has an app ever boosted your spiritual growth? If so, how?
This is going to be the most gluttonous, self-serving answer ever, but the Wonder App! It’s a new app I created for teen girls in partnership with Revive Our Hearts. I wanted teen girls to have a TikTok-style devo and Bible experience complete with digital rewards. Well, we launched it in January and have about 10,000 girls using it. And I love it! I’m not much of an app girl, but I love the version of the Bible we selected — CSB — and the marvelous way it motivates me to come back another day! How’s that for promotional? But honestly, I’m not much of a techie, so it’s wild that I love it so much.
QUESTION #8: dream
God’s continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?
I’m falling in love with the Psalms! And I’m learning to see Jesus in them. That anxiety battle I faced turned into an annual tradition of taking a Holy Girl Walk with my followers. We simply walk and meditate on a Psalm. And it soothes me.
A good listening session with Jack Johnson — chill as he is — might help me relax. But when the thought tornado starts spinning at two o’clock in the morning, I need more than a good vibe. I need truth.
The Psalms were ancient Israel’s God-inspired worship songs (see 1 Chron. 16:8-36). They weren’t merely read — they were sung. And because music has a way of carrying truth deep into our minds and hearts, the words of the Psalms became part of the people.
They knew them so well that when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowd instinctively reached for the words of Psalm 118: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Mark 11:9; Ps. 118:26, NIV).
The early Christians continued this practice. They sang and prayed the Psalms together (see Col. 3:16; 1 Cor. 14:26). Centuries later, Benedict instructed his monastic communities to work through the entire Book of Psalms every week.
For generations of Christians, the Psalms became some of the most familiar — and most deeply embedded — words in the Bible.
They didn’t just read the Psalms. They carried them in their hearts. I’m trying to figure out how to do that in our modern world. So I walk and meditate.
Walking has surged in popularity recently as an exercise with numerous health benefits, like lowering your cortisol, strengthening your bones and supporting your immune system. But the benefits aren’t just physical. The Bible has numerous examples of people who had deeply spiritual encounters with God while meandering outside: the two disciples who met the resurrected Jesus on the road to Emmaus; the apostle Paul, who was blinded during his journey to Damascus; and Elisha, who walked with Elijah until he saw him taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot.
If you have the time and ability to walk outside this week, why not invite Jesus into that space? Like Dannah, you could meditate on a Psalm. Or you could listen to Scripture or a faith-based podcast. Or just talk to Jesus as you would a friend. The goal is simply to be with him.
Dannah Gresh is a bestselling author, speaker and founder of Pure Freedom, a ministry equipping women and families to live in the freedom of God’s truth. She’s the author of And the Bride Wore White, which has helped more than 300,000 women pursue sexual integrity. This fall, Dannah is hitting the road with the True Girl Tour and her Raising Sexually Pure Kids workshops, equipping moms to navigate today’s sexualized culture with biblical wisdom and confidence. She also hosts the Pure Freedom With Dannah Gresh podcast, where she invites women into honest conversations about faith, freedom and following Jesus.