Fighting For Family: Julie and Chris Bennett

Chris Bennett is a pastor, storyteller, writer, and producer originally from Dallas, Texas. Julie Bennett is a writer, producer, speaker, and two-time cancer survivor from Edmond, Oklahoma. Together, Chris and Julie are the founders of Welcome Home Lifestyle, a production company which exists to create and promote content celebrating healthy, thriving families, friendships, and communities. Their love for people and entertainment led them and their four kids to uproot their lives and relocate from Oklahoma to Los Angeles in 2018. Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Julie was diagnosed with breast cancer, which she bravely battled over the next three years. Faced with a cancer diagnosis, relapse, and worldwide pandemic, Chris and Julie would come to redefine the ways in which they care for others, both as a nuclear family and as part of a broader community. Both Julie and Chris are graduates of Baylor University and have spent the majority of their 23 years of marriage working in vocational ministry. Through overwhelming challenges, they have learned how to fight for the things that matter and devote themselves to helping others do the same. Alongside their passion for building belonging for others, they love nothing more than beach football, spontaneous road trips, and throwing a good party. Chris and Julie are also co-hosts of the Becoming Family podcast and are in the process of developing a docs-series where they explore the power and diversity of family through the stories of those who have experienced it. The Bennetts currently reside in Malibu, CA where Chris serves as lead pastor of Vintage Church Malibu.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Fighting for Family: The Relentless Pursuit of Building Belonging

When Chris and Julie Bennett and their four kids decided to move from Norman, Oklahoma, to Los Angeles, they knew they were setting out on a great adventure. They’d be leaving behind the church Chris and Julie had pastored, the comfort of their community, and the familiarity of their daily routines, but the new city promised to bring some much-needed change. Most of all, they looked forward to connecting with others in one of the most disconnected cities in the United States. What they didn’t expect was how this adventure – complicated by a cancer diagnosis, a relapse, and a worldwide pandemic – would challenge their notions of what it means to care for each other well, both as a nuclear family and as part of a broader community. It turns out that becoming family is stressful, messy, exhausting – and absolutely, totally worth fighting for. In a time when so many suffer from loneliness and it feels like developing authentic relationships is impossible, Chris and Julie invite you to step into their story to discover the fundamentals that lead to healthy, thriving families and friendships. You’ll discover the power of embracing vulnerability, accepting imperfection, and extending forgiveness, while finding fulfillment through enforcing boundaries and honoring and serving others.

Connect with Chris & Julie:

Instagram:

@juliebennett_

@chrisbennett143

Facebook: @Chris and Julie Bennett

Website: www.fightingforfamily.org