Parenting Archives - Let's Parent on Purpose: Recent Episodes
Jay Holland
The trend of teenagers engaged in cutting has risen in recent years with the rise in social media and Youtube Influencers. What should a parent do if they find out their child has been cutting? Is this a pathway to suicide or something else? Eliza Huie joins me once again to help parents understand the pressures that lead a child to begin cutting. She offers council on what we can do if we find out our child has behaved in this behavior. Finally, she shares how the hope of the gospel can walk us through even this dark challenge.
Eliza is a counselor, author, speaker, and trainer committed to providing care and resources for the whole person. Trained both biblically and clinically, she understands the complexities people face in their spiritual, emotional, and physical lives.
She holds a Master of Arts in Counseling and has advanced certificates in biblical counseling from The Christian Counseling Educational Foundation (CCEF) and The Association of Biblical Counselors (ABC). She is also a licensed clinical professional counselor.
Eliza is the director of counseling at McLean Bible Church located in the Washington D.C. metro area. She is the Dean of Biblical Counseling for Metro Baltimore Seminary in Maryland. She and her husband Ken have been married for almost 30 years and they have 3 grown children and a lovely daughter-in-law.
Resources Mentioned:
- Help! My Teen is Self-Injuring: https://www.focusonthefamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Self-Injury.pdf
- How to Get the Most Out of Counseling: https://us.10ofthose.com/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-counseling-tract-booklet/
- Raising Emotionally Healthy Kids: https://us.10ofthose.com/raising-emotionally-healthy-kids-help-for-parents-paperback/
- Eliza’s other books: https://us.10ofthose.com/search.php?search_query=eliza
- Sign up for my Things for Thursday Email: https://tinyurl.com/292kv68y
- Support Let’s Parent on Purpose! https://letsparentonpurpose.com/support/
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In a culture inflamed by racial tensions, how can parents teach children a healthy perspective on race and culture? Author Michelle Sanchez joins me today for a discussion on the gospel vision of a diverse, multiethnic community. We talk about how backgrounds and personal experiences can form our racial prejudices. Michelle also shares biblical, Christ-honoring ways for a parent or church to pursue healthy, diverse racial relationships.
Michelle T. Sanchez, MDiv, ThM, is the senior discipleship and evangelism leader of the Evangelical Covenant Church, a vibrant multiethnic denomination of more than 900 congregations. Michelle completed seminary degrees at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and spiritual direction training at Boston College. She is a conference speaker and a columnist with Outreach magazine. Michelle has enjoyed engaging with colorful cultures in over thirty countries and territories around the world. She and her husband, Mickey, live with their children in the Chicago area.
Michelle has written a trilogy of books on color-courageous discipleship centered on the healing power of the gospel of Christ.
Resources Mentioned:
- Michelle’s Website https://michelletsanchez.com
- Sign up for my Things for Thursday Email: https://tinyurl.com/292kv68y
- Support Let’s Parent on Purpose! https://letsparentonpurpose.com/support/
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Today we are celebrating episode 300 of Let’s Parent on Purpose! I am joined today by both of my sons, Elijah and Micah Holland. The boys share what it was like to go through leukemia, relapse, and then bone marrow transplant together. We talk about worries, struggles, and the picture of Christ we find in bone marrow transplant. Additionally I share about the future of Let’s Parent on Purpose, including the beginning of the 127 Project to grow the outreach of Let’s Parent on Purpose and to take care of orphans. On this day of celebration, I want to say a big Thank You to every listener, supporter, and guest I’ve spent time with in the last 300 episodes. Parenting is a marathon, not a sprint, and we are all better with intentional investment in our marriage, parenting, and walk with Jesus. Thanks for sticking around for the first 300, I look forward to the next 300!
Elijah and Micah Holland are the sons of Jay and Emily Holland. In 2014 Elijah was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. After 3.5 years of treatment and 4 years off of chemo, Elijah relapsed in September of 2021. By God’s grace, his brother (and bunkmate) Micah was a Perfect Sibling Match as a bone marrow donor. In the spring of 2022, Micah gave over one liter of his bone marrow to save his brother’s life. Today both boys are healthy and thriving as they catch up on school, play in the church band together, and try to avoid emptying the dishwasher and cleaning their room.
Resources Mentioned:
- LPOP 1 It’s a Marathon
- Episode 235 Finding a Mission in Chemotherapy with Elijah Holland
- Sign up for my Things for Thursday Email: https://tinyurl.com/292kv68y
- Support Let’s Parent on Purpose! https://letsparentonpurpose.com/support/
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This is the second half of my conversation with Dan Seaborn on how to parent a child who is identifying as a different gender or sexuality. Be sure to first listen to episode 298 What if Your Children Identify With a Different Gender or Sexuality? In this half of the discussion, we talk the term “Super-Straight” as well as the peer pressure that labels traditional sexual ethics as toxic. Dan encourages parents away from humiliation and towards humility as we process our children’s struggles. We discuss trusted resources for counseling if your child has more than a passing interest or questions. And finally Dan encourages us in how healing is not about turning our orientation towards heterosexuality, but in finding our orientation with who Christ made us to be. Be sure to share this episode with moms and dads you know are struggling with this topic!
Dan Seaborn, M.A., is the founder and president of Winning At Home, an organization that supports marriages and families. As an author, speaker, and leader of the Marriage and Family Network of AACC, Dan uses humor, practical illustrations, and real-life examples to teach others how to win at home. He has authored thirteen books and holds a master’s degree in Christian ministries. His new book, Winning at Home, will be available nationwide on September 13, 2022.
Resources Mentioned:
- Episode 297: Equipping our Children for Conversations on Sexuality and Gender Identity with Sean McDowell
- Episode 216: Talking to Your Children About Sexuality and Gender Identity
- Sign up for my Things for Thursday Email: https://tinyurl.com/292kv68y
- Support Let’s Parent on Purpose! https://letsparentonpurpose.com/support/
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Culture continues to saturate our children with messages on gender and sexuality. Parents should expect their children to come to them with questions about these topics. At some point, there’s a reasonable likelihood your child might approach you confused or identifying as a different gender or sexuality. What are you going to do? In the first half of a two part conversation with author and counselor Dan Seaborn, we talk about how to react to that first revelation. Dan reminds us how to keep perspective rather than panic, and how we can even celebrate the fact that our kids are even willing to talk to us. We discuss the way God has redeemed our own sexual sins. He speaks encouragement (from personal experience) for parents who are grieving wayward children. Dan also addresses the realities of the different culture our children live in compared to our child.
Dan Seaborn, M.A., is the founder and president of Winning At Home, an organization that supports marriages and families. As an author, speaker, and leader of the Marriage and Family Network of AACC, Dan uses humor, practical illustrations, and real-life examples to teach others how to win at home. He has authored thirteen books and holds a master’s degree in Christian ministries. His new book, Winning at Home, will be available nationwide on September 13, 2022.
Resources Mentioned:
- Episode 297: Equipping our Children for Conversations on Sexuality and Gender Identity with Sean McDowell
- Episode 216: Talking to Your Children About Sexuality and Gender Identity
- Sign up for my Things for Thursday Email: https://tinyurl.com/292kv68y
- Support Let’s Parent on Purpose! https://letsparentonpurpose.com/support/
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There is no way to completely shelter your children from the cultural campaign on gender identity and sexuality. Dr. Sean McDowell shares how we can equip ourselves to walk alongside our children, asking questions, and teaching them how to have loving, biblical worldview in their schools and sports teams.
Dr. Sean McDowell is a gifted communicator with a passion for equipping the church, and in particular young people, to make the case for the Christian faith. He connects with audiences in a tangible way through humor and stories while imparting hard evidence and logical support for viewing all areas of life through a Biblical worldview. Sean is an Associate Professor in the Christian Apologetics program at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. Sean’s most recent book is called A Rebel’s manifesto: Choosing Truth, Real Justice, & Love amid the Noise of Today’s World.
Resources Mentioned:
- Sean’s Website: www.seanmcdowell.org
- A Rebel’s Manifesto
- Episode 216 Talking to Your Children About Sexuality and Gender Identity
- Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets by Andy Stanley
- Sign up for my Things for Thursday Email: https://tinyurl.com/292kv68y
- Support Let’s Parent on Purpose! https://letsparentonpurpose.com/support/
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How does a child know when they are accepted as an adult? In our modern world, young people are often left to figure this out on their own. Many never do. I’m joined by author Steven Arms, who shares with me the family Rite of Passage tradition he experienced at 13 years old to welcome his as an adult member of his family. We discuss the importance of affirming manhood and womanhood, the need for a tribe of mentors, as well as the specifics of how to create a Rite of Passage experience for a young man. I also share how our church affirms our graduates with a Rite of Passage Ceremony their senior year.
Steven Arms is a co-author of the book Milestone to Manhood: A Christian Rite of Passage to Help Your 13-Year-Old Son Make the Leap from Boyhood to Manhood. In the book, Steven shares his firsthand experience of his Rite of Passage weekend and reflects on how it shaped him into the man that he is today. Steven lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife, Emily, and is the proud father of two young children.
Resources Mentioned:
- Buy the book Milestone to Manhood: https://amzn.to/3LevzTb
- Visit Steven and David’s website: www.milestonetomanhood.com
- Sign up for my Things for Thursday Email: https://tinyurl.com/292kv68y
- Support Let’s Parent on Purpose! https://letsparentonpurpose.com/support/
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I’m frequently asked about which Bible Translation is best for children or teens. Today I share an overview of the differences between translations as well as thoughts on what Bible might be best for your child. Additionally I share a couple of “pre-Bible introductory resources”. I discuss why it’s important to consider what translation your church regularly uses as well as any special reading difficulties your child may have.
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email * The Jesus Storybook Bible * The Action Bible * Support Let’s Parent on Purpose!
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Lisa Appelo went to bed married one night and woke up a widow and single mom to seven children the next morning. Her story of navigating raw, tender grief stands as a testimony that—regardless of your circumstances—life can be good again after it falls apart. We talk about the experience of losing her husband dan, the process of navigating her own grief, as well as the individual paths of grieving each of her children walked. Most importantly, we celebrate how Jesus can bring a depth and richness to our joy even if we’ve experienced traumatic loss.
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email * Life Can Be Good Again: Putting Your World Back Together After It Falls Apart by Lisa Appelo * LisaAppelo.com * IG: @lisaappelo * FB: @LisaAppelo * Support Let’s Parent on Purpose!
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The teenage years can feel incredibly unstable for both parents and adolescents. Today I share three pillars that can help your teen have a stable self concept even as their bodies, brains, and friends keep changing. Learn how important it is for your teen to know “I’m loved,” “I’ve got what it takes,” and “I can take responsibility”. As moms and dads, our interactions with our teens will either enhance or diminish each of these messages.
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email * Parenting Teens with Love and Logic: Preparing Adolescents for Responsible Adulthood * Support Let’s Parent on Purpose!
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The teenage years are a time of radical change. But it’s not just our teenagers who must go through change. Parenting styles and roles rapidly evolve as our children move closer to adulthood. In this episode I discuss three different types of parenting styles. We review why the drill sergeant and the helicopter parent fail to prepare our teens for adulthood. Instead, we should aim to become consultants that empower our teens with greater responsibility and ownership of their actions. If this topic is helpful to you, I highly recommend you check out Parenting Teens with Love and Logic by Jim Fay and Foster W. Cline.
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email * I discussed this topic in more detail in a very early episode of Let’s Parent on Purpose * Parenting Teens with Love and Logic: Preparing Adolescents for Responsible Adulthood * Support Let’s Parent on Purpose!
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This is last episode in a four part series to help parents and teens improve their communication and reduce conflict. It’s adapted from a parent/teen retreat and includes small group questions you help you process the material as a family. Conflict increases when there is no compelling purpose or mission. Today we begin to re-vision your family as a multigenerational team on mission for the Lord. I share a couple actionable steps for helping your family discover your identity, mission, and strategy.
Key Points:
- Our culture looks at families as springboards for individual success. We need to begin to view our family as a multigenerational team on mission.
- Generations are not stuck. It only takes one generation in a family to turn to Jesus to start a new legacy.
- A team needs an identity, a purpose, and a strategy.
- To shape your family identity, develop a family mission statement. As an example, here’s my family’s mission statement: God has blessed us with relationships, resources, and responsibility. We will use our gifts to enjoy life with Jesus and one another, and to heal a broken world through the love of Christ.
- A simple strategy for your family to begin living on mission: start a weekly multigenerational meal.
- Your new vision for family can help cure the disease of more and be the greatest force of discipleship in your household!
Discussion Questions with your family after listening:
- What was the most important thing you heard from this episode?
- What do you think of the idea of your family being a multigenerational team on mission for Jesus?
- How has God uniquely blessed your family in ways that could be a blessing to others? What are your treasures in relationships and resources?
- Who are family members outside of your current household that you could pull in to your family team on mission?
- Who are people in your life in need of a spiritual family that you could pull in to your team and mission?
- Start to brainstorm what you would want to include in a family mission statement. How has God blessed you and what are specific ways you want your family to serve Jesus for decades if the Lord doesn’t return in your lifetime?
- Could you start a weekly multigenerational meal? What night of the week would work best? Who could you invite? What are some things that would help make this night meaningful. For example – the Holland Family try’s to have a role for ever member of the meal, from lighting candles to sharing scripture to prayers of blessing. Over the meal we share our weekly highs and lows as well as something we are learning. What night of the week would work most consistently for you to have it?
- When are you going to have your first multigenerational meal?
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email * Communication and Conflict Part 2: Rebuilding the Love Bank * Communication and Conflict Part 1: Know Your Enemy * Communication and Conflict Part 3: Retooling for Healthy Conflict * To explore this concept further check out my episode Your Family as a Team with Jeremy Pryor
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This is part three of a four part series to help parents and teens improve their communication and reduce conflict. It’s adapted from a parent/teen retreat and includes small group questions you help you process the material as a family. Every family is going to have conflict. We need a better conflict toolbox to allow us to win the person and not the argument. Today we look at principles from Proverbs as well as Chris Voss’ book Never Split the Difference: Communicating Like Your Life Depends on it. I also share some of the most helpful marriage counseling advice I’ve ever been given.
Key Points:
1) You’re going to have disagreements and conflict. You need a better conflict toolbox.
2) The vast majority of conflict work is done before the conflict. Refill the love bank!
3) People want to be understood and appreciated.
4) Tools for conflict:
- Be a Mirror – Active listening and reflecting
- Accusation Audit – Admit the ugly truth and state your worst case
- Tactical Empathy – State their case and feelings in the best way you can (you don’t have to agree).
- Getting to “that’s right” rather than “you’re right”!
5) The best way to win the conflict is to seek to win the person!
6) Marriage tips for “fighting fair”
- Never use the words “always” or “never”
- Stick to the subject even if it means you’re going to “lose” the argument
- Make enough time for the discussion and take a time out if you need
Discussion Questions with your family after listening:
1) What was the most important thing you heard from this episode? Remember to try to use the toolbox as we continue the questions
- Be a mirror – active listening and reflecting
- Accusation audit – admit the ugly truth and state your worst case
- Tactical Empathy – state the other side’s case and feelings as best as you can
- Getting to “That’s Right” instead of “Your Right”
2) One of the main points was “everyone wants be understood and appreciated.” Can you think of something in your household where you feel either misunderstood or unappreciated? Share the situation if you feel comfortable. Others in the group should practice listening and interacting using the toolbox. Stick to the subject and don’t switch topics in the middle. See if you can get to a place where one of the people listening can restate your case in such an accurate way that you say “That’s Right”.
3) Take a turn and let someone else go.
4) What do you think would be the most helpful tool in the toolbox to regularly use?
5) Are any of them confusing to you?
6) Do you feel like if you are appreciated and understood its easier to get past
Resources Mentioned Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email * Communication and Conflict Part 2: Rebuilding the Love Bank * Communication and Conflict Part 1: Know Your Enemy * Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As if Your Life Depended On It* by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz
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This is part two of a four part series to help parents and teens improve their communication and reduce conflict. It’s adapted from a parent/teen retreat and includes small group questions you help you process the material as a family. Today’s episode focuses understanding the emotional love bank each family member has with one another. Once we learn the impact of deposits and withdraws, we can begin to build emotional security in our household relationships. We discuss applying the NewTestament One Another’s to our family, identifying one another’s love languages, securing easy wins, and avoiding costly losses in our communication.Key Points:1. The Love Bank/Tank represents the amount of positive emotional reserves you have for each relationship. 2. Everyone wants to feel noticed, loved, and appreciated. We get to be the hands, feet, and mouth of Jesus to one another in the home! 3. As a general rule, people need to hear 5-10 affirmations for every cirque, otherwise they become insecure and resentful. 4. The Five Love Languages are helpful in understanding how individuals give and receive love. Your family will benefit if you know which ones each member values the highest: Quality Time, Physical Touch, Acts of Service,Gift Giving, Words of Affirmation. 5. Go for the easy wins and avoid the easy loses! Parents need to eliminate cut-downs and comparisons. Teens need to understand that lying breaks trust and relationships. 6. A full love bank allows for a secure relationship.
Discussion Questions with your family after listening:
- What was the most important thing you heard in this episode?
- If you’re being honest, how would you describe your love tank with each member of your family right now? Why do you say this?
- Have you ever thought about how you’ve been called to be the hands, feet, and mouth of Jesus so they can feel secure in the Lord? What do you think about that?
- When it comes to the five love languages, what ones help you feel loved the most? Which ones are the ways you most often try to express your love to others? Remember the languages are Quality Time, Physical Touch, Acts ofService, Gift Giving, and Words of Affirmation. What’s a specific way that your family members could help you feel more loved?
- What’s an easy win way that someone can make a deposit into your love tank?
- Take a time to encourage one another. What are a few specific things that you like about the people in your family? If they are in your group make sure you tell them!
- Finish out by praying for each other!
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email * Communication and Conflict Part 1: Know Your Enemy * For more detail on the Love Bank, check out my article “The Love Bank” * His Needs Her Needs: Making Romantic Love Last by Willard F Harley Jr. * The Five Love Languages: Secrets to Love That Last by Gary Chapman
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This is part one of a four part series to help parents and teens improve their communication and reduce conflict. It’s adapted from a parent/teen retreat and includes small group questions you help you process the material as a family. Today’s episode focuses on understanding the spiritual warfare behind many household conflicts and gives you tools for overcoming.
Key Points:
- You have an enemy, and it’s not your family.
- The combat theater is your mind. Satan’s weapon is your flesh, and your weapon is the armor of God.
- The next combat theater is your family. Your family is not the enemy, they are the battle prize. Satan’s weapon is pride and your weapon is grace. Remember, healing grace is a two way street but it starts with one person making the step of faith!
Discussion Questions with your family after listening:
- What was the most important thing you heard in this podcast?
- Is the concept of spiritual warfare in the family new to you?
- What seems to be the greatest battlefield to you right now, your mind or your family? Why?
- Can you see where pride has caused resentment and division in the relationships in your family? In what way?
- Can you think of a practical way that grace could change the tone in your house? How so?
- What do you need to do with what you heard today? When are you going to do it?
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email * If you like this episode, check out Episode 138 – Spiritual Warfare in the Home
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This year our family has been stretched and scattered. We have experienced significant disorientation as we walk through a leukemia relapsed. To combat the disorientation, we are developing a new practice of a Family Sabbath Dinner. After years of toying with the idea, talking about it with others, we are finally doing it. Today I want to walk you through what our Family Sabbath Liturgy looks like. This is my own personal modified version, designed to help take some of the awkwardness out of the meal as well as giving each participant a meaningful role. As you follow along my walkthrough, my prayer is that you realize that you can also do this! Jesus tells us that the Sabbath was made for man, and it’s time we reclaimed this gift as we invite Jesus to the feast!
If you find this compelling, check out the links in “Resources Mentioned” for my Sabbath Liturgy as well as a couple of other versions.
This is the fourth episode in my “Upside Down Insights” series. Birthed out of our bone marrow transplant journey, these are insights God has given me as our world turned upside down.
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email * If you like this episode, check out Centering on Christ in the Midst of Chaos with Virgil Tanner
Sabbath Dinner Liturgies:
- My version
- Virgil Tanner’s Version
- Kerrie Weems’ Version
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There are few fears more gripping to a parent than the thought that one of their children might get sick… really sick. Sick to the point of real suffering. Sick to the point of no answers. Sick to the point of death.
This is something we’ve been walking through as a family for eight years now. Having experienced the dreaded diagnosis of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, having walked through years of bad news, good news, injections, and hospitalizations, I want to offer some wisdom that we’ve gained along the way.
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email
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One of the common feelings shared by our children is “I feel like I don’t fit in.” The truth is this feeling doesn’t go away just because we become adults.
I’ve been thinking about that…
From my personal experience and from over 20 years as a pastor, I have come to believe that “I don’t fit in” is a more common feeling than “I fit in”. Today I share thoughts on why I think this feeling is a part of the curse, and how the Gospel is the cure.
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email
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Fear of failure as a parent can paralyze a mom or dad. In my new “What if…?” series I look at the reality of our parental failure through the lens of the gospel. We talk about:
- Why many of our failures don’t matter
- The reality that there will be many times when you really blow it
- How to view your failure in the light of the gospel.
Failure is not the last word, and God can use our worst moments to shape some of the best character qualities in our children.
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email
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Pastor and author Jonathan Pitts joins me once again, this time to talk about the growth and adjustments from his newly blended family. We discuss setting-but also adapting-expectations, the mix of grief and joy in a blended family, and giving one another grace with feelings and emotions.
Jonathan Pitts is an author, speaker and the executive pastor at Church of the City in Franklin, Tennessee. He previously served as the executive director at the Urban Alternative, the national ministry of Dr. Tony Evans. Jonathan has co-authored two books alongside his late wife, Wynter Pitts. He is also President and co-founder of For Girls Like You Ministries, an equipping and resourcing ministry for tween girls and their parents. Jonathan is the father of four daughters and is blessed to be newly married to his wife Pita Pitts.
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email * Jonathon’s Instagram * The Journey Podcast * The Chip Dodd Eight Feelings Chart
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Parenting doesn’t stop just because your children turn 18. But it sure can be confusing! Willow Sanders joins me to talk about the transitions from boss to coach to advisor that a parent must make over the years. We share our struggles and encouragements as we seek to navigate the challenges of parenting adult children in a healthy way.
Willow Sanders is the director of Student Services and Protect the Heart Ministries for CareNet of the Treasure Coast. Willow has served the Treasure Coast for over 2 decades and has two adult sons.
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email * https://protecttheheart.org * Talking to Your Children about Sex with Willow Sanders
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Family worship is one of the most transformative habits a family can have. It’s also very intimidating to most moms and dads. Dr. Rob Rienow, founder of Visionary Families, helps simplify the process of starting and continuing family worship. With a simple toolbox of prayer, Bible reading, and other elements, you can implement a healthy habit of family worship in your home no matter the age of your children.
Dr. Rob Rienow’s most important ministry is loving his wife Amy and partnering with her to lead their seven children to love God. He is the founder of Visionary Family Ministries (www.visionaryfam.com), a pastor, international conference speaker, and the author of several books including Visionary Parenting and Visionary Marriage. When Rob is not fishing for men, he enjoys fishing for fish. The Rienow family lives in West Chicago, IL.
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email * www.VisionaryFam.com * www.Facebook.com/VisionaryFam * www.Twitter.com/VisionaryFam * www.YouTube.com/visionaryfamilyministries * www.VisionaryFam.com/podcast
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When Stacy Callender was a young mom she felt burdened as her children entered public school. This burden led her to join a Moms in Prayer group that changed the trajectory of her life, family, and mission. Stacy and I talk about the work of God through prayer, and how we grow in courage and faith by consistency praying with others. You can’t help but be encouraged as you listen to Stacy’s story and her infectious joy!
Stacy Callender is the host of the Moms in Prayer podcast. She has been involved in a Moms in Prayer group since her oldest child started kindergarten in 1999. She has served as the Southern California State Coordinator, and also in Women’s Ministry at her local church. She and her husband, Scott, live in Southern California where they have raised their four children, Megan, Bryce, Madison and Brendan. During her free time, Stacy can be found eating Mexican food, hiking, reading or bargain hunting.
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email * Moms in Prayer * Moms in Prayer Podcast
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It’s a challenge to balance boundaries and freedom, adventure and responsibility when raising a boy. My guest Monica Swanson shares here experience of raising boys who are sensitive to the things of Jesus while still being strong and capable in the face of the world’s trials. She gives examples of success and failures in her process as well as her insight into creating a “character training course” for her son when he needed extra focus.
Monica Swanson is the author of the Boy Mom book and a blogger at monicaswanson.com. She shares encouragement and inspiration for raising boys in today’s world. Monica shares practical advice and biblical wisdom through honest conversations, interviews with other boy moms, and light-hearted humor.
Resources Mentioned* www.monicaswanson.com * The Boy Mom Podcast * Boy Mom – What Your Son Needs Most From You * Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email
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Sometimes our worst fears in parenting do come true. When Daniel and Kelly Crawford were pregnant with their first son Abel, they learned that he had a life limiting diagnosis. Directed to find services to terminate the pregnancy, they instead chose to carry their little boy to birth. They were gifted fifteen days with their little Abel. Their experience led them to reach out and minister to other families facing similar scenarios. It also gave them perspective as they raise their other special needs children. This is an honest yet hope filled conversation about the sadness and sweetness of dying dreams and and an enduring gospel hope.
Daniel and Kelly Crawford have been married since December 2013 and reside in Dallas, Texas. They have three children (Abel, Mayfield, and Deacon) who were all born on the exact same day in 2016, 2017, and 2019. Yes, January 22 is a big day at the Crawford house! They co-founded Abel Speaks in 2018 to support families who have chosen to carry a child with a life-limiting diagnosis. After walking that road with their firstborn son, Abel, they realized the significant need that existed for parents in their position. The vision of Abel Speaks is that every family they serve will cherish their child’s life and have hope in the midst of sorrow. This ministry is but one example of the redemptive truth that God never wastes an ounce of our pain, and the Crawfords love to write and speak on the ways that God can and does use our suffering for his glory and our good. Go to AbelSpeaks.org to find out more.
Resources Mentioned* Instagram: @abelspeaks * Facebook: www.facebook.com/abelspeaks.org * Website: www.abelspeaks.org * The vision of Abel Speaks * A Parent’s Guide to Sorrow & Suffering * Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email
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When Steven and Mary Beth Chapman took their 11 year old daughter Emily on a mission trip to Haiti, it changed the trajectory of their family. A burden to adopt started with Emily and spread to each family member. As the Chapmans adopted three children from China, God connected them with other families that needed support in their own adoption journeys. 8,000 children later, Show Hope is still resourcing moms and dads to enlarge their forever families. Mary Beth joins me to share their story as well as her incredible wisdom for others who are at every step of the adoption process. This is a conversation for more than just adoptive families. It takes a practical and spiritual village to adopt a child!
Steven and Mary Beth were married in October of 1984 and have six children – three biological children, Emily Chapman Richards (married to Tanner and mom to three daughters Eiley, Della, and Verity), Caleb Chapman (married to Julia and dad to son Noble and daughter Olive “Ollie”), and Will Franklin Chapman (married to indie artist Jillian Edwards and dad to daughter Willow Faye), and three daughters adopted from China, Shaohannah Hope, Stevey Joy and Maria Sue, who is now with Jesus. The Chapmans live in Franklin, Tennessee.
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email * https://www.marybethchapman.com/ * www.showhope.org * howtoadopt.org
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Kids and teens are more stressed than ever. As our world bombards them with social media, bad news, and inescapable connectedness, researchers are finding depression and anxiety rates are higher than ever. Author and counselor Eliza Huie joins me once again with great practical advice for moms and dads on fostering emotional health in every stage of their children’s lives. We talk about the importance of nurture, understanding your child’s capacity, regarding their feelings, cultivating hope, and knowing when and how to get help.
Eliza is a counselor, author, speaker, and trainer committed to providing care and resources for the whole person. Trained both biblically and clinically, she understands the complexities people face in their spiritual, emotional, and physical lives. She holds a Master of Arts in Counseling and has advanced certificates in biblical counseling from The Christian Counseling Educational Foundation (CCEF) and The Association of Biblical Counselors (ABC). She is also a licensed clinical professional counselor. Eliza is the director of counseling at McLean Bible Church located in the Washington D.C. metro area. She is the Dean of Biblical Counseling for Metro Baltimore Seminary in Maryland. She and her husband Ken have been married for almost 30 years and they have 3 grown children and a lovely daughter-in-law.
Resources Mentioned* Raising Emotionally Healthy Kids * Eliza’s other books * Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email
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Our culture is obsessed with influencers and leadership, but parents often forget that their primary opportunity for leadership and influence is in their own household. My guests Jeff and Terra Mattson talk with me about the distance between what we say and what we do in our families, and how that damages our credibility. We discuss the necessity to recognize the influence of our own childhood families, the importance of grieving trauma and loss, and empathizing even when we don’t agree with the other side.
Jeff and Terra are a husband and wife team who co-founder of Living Wholehearted, LLC, a professional counseling and organizational consulting firm outside of Portland, Oregon and a global movement for moms and daughters called Courageous Girls. Terra is a licensed marriage & family therapist and executive coach with over twenty years of clinical and ministry experience. She is the author of Courageous: Being Daughters Rooted in Grace and the visionary and curriculum developer for Courageous Girls. Jeff serves as president of their organizations and leads the executive coaching and organizational development arm of the practice. Together they are the co-hosts of the weekly Living Wholehearted Podcast and Dear Mattsons YouTube series produced by Christian Parenting and the co-authors of Shrinking the Integrity Gap: Between What Leaders Preach and Live. Married just over twenty years and raising their two teen daughters, they integrate biblical, clinical, and relational wisdom to help leaders live and lead with integrity in the home, work and community.
Resources Mentioned* www.livingwholehearted.com * www.mycourageousgirls.com * www.terramattson.com * Facebook: wearelivingwholehearted * Facebook: mycourageousgirls * Facebook: jeffterramattson * Instagram: @terramattson * Instagram: @living_wholehearted * Instagram: @mycourageousgirls * Shrinking the Integrity Gap: Between What Leaders Preach and Live
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What if you could go back in a time machine and give your young parenting self some advice? My guest Cynthia Yanof and I talk about this very idea on today’s episode. As Cynthia watched her little one play on the playground, she thought about the lessons she could teach her younger self based on how the children were playing. We talk through her excellent advice and how we are still in the process of growing, learning, and fumbling forward on our parenting journey.
Cynthia Yanof is a wife, mom, blogger, and the host of the Pardon the Mess podcast. She has a relaxed style of interviewing, combining her quick wit and sense of humor with a firm commitment to never taking herself too seriously. She loves Jesus, her family, foster care, and having lots of friends around her as often as possible. Cynthia is relatable, real, and a friend to all of us just trying to walk the parenting road in a meaningful way that’s pleasing to the Lord.
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email * The Pardon the Mess Podcast * www.cynthiayanof.com * www.pardonthemess.org
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Sometimes our expectations for our families are just way beyond reality. My guest Lisa Clark reminds us that we are all just sinners raising sinners, still in the process of transformation by the gospel of Jesus. We talk about expectations, personality differences among children, settings habits for a thriving family, and what to do if a child is rejecting the faith.
Lisa is married to Brad, her husband of 35 years. She and Brad co-teach a young married life group at their home church in Plano, TX. They have two daughters, Caroline and Camryn. Grounded in God’s Word, Lisa has a passion for encouraging moms in the day-to-day struggles of parenting preteens and teens. This passion and mission led her to write her very First book in 2016, Raising Sinners. Raising Sinners is a biblical parenting, short story written for moms and dads in all stages of parenting. Lisa also hosts two podcasts – Wonder and Raising Sinners, both with her cohost Chrissie Dunham.
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email * Website: https://www.lisaclarkspeaks.com * The Raising Sinners Podcast * The Wonder Podcast * Raising Sinners
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We want our home to be a place of peace and stability, but sometimes external and internal dynamics make this extremely challenging. Virgil Tanner and his wife Joy have parented their children on three continents in a variety of difficult circumstances. Today he shares how they learned to order their family stability around regular prayer and the family sabbath. Learn how he took a two thousand year old Christian tradition and adapted it to engage his little ones, teenagers, and the adults in their household. The practice has helped them thrive in the midst of shaky governments, cultural chaos, and personal tragedy.
Virgil Tanner has been married for 20 years and is a father of five. He has lived on three continents and currently oversees strategy and global operations for a non-profit with hundreds of staff scattered all over the world.
Resources Mentioned* Celtic Daily Prayer * Northumbria Online Prayer Community * The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin Jr. * LPOP 189 Teaching Children How to Think with Virgil Tanner * Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email
Sponsor Affiliate* CP Give January
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The pornography industry makes more money than the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL combined. Porn is hunting for every member of our family, and the effects on the body of Christ are devastating. There is no greater obstacle we face when it comes to discipleship, spiritual leadership, relational and spiritual health than the enslavement of porn addiction. Today Ted Shimer joins me to talk about the grim realities happening in our families. He then shares the hope that comes when combining spiritual principles with brain science to bring men, women, and our children lasting freedom from the grip of pornography.
Ted Shimer has mentored men since 1991 with the collegiate ministry Student Mobilization. He received his MABS from Dallas Seminary and has been trained as a Pastoral Sex Addiction Professional-Supervisor. Ted has helped people overcome the bondage of pornography in the context of making disciples. He is the Founder of The Freedom Fight, an online porn addiction recovery program. He is also the author of the book, The Freedom Fight, The New Drug and the Truths that Set Us Free. Ted and his wife Amber have four adult children and live in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Resources Mentioned* Website: The Freedom Fight * The Freedom Fight: The New Drug and the Truth that Sets us Free * The Freedom Fight 30 Day Challenge to break free from Pornography * Freedom From Porn Begins Here: YouVersion Bible 30 Day Devotional Plan * Covenant Eyes: Accountability and Internet Filter * Canopy Parental Controls * Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email
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If we want to change our families, we can do so by concentrating on one habit at a time. Today I brainstorm several potential family habits to consider for 2022, and encourage you to pick ONE new one to ingrain in your lives.
Habits:
Prayer
- Morning Time
- Meal Time
- Drive Time
- Bed Time
The Word
- Read at dinner
- The Bible App Devotions
- Verse of the Week or Month
Dinner together
- Minimum times per week
- Do Roses and Thorns
Make one night a week a special night of worship or blessing
- Read the Word
- Family Worship
- Invite Grandparents to bless their grandchildren
- Pick one night a week or month to practice hospitality
Be a Blessing
- Family service project
- Adopt an orphan
- Adopt a spiritual orphan
- Adopt a single person or widow
- Serve at Church Together
- Give Generously
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People are different, and because of that, discipleship does not always look the same. It’s not a step by step process, and just because our children have “caught” one area of discipleship we cannot expect the “next” one will come naturally. In this short devotion, I share how we can give room for differences and encourage the good we see growing in each family member.
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email
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As we get near Christmastime, it’s a wonderful time of year to review a perpetual quandary of our modern age: How to we teach our children contentment when they are surrounded by unrelenting advertisements for more and more stuff. Today I revisit an early episode where we talk about a three part strategy for teaching contentment in the home.
- Teach Perspective
- Take Responsibility for Others
- Live More By Having Less
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email
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We’re entering the season filled with awe, wonder, gratitude, and dread. It’s that time of year where we get to spend time with family we love. Sometimes, we get to spend time with family who are easier to love at a distance.
Let’s be honest, just because we grew up together doesn’t mean we now have the same worldview, parenting styles, standards, goals, or aspirations. And sometimes we love every member of our family, and are mostly on the same page as them, but it’s just overwhelming when they all get together at once.
Today I give you a handy guide to having less stress, more fun, and perhaps even eternally significant extended family gatherings this Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- Release yourself from the guilt of thinking you’re going to please everybody.2. Stop sabotaging the peace of all of the days leading up to your family gathering.3. Make a plan. Aim to stick with your plan. Walk in grace when you cannot stick to your plan.* “How am I going to calendar these next few weeks with enough margin to not run ragged?”
- “How am I going to coach my children for some of the unsavory experiences they might encounter with our extended family?”
- “Knowing that I do not trust this particular person in my family, how am I going to make sure that my children are not left in vulnerable situations with them?”
- “How am I going to redirect conversations with grace when they godown gossipy or destructive pathways?”
- “How am I going to lovingly hold my boundaries when this particular family member tries to guilt or manipulate me?”
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“How am I going to love and support my spouse as they navigate the different people in their family?”
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Intentionally instill a time of personal worship and gratitude, for you and your immediate family.
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Don’t miss the teaching and training opportunities in your own family. Have honest conversations (without gossip or disparaging) with some of the struggles you’ve had in your family before. Teach them how you’ve tried to love and also live in boundaries. Affirm their feelings if they don’t like some of their cousins. Coach them on how to show love to hard people.
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Don’t go to your gatherings to “just get through them”, go seeking to be an instrument of grace.
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Bring your other family members in as best as you can on the plan. If it’s dreadful for you, likely it’s dreadful for other family members. Since you have some time, start talking about how you might intentionally make the time more meaningful as you’re together. Maybe each family can put together a little photo video project of what happened over the last year. Maybe you can plan a service project together. Maybe as a family you can adopt a family in need and work together to provide for them.
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Think of ways you can be “others first”without feeling resentful and manipulated.
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Don’t add to your spouse’s stress by guilting them over their family.
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Pray for your family
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email
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Revisiting one of my favorite early episodes, I lay out principles that will help you win the hearts of your family and influence the culture of your home. Based on principles form Dale Carnegie’s classic How to Win Friends and Influence People, I share three principles that can help lower defensiveness and increase the willingness of each member of your household to do their best for one another. When it’s all said and done, these principles are nothing more than an exposition of the golden rule “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.
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At some point every single one of us is going to experience a Category 5 crisis in our life. When our worst fears are realized, we face the challenge of processing what we believe about God. We also need to figure out what to do next. Today I revisit one of my early LPOP topics, sparked by our preparation for a potential Category 5 hurricane pointed at our town. I now consider the words I wrote in light of our family’s current crisis, the relapse of my son’s leukemia.
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email * Blog: What if it’s a Category 5
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As we celebrate 250 episodes and nearly five years of the Let’s Parent onPurpose podcast, my friend Jenny Price interviews me about my favorite things, serving through suffering, and keeping our family on mission. You’ll learn how Emily and I set parameters to grow in trust in our young marriage. How do I refill and recharge from work and family? Also, what is the most ridiculous, petty thing I would do if money were no object?
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email * My Sermon on Psalm 127 * My favorite novel: East of Eden
The post Celebrating 250! Answering Questions about Fun, Family, Faith, and Serving Through Suffering appeared first on Let's Parent on Purpose.
One of the greatest fears shared by moms and dads around the world is their child becoming addicted to drugs. While the motivations for using and abusing alcohol and drugs have largely stayed the same, the actual substances continue to evolve, and their availability keeps increasing. Richard Capriola is the author of The Addicted Child: A Parents Guide toAdolescent Substance Abuse. He joins me to talk about the brain changes that happen with drug use, the most prevalent substances used by teens today, what to do if you find your teen using, and where to go for help if your child is addicted.
Richard Capriola has been a mental health and substance abuse counselor for over two decades. He recently retired from Menninger Clinic in Houston Texas where for over a decade he treated adolescents and adults diagnosed with mental health and substance abuse diagnoses. He is the author of The Addicted Child: A Parent’s Guide to Adolescent substance abuse which is available on Amazon and from the book’s website http://www.helptheaddictedchild.com.
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email * Website: www.helptheaddictedchild.com * Richard’s Book: The Addicted Child: A Parents Guide to Adolescent Substance Abuse The post Understanding and Responding to Teen Substance Abuse with Richard Capriola appeared first on Let's Parent on Purpose.
One of the most common conversations I have is helping parents determine what to do when their child doesn’t want to come to church. The reasons are as varied as the child, and we want to make sure we understand why they might hate church before we jump to our response. Today I go through many different reasons why our children might not like church, as well as several possible solutions for you to encourage their love of the church and enjoyment of the services.
Resources Mentioned* Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email
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Nontraditional families are the new traditional family. In the United States, most of Europe, and many other countries, blended families outnumber“traditional” ones. The challenges of a blended family are magnitudes higher than what most couples anticipate. My guest Ron L. Deal is one of the Christian world’s foremost experts on blended families. He shares many of the unexpected challenges a blended family will face, as well as practical tools to help your family thrive and honor God.
Ron L. Deal is one of the most widely read and viewed experts on blended families in the country. He is president of Smart Step families, directs the blended family ministry at Family Life, and is the author of more than a dozen books and resources, including the bestselling The Smart Step family and Building Love Together in Blended Families (with Dr. Gary Chapman). Ron is a licensed marriage and family therapist, popular conference speaker, and host of the podcast Family Life Blended with Ron Deal. He and his wife, Nan, have been married since 1986 and have three boys. Learn more at rondeal.org and familylife.com/blended.
Resources Mentioned* Websites: https://www.rondeal.org and https://www.familylife.com/blended * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/familylifeblended/ and https://www.facebook.com/SmartStepfamilies/ * Twitter: https://twitter.com/RonLDeal * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/familylifeblended/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/FamilyLifeBlended * Ron’s New Book: Preparing to Blend: The Couple’s Guide to Becoming a Smart Stepfamily The post The Unique Challenges of Blended Families with Ron L. Deal appeared first on Let's Parent on Purpose.
Seven years after his initial diagnosis for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, my son Elijah has relapsed. In this episode I share the details of how we found out, an explanation of leukemia and treatment, as well as the potential road ahead for our family. I also share the very real emotions we are struggling through, how God had spiritually prepared me through scripture, and how our family is seeking to help Elijah see this crisis as an open door for the work of Jesus. In hearing our story, by God’s grace you will see how God also wants you to look for the open door for Jesus in the midst of your crisis.
Resources Mentioned* Podcast: Losing a Child isn’t the Last Word with Diana Grounds * Podcast: Finding a Mission in the Midst of Chemotherapy with Elijah Holland * Fundraiser: Elijah’s No Longer Orphans Chemo Challenge
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Behavior should make us curious. As we seek to discern the motive behind our children’s behavior, we can more effectively match the behavior to a consequence that will guide them towards healthy decisions. I’m joined by my church’s Children’s Ministry Director, Caroline Todd, as we discuss four different functions behind our kid’s behavior. Caroline discusses:* Sensory Seeking Behavior * Escape Behavior * Attention Seeking Behavior * Tangible Behavior
As we get better at identifying the motive behind our kids’ actions, we can make better plans for redirecting, correcting, or reinforcing negative and positive behavior. These skills will help you with your own children, in a classroom setting, and might even give you insight on how to better love your spouse!
Caroline Todd is the Director of Children’s Ministry at CovenantFellowship Baptist Church. She is a graduate of Palm Beach AtlanticUniversity with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Special Education.Before serving at Covenant, Caroline worked as an Applied BehaviorTherapist for Special Needs Children. Caroline is married to her high school sweetheart, Nathan Todd.
Resources Mentioned* Previous episode: LPOP 46 Behavior Should Make Us Curious with Bradley McCallister * Website: www.covenantfellowship.com The post Expanding Your Behavior and Consequence Toolbox with Caroline Todd appeared first on Let's Parent on Purpose.
Inspired by watching the documentary The One Percent, Jay shares some paradigm shifting spiritual principles on how to think about true family wealth. Today we will unpack these three core principles:
- The primary assets of each family are the individual members of that family.
- The wealth of any family consists of its combined human, spiritual, and intellectual capital.
- The financial capital of any family should be used to grow its human, spiritual, and intellectual capital.
Resources Mentioned Documentary: The One Percent * Book: Complete Family Wealth * Previous episode: Your Family as a Team with Jeremy Pryor If you find this podcast helpful, you can subscribe and click here to find past topics and free resources. Feel free to share with others, as well! If you would like to help support Let’s Parent on Purpose, you can do so by becoming a patron.*
I send a weekly email called “Things for Thursday” and it includes things I’ve found helpful related to parenting, marriage, and sometimes just things I find funny! You can sign up for “Things for Thursday” by joining my newsletter on my homepage.
Thank you for your continued support of this podcast. If you have a prayer request or if you have a topic suggestion or question, please contact me at my email.
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In 2014 my five year old son Elijah faced the fight of his life against Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
Resources Mentioned Website: https://www.christianparenting.org/ * Website: https://www.hopegivers.org/ * Podcast: Stories of Hope with Dr. Samuel Thomas Sponsor Affiliate Donate to support Christian Parenting
If you find this podcast helpful, you can subscribe and click here to find past topics and free resources. Feel free to share with others, as well! If you would like to help support Let’s Parent on Purpose, you can do so by becoming a patron.
I send a weekly email called “Things for Thursday” and it includes things I’ve found helpful related to parenting, marriage, and sometimes just things I find funny! You can sign up for “Things for Thursday” by joining my newsletter on my homepage.
Thank you for your continued support of this podcast. If you have a prayer request or if you have a topic suggestion or question, please contact me at my email.
The post Finding a Mission in the Midst of Chemotherapy with Elijah Holland appeared first on Let's Parent on Purpose.
Sometimes we overcomplicate what it means to be on mission for Jesus. Brent Gibson and his wife Lisa have worked to create a family environment where service and hospitality aren’t some great feats, they are normal rhythms of life. As you listen to how they’ve engaged their family of five to clean the church and host senior church members for dinner, you’ll find ways that your family might engage in mission.Brent Gibson is the husband to Lisa, the father of three (Charissa, Lewis, and Bobby), and an elder at Covenant Fellowship Baptist Church. He runs Robert Erneston Produce, a multi-generational family business in Stuart Florida. Brent is also a good friend and brother-in-law of Jay Holland.
Resources Mentioned Website: Robert Erneston Produce * Previous Episode: Ep 232 The Ministry of Hospitality with Abby Turner Sponsor Affiliate Become a Supporter of Let’s Parent on Purpose!
If you find this podcast helpful, you can subscribe and click here to find past topics and free resources. Feel free to share with others, as well! If you would like to help support Let’s Parent on Purpose, you can do so by becoming a patron.
I send a weekly email called “Things for Thursday” and it includes things I’ve found helpful related to parenting, marriage, and sometimes just things I find funny! You can sign up for “Things for Thursday” by joining my newsletter on my homepage.
Thank you for your continued support of this podcast. If you have a prayer request or if you have a topic suggestion or question, please contact me at my email.
The post Creating a Culture of Service and Hospitality with Brent Gibson appeared first on Let's Parent on Purpose.
Growing up as a pastor’s kid, Davis Price never knew a time where he was not involved with family ministry. From joining his parents on mission trips to setting up chairs at church to housing homeless people, Davis’ faith was significantly formed by his mom and dad bringing him along as a part of their ministry team. Parents often worry that their kids will be resentful or feel like they missed out because of ministry commitments, but Davis shows that being on mission together can be incredibly formative in ones faith.
Davis Price is the son of Pastor Matt and Jenny Price and grew up with Covenant Fellowship Baptist Church. He is a recent graduate of Florida State University, a brand new husband to his bride Lindsey, and a Youth Ministry Assistant in Orlando, Florida.
Sponsor Affiliate* Become a Supporter of Let’s Parent on Purpose!
If you find this podcast helpful, you can subscribe and click here to find past topics and free resources. Feel free to share with others, as well! If you would like to help support Let’s Parent on Purpose, you can do so by becoming a patron.
I send a weekly email called “Things for Thursday” and it includes things I’ve found helpful related to parenting, marriage, and sometimes just things I find funny! You can sign up for “Things for Thursday” by joining my newsletter on my homepage.
Thank you for your continued support of this podcast. If you have a prayer request or if you have a topic suggestion or question, please contact me at my email.
The post Family Ministry Grew My Faith with Davis Price appeared first on Let's Parent on Purpose.
Scripture teaches us that pure and undefiled religion is caring for the orphan in their distress. Foster and adoptive parents are noble, but it often doesn’t FEEL noble! My guest Ericah Brinson shares the story of how God led her and her husband Richard to be foster and adoptive parents. She shares the struggles and challenges of the journey, as well as the ways she’s learned and grown. Ericah also gives insight for other parents in need of support or resources, and she encourages non fostering or adoptive families in how they can be a vital lifeline to those who are on this journey.
Along with her husband Richard, Ericah Brinson is the adoptive mother of four. She is a member of Covenant Fellowship Baptist Church and one of the founders of the Treasure Coast Foster Closet. Ericah also created an online support group for foster and adoptive parents on the Treasure Coast of Florida.
Resources Mentioned Book: The Connected Child: Bring Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family * Book: When Love Is Not Enough: A Guide to Parenting With RAD-ReactiveAttachment Disorder * Website: Treasure Coast Foster Closet Sponsor Affiliate Become a Supporter of Let’s Parent on Purpose!
If you find this podcast helpful, you can subscribe and click here to find past topics and free resources. Feel free to share with others, as well! If you would like to help support Let’s Parent on Purpose, you can do so by becoming a patron.
I send a weekly email called “Things for Thursday” and it includes things I’ve found helpful related to parenting, marriage, and sometimes just things I find funny! You can sign up for “Things for Thursday” by joining my newsletter on my homepage.
Thank you for your continued support of this podcast. If you have a prayer request or if you have a topic suggestion or question, please contact me at my email.
The post Serving Through Foster and Adoption with Ericah Brinson appeared first on Let's Parent on Purpose.
Western culture teaches us that the purpose of family is to launch us into individual success. But what if this family vision is radically broken?Jeremy Pryor joins me to share how he encountered the biblical vision of family as a multigenerational team on mission. We talk about the factors contributing to radical individualization in our society and practices for uniting the generations of your family around a mission.
Jeremy met his wife April in Jerusalem in 1997 when they were students. They’ve spent the last 20 years building Team Pryor together. The have five kids: Kelsey, Jackson, Sydney, Elisa, and Kaira. They live in a multigenerational house with Jeremy parents and April’s mom in Fort Thomas, KY just a few miles from Cincinnati, Ohio. They’ve founded and lead several businesses and non-profits including Epipheo (a video production agency) Just Sew (a quilt shop), FamilyTeams.com (training content for families) 1000 Houses (a network of Cincinnati disciple-making households) and The Story-Formed Life (a discipleship training resource). For fun the Pryors study Hebrew, take groups to Israel (join us), enjoy deep conversation over great food and read Tolkien by firelight
Resources Mentioned Book: Family Revision * Website: Family Teams Sponsor Affiliate Become a Supporter of Let’s Parent on Purpose!
If you find this podcast helpful, you can subscribe and click here to find past topics and free resources. Feel free to share with others, as well! If you would like to help support Let’s Parent on Purpose, you can do so by becoming a patron.
I send a weekly email called “Things for Thursday” and it includes things I’ve found helpful related to parenting, marriage, and sometimes just things I find funny! You can sign up for “Things for Thursday” by joining my newsletter on my homepage.
Thank you for your continued support of this podcast. If you have a prayer request or if you have a topic suggestion or question, please contact me at my email.
The post Your Family as a Team with Jeremy Pryor appeared first on Let's Parent on Purpose.
As we begin a series highlighting families that are on mission to impact their world for the sake of Jesus, we want to start with the reminder that YOUR family is your first and greatest mission field! Jay walks through Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:18-20 and applies it to family life. He then highlights the following advice for “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”:
- Lead yourself well
- Learn to apply the gospel to the trials and challenges of life
- Lean into the power of conversations vs. devotions
- Be intentional with a few routines
- Let your children see you struggle, doubt, and repent
Sponsor Affiliate* Become a Supporter of Let’s Parent on Purpose!
If you find this podcast helpful, you can subscribe and click here to find past topics and free resources. Feel free to share with others, as well! If you would like to help support Let’s Parent on Purpose, you can do so by becoming a patron.
I send a weekly email called “Things for Thursday” and it includes things I’ve found helpful related to parenting, marriage, and sometimes just things I find funny! You can sign up for “Things for Thursday” by joining my newsletter on my homepage.
Thank you for your continued support of this podcast. If you have a prayer request or if you have a topic suggestion or question, please contact me at my email.
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Most of us grossly underestimate how much our extended family is going to affect our marriage. Jay walks through a number of ways your childhood home and extended family shape how you walk into your marriage. He lists several situations where extended families impact your marriage throughout the years. And finally he gives a list of questions to help you process and even thrive through your extended family circumstances.
Questions for couples to consider:
- What are the situations we need to address and repent of?
- In which relationships do we need to develop firm boundaries?
- Which circumstances do we simply need to accept as one of the particular crosses that Jesus would have us bear as we serve one another and our family?
- What are the opportunities we see to to build on what we have and grow in fruitfulness as a family?
- If we could dream, and God would help us to be a part of a multigenerational family that he would use to bless the world, in what ways would we like to see that happen?
Resources Mentioned* Previous episode: Broken Marriages Can Heal with Steve and Lisa Goldberg * Previous episode: Depression and Anxiety in Marriage and Parenting with Jenny Price * Article: Myths and Realities of Extended Families
Sponsor Affiliate* Become a Supporter of Let’s Parent on Purpose!
If you find this podcast helpful, you can subscribe and click here to find past topics and free resources. Feel free to share with others, as well! If you would like to help support Let’s Parent on Purpose, you can do so by becoming a patron.
I send a weekly email called “Things for Thursday” and it includes things I’ve found helpful related to parenting, marriage, and sometimes just things I find funny! You can sign up for “Things for Thursday” by joining my newsletter on my homepage.
Thank you for your continued support of this podcast. If you have a prayer request or if you have a topic suggestion or question, please contact me at my email.
The post How Extended Family Dynamics Affect a Marriage appeared first on Let's Parent on Purpose.
Instilling the concept of service and generosity is one of the most impactful things that we do in the formation of our children's character. It is something that definitely must be started in the home and not just at church. Steven Argue talks to us about the practical strategies that will help grow a heart
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In a culture that is cramming down our children's brains what to think, we want to be the kind of moms and dads that don't just tell them WHAT to think, but teach them HOW to think, so that no matter what comes along, they are prepared, they are ready, they are intelligent and they
The post Teaching Children HOW to Think with Virgil Tanner appeared first on Let's Parent on Purpose.
In a world of unrelenting demands, it can be very easy to spend all of our focus on work and the needs of our children. This laser focus can come at the cost of our own spiritual health, which will then damage every other area of our life. My guest today has spent decades observing
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This is an exciting week for me and the Let's Parent on Purpose Podcast as I am join the Christian Parenting Podcast Network! Show Highlights Let's Parent on Purpose was birthed out of my burden to reach families in my local church. As a 20+ year student and family pastor, I realize that my influence
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Virgil Tanner, my good friend and one of the best leadership development gurus, talks about how to develop your children into leaders, right in your own house. If you find this podcast helpful, you can subscribe and click here to find past topics and free resources. Feel free to share with others, as well! If you would like to
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Here's a question I would have never predicted at the beginning of the year, but one that ever single parent I know is now having to wrestle through: Should I send my child back to school this fall? For some the answer is easy and obvious, but for many of us there are so many
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What do you do when your child doesn't care to disobey because they know you cannot do anything about it in the moment? One of my listeners has this struggle with her three year old. I called up my good friend and Licensed Christian Counselor Bradley McCallister to help brainstorm ways to change the scenario
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I used to get stressed thinking that if my children weren't fully formed, totally prepared for the adult world by 18 years old, I was a failure. Then I realized how much I still had to learn and master after 18 years old myself. I STILL rely on the wisdom of my mom and dad.
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There are no true experts in every single aspect of parenting. As a parent who has been on the path for a while, here is some wisdom for moms and dads in all stages of parenting. If you find this podcast helpful, you can subscribe and click here to find past topics and free resources. Feel free to share
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This is episode 180 of Let's Parent on Purpose and I'm going to use this episode to try to convince you to stop carrying other people's backpacks. Are you confused? Stick around and you might just learn one of the most liberating principles that I've ever taken into my life. If you find this podcast
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I couldn't be more excited to bring to you episode 178 of Let's Parent on Purpose. We get to share in the incredible wisdom of author and executive director of Fuller Youth Institute, Kara Powell. Kara has a treasure trove of research to help us guide our children through the anxious world we're living in
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This is episode 177 of Let's Parent on Purpose and a very timely one. I am joined today by my good friend and co-youth minister here on the Treasure Coast, Mikiala Tennie and we are going to discuss talking about race and racism to our children. If you find this podcast helpful, you can subscribe and click here to
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Let's spend a little time together today thinking intentionally about the culture that we create within our household for our families. My guest today is Joel Montgomery and he helps us with crafting a vision and a strategy for family culture. If you find this podcast helpful, you can subscribe and click here to find past topics and free
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Today I'm joined by author and speaker Laurie Christine Ressler as we talk through ways to engage your children in family devotions. If you find this podcast helpful, you can subscribe and click here to find past topics and free resources. Feel free to share with others, as well! If you would like to help support Let’s Parent on
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If your home is like mine, you've seen an uptick on the amount of time on screens and devices as we've all self-isolated. Today I'm joined by Neal Harmon, co-founder of the streaming service VidAngel. We talk about the challenges and resources for parents navigating all of the media choices for our children. Neal brings
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Do you remember when you were young and your mom and dad used to tell you to watch your tone? I think that's a reminder that I've needed in these last few days of being around family members non-stop – not to remind my kids to mind their tone, but to remind myself to watch
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Sometimes as a parent, we can worry that the decisions we make or even one bad decision might wreck our children for the rest of their lives. Today I am joined by someone who has become a dear friend. Hunter Wheatcraft has served as Children's and College Pastor at our church for the last three
The post Hunter Wheatcraft: God Redeems Messy Childhoods appeared first on Let's Parent on Purpose.
This is a bonus edition of Let's Parent on Purpose, especially for all of you moms and dads that found yourselves thrust into the role of homeschool overseer on top of all the other things you're trying to reorient in nearly every area of your life right now. I've got one major word for you
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For our children to believe and follow the Bible, they are going to need to be able to understand the Bible. Today I cover the sixth key principle in our survival guide for young people: Biblical Literacy. If you find this podcast helpful, you can subscribe and click here to find past topics and free resources. Feel free to
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One of the most important tools our children can leave our house with is a wise set of moral boundaries. That's going to be the topic of our time together today as I continue my survival guide series. If you find this podcast helpful, you can subscribe and click here to find past topics and free resources. Feel free
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You cannot have meaningful growth in your family without having hard conversations. Today I'm joined by Ellen Martin, author of A Life Shared: Meaningful Conversations with Our Kids. We talk specifically about how to leverage difficult conversational topics into real growth points in your family life. If you find this podcast helpful, you can subscribe and click here to
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Today on Let's Parent on Purpose, we're going to talk about how to encourage our children to walk wisely in a fool's world as I continue my Survival Guide series on the most essential things that we want our young people to know before they leave our house. If you find this podcast helpful, you
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Today I’m going to cover the concept of considering others before yourself. For something that sounds so simple to say, it can be one of the hardest practices to master in life. It’s also my second topic in my survival series where I cover the core principles that your child needs to master before leaving
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Raising a child as a single parent has to be one of the most difficult things you can do on this earth. Whether you’re a single parent right now or whether you’re in a married relationship, I encourage you to listen to this podcast because you’re going to be encouraged, you’re going to be challenged
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If you have any hope of parenting your family over the very long run, then you have to understand and live by some helpful rules for recovery. If you find this podcast helpful, you can subscribe and click here to find past topics and free resources. Feel free to share with others, as well! If
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In today’s world, parents and children alike seemed to be fighting an endless battle with distraction. It seems like every month a new technology comes out that shortens our attention span. But what if the technology isn’t to blame? What if the real issue isn’t our phones, it’s us? My guest today Nir Eyal, author
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As much as we would like to shelter our children from any terrible events and tragedies happening in their life, life is going to be filled with grief and loss. My friend Bethany McLaughlin joins me today as we talk about how to teach your children to grieve. If you find this podcast helpful, you
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We’re entering the season filled with awe, wonder, gratitude, and dread. It’s that time of year where we get to spend time with family we love. Sometimes, we get to spend time with family who are easier to love at a distance. Let’s be honest, just because we grew up together doesn’t mean we now
The post Proactively Planning for Family Holiday Gatherings appeared first on Let's Parent on Purpose.
If we’re honest, sometimes, we are afraid that following Jesus is going to be too costly for ourselves or our children. What if my obedience to Christ turns my children off to following Jesus themselves or it makes them lose out on some amazing opportunities that they may otherwise have? Today, I am having a
The post Samuel Thomas: Living on Mission Won’t Make Your Children Miss Out appeared first on Let's Parent on Purpose.
Do you ever have doubts about your faith? Do your children? Whether it’s doubting the existence of God altogether or doubting whether you have everything particularly right in Scripture, we all go through times of doubt. Today I want to share some insights on how you can walk forward as you're dealing with doubt. If
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This is a special podcast, today, as I am sharing something for the very first time. First, though, I want to talk about the Let’s Parent on Purpose Power Pack. I have created a slew of resources to help my family and others. I have four different resources: the Fun Family Conversations eBook, an Interactive
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Today we're going to have a unique conversation with Tim Price, who is the father of a Down Syndrome child. We’re going to better learn how to train our children to love others with special needs. I really think you will be encouraged as you listen to this interview. If you find this podcast helpful,
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Do you have a plan for getting your children through college debt free? Today’s conversation is incredibly helpful to that end. Anthony ONeal, author of the new book Debt Free Degree and speaker with Dave Ramsey’s team talks with me today about how we can get our children through college without going into debt, so that
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Do you ever feel awkward or overwhelmed with the thought of talking to your teenagers about sex? Author and Christian counselor, Eliza Huie, joins me today as we talk through this immensely practical book that she wrote called Raising Teenagers in a Hyper-Sexualized World. I found this book so helpful and insightful that I asked
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Nathan Buchanan is an operator of two Chick-Fil-A franchises in Martin County, Florida. He's also a husband and the father of five children as well as a pastor's kid and a follower of Jesus. He manages to get exceptional quality service out of a group of rotating teenagers. Join me as I interview Nathan and
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Today I am joined by my good friend, Melissa Weimer. Melissa is a wife, mother, and the ministry leader of Celebrate Recovery at Covenant Fellowship Baptist Church. During this episode, Melissa shares her encouraging redemption story, starting with how she began spiraling into addiction at a young age and how that carried into her early
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Today, we’ll be talking about discerning which battles are worth fighting with our children, teenagers, and our spouses. How do we know which battles to pick and when to let go? Together, we’ll look at some really helpful questions to ask as we seek to navigate these challenges with wisdom. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS When do I
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Today’s big question: How do you, as a parent, emotionally and spiritually set yourself up for starting the school year off well? I want to propose four truths to consider, and what we might do in response to these truths. Audible credits have allowed me to enjoy books such as Free to Focus, Atomic Habits,
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We've all been there. Life gets to be so overwhelming that we start using words like "stress" and "anxiety" to describe the way it makes us feel. What can be done about it? How do we unpack, rearrange, or maybe eliminate the heavy boxes in our lives? My friend and Christian Counselor, Brian Neal, joins
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Whether your children have phones and iPads or not, they are massively influenced by social media because of the culture we live in. It can be scary. But you're still the parent, and you get to have the biggest influence in your child's life. Youth Pastor and podcast host Aaron Mamuyac, student pastor and host
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Sometimes we overcomplicate things. My good friend and brother-in-law Brent Gibson has been using a simple spiritual growth strategy with his children for each of the last three summers. Today, we talk about being intentional dads, and Brent shares how he's encouraged Bible Study, memorization, and reading with his children each summer. You might also
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(No Spoilers!) Whatever your preconceived notions are about this episode, you're probably wrong! Student pastor and host of the We Think God is Awesome Podcast, Aaron Mamuyac, joins me for a fun look at movies and culture, including how we find traces of the gospel repeated over and over again in our favorite stories. Your
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We don't love our children the same. We love them uniquely, because they are each unique. Because of their uniqueness, a parenting approach that works for one child could cause another one to wilt. My good friend, partner in ministry, and coach/strategist Jenny Price joins me today to talk through various personality types we find
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While it might be unrealistic to ever get to the point of disciplining without any emotion, we can at least strive to correct behavior without having a stroke. As author Dr. Kevin Leman puts it, our goal is Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours! As I mentioned, thank you for subscribing and sharing, and a
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What does it mean to be a man? The answer to this question is as important as it's ever been. But in a post-truth culture, the answer is muddier than ever. Giving our young men and women a clear vision for manhood will ground them and give them purpose in a constant shifting culture. Today's
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Identity can be defined simply as "who a person is". This simple definition belies how incredibly complicated identity can be for individuals, especially our growing children. In a world of constantly changing morals and definitions, it is vital that we give our children solid footing to understand who they are and why they exist. Today's
The post Made in the Image of God: Teaching a Biblical Identity Part 1 appeared first on Let's Parent on Purpose.
Nearly 80 million people play the video game sensation Fortnite each month. Even if your children don't play, they are talking about it, learning the dance moves. It's not just a video game, it's a cultural phenomenon. Additionally, students are devouring content on youtube that you might not even realize exists. My good friend and
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For episode 100 I've invited my favorite person on earth to join me! My wife Emily has a life that's worthy of a book. She married a widower, adopted his daughter, walked through the journey of childhood leukemia with her oldest son, fostered and adopted, and is in the midst of a daily battle for
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I re-named this podcast after releasing it from "Teaching your children how to be wealthy" as the title was throwing people off track. Your children are already wealthy. They just need perspective. Jesus speaks on the topic of money more than any other single topic in the gospels. As parents, we have the duty to
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Leading your family in intentional study and worship feels so challenging, but it shouldn't be. Often the problem is that we've overcomplicated it. My good friend Shawn Bergen joins me today to share with all of us how he trained me to lead Family Worship in my own household. You'll be able to listen to
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Today's preteens are getting lost in the transition as they shift from childhood to adolescence. During this unique time, they are not quite one thing and not quite another. Author, speaker, and pastor Dan Scott gives us a fascinating glimpse into the rapidly changing world of a preteen. Dan and I explore some of the
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We’re entering the season filled with awe, wonder, gratitude, and dread. It’s that time of year where we get to spend time with family we love. Sometimes, we get to spend time with family who are easier to love at a distance. Let’s be honest, just because we grew up together doesn’t mean we now
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As a youth pastor, I am sad to say the modern version of youth ministry has failed to produce spiritually healthy, mature disciples of Jesus. Fortunately, there is a better way: Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach
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15-20% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage in the first 20 weeks. For such a common occurrence, this comes as a shock to many families who experience the loss of a child in the womb. Mom, teacher, and blogger Krissy Brynn Jackson joins me today and shares her journey from happily learning that she was
The post Miscarriage, Grieving, and Healing with Krissy Brynn Jackson appeared first on Let's Parent on Purpose.
Many parents fear the influence of public schools on their children. But God is using students across the country to bring the light of the gospel to their peers. Chris Lane, Executive Director of First Priority of South Florida, joins me to share stories of God moving on public school campuses and how parents can
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Sometimes we just need to hear a happy, encouraging story. Josh Luecht is a friend of mine who is a Calvary Chapel Pastor, teacher, and co-host of the Panther Parkway Podcast (following the Florida Panthers Hockey Team). He was also adopted as a baby out of the Catholic Charities system. After a life of contentment
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Failure is a natural part of a child's life. They way we respond to their failures (and ours) will steer them towards egomania, paralyzing fear, or optimistic self confidence. Today I'll share how we can produce resilient optimists by celebrating the lessons learned through failure.
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My good friend (and top 5 finisher for the Florida State Teacher of the Year) Patrick Farley joins me again for a very helpful explanation of philosophy and methods behind Common Core. As a parent, I've mostly been frustrated with my inability to help my 4th grader do math homework. As a Christian, I've heard
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This is not the podcast you were expecting. Rather than talk about bedtime routines or homework strategies, I'm joined by Patrick Farley, who placed in the top 5 in the Florida State Teacher of the Year awards for 2018. We talk strategies for helping you establish solid communication and rapport with your child's teacher. Listen
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Your church family can inspire your household towards deeper faith in Christ and years of meaningful service. It can also sow doubts about Jesus, hurt your marriage, and stir seeds that lead your children to abandon the faith. On today's podcast I talk about choosing a healthy church for your family. If you’re already happily
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I received a question about dating recently in an "Ask Anything" session with my teenagers at church. In this podcast, I review the set of questions I gave the group to ask themselves before getting into a relationship (which, by the way, should not be until late in their teenage years at the earliest). Whether
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Occupational therapist Diane Corson from the Florida Elks Children's Therapy Services provides very practical strategies to help children with Sensory Processing Disorder cope at home and in public. Although these tools are specifically designed to help SPD children, many of them can be employed with great benefit to your other children as well!
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Diane Corson, an Occupational Therapist with the Florida Elks Children's Therapy Services, joins me for two fascinating podcast as we look into the world of children with sensory processing disorder. As promised, here are Diane's notes from our talks. Be sure to check out LPOP 71 and LPOP 72 for our two part discussion. Even
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People vastly overestimate what they can do in the short-term, but vastly underestimate what can be accomplished over the long-term. This week's podcast gives tips and ideas on how to set small goals with your kids this summer that can redeem some of that free time and start them on long-term pathways to accomplish big
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I'm revisiting my very first Let's Parent on Purpose topic ever, and I need to remember this perspective just as much today. 12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race
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I'm revisiting my very first Let's Parent on Purpose topic ever, and I need to remember this perspective just as much today. 12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the
The post LPOP 69 Parenting is a Marathon, Not a Sprint appeared first on Let's Parent on Purpose.
We want God to transform all of the frustrating things in our family and lives in an instant. But Scripture shows that God is in the habit of driving out enemies from the Promised Land little by little.
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A parent recently asked me to address the topic of contentment with children. That's the source of this week's podcast. Listen to hear my thoughts. I'll give you a hint: it's not going to come by giving them everything they want! Listen and share with any of your friends who might be struggling with the
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Some kids are miraculous makers of mountains out of molehills. It can be incredibly frustrating as a parent. In my podcast this week I share how to create some emotional resiliency using a tool called a Drama-meter. I learned about the Drama Meter from a book I highly recommend by Sissy Goff, David Thomas, and
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This might be more confessional than instructional, but here are my thoughts as the parent of two different special needs kids. I was asked to do a podcast giving advice to parents of special needs kids, that went something beyond "cut yourself some slack". After spending 20 minutes talking about my own experiences, maybe I
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This guest post is from my friend Willow Sander of Protect the Heart Ministries, in conjunction with our podcast discussion on "Talking to your children about sex". “Hey, it’s time to talk!” Funny how that phrase does not startle us as parents as much as this one: However, eventually the time will come. Unfortunately,
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Thank you Willow Sanders of Protect the Heart Ministries for joining me for a fantastic discussion of safeguards and protections we parents can instill for our children. Below is an incredibly helpful guest post by Willow that goes along with our discussion. Eyes, Ears, Hearts and Souls I don’t know, in my head the preschool
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Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline
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Everyone wants your 100% best. But it's impossible for everyone to get your 100% best. During a time in my life when my family was suffering because of my inability to set appropriate boundaries in work, a wise friend recommended this book to me: When Work and Family Collide (by Andy Stanley) made an incredibly
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I want to share with you two simple object lessons you can use with your kids encourage them to think different. And yes, I know it's "think differently". But Apple made a bazillion dollars off of it's "think different" ad campaign, so I'm sticking with it. Anyway, we know that we live in a culture
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In case you haven't notices, your children typically have multiple character issues that need addressing. Also, in case you haven't noticed, they usually don't appreciate when you address those issues. They especially don't like when you bring up multiple issues all at once. In that way, they're like the rest of us humans. But unlike
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Have you ever longed to be in a great discipleship relationship, where you get to mentor someone and watch them grow into a fully devoted follower of Jesus? Are you in one of those relationships now? If you don't think you are, let me encourage you to go back home and take a peak in
The post Jesus modeled how to disciple our children appeared first on Let's Parent on Purpose.
I had a recent conversation with one of my good friends and partners in local youth ministry, Crisman Koechig. It was fun for me and I think it will be helpful for you to listen. We hit these important topics, and you should really listen in! What are the commonalities you see in families who's
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This coming Monday marks the 50th Let's Parent on Purpose Podcast, and I want to take a couple of minutes to celebrate and share some changes that I'm making for this coming year. First, as a celebration, the Let's Parent on Purpose Blog has been visited over 12,000 times this year! the Podcast has more
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Helplessness. Hopelessness. Darkness. Lethargy. Racing thoughts. Why am I feeling this way? My good friend Jenny Price joins me again this week for a very honest and helpful talk on anxiety and depression. Jenny is 26 years into her marriage and is raising 5 children with her husband, Pastor Matt Price. She gives a very
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Pastor's wife, mother of five, follower of Jesus Jenny Price shares her struggles and wisdom from a life battling forms of depression and anxiety.
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Have you ever wished your future self could come back and speak into your life today? Wouldn't it be nice to know what things were going to be a big deal, and what things you were wasting time and energy on? Today I want to share a really fun interview I did with my good
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Mother of 5, career coach, and pastor's wife Jenny Price muses on what she would tell her early parenting self if she had a time machine.
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When a child doesn't know how to do math, we teach them. When a child doesn't know how to read, we teach them. When a child doesn't know how to behave, we punish them. What's wrong with this picture? This blog is a summary of a fascinating interview I did with my friend Bradley McCallister
The post Matching Behavior and Consequence appeared first on Let's Parent on Purpose.
We're entering the season filled with awe, wonder, gratitude, and dread. It's that time of year where we get to spend time with family we love. Sometimes, we get to spend time with family who are easier to love at a distance. Let's be honest, just because we grew up together doesn't mean we now
The post Relatives + Holidays = Why do we do this? appeared first on Let's Parent on Purpose.
This is a sticky subject: should you keep your children home from church as a consequence for bad grades or behavior?
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Here are strategies you can use to invest in your child emotionally, making behavior and conflict resolution much easier.
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Investing in your spouse will keep your marriage from going bankrupt!
The post LPOP 42 The Love Bank appeared first on Let's Parent on Purpose.
If you think your family is a mess, you're in good company. Most families in the Bible were the definition of dysfunction!
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Be honest, are you in control of the technology in your home, or does it control you? I recently read a book by Andy Crouch called the The Tech-Wise Family. I was anticipating a guide warning me about the dangers of this website or that ap. Instead I got a soul-convicting call to lead my
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For the past several months, I've been wrestling through a concept that I know is incredibly important, but I've struggled with how I might teach it to my children (and a lot of your children). How can I teach them to grow in Grit? Grit, as defined by Angela Duckworth PhD. and author of the
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The only real problem I have with people is that they don't do exactly what I want when I want them to do it. My kids, being little people, are often guilty of this as well. Between their sin nature and my sin nature, there's plenty of opportunity for conflict in our home. Conflict doesn't
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In the absence of a mind reading device, here are some tips to help understand and be understood with your teen.
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Parenting used to be so easy. I only had one kid. She was young. She was outnumbered. We were so smart. Then she started growing and getting complicated. Then her siblings arrived. Somewhere along the way the iPhone arrived. So did Pinterest. And now, we are outnumbered, deluged by information, mocked by images of pristine
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Complications at home and comparisons with other families can really tank one's confidence in their parenting skills. But there's hope!
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There's a creeping disease that's infecting the hearts and minds of several generations of men and women. It's symptoms: anxiety, loneliness, depression, inability to enjoy activities, decreased attention span, and a distorted view of reality. The disease: FOMO. In case you've never heard the term FOMO, it stands for "Fear Of Missing Out". Wikipedia says
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Warning: the next 600 words might have severe impact on your parenting and relationships. This is the week kids dread and parents dream about all summer-at least in my house. The first day of school has arrived. Moms and dads (OK, mostly just moms) across the country are scouring the school supply list to see
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Warning: the next 600 words might have severe impact on your parenting and relationships. This is the week kids dread and parents dream about all summer-at least in my house. The first day of school has arrived. Moms and dads (OK, mostly just moms) across the country are scouring the school supply list to see
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Have you ever made a promise to a toddler and then forgot, only to have them remind you 27 times? They don't forget. Yet when it comes to doling out consequences for behavior, we often feel immense pressure to come up with the perfect consequence on the spot. This can be especially difficult when we're
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I find it strange that over 90% of the individual people written about in the Bible are men when far more women around the world pursue Jesus than their male counterparts. Godly moms are the backbone of the faith. I'm not a mom, but there was a period of my life when my first spouse
The post When Mom is Managing Alone appeared first on Let's Parent on Purpose.
So many moms are carrying double the spiritual load for the family. Here's some encouragement on what to do if you find yourself in that spot.
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It's likely that those who need to read this most, won't. If you are a dad, please read this, even if you consider yourself a spiritual, physical, and financial giant. There are various gradients of Dud Dads. There are dads who impregnate women and totally abandon them. There are dads who impregnate women but won't
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Too often a marriage becomes child focused. Not only is this bad for the husband and wife, it's terrible for the kids!
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I love my kids, but one day, God willing, they're going to leave my home. And God willing, until it's time to go to heaven, there's never going to be a day when my wife leaves my home. Here's the thing about God's will-I have to pursue it, He's not just going to make it
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Today we will continue our discussion of the characteristics of Generation Z, the largest generation on earth, currently in elementary-high school. If you didn't catch last week's post, please read it first. Also, you're really going to want to listen to the podcast for this week, as I talk to four students who have great
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A gang or real live experts on Generation Z from our student ministry joins me for a discussion on the differences between Millennials and Generation Z With Davis Price, Chloe Reddick, John Klein, and Brock Olsen
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This is going to be the first of a series of post on getting to know Generation Z. These are the kids who are currently in Elementry-High School. Moms and dads, you might have thought you were raising Millennials. Surprise! Those are the adult children still living in your house. So maybe you are still
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As I think about the raising of my kids, I realize there’s one dominating factor that influences my default parenting style more than anything else: My own childhood. I was born and raised in a small town in West Virginia. I had a safe neighborhood with plenty of woods right behind my house. I am
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On this Mother's Day weekend, here are some thoughts on how my childhood, as well as that of my parents, has drastically affected my own parenting.
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Davis Price is one of my favorite people in the world, and is graduating high school this year after 7 years in our youth ministry. In this interview, I ask him about life, understanding adulthood, and the influence that a healthy church has made on his life.
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In case you’ve been going about your life without spending too much time thinking about fictional events, there’s a new show on Netflix that’s the consuming teenagers. Or rather, teenagers are consuming it. 13 Reasons Why is a show about the suicide of teenager Hannah Baker. She leaves behind a set of 13 tapes that
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13 Reasons Why is a Netflix series that is sweeping the nation. Especially if you have children over 10 years old you need to pay attention to some very scary things in this show.
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A good friend of mine recently asked me a great question. I'll paraphrase it here: “My son who us now 5 has grown up in a Christian home. He has grown up knowing he is a sinner, knowing Jesus came to earth and died to save him. He knows the only way to heaven is
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A great question about when to baptize your kids leads to the thought: Are we training our kids for disobedience?
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When I was little, I loved Mad Magazine. (I know, shame on me). One of my favorite running bits in the magazine was called "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions". The title is fairly self explanatory, and I not only loved reading the biting sarcasm, I loved coming up with my own. If I hadn't become
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The funny thing about the most important parts of life is that they are rarely the most immediate. For instance, I'd like to lose ten pounds. But I'd also like to finish off that bottle of Magic Shell in my cabinet. (Disclaimer - I am totally willing to make this a for profit blog, underwritten
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Don't let the immediate worries of life keep you from praying big picture prayers for your children!
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Have you ever tried to keep a firm grip on a handful of Jello? The harder you squeeze, the greater the mess. Trying to control your kid's behavior can often turn out the same way. Many of us have had the thought "I'd be such a better parent if I could control my kid'd decisions!"
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Last week I shared some of my critique of our current culture's dating habits. This week I'll go the next step, assuming that a dating relationship has started. I'll start with a question - why don't people go to years of therapy when they smash their thumb with a hammer? It's excruciating. I think
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Note - you may be the parents of a child and think this topic doesn't pertain to you. Let me encourage you, CHILDHOOD is the time to start coaching your kids on dating and relationships, when they are FAR in the future!!! A few years ago I remember driving through the middle of the night
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April 14, 2017 will mark three years since the day we were told my son had leukemia. I remember so many details from that day. Mindlessly sitting by his hospital bed when we just thought he had pneumonia. The look on the doctor's face as he gave us the initial news. The scream of shock
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One of the hardest things to walk through as a parent is the suffering of your child. How do you make the most of a terrible situation?
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What's your parenting style? In my mind I'm a pretty rational, consistent guy. I make choices based on logic and reason, and I can be counted on to do what's right and most logical in a given situation. But in reality, I know that sometimes my parenting "technique" has a lot to do
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Drill Sergents, Helicopters, and Consultants, Oh My! Here's an overview of three different types of parenting styles with three different consequences.
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We recently did a parent summit at our church using Tim Elmore's excellent teaching on Huge Mistakes Parents Make and ways to avoid them. I found myself squirming with guilt as he spoke, but really happy to be in a room of equally guilty moms and dads! Special thanks to Lifechurch for making such an
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What if I could share some parenting advice that could also help you in some of the most difficult relationships in your life? I’m not exaggerating, these next few minutes could be some of the most freeing of your life. I have developed a long term love relationship with an accessory. In the spring of
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What if we're complimenting the wrong things in our kids? Here's a great way to enable your kids to go over, around, or through the brick walls in their life.
The post LPOP 5 Enabling in a Good Way appeared first on Let's Parent on Purpose.
I have a dilemma. Back when I only had one child, she was easily the smartest kid in the universe, which naturally made me the best parent in the universe. But then I had other kids. And they can't all be the smartest kid in the universe. Also, I'm not allowed to keep telling my
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Here's a podcast on a great, simple definition to teach your kids about what it means to be a man.
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Several years ago, I lived in an apartment complex next door to one of my very good friends, who also happens to be one of the smartest humans I've ever known. He was brilliant at biology and theology. He loved his wife and kids very well. But man, did he have a stupid dog. I
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This is Episode 1 of the Let's Parent on Purpose Podcast! It's a little rough as I'm learning the technical side of things as well as how to stare at a microphone and pretend it's a person, but hopefully you can be encouraged that God is going to use you over the long
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