Is That Normal Podcast: Recent Episodes
Mark Elliott
In this last episode of 2022, Randell and Mark talk about the season of Advent and preparing for Christmas. They also make a big announcement – starting in 2023, the Is That Normal? Podcast will be going to a seasonal format. Be watching for the next season in early Spring 2023!
Here’s some of the important links and resources from this episode:
- Twin Crescent Drive-In
- YouVersion Advent Reading Plans
- D6 Family Advent Guide
- Calvary Chapel
- and, of course, Missile Toad!
Until next year…Be Abnormal!
Randell and Mark are joined in this episode by youth leader, IT guru, BBQ aficionado, and relative Tyler Boggs! Tyler is the current Youth Leader at Calvary Chapel Free Will Baptist Church.
In this episode the three of them talk about the different experiences of faith between generations as well as the role that adults play in those experiences. Tyler also talks about the importance of parental involvement in youth ministry and his hope for this generation.
They also have a great conversation about rebel tunes. Until next time…Be Abnormal!
We are so excited to make it to our 100th episode. Thanks for joining us on this journey. We’d love to hear from you about your favorite or the most helpful parts of our podcast.
In today’s episode we give a quick list of 100 things everyone should know about young people. It comes as a compilation of some of the big issues and thoughts we’ve covered up to this point. We hope you enjoy it!
We are looking forward to our next 100 episodes. We’ve got a lot of great content, resources, and relevant voices planned for the near future. Plan to join us and…Be Abnormal!
In this episode we take a look at a great new resource from Randall House publishing – For the Faith of the Next Generation by Julie Kurz. Randall House is the publisher of the National Association of Free Will Baptists. They are committed to a philosophy of supporting parents and leaders in a family approach to discipleship.
We encourage you to check out both Randall House and this new book with has great practical ideas on family health and collective faith.
Until next time…Be Abnormal!
At this change in season, Randell and Mark encourage parents and students to make some intentional plans for having a spiritually successful school year.
In this episode, Mark and Randell review and discuss Kara Powell and Brad Griffin's book "3 Big Questions That Change Every Teenager".
In this episode, Randell and Mark interview some youth leaders from their church about why they choose CIY MOVE conference and how parents can engage their children.
In our divided, volatile culture, we can often find ourselves on opposite sides of issues with our children. In this episode, Randell and Mark discuss some ways to discuss those issues and pursue relationship even when we disagree.
Who doesn't like a good fight? Well, ok, most of us don't like to fight, but it happens. How do we resolve conflicts particularly when they are with our family? Mark and Randell discuss some solutions in this episode.
Everyone loves summer. We want to encourage you and your family to make this summer about loving God and other people!
With summer coming, we wanted to give some advice on family vacations as a great way to make memories and build foundations.
With Mother's Day approaching, this episode takes a look at a book that focuses on God's design for moms!
As we try to lead our children to know and love Jesus, we must be lifelong learners for ours and their spiritual development.
We all want a deep connection to the loved ones in our life. When it comes to engaging our teens and young adults in that type of relationship it can be a challenge. In this episode Mark and Randell discuss some tools to help parents connect with their children.
In this episode, Randell and Mark look at a great resource for connecting ourselves and our children to the wonders of the Bible!
It's hard to ask for help, particularly when it comes to mental health. This episode talks about some of the ways parents can find the help they and their children need in this important area of life.
In this episode we cover our recent survey results and re-air one of our first episodes - ITN #8: Drinking Coffee and Rites of Passage.
In this episode Randell and Mark take a look at navigating a healthy approach to smartphones and social media apps.
We all wish we could read minds or fly, but by employing empathy, we can all become relational superheroes! In this episode, Randell and Mark discuss what it takes to harness this power!
As we enter a new year, we look forward to continuing to provide episodes full of great ideas and resources for parents. And we need your help to do it!
Why do we love stories so much? It's because there are echoes of the true story of God and His people in most of them. In this episode Randell and Mark share how to help our families find the true story in their favorite fiction.
The YouVersion Bible app is one of the best modern tools for engaging with God’s Word. Just recently this app achieved 500 million downloads, which represents lives, families, and households who are being impacted by the power of Scripture!
This episode highlights some great ways to use this tool for yourself and your family in your walk with Jesus.
- Use the Bible Reading Plans. There are a wealth of devotionals and plans to help you read through the Bible and apply it to your life. Here are a few we really like: The Curious Questions of Jesus, Reading Galatians with Spurgeon, and Peace on Earth: A 5-Day Advent Devo.
- Make Friends. The social aspect of this app is a really great way to hold yourself and others accountable. Use this function to see what others are reading and even read the same plans together.
- Highlighting and Verse Images. These functions help make a record of the things God is teaching you.
- Stories and Verse of the Day. These functions have been a really great way to do family devotions and spark spiritual conversation.
So we encourage you to get the app, pick a plan, make some friends and start letting God’s Word change your lives! Be Abnormal!
In this episode, we take a look at worldviews!
In this diverse world, there are numerous ways to look at life. We just have to help ourselves and the young people in our lives find the right one! Here’s some of the highlights of our discussion.
Every worldview answers what it believes about six key things:
- God
- Humanity
- Salvation
- Authority
- Time
- Jesus
Here’s a few starting points on how to connect our families to the right worldview:
- Ask them what they think their worldview is.
- Lean towards exploration rather than indoctrination
- Begin looking for “worldview moments” and point them out.
- Share why you hold to your worldview.
If you are looking for some further resources, check out Focus on the Family and Sean McDowell’s website. Also, if you are interested in that Grow Games and Icebreakers App, check it out here. Until next time…Be Abnormal!
Have you ever said “yes” to too many commitments? Do you sometimes want to say “no” to even the best requests? Have you ever realized too late that you ran a relational stop sign? If so, you might have a boundary problem!
In this episode, Mark and Randell discuss the habit of boundary setting. As a part of that discussion, they share some ideas from a great resource – “Boundaries” by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend. You can check out more information about their research at boundariesbooks.com.
Here’s a few highlights from the episode:
- Defining boundaries means we must have a clear understanding of who we are, what we own, and what our responsibilities are.
- Identifying where we struggle in what we say and what we hear is key to developing better boundaries.
- We have to learn to say “yes” to the right things and “no” to the wrong things.
- Regular discussions with our family are a good evaluation tool.
- Boundaries aren’t set overnight. And even when they are set, they will need constant attention.
We hope this information sets you on the path to making healthier boundaries in your life and the lives of those around you. Until next time, Be Abnormal!
In this episode, we review Vicki Courtney’s book Five Conversations You Must Have with Your Daughter.This great resource covers some of the tough but necessary conversations we must have with the young women in our families.
Here are those conversations:
- Don’t let culture define you. We must help our daughters define beauty from God’s standards.
- Guard your heart. We must help our daughters discern which voices should shape their views, thoughts and beliefs. Parents need to be good listeners and provide a safe place as we help them reflect these issues.
- Respect you body and your sexuality. We need to be committed to having age-appropriate conversations with our daughters about the issues surrounding sex. (Check out our Episode 71 – Let’s Talk about Sex for more thoughts on this conversation.)
- Realize childhood is only for a season. We need to help our daughters imagine a healthy adult future for themselves.
- Know that you are who you have been becoming. We need to help our daughters take inventory of where they are on their path so they can continue heading to the future that God wants for them. Proverbs 31 is a good tool to use in these times of reflection.
We encourage you to start and/or continue these conversations with your daughters. Until next time, Be Abnormal!
If you live with other humans, you are going to have conflict. In this episode, Mark and Randell discuss some approaches to making conflict a positive in your family’s story. If you missed our last episode – ITN Episode 76: Personality Profiles, Reaction Scales, and Emotion Grids – make sure to go back and check it out. (We reference it a ton in this episode!)
Here’s some things we shared that have really worked for us:
- MODEL RIGHT BEHAVIOR. We’ve got to model how to handle and respond to conflict if we expect our kids to do the same.
- FIND THE ROOT. Conflict comes from somewhere. We need to take the time and make space to find out what the underlying issues are.
- SET BOUNDARIES. Set the ground rules on what is and isn’t okay in a conflict.
- CREATE A CULTURE OF GRACE. True grace forgives but it stands up for truth. It demands right things. It values people over problems. It doesn’t leave anyone behind.
Remember, conflict isn’t bad – unhealthy and unresolved conflict is bad – but healthy conflict creates change and makes us better. Until next time, Be Abnormal.
Living together with other humans is tough. We see things differently. We do things differently. In this episode we explored some of the reasons why understanding ours and others personality types can help us navigate some of those conflict points better.
There are numerous tools for determining your personality type. We looked at two – the Myers-Briggs and the Enneagram. You learn more about each of them as well as take a test here:
Myers-Briggs at 16personalities.com and Enneagram at truity.com
Some suggestions we made for parents were:
- Have your family take the test. Spend some time going over it together and discussion the potential for conflict.
- Learn language to communicate better. We discussed evaluating our emotional reactions versus the severity of the offense.
- Help your children build their strengths
- Guide your family to minimize conflicts by looking for ways to offer grace.
- Enjoy the diversity!
Until next time, Be Abnormal!