- Is private school better than public school? With Terry Ann Kelly
Pardon the Mess is sponsored by BetterHelp.
Are you struggling with where your child should go to school? This common fear and worry can grip us all. We want so desperately to make the right choice for each of our kids. It can also be confusing when your friends all have different opinions on the matter or maybe your spouse is in disagreement with your plan.
You will feel extremely encouraged by today’s episode with Terry Ann Kelly. She has practical advice for these decisions as well as grounding truths to calm our hearts. She is a grandmother, wife and mom and has many years of experience with schools. As the founder of Students Standing Strong, she has seen first hand that God can do anything with any child and any school.
My favorite part is the story she shares about her son at the end. It is so refreshing to hear a very personal example of how God can use each of our kids in the most powerful ways at school every day.
In this episode we chat about:
- How to seek God in tough school decisions
- How to bring your faith into the public school setting
- How to call your kiddos higher in loving their classmates
Enjoy!
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Resources from today’s show:
Moms, Dads, and Grads Gift Guide
Pardon the Mess is sponsored by BetterHelp.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy39m - Apr 25, 2024 - BONUS: Marked by our Strength
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” —1 Peter 4:10
As we wrap up the greatest commandment, we’re focused on how to love God with all of our strength. Contrary to how it sounds, loving God with all of our strength is not a reference to our physical strength. The Hebrew word used for strength in the context of the greatest commandment is me’od, which is translated as “much” or “very.”
Loving God with all of our strength is loving God with our “much-ness.” It’s using our possessions, our time, our talents, our parenting, our volunteering—everything we’ve got—to love God and live for him. Said differently, wherever the Lord has planted you and with whatever resources he’s provided, use all your strength to love him smack-dab in the middle of it all.
As we pray for our kids to love God with all of their strength, we’re praying that they use all of their party-planning skills, math aptitude, athleticism, and social media acumen for God’s greatest glory. It’s taking the seemingly small places in their life and asking the Lord to use it in every possible way for his bigger purposes.
Spend time this week asking the Lord to use your kids’ gifts to bring God glory. Pray that he uses them for his greater purposes right where he has them, teaching them to love the Lord with all of their much-ness and strength.
Lord, thank you for all the gifts and talents you’ve given our family. I pray that you will guide my children to use these gifts generously for your glory. With all of the much-ness you’ve given [name], remind them to serve those around them as they learn to love you with all of their strength.
God’s word speaks: Hebrews 13:16; Proverbs 11:24–25; Deuteronomy 16:17; Colossians 3:23
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy14m - Apr 22, 2024 - How can our kids keep their faith in college? with Campbell Stites
Pardon the Mess is sponsored by BetterHelp.
It’s not often you get to interview a college kid about growing up as a Christian. The Stites are family friends of ours and a family we admire and respect so very much. I am often asking them for advice since they are ahead of the game by a few years.
Today’s episode is a chat with their son, Campbell, who is studying political science at Texas A&M University. He has always been a leader and I have absolutely loved watching God grow his faith during his first year in college. He’s making some wise choices that we can all learn from.
My favorite part of the episode is when he encourages parents to get interested in their child's interests. He shares about how his mom invested in his interests and helped foster a super close mom/son relationship.
In this episode we discuss:
- How to make faith a priority in college
- The power of friends and your circle
- How to let boys have freedom vs controlling them
- The gift of allowing your teens to fail
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Resources from today’s show:
Moms, Dads, and Grads Gift Guide
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy24m - Apr 18, 2024 - BONUS: Marked by our Mind
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” —2 Corinthians 10:5
As we pray for our kids to love God with all of their minds, we have to consider that our mind is made up of our thoughts. So, in order to love God with all of our minds, we have to think about what fills our minds and how it impacts the way we love God.
Our thoughts are significant because they have the potential to grow our love for God or distract and pull us away from a relationship with him and his great plans for our life. The Enemy loves to get a hold of our thoughts and make us question God’s goodness and protection in our life.
For our kids to love God with all of their minds, we’re praying that they “take captive” all the thoughts that are destructive, not instructive. This process of taking captive their thoughts is accomplished by knowing God’s word so that their thoughts are weighed against the truth of Scripture.
It also comes by considering what’s going into their minds and how that’s fueling (or lessening) their love for God. It’s praying that they evaluate the movies they watch, the music they listen to, and the voices they allow to speak into their lives.
Since our kids’ thoughts have the greatest impact on loving God with all of their minds, let’s take time to pray over their thoughts and ask God to help them take each one captive.
Lord, teach us to love you in all of the different areas of our life, including our minds. If our minds are made up of our thoughts, teach us to take captive our thoughts and bring them in line with your truth. Be with [name], helping them to guard what they allow into their minds so that it always honors you.
God’s word speaks: Isaiah 26:3; Jeremiah 33:3; Colossians 3:2–3; 1 Peter 1:13
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy13m - Apr 15, 2024 - How to approach God when you have anger, doubt and frustration with Adrienne Camp
What a treat to talk to Adrienne Camp about how she is trusting God with her kids. Adrienne “Adie” Camp, a South African singer and songwriter, was the lead singer of the Christian rock band The Benjamin Gate before launching her solo career. She is married to fellow musician Jeremy Camp, whom she met on tour in 2002. They have been married since 2003 and have two daughters, Bella and Arie, and one son, Egan.
Throughout this entire episode, you will hear Adrienne’s heart to connect people in a very tangible way with Jesus. However, she acknowledges that we don’t always feel excited about that. Sometimes, we are sitting in a real place of doubt, frustration and disbelief. No matter where you are on your faith journey (or your kids) - I think you will feel so encouraged by Adrienne’s words and wisdom.
In this episode we discuss:
- The desire to protect our kids from mistakes
- The real grief experienced when you launch a child
- Getting honest with God - all our feelings and emotions included doubt and anger
Connect with Pardon The Mess:
Resources from today’s show:
As For Me - Adrienne’s latest bible study on Psalms
Even Me - Adrienne’s book with her girls about their journey to Africa
Adrienne Camp’s Instagram
Pardon the Mess episode with Jonathan and Peta Pitts
Christian Parenting Store (15% off with coupon PODCAST2024)
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy33m - Apr 11, 2024 - BONUS: Marked by our Soul
“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” —Mark 8:36
Loving God with all of our soul sounds very important, but what exactly is our soul?
Our soul lies deep down inside of us and is our very core. It’s the invisible part of us that connects us with God. It is where we are most at home, and it’s the most fundamental driver of who we are from the inside out. If you strip away all of our outward actions and how we choose to portray ourselves (or how others may define us), the soul is our truest self.
To love the Lord with all of our soul, we’ve got to be faithful in private. We’ve got to be devoted to the things that drench our soul in Jesus and be willing to drop the things that don’t. It’s spending time in prayer confessing what’s in our soul, not just in our mind.
As we pray for our kids to love God with all of their souls this week, let’s pray that they learn to love him with the very core of who they are—not by what they intellectually believe about him, or how they serve him, or what they communicate to others by their faith, but truly learning to love Jesus from the core of their being.
Pray for the Lord to reveal the depths of their soul and teach them how to love him with all that they are.
Lord, we confess to spending a disproportionate amount of time worrying about our earthly bodies, usually at the expense of our soul. Please teach [name] how to love you from their very core, giving priority to the only part of us that will live eternally.
God’s word speaks: Psalm 119:81; Psalm 63:8; Deuteronomy 4:29; Matthew 10:28
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy20m - Apr 8, 2024 - When you are beyond tired (soul exhausted) and don’t know how to get rest with Jess Connolly
I am taking a guess that 100% of us are exhausted. And this is beyond the physically tired feeling. You all will love the encouragement and wisdom on today’s episode by Jess Connolly. I have always loved her teaching and preaching - because she balances compassion and truth so well. She doesn’t leave us sitting in the challenges - she provides biblical, practical and realistic ways we can move forward in this issue.
This idea of burnout and an unsustainable pace is not new information. We know we are in it but are not sure why or how to stop it as parents? So what do we do? Tune in to this week’s podcast chat with Jess - you won’t feel shame - you will feel equipped and encouraged to do the hard work of rest. We all know our souls are crying for it.
I was so absolutely amused at the start of our conversation when I asked her about her cold plunge obsession. Is anyone else into the idea of purposely jumping into ice cold water? She actually gives a pretty compelling case to try it.
- Jess’ story of emotional, physical and spiritual breakdown
- How to tend to your soul and stop feeling so defeated
- How to break the cycle of surviving vs thriving
- How can we respond to God’s invitation to rest
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Resources from today’s show:
Tired of Being Tired - Jess’ new book
Christian Parenting store (15% off with coupon PODCAST2024)
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy32m - Apr 4, 2024 - BONUS: Marked by Our Heart
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” —Mark 12:30
Remember the lawyer who tried to trick Jesus by asking him to name the greatest commandment? (Lawyers, am I right?)
Jesus, knowing this guy’s antics, responded with, “Love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” If we break it down, what does it look like to love God with all of our heart?
Our heart is not just critical to our health; it’s also the epicenter of our spiritual life. It’s central to our thoughts and actions, where we spend money, and even the words that come out of our mouths. When Jesus talks about loving God with all our heart, he’s referencing our emotions and decisions.
In order for us to love God with all of our hearts, we have to prioritize spending time with him and in his word. When we spend time with God, we start wanting to do the things that are pleasing to God and we care about the things that he cares about. Having time with our creator enables us to know what he wants for our lives, and we can’t help but pursue him and the things he values and wants for our families.
Let’s pray this week that our kids learn to love God with all of their hearts, beginning with prioritizing time with him and pursuing him in all that they do.
Lord, teach us to show our love for you, not just with our words, but with our lifestyle. Lead [name] to prioritize time in your word and learn to pursue you in all that they do. Remind us that loving you means also loving our neighbor. Make us aware of the needs we can meet around us.
God’s word speaks: 1 John 4:7–8; 1 Corinthians 13:13; John 13:34; 1 John 4:19
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy9m - Apr 1, 2024 - What do I do with my life? How to pursue your gifts while feeling trapped and unseen with Brooke Warnock
There’s not a day that goes by that I do not hear these same sentiments from a mom. And I have been there many times.
- I feel so lost.
- I don’t know what to do with my life.
- I feel overlooked and unseen.
- I feel like I don’t dream or use my gifts.
In this episode, I get the pleasure of having a real life heart chat with my friend (and my Life Plan Coach) Brooke Warnock. She shares about her journey of raising 5 kids on a ranch - while wanting to use her unique gifts for the Lord. It can be a huge struggle for all of us.
My favorite part is how honest she is about the struggle of using your gifts and raising kids. She will make you feel so seen as she shares her journey. I pray you feel so very encouraged that this is not the end of your story.
In some ways, the motherhood years are just the beginning. If you don’t have your exact calling and purpose figured out - do not feel discouraged. I pray you never forget that God will use every bit of you and your giftings to raise those kids and build your home.
In this episode we discuss:
- What to do when you feel trapped and unseen at home
- How to bring your gifts and talents into your home, not just your vocation
- How to dream and redefine your life while embracing the seasons of parenting
What is wrong? What is right? What is confused? What is missing?
Connect with Pardon The Mess:
Resources from today’s show:
Our Scripture Affirmation Cards are the perfect gifts for your kid’s Easter Baskets!
Brooke’s challenge to ask these questions:
What is wrong? What is right? What is confusing? What is missing?
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy55m - Mar 28, 2024 - BONUS: Marked by Fruit
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” —Galatians 5:22–23
As we celebrate Easter, we have the opportunity to pray that the power of the cross impacts every area of our kids’ lives. It is an incredible assurance knowing that, by accepting Jesus, our kids have a new eternal destination. But we’re also praying for a daily life transformation.
When our kids become Christians, we should begin looking for (and hopefully seeing) fruit in their lives. Jesus said those who follow him will produce spiritual fruit, and it’s by this fruit you will know them (Matthew 7:20).
In Galatians, Paul describes some attributes of a life without Christ, including anger, idolatry, jealousy, selfishness, impurity, and strife. In contrast, with Christ we start to see the spiritual fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. Thankfully, this is not simply a checklist of things we’re constantly trying to achieve. Instead, it’s produced by allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us.
Without even trying, our kids will produce fruit that’s visible to the world around them. This fruit can either be produced by the Holy Spirit or produced by their own spirit. Our prayer is that our kids will submit to the Holy Spirit’s leadership, resulting in less of their own fruit and more of his.
This week, let’s pray that Easter Sunday impacts the way our kids live on Monday and that they produce fruit that leads others to trust Jesus and his great sacrifice at the cross.
He is risen! He is risen indeed!
Lord, thank you for your sacrifice at the cross. Allow our gratitude for the significance of Easter to impact how we live every day. Grow our kids in obedience and holiness, naturally leading them to produce spiritual fruit. Help [name] to submit to your Holy Spirit in both the small and big ways, making their life a clearer reflection of you.
God’s word speaks: Matthew 7:17–18; Romans 8:6; Ephesians 4:1–3; Romans 15:13
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy11m - Mar 25, 2024 - How to find JOY in the everyday moments with Jenna Griffith
As soon as I heard about Jenna’s passion for JOY in the home - I knew I wanted to have her on the podcast. Parenting is hard, but there is a way to still bring joy into the everyday messes of motherhood.
I absolutely loved her encouragement on how to get intentional about redirecting our attitudes, conversations and outlook to one that is joy. She reminds us we do have control of our mind - and we can reframe how we see all the tiny annoyances and messes. This doesn’t mean we never get down or get honest with the hard - it’s just an encouragement to not let negativity and frustration ruin some very special years as a mom.
My kids would tell you I’m quite moody, but I do see the difference in our home when I find the good and let go of the tiny frustrations. My mood really impacts the home I’ve often called myself the CMO - Chief Mood Officer. Do you sense that your mood can often set the tone and even help redirect to joy?
My favorite part is when we talk about community. Are you surrounding yourself with other parents that only complain? What can you do in those moments when everyone is complaining about their kids?
In this episode we discuss:
- Jenna’s journey with postpartum depression
- How to find the good and joy in the everyday (even when it’s hard)
- Practical ways to bring fun and joy into the mess
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Resources from today’s show:
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy37m - Mar 21, 2024 - BONUS: Marked by Armor
What a GIFT to have my dear friend Cari Trotter to pray for us this week about the armor of God. I was so incredibly blessed by our time and needed the chat and prayer myself.
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” —Ephesians 6:11–12
Most of us don’t spend a lot of time contemplating how to fight against the devil’s schemes, but Scripture does. Thankfully, Jesus has already won our ultimate battle by his death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. But, even then, there will still be trouble in this world because we have a real Enemy who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).
As we face the visible (and often invisible) battles each day, Satan’s success hinges on catching us unprepared and with our guard down. Let’s pray that our kids are battle-ready by wearing the armor of God, as seen in Ephesians 6:13–17:
- The belt of truth: Pray that God’s truth will defeat the enemy’s lies in their lives.
- The breastplate of righteousness: Pray that they withstand attacks of impurity and wrongdoing by clinging to righteousness.
- Feet fitted with the gospel of peace: Pray for a willingness to go and share the gospel.
- The shield of faith: Pray for protection from doubt, fear, and anxiety.
- The helmet of salvation: Pray for a mind controlled by God.
- The sword of the Spirit: Pray that God’s word is their offense, knowing it’s sharper than any sword.
Lord, the battles waged against our kids will be difficult and often unseen. Help them to be ready for anything they face through your protection and power. Mark [name] with a readiness that only comes from you. Prepare them with every tool necessary for victory in your name.
God’s word speaks: Ephesians 6:13–17; 1 Thessalonians 5:6; 1 Peter 5:8; 1 Corinthians 16:13
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy16m - Mar 18, 2024 - How to raise world changers with Carlos Whittaker
If you know Carlos Whittaker, you love him. I have long admired his work in the world. He is honest, brave, vulnerable and simply loves walking with people. I find myself frustrated with the evangelical world when I see such divisiveness around tough topics and a dogmatic stance on every issue. Carlos encourages us that it’s possible to hold your belief and disagree with others in a way that draws people in.
My favorite part is when we talk about his approach to parenting. His desire is that we have more conversations of hope than conversations of despair. This was a good caution for all of us - as we see so much in our culture that causes stress and worry.
In this episode, we also discuss:
- How to walk with people not stand on issues
- How to raise less self-righteous kids that really see people
- How to model kindness and create empathy in our kids
- How to raise little world changers
Connect with Pardon The Mess:
Resources from today’s show:
Get Your Hope Up - Carlos’ new devotional for kids
Learn more about WinShape Camps!
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy33m - Mar 14, 2024 - BONUS: Marked by Refinement
“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” —1 Peter 1:6–7
The final stage in gold production is refinement, the process of using heat to remove impurities from metal. After the gold is refined, only the most valuable qualities remain because the impurities and lesser qualities have been eliminated.
Scripture says that God is refining us. Even though we’re created in his exact image, we are free-willed human beings riddled with sin and impurities that don’t line up with who we were created to be. Just as the refinement of gold takes place in the heat of fire, refinement in our own lives often happens in the “furnace of affliction” (Isaiah 48:10).
As parents, we want to keep our kids from the hard places, so we find ourselves stepping in when they face difficulties. But what if God is working most significantly in the hard places in their lives? What if changing their circumstances prevents God from changing their heart?
As we’re praying for our kids to be marked by refinement, let’s not ask God to remove their obstacles but rather to remove their impurities. Let’s pray that when the heat intensifies, our kids learn to trust that the One who allows the fire will also bring them through it.
Lord, you refine us so that we are cleansed from unrighteousness and become a purer version of who you created us to be. We ask you to take all of the difficulties and trials that [name] will face and use them as an opportunity to see a clearer picture of you. Thank you for loving us too much to leave us as we are. Refine us for your glory.
God’s word speaks: 1 Peter 1:6–7; Zechariah 13:9; Romans 8:18; Job 23:10
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy11m - Mar 11, 2024 - Common misconceptions about faith and theology with Jen Wilkin
I am still thinking about this episode and this thought-provoking conversation with Jen Wilkin. I wish I could bribe every single one of you (and your spouse and small group) to listen to this episode. Jen is a self-taught theologian that speaks about the Bible and Christianity in a way that we can all understand.
I believe you will be motivated to dive into your Bible and engage in more conversations about it. She challenges us to go beyond the one-way conversation that is Sunday morning and sermons. I learned so much from her breakdown of common misconceptions about faith and theology.
My favorite part is towards the end during our discussion on parenting and faith. Her answers gave me some freedom and a sigh of relief. She also gave some very practical ways we can start the conversation of faith and Jesus with our little ones.
In this episode, we discuss:
- What is theology and Bible literacy and why is it important
- What is the benefit of learning the Bible for ourselves
- Why community and conversations propel us faster and further
- Why it’s crucial to model faith conversations for our kids
Connect with Pardon The Mess:
Resources from today’s show:
Our brand-new Scripture Affirmation Cards
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy29m - Mar 7, 2024 - BONUS: Marked by Surrender
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.’” —Matthew 16:24–25
“I Surrender All” is a classic hymn that gained notoriety when Rev. Billy Graham began using it as the invitation song during his revivals. The words have such a great message for walking with Jesus:
All to Jesus I surrender, all to him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust him, in his presence daily live.
I surrender all, I surrender all,
All to thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.
Surrender is the antithesis of trying to “work” our way into a right relationship with God. A surrendered life allows the Spirit of God to enter into us, shaping us into something greater than we could be on our own.
The first and most significant act of surrender we can pray over our kids’ is their choice to surrender to the lordship of Christ by accepting Jesus as their savior. But, even after our kids have accepted Christ, we can pray that they surrender their words, plans, dreams, finances, and relationships to the Lord.
Pray for our kids to have the discipline to surrender all they are to the Lord each day, committing to live in a way that’s pleasing and brings him glory.
Lord, you become more when we become less. Please guide [name] to accept you as their Savior and surrender their lives to your glory. Help them know that surrendering to you is a lifelong process as they trust you with their burdens, fears, dreams, and aspirations.
God’s word speaks: Philippians 2:13; James 4:7; John 3:30; Psalm 32:8
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy12m - Mar 4, 2024 - How to teach your kids about hard topics - from diversity to bullying to loneliness With Trillia Newbell
Do you ever get overwhelmed with how to talk to your young kids about hard topics? I have been there. And sometimes, I actually disengage or ignore important topics because it feels too hard. I don’t want to say the wrong thing at the wrong time.
Diversity is one of those topics that matters. It matters to God and it matters to me. Trillia Newbell is the perfect guest for this conversation. She was looking for a resource to guide her discussions with our own kids and couldn’t find it. So, she wrote “God’s Very Good Idea” to center the discussion of diversity around the gospel.
In this chat, we also discuss another hard topic with our kids - bullying and loneliness. We talk about the importance of friendship for our kids and how we can turn our kids to Jesus in these moments.
My favorite part is when Trillia reminds us that the teaching is coming. Either culture is going to teach our kids or we need to get ahead of that messaging. It’s so very important that we frame tough topics with a biblical point of view and Trilia helps us do that so well.
In this episode, we discuss:
- How to teach our kids about diversity from a biblical perspective
- How to discern between bullying and unkindness
- How to invite God into your loneliness
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Resources from today’s show:
Jesus and the Gift of Friendship - Trillia’s new book
God’s Very Good Idea (and other books) by Trillia
Our Sponsors:
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy30m - Feb 29, 2024 - BONUS: Marked by God’s Certainty
“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” —Proverbs 16:9 NLT
We just don’t know what we don’t know.
History gives us some pretty funny stories of people who tried to predict the future but got it embarrassingly wrong. One great example is from 1962, when a record executive told the Beatles they “have no future in show business” because four-piece groups with guitars are a thing of the past.
Oops.
The only thing we can be certain about this side of heaven is that our lives are going to be uncertain. We don’t know that the next year holds for us or our kids.
But God does.
In the middle of uncertainty for Joshua, God reminded him that “every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you” (Joshua 1:3 ESV). The message to Joshua is the same message for us: with God directing our steps, not even one of them is unexpected or without purpose to the One who authors them all.
This week, we’re praying for our kids to understand that what’s uncertain to them is anything but unexpected or unplanned to God. Knowing that, we can put our trust in the One who not only knows the future but also writes it.
Lord, you don’t just know what the future holds, you are the future. Help [name] to stand firm in the face of uncertainty, knowing that you determine their steps and, in doing so, go before and behind them with power and authority over all things. We don’t know what we don’t know—but you do.
God’s word speaks: Romans 8:28; Philippians 1:6; Isaiah 45:2; Proverbs 3:6
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy14m - Feb 26, 2024 - How to move forward when you are crushed and devastated with Laney Rene
I have long admired Laney Rene online and was so thrilled to get a chance to know her through this interview. She is beyond her years in wisdom and her faith has always inspired me. She’s a young mom so those of you with littles will definitely relate to our episode.
She shares so tenderly about the loss of her son and how she experienced God in a new way through her pain. So many of you have gone through or are enduring tremendous pain. Painful parts of our story can feel so very crushing and devastating. So, how do we choose hope over despair? I believe Laney Rene’s story will encourage you.
My favorite part is when she talks about when you know that God is real. And what to do when you doubt that he is real or that he is actually speaking to you. I pray you will feel so very seen and loved through this conversation about how much God loves his daughters.
During this episode, we discuss:
- How to allow God into the most painful parts of your life
- How to choose hope over despair
- How to discover how much Jesus truly loves you and sees you as his own child
Connect with Pardon The Mess:
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy36m - Feb 22, 2024 - BONUS: Marked by Self-Discipline
“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” —Hebrews 12:11 ESV
Nobody lacks self-discipline like our precious two-year-olds. Their language repertoire is heavy with words like no, mine, and more—typically accompanied with a hearty side of theatrics. As cute as it might be when they are young (or not), a lack of self-discipline creates some big issues later in life.
Self-discipline (or lack thereof) will impact every part of our kids’ lives, including their dating relationships, finances, online accountability, marriage, physical health, and even their occupations. The author of Hebrews reminds us that discipline isn’t fun in the moment, but it’s a key step in the pathway to righteousness.
The good news is that self-discipline isn’t just a matter of mustering up enough willpower. Rather, it's a God-given perspective that the greater reward in waiting is better than the immediate temptation we’re facing. Warren Wiersbe says it this way: “Discipline means giving up the good and the better for the best. There is nothing wrong with food or fun, but if they interfere with your highest goals, then they are hindrances and not helps.”
Let’s ask God to give our kids the self-discipline to look away, walk away, or find a way to pass on anything that interferes with God’s highest goals in their lives. Jesus is worth waiting for, and self-discipline eliminates the pain and discouragement of settling for less than his best in their lives.
Lord, help [name] to have the self-discipline to pass up the good in order to accomplish the great you have planned for them. Give my children an eye for your bigger picture in all areas of their lives, knowing the ultimate goal of righteousness is worth waiting for.
God’s word speaks:
- 1 Corinthians 9:24
- Proverbs 25:28
- 2 Timothy 1:7
- 1 Corinthians 9:27
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy9m - Feb 19, 2024
