Ep. 365: The Power of Pre-Deciding


**Be sure to check out our new discussion guide to help you make the most out of this episode. Download it here.

Research shows that the average adult makes over 35,000 decisions every day! We make a lot of choices, and many of our choices have a compounding effect as we repeat them day after day. Other choices are not as important but drain our energy. This week Jay shares insights on the power of pre-deciding in seven areas of your life that will have tremendous compound interest. Listen as Jay explains why you should:

1. Pre-decide when you are going to have your time with God each day.

2. Pre-decide when you are going to bed and when you are going to wake up as a normal habit. 

3. Pre-Decide your default meals for breakfast and lunch. 

4. Pre-decide your days and time to be a part of the church

5. Pre-decide your date nights

6. Pre-decide family dinner nights

7. Pre-decide to be proportionally generous

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Resources mentioned:

The Greatest Choices of Strategic Leaders: https://go.roberts.edu/leadingedge/the-great-choices-of-strategic-leaders

Join my Things for Thursday Email List and get a free Marriage Snapshot Tool and Fun Family Conversation Ebook!

Support Let’s Parent on Purpose as we help families thrive though the gospel: https://letsparentonpurpose.com/support/


Ep. 365: Making the Most of this Season of Life with Rita Diapoules


**Be sure to check out our new discussion guide to help you make the most out of this episode. Download it here.

The parenting journey is filled with seasons of life, and each one has unique opportunities as well as real experiences of longing and loss. There is a real temptation to focus on what we are missing with the fantasy that life will be complete if we get “that next thing”.

I’m joined today by my friend Rita Diapoules, who shares her testimony of coming to Christ through a period of loss and longing. We talk about finding contentment and identity in Christ and not our careers. Rita also shares ways we can be specifically intentional in the mundane days of parenting, especially when we are tempted to feel that our career would offer more validation. Ultimately, our discussion is an encouragement to mirror the Apostle Paul’s command in 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 to “make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”

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Bio

Rita Diapoules is the wife of Mark, mother of two beautiful girls, and Children’s Ministry Director at Covenant Fellowship Baptist Church. Before serving at Covenant Fellowship, Rita spent more than a decade as an elementary school teacher, earning Teacher of the Year at Palm City Elementary. 

Resources mentioned:

Join my Things for Thursday Email List and get a free Marriage Snapshot Tool and Fun Family Conversation Ebook!

Support Let’s Parent on Purpose as we help families thrive though the gospel: https://letsparentonpurpose.com/support/


Ep. 364: The Fruit of the Spirit with Dr. Don Love


**Be sure to check out our new discussion guide to help you make the most out of this episode. Download it here.

 

What does it mean to walk in the Spirit and live in the Spirit? This week I am joined by Dr. Don Love for a walk through Galatians 5 and a discussion of the Fruit of the Spirit in the life of a believer. We talk about how to discern the will of God in your life, ways that the Lord might be speaking to you, and the importance of the statement “God’s will is found in God’s Word.” You will learn the difference between the gifts of the Spirit and the Fruit of the Spirit and how this understanding can be transformational in your marriage and parenting. Finally, Don leads us in a time of prayer to seek the Lord’s guidance on each aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit in our own lives.

 

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Bio

Dr. Don Love is the director of Pray Through It and the host of the weekly podcast Unquenchable: Biblical Theology, Listening Prayer, and Christian Living. You can find out more and interact with Dr. Love at http://www.praythroughit.com

 

Resources mentioned:

 

Episode 341: Inner Healing Through Prayer with Dr. Don Love

 

http://www.praythroughit.com

 

Join my Things for Thursday Email List and get a free Marriage Snapshot Tool and Fun Family Conversation Ebook!

 

Support Let’s Parent on Purpose as we help families thrive though the gospel: https://letsparentonpurpose.com/support/

 

 


Ep. 363: Parent Differently with Dr. Kathy Koch


**Be sure to check out our new discussion guide to help you make the most out of this episode. >> https://bit.ly/3Hilh2R

Character changes destiny, and character changes culture. Dr. Kathy Koch helps define the core character qualities we want to instill in our children to help them honor Christ, even when no one is looking. As we learn to parent for character instead of outward obedience, we begin to raise children who will change their culture.

Listen today as Jay and Dr. Kathy discuss:

   The definition of character, and the vital importance of training for gratitude, joy, and self-efficacy.

   How to cast vision in your children to be culture changers instead of just rule followers.

   The definition of joy and the dangers of comparison and unrealistic expectations.

   The way technology teaches us to live entitled and the wisdom of limiting choices.

   Why “choice” is one of the most powerful words a parent can use.

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Bio

Dr. Kathy Koch is the founder and president of Celebrate Kids, Inc., and a child development specialist. She is also the author of seven bestselling parent-child enrichment books including her latest book, Parent Differently: Raise Kids with Biblical Character that Changes Culture.

 

 Resources mentioned: 

http://www.celebratekids.com

 Parent Differently: Raise Kids with Biblical Character that Changes Culture

 Screens and Teens

 Start with the Heart

 Eight Great Smarts

 No More Perfect Kids

 Resilient Kids

 Five to Thrive

 Facing the Dark Podcast

 Dr. Kathy Says Podcast

 Celebrate Kids Podcast

 

Join my Things for Thursday Email List and get a free Marriage Snapshot Tool and Fun Family Conversation Ebook!

 

Support Let’s Parent on Purpose as we help families thrive though the gospel: https://letsparentonpurpose.com/support/

 


Ep. 362: The Best Interviews from 2023


Today Jay revisits his very favorite interviews from 2023. He also celebrates the fruitful year for The 127 Project, including production of Let’s Parent on Purpose and Stories of Hope with Dr. Samuel Thomas, the building and remodeling of three Hope Homes in India, and supporting a pioneering church planter in Nepal.

 

Be sure to check out the full interviews from Jay’s favorite episodes:

 

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Resources mentioned:

Join my Things for Thursday Email List and get a free Marriage Snapshot Tool and Fun Family Conversation Ebook!

Support Let’s Parent on Purpose and The 127 Project: https://letsparentonpurpose.com/support/


Ep 361: How I Set and Achieve Goals

The beginning of a new year is a great time to think through resolutions, habits, and goals. Today Jay takes you far beyond setting resolutions that will likely fail by February. He walks through his process for starting with determining your specific goals for five aspects of your life: Spiritual, Family, Professional, Financial, and Physical. Once you have determined “who you want to be”, Jay walks you through how to set multi-year goals and then determine the steps for this coming year. 

Many of our plans will fall short. We will constantly encounter new opportunities, calamities, and circumstances that will change our ability to achieve specific goals. But if we have a solid vision for who we want to be over the course of our life, God tends to do far more in and through us than we would ever imagine!

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Resources mentioned:

 

Join my Things for Thursday Email List and get a free Marriage Snapshot Tool and Fun Family Conversation Ebook!

Support Let’s Parent on Purpose as we help families thrive though the gospel: https://letsparentonpurpose.com/support/

 


Ep. 360: Your Family is Not the Enemy, They Are The Prize!

Jay walks us through Ephesians 5 and 6 to point out a key truth: the greatest section of the Bible on family and interpersonal relationships is right next to the greatest section of the Bible on spiritual warfare. Today we look at the reality of spiritual warfare in our homes, and how we are called to remember that our family members are not the enemy, they are the prize. Jay discuses the armor of God in terms of being “in Christ”. Finally, he gives pointers for families who find themselves in a difficult time of anger or arguing with one another. Remember, you have an enemy, but it’s not your family member!

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Resources mentioned:

http://www.cpgive.org

Join my Things for Thursday Email List and get a free Marriage Snapshot Tool and Fun Family Conversation Ebook!

Support Let’s Parent on Purpose as we help families thrive though the gospel: https://letsparentonpurpose.com/support/

 


Ep. 359: Marriage as a Picture of Christ and the Church

Why does Scripture compare the husband-wife relationship to that of Christ and the church? How does a marriage reflect Jesus and His bride? Today Jay walks through the commands of Ephesians 5:22-33 and then expands on the greater story of redemption in the gospel. He shares the larger story of the Bible from the viewpoint of creation, sabbath rest, sin/vandalism, redemption, and restoration. Jay then goes on to show how a husband and wife can mirror God’s restoration of the vandalism sin causes  as they believe the gospel in their household. 

 

Resources mentioned:

 

Join my Things for Thursday Email List and get a free Marriage Snapshot Tool and Fun Family Conversation Ebook!

Support Let’s Parent on Purpose as we help families thrive though the gospel: https://letsparentonpurpose.com/support/

 


Ep. 358: The Five Traits of a Healthy Family with Dr. Gary Chapman

Dr. Gary Chapman brings his 30+ years of biblical wisdom and counseling expertise to help identify the core traits of a healthy family. In this episode we unpack what each trait looks like and how to progress towards health if you are not there yet. Listen as Dr. Chapman describes:

  • Families who Serve

  • Husbands and Wives Who Relate Intimately

  • Parents Who Guide

  • Children Who Obey and Honor Parents

  • Husbands Who Love and Lead

Bio

Gary Chapman, Ph.D.—author, speaker, pastor, and counselor—has a passion for people, and for helping them form lasting relationships. Chapman is a well-known marriage counselor and director of marriage seminars. The 5 Love Languages® is one of Chapman’s most popular titles, topping various bestseller charts for years, selling over twenty million copies, and has been on the New York Times best-sellers list continuously since 2007. Chapman has been directly involved in real-life family counseling for more than 30 years, and his syndicated radio programs air nationally on Moody Radio Network and over 400 affiliate stations. For more information visit http://www.5lovelanguages.com

 

Resources mentioned:

http://www.5lovelanguages.com

5 Traits of a Healthy Family: Steps You can Take to Grow Closer, Communicate Better, and Change the World Together

Join my Things for Thursday Email List and get a free Marriage Snapshot Tool and Fun Family Conversation Ebook!

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