Staying in 💕with your spouse with Steve Frissell
The people have spoken.
Pastor Steve Frissell joined us last September for the very first time and you guys loved him so much that I begged him to come back again today! If you missed his first appearance, go back and listen because I promise it will reshape your thoughts on teens and dating relationships.
Today Pastor Steve is joining me to talk about our marriages and why it’s necessary to put in the hard and necessary work to love our spouses well. We talk about the importance of finding contentment in Jesus so that we aren’t asking our spouse to fill voids that only the Lord can fill, as well as practical ways to reconnect in our marriages.
Don’t miss this important conversation — your spouse will thank you! 💖
Resources from today's show:
Pardon the Mess is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual advice to help you grow into the parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.org
Praying the Psalms over our kids: The key to fighting overwhelmed
Raise your hand if you’re overwhelmed in some area of your life.
My fairly unscientific poll indicates that 9 out of 10 of us raised our hands. (And I’m guessing the rest of you thought the question was rhetorical. 😂)
If you’re anything like me, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by finances, family issues, parenting, and everything in between. The stress and anxiety that comes with being overwhelmed is not how God intended for us (or our kids) to live.
My sweet friend Kay Wyma joins us today with reminders of the many names of Jesus and how they speak to our deepest needs. We consider Psalm 55 and David’s advice to “cast” our cares to Jesus. Not just hold on to the problem and pray, or half-heartedly toss it aside but still worry about it all week. No, David says to literally throw our hardest places towards God and then wait for him to faithfully respond. And so that’s what we are praying for in our own lives and for our kids.
It’s always a great day when Kay Wyma is with us so take a few minutes and join us!
P.S. We would be so grateful if you’d consider sharing Pardon the Mess with a friend. Encourage those you know and love to join us in praying each week by forwarding this email or sending a link to the show. Thank you!
Praying the Psalms over our kids: The key to Joy
When you hear the word joy, what comes to your mind?
I’m guessing your answer is more profound than mine since I instantly start humming that old VBS song “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart. Where?”
Anyone else with me?
This week we’re praying for our kids to experience joy in their lives. It seems especially important when considering how deeply our kids’ generation struggles with anxiety and depression.
One of my favorite verses is Psalm 30:5 that says, “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” What a wonderful reminder that no matter what we’re facing in this season, there is still joy to be found on the other side of it.
Let’s take a few minutes today to consider how thankfulness, hope in Jesus, and even walking through places of suffering are pivotal to joy in our kids’ lives.
P.S. We would be so grateful if you’d consider sharing Pardon the Mess with a friend. Encourage those you know and love to join us in praying each week by forwarding this email or sending a link to the show. Thank you!
Pardon the Mess is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual advice to help you grow into the parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.org
Our three most important words with Mark Batterson
Mark Batterson is back, and I’m slightly giddy.
You know how much I love his books, and when I tell you this conversation brought me new life . . . well, it’s true. I have a notecard on my desk at this very moment with some of my favorite quotes from today’s conversation titled “Batterson bullet points.”
Pastor Mark reminds us that if God can do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20), we’re actually honoring him by praying bold prayers and trusting in faith for his answer. You’re going to love hearing how God has been answering the bold prayers of his church, which most recently has included buying property on Capitol Hill he only dreamed of years ago.
Lastly, Pastor Mark shares the three words he believes are the greatest predictors of our success in life: please, sorry, and thanks. He’s so sure of the significance of these words that he wrote an entire book on their importance. Lots of practical life and parenting advice you won’t want to miss today.
Resources from today's show:
Please, Sorry, Thanks: The Three Words That Change Everything by Mark Batterson
The Best Worst Day Ever by Mark and Summer Batterson
Every Parent Wants to Know: A Christian Parenting Digital Event
Pardon the Mess is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual advice to help you grow into the parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.org
Praying the Psalms over our kids: The key to friendships
As I think back to even my youngest years, I can pinpoint the friendships that have impacted my life. I’ve been blessed with solid, faithful friends who have prayed for me and loved me even when I’ve been somewhat unloveable. And then there have been other friendships that have been more difficult and left me with bumps and bruises along the way.
Our friendships are important because God created us with a deep need for connection. It’s in those very connections where we are so often drawn closer to Him and better equipped to walk the hard places we will inevitably face.
So this week we’re praying over friendships in our own lives as well as the lives of our kids.
It seems appropriate in talking about friendships that I have one of my very dearest friends, Brandie Rodgers, joining us today. As long as I’ve known her (and it’s been many, many years), she’s been praying over her family’s friendships, and the Lord has faithfully provided.
Let’s take a moment today to consider the friendships our kids need and ask the Lord to provide them. And, of course, let’s also ask the Lord to teach our kids how to be good friends to others by showing kindness, loyalty, compassion, and respect.
Friendship is a big one—let’s pray it together!
P.S. We would be so grateful if you’d consider sharing Pardon the Mess with a friend. Encourage those you know and love to join us in praying each week by forwarding this email or sending a link to the show. Thank you!
Pardon the Mess is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual advice to help you grow into the parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.org
Body image and biblical truth with Rachael Gilbert
Body image is a topic that has major implications in our lives, yet we tend to avoid talking about it because it’s so personal and oftentimes sensitive.
I’m so thankful my friend Rachael Gilbert is bravely speaking into these body image issues through her new book, Image Restored. She addresses our most common body image pitfalls and, as a licensed counselor and mom, comes at it both professionally and practically.
Here’s a few of the topics we cover:
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Signs we’re dealing with body image concerns that need addressing
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Core beliefs impacting our body image
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Ways to reframe our body image biblically
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Current health trends that are red flags for healthy body image
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Parenting healthy body image with our kids
I hope you’ll take a few minutes to listen to this important conversation today. I also pray each of us will ask the Lord to reveal the places in our lives where we need to reframe our attitudes towards our bodies, not only for our own benefit but also for our families.
Resources from today's show:
Image Restored by Rachael Gilbert
Every Parent Wants to Know: A Christian Parenting Digital Event
When I Talk to God, I Talk about You
Pardon the Mess is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual guidance to help you grow into the perfectly imperfect parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.org
Praying the Psalms over our kids: Do’s and Dont’s for biblical living
On any given day there’s a million things we could potentially tell our kids to do or not do. Some of those things are routine like do your best work or don’t touch your brother. But then there’s the things that one day come spilling out of your mouth that nobody ever warned you about. Like “you have to wear underwear to ride your bike.”
True story, sadly. 😂
Today we’re reading Psalm 37 and a few of King David’s “dos” and “don’ts” for biblical living. There’s great application as we pray for our kids to do the things that point them to Jesus and let go of the things that don’t.
If you’re looking for biblical life hacks, this week’s prayer time is just what you need!
P.S. We would be so grateful if you’d consider sharing Pardon the Mess with a friend. Encourage those you know and love to join us in praying each week by forwarding this email or sending a link to the show. Thank you!
Our FIRST EVER conversation with Beth Moore!
Beth Moore is joining us today and, simply put, you just can’t miss it! I’ve admired her powerful voice in God’s Kingdom for many years and, like many of you, have learned so much from her Bible studies, books, and conferences.
I teamed up with Steph Thurling from the Christian Parenting Podcast to chat with Beth about her new memoir, All my Knotted-up Life. This book is a vulnerable and authentic offering of Beth’s hardest places in life and how God has been faithful through it all.
I think my favorite part of our conversation was hearing Beth’s routine each morning in meeting with Jesus. Not to mention she has a great word on dealing with church hurts and why we keep going back even when it feels easier to walk away.
With 100% certainty I can say you’re going to love this conversation.
Resources from today's show:
All My Knotted-Up Life: A Memoir by Beth Moore
When I Talk to God, I Talk about You
Pardon the Mess is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual advice to help you grow into the parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.org
Praying the Psalms over our kids: The key to measuring up
How do you measure your value?
If you’re anything like me, you’ve measured it by the square footage of your house, the size of your bank account, the number on the scale, and the accolades of your kids. Yet none of these things tell the real story of who we are to Jesus—and that’s why measuring up gets us in trouble.
Today we’re praying for our kids as they struggle with this same temptation of comparison. Growing up in a day and age inundated with social media, it’s hard not to weigh looks, grades, athleticism, and talents against those around them. So we’re focused this week on praying for our kids to look to Jesus and not the world for value and identity.
As we pray through Psalm 84, I encourage you to really consider verse 10. Take a few minutes to read this Psalm and get a jump on where we’re headed in praying for our kids.
P.S. We would be so grateful if you’d consider sharing Pardon the Mess with a friend. Encourage those you know and love to join us in praying each week by forwarding this email or sending a link to the show. Thank you!