Praying the Psalms over our kids: A blessed life
We’re off to a great start in praying for our kids this school year and I’m so glad you’re doing this with me! Week one (last week) we prayed for our kids’ salvation, which is hands down the most important thing we can pray for them.
This week we’re praying for a blessed life. But there’s a hitch! We want to know God’s version of living blessed instead of relying on the world’s definition. Psalm 1 is our focus passage and we’re given a very practical visual on the way that sin progresses. We’re reminded of the theme all throughout the Bible that God blesses obedience and judges disobedience, and a blessed life requires following God’s word.
Join me this week as we talk about the road to a blessed life and what that means as we pray for our kids. Oh, and be sure and share this with your friends! It’s such an honor to pray together for our kids to know and love the Lord.
Real truth about gaming with Drew Dixon
Is your husband child a gamer? (Just kidding.)
Is it hard for you to relate?
Do you wonder if there’s any redeeming value in it?
Have you wondered what the Bible would say about gaming?
Are you lacking a framework for determining what’s appropriate and what's not?
If you responded “yes” to any of the above, today’s your lucky day!
Drew Dixon is the cofounder of Love Thy Nerd, and has been speaking + writing about video games for over a decade. Today he’s answering the questions we’re all asking on behalf of our kids that love video games… perhaps a little bit too much.
His new book Know Thy Gamer: A Parent’s Guide to Video Games is a great resource on gaming, and I so appreciate him bringing practical advice today on parental controls, free to play games, and loot boxes (I didn’t know either).
If you live with a gamer or know someone who does, this is a great way to expand your knowledge base on the real truth about gaming.
Resources from today's show:
Mentioned on the show:
Praying the Psalms over our kids: Salvation
It’s week ONE of our 2022-2023 Monday prayer podcast, and this is where the journey begins to pray our kids through the school year!
This year we’re following the Christian Parenting prayer journal, Key Psalms to Pray Over Your Kids. If you haven’t grabbed your copy yet, now’s a great time to do just that.
I love the Psalms because it’s 150 songs, poems, and expressions of faith from real-life people who teach us how to pray, what to pray, and when to pray. And hidden in these vulnerable, pretense-free words, we learn the keys to being still, following our shepherd, seeking wisdom, fearing God, living with contentment, and so much more.
So today begins our journey through the Psalms, focusing on Jesus as our Salvation. There is nothing that can save us or our children but God. And because our sin separates us from him, he sent Jesus to pave the way through his death on the cross for our reconciliation to God for all eternity.
Our greatest prayer as parents (and what we begin with this school year) is that our children will confess their sins and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I can’t think of anything more significant to pray for this week.
So don’t miss out as we kick off this series. And please, share this with your friends, small group, Bible study, or anyone else that is ready to pray for our families together!
A huge thank you to First15 Worship for the amazing instrumental music!
The real truth on teen dating with Steve Frissell
Step right on up if you have a teen that’s starting to date or if the sheer thought of it makes you break into a cold sweat.
There are so many questions behind the topic of dating and how to best shepherd our kids when they start down this road. Thankfully, we’re tackling it this week with Steve Frissell, an Executive Pastor at Bent Tree Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas.
Steve and his wife have been married for 26 years and the story he shares of their high school dating mishap is not one you will soon forget. They have six children now and Steve has an incredible word on balancing truth with grace when walking our kids through dating. He also shares ideas on conversations we need to have with our kids and thoughts on purity culture if you grew up in that era like so many of us.
When I tell you that this is a podcast you need to hear—well, this is a podcast you need to hear.
And just in case you missed it last week, the next few months we are going to be digging deep into the “real truth” behind common issues we face in our spiritual lives, parenting, and just in life generally (like dating).
Here are a few coming your way the next few weeks:
- Real truth in marriage with Gary Thomas
- Real truth in anxiety with Louie Gigglio
- Real truth on gaming with Grant Dixon
- Real truth about the Holy Spirit with Max Lucado
I can’t wait for you to hear today’s conversation with Steve Frissell!
Resources from today's show:
A Parent’s Prayer Guide: Key Psalms to Pray Over Your Kids
The real truth on being godly women with Brittany Ann
Today begins a new series that I’m so excited about on Pardon the Mess. 🥳
We’re going to dig deep into the “real truth” behind common issues we face in our spiritual life, parenting life, and just in life generally. We’ve been working super hard behind the scenes to get the perfect guests to encourage and instruct us in some important areas, and here’s a preview of what’s coming up:
- Real truth about the Holy Spirit with Max Lucado
- Real truth about teen dating with Steve Frissell
- Real truth in marriage with Gary Thomas
- Real truth about anxiety with Louie Gigglio
And (drum roll please), we’re kicking it off this week with Brittany Ann to talk about the “real truth” on being godly women. Brittany is an author, blogger, speaker and has a great word for us on upping our spiritual game. Don’t worry, this isn’t one of those conversations that will leave you feeling guilty or not good enough—it’s just a great reminder on small changes we can make to experience big dividends in our walk with the Lord.
I can’t wait for you to hear this conversation with Brittany Ann today, and be sure you’re tuned in the next few months as we hit some really important “real truth” topics! Oh, and share us with your friends that could use some encouragement—that would be a huge gift all around.
Resources from today's show:
Called to Act Conference, September 13-15, 2022
A Parent’s Prayer Guide: Key Psalms to Pray Over Your Kids
Uncommon Influence with Tony and Lauren Dungy
If you love football and want to be inspired to live each day with purpose, you’re going to love today’s show with the Dungys. Tony Dungy is a football legend, playing for many years in the NFL and then coaching professionally with the Colts and Buccaneers. He’s a Super Bowl champ and now works as a football analyst for NBC.
Tony and his wife Lauren have been outspoken in their faith every step of the way as the Lord has given them opportunity after opportunity to boldly share their story. They join us today to talk about living with ‘uncommon influence.’ We discuss what it looks like to listen for God’s voice and move forward in the things with eternal impact that he has for our lives.
And for those of you wondering, yes we did talk a little bit of football and he has a great Peyton Manning story. We also get a great word on youth sports, and there ain’t a one of us that couldn’t use that.
The Dungy’s love for foster care and adoption will encourage you, and I have a feeling you’re going to walk away inspired by these sweet people and their commitment to living big for Jesus.
Resources from today's show:
A Parent’s Prayer Guide: Key Psalms to Pray Over Your Kids
Back to school anxieties with Mia Mbroh
I remember as a kid having a range of emotions the night before school started. I would lay in bed with questions swirling like…
Did I pick the right back to school shoes?
Will my friends still like me?
Is Mrs. Smith as mean as everyone says?
Will my favorite lunch table have enough seats?
Will the coach yell at me again for being the slowest to run the mile in PE? (oh wait, maybe that’s just me)
Whether or not our kids are willing to admit it, they are facing some of the same back to school jitters that we did. Even harder are some of the safety concerns they face that undoubtedly weigh on them this time of year.
Mia Mbroh is with us today and as a licensed counselor, she’s worked in private practice as well as in school settings. She’s helping us navigate some key areas of concern including school safety, friendships, bullying, and academics.
She has a good word on how our families can rewrite the narrative when it comes to what matters in school and how we will represent our faith this year.
Take a few minutes to listen to Mia’s great words for back to school, and then share it with a friend.
Also, we’re gearing up our Monday prayer podcasts in September so be sure to grab a copy of A Parent’s Prayer Guide: Key Psalms to Pray Over Your Kids if you haven't already!
Resources from today's show:
Be sure to check out A Sticky Story by Mia Mbroh. You can get your copy by emailing her directly at [email protected].
A Parent’s Prayer Guide: Key Psalms to Pray Over Your Kids
Raising Emotionally Strong Boys with David Thomas
Boys… whatcha gonna do with them? Just kidding.
But they really are unique creatures and if you’re raising one or more, you know that finding ways to help them communicate and express their feelings in a healthy way can be challenging.
David Thomas is a Pardon the Mess favorite, and he’s with us today discussing the importance of raising emotionally strong boys. Don’t miss his insight into why our boys suffer from higher rates of suicide, addiction, and pornography abuse—oftentimes because they haven’t learned to deal with their emotions in a healthy way.
Here are a few highlights:
- Modeling healthy communication with our boys
- The three “R’s” of emotional health
- How anxiety and depression present in boys
- What healthy relationships look like for boys
- When pulling away is okay… and when it’s not
David’s new book, Raising Emotionally Strong Boys is a must-read. Check it out and all the other great resources offered through Daystar Counseling!
Resources from today's show:
Raising Emotionally Strong Boys: Tools Your Son Can Build on for Life
A Parent’s Prayer Guide: Key Psalms to Pray Over Your Kids
Raising a rebel in today’s culture with Sean McDowell
I’m so happy to have Sean McDowell with us again today! We’re talking about practical ways to equip our kids to intellectually defend their faith. Sean is an author, speaker, and well-known apologist in today’s culture (just like his dad, Josh McDowell).
Sean and I talk about the confusing messages our kids are facing and how these messages are different from the ones in the past. We also talk about how to teach our kids to be bold in speaking up for their faith… with compassion and grace.
There’s so much you don’t want to miss on today’s show with Sean McDowell—he’s a big deal and you’ll love all he has to say about apologetics, preparing our kids intellectually, and his new book that is a great resource for our teens!
P.S. If you haven’t purchased our new prayer journal, now is a GREAT time to do that. We’re kicking off in September so grab your copy now!
Resources from today's show:
A Parent’s Prayer Guide: Key Psalms to Pray Over Your Kids