Pardon the Mess

Its not everyday you get to interview someone that disconnected in an extreme way. Carlos Whittaker wanted to really test his attachment to his phone and learn from the power disconnecting. So he went to live in an Amish community, in a monastery, and then did life at home without a device. His lessons are so powerful about how to reconnect with the ones we love most.

When we recorded this episode, Carlos had just recently lost his father and was about to speak at his funeral. Many people have grown to love him on Carlos instagram account, and I have been so moved by the way Carlos cared for him through his final days. You wont want to miss the parenting lesson he shares about his amazing father.

Id love to challenge us today. Lets practically think through our daily lives and how we can disconnect regularly so that we connect more intentionally with each child. Carlos offers several practical ideas on how to do that - even if your job requires you to be online.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How connection matters with our kids
• How to disconnect from devices and why
• How to connect with teens and their interests

Enjoy!

Courtney 

Chapters

(00:00) Navigating Parenting Challenges

(02:54) Caring for Aging Parents

(05:58) A Life-Changing Call

(08:58) The Journey to Reconnection

(11:55) Transformative Family Time

(15:00) Balancing Work and Life

(17:46) Detoxing from Digital Dependency

(20:09) Balancing Online Sharing and Family Life

(22:37) Curiosity as a Path to Empathy

(26:45) Connecting with Teens through Shared Interests

Connect with Pardon The Mess:

Christian Parenting

Pardon The Mess 

Courtney DeFeo

Get your 2024-2025 prayer journal, A Life of Faith

Resources from todays show:

• Connect with Carlos
• Carlos Podcast - Human School
• Carlos latest book - Reconnected
• A Million Tiny Moments 
• Dead Sea Squirrels
• Christian Parenting Easter bundle

Pardon The Mess is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:67)

The Greek word for anxiety means cut up into pieces. So when we feel anxious we feel cut up or divided, and if youve ever struggled with anxiety, it can really feel like that! But Jesus wants us to bring him our cut-up pieces because his peace can make us whole. In fact, the Greek word for peace means wholeness. So this verse literally says God wants us to bring our divided hearts to him so he can make them whole.

So many of our kids struggle with anxiety and so many of us do as well. None of us want to see our kids hurt as they fight this battle. Anxiety and worry are challenging roads, but we can encourage our kids that we follow the God who made the whole universe. He cares for them, hears them, and wants to ease their burdens.

This week, lets pray that they cast their fears and anxiety onto the Lord so that they can feel his rest because his yoke is easy and his burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).

Lord, I pray that ________________ brings their divided heart to you. I pray against the anxiety that is so prevalent today. Whatever it is that ___________ feels cut up about, may they present their requests to you, and may your wholeness guard their heart and mind. Please give them the peace that passes all understanding. Amen.

Get your printed copy of A Life of Faith: Prayer Journal

Pardon The Mess is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Grace Valentine is BACK! You all absolutely loved the first episode and you will love this one even more. Grace is a firecracker for Jesus. Thats what a grandma would say - but its so true. She comes in with such energy and truth that will just fire you up.

She is a speaker, author and podcast host and is impacting thousands of young women around the world. On todays episode we talk about all things FRIENDS. Friendships are just hard, not just for young girls for us as women. Grace has bible-based true encouragement for how to make and maintain friends.

JOURNAL alert! You will need to take notes for this one. She just casually tosses out profound statements at the speed of lightning. So, buckle in.

My favorite part is when she compared homecoming to the Met Gala. I still laugh out loud when I think about it. She quickly pivots from that joke to the sting of rejection. She also asks amazing questions: will that rejection taint your view or make you wiser and kinder? Or will it make you bitter? 

In this episode, we chat about: 

• Understanding shallow vs deep friendships
• How to humble yourself in conflict
• Challenges of making and keeping friends

Enjoy!

Courtney DeFeo 

(02:58) Navigating College and Post-Grad Life

(05:53) Friendship Journeys and Challenges

(09:00) The Complexity of Friendships

(12:00) Understanding Shallow vs. Deep Friendships

(15:02) Finding Your Community and Dance Floor

(16:29) Navigating Loneliness and Friendship

(20:45) Conflict Resolution in Friendships

(28:08) The Importance of Authentic Connections

Connect with Pardon The Mess:

Christian Parenting

Pardon The Mess 

Courtney DeFeo

Get your 2024-2025 prayer journal, A Life of Faith

Resources from todays show:

• Connect with Grace Valentine
• The Better Friend - Graces new book
• A Million Tiny Moments
• Sky Ranch Camps

Pardon The Mess is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Depending on how old your kids are, the idea of praying for their future spouse and family may feel like a stretch. But even if your child is currently toddling around your house playing with blocks and eating cheerios, its never too early to start praying for their future family.

Maybe its easier to imagine if your kids are older, but at some point in the future, your child will more than likely go and create their own family to lead. As believing parents, we all desire our kids to lead their future families in the way of the Lord.

If marriage is Gods will for your child, someday your childs spouse will be the most important person in their life. He or she will know them the absolute best and be their partner in faith and life. Together they will, God-willing, raise beautiful children who know, love, follow, and share Jesus. 

We can pray that our child will find a spouse who loves Jesus, family, the church, and be a supportive partner through the ups and downs of life. We can pray that any future grandkids will grow to love Jesus and continue on a legacy of faith. In the grand scheme of life, we only have our kids in our homes for a little while. As their parents, we have an amazing opportunity to pray for their future family starting now!

This week, lets pray that our kids will continue to pass along a legacy of faith in their future families and homes.

Jesus, you know our past and you know our future. Today, I pray for ____'s future. If your plan for them is singleness, I pray that you will surround them with a wonderful community of friends and family and that you will always be their rock, fortress, and best friend. If your plan for them is marriage, I pray that they will find a spouse who loves you with all their heart and has a desire to raise up children who love and follow you. Thank you for the gift of family and the ability to watch my children grow into the adults you created them to be. Amen.

Get your printed copy of A Life of Faith: Prayer Journal

Pardon The Mess is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Do you spend time overthinking? I sure do, but can honestly say its gotten way better over the years. This episode is dedicated to my small group of senior girls. They were telling me that overthinking is taking them down for so many days. That conversation had me pondering about the topic and I wanted to help them with this struggle. So, I got Jon Acuff back on the podcast to help me wrestle through it.

Jon Acuff writes the most relatable books with common struggles in our daily lives. Hes an entrepreneur, author, speaker, podcaster, husband and dad of 2 college girls. Hes also hilarious and always has me laughing every time we connect.

My favorite part is how he gives us a very practical way to approach overthinking. Instead of letting this steal our time, creativity and productivity - what if we were deliberate with what we think about? Could we use that same time and energy to fight for positive thoughts over negative thoughts?

He offered a code for his upcoming event 

In this episode, we chat about:

• How overthinking affects almost everyone
• How to switch overthinking to something positive 
• How to shorten the pity parties in our minds

Enjoy!

Courtney 

(03:08) The College Experience and Loneliness Epidemic

(05:59) Overthinking: A Common Human Experience

(08:55) The Dangers of Overthinking

(11:56) Soundtracks: Shifting Negative Thoughts

(15:07) Faith and Practicality in Overthinking

(18:09) Navigating Teenage Emotions and Relationships

(20:05) Understanding Teenagers: Insights from Parenting

(22:10) Navigating the Empty Nest: Emotions and Realities

(24:12) The Challenges of Parenting Adult Children

(28:40) Creating a Remarkable Life: Upcoming Event Insights

Connect with Pardon The Mess:

Christian Parenting

Pardon The Mess 

Courtney DeFeo

Get your 2024-2025 prayer journal, A Life of Faith

Resources from todays show:

A Million Tiny Moments

The Unbreakable Boy movie

Connect with Jon Acuff

Remarkable You - upcoming event with Jon Acuff (code: PODCAST50)

Soundtracks book

Your New Playlist book for teens 

How Teens Win book for teens

Pardon The Mess is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org