In 2011, Pastor Davey Blackburn moved from South Carolina to Indiana to plant a church with his wife, Amanda. By late 2015, coming back from a staff retreat, Davey and Amanda were feeling encouraged and seeing the church beginning to establish roots. A few days after that retreat, Amanda, who was also pregnant with their second child, was caught up in a home invasion and shot three times. Their son, Weston, who was in his crib at the time of the invasion, was left unharmed. Unfortunately, Amanda died the next day, four years to the day they planted the church.The details of how God showed up, and what emerged out of the pain, was remarkable.Davey joins the show this week to discuss the trauma he endured, his journey toward healing, and how his newly blended family prioritizes being famous at home.What came out of his story is a ministry called Nothing is Wasted. He shares how this ministry began and the purpose behind it: Helping people partner with God to take back their story to find purpose in their pain. They match people all over the globe with someone who also went through a similar pain.In this episode, Davey talks about:
His own grief journey following the murder of his wife and unborn childHow to walk through our own trauma and how Jesus shows up in the middle of our storyWhat he means by “running towards the roar”Why not to look at triggers as the villain, but an invitation by God into deeper healingHow he and his wife Kristi blended their familiesHow they parent through the lens of, “Is this a trauma response,” or “Is this normal childlike behavior?”Show Notes: Text NIW to 66866 for a teaser of the Pain to Purpose devotionalCheck out the Nothing is Wasted podcast and coaching resources: https://www.nothingiswasted.com/The MyKidsEQ Coaching Cohort launches March 4! Get first 8 weeks of KidsEQAcademy curriculum. Sign up here: https://www.famousathome.com/offers/7izP4Puk/checkoutLadies, sign up for Tender & Fierce Group Coaching Cohort with Christi! Begins April 1, 2024: https://www.famousathome.com/tenderandfierceOrder a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFz Apply now for The Leader's Heart Men's Cohort, Feb. 26-29, 2024: https://www.famousathome.com/theleadersheartWatch this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/9DfMUdsy71o

In our fast-paced Western culture, it’s too easy to run to the next “thing” and dismiss the meaning of the previous activity, event, or season. But is this healthy for our souls? Take breastfeeding, for example. Or sending your kids off to kindergarten. Or for your kids, leaving their grandparent's house after an extended vacation. Perhaps moving to a new house. Every one of these moments are beautiful, but also have an end, a transition that includes a goodbye. In this episode, theologian and professor Amy Davis Abdallah joins us to provide a framework for putting meaning to all of the life transitions we experience on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis. The author of Meaning in the Moment: How Rituals Help Us Move Through Joy, Pain, and Everything in Between, Abdallah describes how rituals can shape our family and form the hearts of our kids.In this episode, Amy describes:The meaning and purpose of a ritualHow we’ve embraced cultural rituals, yet rarely think of them for our own lives Simple ways you can create rituals for your kids to honor life transitionsHow simple rituals can help us hold grief and joy at the same timeShow Notes:Order a copy of Meaning in the Moment by Amy F. Davis Abdallahhttps://amzn.to/3UbfNi7 Gentlemen, apply now for The Leader's Heart Men's Cohort, Feb. 26-29, 2023: https://www.famousathome.com/theleadersheart The MyKidsEQ Coaching Cohort launches March 4! Get first 8 weeks of KidsEQAcademy curriculum. Sign up here:https://www.famousathome.com/offers/7izP4Puk/checkout Ladies, sign up for Tender & Fierce Group Coaching Cohort with Christi! Begins April 1, 2024:https://www.famousathome.com/tenderandfierce Order a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and Christi: https://amzn.to/3y1jJFz

This episode has so much purpose, content, and hope for families. It could even serve as a homeschooling study for your kids. Jordan Raynor says, “Most Christians spend more time thinking about a one-week vacation than they do thinking about eternity…but it inevitably will lead us to settle for these wishy-washy half-truths about heaven.” Raynor goes on to explain, “Here’s why it matters we as adults and parents get this (truths about heaven) right. If we get this right, our kids’ hope for the future will be so much more real and so much more concrete, and their purpose in the present will become so much richer.”If you want a theological education for your kids as it relates to finding their purpose, this episode is absolute gold.If you’re struggling with whether your work has eternal impact, this episode is for you.If you’re looking for a biblical framework for how to set a family vision for building for the Kingdom of God, Raynor provides the path forward.In Jordan’s new book, The Sacredness of Secular Work: 4 Ways Your Job Matters (Even When You’re Not Sharing the Gospel), Raynor defines the terms sacred and secular and why it matters for us, and our children, to understand them. In our conversation, he addresses parents and kids through this lens and cites Charles Spurgeon, who once said, “For the Christian, nothing is secular, and everything is sacred.” Raynor encourages us: “Imagine the freedom if every child understood that when the Holy Spirit is in them, everywhere they go is sacred.”Here are some hot topics we discuss:Your life and work are a vehicle for bringing God eternal pleasureYour life and work matter for eternity because it’s how we earn rewards and eternal treasuresYour life and work matter because through them you scratch off the thin veil between heaven and earthHow you can leverage your life and work to the instrumental end of making disciplesShow Notes: Order a copy of The Sacredness of Secular Work by Jordan Raynor: https://amzn.to/3SngaorGentlemen, apply now for The Leader's Heart Men's Cohort, Feb. 26-29, 2023:https://www.famousathome.com/theleadersheartThe MyKidsEQ Coaching Cohort launches March 4! Get first 8 weeks of KidsEQAcademy curriculum. Sign up here:https://www.famousathome.com/offers/7izP4Puk/checkoutLadies, sign up for Tender & Fierce Group Coaching Cohort with Christi! Begins April 1, 2024:https://www.famousathome.com/tenderandfierceOrder a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzWatch this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/luYGDw6oExM

We live such busy lives that we rarely take the time to evaluate how our kids are experiencing us, their parents, in the environment of our homes. In this episode, our two oldest kids join me (Josh), as I ask them questions about how they experience our parenting. As you listen, our hope isn't that you focus on the content as much as you do the essence of the conversation, so that you, too, can take its format and implement it with your own kids to see what you learn about they experience you.Here are some highlights:Our kids share where they see us doing well as parentsOur kids share where they see we could be doing betterWe also talk about Straub family rhythms, our current stressors, and insights into our weekly family meetingOur kids share with us what they most need from us as parentsBeyond the content of this episode, take the essence of it with you to ask similar questions of your own kidsShow Notes: Apply now for The Leader's Heart Men's Cohort, Feb. 26-29, 2023!https://www.famousathome.com/theleadersheartThe MyKidsEQ Spring 2024 Cohort launches March 4! Sign up here:https://www.famousathome.com/offers/7izP4Puk/checkoutInterested in group coaching with Christi? Click here for interest form:https://www.famousathome.com/groupcoachinginterestOrder a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzOrder a copy of Imagine Heaven by John Burke:https://amzn.to/3Hkdf9U

In loving memory of our dear friend, mentor, and father figure, Bill Lokey, we're concluding our 4-part series on the Heart of Leadership (originally recorded in 2020). When we lead, we influence the culture. Whether the culture you're cultivating is at home with your kids, or it's at work, how you show up has a ripple effect on the environment around you.Bill Lokey joins Josh for the final episode in our 4-part series on the Heart of Leadership to talk about the heart of your environment: at home and at work. In part 4, Bill and Josh talk about:The game of spiritual mathematics in relationshipsWhy healthy culture starts with understandingHow we can enter into the stories of those we lead and loveThe multiplying power of making our world smallerWays to cultivate healthy culture both at home and work Show Notes: Apply now for The Leader's Heart Men's Cohort, Feb. 26-29, 2023!https://www.famousathome.com/theleadersheartSign up for MyKidsEQ Winter Cohort:https://www.famousathome.com/offers/7izP4Puk/checkoutInterested in group coaching with Christi? Click here for interest form:https://www.famousathome.com/groupcoachinginterestOrder a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFz

In loving memory of our friend, mentor, and father figure, Bill Lokey, we're in the middle of a four-part series, recorded in 2020, where Bill shares insights on leadership, connection, and trauma.In part 3 of our 4-part series, Bill talks about how trauma influences our heart, soul, and how we lead.Here are some highlights:Why we tend to feel like impostersThe definition of trauma and how it shows up in how we act toward othersThe subtle traumas we may have never labeled as suchHow trauma influences our relationshipsWhy we tend to medicate our trauma and what we use to medicateThe power of feelings in healing the pain from our pastWhy it's so difficult for us to face shame and trauma as an adultPractical ways to face our trauma and show up for those we leadShow Notes: Apply now for The Leader's Heart Men's Cohort, Feb. 26-29, 2023!https://www.famousathome.com/theleadersheartSign up for MyKidsEQ Winter Cohort:https://www.famousathome.com/offers/7izP4Puk/checkoutInterested in group coaching with Christi? Click here for interest form:https://www.famousathome.com/groupcoachinginterestOrder a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFz

In loving memory of our friend, mentor, and father figure, Bill Lokey, we're releasing this four-part series, recorded in 2020, to share with you again Bill's insights on leadership, connection, and trauma.Bill joins Josh for part 2 of our 4-part series, and this week, we talk about something we all tend to struggle with: meaningful connection and how we show up with those we love.In part 2, Josh and Bill talk about:The barriers to meaningful connection and how we can overcome themShame as a bad motivator for changeHow to silence shame so we can connect deeply with othersHow self-medicators keep us from intimacyWhat it feels like to spend time with someone who really likes youHow to show up for someone you really like spending time withSpiritual disciplines for meaningful connection with GodShow Notes: Apply now for The Leader's Heart Men's Cohort, Feb. 26-29, 2023!https://www.famousathome.com/theleadersheartSign up for MyKidsEQ Winter Cohort:https://www.famousathome.com/offers/7izP4Puk/checkoutInterested in group coaching with Christi? Click here for interest form:https://www.famousathome.com/groupcoachinginterestOrder a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFz

This past year we lost one of our dearest friends and mentors, Bill Lokey. As we close out the year, we were listening back to some of his wisdom and gold nuggets and thought it would be a tremendous gift to re-release a series we did together in 2020. He was a gift to us, and his insights, wisdom, and influence will continue to echo across generations, no doubt. In his honor, we're releasing this four-part series, recorded in 2020, to share with you again his insights on leadership, connection, and trauma.In part 1 of the series, we begin with the heart of leadership. Because no matter our stage, we lead people. As a parent, you lead your kids. As a spouse, you lead your husband or wife. At work, you lead your employees, congregants, soldiers, clients, and teams.How would each person you lead describe your ability to connect to their reality? And how much do we pay attention to those realities versus focusing solely on our own? As Bill describes, the quality of how well we lead rises or falls on our inner world. And the people we lead, feel it. In this series, we cover The Heart of Leadership, The Heart of Connection, The Heart of Trauma, and The Heart of Your Culture.In this first episode, Josh and Bill talk about:What makes a person a leaderWhat happens when we feel like we're not enough or don't have what it takes to leadWhy we have a tendency to focus more on reputation than characterWhat happens when your stage is ripped out from under youHow to transition well as a leader when bad things happenWhat it means to grieve and why it's critical for how we leadShow Notes: Apply now for The Leader's Heart Men's Cohort, Feb. 26-29, 2023!https://www.famousathome.com/theleadersheartSign up for MyKidsEQ Winter Cohort: https://www.famousathome.com/offers/7izP4Puk/checkoutInterested in group coaching with Christi? Click here for interest form:https://www.famousathome.com/groupcoachinginterestOrder a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFz

This past year we lost one of our dearest friends and mentors, Bill Lokey. As we close out the year, we were listening back to some of his wisdom and gold nuggets and thought it would be a tremendous gift to re-release a series we did together in 2020. He was a gift to us, and his insights, wisdom, and influence will continue to echo across generations, no doubt. In his honor, we're releasing this four-part series, recorded in 2020, to share with you again his insights on leadership, connection, and trauma.In part 1 of the series, we begin with the heart of leadership. Because no matter our stage, we lead people. As a parent, you lead your kids. As a spouse, you lead your husband or wife. At work, you lead your employees, congregants, soldiers, clients, and teams.How would each person you lead describe your ability to connect to their reality? And how much do we pay attention to those realities versus focusing solely on our own? As Bill describes, the quality of how well we lead rises or falls on our inner world. And the people we lead, feel it. In this series, we cover The Heart of Leadership, The Heart of Connection, The Heart of Trauma, and The Heart of Your Culture.In this first episode, Josh and Bill talk about:What makes a person a leaderWhat happens when we feel like we're not enough or don't have what it takes to leadWhy we have a tendency to focus more on reputation than characterWhat happens when your stage is ripped out from under youHow to transition well as a leader when bad things happenWhat it means to grieve and why it's critical for how we leadShow Notes: Apply now for The Leader's Heart Men's Cohort, Feb. 26-29, 2023!https://www.famousathome.com/theleadersheartSign up for MyKidsEQ Winter Cohort: https://www.famousathome.com/offers/7izP4Puk/checkoutInterested in group coaching with Christi? Click here for interest form:https://www.famousathome.com/groupcoachinginterestOrder a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFz

Did you know that the English word "priority," when it came into the English language, stayed singular for 500 years? Not until the 1900's did we make it plural. As Greg McKeown suggests, the result is quite dangerous. When everything is priority, nothing is priority.As we evaluate our overwhelmed schedule, this one simple exercise has helped us cut through the noise. What is the priority (singular)? This evaluation has led us to make some intentional adjustments, which Christi shares on this week's episode.Here are some takeaways:Practical ways to simplify an overwhelming scheduleHow to not only give yourself permission to do less, but other people around youThe preciousness of time and how we won't get these years back with our kidsWhy Christi is taking a step back and what that looks likeShow Notes: Apply now for The Leader's Heart Men's Cohort, February 26-29, 2024:https://www.famousathome.com/theleadersheartOrder a copy of 25 Days of the Christmas Story: An Advent Family Experiencehttps://amzn.to/47YdliYInterested in group coaching with Christi? Click here for interest form:https://www.famousathome.com/groupcoachinginterestThe MyKidsEQ Winter Cohort is officially open for registration! Cohort begins February 5, 2024!Click here to sign up!Order a copy of Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown:https://a.co/d/ek1OaMAOrder a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzWatch this episode on Youtube!

In honor of Christi's birthday, Josh talks to her about what this milestone means and how she's processing the feeling of entering a new decade of life. Christi shares valuable lessons she's learned over the last several years, what she plans on leaving behind, and what she wants to bring with her into her 40's.Here are some takeaways:Christi's practice of learning to release a high achieving mindset and just let herself "be"How to discern if you're living in your true authentic self, or from your false selfHow refreshing it is for everyone around you, when you can be real and let go of what others think of you, or what you think others think of you.The upside down kingdom of God, and how He makes significant what the world finds unpopularShow Notes:Apply now for The Leader's Heart Men's Cohort:https://www.famousathome.com/theleadersheartOrder a copy of 25 Days of the Christmas Story: An Advent Family Experiencehttps://amzn.to/3R92zRdOrder a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzListen to this episode on Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/famousathomepodcast

Grammy Award-winning singer / songwriter, worship leader, author, and all around incredible human being, Matt Redman, joins us to talk about living a wholehearted life. Matt is one of those rare souls, a man who not only lives whole-heartedly, but who pursues a congruent life both on and off stage. We talk about how to prioritize our emotional health while navigating the often lonely, fast-paced, and unrelenting world we live in. Our emotional and spiritual well-being often hangs in the balance of leading at work and showing up at home.We also talk about the Leader's Heart Cohort, what it means to be famous at home, and leadership as an act of worship. Matt describes how to identify your first "yes" when it comes to showing up well at home.Show Notes: Apply now for The Leader's Heart Men's Cohort:https://www.famousathome.com/theleadersheart Order a copy of 25 Days of the Christmas Story: An Advent Family Experiencehttps://amzn.to/3R92zRd Learn more about Matt Redman:https://mattredman.com Listen to Matt Redman's podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-wor-th-podcast/id1565062773Order a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzListen to this episode on Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0_Wyfa-hCkQp46d3cLTDpw

*Warning: In this wholesome conversation with our children, we talk about Santa Claus. The phrase in our home is, "Santa is pretend, and in our home, we pretend." For that reason, and that reason alone, you may want to guard little listening ears.In this heartfelt episode, we invited our two oldest kids, Landon (11) and Kennedy (9), to talk about our family devotional, 25 Days of the Christmas Story, and to share their perspective on what Christmas really means to them. Sometimes, what we think matters to our children, isn't at all what they care about. We hope this conversation offers an open door for you to talk to your children what Christmas means to them. We also share practical ways you can create lasting memories with your family during this holiday season.Show Notes:Order a copy of 25 Days of the Christmas Story: An Advent Family Experiencehttps://amzn.to/49IZpuMApply now for The Leader's Heart Men's Cohort:https://www.famousathome.com/theleadersheartInterested in group coaching with Josh or Christi? Click here for interest form:https://www.famousathome.com/groupcoachinginterestOrder a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh + Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFz

Sickness, grief, and loss are inevitable. All of us will experience or walk with close loved ones through sudden loss, or the complexities of a serious or life-threatening illness.Jane Butler, our dear friend, graphic designer for Famous at Home, and Co-Founder of Near, joins us to talk about her husband's brain cancer, how they navigated two brain surgeries, and how she manages to continue to walk alongside him and her young kids as they face hard things.In this episode, Jane shares her deep passion and wisdom about the intersection of life, marriage, parenting, serious illness, and grief and her new passion as the co-founder of Near, an organization offering support for those going through difficult times. Here are some takeaways:When someone you love receives a diagnosis and you don't know what to doSupporting and organizing care for our hurting friends during a crisisHow to shy away from "toxic positivity"and not dismiss someone else's painThe best way to show compassion for someone experiencing a crisisHow to lead your young family in the midst of loss, grief, and difficult seasonsShow Notes:Learn more about Near:https://staynear.coApply now for The Leader's Heart Men's Cohort:https://www.famousathome.com/theleadersheartInterested in group coaching with Josh or Christi? Click here for interest form:https://www.famousathome.com/groupcoachinginterestOrder a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzWatch this episode on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcast

Have you ever worried that you might have missed what God was trying to tell you? Maybe you didn't hear Him correctly? Maybe you even wonder if there's too much noise around you to hear His still, small voice? In this episode, we give an update on our new family adventure, but more importantly, talk about what we've been learning about discerning God's voice in the day-to-day.Here are some highlights: How God has been speaking to us in our current season of adventureHow to bring God into your season of grief, loss, and lonelinessWays to pay attention to what God has for you each dayThe difference between confusion and mysteryWhy God longs to speak to us each dayShow Notes: Apply now for The Leader's Heart Men's Cohort (limited spots available):https://www.famousathome.com/theleadersheartInterested in group coaching with Josh or Christi? Click here for interest form:https://www.famousathome.com/groupcoachinginterestOrder a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzLeave our podcast a review to help others find out about it:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-at-home/id1185660348?see-all=reviewsWatch this episode on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcast

Instead of seeing the "good stuff" right in front of us, we often hold a mental checklist of what will get better "someday." The impact this has on our children cannot go unnoticed. In this episode, we talk about the fruit that comes from seeing and celebrating the good stuff God blesses us with each day.Here are some takeaways:The rhythm God started in Genesis 1 of celebration and reflection, "It is good."Practical ways to reflect on "the good" of each day as a familyHow we can emphasize more on celebrating what's "good" as a family in light of the Halloween seasonHow the knowledge of our heavenly home can give us perspective on the goodness in our current circumstancesShow Notes: Apply now for The Leader's Heart Men's Cohort:https://www.famousathome.com/theleadersheartInterested in group coaching with Josh or Christi? Click here for interest form:https://www.famousathome.com/groupcoachinginterestOrder a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzLeave our podcast a review to help others find out about it:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-at-home/id1185660348?see-all=reviewsSend us podcast topic ideas:https://www.famousathome.com/podcastWatch this episode on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcast

We've been on a journey of simplifying our lives. While it hasn't been the easiest path, we're discovering unexpected beauty along the way.This week, we share what we're learning during this time of scaling back and embracing a quieter season, how it's bringing more clarity to our family's purpose, and how it's also unearthed a newfound joy for our family. When we as parents find our God-given lane, and stay faithful to pursuing it without getting distracted with unnecessary "yeses" and busyness, we give our kids a gift. In this episode, we talk about stripping down the self-imposed pressures, tasks, and busyness we've accumulated along the way, so that we can experience a more fulfilling, purposeful lifestyle that God intended for us.Here are some takeaways:How our busyness, fear of missing out, and people-pleasing tendencies impact our kidsPractical ways to make decisions based on your body's signals and needs How daily scripture reading changes how you view the worldThe tension, differences, and rewards between making your name known on earth vs. making it known in God's KingdomHow to discover your God-given lane and own it, so that your calling and desires alignShow Notes: Apply now for The Leader's Heart Men's Cohort!https://www.famousathome.com/theleadersheartInterested in group coaching with Josh or Christi? Click here for interest form:https://www.famousathome.com/groupcoachinginterestOrder a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzLeave our podcast a review to help others find out about it:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-at-home/id1185660348?see-all=reviewsWatch this episode on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcast

Our nervous system's main job is to protect us, but what happens when it's our kid's need for more of us (more time, more play, more food, more...more...more...) that makes us feel unsafe? How do we recognize it? And how do we take care of ourselves while also letting our kids know that their needs matter?In this episode, we share practical ways to discern between when it's necessary to take care of ourselves when we feel unsafe, and also how to prioritize our kid's needs so they feel safe.Here are some highlights:The nervous system and how our bodies react when we have nothing left to give our kidsPractical ways to come out of fight, flight, or freeze so that you can be present with your kidsWhy scheduling command-free time with your kids throughout the day is gold for your relationshipPhysical touch as a way of showing your kids that you are presentThe critical reality of letting your yes be yes and no be noHow to model repair and forgiveness with your kids when you don't get it right, as a means of emotional safety in your relationship with themShow Notes:Apply now for The Leader's Heart Men's Cohort:https://www.famousathome.com/theleadersheartInterested in group coaching with Josh or Christi? Click here for interest form:https://www.famousathome.com/groupcoachinginterestOrder a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzLeave our podcast a review to help others find out about it:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-at-home/id1185660348?see-all=reviewsSend us podcast topic ideas:https://www.famousathome.com/podcastWatch this episode on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcast

How can we live more in the moment? Besides, the here-and-now is a gift, which is why it's called being "present" (see what we did there?!?)Philippians 4 models for us what it looks like to truly live in the present and receive His peace, which surpasses understanding. However, due to our phones, to-do lists, and stress levels, our minds leave our bodies, leaving us the inability seek calm, pray, and live in peace.In this episode, we talk about how to get back into our bodies in moments of overwhelm, so that we can shift the atmosphere of our home and cultivate a spiritual growth environment for our kids.Here are some highlights:How to notice when things feel "off" and discern the signs of the timesPractical ways to get back into your body in the here-and-nowThe calming of your brain and the gift it is to your children when you live in the presentThe power of speaking truth and gratitude aloudGetting in the routine of trusting God more than you trust yourselfUnderstanding gentleness as your "power under control"Show Notes:Apply now for The Leader's Heart Men's Cohort:https://www.famousathome.com/theleadersheartInterested in group coaching with Josh or Christi? Click here for interest form:https://www.famousathome.com/groupcoachinginterestOrder a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzLeave our podcast a review to help others find out about it:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-at-home/id1185660348?see-all=reviewsSend us podcast topic ideas:https://www.famousathome.com/podcastWatch this episode on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcast

God placed eternity in our hearts (Ecc. 11), and along with that, dreams and desires for using the gifts He's given us. Yet, somewhere along the way, we succumb to the belief that our dreams will never become reality. What is it that holds us back from believing, in faith, for those dreams as a family? In this episode, we talk about how to utilize dreaming as a means of renewing our mind. Here are some highlights: Being curious about your "why" in dreaming and if you are actually running from somethingHow to come alongside a spouse who worries about the future and step into dreaming togetherUnderstanding the freedom we have to make choicesPractical ways to rewire your brain to hope againWhy our kids need us to dreamShow Notes: Interested in group coaching with Josh or Christi? Click here for interest form:https://www.famousathome.com/groupcoachinginterestOrder a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzLeave our podcast a review to help others find out about it: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-at-home/id1185660348?see-all=reviewsSend us podcast topic ideas:https://www.famousathome.com/podcastWatch this episode on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcast

Have you taken a thousand-piece puzzle and dumped it upside down on a table? Pieces everywhere. Some right side up. Others right side down. Border pieces mixed with middle pieces. That's what our lives feel like as we try to find where all of the pieces fit. Have you ever been there? Perhaps you're there now. In this episode, we talk about the toll the fast-paced western industrial complex has on our souls, and what we're doing to take care of ourselves so we can show up well for our loved ones.Here are some highlights:How to lengthen our fuse when it's running shortPractical ways to find soul rest in the day-to-day hustlePractical ways to put your body back in regulation The most effective strategies to get the outcomes you desire in your kids Awareness and repentance as a gateway to freedomShow Notes: Interested in women's group coaching with Christi? 🙋🏽‍♀️ Click here for the interest form: www.famousathome.com/groupcoachinginterestOrder a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh + Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFz Leave us a review to help others find out about the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-at-home/id1185660348?see-all=reviews Send us podcast topic ideas: https://www.famousathome.com/podcast Donate to our project Famous at Home Ministries: https://newhorizonsfoundation.com/project/single-project/2504/ Watch this episode on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcast

It's the time of year for new rhythms, school routines, and activities. But that also comes with the subtle feeling of disconnection with everyone going in separate directions. In this episode, we talk about how the invention of the clock, light bulb, and iPhone are influencing each of us at a personal and familial level today. We also talk about how you can identify the core essentials that bring your family together, why less is more, and how to "try on" what works for your family. Here are some highlights:How to identify the "less" you need in your lifeHow to identify what a good 'ole fashioned "sigh" means for cultivating peace and connection in your homeHow to battle of fear of "being still" and embracing silence so that you can discern what God might be speaking to youShow Notes: Order a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzOrder a copy of Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg Mckeown:https://a.co/d/7MNgDLALeave our podcast a review to help others find out about it:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-at-home/id1185660348?see-all=reviewsSend us podcast topic ideas:https://www.famousathome.com/podcastWatch this episode on YouTube and follow Dr. Josh and Christi's journey:https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcastConsider becoming a financial partner with Famous at Home Ministries:https://newhorizonsfoundation.com/project/single-project/2504/

Summer coming to a close inevitably means new routines. But have you considered where those routines are taking you? How those routines today, if continued, will shape your children's hearts a decade from now? How these routines even shape your family's identity? In this episode, we talk about your "why" and the gift of involving your kids in a purpose greater than themselves.Here are some highlights:What it means for the household to partner with Jesus for the restoration of all thingsThe generational influence of our kid's purposeMaking those under your roof feel seenLiving with a "there you are" confidenceSetting values today that impact your family ten years from nowShow Notes: Order a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzOrder a copy of The Household and The War for the Cosmos by C.R. Wiley:https://amzn.to/3Z3mFyzOrder a copy of The Gospel Comes with a House Key by Rosaria Butterfield:https://amzn.to/3PhspBnLeave us a review to help others find out about the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-at-home/id1185660348?see-all=reviewsSend us podcast topic ideas:https://www.famousathome.com/podcastWatch this episode on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcastThank you for giving and partnering with us in making this podcast reach more people.https://newhorizonsfoundation.com/project/single-project/2504/

In last week's episode, we revealed the news of our big life transition as a family. Though this particular move was a big one for us, you've likely faced life transitions of all sizes. The end of summer and the beginning of school. Job loss. A new child. The death of a parent or grandparent. No matter how big or small, all transitions feel important. That's why so many of us want to know that we're hearing from God as we discern what He's doing and pray through next steps and the days ahead. In this episode, we share a behind-the-scenes look at our recent decision-making process and how we discern when God just might be up to something. We talk about: Why transparency with God makes all the differenceWhy it's important to pay attention when something feels "off"How to recognize what you might be idolizing and discerning if your decisions are in their purest formHow to make the little ones under your roof feel seen and loved in the middle of transitionShow Notes:Thank you for giving and partnering with us in making this podcast reach more people. https://newhorizonsfoundation.com/project/single-project/2504/Have podcast ideas? www.famousathome.com/podcastWatch on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcast

In the last few months, you've likely heard us talk about our desire to prioritize biblical simplicity and hospitality in our home. This week, we share a couple of big, emotional, yet exciting announcements, as we take leaps of faith into the next level of simplicity as a family. And, we invite you on this journey of hospitality with us, as we look forward to what God has in store for this adventurous new season.Show Notes: Have podcast topic ideas or simply want to drop us a note? We'd love to hear from you!www.famousathome.com/podcast

One of the most frequent questions we're asked is how we maintain a spirit of peace with a family of five and all we have going on. "How do you carry such calm in your interactions with each other?" wrote one long-time listener. To begin, peace doesn't come without a fight. In a world of instant gratification, we too easily settle for moments of peace; but anything that doesn't last is counterfeit. In this episode, we talk about practical ways you can war for and cultivate peace in your home.  We talk about:  Why our bodies feel safer in chaos than peacePrayer as a weapon for the war for peaceWhy it's important to take dominion over what God has given youKeeping short accounts of sin in our livesPlaying the long game in the day-to-day overwhelm Show Notes: John Eldredge's Daily Prayer (Head of Household)Do you have questions you want us to answer? We want to hear from YOU! Submit your question today.Leave the podcast a review to help others find out about itOrder a copy of the Famous at Home book by Dr. Josh and ChristiSign up for the Famous at Home Starter BundleWatch this episode on YouTube Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We love hearing from you, our podcast family, and talk about the topics you care about most. This week, we address questions related to raising toddlers, disciplining kids, walking your kids through divorce, and processing the loss of relationships. Here are some highlights:  Practical ways to regulate emotions instead of shutting them out or losing your mindInsights from Psalm 103 to help your kids feel seenHow discipline sets the tone for the environment of our homeWhy it's important we hold grief and joy at the same time Show Notes: Do you have questions you want us to answer? We want to hear from YOU! Submit your question today.Leave the podcast a review to help others find out about itOrder a copy of the Famous at Home book by Dr. Josh and ChristiWatch this episode on YouTube Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We're not in lack when it comes to what to worry about in today's world, especially as parents. With school approaching, we wanted to bring back one of our favorite humans and Famous at Home guests, our friend Sissy Goff, MEd, LPC-MHSP. Sissy is the director of child and adolescent counseling at Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville, Tennessee, and is here with us to talk about her new book, The Worry-Free Parent. This conversation is so rich with parenting nuggets and wisdom on raising confident, courageous kids. We talk about: Practical ways to hold space for both worry and peace in your homeThe power we have as parents over our kid's anxietyHow to model bravery and restore your kid's resourcefulnessManagement strategies to gain your warmth and joy back in the midst of shame and rage Show Notes: Order a copy of Sissy's new book, The Worry-Free Parent!Read more about Daystar Counseling MinistriesRead more about Raising Boys & Girls Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

There are many misconceptions about what practicing the Sabbath, or ceasing from work, really entails. People often view Sabbath as a day for lounging around the house, binging a show on Netflix, or just doing nothing. Those things can be fine, but do they really bring about "soul rest?" In this episode, Josh and Christi go in-depth about the purpose and meaning of Sabbath, and the unique ways they have learned to cultivate it in their home.  Josh and Christi talk about: Shabbat dinner as a fun, family-centric rhythm for your weekly Sabbath Why Sabbath rest is a gift from God and how you can make it work to fit your family dynamicHow to fight against the pull of Western culture away from the biblical gift of Sabbath Show Notes: Order a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and ChristiLeave our podcast a review to help others find out about itSend us podcast topic ideasWatch this episode on YouTube Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Have you ever met a family and thought, "Wow, whatever you've done to raise your kids, I need some of that!?" Mark and Tina Seago are one of those couples. Together, they have seven kids, live on a farm, began a classical school together, and are just downright parenting ninja's. We get the privilege of doing life with them and wanted to introduce them to you since they influence our parenting in so many ways. This week, Mark and Tina give us an inside look at their unique family rhythms and the decisions they've made that shape their children's lives. Mark and Tina talk about: The key decisions they've made that have shaped their children's livesCultivating gratitude and perspective within their family Giving kids responsibility as a way of mutual respect and kindnessLiturgies within their household and how it's given their kids purpose and significance Show Notes: Order a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and ChristiLeave our podcast a review to help others find out about itSend us podcast topic ideasWatch this episode on YouTube Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Last week's conversation centered around how we're rethinking how we lead our family against the common western culture norms that might not be serving families in the way we think or hope they are. This week, we continue this conversation with some of the people who have mentored and taught us much of what we're learning about family right now, Jeremy and April Pryor, dear friends of ours and leaders of Family Teams. Jeremy and April talk about: Mindset shifts as the best way to start recovering the paradigm How they practically fill their home with purpose, vision, and stewardshipHow they have learned to bring people into their world without letting them interrupt their world as introvertsWays they continuously let go of hyper responsibility, entertainment, and emotion management when hosting Show Notes: Get a copy of Family Revision: How Ancient Wisdom Can Heal the Modern Family by Jeremy Pryor Learn more about Family Teams Listen to The Family Teams Podcast Find Jeremy's books on Amazon Watch this episode on YouTube Order a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and Christi Leave our podcast a review to help others find out about it Send us podcast topic ideas Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In many ways, the western culture we live in wars against family growth. This episode is a conversation about how we're seeing the western cultural norms influence our own family and some of the steps we're taking to fight against it. In this episode, we share about how we are structuring our days that's most conducive to Kingdom expansion, is extremely simple (yet rich), and isn't beholden to anyone (except God and our family).  We talk about: Decisions we're making today that will impact our family ten years from nowA new kind of agency when stewarding our time and energy levelsWhy we are simplifying now more than ever beforeWho we are spending time with and the difference it's makingThe freedom we're experiencing after letting go of emotion management in social settings Show Notes: Order a copy of When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel H. Pink Order a copy of Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend Order a copy of Walden by David Thoreau Order a copy of Jayber Crow: A Novel by Wendell Berry Order a copy of Famous at Home by Dr. Josh and Christi Leave our podcast a review to help others find out about it Send us podcast topic ideas Watch this episode on YouTube This podcast episode was sponsored by Epic Will: https://www.epicwill.com/famous Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Who doesn't feel incompetent in the areas of handiness, creativity, and childlike play when it comes to entering your child's world? Perhaps we don't need to make it as complicated as we think. In this episode, Taylor Calmus, video creator of Dude Dad and Super Dad, talks with Josh about what our kids really desire from us, and why he wrote his first children's book, Dad and the Recycling-Bin Roller Coaster. Yes, Taylor actually build a roller coaster in his backyard too!  Taylor shares about: How he's learned to channel his inner child in fatherhoodTime management and boundaries between content creation and family timePractical ways dads can challenge themselves to take on new projects that are out of their comfort zonesHow to integrate your kids into everything you do as a dad Show Notes: Order a copy of Dad and the Recycling-Bin Roller CoasterSubscribe to Dude Dad on YouTubeShop the Dude Dad collectionWatch Super Dad on the Magnolia NetworkWatch this episode on YouTubeOrder a copy of Famous at Home This podcast episode was sponsored by Epic Will: https://www.epicwill.com/famous Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

A couple weeks ago Josh interviewed Christi about her experiences with motherhood, healing, and finding her voice. This week, roles reverse and Christi interviews Josh about his experiences with fatherhood, honor, and how he's learned to cast vision for his family. This conversation was unscripted and heartfelt, as Christi asks questions that get to the heart of how Josh sees his role as a father. Josh shares about: The reasons it's important to honor up to previous generations and pass blessing down to the next generationThe tension between living in denial and being honest about the holes that were left from your upbringingThe sense of vision that comes from viewing everything you do through the lens of being a father and husband Show Notes: Order a copy of Famous at HomeOrder a copy of Jon Tyson's book, The Intentional Father This podcast episode was sponsored by Epic Will: https://www.epicwill.com/famous   Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

After his first interview became one of our most listened to and talked about episodes in podcast history, Pastor Jon Tyson is back with us! He sits down with Josh to talk about intentional fathering, how he discipled his own kids, and the journey you can take your son on as a right of passage into manhood in a healthy and biblical way. Here are some takeaways: How to pay attention to your formation as a man and understand your de-formationAligning your thoughts, practices, and behaviors into who Jesus called you to be and out of your brokennessListening, observing, valuing, and encouraging as the definition of love as a fatherHow to not let your vision of the ideal stop you from doing what you can as a father Show Notes: Register now for the Primal Path Order a copy of Pastor Jon Tyson's book, The Intentional Father Watch this episode on YouTube Sign up for our free Famous at Home Starter Bundle Order a copy of Famous at Home This podcast episode was sponsored by Epic Will: https://www.epicwill.com/famous Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Last week, we started a two-part mini-series where Josh interviewed Christi about her own experiences with motherhood, healing, and finding her voice. This week, we continue the conversation, as Christi goes more in-depth about her experiences with healing and how she has learned to discern God's voice to her throughout motherhood. Christi shares about: How her relationship with God has evolved and looked in different seasons of motherhoodHow she's learned to find and experience freedom in motherhoodHow choosing less has brought a more rich, peace-filled life Show Notes: This podcast episode was sponsored by Epic Will: https://www.epicwill.com/famousWatch this episode on YouTubeOrder a copy of the Famous at Home book Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We had a revelation together recently about how we converse on our podcast. It was a revealing conversation (of which we discuss in this week's episode) that ultimately led to a two-episode series where Josh interviews Christi. This conversation was completely unscripted, as Christi didn't know the questions ahead of time. What came from it was a beautiful, heartfelt two-part conversation about Christi's own experiences with motherhood, healing, and finding her voice.  Some highlights include: How Christi overcame difficult seasons in her life and what the gradual process of healing has looked like for herPractical ways Christi has reconnected back to herself and how it's helped her to be a calmer presence for her childrenThe importance of paying attention to what your body needs in small doses Show Notes: This podcast episode was sponsored by Epic Will: https://www.epicwill.com/famousWatch this episode on YouTubeRegister now for the MyKidsEQ Coaching Workshop (Summer 2023)Order a copy of the Famous at Home book Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

As parents, fostering an environment of resilience for our kids is arguably one of the most important ways we can set our kids up for healthy relationships and self-competence. Yet, with the state we find ourselves in as a culture, we ourselves need to build resilience as well. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about practical ways of cultivating resilience in your home. Highlights include:  What it means to be safe for your kidsGiving our kids language for what they need from us and othersHow emotional intelligence is a byproduct of growing in the fruit of the Spirit Show Notes: This podcast episode was sponsored by Epic Will: https://www.epicwill.com/famousWatch this episode on YouTubeRegister now for the MyKidsEQ Coaching Workshop (Summer 2023)Order a copy of the Famous at Home book Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We live in a constant state of hurry. Our culture even rewards it. Whether it's back-to-back work meetings, rushing kids to and from school activities, or getting dinner on the table, hurry influences our lives on the daily. In this week's episode, Josh and Christi talk about how hurry sickness influences our kid's emotional health.   Highlights include:  Deeper ways that hurry might be impacting your kidsPractical ways to create margin in your day for you and othersPractical strategies to give your kids in the middle of a hurried dayHow simple hugs and healthy physical touch can calm the body and slow us down Show Notes: This podcast episode was sponsored by Epic Will: https://www.epicwill.com/famousWatch this episode on YouTubeRegister now for the MyKidsEQ Coaching Workshop (Summer 2023)Order a copy of the Famous at Home bookTell us what topics you'd like to hear about on the podcast Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

How do we enter into our kid's world and build their emotional health and resilience? In this episode, we outline 4 pillars that help us lay a foundation for our kids to manage their emotions, connect with Jesus, and feel seen. With so much uncertainty, we talk about how we can parent from a place of love, not fear. Here are some highlights: How the posture from which we parent matters more than the techniques we use Why Bible reading should be a priority in your home and not an afterthought Why you can sum up all of parenting research into one primary conclusionHow to practically make your kids feel seen and loved Show Notes: Watch this episode on YouTubeRegister now for the MyKidsEQ Coaching Workshop (Summer 2023)Order a copy of the Famous at Home book Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Screen time is one of the biggest issues facing families today--and we're not just referring to our kids. We set alarms on our phones, await important calls, send urgent emails, and the list goes on. Yet, science has some fascinating new insights on what really matters as it relates to how to maximize our time on our phones and yet be present with people. Joey Odom, cofounder of Aro, a technology platform leveraging the science of habit formation to help you connect by disconnecting, is with us this week to talk about screen time and how to reclaim family time without moving to a flip phone. Joey talks with us about: Essential rules to have as a family in the context of screen timeWays we can leverage our screen time for goodThe value of time and how we can use it as motivation to spend more quality time as a familyThe mission behind Aro, how it works, and where the name came fromWhy it matters specifically as a dad to be on board with less time on the phone Show Notes: Watch this episode on YouTube here. Learn more about Aro. Listen to the Aro Podcast. Learn other ways to show up as the best version of yourself for your family by ordering the Famous at Home book.   Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Would you describe your spouse as your greatest teammate? Probably depends on the day, right? We all have opponents that war against the connection in our marriage and cause conflict. But how do we fight? Do we see the opponent for what it is, or do we make our spouse out to be the opponent? In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about how to name the opponent, talk about your dance, and take responsibility for how to engage with your spouse. They talk about: The importance of finding out what's going on in your spouse's heart rather than what's going on between the two of youProtective mechanisms and how they hold us back from communicating the truth of what we want from our spouseWhy taking 100% responsibility for your role in the conflict disarms your spousePractical ways to show up differently for your spouse Show Notes: Watch this episode on YouTubeOrder a copy of the Famous at Home bookLearn more about coaching with Famous at Home Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Does it feel like you just don't have the time? For what you ask? Well, anything really. Working out. Praying. Even a 5-minute shower. Anything that brings you life instead of draining it from you. The last few weeks Josh and Christi talked about rest and finding solitude in the midst of parenting and the busyness of everyday life. This week, they talk about how to use the time you're already given, more specifically, to press into the one thing that will bring you life and help you show up so much differently for your loved ones.  Josh and Christi talk about: A paradigm shift in how we view our dayPractical ways to make time for God throughout the dayHow to reestablish our identity and stop chasingHow to redefine the weight we put on the tasks of our dayA simple way for helping us to see Jesus in others and give more grace when interruptions come Show Notes: Watch this episode on YouTubeOrder a copy of the Famous at Home bookDownload The Pause app by John Eldredge Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

How do we lead our families and push through the daily grind when it feels as though life is just throwing too much at you? In this episode, Josh and Christi open up about their recent experiences, from grieving the loss of their dear friend Bill, to sudden changes happening around them unexpectedly, and all the while balancing work and family life. They explain what is helping them move forward and how you can practically do the same when it feels like life has just thrown too much at you. Josh and Christi talk about: Sitting in uncomfortable emotions and why it's easier than we fear it will beThe emotions of Holy Week and how the biblical characters' worlds were flipped upside downHow to experience God's presence in the chaos of the circumstancesWays to embrace the surprising amount of opportunities we all have in each day for solitude and experiencing God's love Show Notes: Watch this episode on YouTube hereSign up for our free Famous at Home Starter Bundle and receive the 7 Decisions to Put Your Family Center Stage workbook, 100 Commonly Held Values worksheet, and Feelings Charts for your kids (plus access to our weekly members-only newsletter) You still have time! Order 10 Days of the Easter Story Order the Famous at Home book Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Do you feel exhausted, yet can't seem to enter into rest? Don't worry, you're not alone, and it makes sense. Our nervous system has a built-in protective mechanism that constantly fights to keep us feeling safe. In this episode, we share practical ways to calm your nervous system so that you can be fully present when you enter Sabbath or go on a vacation! We talk about: The three main states of the nervous system: ventral vagal, sympathetic nervous system, and dorsal vagal Orientation and how to find your way back to the present when your body goes in fight, flight, or freezeHow to discern what you say yes and no toPractical ways to work for rest Show Notes: Order 10 Days of the Easter StoryCoaching with Josh and ChristiThe Famous at Home bookWatch this episode on Youtube Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Welcome to part two of our two-part special bonus episodes this week. This may very well be the most insightful, helpful episodes on marriage we’ve ever recorded.  Bill Lokey, a man who became a father figure to me (Josh), a dear friend, mentor, and who joined us at Famous at Home to lead Leader’s Heart, lost his battle with cancer and went to be with Jesus on March 17th, 2023.  In this episode, Bill and his beautiful wife Laurie, join us to talk about their marriage, especially in the midst of Bill’s cancer journey the past few years. Recorded 10 days before he went to be with Jesus, we get a firsthand look at how they’ve grieved, worshipped, laughed, and pressed into the journey together.  The marriage wisdom in this episode is simply beautiful. I think that’s what beautiful about the last days—it offers perspective we otherwise can’t see.  No matter where you’re at on your marriage journey right now, this episode will leave you desiring more, and may even inspire you to stop hiding parts of you that are scared, and press in deeper with your spouse. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We have two special bonus episodes. These may very well be the most insightful, helpful episodes we’ve ever recorded.  The wisdom of Ecclesiastes says, “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting” (7:2, CSB).  Bill Lokey, a man who became a father figure to me (Josh), a dear friend, mentor, and who joined us at Famous at Home to lead Leader’s Heart, lost his battle with cancer and went to be with Jesus on March 17th, 2023.  As you’ll hear in these next two episodes, he wanted to live every moment of life he was given. A testament to this, we were able to sit down and record end of life wisdom just 10 days before he went to be with Jesus.  In this episode, Bill gives us, in many ways, his last words. If you or a loved one are facing an uphill battle with a terminal illness, or your marriage is falling apart, or you’re hurting because of a loss in your life, or maybe you put a dream on the shelf and haven’t been able to pick it back up, this episode will bring the encouragement you need.  Bill talks a lot about how he learned to be loved and how you too can enter into and receive such love.  Here are some highlights based on direct quotes from Bill in this episode:  “Intimacy is a real imposition on our relationships, however it’s also the most healing thing there is.”  “And so I would ask the question, if we were to replace the word “I need God for this reason,” what would it be if we said, ‘Jesus, I want you for this reason?’ What would that be?” “God brought me through things because of His mercy. Not because I was religious enough or had the right spirit. It was God that called me into that. So the more humility I had that God brought to me [through my own failures] and the more He showed me His love for me continued on so that I could hear pretty much any person’s story and while someone might be disapproving it’d be like ‘So, I’ve done the same thing or I’ve done similar things.’ To be able to express God’s mercy and His love [flows from that humility of my own wrong].”  Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Whether you have a newborn baby, kids in elementary school, or teenagers on the go, it's no surprise that rest can feel out of reach. We try to be intentional with our time, but let's face it, the parental interruptions are inevitable. A question we get asked quite frequently is how we manage to find a rhythm of rest amongst the busyness of parenting. In this episode, we begin a two-part series about rest, this one about how to develop practical strategies that aid you in a daily lifestyle of rest. We talk about: Inviting God into the practice of rest and how to avoid taking your frustration out on your kids when you can't get restWhy your body goes into survival mode when you're in a state of lackHow to establish mutual agreement with your spouse about rest in particularly difficult seasons like infancyThe blessing of ending each day in celebration over the good that happened Show Notes: Watch this episode on YouTubeOrder 10 Days of the Easter StoryOrder the Famous at Home bookSign up for our weekly newsletter and receive the Famous at Home Starter BundleIndividual + Marriage Coaching with Josh + ChristiLectio 365 appLectio for Families appPray As You Go appThe Monk ManualJohn Eldredge Extended Daily PrayerThe Pause appOrder Radical Hospitality: Benedict's Way of Love book by Lonni Collins Pratt Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This is one of the most life-giving conversations we've ever had on the podcast! I mean, come on, we all coach our kids to say the words please, sorry, and thanks as three of their first words. Yet, it's crazy how easily we forget to use them as adults.  But what if you could successfully reach your goals and strengthen your relationships with just these 3 magic words? Mark Batterson, New York Times bestselling author and pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC, wrote a new book called Please, Sorry, Thanks, and it's a book that's not only influencing our own lives, but it's one we're now reading to our kids! In this episode, I (Josh) talk with Pastor Mark about his new book and how to personalize your please, signature your sorry, and thumbprint your thanks. We talk about: Why it's important to lean on the side of simplicity over complexity with your wordsThe perks of keeping a gratitude journal and normalizing conversations about what you're thankful for with your spouse and kids Practical ways to exercise your God given ability to imagine and dream bigHow to build empathy in your kids Show Notes: Watch this episode on YouTube  Pre-order Please, Sorry, Thanks Learn more about MyKidsEQ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Ever had your kids ask you a question you never thought of before and were left speechless in how to answer? What makes those questions even more intimidating is when they're questions about the Bible. It's no wonder discipling our kids can feel overwhelming. But what if you don't need to know all of the answers? In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about the ways we can resource our kids in not only looking for answers to their questions, but also falling more in love with Jesus. They also talk about how their new devotional, 10 Days of the Easter Story: A Family Experience Through the Feelings of Holy Week, is structured and written as a framework for getting our kids engaged in the stories of Scripture. They talk about: Practical ways to walk your kids through 10 Days of the Easter Story and make it fun, not overwhelmingThe beauty in curiosity when you don't know the answers and how to invite your kids into holy curiosity Show Notes: Watch this episode on YouTube Order 10 Days of the Easter Story Order the Famous at Home book Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Do you feel dissonance between where your family is right now and where you envision your family to be? A wrestling in your soul with the decisions you're making about who your family is becoming or the direction you're heading? Somewhere along the way, we lose permission to make decisions for ourselves and how we lead our families. Perhaps it's because we're afraid of letting someone down, it's out of the cultural norm, or it just feels unsafe. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about how to reclaim permission to live in peace and lead your family with courage and certainty. They talk about: The bravery it takes to initiate the first step in letting go of the dissonancePractical ways to listen to what the Holy Spirit is nudging you about and how to apply it to your family How to prioritize rest and find what your soul is longing for Show Notes: Watch this episode on YouTubeLearn more about MyKidsEQOrder a copy of 10 Days of the Easter StorySign up for our weekly coaching newsletter Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Not only is the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection difficult to translate to children, but the events leading up to Jesus’ death were full of emotions for His family, disciples, and all who followed Him. The happiness on Palm Sunday, the surprise at the Last Supper, the sadness at the cross, the joy at the tomb—the week of Jesus’ death and resurrection was filled with emotion.  And that’s what gave us the idea: What if we used the emotions they were feeling two-thousand-years-ago to help our kids connect to the Easter story in a way that brings the resurrection of Jesus “alive” to our kids. See what we did there ;) In this episode, we talk about our new book, 10 Days of the Easter Story, and how we as parents can help our kids connect to and learn about their own feelings through the events of Holy Week.  We talk about: How to process grief as a family and sit in sadness while remaining hopefulEmotional vocabulary in the home and how to make it inviting, not threateningThe power of thinking, feeling, and relating at the same time Show Notes: Watch this episode on YouTubeOrder 10 Days of the Easter Story Order the Famous at Home book Sign up for weekly coaching newsletter Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Have you and your spouse ever looked at each other and wondered, "Who did we marry?" Lewis Smedes once said, "My wife has lived with at least five different men since we were wed—and each of the five has been me." It's amazing how much we change: sometimes for the worse, sometimes for the better. In this episode, we talk about the various "seasons" we go through as individuals and how those "seasons" influence our marriage. We also talk about practical ways to enter into your spouse's world in the good, bad, and ugly. We talk about: How to prioritize what's going on within your spouse's heart more than what's going on between the two of youWays to empathetically step into your spouse's worldPractical ways to dream with your spouse and offer affirmation Show Notes: Watch this episode on YouTube Order a copy of 10 Days of the Easter Story Sign up for our weekly coaching newsletter Order a copy of the Famous at Home book Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Perhaps you feel like the work you are doing inside your home or at an office is left unnoticed. Maybe you feel like your everyday work is less important than someone else's work. Get this: your work is ministry and God sees you. He sees it as purposeful even when the world doesn't. In this episode, Jordan Raynor, a dear friend, comes on the podcast to talk about his new devotional The Word Before Work: A Monday-Through-Friday Devotional to Help You Find Eternal Purpose in Your Daily Work. He and Josh talk about the connection between our work and God's work on Earth, and ways that He delights in us. Jordan and Josh talk about: What work means in light of the biblical narrative God's redeeming of the work put in our handsThe honor it is to be chosen as the parent of your kids and the uniqueness of your role inside the homeThe power of mourning your unhappiness in your current role, dwelling on Isaiah 65, and purposely working under the Lord with understanding there will be an eternal reward Show Notes: Order a copy of Jordan's book The Word Before Work: A Monday-Through-Friday Devotional to Help You Find Eternal Purpose in Your Daily Work Watch this episode on YouTube here Order a copy of Imagine Heaven by John Burke Order a copy of The Household and the War for the Cosmos by C.R. Wiley 10 Days of the Easter Story is now available! Order a copy today! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Have you discovered what brings your family alive? Perhaps it's an activity, hobby, or some type of adventure, like an annual vacation or memories on a lake house? Can you identify the life-giving moments that bring your family together? In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about how to foster a sense of purpose and deep relationships as a family in 2023. Josh and Christi talk about: Simplicity on the other side of complexityThe correlation between simplifying your life and going deeper in your relationshipsTheir current rally cry as a family and practical ways they live it out Show Notes: Watch this episode on YouTubePre-order 10 Days of the Easter StoryFamous at Home coachingDownload the Famous at Home workbook (100 values list) Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

How has the screen influenced your family? On one hand, you may say you want to spend less time on your phone, but actually following through is quite difficult. Screens have infiltrated every area of our lives: communication, work email, directions, Uber, grocery orders, Amazon Prime, apps for your kids, and the list goes on. So, how does a family actually make changes when it comes to screens? Josh recently deleted a majority of the apps on his phone, practically turning his iPhone into a flip phone. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about the ways it has been life-giving for their family and share practical ways you can make similar changes. Josh and Christi talk about: The research on "continuous partial attention" and how it's increasing anxiety in our kidsHow to let go of the hurry and allow yourself to be inconvenienced in difficult, but freeing, waysSimply acting on your decisions and adjusting your life according to those decisions Show Notes: Watch this episode on YouTubeSign up for our weekly coaching newsletter and check out our revamped websiteSend any questions/concerns/topics you’d like to hear about in future episodesPray As You Go appLectio 365 appLectio for Families app Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Am I getting parenting right? That's a question that crosses our mind quite often. Which makes anyone who decides to write a book with so bold a title as Parenting: Getting it Right, either have a lot of courage or be out of their mind. Fortunately, Pastor Andy Stanley and his wife Sandra (authors and founders of North Point Ministries), who bravely wrote such a title, have parented successfully! Sandra joins us this week to talk to Josh about their experience as parents of now three grown children.Sandra and Josh talk about:What "it" actually meansThe four seasons of parentingWhy behavior modification is not the goal, but relationship isWays to adapt your words and approach with your kids specific to their personalityHow to reflect Jesus as your kids mirror your behaviorShow Notes:Order a copy of Parenting: Getting It Right:https://andystanley.com/parenting/Watch this epiosde on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcastLearn more about Andy and Sandra Stanley:https://andystanley.com/parenting/REGISTER FOR MYKIDSEQ COACHING WORKSHOP: https://www.famousathome.com/kids

Am I getting parenting right? That's a question that crosses our mind quite often. Which makes anyone who decides to write a book with so bold a title as Parenting: Getting it Right, either have a lot of courage or be out of their mind. Fortunately, Pastor Andy Stanley and his wife Sandra (authors and founders of North Point Ministries), who bravely wrote such a title, have parented successfully! Sandra joins us this week to talk to Josh about their experience as parents of now three grown children.Sandra and Josh talk about:What "it" actually meansThe four seasons of parentingWhy behavior modification is not the goal, but relationship isWays to adapt your words and approach with your kids specific to their personalityHow to reflect Jesus as your kids mirror your behaviorShow Notes:Order a copy of Parenting: Getting It Right:https://andystanley.com/parenting/Watch this epiosde on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcastLearn more about Andy and Sandra Stanley:https://andystanley.com/parenting/REGISTER FOR MYKIDSEQ COACHING WORKSHOP: https://www.famousathome.com/kids Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The everyday mundane has a knack for keeping us comfortable. Before long, we forget to take risks, do something out of our comfort zone, or prioritize activities that actually bring us life. That's why we felt it fitting for the final episode of our Words That Matter for Your Family series to end with the word "adventure." When was the last time your family did something adventurous? In this episode, we talk about:How thinking, feeling, and relating all at the same time influences brain growthThe reward of saying "yes" to a hobby, risk, or decision that challenges youHow "adventure" helps your kids internalize their faith and love others wellThe relationship between having fun and gaining empathy and how the two go hand-in-handShow Notes:Watch this episode on YouTube here:https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcastFor more insight on cultivating "adventure" in your home, purchase a copy of the Famous at Home book here:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzBecome a MyKidsEQ Coach!https://www.famousathome.com/kidsDownload the Famous at Home workbook (100 values list + Family Values Exercise)https://www.famousathome.com/bookIndividual + Marriage Coaching with Josh + Christihttps://www.famousathome.com/coachingDate Night Ideashttp://www.famousathome.com/datenight

The everyday mundane has a knack for keeping us comfortable. Before long, we forget to take risks, do something out of our comfort zone, or prioritize activities that actually bring us life. That's why we felt it fitting for the final episode of our Words That Matter for Your Family series to end with the word "adventure." When was the last time your family did something adventurous? In this episode, we talk about:How thinking, feeling, and relating all at the same time influences brain growthThe reward of saying "yes" to a hobby, risk, or decision that challenges youHow "adventure" helps your kids internalize their faith and love others wellThe relationship between having fun and gaining empathy and how the two go hand-in-handShow Notes:Watch this episode on YouTube here:https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcastFor more insight on cultivating "adventure" in your home, purchase a copy of the Famous at Home book here:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzBecome a MyKidsEQ Coach!https://www.famousathome.com/kidsDownload the Famous at Home workbook (100 values list + Family Values Exercise)https://www.famousathome.com/bookIndividual + Marriage Coaching with Josh + Christihttps://www.famousathome.com/coachingDate Night Ideashttp://www.famousathome.com/datenight Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

There is a hard truth we all have to come to grips with: If you don't get intentional about the direction of your family, the culture will decide it for you. A culture that values individual achievement at the expense of the family unit results in families who are exhausted, fragmented, and directionless. But what if each individual's purpose in life was meant to be discovered, not outside the home, but within it? And what could this look like for your family?In this episode, we continue the Words That Matter for Your Family series, by talking about the word "purpose" and how your family can live on purpose, not by accident.We talk about:• The one question that matters more than any other to determine if you’re really living on purpose• How our values lead to our purpose• Specific ways we (the Straub’s) live on purpose in our family • How to cultivate your heart, make your inner circle smaller, and become more "weird"Show Notes:Watch this episode on YouTube here:https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcastFor more insight on cultivating "purpose" in your home, purchase a copy of the Famous at Home book here:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzBecome a MyKidsEQ Coach!https://www.famousathome.com/kidsDownload the Famous at Home workbook (100 values list + Family Values Exercise)https://www.famousathome.com/bookIndividual + Marriage Coaching with Josh + Christihttps://www.famousathome.com/coachingOrder a copy of Imagine Heavenhttps://imagineheaven.net

There is a hard truth we all have to come to grips with: If you don't get intentional about the direction of your family, the culture will decide it for you. A culture that values individual achievement at the expense of the family unit results in families who are exhausted, fragmented, and directionless. But what if each individual's purpose in life was meant to be discovered, not outside the home, but within it? And what could this look like for your family?In this episode, we continue the Words That Matter for Your Family series, by talking about the word "purpose" and how your family can live on purpose, not by accident.We talk about:• The one question that matters more than any other to determine if you’re really living on purpose• How our values lead to our purpose• Specific ways we (the Straub’s) live on purpose in our family • How to cultivate your heart, make your inner circle smaller, and become more "weird"Show Notes:Watch this episode on YouTube here:https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcastFor more insight on cultivating "purpose" in your home, purchase a copy of the Famous at Home book here:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzBecome a MyKidsEQ Coach!https://www.famousathome.com/kidsDownload the Famous at Home workbook (100 values list + Family Values Exercise)https://www.famousathome.com/bookIndividual + Marriage Coaching with Josh + Christihttps://www.famousathome.com/coachingOrder a copy of Imagine Heavenhttps://imagineheaven.net Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Isn't it wild how we, as humans, are drawn to prioritizing a growth mindset...well, that is, until someone (a spouse, child, coworker, or friend) delivers us some unwelcome constructive criticism. Can we be teachable when it's tempting to be offendable? How we respond as adults may very well be what we cultivate with our kids.As we continue the Words That Matter for Your Family series, this week we talk about the word "teachable" and why it matters for your family.We talk about:The interconnectedness of teachability and calmHow and why saying sorry to your kids is the gift that keeps on givingHow to let go of self protection when your spouse points out a flawBeing curious about what you don't want to learn and processing it in prayerShow Notes:Watch this episode on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcastFor more insight on cultivating "teachable" spirit in your home, purchase a copy of the Famous at Home book here: https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzBecome a MyKidsEQ Coach! https://www.famousathome.com/kidsIndividual + Marriage Coaching with Josh + Christi https://www.famousathome.com/coaching

Isn't it wild how we, as humans, are drawn to prioritizing a growth mindset...well, that is, until someone (a spouse, child, coworker, or friend) delivers us some unwelcome constructive criticism. Can we be teachable when it's tempting to be offendable? How we respond as adults may very well be what we cultivate with our kids.As we continue the Words That Matter for Your Family series, this week we talk about the word "teachable" and why it matters for your family.We talk about:The interconnectedness of teachability and calmHow and why saying sorry to your kids is the gift that keeps on givingHow to let go of self protection when your spouse points out a flawBeing curious about what you don't want to learn and processing it in prayerShow Notes:Watch this episode on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcastFor more insight on cultivating "teachable" spirit in your home, purchase a copy of the Famous at Home book here: https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzBecome a MyKidsEQ Coach! https://www.famousathome.com/kidsIndividual + Marriage Coaching with Josh + Christi https://www.famousathome.com/coaching Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Conversation about faith is inevitable with your kids. The trouble is when we, often unintentionally, attach shame and pressure with it, perhaps feeling inadequate about the topic. But what if living it out is more simple than we realize? To continue the Words That Matter for Your Family series, we talk about the word "faith" and why it matters for your family.They talk about:Deciding what 3 things you want to implement and not implement from your family origin faith backgroundThe correlation between your experience with grace and your kid's experience with graceTransparency about your faith journey with your kidsHow to move from shame to experiencing the tender love of GodWatch this episode on YouTube here.Show Notes:For more insight on cultivating faith in your home, get a copy of the Famous at Homebook here:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzBecome a MyKidsEQ Coach!https://www.mykidseq.comDownload the Famous at Home workbook (100 values list + exercise included)https://www.famousathome.com/bookIndividual + Marriage Coaching with Josh + Christihttps://www.famousathome.com/coachingOrder a copy of 25 Days of the Christmas Storyhttps://www.lifeway.com/en/product/25-days-of-the-christmas-story-P005829480Order a copy of Abba's Childhttps://a.co/d/csZDS8wOrder a copy of Discipline of Gracehttps://a.co/d/hQuxFRzDownload the Pray As You Go apphttps://apps.apple.com/us/app/pray-as-you-go/id865934048Download the Wild at Heart apphttps://apps.apple.com/us/app/wild-at-heart/id427657975Download the Lectio 365 apphttps://apps.apple.com/us/app/lectio-365/id1483974820 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Conversation about faith is inevitable with your kids. The trouble is when we, often unintentionally, attach shame and pressure with it, perhaps feeling inadequate about the topic. But what if living it out is more simple than we realize? To continue the Words That Matter for Your Family series, we talk about the word "faith" and why it matters for your family.They talk about:Deciding what 3 things you want to implement and not implement from your family origin faith backgroundThe correlation between your experience with grace and your kid's experience with graceTransparency about your faith journey with your kidsHow to move from shame to experiencing the tender love of GodWatch this episode on YouTube here.Show Notes:For more insight on cultivating faith in your home, get a copy of the Famous at Homebook here:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzBecome a MyKidsEQ Coach!https://www.mykidseq.comDownload the Famous at Home workbook (100 values list + exercise included)https://www.famousathome.com/bookIndividual + Marriage Coaching with Josh + Christihttps://www.famousathome.com/coachingOrder a copy of 25 Days of the Christmas Storyhttps://www.lifeway.com/en/product/25-days-of-the-christmas-story-P005829480Order a copy of Abba's Childhttps://a.co/d/csZDS8wOrder a copy of Discipline of Gracehttps://a.co/d/hQuxFRzDownload the Pray As You Go apphttps://apps.apple.com/us/app/pray-as-you-go/id865934048Download the Wild at Heart apphttps://apps.apple.com/us/app/wild-at-heart/id427657975Download the Lectio 365 apphttps://apps.apple.com/us/app/lectio-365/id1483974820

What activities foster a sense of "togetherness" for your family? In this episode, we continue the Words that Matter for Your Family series, and talk about the word "cohesive." Here are some highlights:How to identify family values and practically live by themWays to invite your kids in on goal setting, meal prepping, worshipping, volunteering, and other responsibilities you have as a parentHow to discover what makes your kids feel connected to youHow to make "alone time" intentional, and "togetherness" the norm as a familyWatch this episode on YouTube here.Show Notes:For more insight on cultivating "cohesiveness" in your home, purchase a copy of the Famous at Home book here:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzBecome a MyKidsEQ Coach! Sign up for our MyKidsEQ Coaching Workshop today!https://www.mykidseq.comDownload the Famous at Home workbook (100 values list + exercise included)https://www.famousathome.com/book Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

What activities foster a sense of "togetherness" for your family? In this episode, we continue the Words that Matter for Your Family series, and talk about the word "cohesive." Here are some highlights:How to identify family values and practically live by themWays to invite your kids in on goal setting, meal prepping, worshipping, volunteering, and other responsibilities you have as a parentHow to discover what makes your kids feel connected to youHow to make "alone time" intentional, and "togetherness" the norm as a familyWatch this episode on YouTube here.Show Notes:For more insight on cultivating "cohesiveness" in your home, purchase a copy of the Famous at Home book here:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFzBecome a MyKidsEQ Coach! Sign up for our MyKidsEQ Coaching Workshop today!https://www.mykidseq.comDownload the Famous at Home workbook (100 values list + exercise included)https://www.famousathome.com/book

Do you want to work yourself out of a job as a parent? Best selling author and educator Esther Wojcicki describes the one rule she used as a parent with her three daughters, "Don't do anything for your kids that they can do for themselves."As we continue our series, Words that Matter for Your Family, we talk about the word "resourceful," and why training your children to accomplish tasks on their own develops confident, but not entitled, kids.In this episode we talk about:- The specific ways it pays off when you intentionally teach your kids resourcefulness- The "I do, we do, you do" model of kids learning to do things on their own- The patience it requires to let your kids try things on their own - How to come alongside your kids and supervise when they don't do something right in a way that doesn't make them feel incompetent- The importance of teaching your kids to bring you solutions when they present you with a problemWatch this episode on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcastShow Notes:Sign up for our MyKidsEQ Workshop!https://www.famousathome.com/kidsOrder a copy of 25 Days of the Christmas Story:https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/25-days-of-the-christmas-story-P005829480For more insight on cultivating "resourcefulness" in your home, purchase a copy of the Famous at Home book here:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFz

Do you want to work yourself out of a job as a parent? Best selling author and educator Esther Wojcicki describes the one rule she used as a parent with her three daughters, "Don't do anything for your kids that they can do for themselves."As we continue our series, Words that Matter for Your Family, we talk about the word "resourceful," and why training your children to accomplish tasks on their own develops confident, but not entitled, kids.In this episode we talk about:- The specific ways it pays off when you intentionally teach your kids resourcefulness- The "I do, we do, you do" model of kids learning to do things on their own- The patience it requires to let your kids try things on their own - How to come alongside your kids and supervise when they don't do something right in a way that doesn't make them feel incompetent- The importance of teaching your kids to bring you solutions when they present you with a problemWatch this episode on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcastShow Notes:Sign up for our MyKidsEQ Workshop!https://www.famousathome.com/kidsOrder a copy of 25 Days of the Christmas Story:https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/25-days-of-the-christmas-story-P005829480For more insight on cultivating "resourcefulness" in your home, purchase a copy of the Famous at Home book here:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFz Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Does life feel too complex, perhaps even chaotic, at times? As we continue our series, Words that Matter for Your Family, this week we talk about the word "simplicity," and why it's important to take inventory over what is exhausting you.In this episode we talk about:•Identifying the areas of your life that feel more complicated than they need to be. •The correlation between added layers of complexity and added layers of anxiety•Even paying attention to how the things in your physical space are making you feel emotionally heavy•Ways your schedule might be overloaded•Practical ways to simplify your lifestyle as a family in a way that brings lifeWatch this episode on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcastShow Notes:Order a copy of 25 Days of the Christmas Story:https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/25-days-of-the-christmas-story-P005829480For more insight on cultivating "simplicity" in your home, purchase a copy of the Famous at Home book here:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFz Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Does life feel too complex, perhaps even chaotic, at times? As we continue our series, Words that Matter for Your Family, this week we talk about the word "simplicity," and why it's important to take inventory over what is exhausting you.In this episode we talk about:•Identifying the areas of your life that feel more complicated than they need to be. •The correlation between added layers of complexity and added layers of anxiety•Even paying attention to how the things in your physical space are making you feel emotionally heavy•Ways your schedule might be overloaded•Practical ways to simplify your lifestyle as a family in a way that brings lifeWatch this episode on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcastShow Notes:Order a copy of 25 Days of the Christmas Story:https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/25-days-of-the-christmas-story-P005829480For more insight on cultivating "simplicity" in your home, purchase a copy of the Famous at Home book here:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFz

As we continue our series, Words that Matter for Your Family, this week we talk about the word "discipline," and why it's the "end all be all" for your family, but not for your kids. We also talk about why it's important to cultivate grace and truth as you lead your family.In this episode we talk about:- The transfer of self-discipline in our relationships as a means of experiencing true freedom- Walking the road of balance and following your family's specific convictions as a continual everyday process- Ways to be gentle with yourself and show grace when you get it wrong- How to teach your kids to love discipline and understand why it's importantWatch this episode on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcastShow Notes:Order a copy of 25 Days of the Christmas Story: An Advent Family Experiencehttps://www.lifeway.com/en/product/25-days-of-the-christmas-story-P005829480Order a copy of the Famous at Home bookhttps://amzn.to/3y1jJFzJoin the MyKidsEQ Ambassador Coaching Programhttps://www.famousathome.com/offers/iecndAxL/checkout

As we continue our series, Words that Matter for Your Family, this week we talk about the word "discipline," and why it's the "end all be all" for your family, but not for your kids. We also talk about why it's important to cultivate grace and truth as you lead your family.In this episode we talk about:- The transfer of self-discipline in our relationships as a means of experiencing true freedom- Walking the road of balance and following your family's specific convictions as a continual everyday process- Ways to be gentle with yourself and show grace when you get it wrong- How to teach your kids to love discipline and understand why it's importantWatch this episode on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcastShow Notes:Order a copy of 25 Days of the Christmas Story: An Advent Family Experiencehttps://www.lifeway.com/en/product/25-days-of-the-christmas-story-P005829480Order a copy of the Famous at Home bookhttps://amzn.to/3y1jJFzJoin the MyKidsEQ Ambassador Coaching Programhttps://www.famousathome.com/offers/iecndAxL/checkout Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

As we continue our series, Words that Matter for Your Family, this week we talk about the word "attunement," and why it's important for your spouse and kids to "feel seen" in their relationship with you. We define the word "attunement" and talk about why we should seek consistency, not perfection.In this episode we talk about:- Giving our kids the tools to communicate what they need when they don't feel seen or heard- What it means to have an "Oh, there you are" attitude when you walk into a room- Ways to attune to your spouse's needs when you feel a disconnect- The correlation between having compassion and empathy for yourself and your kids having it for othersWatch this episode on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcastShow Notes:Order a copy of 25 Days of the Christmas Story: An Advent Family Experiencehttps://amzn.to/3DfMmBCOrder a copy of the Famous at Home bookhttps://amzn.to/3y1jJFzOrder a copy of Abba's Child by Brennan Manninghttps://amzn.to/3EklnFkJoin the MyKidsEQ Ambassador Coaching Programhttps://www.famousathome.com/offers/iecndAxL/checkout

As we continue our series, Words that Matter for Your Family, this week we talk about the word "attunement," and why it's important for your spouse and kids to "feel seen" in their relationship with you. We define the word "attunement" and talk about why we should seek consistency, not perfection.In this episode we talk about:- Giving our kids the tools to communicate what they need when they don't feel seen or heard- What it means to have an "Oh, there you are" attitude when you walk into a room- Ways to attune to your spouse's needs when you feel a disconnect- The correlation between having compassion and empathy for yourself and your kids having it for othersWatch this episode on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@FamousatHomepodcastShow Notes:Order a copy of 25 Days of the Christmas Story: An Advent Family Experiencehttps://amzn.to/3DfMmBCOrder a copy of the Famous at Home bookhttps://amzn.to/3y1jJFzOrder a copy of Abba's Child by Brennan Manninghttps://amzn.to/3EklnFkJoin the MyKidsEQ Ambassador Coaching Programhttps://www.famousathome.com/offers/iecndAxL/checkout Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This week, we kick off a brand new series called Words that Matter for Your Family. For the next few weeks we'll be talking about words that better help us show up for our spouse and kids. To begin, we start by talking about the word "safety," what it is and how we cultivate it. In this episode Josh and Christi talk about:- How to pursue your spouse's heart using emotional vocabulary- The way relational warmth wires your child's brain for relationships- Why posture is more important than technique in parenting- How to calm your child's brain when they are in the midst of fight, flight, or freeze- Ways to focus on who you are becoming as an adultShow Notes:Order a copy of Josh’s book Safe House:https://amzn.to/3td9hJfSign up for the MyKid’sEQ Ambassador Coaching Program:https://www.mykidseq.comOrder a copy of What Am I Feeling? by Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3boHOymOrder a copy of What Do I Do With Worry? by Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3OwgxZJOrder the Famous at Home book by Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFz

This week, we kick off a brand new series called Words that Matter for Your Family. For the next few weeks we'll be talking about words that better help us show up for our spouse and kids. To begin, we start by talking about the word "safety," what it is and how we cultivate it. In this episode Josh and Christi talk about:- How to pursue your spouse's heart using emotional vocabulary- The way relational warmth wires your child's brain for relationships- Why posture is more important than technique in parenting- How to calm your child's brain when they are in the midst of fight, flight, or freeze- Ways to focus on who you are becoming as an adultShow Notes:Order a copy of Josh’s book Safe House:https://amzn.to/3td9hJfSign up for the MyKid’sEQ Ambassador Coaching Program:https://www.mykidseq.comOrder a copy of What Am I Feeling? by Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3boHOymOrder a copy of What Do I Do With Worry? by Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3OwgxZJOrder the Famous at Home book by Josh and Christi:https://amzn.to/3y1jJFz Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Have you ever given thought to how your "household" is being defined? The direction it's heading? Or the connectedness you feel to one another? In this episode, we talk about the meaning of the word "household" and how it applies to your family.We talk about:Why it's important to be curious, not intimidated by uncomfortable emotions.How to let go of "the chase" and refocus on nurturing your marriage and your kids.How to embrace your family's uniqueness.How to become a family of creators, not consumers.Show Notes:Famous at Home: 7 Decisions to Put Your Family Center Stage in a World Competing for YourTime, Attention, and Identity by Dr. Josh and Christi Straubhttps://amzn.to/3y1jJFzThe Household and the War for the Cosmos by C.R. Wileyhttps://amzn.to/3DCMoDw25 Days of the Christmas Story: An Advent Family Experiencehttps://amzn.to/3DfMmBCWatch this episode on YouTube.https://youtu.be/u5MpwZYmW8s

Have you ever given thought to how your "household" is being defined? The direction it's heading? Or the connectedness you feel to one another? In this episode, we talk about the meaning of the word "household" and how it applies to your family.We talk about:Why it's important to be curious, not intimidated by uncomfortable emotions.How to let go of "the chase" and refocus on nurturing your marriage and your kids.How to embrace your family's uniqueness.How to become a family of creators, not consumers.Show Notes:Famous at Home: 7 Decisions to Put Your Family Center Stage in a World Competing for YourTime, Attention, and Identity by Dr. Josh and Christi Straubhttps://amzn.to/3y1jJFzThe Household and the War for the Cosmos by C.R. Wileyhttps://amzn.to/3DCMoDw25 Days of the Christmas Story: An Advent Family Experiencehttps://amzn.to/3DfMmBCWatch this episode on YouTube.https://youtu.be/u5MpwZYmW8s Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Alright, friends! We have some exciting new updates for you about the podcast and Famous at Home. If you're a regular family member of the podcast, you'll want to hear these new updates. Also, do you know those moments when life feels fragmented? When it just feels like everyone is going in their own direction? How do you recalibrate as a family? What is it that reconnects your family at the heart level? In this episode, Josh talks about recalibrating your family and also shares what he and Christi and his family are doing to recalibrate right now.Josh talks about:* What to do when your family feels disconnected* Resources and activities that have brought the Straub family together* How parenting and spiritual growth are not mutually exclusive, but deeply interconnectedShow Notes:Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.famousathome.comStay up to date on MyKidsEQ: www.mykidseq.comCoaching with Josh and Christi: https://www.famousathome.com/coachingOrder a copy of 25 Days of the Christmas Story: https://amzn.to/3DfMmBCOrder a copy of the Famous at Home book: https://amzn.to/3U0ubq9Order a copy of Domestic Monastery by Ronald Rolheiser https://amzn.to/3f5XJnL

If you're a parent, you've likely felt overworked, overwhelmed, and unsuccessful. Maybe you feel that way now? Perhaps home even feels chaotic. What if there was a system that helped you take control over your roles and time at home? Where you could move from chaotic to confident, and ultimately, more present. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk with Rebekah Scott, wife, mom of four, business owner, and podcaster about practical ways to move from chaos to confident as a parent.They talk about:* The 4 systems to living a life filled with joy and purpose* How to navigate a relational presence in the home* Ways to prioritize meals, find time for yourself, work, and still be present with your familyWatch this episode on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k869kzrEmw0Show Notes:Leave the Famous at Home book a review: https://amzn.to/3h2HpohListen to the Encourager Podcast: https://encouragerpodcast.com/Learn about the Encourager Academy: https://encouragerpodcast.com/products/encourager-academyShop Rebekah Scott Designs: https://shoprsd.com/

How do you get on the same page as your spouse when it comes to money? Is it possible to simplify your money life? In this episode, Josh and Christi talk with Bob and Linda Lotich, founders of SeedTime, about their new book Simple Money, Rich Life and how to create a clear plan for achieving your financial goals.They talk about:* Ways to become more unified in your marriage around money* The one-category budget: Get 80% of the results with 20% of the work* How to use money as a tool to fulfill what God has called you to do* How to make giving funWatch this episode on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEAkiwvJA6c&t=2sShow Notes:Order a copy of Simple Money, Rich Life: https://amzn.to/3sRIphE

What is emotional safety? And how do you cultivate an emotionally safe marriage? In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about elephants in marriage and how to be your true self in hard conversations with your spouse.They talk about:* Approaching conversations in love rather than fear* Having an "us against the world" mindset* How to talk to your spouse about feeling emotionally safeShow Notes:Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU2TYVNwpVIOrder a copy of the Famous at Home book: https://www.famousathome.com/bookGo back and listen to our "Sex Makes Everything Better" episode with Laura Dugger: https://apple.co/3gRybLlMarriage Coaching with Josh and Christi: https://www.famousathome.com/coaching

In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about practical game changers that have helped level up their own marriage. They use a recent national survey on the biggest issues couples argue about to help you apply these game changers to how you communicate in marriage. Can you guess the #1 issue couples argue about more than any other topic? Listen in to find out.Here are a couple key takeaways:* Why communication is overrated and the game changer that really matters* How to cut through your normal "dance"* The key factor to high marital satisfaction* Game changers that increase intimacy and connectionWatch this episode on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg7WuNxZPK8PS. We want to know YOUR game changers. Comment on Instagram or Youtube for what's worked for you!Show Notes:Order a copy of the Famous at Home book! https://www.famousathome.com/bookLeave a review for the Famous at Home book: https://amzn.to/3h2HpohIndividual + Marriage Coaching Intensives with Josh and Christi: https://www.famousathome.com/coachingHow and why do American couples argue?: https://bit.ly/3FzlNtJ

What does it mean to be a "successful" parent? And what does it mean to raise "successful" kids? Though the world has one definition for this term, we talk to a mom (and grandma) this week who is on the other side of the trenches, having successfully raised her seven kids in every sense of the word.Helen Smallbone is a co-founder of MUMlife Community and a podcast host with AccessMore, as well as a mom of Grammy Award-winning artists: Rebecca St. James and FOR KING + COUNTRY. In this episode, we talk with Helen about her new book Behind the Lights: The Extraordinary Adventure of a Mum and Her Family, and what her journey looked like behind the scenes of instilling faith in seven children. We talk to her about:* How to go deeper in conversations with your kids and find the "why" behind their actions* Ways to prioritize self-care and solitude as a parent * Strategies Helen used to handle sibling rivalry in her home* The weight of pointing our kids to Jesus* The power of simply asking God for helpWatch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B3Z69otsnoShow Notes-- Order a copy of Behind the Lights: The Extraordinary Adventure of a Mum and Her Family:https://amzn.to/3dkONd5Learn more about the MUMlife Community:www.mumlife.org

Since outbursts and sullenness are common in boys, it's easy to assume that's just how boys are and they will eventually grow out of it. But what if we understood the reasons behind their meltdowns or aloofness? What if there were tools that could help boys build an emotionally strong foundation? In this episode, Josh and Christi talk with their dear friend, David Thomas, LMSW, author, and Director of Family Counseling at Daystar Counseling in Nashville, TN, about his new book Raising Emotionally Strong Boys.Here are some highlights:- Practical ways to help your son be resourceful, aware, resilient, and empathetic- How we can help our boys problem solve in the midst of their self-pity- Strategies to help boys discover a middle ground between shame and blame- How to narrate your own navigation strategies in real time with your kids Shownotes: Get a copy of Emotionally Strong Boyshttps://amzn.to/3QxWWITCheck out the Raising Boys and Girls Podcast: https://www.raisingboysandgirls.com/l...Order What Do I Do with Anger? https://amzn.to/3QvmZjJGet a copy of the Famous at Home book!https://amzn.to/3Bwvved

The world puts a lot of goodies in front of us as parents, enticing activities, gadgets, and toys, to give our kids a so-called "advantage." But do the masses really know what our kids need to thrive? If so, why are we facing an epidemic of anxiety today in kids? In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about what research shows really gives kids an "advantage" and how they're trying to implement it in their own home. Here are some highlights:- How to build pillars of resilience at home for your kids- What it means to connect with your inner child and reclaim that child in your everyday life- The effect screen time has, not only the way you show up for your kids, but the way they show up for you too- How to incorporate emotional vocabulary in your home and why it matters- Helpful ways to create a rule of life/liturgy in your homeWatch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m33lWz4qCgcShow Notes: Get the FREE downloadable worksheet from the Famous at Home book: www.famousathome.com/book

It's quite amazing our tendency to grow comfortable with the busyness of life where shouldering daily burdens on our own and trying to manage control of everything and everyone around us is our responsibility. No wonder we feel lonely and defeated. Yet, it was never intended to be this way. In this episode, we talk with Max Lucado, senior pastor of Oak Hills Church of San Antonio, Texas, and best-selling author about the Holy Spirit, who Jesus gave us to be our helper and guide. Pastor Max talks with us about his new book, Help Is Here: Finding FRESH STRENGTH and PURPOSE in the POWER of the Holy Spirit.The three of us talk about:* Each of our own journeys in understanding the desperate need we have for the Holy Spirit* Three powerful, yet simple words to speak out loud every morning* The Holy Spirit's role as two metaphors: intercessor and seal* The practical ways to invite the Holy Spirit into your day-to-day life as a familyWatch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4yiPOp0rmcShow Notes:ORDER PASTOR MAX'S NEW BOOK!https://amzn.to/3KnQF0MSUBSCRIBE TO FAMOUS AT HOME PODCAST: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

At Famous at Home, we believe raising great kids is about who we're becoming. But focusing on our inner lives as parents can be difficult, especially when regret, hurt, and fear weigh us down and influence how we show up for our kids. In this episode, Josh sits down with Scott Sauls, senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church of Nashville. Pastor Scott talks with us this week about his new book, Beautiful People Don't Just Happen: How God Redeems Regret, Hurt, and Fear in the Making of Better Humans.Josh and Scott talk about:* The correlation between your willingness to submit to the Lord's discipline and your kid's willingness to submit to your discipline* Ways to be kind and patient with yourself as you grow* Two of the greatest gifts you can give your children* Finding people you can be transparent withWatch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-0hX0ouvjsShow Notes: ORDER A COPY OF BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE DON'T JUST HAPPEN: https://amzn.to/3wbTGva

Life moves quickly. Such that the blistering pace can prevent us from being truly present with our family, with God, with ourselves. The pace can feel unrelenting. Even as soon as our family lands on a summer rhythm, summer comes to an end and it's time for kids to go back to school. The beauty though is that growth happens in seasons. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about how to evaluate your rhythms in your current season to serve your circumstances well. They also talk about:* The power of taking deep breaths and honing in on God's presence in the midst of busyness* The effects our stress, and how we manage it, has on our kids* How our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being are interconnectedClick here to watch this episode on YouTube.Show Notes: Order a copy of the Famous at Home book!Join the KidsEQAcademy waitlist!

Leadership is often lonely, fast-paced, and unrelenting. Our emotional and spiritual well-being often hangs in the balance of leading at work and showing up at home. In this episode, Josh sits down with his friend Matt Redman, two-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, worship leader, and author to talk about how they prioritize their own emotional growth as they lead their families.The two of them talk about The Leader's Heart Cohort, what it means to be famous at home, and leadership as an act of worship. They also explain how to begin your first "yes" in the process of engaging well in your home. Show Notes:Apply now for The Leader's Heart CohortLearn more about Matt RedmanWatch this episode on YouTube

All of our emotions, including anger, are a God-given gift. They allow us to learn what is healthy and unhealthy, where we have been wronged, or whether or not we need to set boundaries. The way we react to our anger has the power to either damage our relationships or help us make the most of them. In this episode, Josh and Christi discuss anger, your family, and forgiveness.Josh and Christi talk about:* How to maintain teachability and curiosity in the midst of anger* Action steps to take when you feel the tension of anger in your body* Imposter syndrome and ways to get back to your true self* The benefit of naming the feelings behind resentment* A process of forgiveness when you feel you've been wrongedShow Notes:WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE AND SUBSCRIBEORDER WHAT DO I DO WITH ANGER?APPLY FOR THE LEADER'S HEARTJOIN THE KIDS EQ ACADEMY WAITLISTORDER THE FAMOUS AT HOME BOOKREAD HOW AND WHY COUPLES ARGUE

With the upcoming release date for Josh and Christi's new children's book, What Do I Do with Anger? , they walk you through the book and the various ways to help your children manage their anger.In this episode, they talk about:* The importance of telling your kids that it's okay to be angry* The trickle down effect that happens when we as parents carry shame about our own anger* The best ways to help your kids name the feeling behind their anger* How to bring your child's nervous system back to calm during a fight, flight, or freeze state* The calming effect of embracing your child when they're overwhelmedClick here to watch this episode on Youtube.Show Notes:Pre-order What Do I Do with Anger?Fill in your pre-order receipt here for a FREE anger poster!Watch this episode on YouTube and subscribe!

Welcome to a brand new season of the Famous at Home podcast! Josh and Christi are back in full swing and officially making their YouTube debut for this upcoming podcast season. Do you watch podcasts on YouTube? Be sure to subscribe to their channel. In this episode, they provide a bit of a life update (see show notes for links), what they've been doing as a family this summer, and even more importantly, the lessons they're learning (this episode). They also give a sneak peak into what's ahead for season 12! Here are some highlights from the lessons they're learning:* The power of presence over productivity in your home* Giving yourself grace as a parent and only focusing on one step a day* Explaining the "why" and the logic of what you do with your kids* Effective ways to manage complaints in your homeShow Notes:Watch this episode on Youtube.Pre-order What Do I Do With Anger?Order the Famous at Home book.Apply now for the Leader's Heart Cohort.Catch up on the Joshua Becker interview.Go back and listen to the Amy Parker and Mike Nawrocki interview.Listen to Laura Dugger's episode.

If you have kids and you've tried reading the Bible to them, you might know where this is going. Getting our kids to not just read the Bible, but to actually enjoy God's story and message is not easy. Trying to instill the message of a Bible story in their hearts whilst tucking them into bed can reap the exact opposite outcome of our intentions. Overtired kids + frustrated parent = not what we intended. Let this episode encourage you: you are not alone. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk with best-selling authors Amy Parker and Mike Nawrocki about their new Bible storybook, The Bible for Me: Bible Stories & Prayers. The four of them talk about how to make God's story relevant to your child's life and ways they've implemented daily prayers and Bible reading into their family rhythms.Show Notes:Order The Bible for Me: Bible Stories & Prayers.Listen to The Bible for Kids Podcast!Order Mike's The Dead Sea Squirrels series!Find all of Amy's books here!

With kids and full schedules, it's all too easy to feel like you're drowning, even on your best days as a parent. Managing family, work, rest, and community is overwhelming, especially if there's no weekly rhythm in place. What is the key to handling it all? In this episode, Josh and Christi have a conversation with Kirsten Watson, mom of seven and wife of author and retired NFL player, Benjamin Watson. Josh and Christi talk to Kirsten about her new book Sis, Take a Breath: Encouragement for the Woman Who's Trying to Live and Love Well (but Secretly Just Wants to Take a Nap).Josh, Christi, and Kirsten talk about:* The importance of discerning between a "glass" and "plastic" situation.* How to balance what you say "yes" to and what you say "no" to.* Effective ways to disciple your family and integrate faith in your home.* How to teach your kids about opposition when stepping into God's calling.Show Notes:Order a copy of Sis, Take a Breath: Encouragement for the Woman Who's Trying to Live and Love Well (but Secretly Just Wants to Take a Nap).Order the Famous at Home book!

We live in a culture that will design your life for you if you don't choose the way you're going to live. But many of us don't even know where to begin. Fortunately, that's where Ashley and Dino Petrone, interior designers, authors, and bloggers, come in. In this episode, Josh and Christi interview Ashley and Dino about their new book Designed to Last and talk about ways families today can live an intentional lifestyle that draws them closer together. Josh and Christi talk to Ashley and Dino talk about:* How they turned a creative hobby into a successful business* The power of mindset and the "upward spiral" in marriage and hardships* Finding joy in the "in-between"Show Notes:Order Ashley and Dino's new book!Order the Famous at Home book!

This episode has not only inspired our family, but it’s put us into action more than we could have ever imagined! We are simplifying our lives and it feels so good. We feel more settled, free, and focused. But why is it that it took donating and getting rid of “stuff” to do that? In this episode, Josh and Christi have an inspiring conversation with Joshua Becker, author and minimalist, about his new book Things That Matter. They talk about Joshua’s story and why it is that the more possessions we hold onto, the more we become distracted from what actually matters. Show Notes:Order a copy of Things That Matter!

Having a mission is what guides us. Without mission, we wander. In the finale episode of our journey through the Famous at Home book, we discuss chapter 16: The Power of Showing Up: Your Family Mission. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about how creating a family mission gives your kids a purpose greater than themselves.Show Notes:Order the Famous at Home book!Join the waitlist for Leader's Heart!

We all live by a set of values. And how we spend our time exposes those values. The question we all must ask ourselves as we lead our families is this: Do our lives reflect what we say we value or want to value? In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about Decision #7: Set Family Values. They talk about the correlation between setting values as a family and what it looks like to live our values.Show Notes:Order the Famous at Home book!Join the waitlist for Leader's Heart!Download free worksheets for the Famous at Home book!

We all live by rhythms. Some healthy. Some unhealthy. For most of us, we live day-by-day without even thinking about whether our rhythms are life-giving for our family. Setting new rhythms certainly takes some effort. But the long term memories and peace of mind are worth the work in the short term. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about Decision #6: Establish Family Rhythms. They share examples of rhythms that have worked for their family, and encourage you to find what fits for yours.Show Notes:Order the Famous at Home book!Join the waitlist for Leader's Heart!Download free worksheets for the Famous at Home book!

One of the best gifts we can give our kids is entering into their world. One of the easiest, most practical ways of doing this is uninterrupted, command free time. In this episode, Josh and Christi walk us through Decision #5: How 20 Minutes a day Can Fuel Your Child's Soul. They talk about 4 ways we can effectively enter our kids' worlds.Show Notes:Order the Famous at Home book!Join the waitlist for Leader's Heart!

When fighting for your spouse's heart, allowing space for emotional vocabulary is everything. Having a 15 minute intentional conversation each day helps you connect with your spouse's true self, not their imposter. In this episode, Josh and Christi discuss Decision #4: How 15 Minutes a Day Can Change Your Marriage.Show Notes:Order the Famous at Home book!Join the waitlist for Leader's Heart!

When it comes to cultivating a healthy home, emotional safety is everything. In this episode, Josh and Christi describe why talking about emotions and building an emotional vocabulary matters. In covering Decision #3: Talk About Emotions, they discuss how to help kids regulate their emotions with a feelings chart and the importance of processing your unrecognized feelings so that your loved ones can feel safe in overwhelming moments.Show Notes:Order the Famous at Home book!Join the waitlist for Leader's Heart!

Would you say the atmosphere of your home is life-giving? Every home has an atmosphere, and we influence our atmosphere every day by how we think, act, and treat those we love. That's what decision #2 is all about: Changing Your Atmosphere: How to Cultivate a Life-Giving Environment. In decision #2, Josh and Christi help you asses the atmosphere of your home, and make shifts. The question you're left with is: What one new rhythm or shift will change the atmosphere of your home?Show Notes:Order the Famous at Home book!Join the waitlist for Leader's Heart!

We made it to the seven decisions to becoming famous at home! In this episode, Josh and Christi begin discussing part 3 of their new book Famous at Home. Let's be honest, we don't show up well for our spouse and kids when we're not doing well. That's why getting unstuck begins with us. Beginning with decision #1: Changing Your Mindset: How to Show Up as the Best Version of You, Josh and Christi help you define your biggest challenge, put a goal in place, and start a new rhythm for showing up as the best version of you. The question you're left with is: What's your first decision?Show Notes:Order the Famous at Home book!Join the waitlist for Leader's Heart!

You can pretty much sum up all of parenting research into one primary conclusion: Our kids become who we are. That's why we don't like using the word "parenting" to describe our task of raising kids to become great adults. Instead, we like to use the word becoming. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about chapter 8 in their new book, Famous at Home. They discuss the importance of giving yourself permission to focus on your own story, so that you can gracefully step into your child's story. The question you're left with is: "Who are you becoming?"Show Notes:Order the Famous at Home book!

We all have opponents in our marriage that fight against marital intimacy. These can be both good (kids, a move) and bad (job loss, financial difficulty) things. The problem is when we fail to name the opponent, we too often make our spouse out to be the opponent.In this episode, Josh and Christi break down chapter 7 in their new book, Famous at Home. They talk about the power in having an "us against the world" attitude with your spouse, and discuss 4 action steps to move up the marriage intimacy scale. The question you're left with is: "What are you fighting for?"Show Notes:Order the Famous at Home book!

Our "willingness" to change is such a catch 22. On one hand, we say we're willing to start working out, but when it comes down to it, we usually end up in the same behavior patterns that kept us from working out to begin with. It's why we rarely ever hold to New Year's resolutions. Unfortunately, this same principle holds true in relationships. We might say we're willing to make a change. We may even know what we need to do to make the change. But fame doesn't chase those who stop at knowing what to do; fame chases those who act and are willing to enter their loved ones' stories. In this episode, Josh and Christi walk through Chapter 6 in their new book, Famous at Home. They talk about the impact of being willing to do 4 things to help us get unstuck in our closest relationships. The question you're left with is: Are you willing?Show Notes:Order the Famous at Home book!

All of us long for significance. Where we find our significance plays a role in how truly present we are with our loved ones. We don't show up well at home when we confuse our identity with things like work, accomplishments, who we hang out with, or what others have said about us. In this episode, Josh and Christi discuss Chapter 5 in their new book, Famous at Home. They talk about the power in knowing who you are, who your family is, and having a supernatural perspective. The question we're left with is: How is your identity guiding your family? Show Notes:Preorder the Famous at Home book!

There's a powerful verse in Habakkuk that Christi had postered on her bedroom wall as a little girl. The verse itself, Habakkuk 2:1, talks about standing at a watchpost and positioning oneself on top of the tower to see what God has to say. This imagery is a reflection also of how we believe God calls us to stand at the watchpost of our family, our marriage, and our children, hearing what God has to say, watching for the enemies that seek to steal, kill, and destroy even the slightest bit of joy in our families. Unfortunately, all too often, when we see an enemy warring against us, already tired and exhausted from the daily grind of life, we take cover and hide.In this episode, we discuss chapter 4 of our new book, Famous at Home. We talk about the importance of paying attention from our watchposts, and the question we're left with after the episode is, "What are you hiding from?"Show Notes:Preorder the Famous at Home book!

Your biggest fans live under your roof. They follow your every move and their eyes are always on you. But they're also always for you. In this episode, we explore chapter 3 of our new book, Famous at Home, in a little more depth. The question we're left with after this episode is, "What do your biggest fans really see?"Show Notes:Preorder the Famous at Home book!

We all have a chase. When we don't allow ourselves to go back and heal parts of our story, we run the risk of misunderstanding the meaning of our current reality. When this happens, it's too easy to be enticed by external affirmation that pulls us away from home.As we continue our book club series in honor of Famous at Home coming out May 3, this episode leaves us challenged with a nagging question everyone of us needs to answer "What Are You Chasing?"Show Notes:Preorder the Famous at Home book!

We all long to know and be known by our biggest fans. Yet, so often, our time, attention, and identity is being pulled away from those we love most. When this happens, we feel the tension, giving what we can yet feeling like it's not enough. At Famous at Home, we believe you really can show up for your biggest fans without giving what's leftover. 8 weeks, 2 episodes a week. Josh and Christi will walk you through their new book Famous at Home: 7 Decisions to Put Your Family Center Stage in a World Competing for Your Time, Attention, and Identity. This episode kicks off Chapter 1: Who is Famous to You?Show Notes:Preorder the Famous at Home book!

For all of the episodes through the years, there hasn't been much of a "Hey, here's who we are, how we met, and where all of this got started" type of episode. So we decided to sit down and record it, transparent and unedited. In light of our new book Famous at Home: 7 Decisions to Put Your Family Center Stage in a World Competing for Your Time, Attention, and Identity coming out May 3, this episode becomes our "Hi, we're Josh and Christi episode" to give you the heart behind where Famous at Home began! Show Notes:PREORDER THE FAMOUS AT HOME BOOK! Learn the intentional and meaningful ways you can show up for your loved ones.

Your kids are creative. You know why? Because God created them to follow His lead in the creation of the world. Our good friend, author Jordan Raynor was tired of reading children's books that always ended creation on the sixth day. Instead, he says, "the sixth day is actually the beginning of creation!" In this episode, Josh has a conversation with Jordan Raynor about his new children's book The Creator in You. Josh and Jordan talk about the way God invites us into a partnership with Him of creating beauty and how you can extend that invitation to your kids. This conversation is sure to inspire your kids with joy and enthusiasm in both their current and future work.Show Notes:Preorder a copy of The Creator in You! With engaging rhyme and stunning illustrations, this picture book sparks readers' imaginations with the big idea that God created human beings to make, model, and work like Him.

As a family, we recently experienced a situation that left us feeling surprised and let down. Walking away from it, we had the choice to either sit in our disappointment, or pay attention to what God was saying. How has your family experienced disappointment? How did that play out in your marriage? With your kids? Do you find yourself playing the victim or looking for the gold in what God could be teaching you? In this episode, we talk about how to walk in authority and stay the course as a family, in the midst of disappointment. Show Notes:Preorder Famous at Home: 7 Decisions to Put Your Family Center Stage in a World Competing for Your Time, Attention, and Identity!

We have one of those unique humans in our lives who just lives what he says he lives. He said recently, "I don't idealize certain values. If I hold to a value, I just go do something to live out that value." It was a convicting moment for us. What about you? Do you find yourself idealizing certain values, or do you find yourself actually living them? In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about how they're closing the gap between what and who they aspire to be and who they are. Are you, based on your decisions, the person you want to be? Is your family living out the values you desire? This inspiring episode will help you close the gap. Show Notes:PREORDER THE FAMOUS AT HOME BOOK. Marriage and leadership coaches Dr. Josh and Christi Straub show how seven core decisions can help us show what's most important center stage in our lives. Coming May 3, 2022!SIGN UP FOR YOUR FAMILY PURPOSE. Our online family series is a step-by-step plan to help you create a family of connection, adventure, and purpose.

How do you respond to difficult questions about science and God from your kids? How can you help them grasp who God is, and how the world was created? In this episode, we talk to Louie Giglio, pastor, author, and communicator about his new devotional The Wonder of Creation: 100 More Devotions About God and Science and how to have healthy conversations about science and God with your kids.Show Notes:CHECK OUT PASTOR LOUIE GIGLIO'S INDESCRIBABLE BOOK SERIES. Discover mind-blowing, faith-building, scientific facts and biblical truths about the wonder of God's creation.LISTEN TO THE INDESCRIBABLE KIDS PODCAST. A podcast for kids, by kids that will guide them through devotionals from the Indescribable, How Great is Our God, and and Wonder of Creation books.

Where do you want to be in your marriage 5 years from now? 10 years from now? Whether you realize it or not, where you will be is a product of the rhythms you have in place today.In this episode, Chris and Jenni Graebe, faith leaders, writers, and hosts of The Rhythm of us Podcast join us to talk about how to craft a "rule of life" for your marriage, through five healthy rhythms:* Speaking life* Serving* Slowing down* Seeking adventure* Staying in aweShow Notes:ORDER A COPY OF CHRIS AND JENNI'S BOOK THE RHYTHM OF US. Leave behind the busy life of chaos and hurry, and learn to move toward a meaningful life of joy and intention.LISTEN TO THE RHYTHM OF US PODCAST. Join Chris and Jenni each week as they lean in to learn from inspiring leaders, mentors, and friends who have embraced this mindset and are living it well: taking risks, pursuing their God given dreams, and living on purpose.

Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and while the romance side of it is special, celebrating this day with your kids can be even more memorable, especially for them. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about the deep impact of prioritizing a rhythm of one-on-one time with your kids. Show Notes:PREORDER THE FAMOUS AT HOME BOOK! Preorder a copy of the Famous at Home book and get one month FREE to our exclusive Famous at Home Network!

Last week we talked about how to have hard conversations with your spouse. This week, we're highlighting one of the topics that is so often difficult to talk about--sex. Joining us is our dear friend, a licensed marriage and family therapist whose specialization in graduate school was sex therapy, Laura Dugger.In this episode, Laura talks about how sex literally makes everything better. Wait until you hear the research! With honesty, vulnerability, and a solid dose of fun, Josh and Christi's interview with Laura includes: * The hidden benefits of sex* How to talk to your spouse about sex* Reasons for, and how to, schedule sex* The God-given purpose of sex in marriageShow Notes:SIGN UP FOR THE FAMOUS AT HOME NETWORK BY FEBRUARY 9! You have until February 9 to join the Famous at Home community! Be a part of exclusive content, live coaching, and offers as well as group discussions, a community of families who are like-minded, and live Q&A sessions with Josh and Christi.LISTEN TO THE SAVVY SAUCE PODCAST! A podcast hosted by 3 stay-at-home moms (1 being Laura Dugger) existing to invite people into a space to meet with Jesus and be filled with joy to overflowing. DR. JENNIFER KONZEN PODCAST EPISODE: Fostering a Fun, Healthy Sex Life with your Spouse with Dr. Jennifer Konzen VISIT THE ART OF INTIMATE MARRIAGE WEBSITE! Access to Dr. Konzen's book, podcast, sex therapist training, and a marriage video series.LISTEN TO DR. DOUGLAS ROSENAU PODCAST EPISODE: Ways to Deepen Your Intimacy in Marriage with Dr. Douglas Rosenau READ A CELEBRATION OF SEX BY DR. DOUGLAS ROSENAU: A guide to enjoying God's gift of sexual intimacyLISTEN TO DR. MICHAEL SYTSMA PODCAST EPISODE: Enjoying a God-Honoring, Healthy Sex Life with Your Spouse with Certified Sex Therapist and Ordained Minister, Dr. Michael SytsmaLISTEN TO FRANCIE WINSLOW PODCAST EPISODES: Sex in Marriage and Its Positive Effects with Francie Winslow, Part 1Science and Art of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage, Part 2LISTEN TO DR. CLIFFORD AND JOYCE PENNER PODCAST EPISODE: Easy Changes to Enhance Your Sexual Intimacy in Marriage with Dr. Clifford and Joyce Penner

Difficult conversations in marriage are inevitable. Unless you're avoiding them. But that's a recipe for not living fully alive together. Whether it's parenting, sex, holidays, work schedules, or in-laws, all couples deal with "an elephant in the room." How can we best show up in these conversations? In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about how to talk about hard things in marriage. Some of the highlights are: * Why it's important to start a hard conversation with connection as your motive, not expectation.* How to set the tone in your conversations.* How to respond to your spouse without flipping your lid.* Leading with a team approach and an "us against the world" attitude with your spouse.Show Notes:Sign up for our Famous at Home Network before January 31! Be a part of exclusive content, an online community, Q&A sessions, online discussions, and MORE!

Have you ever been in a place where, when asked how you're doing, your tendency was to lead with the stuff that wasn't going well? The negative emotions. The painful circumstances. The things you wish were different. Maybe you're there now. Or maybe you know someone who does this. We all have, especially in the times we're living in.If we see life through these "glass half empty" lenses, our spouse and kids will feel it. So will everyone else around you. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about the daily practice of cultivating joy and celebrating what's good. Inspired by a t-shirt Josh received as a birthday present from his friends at Walk in Love, this episode is all about learning how to "Flex Your Joy Muscles" and begin seeing your life with the glass half full.Show Notes: Sign up for our Famous at Home Network! Be a part of exclusive content, an online community, Q&A sessions, online discussions, and MORE!

As we continue our series on a "new year, new life," we have a special guest to help us answer a listener's question about the reality of practical daily rhythms of the Straub family. In this episode, Josh and Christi sit down with their family assistant, Janae Torgeson, to talk about what a day in the life with the Straub family looks like. Talking about what has and has not worked, our hope is that you can take away some practical ideas for your family.Josh, Christi, and Janae talk about:* The beauty in trial and error and how it's helpful to keep trying new rhythms until you find what works for your family.* Why it's important to recognize other currencies than money.* The impact the atmosphere of your home has on your family, and how to cultivate an environment that is life giving.* How to benefit from changing our attitudes away from: "I have to do this," to "I get to do this."Show Notes:JOIN THE FAMOUS AT HOME NETWORK! Be a part of exclusive content, an online community, group discussions, and exclusive access to live Q&A calls with Josh and Christi.

One of the biggest lies we tell ourselves is that we don't have enough. We don't have enough time, rest, or money to do everything we need. What would it look like for you to leave behind a mindset of scarcity, and move forward with a mindset of abundance in 2022?In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about the ripple effects each of these mindsets have on our marriage, our kids, our work environments, and with those we get to do life with. The mindset of abundance shifts the atmosphere of your home in the opposite direction of scarcity. Neither of these mindsets are about how much of something we do or do not have, but our attitude toward what we've been given. Josh and Christi talk about:* The power of the tongue and how our words dictate what we believe.* The importance of embracing simplicity over complexity.* Creating daily rhythms and how to prioritize working from rest and not for it.* The power in knowing what you really want. * Why embracing silence is crucial for living in abundance.

Join the Straub kids as they walk your family through a Christmas devotional and talk about being followers before we can be leaders.Show Notes:ORDER A COPY OF THE 25 DAYS OF THE CHRISTMAS STORY! An advent family experience by Josh and Christi Straub.

Did you ever read a book you just had to tell someone about? Or learn a lesson you needed to shout from the rooftops? This episode is our "you must know" game changers in 2021. In this episode, with laughter and grateful hearts, we discuss some of the books, music, practices, daily rhythms, and lessons that changed the course of our lives, so that we can hopefully inspire you as you prepare for 2022. Josh and Christi talk about:* What to look back on as you set aside a day to reflect and plan with your spouse before the new year.* A few specific books, products, and life lessons that were game changers for us.* The life lessons we learned and the relationships (even with our phones) that changed us.Show Notes:JOIN THE LEADER'S HEART WAITLIST! Our yearlong leadership cohort to connect with like-minded leaders, build healthy-work family rhythms, and lead from a whole heart.LITURGY OF THE ORDINARY! In the overlooked moments and routines of our day, we can become aware of God in surprising ways. Learn about how to embrace the sacred in the ordinary and the ordinary in the sacred by reading this book.ABBA'S CHILD! Abba's Child will light the way to freely accepting your belovedness and being renewed by the reassurance of our Father's deep care for you--regardless of how perfect your life isn't.HEARTSYNC MINISTRIES! Receiving healing through synchronizing broken and divided hearts.THE HAPPY INTERCESSOR! A Holy Spirit journey into the very heart of the Father. THE PASSION TRANSLATION! A new, heart-level translation that expresses God's fiery heart of love to this generation using Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic manuscripts.THE CHOSEN! The first multi-season series about the life of Christ and the highest crowd-funded TV series or film project of all time. "The Chosen" portrays Jesus through the eyes of those who met him.THE MAGNOLIA NETWORK! All things lovely with Chip and Jo Gaines.PRAY AS YOU GO APP! An app for daily prayer whenever you need it.LECTIO365 APP!

Have you ever put your kids to bed feeling like you failed them? Maybe in your attitude or how you acted toward them? Justin Whitmel Earley noticed some patterns in his own life and started to question the kind of influence he was leaving on his kids in the trenches of day-to-day life, or what he calls the liturgies of the day. We all have a liturgy in how we live our lives. The question is whether our attitudes and actions as parents support the lessons we teach. In this episode, Justin Whitmel Earley is back on the podcast to talk about his new book Habits of the Household, and what it looks like to discover simple habits and daily rhythms for your family.Josh and Justin talk about:* How to live in congruence between what you teach and how you live as you parent your kids and live life at home in the trenches.* The spiritual impact of habits functioning as liturgy, and how it freed Justin's life from anxiety.* The power in implementing a liturgy of presence over absence in your home.Show Notes:ORDER A COPY OF JUSTIN'S BOOK THE COMMON RULE! The Common Rule offers four daily and four weekly habits, designed to help us create new routines and transformed frazzled days into lives of love for God and neighbors.ORDER A COPY OF JUSTIN'S BOOK HABITS OF THE HOUSEHOLD! Habits of the Household provides tools you need to create structure--from mealtimes to bedtimes--that free you to parent toddlers, kids, and teens with purpose.

Josh recently spoke at the Focus on the Family chapel service about navigating today's cultural moment as a family. Since so much of what Josh has been trying to live out in his own life was presented in this talk, we wanted to share it with you here on the podcast. In this episode, Josh talks about:* How to live and lead well in a world plagued by fear.* The ripple effect of showing up as the best version of yourself.* Figuring out and maintaining healthy rhythms in your household.* Why being an effective parent has more to do with the person you are becoming than a direct relationship with your child.* How the decisions you make today influence more than you realize. Show Notes:SIGN UP FOR YOUR FAMILY PURPOSE! Our online family series is a step-by-step plan to help you create a family of connection, celebration, and purpose.BUY A COPY OF 25 DAYS OF THE CHRISTMAS STORY WHILE IT'S ON SALE! For a limited amount of time, Josh and Christi's book 25 Days of the Christmas Story: An Advent Family Experience is on sale for just $7.99.

While the Christmas season is meant to be fun, special, memorable, and joyful, it can also be stressful and exhausting for parents. Whether it's trying to find the perfect gift for your kids, fit in holiday traditions while balancing your work load, or feeling the loss of past loved ones--each parent feels the weight of the holidays in some way. But what if you could find a way to make it feel a little lighter? To redeem some of the magic? To soak in more of the joy?In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about 5 ways to make this Christmas memorable, in a way that is special for your entire family.Josh and Christi talk about:* How to be fully present this Christmas, taking circumstances for what they are each day and being grateful for them.* The surprising power of changing how you think about expectations* How the 25 Days of the Christmas Story: An Advent Family Experience can help make this Christmas memorable for your family.Show Notes:ORDER 25 DAYS OF THE CHRISTMAS STORY: AN ADVENT FAMILY EXPERIENCE! For a limited time, order a copy today for just $7.49 or if you buy 10 or more copies, get it for $5!

Josh posted on Instagram a few weeks ago about his changing relationship with social media and his phone. The post had many people asking questions related to what he is learning, with some even asking him to talk about his experience on a podcast episode. Alas, this is that episode. In a world so driven by social media and technology, we don't recognize how enslaved we are to the things that keep us from being fully present in the moment with others--especially our loved ones. In this episode, Josh talks about two significant ongoing practices that have helped him show up well and inch closer to his true self: daily rhythms and ordering his inner world.Josh talks about:* The definition of "continuous partial attention" and the negative effects it can have on your children.* The importance of recognizing the root of your busyness and what is taking you away from time with the Lord and loved ones.* The power of doing the one thing that will help you show up as the best version of you.Show Notes:FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE PRAY AS YOU GO APP: A daily prayer session, designed for use on portable devices, to help you pray whenever you find time, but particularly whilst traveling to and from work, study, etc.FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE GABB PHONE: A phone designed to protect kids while keeping them connected to family and friends. It gives parents peace of mind because it doesn't have the internet, social media, or games. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE LECTIO 365 APP: A daily devotional resource that helps you pray the Bible everyday.FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE LIGHT PHONE: Stay connected without the distraction. For those looking to spend less time on their phones and more time engaged with the world around them.

If you've found it difficult to get your kids to read the Bible, pay attention to you as you read it, or keep them engaged in learning about the faith, you will find great solace in this episode. Author and fellow Dad, M.J. Thomas is on this week's episode to talk about his book series The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls and how it helps kids travel back in time and explore major events in the Bible. This book series is a household favorite in the Straub home!Josh and M.J. talk about:* The power of engaging stories to help the Bible come alive for kids. * The inspiring story behind why M.J. Thomas decided to write The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls and how he was able to connect stories from the Bible to his real-life characters in the book series.* Helpful ways to help your kids tangibly comprehend the meaning of the Bible.Show Notes:PURCHASE THE SECRET OF THE HIDDEN SCROLLS BOOK SERIES BOX SET AND GET ONE BOOK FOR FREE AND AUTOGRAPHED! Join Peter, Mary, and their dog Hank as they discover ancient scrolls and travel back in time to stories in the Bible.

Making his Famous at Home podcast debut is Josh and Christi's son, Landon. In what you'll find to be quite an endearing episode, Landon joins his Dad this week to talk about making Christmas count. With Advent just around the corner, making Christmas memories doesn't just happen.In this episode, Josh interviews Landon about his favorite Christmas characters, family activities, and memories. You may even hear a few jokes between father and son as well. Talking about what makes Christmas count, this episode may very well get you in the spirit to make this Christmas the most memorable yet for your family!Show Notes: Get 25 Days of the Christmas Story: An Advent Family Experience today for only $7.49! If you buy 10 or more, get the book for just $5. Make a great early Christmas GIFT!

When your time, attention, and energy are pulled in so many directions, how do you have anything left to give your family? By the end of the day, it may feel like your spouse and kids need more from you than you have to give. But what if the one thing they really needed from you brought you to life just as much as it brought them to life? In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about the importance of prioritizing your emotional health and letting go of distractions, so that you can show up at home as the best version of you.Josh and Christi talk about:* What it means to show up as the best version of yourself.* How to use your greatest pain point as your greatest tool for prioritizing your emotional and spiritual growth. * The sum difference of taking responsibility for and owning daily choices, rather than seeing yourself as a victim of your circumstances.Show Notes:JOIN THE LEADER'S HEART SPRING 2022 WAITLIST! Don't miss out on our upcoming year long cohort to connect with like-minded leaders, build healthy work-family rhythms, and lead from a whole heart.SIGN UP FOR MARRIAGE AND FAMILY COACHING! We offer a transformative coaching journey to help your family build a rock solid marriage, create healthy rhythms between work and home, and set values that drive how you make decisions.SIGN UP FOR YOUR FAMILY PURPOSE! Your Family Purpose is our online family series that helps you make a step-by-step plan to create a family of connection, celebration, and purpose.

Emotions are the gateway to the heart. When we use words that communicate emotion in our home, the environment changes. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about why it's important to understand the difference between emotions and feelings, especially for the intimacy in our marriage and how we connect with and guide our kids.Josh and Christi talk about:* The difference between emotions and feelings.* Our six core emotions and how to discern what they mean for us in our day-to-day lives.* How naming our feelings helps us label our emotions.* The role of emotions in "guarding your heart."* How congruence can help us "be at home" with ourselves again.* How to use emotional awareness to become a more connected spouse and parent. Show Notes:JOIN THE KIDSEQACADEMY WAITLIST! On-demand courses to help your child manage big feelings in a little body. Each course in KidsEQAcademy teaches your kids the life skills they need to develop emotional intelligence. ORDER A COPY OF WHAT AM I FEELING? What Am I Feeling? offers a biblically grounded way for children to verbalize their feelings, develop empathy and self-control, and understand their wonderful God-given emotions.LOOKING FOR MARRIAGE AND FAMILY COACHING? We offer a transformative coaching journey to help your family build a rock solid marriage, create healthy rhythms between work and home, and set values that drive how you make decisions.ENROLL IN YOUR FAMILY PURPOSE TODAY! Your Family Purpose is our online family series that helps you make a step-by-step plan to create a family of connection, celebration, and purpose.

One of the biggest challenges we face, as parents, is learning what to say yes to and what to say no to as a family. Whether it's serving in church, putting your kids in sports, hosting friends at your home, going on work trips--everything is dependent on the season you are in. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about how to prioritize what brings your family life, and how to put on the chopping block the things weighing you down.Josh and Christi talk about: * Why it's important to discern if you're saying yes out of a conviction of the Holy Spirit, or compulsion due to pressure from others.* Why it is vital to understand what you are assigned to in this season, and what your values/mission are as a family, so you can show up as the best version of yourself everywhere you go.* What it looks like to say yes to the right opportunities, and the power in inviting your kids into it.Show Notes:SIGN UP FOR MARRIAGE AND FAMILY COACHING! We offer a transformative coaching journey to help your family build a rock solid marriage, create healthy rhythms between work and home, and set values that drive how you make decisions.JOIN YOUR FAMILY PURPOSE! Your Family Purpose is our online family series that helps you make a step-by-step plan to create a family of connection, celebration, and purpose.

Whether it comes to parenting style, money, sex, or even how we spend the holidays as a family, it’s not uncommon to hold a different point of view than our spouse. But what happens if we sense our spouse go to the opposite extreme on an issue? Is too lenient with the kid’s discipline. Spends more money than we feel comfortable. Desires sex more than we have the energy for. So often, their lop-sided approach (in our mind anyway) creates a reaction in us to go to the opposite extreme on those issues in order to create balance. But when we do, it creates more tension and often a impasse on the issue. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about ways to find common ground on these sometimes tense issues in marriage, and use teeter totters as an analogy to describe what happens when we go to the opposite extreme of our spouse.Here are some highlights:* When we fail to name our teeter totter (the issue at hand), we end up making our spouse out to be our opponent. * Inching closer to your spouse can be difficult, but it’s when you feel the see-saw begin to shift toward balance again. * Finding a common ground begins by not inferring or judging your spouse's behavior, recognizing you own underlying fears, and initiating a conversation.Show Notes:WANT TO LEARN ABOUT MY KID'S EQ? On-demand courses to help your child manage big feelings in a little body. Each course in KidsEQAcademyTM teaches your kids the life skills they need to develop emotional intelligence.SIGN UP FOR MARRIAGE AND FAMILY COACHING! We offer a transformative coaching journey to help your family build a rock solid marriage, create healthy rhythms between work and home, and set values that drive how you make decisions.

Google recently found, in a major study of its hiring process, that its top employees possess empathy, emotional intelligence, and emotional safety (at the top of the list). These “soft skills” have now become the basis for what companies desire most in their leaders.That’s why the environment of emotional safety and the principles of emotional intelligence are the foundation of who we are and what we do with at Famous at Home. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about why emotional intelligence matters from a young age and how to build emotional intelligence in your kids.Josh and Christi talk about:* Why it's important to "dose" your kids instead of "doucing" them when you feel them becoming emotionally distant.* How to begin using emotional vocabulary in your home and why it's important.* How to create an emotional growth environment for your kids.Show Notes:APPLY NOW FOR THE LEADER'S HEART MEN'S COHORT! Join our year long cohort to connect with like-minded leaders, build healthy work-family rhythms, and lead from a whole heart.LEARN MORE ABOUT MY KID'S EQ! On-demand courses to help your child manage big feelings in a little body. Each course in KidsEQAcademyTM teaches your kids the life skills they need to develop emotional intelligence.SIGN UP FOR MARRIAGE AND FAMILY COACHING! We offer a transformative coaching journey to help your family build a rock solid marriage, create healthy rhythms between work and home, and set values that drive how you make decisions.

If we want to be famous at home, we have to take care of ourselves. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about emotional and spiritual ways to take care of yourself right now, especially in the midst of the fear and overwhelm in this cultural moment.Josh and Christi talk about:* Practical ways they have intentionally taken care of themselves the last couple of weeks.* Ways to limit screens or other open doors to fear.* How to recognize the one self-care practice you need right now for your soul.Show Notes:APPLY NOW FOR THE LEADER'S HEART COHORT! Join our year long cohort to connect with like-minded leaders, build healthy work-family rhythms, and lead from a whole heart.ORDER SURPRISED BY HOPE TODAY! Many Christians believe our future in heaven is all that really matters. But that's not what the Bible teaches. Surprised by Hope, premier Bible scholar N.T. Wright brings you inside the Scriptures to grasp the full, breathtaking hope Jesus offers the world, and its implications for your life today. 2 TIMOTHY 1:7: For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.ACTS CHAPTER 4: All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own.

Life has a way of throwing us curveballs, interruptions in our health, job, or circumstances that force us to slow down or alter our lifestyle. While setbacks aren't that enjoyable at first, they have a way of being perspective-shifting moments that reshape how we live our lives.Last week we touched on things that wake us up. This week, Bill and Laurie Lokey are back to talk with Josh and Christi about how to get through the things that slow us down.The Straub's and Lokey's talk about:* How slowing down forces you to identify areas of your life you took for granted. * What we rob ourselves of when we press the "easy" button. * The power of saying yes to adventure in the midst of being slowed down.Show Notes:APPLY NOW FOR THE LEADER'S HEART COHORT! Join our year long cohort to connect with like-minded leaders, build healthy work-family rhythms, and lead from a whole heart.LEARN MORE ABOUT BILL AND LAURIE LOKEY! Bill and Laurie share their own stories in vulnerable and relational ways to help others know that being perfect is not what helps. The two of them work together offering encouragement and support through intensives, workshops, trainings, and speaking engagements.

Each of us have experienced a wake up call in some way or another. This could be related to a car accident, a bad health report, losing a loved one, or walking through a divorce. No matter the situation, there is an "in-between" time of living in the unknown. In this episode, Josh and Christi sit down with their dear friends, Bill and Laurie Lokey to discuss how we can live our life to the fullest even in the middle of the unknown. Coaches for the Leader's Heart Cohort, therapists, speakers, and teachers of faith. Bill and Laurie open up about Bill's current journey with cancer, and the lessons they're learning in the unknown.Here are some highlights:* To move forward in our difficulties, we have to stop carrying the keys to doors we no longer live in.* What it looks like to journey with the people in our life in active "withness."* What it looks like to actually trust Jesus in the day-to-day unknowns of our hardship.Show Notes:APPLY NOW FOR THE LEADER'S HEART COHORT! Join our year long cohort to connect with like-minded leaders, build healthy work-family rhythms, and lead from a whole heart. LEARN MORE ABOUT BILL AND LAURIE LOKEY! Bill and Laurie share their own stories in vulnerable and relational ways to help others know that being perfect is not what helps. The two of them work together offering encouragement and support through intensives, workshops, trainings, and speaking engagements.

How can we share the truth of God's Word to our kids in their early years in a way that's enjoyable for them and doesn't cause us to turn gray so soon? This is a question we ask ourselves often and try to navigate in our own home. Why? Because it's inevitable that your kids will get bored when you try to read the Bible to them or want to talk about something else when you want to pray. Welcome to family discipleship :) In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about the ways they're cultivating a spiritual growth environment for their kids and the lessons they're learning about family discipleship. Here are some highlights:* The meaning of family discipleship and why we need to prioritize it* How to get creative when your kids feel bored* Why and how our own relationship with God overflows to our kids* The power of inviting your kids into your own spiritual disciplinesShow Notes:APPLY TODAY FOR THE LEADER'S HEART! Join our yearlong leadership cohort to connect with like-minded leaders, build healthy work-family rhythms, and lead from a whole heart.ORDER THE KID'S ACTION BIBLE TODAY! The action Bible presents more than 230 fast-paced narratives in chronological order, making it easy to follow the Bible's historical flow and building up to the thrilling climax of God's redemptive story.ORDER THE SECRET OF THE HIDDEN SCROLLS SERIES! The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series follows siblings Peter and Mary and their dog, Hank, as they discover ancient scrolls that transport them back to key moments in biblical history.ENROLL IN YOUR FAMILY PURPOSE! Your Family Purpose is our online family series is a step-by-step plan to help you create a family of connection, celebration, and purpose.

You make a lot of small decisions throughout the day that dictate the way you lead your family. But what about the big decisions that come along and have the power to alter the entire direction in which your family is going? This could be related to job opportunities, new living situations, or school choice. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about how to spiritually lead your family through big decisions, as well as share about a recent experience in doing so.Josh and Christi discuss:* How to be emotionally, relationally, and spiritually in tune with your spouse when making big decisions.* How to invite a circle of trusted advisors into your decision process to gain wisdom and accountability.* The power of shifting how you view your decision away from the lens of the here-and-now, and through the lens of eternity.* How family values can help you be more clear and resolute in your decisions.Show Notes:APPLY NOW TO THE LEADER'S HEART COHORT! Join our yearlong leadership cohort to connect with like-minded leaders, build healthy work-family rhythms, and lead from a whole heart.ENROLL TODAY IN YOUR FAMILY PURPOSE! Your Family Purpose is an online family series step-by-step plan to help you create a family of connection, celebration, and purpose.

So many families today don't have extended family nearby. How do we face the challenges that come with raising kids when we don't have that family support? On the flip side are the families who get to do life together with extended family in close proximity. But what happens when they get overbearing or it just feels like too much? How do we set boundaries in love? In this episode, to kick off a brand new family series, Josh and Christi discuss these questions and discuss their own journey on these topics.They talk about:* What it looks like to build a fence around your family and set family values* Why it's important to communicate your boundaries with your kids* Why seeking out "framily" is necessary when you don't have family support nearby* The power in holding grief and joy at the same timeShow Notes:APPLY NOW TO THE LEADER'S HEART COHORT! Join our yearlong leadership cohort to connect with like-minded leaders, build healthy work-family rhythms, and lead from a whole heart.ENROLL TODAY IN YOUR FAMILY PURPOSE! Your Family Purpose is an online family series step-by-step plan to help you create a family of connection, celebration, and purpose.

Working from rest and not for it requires boundaries and margin. When there is no margin, we live in a state of lack. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about how to create margin and why it will allow us to live from a heart of abundance.They talk about:* The intentionality it requires to create margin* How setting clear boundaries can result in respect* The power of tending our heart before productivity and efficiency* How to get your life back by creating space for rest, quality time with your loved ones, and doing hobbies you love* Why the Leader’s Heart prioritizes margin and how it will give you the guidance you need in setting healthy rhythms Show Notes:ENROLL NOW IN THE LEADER'S HEART COHORT! Join our yearlong leadership cohort to connect with like-minded leaders, build healthy work-family rhythms, and lead from a whole heart.

Being a leader can often feel lonely and exhausting. Rather than leading from a full heart, we lead from an empty one. In trying times, we even question if it's worth it. But listen, you don't have to resign to this journey. We lead others best when we lead from a heart of joy. And that's what this episode is all about--leading from a full heart.In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about:* What happens when we're willing to develop the courage of being open to our inner world* Why it's important to surround yourself with other wholehearted leaders* How to find and build trust with other to like-minded people* How to chase your God-given mission from a full heart without losing joy* Why the Leader's Heart is a safe place to develop the tools to become an emotionally healthy leader, focus on your soul, and build healthy relationshipsShow Notes:ENROLL NOW IN THE LEADER'S HEART COHORT! Join our yearlong leadership cohort to connect with like-minded leaders, build healthy work-family rhythms, and lead from a whole heart.START THE YOUR FAMILY PURPOSE SERIES! Our online family series is a step-by-step plan to help you create a family of connection, celebration, and purpose.ORDER WHAT DO I DO WITH WORRY? ON AMAZON! Josh and Christi know that today's children have a lot of real "what-ifs"---about diseases and disasters, friendships and failures, and all-things-growing-up. This book offers practical lessons to help your kids with their worries.LEAVE US A PODCAST REVIEW! If this podcast has impacted you in some kind of way, it would mean so much to Josh and Christi if you left them a podcast review.

Can you really level up as a parent or leader and still live a balanced life? In this episode, Josh and Christi continue their series on the Leader's Heart by talking about how to create a growth environment for those around you. Josh and Christi talk about:* What it looks like to live in the here-and-now, focus on today, and walk in humility.* How to discern the voices in your life and who to surround yourself with.* Why it's important to step out of your comfort zone and be open to change.Show Notes:ENROLL NOW IN THE LEADER'S HEART COHORT! Join our yearlong leadership cohort to connect with like-minded leaders, build healthy work-family rhythms, and lead from a whole heart.START THE YOUR FAMILY PURPOSE SERIES! Our online family series is a step-by-step plan to help you create a family of connection, celebration, and purpose. ORDER WHAT DO I DO WITH WORRY? ON AMAZON! Josh and Christi know that today's children have a lot of real "what-ifs"---about diseases and disasters, friendships and failures, and all-things-growing-up. This book offers practical lessons to help your kids with their worries.LEAVE US A PODCAST REVIEW! If this podcast has impacted you in some kind of way, it would mean so much to Josh and Christi if you left them a podcast review.

Last week, Josh and Christi touched on the importance of setting expectations on your kids. This week, they talk to us about the power of supporting your kids.

As a parent, you lead your children every single day. This episode launches a 4-week podcast series specific to becoming an emotionally healthy leader. To kick off the series, Josh and Christi talk about how to show up as a leader in your home.In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about:* How we cultivate the environment of our home and why our kids receive what's in that environment.* How we can lead with certainty, confidence, and conviction.* What it means to be called to go first and set the example (i.e., wake up earlier, go to bed later, respond and not react, and work without grumbling.)Show Notes:ENROLL NOW IN THE LEADER'S HEART COHORT! Join our yearlong leadership cohort to connect with like-minded leaders, build healthy work-family rhythms, and lead from a whole heart.START THE YOUR FAMILY PURPOSE SERIES! Our online family series is a step-by-step plan to help you create a family of connection, celebration, and purpose. ORDER WHAT DO I DO WITH WORRY? ON AMAZON! Josh and Christi know that today's children have a lot of real "what-ifs"---about diseases and disasters, friendships and failures, and all-things-growing-up. This book offers practical lessons to help your kids with their worries.LEAVE US A PODCAST REVIEW! If this podcast has impacted you in some kind of way, it would mean so much to Josh and Christi if you left them a podcast review.

It's important to increase expectation and support for your kids, but sometimes it's difficult to balance both. In this episode, Josh and Christi specifically talk about how to increase your expectations on your kids, in a way that lets them know you believe in them.

Serving God can often rob us of the joy of simply being with Him. In this episode, Christy Nockels, a wife and mother, singer-songwriter, and worship leader for Passion Conferences and IF: Gathering, shares how she made decisions to begin living more from a heart of rest.Christy shares about:* A season when God called her to take a break from her ministry, and confront the false sense of purpose and worth she was finding in her career.* How she learned to find rest in God's presence in every act of service she does as a parent.* How she found her highest calling not in a duty to uphold, but in a beautiful identity to live out.Show Notes:ORDER CHRISTY'S BOOK! The Life You Long For: Living From a Heart of Rest is a beautiful invitation to discover your place in God's heart and let Him set the pace for your life.

It feels like there is always more we can add to our to-do lists. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about the power in saying no to more work, and yes to more family time.

Last week, Josh and Christi discussed a few listener questions in regards to the parent side of worry. This week, to continue the 3-week worry series, Josh and Christi discuss more listener questions, this time related to the child side of worry. In this episode they talk about:* Practical ways to prevent punishing, minimizing, and dismissing your child's worries.* How to help your child cope with worry-filled or fearful environments.* How to find a healthy balance between challenging your child to overcome their worries and supporting them when they feel overwhelmed.Show Notes:WHAT DO I DO WITH WORRY? IS AVAILABLE NOW! Help your child learn practical lessons to help their worry birds fly away.CREATE YOUR OWN WORRY BIRD! Here is a link of a tutorial you can follow to create worry birds for your kids.

Oftentimes, it can be a natural tendency for us to fear that we are not working hard enough. This could be in the work place, or even when it comes to parenting our children. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about the significance of the Sabbath and why we should always prioritize working from rest, not for it.

Recently, we asked the Famous at Home community to send in questions about worry. Notably, the most feedback we received was in regards to parenting. To continue the What Do I Do With Worry? 3-week podcast series, Josh and Christi discuss a few listener questions and speak to the parent side of worry. In this episode we discuss:* Practical ways to handle your worries to reduce the chances of passing them to your kids.* How to talk to your kids about your worries and how you resolve them.* Why you have what it takes to parent your kids.* How healthy rhythms can inspire your kids and kick worry out of the house.Show Notes:THIS IS THE LAST WEEK TO PRE-ORDER WHAT DO I DO WITH WORRY? Josh and Christi's new book, What Do I Do With Worry? releases April 20th, 2021. Pre-order on Amazon today!GET A FREE WORRY POSTER AND ACTIVITY BOOK! If you pre-order What Do I Do With Worry? You can receive a FREE worry poster and activity book. All you have to do is go to whatdoidowithworry.com, fill out the form provided, and your free items will be emailed to you!

Siblings make the best teammates. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about ways to challenge your kids to work together.

As Josh and Christi anticipate the release of their new book What Do I Do With Worry? on April 20th, this episode launches a 3-week podcast series specific to kids and worry. To kick off the series, Josh and Christi talk about the battle kids face with anxiety in today’s climate.Here are some highlights:* The power of relationships to release worry.* The power you hold as a parent when your child has anxiety.* The difference between worry and anxiety.* What to do when you recognize one child in particular who seems to be “off.”Show Notes:PRE-ORDER WHAT DO I DO WITH WORRY? TODAY! Josh and Christi's new book, What Do I Do With Worry? releases April 20th, 2021. You can pre-order it on Amazon! GET A FREE WORRY POSTER AND ACTIVITY BOOK! If you pre-order What Do I Do With Worry? You can receive a FREE worry poster and activity book. All you have to do is go to whatdoidowithworry.com, fill out the form provided, and your free items will be emailed to you!

Oftentimes it becomes easy for us, as parents, to coast through the activities our kids want us to do with them. But what if we made it a priority this week to do something new that makes not only our kids come alive, but us too? In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about the joy in doing hobbies with our kids.

From college loans, to mortgages, to raising kids, our finances can cause quite a bit of tension, especially in our marriage. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk to Talaat and Tai McNeely, money and marriage experts, about how to get your family, and marriage, on track financially. Talaat and Tai share about:* Previous financial obstacles they faced in the early stages of their marriage, and how they got to where they are today, living a debt-free life and paying off their mortgage in 3 years.* What The His and Her Money Show is and how it got started.* The power of changing your mindset and sitting in the driver's seat of your finances.* Why it's important to position yourself financially to give your family options.Show Notes:CHECK OUT THE HIS AND HER MONEY SHOW! Talaat and Tai McNeely lead The His and Her Money Show, a business passionate about helping families be financially, spiritually, and relationally steady. The two of them provide helpful guidance through their podcast, blog, and a private community anyone can be a part of. Click here to learn more!PRE-ORDER WHAT DO I DO WITH WORRY? TODAY! Josh and Christi's new book, What Do I Do With Worry? releases April 20th, 2021. You can pre-order it on Amazon!

As we approach Easter this week, it is important that we share the story of Jesus' resurrection with our kids. In this episode, Josh and Christi provide helpful tips for these conversations and how to make this Easter memorable.

A few weeks ago, Josh and Terrica Smith joined us to talk about covenant friendships on the podcast. In this week's episode, they return to share about Eden and Vine the business they own together.Eden and Vine is a magazine, market, and lifestyle that inspires the cultivation of beauty and truth. From gardening to thrifting to the ritual of brewing a cup of tea, they believe a truly meaningful life is one intentionally cultivated. Josh and Terrica talk to us about:* The story behind Eden and Vine and the four pillars it's built on.* Josh's decision to leave his corporate job and go "all in" to build Eden and Vine, support his wife and family, and obey what God called him to do.* How to give God the little we have, out of faith, and watch Him multiply our mustard seed of faith in our lives.Show Notes:CHECK OUT EDEN & VINE! Josh and Terrica's beautiful publication is devoted to the cultivation of beauty and truth in everyday life. They provide inspiring magazines, apothecary, tea recipes, and lots of florals.PRE-ORDER WHAT DO I DO WITH WORRY? TODAY! Josh and Christi's new book, What Do I Do With Worry? releases April 20th, 2021. You can pre-order it on Amazon!

Obeying the call of God can be scary, especially when it requires you to let go of something you love. In this episode, Josh interviews Jason Brown, the highest paid center in the NFL at the time, who walked away from his successful career to become a farmer and be famous at home. Josh talks to Jason about:* Jason's history with football and what led him to the NFL.* Jason's past of living in the fast lane of success and wealth and what caused him to have a change of heart.* The way God called Jason to end his NFL career and how he knew it was God's voice.* The difficult but incredible journey Jason's family has been on after he surrendered to the call of God.* What life is like on Jason's farm, First Fruits Farm, in North Carolina.Show Notes:ORDER JASON BROWN'S BOOK CENTERED ON AMAZON! Jason shares his story about walking away from his NFL career and stepping into a new lifestyle of farming. He shares about his relationship with God and how taking time to focus on his family changed his life. PRE-ORDER WHAT DO I DO WITH WORRY? TODAY! Josh and Christi's new book, What Do I Do With Worry? releases April 20th, 2021. You can pre-order it on Amazon!

When you want to react to someone in a certain way, but you choose to see them in the way God sees them, you go to the perspective place. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about the importance of going to the perspective place when others let you down.

Let's be honest, leveling up is never easy. Beginning a work out routine, eating better, praying more, or even changing the way you relate to others rarely feels good at the beginning. Many of us feel ashamed we got to the place in life we did to begin with. Living in survival mode may have kept you going for awhile, but you know deep down when it's time to level up in an area of your life. If we're not moving forward, we're moving backward. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about the power of leveling up. Here are some highlights:* Leveling up requires a change in 3 areas: pace, place, and pressure.* Leveling up requires deep, consistent prayers when we don't feel like it.* Leveling up is worth it because of what we get to experience on the other side.Show Notes:PRE-ORDER WHAT DO I DO WITH WORRY? TODAY! Josh and Christi's new book, What Do I Do With Worry? releases April 20th, 2021. You can pre-order it on Amazon!

The Straub family recently added pull-ups to their nightly bedtime routine. In this episode, Josh and Christi explain the importance of family exercises, and encourage you to implement one this week.

"A sound mind is one not at war with itself." In this episode, Josh and Christi talk with their therapist, Mary Bellofatto, about the power of mental health and the practices we can implement each day to maintain sound living.Josh and Christi talk to Mary about:* The hidden gifts of having mentors decades older than you.* The power of a healthy and sound mind, even in the day-to-day tasks of raising kids. * The freedom in not taking yourself too seriously.* Ways to talk to kids about mental health and familyShow Notes:WANT MORE INFORMATION ON THE LEADER'S HEART COHORT? The Leader’s Heart offers two 3-day in-person meetings with experiential coaching exercises, family coaching, and spiritual direction, and includes coaching calls with your cohort throughout the year. Sign up and we'll send you all the details!CONTACT MARY BELLOFATTO FOR THERAPY! If you are interested in seeking out counseling from Mary Bellofatto, you can reach her practice at (239) 293-3581.GET 40% OFF A CSB KID'S BIBLE! Choose the CSB Kid's Bible right for YOU! Get 40% off any Bible when you use the code word FAMOUS at check out. Click here to find the Bible perfect for your child!

Victims believe their shortcomings are out of their control, while a hero owns their mistakes and rises up. In this episode, Josh and Christi share the importance of teaching your kids to be a hero, not a victim.

Finding friends who not only share the same values as you, but you also "click" with, requires time, trust, and initiative.In this episode, Josh and Christi discuss the cultivation and beauty of covenant friendships with Josh and Terrica Smith. The four of them talk about:* The definition of covenant friendship and how it differs from other types of friendships* The importance of discovering your own identity and family purpose BEFORE making new friendships* How to be vulnerable and willing to initiate new friendshipsShow Notes:GET 40% OFF A CSB KID'S BIBLE! Choose the CSB Kid's Bible right for YOU! Get 40% off any Bible when you use the code word FAMOUS at check out. Click here to find the Bible perfect for your child!CHECK OUT EDEN & VINE! Josh and Terrica's beautiful publication is devoted to the cultivation of beauty and truth in everyday life. They provide inspiring magazines, apothecary, tea recipes, and lots of florals.

What do you do when your child uses emotion to get what he / she wants? In this episode, Josh and Christi share practical ways to set boundaries and help your children learn to manage their emotions.

Worry is an epidemic in our culture today, especially among girls. Sissy Goff, counselor, author, and speaker joins us this week to discuss her new book Brave: A Teen Girl's Guide to Beating Worry and Anxiety.In this episode, Sissy talks to us as parents helping our daughters navigate worry. Sissy talks to us about how:* To decipher the temperature of your daughter's worry by paying attention to her body language * To instruct your daughter to focus and breathe, as theses exercises shift the blood flow back to her cortex and help bring her calm* Gratitude and worry cannot coexistShow Notes:GET 40% OFF A CSB KID'S BIBLE! Choose the CSB Kid's Bible right for YOU! Get 40% off any Bible when you use the code word FAMOUS at check out. Click here to find the Bible perfect for your child!ORDER SISSY'S BOOK! Help your daughter fight worry by purchasing this helpful guide! Click here to order!

How as parents are we encouraging our kids to decrease drama? In this episode, Josh and Christi share practical ways to talk about trauma and eliminate drama in your home.

Choosing to live above the world's hate and bitter divisiveness changes the atmosphere of your home. Can you imagine being like David, a man who asked God to point out anything in him that offended God? Let's start praying that prayer. In this episode, Josh and Christi share a new perspective on offense, challenging us to live and love in a way that brings to earth the way it is in heaven. Here are some highlights:* Finding where we place our identity is critical to knowing what offends us. * Helpful ways to understand and process your offense include journaling and talking to someone you know.* Blessing those offend you begins with listening and repenting. But blessing your perceived enemy is what we're called to do for those who follow Jesus.Show Notes:GET 40% OFF A CSB KID'S BIBLE! Choose the CSB Kid's Bible right for YOU! Get 40% off any Bible when you use the code word FAMOUS at check out. Click here to find the Bible perfect for your child!ASK US A QUESTION FOR FUTURE EPISODE! We want to start discussing YOUR questions on podcast episodes! Click here to ask us a question!

How can you implement quality time with your spouse during a busy week? What if you don't have time for date night? In this episode, Josh and Christi challenge you to initiate a 10-minute date with your significant other.Here are some highlights:• Give your spouse a heads up about the 10-minute date, rather than putting them on the spot.• Do not expect your spouse to be free and be patient with them.• Ask your spouse to go on a quick walk with you outside or sit down and drink a cup of coffee with you.

Expectation is the root of disappointment. Even Proverbs says our heart grows sick when hope is delayed. But what happens when unmet expectations in relationships leave you disappointed? Sad? Angry? In this episode, Josh and Christi share the importance of acknowledging what you lost and grieving well. This includes letting go of the ideal in your marriage, releasing parental agendas, and decreasing the pressure you put on yourself. Here are some highlights:* Until we learn to grieve and face the uncomfortable emotions, we struggle to feel the celebratory ones.* When we haven't allowed ourselves to grieve, we end up placing the burden of disappointment, anger, and fears onto our kids.* Loving God and others as ourselves frees us to give selflessly with no expectation of a return.* Recognize the grieving process is a journey and takes time. Give yourself grace.Show Notes:Get the Your Family Purpose: A Step-by-Step Guide to Establishing Your Family Vision and Values online course for 20% OFF! Click here to learn more!Join our community! Click here to join the Famous at Home Network FREE!

How do you manage to fit in quiet time with the Lord as a busy parent? Especially when you have young kids who constantly demand your attention? In reality, it will not happen unless you intentionally schedule it in your day. In this 5 minute episode, Josh and Christi share practical ways to worship in the middle of chaos.Some highlights include:* Playing worship music in your home.* Praying without seizing.* Spending an hour of time with the Lord in both the morning and the evening.* Having the outlook that you "get" to do what you do.

How do you release your spouse to become the best version of him/ herself? Especially when your spouse is struggling? In this episode, we talk about how to step in and celebrate your spouse as a way to release him / her. When you compliment your spouse, rather than criticizing for what he / she is not doing, you bring life into your home. Josh and Christi pose one challenging question, "What do I need to focus on to change the atmosphere in my home?" Some highlights include: * Having healthy conversations with your spouse about how you can motivate each other better.* Giving your spouse specific ways to hold one another accountable to goals.* Celebrating one thing about your spouse each day.* Spending more time focusing on how you alone can change the atmosphere of your home.Show Notes:20% Off Your Family Purpose Online Course! Begin 2021 by setting your family vision and values! Click here.Join our community! At the Famous at Home Network!

Everyone who's once succeeded at something has been bad at it before. In this 5 minute episode, Josh and Christi challenge you to be brave enough to be bad at something new. When you persevere through feelings of timidity and inadequacy, you might find a new, favorite hobby.

Welcome to season 9 of the Famous at Home podcast! Wow, thank you to everyone journeying with us! We love getting to do life alongside you!No doubt 2020 was a year of chaos and disruption. Every one of us more than ready to enter 2021. Although a new year means a clean slate, life will always have its challenges. Not far into 2021 we already had another national crisis. Throw in world events, a pandemic, school cancellations, and not to mention personal illness or family crises, how do we navigate the new year as a family?In this episode, we raise one question we keep asking in our home, "How can be famous at home and love our neighbor in all that's happening around us?" To answer that question, we put together a family survival guide to being famous at home in 2021! Some highlights include: * How to manage fear* How to talk to our kids about and navigate world and national events our respective countries* What does it mean for us to love our neighbor?Together, let's set the tone for what God wants to do in 2021!Show Notes:20% Off Your Family Purpose Online Course! Begin 2021 by setting your family vision and values! Click here.Join our community! At the Famous at Home Network!

One of the best ways to teach kids discipline is through fasting. It's important for them to learn that when they fill their lives with stuff, they leave less room for God. Some of this stuff could be the use of unkind words, whining and complaining, devices, TV time, social media, sugary drinks or foods, and more.In this 5 minute episode, Josh and Christi talk about a recent experience they had fasting as a family. They encourage your family to do the same as they provide helpful ways to do so.What better time to do this than in the beginning of a new year?

We hope you've been enjoying our "Best of" series! Do you have an annoyance in your marriage that seems to rear its ugly head every now and again? That one issue that seems to block you and your spouse from being on the same team. In-laws. Finances. How you parent your kids. Where you spend the holidays. We all seem to have that one elephant. You know it's there, but most of the time it's hibernating in the cold, dark, corner of the basement, out of sight. Yet, every now and again, you feel the elephant coming up the stairs. Your reaction might be to pretend he's not coming. Or it might be that you see him walk into your living room so you obviously have to talk about him. So you do. You argue about him. You try to find a way to get him back into your basement, out of sight, but you can't agree on how to do that. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about their own elephant. They also give practical ways to finally address that one issue in your marriage and why talking about it actually takes away its power. For the sake of your marital intimacy, talk about the elephant.

One of the best ways to let go of stress and anxiety is through physical touch. Unfortunately, due to social distancing, it has been difficult for all of us to release as much oxytocin as we should. In this 5 minute episode, Josh and Christi share the power a 30 second hug with a loved one has on our day.

Welcome back to our "Best of" series! Social distancing has given the Straubs a chance to really focus on the atmosphere of their home, both emotionally and spiritually. It's made them a little more intentional, but also has brought a lot more fun to their home as well. In this episode, Josh and Christi talk about the practices they've been implementing in their home to cultivate their kids' hearts and foster a healthy spiritual environment as a family.Here are some highlights:* The misperception that spiritual growth begins with instruction* Why the spiritual environment of our home rises and falls of modeling* The transmitting power of relational warmth* How listening and asking questions of our kids influences the environment* Why worship changes the atmosphere of your home* The ways we teach our kids to listen to God's voice* Why we need to take prayer seriously and be the spiritual covering for our kids

It's crazy how a couple minutes on social media in the morning can impact the rest of our day. Oftentimes we view a post from across the world that provokes an emotion of fear, anxiety, or depression into our own world. This, then, effects the way we communicate with our loved ones.In this 5 minute episode Josh and Christi encourage you to pay attention to the things that are impacting your attitude. They suggest creating an emotion log of instances that trigger negativity, as well as instances that bring you life. This practice provides awareness of what needs to be eliminated and what needs to be implemented. It's the little changes that order your day in a way that allows you to show up for your family.

Welcome to our "Best of" series as we ring in 2021! No doubt your child's world has been rattled in some way by the uncertain times we live in. How we respond to our child's big emotions now will set the stage for how they learn to manage those emotions and make decisions in crisis as they grow older. No pressure, right? In this episode, we provide hope and talk about five practical ways to create an emotional growth environment for your kids.

The more we are wearing face masks, the less children are becoming familiar with our facial cues and how we are relating to them. In this episode, Josh and Christi share powerful ways to increase face time in a day and age where it is challenging to do so. This includes putting our phones away and initiating quality time with our kids.

The enemy is constantly at work to steal, kill, and destroy our marriages. In this episode, Josh and Christi provide helpful ways to create war against the enemy as you cultivate a healthy marriage.Here are a few key takeaways:* Your spouse is not your opponent; the enemy is.* Listen to your spouse without trying to fix the problem.* Be a watchman and spend 15 minutes a day focusing on your spouse's emotions.* We do not fight against flesh and blood. We fight in the supernatural.* Stand firm as you remind the enemy WHO you are and WHOSE you are.

One of the hardest things to do is be joyful when our circumstances don't look the way we'd like them to. But when we look closely at the Christmas story, we are inspired by Elizabeth because of the way she leaped for joy in the midst of her pregnancy. How often do we sing hymns to Jesus and have a dance party when we don't feel like it? When you shift your mind toward what you are grateful for, everything in your life begins to change. Josh and Christi share practical ways to count your blessings and find reasons to throw a dance party in the holiday season.

One of our favorite Christmas traditions is throwing a birthday party for Jesus. Think about what He might want for His birthday and talk to your kids about giving Him a present. Plan your party and make a family memory as you celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Savior.

In this episode, we have a special announcement to make (23:47). But before we do, we use this episode to talk about hearing the voice of God. In a time with so many voices filling your head, how can you discern, is it my voice or God's voice I'm hearing? Or what if it's some other voice? We tell stories from our own journey that might help you learn to trust His voice more in your life. In this episode, we talk about: * Why we have a difficult time discerning the voice of God* How to begin discerning the voice of God in your everyday life* Whether what we take in feeds fear or faith* Why listening to the Holy Spirit leads to loving our neighbor* The consequences of obeying the voice of God when we hear Him speakShow Notes: DECEMBER SPECIAL! Sign up for Your Family Purpose: A Step-by-Step Guide to Establishing Your Family Vision and Values for 50% off through December 31st! Click here to sign up or learn more!

Faith is the evidence of things not seen. But getting our kids to understand trust in God is so difficult, especially when we as parents doubt His goodness. This is an #adventfamilyexperience we used to help our kids understand trust and talk about faith in a tangible way they can "taste." Let's keep pressing into David's Psalm, that we might "taste and know that the Lord is good."

Like a caged tiger walking the same path every single day, we too walk a similar path with our phones. We pull it out and get on the same app trail. How does this trail increase your faith? How does it make you feel after you get off of it? Does it build your relationship with your family? In this 5 minute episode, Christi shares a powerful revelation about a recent decision she made with her phone.

If 2020 were one long rainy day, how did your family dance in it? In this episode, we redefine 2020 not as a curse word, but for the beauty it brought about for our family. We discuss ways you can do the same.Here are a few key takeaways: * If you were to look back at your family photos, what were the sweet moments you remember about 2020?* How can you turn those sweet moments into a bucket list for 2021?* How to define your family purpose for 2021.* What it means to move from good intentions to living intentionally.* The power of pro relationship thoughts in living out your family purpose.Show Notes: DECEMBER SPECIAL! Sign up for Your Family Purpose: A Step-by-Step Guide to Establishing Your Family Vision and Values for 50% off through December 31st! Click here to sign up or learn more!

We're all feeling a bit weary this yea. And with Christmas not being the same as years prior, it just adds to the grief. But what if we made the most of what we've been given?Less running around, slowing the frantic pace, and more time together as a family could be just the remedy.

Lysa TerKeurst, President of Proverbs 31 Ministries, sits down with us to talk about her painful marital journey. She shares vulnerably about her own pain and why she stayed with her husband, Art, when she had every reason not to.No matter who hurt you, you deserve to stop suffering because of what other people have done to you. If you've ever felt stuck in a cycle of unresolved pain, playing offenses over and over in your mind and know you can't go on living like this, but don't know what to do next, this episode is for you. Lysa TerKeurst has wrestled through this journey. And she's discovered that, to find life-giving freedom, you have to let go of bound-up resentment and resistance to forgiving people who aren’t willing to make things right.In this episode, Lysa talks vulnerably about: * The best day and worst day of her forgiveness journey. * The formula to rebuilding trust when you've been wronged.* The difference between forgiveness and reconciliation.* How her husband, Art, shows up today and why he too can bravely walk this healing journey.* Why forgiveness is a messy process.* What it means when we say, "What is hysterical is often historical."Show Notes: Pick up a copy of Lysa's latest book Forgiving What You Can't Forget: Discover How to Move On, Make Peace with Painful Memories, and Create a Life That’s Beautiful Again by clicking here. Sign up for Your Family Purpose: A Step-by-Step Guide to Establishing Your Family Vision and Values for 50% off through December 31st! Click here to sign up or learn more!

As a child, we all have family traditions and memories we hold dear. But so often, with the chaos and busyness of having young children, it's easy to justify not holding to those traditions. In this episode, we invite you back to your childhood memories and explain why it's important to keep these memories alive.

Christmas is going to look different for a lot of us this year. But when we numb our feelings of grief and loss, we also numb our ability to experience joy and hope. In this episode, we talk about an activity we created that can help you and your kids grieve well and find joy on the other side. Show Note: Get your copy of the 25 Days of Christmas: An Advent Family Experience, by clicking here.

Forget normal family dysfunction. Add in an election year and opinions about the pandemic, and you have a recipe for a challenging Christmas with family. Never mind that we have to navigate the pandemic and might not even get to see family. But what if we prioritized what really matters? Relationships.In this episode, we talk about eight ways to E.N.J.O.Y.I.N.G the holidays with family in 2020. Show Notes: Visit gominno.com and use code FAMOUS to start your free 7-day trial!Get your copy of the 25 Days of the Christmas Story, by clicking here.

In the honor of bringing people onto the podcast who have influenced our own stories, Frank Tate is back this week to discuss some of the most practical, life-changing principles in our own parenting journey. Frank was on the podcast a few years ago with a message called Screaming Data, still one of the most listened to and shared episodes we have ever recorded. This time, his book is finished and available! In this episode, he revisits some of those principles and shares new insights about the book's title and how we can harness even the pandemic as an incredible gift for the direction of our family. Here are some highlights: * Why the title of his book went from Foster Kid to Time Machines Work* How to harvest the wisdom of our stories* What screaming data is and why it's so powerful as a parenting principle* How we can either celebrate our kid's DNA into their best version, or shame it into submission* The power of data-based praise* A redefinition of the words "smart" and "success"Show Notes: To purchase a copy of Frank's brand new book, Time Machines Work: Using the Pain From Your Past as Rocket Fuel for Your Future, click here. These parenting principles are life-changing.Here's a link to the first time we had Frank on the podcast. Episode 47: Screaming Data with Frank TateFor a family-friendly online streaming option with television shows you can trust, visit gominno.com and use code FAMOUS to start your free 7-day trial!

It's too easy to get stuck in a pattern of praying the same things for and with our kids. In this episode, Christi shares a powerful insight she received from Habakkuk 2 about the patterns our kids find themselves in and how to pray for them. The big question is: What if we went from "note answerers," to "note-takers?"

Jesus' birthday is just around the corner. What if we were to ask Him what He wanted for His birthday? It's a powerful question we asked in our family that led us to the heartwarming story of Norah Birungi.As families seeking to live on purpose, this episode is a story about the generational and transformative power of what happens when we give back to God what He gives to us. In this episode, Norah shares how the gifts of another family when she was a child helped her to become the wife, mom, and woman of God she is today. We also share how stories like Norah's inspired our family to give back this Christmas.Show Notes: To join us in sponsoring a child with Compassion International this Christmas, text the word FAMOUS to 83393 to receive the profile of a child in need of a sponsor. Or to choose a child as a family, visit www.compassion.com/famousathomeLet's join together to invest in the next generation of families who will be famous at home.

We all lack faith in God in certain areas of our lives. In this episode, we differentiate faith from hope. We also challenge you to find the one area of your life where you need more faith. Instead of asking the question, "What if God doesn't show up?" what if we instead asked the question, "What if He does?" Here are some practical ways to build your faith when you need it most.

Getting our kids to name what they feel in distressing moments often comes by asking good questions. Contrary to our natural instinct, we don't need to fix our kids so they feel happy all of the time. The power is just sitting with them in their uncomfortable emotions and helping them label what happened. Think of it as putting together a puzzle. What did they see, think, hear, smell, taste, or touch? We don't even need to ask them what they're feeling. Sometimes it's too difficult for them to label. But when we inquire about the facts and take the time to ask good questions, the emotions begin to make sense.

It's the morning after the presidential election in the United States. Today, we pause to pray for our world leaders, the respective countries we live in, and how we're moving forward as a family, regardless of the outcome. In this episode, we discuss:* How to talk to your kids about the election* Why loving your neighbor matters more than your political affiliation* Why we should talk to our kids about character and candidacy* Coming together as a family to pray for our leaders, countries, and outcomes

What happens when you feel like you're doing everything you can for your family, yet it feels like it's still not enough for your spouse? We talk about a defining moment in our marriage where we realized we were ignoring one another without realizing it. So often, marriage is about meta-communication, talking about how we communicate. Here's five minutes on helping your spouse feel "seen."

We talk a lot about emotional safety when raising kids. But that doesn't mean we can let our kids behave any way they want to. Quite the contrary. A home without discipline is not a safe one. However, discipline is also one of the greatest parenting struggles. In this episode, we talk about healthy discipline, why it's important for kids, and how it also influences mom and dad too. We also discuss how we, even with two different approaches to discipline, can work together as a team. In the end, it requires grace for your kids, and an extra dose for you as a parent. Show Notes: Visit gominno.com and use code FAMOUS to start your free 7-day trial!

One of our family mottos is, "Do hard things first." Oftentimes though, we get so distracted as parents that we don't take the time to sit with our kids to help them learn to do hard things. So, what happens? We do it for them. We get more exhausted and they, in turn, become less resourceful. In this episode, we talk about how to help your kids accomplish something difficult for long term gains both with your kids and your sanity!

There is not a more sanctifying set of verses in the Bible than James 1:19-20, "...be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for human anger does not accomplish God's righteousness" (CSB). So what happens when we're slow to listen, quick to speak, and quick to anger, especially with our spouse and kids? Today's 5 minutes is about how we can be quick to listen, but also how to make it right with our loved ones when we get it wrong. Because we will.

No matter whether you homeschool, or your kids go to public school, private school, or remain in the middle of remote learning, we believe it's important for kids to be in life school. In this episode, we talk about what life school is and how and what we're doing in our first year as a homeschooling family. Here are some highlights: * We share the lessons and curriculum we use* Christi shares what hasn't worked and the importance of always evaluating and making tweaks* Why family rhythm and routine is more important than a schedule* The life school lessons we taught so far* Why Google might know more than dad, but can't teach character* How we manage working from home, schooling our kids, and how we communicate about it allShow Notes: Visit gominno.com and use code FAMOUS to start your free 7-day trial!Check out our new online course called: Your Family Purpose: A Step-by-Step Guide to Establishing Your Family Vision and Values by clicking here.

What happens when we switch roles with our kids and we allow them to teach us something they know that we might not? Well, your kids just might surprise you. In this 5 minute episode, we talk about the surprising benefits of putting your child in the teacher role and the boost of confidence it can give them.

What comes out of us and how we live our lives is often a reflection of what we take in. In this 5 minute episode, Josh + Christi share what music is on their current playlists and the books shaping how they think in this current season.

We have a fun surprise! Our new children's book 25 Days of the Christmas Story: An Advent Family Experience released this week! In this episode, we talk about the fun activities, life lessons, character traits, and prayers your family can engage this Advent season. Let's be honest, 2020 in many ways has felt like Groundhog Day--the same day over and over again. This Christmas, we hope each day of Advent can feel different, like a warm hug for your family as you engage the Christmas story!Show Notes: Get your copy of the 25 Days of the Christmas Story: An Advent Family Experience by clicking here!Sponsor:Visit gominno.com and use code FAMOUS to start your free 7-day trial!

Read the Bible this weekend as a family. Choose a passage and sit down together as a couple, or with your kids, and read it aloud. Keep your reading short if you have young kids, but use the following guide as a way to engage the text. Pastor Jon Tyson from Church of the City New York has three questions he challenges us to ask of our kids:1. What does this passage tell you about God? 2. What does this passage tell you about yourself? 3. What does this passage tell you about how life works?

Dr. Diane Langberg is a pioneer. As a practicing psychologist for nearly five decades, she gives voice to those without a voice. She joins us this week to talk about how we can help our kids find their voice and use it for good in the world. She also describes practical ways we can teach our kids to stand against unhealthy people and systems. Speaking from the heart of a mother and grandmother, and from the experience of a psychologist, Diane defines power as "the capacity to impact." From a nursing home resident, to your newborn infant screaming for food in the middle of the night, the capacity to impact others is in all of us. But what happens when power is abused? Particularly in a system, whether political or religious, that uses God's name as a weapon to protect the system more than the people it serves? In this episode, Diane joins us to talk about her new book Redeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church. She shares how we can redeem our own voice if hurt by those in power and how we can help our kids find their voice and use their power for good in the world.Here are a few of the highlights: * Diane shares who helped her find her voice as a little girl and how it shaped who she is today who she is today * How women can prioritize raising kids and doing what they love* Where our power originates from* The danger of trying to move on too quickly after an apology* Practical ways to help your kids find their voice and recognize unhealthy systems* The healthy steps toward healing for the parent once victimizedShow Notes: Pre-order Diane's book, Redeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church by clicking here.To access more of Diane's free talks and books she's written, click here.

Healthy marriages see what cannot be seen. What does that mean? We fight for our spouse's heart by seeking to understand what our spouse is feeling each day--the underlying feelings your spouse is carrying that you can't see on the surface. Let's be honest, busyness and distraction become massive barriers to feeling fully known and loved in our marriage. So when we experience uncomfortable emotions, we tend to get defensive and lead with anger. This episode provides a practical help for overcoming busyness and distraction to fighting for one another's heart.

In this 5 minute episode, we talk about how to stand firm and pray for your spouse. We talk about the passage on marriage from Ephesians, chapter 5. However, we need to put this part about marriage specifically in the context of the entire letter and in light of Ephesians chapter 6. Here's 5 minutes on how you can begin fighting for your spouse's soul.

Much is shifting in the unseen realm right now. Maybe you're feeling it too. The change happening in society is trickling down and effecting our families unlike many of us have seen in our lifetimes. Today, we talk about what that means for us as families. Here are some highlights: * Modeling and teaching our kids the power of intercessory prayer* The importance of praying for someone else who has the same need as yours* Discerning transition and what God might be teaching you in it* Ephesians 6 as a model of how to fight for, and not with, your spouse* Why to consecrate your home, marriage, body, and workShow Notes: Click here to sign up for YOUR FAMILY PURPOSE: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Establishing Your Family Vision and ValuesIf you're already a member of the Famous at Home Network, and would like to sign up for YOUR FAMILY PURPOSE, click here. To download the Wild at Heart app, click here.

In marriage, we have opponents that war against our intimacy and level of connection. Sometimes it's finances, busyness, an upcoming deployment, or even lack of sleep from a newborn baby. Whatever the opponent, we have to name it in order to get on the same team against it. If not, we run the risk of making our spouse the enemy. And your spouse is not your enemy.

In this 5 minute episode, we talk about a surprising discovery we had about what a true worship song really is, and what it means for how we teach our kids about God. This simple practice of worship is a game-changing 5-minute win for how you and your family can start the day.

A Deeply Formed Life. Is it possible with a family? Young kids? Newborns? Pastor Rich Villodas gives us a road map to the richly rooted place we all yearn for: a place of communion with God, a place where we find our authentic purpose amid chaotic times. This conversation is beautiful.Rich is a longtime friend of Josh's from seminary days nearly 20 years ago. Today he is lead pastor at New Life Fellowship in Queens, NY, an intergenerational, multi-ethnic church representing 75 different nationalities. He is a husband and father who pursues a deeply formed life. Pastor Rich says we must restore balance, focus, and meaning for our souls. He describes how to find this spiritual breakthrough by following five key values. Best of all, he talks about how these values inform how we parent our kids! The values he breaks down in this episode and his new book The Deeply Formed Life include: * Contemplative Rhythms: for an exhausted life* Racial Justice: for a divided time* Interior Examination: for a world living on the surface* Sexual Wholeness: for a culture that splits bodies from souls* Missional Presence: for a distracted and disengaged peopleShow Notes: Be sure to purchase The Deeply Formed Life by Pastor Rich! Click here. Follow Pastor Rich on Instagram. Click here.

Welcome to Famous at Home in 5 Minutes, the new twice weekly podcast drop, offering practical ways to create a family of connection, celebration, and purpose. In this episode, the one way to win the day as a parent.

Have you thought about what it means to awaken wonder in your kids? To help them finish the phrase, "I wonder..."? As a pioneer in schooling from home, Sally Clarkson joins us to talk about wonder. But even more, her beautiful stories of educating her own kids help set us free!Whether you homeschool or send your kids to a public or private school, you hold the keys to who your children become. Sally describes practically what this can look like in the day-to-day and the ways we can open our child's heart to the beauty of learning. There are some beautiful highlights you won't want to miss: * How to follow your child's sense of wander.* The beautiful moments that really matter when it comes to educating your kids.* Practical ways to educate your kids and what it can look like in the day-to-day.* How modeling and instruction work together and why it's important.* Raising children who love learning, not just practice rote memorization.* How Sally and Clay became a team as husband and wife in educating their kids.Show Notes: Get your copy of AWAKING WONDER: Opening Your Child's Heart to the Love of Learning by Sally Clarkson. Click here to purchase!Visit Sally's website by clicking here. Subscribe to Sally's podcast by clicking here. YOUR FAMILY PURPOSE: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO ESTABLISHING YOUR FAMILY’S VISION AND VALUES. Cart is now open at 20% off. Click here to join!

Pretty much everyone is now schooling from home at some level. Not only that, work has also returned home. This makes for a lovely recipe of childcare issues, conflicting schedules, and marital bliss. Okay, so the latter is a bit of an exaggeration. But what if we really could get on the same team? In this episode, we talk about what we're learning and the adjustments we needed to make because of the new school-from-home routine. Surprise, surprise, it begins with the marriage. We share about a very real moment we had last week that blindsided us but got us back on the same team in a new way. We also go in-depth about our current daily schedule and what's working. Hopefully, it'll give you some insight on how you can school from home in a more harmonious way. Show Notes:YOUR FAMILY PURPOSE: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO ESTABLISHING YOUR FAMILY'S VISION AND VALUES. Cart is now open at 20% off. Click here to join!

In a follow-up to last week's conversation about being a spiritually attuned family, we talk this week about paying attention to how God is shaping your child's heart. Not only that, Josh makes a big time confession that leaves Christi speechless. It's a moment you won't want to miss!In this episode, we talk practically about how we pay attention to the Holy Spirit when it comes to shepherding our children's hearts. The conversation includes:* Why it's important for us as parents to press into our child's heart and have difficult conversations* How to discern behavior change and steward attitudes in your children* How to have conversations about the messages our kids take in through video games, music, television, etc. * What it looks like to walk the tightrope of support / challenge with your kids* How to encourage and follow the Holy Spirit's leading in your child's life* Ways we specifically champion our children's hearts right nowShow Notes: Keep the conversation going and gain encouragement from other families just like yours by joining the Famous at Home online community, FREE. Click here to join now!

How is your family approaching these uncertain times? Do you feel overwhelmed by schooling from home? Confused about what God might be up to right now? Figuring out what a new normal looks like for your family? In this episode, we talk candidly about our own pursuit of the deeper things of God during these uncertain times. Specifically, we talk about: * How to not to "miss" our child's inner world* Overcoming the spirit of distraction* How to turn our focus onto what really matters in the day-to-day * Why we believe God wants to use families in these uncertain times* How we approach discipleship with our kids* Why bringing our kids into the conversation mattersShow Notes: We extended the 20% OFF registration for The Leader’s Heart Cohort. Register now or schedule a call with Josh to learn more!

Dorena Williamson joins us for a beautiful, honest, and at times, uncomfortable conversation about race. Dorena loves the power of story and writes children’s books that adults need too. She is the author of ColorFull, ThoughtFull, and GraceFull, children's books that feature diverse ethnicity and shape perspective on race, disability, and homelessness. She is the co-planter of multiracial Strong Tower Bible Church in Nashville, and a leader with Be the Bridge. Dorena joins us to talk about her children's books and gives us insight on how to talk to our kids about race. Here are some highlights: * Why it's necessary for our kids to see color* A biblical basis for every child's identity, regardless of color* A historical perspective on how the United States veered away from the biblical foundation of human creation and worth* Dorena shares practical ways she has taught her kids about race, the history of injustice, and the cultural experiences she gives them.* How we can see our own bias, prejudice, and pay attention to the pain in our stories.Show Notes: Find Dorena's books and visit her at dorenawilliamson.com. She has a great list of resources to learn more about growing in racial awareness. Click here for those resources. Click here for Dorena's book ColorFull!Click here for Dorena's book GraceFull!Click here for Dorena's book ThoughtFull!We extended the 20% OFF registration for The Leader’s Heart Cohort. Register now or schedule a call with Josh to learn more!

Working from home. Managing school from home. Raising little kids (especially under age three). And living on little sleep. This recipe is perfect for treating your spouse like a three-year-old. Pouting. Talking back. Ignoring. You know, just being emotionally immature with your spouse.We get it. We're on little sleep. Have an infant at home. And date nights come at a premium these days. In this episode, we talk about how to treat your spouse like an adult. Or, in other words, how not to be emotionally immature with each other. A few highlights: * We talk about our own recent "disconnection." * How to talk to one another about expectations.* The ways we can accept influence from each other.* How to keep our relationship fresh.* Showing up for one another with weird schedules and new routines.Show Notes:We extended the 20% OFF registration for The Leader’s Heart Cohort. We're almost full, but you can still get in. Register now or schedule a call with Josh to learn more!

We cannot pretend that life is going to get back to normal. It's not. And we believe that's a good thing, especially for families. In this episode, we talk about what we believe God is up to in this moment of history. There is an apocalypse, or a revealing, taking place in our society. How do you discern  what that means for your family? That's what this episode is all about.We discuss a number of topics relevant to your family right now:* How to listen to God in this hour and what He has for your family.* Our decision to lay everything on the table and decide what needs to go and what needs to stay.* Why we decided to homeschool this year and what that looks like.* How to grieve and say goodbye well to an old season so we can properly say hello to a new one.* What it means to "unschool" ourselves in regard to being famous at home.Show Notes: Sign up today for The Leader’s Heart Cohort and receive 20% off registration. Spaces are running out!

Carlos Whittaker tells stories in books, on stage, and on Instagram. In this episode, he tells stories about race, trauma, and talks about his new book Enter Wild. Carlos' voice in these trying times is one we all need to listen to. In this episode, Carlos covers some amazing ground on how we as families can specifically hear from God. If you're in a difficult season as a family and questioning God's presence, Carlos will challenge you. Instead of asking "What if God doesn't show up?" Carlos challenges us to ask, "What if He does?"Here are some highlights: * Carlos talks about why we're afraid to ask God for specific requests. * How we can teach our kids to pray to God for specific prayers. * What the Lord is really committed to as it relates to you and your family. * What it costs to step out of a mild and mundane faith* What the real goal of being a parent is and how to achieve it. Show Notes & SponsorsSign up today for The Leader’s Heart Cohort and receive 20% off registration.Do yourself a favor and follow Carlos Whittaker on Instagram. Click here. Click here to get Enter Wild: Exchange a Mild and Mundane Faith for Life with an Uncontainable God. Register now for The Patient Parent: How to Stop Yelling, Quit Overreacting, and See Your Child for Who They Really Are. Click here to register.

The upcoming school year is fast upon us and unlike any we've encountered. As parents, it can feel unsettling with all of the unknowns. You might be working from home. You may be going into work. Either way, keeping the kids at home this school year or having them learn online adds further burden. Not only is fear of the unknown an issue, so is our depleting frustration tolerance. In this episode, we reveal the decision we made about this school year and invite you on the journey to use the podcast as an ongoing discussion as we all journey through these uncharted waters as families this fall. No matter the decision you make for your family, we can all lead well for our kids and inside of our homes. Show Notes: Sign up today for The Leader’s Heart Cohort and receive 20% off registration.Register now for our FREE webinar, How Not to Lose Your Ever-Loving Mind on Your Kids coming up the week of July 27th. Click here to register.Looking to establish Your Family Purpose for this fall? Sign up here and get 20% OFF!Join the Famous at Home Network by clicking here.

Fr. Aaron Smallwood joins us for a conversation on racial injustice and what it means for today's family and the family of God. If you're learning about the root of the racial tension in America and trying to figure out how to talk to your kids about racial justice, this is a good starting conversation. In this episode, we talk about our personal covenant relationship, our own family histories as it relates to race, and how we're living out covenant relationship in our own families today. Show Notes: Sign up today for The Leader's Heart Cohort and receive 20% off registration.Register now for our FREE webinar, How Not to Lose Your Ever-Loving Mind on Your Kids coming up the week of July 27th. Click here to register.Books on Racial Reconciliation and Injustice: Be the Bridge: Pursuing God's Heart for Racial Reconciliation by Natasha MorrisonPost Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America's Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing by Joy DegruyRace, Religion, & Racism by Frederick K. C. PriceThe New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in an Age of Colorblindness by Michelle AlexanderMovies to Watch:The HelpImitation of LifeJust MercySelma

Father Aaron Smallwood, Spiritual Director of Famous at Home, joins the podcast this week to talk about spiritual direction. We talk openly and transparently about our own journey of spiritual direction, what spiritual direction is, why it's important in the day-to-day of your family, and how you can find spiritual direction. Show Notes: To sign up for the free webinar, How to Not Lose Your Ever-Loving Mind on Your Kids, click here! To register for The Leader's Heart Cohort and save 20%, click here!

When we lead, we influence culture. Whether culture is at home with your kids or it's at work, how you show up has a ripple effect on the environment. Bill Lokey joins Josh for the final episode in a 4-part series on the Heart of Leadership. This week we talk about the heart of your culture: at home and work.In this fourth and final episode on leadership and connection, Josh and Bill talk about: * The game of spiritual mathematics in relationships* Why healthy culture starts with understanding* How we can enter into the stories of those we lead and love* The multiplying power of making our world smaller* Ways to cultivate healthy culture both at home and workShow Notes: Get 20% OFF before July 17! Bill and Josh together will be facilitating The Leader’s Heart Cohort beginning September 1. Seats are limited. To learn more about this holistic emotional / spiritual one-year journey, click here. 

Bill Lokey joins Josh again for part 3 of our 4-part series on the Heart of Leadership. And this week we talk about something deep for each one of us: how trauma influences our heart, soul, and how we lead.In this third episode on leadership and connection, Josh and Bill talk about: * Why we tend to feel like imposters* The definition of trauma and how it shows up in how we act toward others* The subtle traumas we may have never labeled as such* How trauma influences our relationships* Why we tend to medicate our trauma and what we use to medicate* The power of feelings in healing the pain from our past* Why it's so difficult for us to face shame and trauma as an adult* Practical ways to face our trauma and show up for those we leadShow Notes: Bill and Josh together will be facilitating The Leader’s Heart Cohort beginning September 1. Seats are limited. To learn more about this holistic emotional / spiritual one-year journey, click here. 

Bill Lokey joins Josh again for part 2 of our 4-part series on the Heart of Leadership. And this week we talk about something we all tend to struggle with: meaningful connection and spending time with those we love. In this second episode on leadership and connection, Josh and Bill talk about: * The barriers to meaningful connection and how we can overcome them* Shame as a bad motivator for change* How to silence shame so we can connect deeply with others* How self-medicators keep us from intimacy* What it feels like to spend time with someone who really likes you* How to show up for someone you really like spending time with* Spiritual disciplines for meaningful connection with GodShow Notes: Bill and Josh together will be facilitating The Leader’s Heart Cohort beginning September 1. Seats are limited. To learn more about this holistic emotional / spiritual one-year journey, click here. 

No matter your stage, you lead people. As a parent, you lead your kids. As a spouse, you lead your husband or wife. At work, you lead your employees, congregants, soldiers, clients, and teams. How would those you lead describe your ability to connect to their realities? And how much do we really pay attention to those realities versus focusing solely on our own?Make no mistake, the quality of how well you lead rises or falls on your inner world. And the people you lead feel it. That's why we begin season 8 of our podcast with a 4-part series on the Heart of Leadership. Sitting in as co-host while Christi is on maternity leave is world-renowned therapist Bill Lokey. In this series, we'll be covering The Heart of Your Leadership, The Heart of Connection, The Heart of Trauma, and The Heart of Your Culture.In this first episode, Josh and Bill talk about: * What makes a person a leader* What happens when your stage is ripped out from under you* How to transition well as a leader when bad things happen* What it means to grieve and why it's critical for how we lead* Why we have a tendency to focus more on reputation than character* What happens when we feel like we're not enough or don't have what it takes to leadShow Notes: Bill and Josh together will be facilitating The Leader's Heart Cohort beginning September 1. Seats are limited. To learn more about this holistic emotional / spiritual one-year journey, click here.

Social distancing threw us a few curve balls. With that season seemingly coming to a close for many across the world, the question we have to ask as families is: What did we learn? Not only is social distancing coming to an end, but so is season 7 of our podcast. Pretty crazy! As we launch a new season, we begin with Christi on maternity leave. In this episode, we talk about the lessons we learned as a family, the changes we'll be making, and where we're headed as a new season of the Famous at Home podcast begins. Show Notes: Register now for The Leader's Heart Cohort by clicking here.

Social distancing has given us a chance to really focus on the atmosphere of our home, both emotionally and spiritually. It's made us a little more intentional, but also has brought a lot more fun to our home as well. In this episode, we talk about the practices we've been implementing in our home to cultivate our kids' hearts and foster a healthy spiritual environment for all of us. Here are some highlights: * The misperception that spiritual growth begins with instruction* Why the spiritual environment of our home rises and falls on modeling* The transmitting power of relational warmth * How listening and asking questions of our kids influences the environment * Why worship changes the atmosphere of your home* The ways we teach our kids to listen for God's voice* Why we need to take prayer seriously and be the spiritual covering for our kidsShow Notes: To learn more about The Leader's Way Cohort, or to apply, click here. Click here to learn more about Minno!Click here for Moving Mountains by John EldredgeClick here for The Ransomed Heart App

No doubt your child's world has been rattled in some way by the uncertain times we live in. How we respond to our child's big emotions now will set the stage for how they learn to manage those emotions and make decisions in crisis as they grow older. No pressure, right? In this episode, we provide hope and talk about five practical ways to create an emotional growth environment for your kids. * Lead in grace, follow in truth* Talk about emotions* Celebrate your kids for who they are; don't mourn who they're not* Right your wrongs* Focus on who you're becomingShow Notes: The What Am I Feeling? children's book is a perfect way to help your kids label their emotions. Click here to purchase. What to learn more about Emotional Safety in Parenting? To purchase Safe House: How Emotional Safety is the Key to Raising Kids Who Live, Love, and Lead Well, click here.

Leading your family well requires intention and discernment. To be honest, it can't be done alone either. You need the ability to learn along the way what works and what doesn't for your family. In this episode, self-proclaimed "expert pregnancy survivor," Aaron Sharp (IT Director for Right Now Media) joins us to share ways he and his wife Elaina, aka Wonder Woman, lead their family. Aaron also wrote an incredibly witty book on pregnancy and preparing for a new baby, which is important for our season of life. Having done this pregnancy thing himself four times (okay, let's give his wife Elaina the credit), they have a zoologist, a ballerina, a fashionista, and a Jedi. Here are some highlights: * Witty conversation on how to prepare your home for a new baby, especially as a dad* How they balance his role and his wife's entrepreneurial journey owning a plumbing company* What they believe about schooling their kids* Eye-opening ways he leads his family in this season of social distancingShow Notes: REGISTER TODAY for THE LEADER'S HEART COHORT. For more information, click here. To purchase You Got This, Dad by Aaron Sharp, click here.

Who doesn't need help communicating in a COVID-19 era? Learning to communicate with your spouse can take years. Fortunately, our cohosts for Sex, Love, and Relationships (on Hillsong Channel), John and Helen Burns, bring 46 years of marriage to the podcast. In this episode, they drop absolute gold--simple lessons you can apply today, but with the complexity that comes with four-and-half decades of marriage. As former church planters and pastors, they now mentor pastors all over the world. Today, you get to be mentored by them as well. Here are some highlights: * Why communication was their problem* How they learned to tame the tongue * How to discern when to talk and when to zip it* Why life should be a treasure hunt* And the 11th commandment of the Burns home -- thou shalt laughShow Notes: As we mentioned in the episode, The Leader's Heart Cohort is beginning this fall! Click here to learn more and register now!Check out Sex, Love, and Relationships on Hillsong Channel!

We didn't always have family rhythms established on paper. And we suffered for it, oftentimes feeling overwhelmed, other times feeling purposeless. In this episode, we talk about how we established family rhythms, why we gave each day of the week a name, and how those rhythms serve our family and keep us thriving throughout social distancing. We also talk about how why we named each month and set up a yearly rhythm that brings us hope. Show Notes: To learn more about the Famous at Home family coaching and marriage coaching options, click here.

How many times a day during social isolation have your kids asked for snack? Have you struggled keeping them, or yourself, moving? Noelle Martin, aka motherhoodandmeals, a registered dietician and university professor, joins us to talk about how she helps her own three boys develop a healthy relationship with food. She also shares with us a practical and kind approach for how to keep yourself and your kids exercising. Noelle shares with us: * Snack ideas for our kids* How often our kids should eat* How to set an eating schedule for your kids that works* The foods she includes in each meal with her kids* The conversation and language they use about food* How to use cooking as a part of your homeschool curriculum* Apps and a plan for exercise and movement during social isolation* The relationship between gut health and movement Show Notes: Go follow MotherhoodandMeals on Instagram by clicking here!Here is the blogpost full of apps Noelle mentions in the episode to keep your kids moving!Visit MotherhoodandMeals.com to sign up for a food schedule by clicking here. To get Noelle's Super Foods for Super Kids Cookbook, click here.

Your story matters and deserves to be told. That's the heart and message of this episode with our friend, CEO of Onsite Workshops, Miles Adcox. An unexpected consequence of social isolation is how it's forcing many of us to look at some pain or grief, maybe within our marriage, or within ourselves, that we hadn't taken time to address. If you feel burdened, this episode will bless you.In this episode, we all share our own therapeutic journeys and how we continue to find freedom by prioritizing our own unique stories. Miles does a great job of helping us see, at a deep level, what emotional wellness can look like and why it matters. No matter what you might be experiencing right now during social isolation, this conversation will fill your heart and mind with grace and compassion. Show Notes: For more information on the Online Programs Onsite is currently offering, click here. To learn more about the Emotional Wellness opportunities at Onsite, click here. Check out more about Miles, including his speaking schedule, by clicking here. Purchase the What Am I Feeling? children's book, by clicking here.

In part 4 of the Famous at Home series during social isolation, we talk about how to talk to your kids about coronavirus. Kids, too, have had their schedules and routines interrupted. But, unlike many adults, kids don't always know how to communicate fear, sadness, or confusion. Making it more difficult is that a child's feelings will often come out through behavior--either behavior we don't pick up on, or behavior we don't like. So not only do we punish the behavior, we punish the negative emotion too. In this episode, we provide practical ways we can talk to our kids about coronavirus without making these mistakes. We also talk about what our kids need most during this time, how we can settle their hearts, and how we can make the most of the time we get together as families.Show Notes: Sign up here for Your Family Purpose: A Step-by-Step Guide to Establishing Your Family Vision and Values. 20% Off Buy One, Gift One Until April 3!

In part 3 of the Famous at Home series during social isolation, we talk about marriage. With spouses in close quarters, work schedules changing, and kids home from school, spouses are forced to begin communicating in new ways. Marriages once held together by busyness are now struggling because of idleness. In this episode, we talk about how to connect at a deeper level, get on the same team, and champion one another. We also talk about spiritual growth, and yes, sex. Show Notes: Sign up here for Your Family Purpose: A Step-by-Step Guide to Establishing Your Family Vision and Values. 20% Off Buy One, Gift One Until April 3!To listen to The Elephant in Your Marriage episode, click here.

In part 2 of the Famous at Home series during social isolation, we talk about setting family rhythms. With kids out of school, finances taking a hit, spouses working from home, and everyone stuck together in close quarters, we talk about why family routines matter. We also share what we're doing specifically for the weeks ahead. Christi ends the episode with a great reminder though, that whatever you do, give yourself grace, focus on your home, and don't compare to what you see everyone else doing. Show Notes: Sign up here for Your Family Purpose: A Step-by-Step Guide to Establishing Your Family Vision and Values. 20% Off Buy One, Gift One Until April 3!Click here to purchase What Am I Feeling? children's book.

Being famous at home requires that we remain emotionally engaged with our loved ones. But suddenly finding yourself isolated from others in a very uncertain time can create panic, fear, and stress that emotionally distances you from those you love. In part 1 of the Famous at Home series during social isolation, we talk about emotional resilience. Put another way, resilience is our ability to "bounce back" when we feel panicked, depressed, stressed, or emotionally disengaged. The practical strategies we discuss are designed to build your emotional immune system, so you can "bounce back," and be famous at home for those you love.Show Notes:Click here to join the discussion at the Famous at Home Network!

If you want to be a dad who is famous at home with his son, this is a must listen. Pastor Jon Tyson joins us to talk about the path he created to raise his now 19-year-old son. He turned the path itself into a course that every dad can use to lead his son into a life of purpose. As Jon looked at the landscape of today's boys, he saw the need for boys to be guided by a community of men, on a recognized path into adulthood, that matched the aches or longings boys have in their heart. He calls it The Primal Path.With so many incredible one-liners to count, here are some highlights of this episode: * There is no constant, consistent, intentional pathway for boys to become men in American Christianity. Boys need a mentor or a father who can walk him through the process. * The primal path is a way to help overwhelmed but determined dads raise sons of consequence.* There's no way you can underestimate the joy of getting it right and overestimate the pain of getting it wrong when it comes to raising your son.* It's not about getting it perfect, but getting it right. * Don't shrink back out of insecurity or lack. Your son doesn't know what you don't know. Engage the path and process. * Build a relationship with your son where he brings you his sin. Show Notes: Click here to check out Jon's Father-Son course, with a 77-page field guide, called The Primal Path.You can also check out YOUR FAMILY PURPOSE by clicking here.

Y'all are amazing! This is a celebration episode--number 150. We also hit a milestone for downloads (mind grapes blown) and we have YOU to thank! In this episode, we talk about the one thing that's bringing each of us to life as spring approaches. We also challenge you to find that one life-giving thing for yourself. Christi shares her struggle with finding anything that was life-giving in the early years of parenthood, and talks about her process of discovering the things that now brings her to life.Also, because of your awesomeness, we're giving away t-shirts. Just set up your profile on the Famous at Home Network, join the group called "FAH Podcast Friends," and tell the group the single most useful thing for you or your family that you've taken away from the Famous at Home podcast. Show Notes:Click here to join the Famous at Home Network and connect with other families just like yours!

What are some of the mottos your family lives by? Visit any home goods store today and you can buy signs with all kinds of crazy mottos. Seeing these signs gave Troy and Ruth Chou Simons an idea. As the founder of GraceLaced, an art and lifestyle brand, Ruth decided to create signs adorned with biblical truths that her own family lived by. In this episode, Ruth and Troy give us a sneak peak into their home to talk about the rhythms and spiritual disciplines of raising their six boys. One of the best parts of this conversation is the guilt-free manner at which they talk about how to live out biblical truths in all seasons of your family, whether you're in the sleepless years of infancy or the tumultuous years of adolescence. Show Notes:Buy Ruth and Troy's book, Foundations: 12 Biblical Truths to Shape a Family, by clicking here.FAMOUS AT HOME NETWORK: Don't miss the Famous at Home Network! To join a community of like-minded families on the Famous at Home Network, click here.

Do you have an annoyance in your marriage that seems to rear its ugly head every now and again? That one issue that seems to block you and your spouse from being on the same team. In-laws. Finances. How you parent your kids. Where you spend the holidays. We all seem to have that one elephant. You know it's there, but most of the time it's hibernating in the cold, dark, corner of the basement, out of sight. Yet, every now and again, you feel the elephant coming up the stairs. Your reaction might be to pretend he's not coming. Or it might be that you see him walk into your living room so you obviously have to talk about him. So you do. You argue about him. You try to find a way to get him back into your basement, out of sight, but you can't agree on how to do that. In this episode, we talk about our own elephant. We also give practical ways to finally address that one issue in your marriage and why talking about it actually takes away its power. For the sake of your marital intimacy, talk about the elephant. Show Notes: To sign up for marriage coaching, or to learn more about Famous at Home Marriage and Family Coaching, click here.Join the Famous at Home Network!

Handling the tension between our stage and our home can wreak havoc on our family. Especially when all of the hard work of reaching the pinnacle of our career becomes a reality. The time our stage demands at that point can radically steal from those we love the most. For Sanctus Real's Matt Hammitt, his stage became a glaring mirror of how he was failing at home. Matt is a Grammy-nominated Christian singer, perhaps best known for Sanctus Real’s hit song, “Lead Me.” In this episode, Matt takes an honest look at how fulfilling his dreams of life on the road with Sanctus Real ultimately came at the cost of his family. He reflects on his challenging newlywed years—including hopping into a 15-passenger van with his band and wife, Sarah, immediately after their honeymoon—as well as the times he was thousands of miles away when crises hit at home. A particular tipping point came with the birth of his son, Bowen, who was born with a life-threatening heart defect.After years of living in an unhealthy cycle of communication and conflict, Matt realized that although he was a man of good intentions, he needed to be more than that—his family needed him to be a man of action. Here are some highlights from this episode: * The heart and irony behind Sanctus Real’s hit song “Lead Me”* The struggle many men face putting their family’s emotional and spiritual needs first while also financially providing for their physical needs* Matt's son, Bowen’s, live-threatening heart defect, the doctors’ encouragement to abort the pregnancy, and how the diagnosis affected Matt + Sarah’s marriage* Why good intentions aren’t enough when it comes to leading your family* How Matt answered the call to be a better husband and father, and his challenge to men to be the spiritual leaders of their familiesShow Notes:Go get Matt's new book Lead Me: Finding the Courage to Fight for Your Marriage, Family, and Faith, click here.Click here for Matt Hammitt's website and upcoming speaking schedule. For Marriage or Family / Leadership Coaching through Famous at Home, click here.Click here to sign up for and find Your Family Purpose: A Step-by-Step Guide to Establishing Your Family Vision and Values.

You have a friend in crisis. Maybe it's a job loss, miscarriage, extramarital affair, a child in the hospital, or perhaps marital trouble finally has your friend breaking the ice. What do you do? Can you say the wrong thing? Do they need advice? In this episode, we talk about some basic principles of what it looks like to show up and be present for a friend in crisis. We also provide some outside resources should your friend need professional care. Show Notes:To watch the latest season of Sex, Love, and Relationships, click here.Sign up for the Becoming Famous at Home Marriage Retreat at Winshape, Click here.To purchase the What Am I Feeling? kid's book, click here. Click the professional service below to find a therapist in your local area or a therapeutic intensive. Faith-based counseling services: Winshape IntensivesWinshape RetreatsFocus on the FamilyFaith-inclusive counseling services: ThriveworksOnsitePsychology Today

So many of us start marriage off completely unprepared. We mean well and we genuinely love each other. But so often, being unprepared can leads to years of heartache. In this episode, Jackie and Stephana Bledsoe join us to talk about their experiences during the early years of marriage, and the decisions they began to make that eventually got them on the right track. Show Notes: Don't miss this amazing community! Sign up now for our new online course called YOUR FAMILY PURPOSE: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO ESTABLISHING YOUR FAMILY VISION AND VALUES by clicking here! To learn more about our one-on-one marriage coaching journey, or to set up a call with us, click here. Check out Jackie's book, The 7 Rings of Marriage, by clicking here.

Valentine's Day is upon us. Don't you love it? That one holiday that forces you to talk about (or not talk about) how you're doing with your spouse. This year, we want to help you have meaningful conversations together, to make this Valentine's Day the best yet!In this episode, we begin by talking about the events we'll be speaking at in February. We'd love to see you! Before talking about the five ways of "resetting" your marriage, we begin by talking about the semantics of the word "reset," and what it actually means for you to reset your marriage. We hope this episode is one that sparks the conversation for you and your spouse to connect in a deeper, more intimate way this year.Show Notes:To learn more about the Famous at Home Family Coaching Journey, click here.Buy your spouse a wonderful Valentine's gift by purchasing our brand new online course called Your Family Purpose: A Step-by-Step Guide to Establishing Your Family Vision and Values. Click here to learn more!Upcoming Events: Come say hi!February 9 Thompson Station, TNFebruary 16 Lake Zurich, ILFebruary 21-22 New Albany, INFebruary 28 Cookeville, TN

Women feel the strain of being famous at home in unique ways. The desire to be a mother to our children can often conflict with our passion for work and the stage we believe God is calling us to. Not only that, the stage God has called you to may very well be your home. Yet, you feel the pressure to have a stage beyond it. Or perhaps you have to work and wish so much you could stay at home, and the added pressure of not being there leaves you feeling less than famous. Rachel Swanson is a dear friend of ours, but even more, she is a best-selling and multiple award-winning author, inspirational speaker, and accredited Christian life coach. She joins us this week for a heart to heart conversation about her pull to be an entrepreneur while raising "wannabe triplets," and how her journey led her to being a dental hygienist for a season, a stay-at-home mom for a season, and even the primary breadwinner for a season. Her secret to managing it all? Finding harmony.But how does Rachel "find" harmony? That's what this episode is all about. Here are a few highlights:* The struggles of being a stay-at-home mom versus full time work, versus part-time both work and motherhood* How to find your own unique calling apart from the expectations of others* Practical ways to connect with God throughout the day even while taking care of kids and working* How saying "yes" to God usually brings about the most hardship and joy all at the same time* How to step into the "only God" story waiting just for you* Living in such a way that our souls can breathe againShow Notes:To purchase Rachel's new book, Refine and Restore: Revive Your Heart, Release Your Purpose, click here.To purchase or check out Your Family Purpose: A Step-by-Step Guide to Establishing Your Family Vision and Values, click here!To purchase Rachel's award-winning book, Big and Little Coloring Devotional, click here.To follow Rachel on Instagram, click here.To learn more about Rachel's coaching and speaking, click here.

One of the most difficult parts about being famous at home is that nagging feeling that you're not doing the best you can. Maybe you feel like you're messing up your kids. Or you know that you're not doing all you can to connect with your spouse. In this episode, we talk about 7 easy "wins" that can give you the confidence that you're building a rock solid marriage and laying a relational foundation for your children. And the beauty of these 7 daily "wins" is that they literally take minutes, and can be done even when you're not physically at home. But when done consistently over time, your marriage and relationship with your children will look completely different. Show Notes: To register now for Your Family Purpose: A Step-by-Step Guide to Establishing Your Family Vision and Values, click here!

Have you ever thought about what it actually means to be "famous?" Especially as it relates to the context of your spouse and kids?We talk a lot about being famous at home, but today we take some time to dive deeper into one specific word--what it means to be "famous." It's not a trite, superficial word, but a phrase that packs a lot of relational punch.In this episode, we define the word famous, talk about what it practically means to be raving fans of our loved ones, how to cultivate the emotional and spiritual climate in our home, and the law of sowing and reaping.Show Notes:Join the Famous at Home Network FREE by clicking here!To sign up for YOUR FAMILY PURPOSE, click here.

Happy New Year! This episode is our coffee date with you to share our favorite books, music, Instagram accounts, podcasts, and television shows. We also talk about the rhythms shaping who we are in this season of our lives. In other words, we discuss our favorites things coming out of 2019, and what's shaping our family environment as we begin 2020.Be sure to check out the brand new Famous at Home Network, which you can join for free! We also have a brand new Online Course to help you set your vision and values in 2020! You can click here to learn more about Your Family Purpose: A Step-by-Step Guide to Establishing Your Family Vision and Values. Here's to being famous at home in 2020! Show Notes: Your Family Purpose: A Step-by-Step Guide to Establishing Your Family Vision and Values. Our brand new Online Course! Click here to sign up. Join the Famous at Home Community by clicking here FREE!To order What Am I Feeling? click here. To order Safe House: How Emotional Safety is the Key to Raising Kids Who Live, Love, and Lead Well, click here.Links to some of our favorites: Check out The One Year Hearing His Voice Devotional, click here. Check out Hunter Brothers by clicking here!

In this episode, we announce some really cool surprises we have been so excited to share with you! There is one really cool personal surprise we can't wait for you to learn.We also raise our glasses to YOU, as we come to a close on 2019, for your commitment to being famous at home and your unwavering friendship to us as we journey together. Our last surprise is for YOU, to have a community for you to stay even more connected to, and to become more famous at home in 2020. Show Notes: Register Now to the discounted rate for Your Family Purpose: A Step-by-Step Guide to Establishing Your Family Vision and Values. Click here to join! To join the brand new FAMOUS AT HOME NETWORK, click here.

A new decade is upon us. What a great time to look at where we are now as a family, and begin to cast vision for where we want to be. Besides, ten years goes by quickly. In this episode, we talk about the great lengths some people go to so that they can be famous at home and how we can follow their lead. We also look forward to the upcoming ten years and lay out a very specific plan for you to get intentional about your family. Friends, we're also releasing a brand new community forum for Famous at Home! Yes, it's a forum for all of us to network and converse about the people that matter to us most--those under our roof. Show Notes: Register Now to the discounted rate for Your Family Purpose: A Step-by-Step Guide to Establishing Your Family Vision and Values. Click here to join!To join the brand new FAMOUS AT HOME NETWORK, click here. Friday Night Flights: 24 Hours with Eagles QB / high school coach Josh McCown

It's the holiday season! That means to-do lists, Christmas lists, shopping carts, and your Uncle Jim's farts. Yup, we went there on ya. 'Tis the season!Let's be honest, family time can be awesome, but it can also be draining. Whether you live close by extended family or far away, or whether you have a plan you already put in place for the holidays, we talk about how we can take care of ourselves and still honor our family.So for the introverts who need alone time, to the extroverts who cannot get enough of people and holiday parties, this episode is for you.

Being famous at home requires that we become students of our kids. That we pay attention to their strengths, but also their growth areas. For boys, helping them learn to communicate with others in a respectful manner and with a good attitude can sometimes feel daunting. That's why our resident therapist, David Thomas, joins us this week to talk about our sons. This conversation began as a private one, when Josh reached out to David for help of his own. In this episode, we take you behind the scenes of that scenario, how David's wisdom has helped our family, and why we wanted to share it with you.This was such an insightful episode that you'll probably want to listen to a few times, especially if you have boys. Here are some highlights from this week’s episode: * David describes why we tend to have to work more with our sons when it comes to social awareness.* Why our boys can be so loud, energetic, and come across as rude or disrespectful. * The tightrope that boys walk between blame and shame.* Why it's important to help boys understand the choice of being right versus being kind. * How to train our boys to reach for progress, not perfection. * Practical exercises to help our boys of all ages become socially aware of their environment and how they come across to others.* Why this conversation matters for who our sons will become as adult men.Show Notes: To get a copy of Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys, click here. To get a copy of Are my Kids on Track?

Being famous at home requires that we become students of our kids. That we pay attention to what brings them alive and what shuts them down. Our resident therapist, Sissy Goff, joins us this week to talk about how we can better know our girls, especially when they worry. If you haven't heard Sissy before, and you have a daughter, this is an episode you won't want to miss.She begins by helping us understand some of the causes of the anxiety epidemic in girls today--from the biological to the generational, and even how we as parents tend to handle it.Here are some highlights from this week's episode: * Sissy describes the two most common parenting strategies as parents, why they make sense, but why they're not helpful.* A simplistic definition of anxiety for girls that helps us practically be able to help our girls realize they are bigger than the thing they are afraid of. * The one primary strategy for helping your daughter overcome fear.* How you can help your young daughter who is afraid of going to sleep or sleeping in her own beds overcome that fear.* Why grades are so anxiety-producing for girls today.* Practical exercises to help our girls of all ages overcome anxiety.Show Notes: To get your copy of Raising Worry Free Girls, click here.To get your copy of Braver, Stronger, Smarter: A Girl's Guide to Overcoming Worry and Anxiety, click here.

The holidays are upon us! Unfortunately, that can mean added stress. With so many more decisions to make, Christmas shopping, house decorating, and excessive socializing can become a recipe for shorter fuses with--and toward--our loved ones. But alas, not this Christmas. In this episode, Josh and Christi spend time talking about the environment of their home, what God is teaching them, and how they are cultivating their environment this holiday season. Here are some talking points: * Cultivating your environment requires intention. That you intentionally decide to stop running ragged and miss the moments.* **Parental warning: We also talk about the existence of Santa Claus and how we talk to our kids about him.* How listening to the Holy Spirit is so crucial to the environment of our home.* Since life and death are in the power of the tongue, how we are choosing to speak life into our home and what that means for one another. * Christi's desire to cultivate peace and joy* Josh's living out of James 1:19--being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.Show Notes: Click here to listen to Christmas Hot Topics: Entitlement, Gift-Giving, Santa Claus, and Family Traditions. To learn more about our Family Coaching Journey or to see if coaching is right for your marriage, click here.To download the 7 Core Decisions to Becoming Famous at Home, click here.

Moments matter. Unfortunately, we live such busy lives, we rarely soak them all in. Families who don’t take time to celebrate and rest, get caught up in the cultural tide of making, “So busy,” the badge of honor answer to the question, “How are you?” Being busy is not a badge of honor. Of the most productive and successful people we know, celebration is a priority. In this episode, we talk about:* How to celebrate the good in your life* How to celebrate the good in the lives of those who look to you for affirmation--namely, your spouse and kids* How to celebrate daily* How to celebrate weeklyWhen we fail to celebrate, we act like our accomplishments and influence on others didn't happen. Let's stop minimizing our value in the world and celebrate. Show Notes:Submit a question or topic for an upcoming episode by clicking here.To download the 7 Core Decisions ebook, click here. To purchase the What Am I Feeling? children's book, click here.

This week, we discuss what it means to "show up." Contrary to what we might think, showing up is rarely easy. Showing up for our loved ones requires quite a bit of energy. In other words, as Christi describes in this episode, showing up requires energy to do the things that matter, even when we don't want to do them. It's like the energy it takes to choose salad over pizza, or working out over sleeping in. Choosing to get on the floor and play trains, or have a tea party, with your kids requires intention. Choosing to show up for your spouse in his / her insecurity or difficult day require energy. But it's that very energy that brings life, not just to those we love, but to our own souls as well. In this episode, we also talk about what it means to show up in our relationship with God, and how the investments of "showing up" today, pay dividends over time. Show Notes: Show up for your kids by checking in with their feelings. You can get a copy of the What Am I Feeling? children's book by clicking here!For more information on our Family Coaching Program or to set up a free discovery call with us, click here.

Let's be honest, if we don't have a set of values that drive who we are as a family, the culture around us will dictate who we, and our kids, are becoming. This is an episode you'll want to listen to, then go back and listen to again to set your family values. We lay out how we coach families to define their family purpose, and some things to think about as it relates to putting together the values that make your family unique. Be sure to use the 100 Commonly Held Values List in the Show Notes below to help guide you. If you need help, that's what we're here for. Show Notes: Click here for the 100 Commonly Held ValuesTo learn more about our Family Journey Coaching Program or to set up a Free 30 minute Discovery Call, click here.

Last week, Jeff + Beth McCord walked us through the nine Enneagram types. This week, they join us for part II, and discuss how to use the Enneagram to connect at a deeper emotional level with your spouse. Remember, Core Decision #4 of becoming famous at home is talking about emotions. In this episode, we get to the heart of how to do that using the Enneagram.Here are the highlights: * How your core longings influence how you react to your spouse* Three secrets to using the Enneagram to connect at a deeper, more emotional level* How your Enneagram types speak into the relational dance in your marriage* The specific ways you can talk about emotions and increase emotional intelligence in your marriage* What it means to become A.W.A.R.E. of emotional reactions in your marriageShow Notes: Schedule a free call today for the Famous at Home Family Coaching Journey. Click here to learn more!Take your Enneagram test by clicking here. Order Jeff + Beth’s new book, Becoming Us by clicking here.Get your free personalized marriage plan by clicking here. Jeff & Beth also created a course just for the combination of your two Types so you both see how to feel fully understood, heard, and loved in your marriage.This in-depth course features 8 modules, a personalized workbook, and 6 bonuses to help you transform your marriage quickly! Click here to learn more about the course.

Are you ready to talk Enneagram? Core Decision #4 of becoming famous at home is talking about emotions. When it comes to our marriage, the Enneagram is arguably the single most helpful tool that has given us clarity and language to understand our emotions and motivations behind our behaviors. Jeff and Beth McCord (www.youreeneagramcoach.com) join us to talk about the Enneagram and how it informs your marriage. In the episode, Beth describes the Enneagram and discusses the various aspects of each of the nine types. Here are the highlights: * Learn about each of the nine types* Find out how to apply what you learned from taking an Enneagram test * Know your type's core motivations, deadly sin, and core longing* Learn how you and your spouse relate to one another based on your Enneagram typesShow Notes: Take your Enneagram test by clicking here. Order Jeff + Beth's new book, Becoming Us by clicking here. Jeff & Beth also created a course just for the combination of your two Types so you both see how to feel fully understood, heard, and loved in your marriage.This in-depth course features 8 modules, a personalized workbook, and 6 bonuses to help you transform your marriage quickly! Click here to learn more about the course.

So often, we stay living on the surface because life has a way of keeping us there. We go to work. We take the kids to school. We all come home, grab dinner, and get ready for bed. Repeat.Unless we get intentional about using key moments in the day to talk about emotions, our homes can become a microcosm of the culture around us--with few people feeling heard or understood. The longer this goes on, the further apart we grow from our spouse and kids. In this episode, we talk about why it's important to talk about emotions, and how to begin doing so. We focus primarily on listening to and understanding your kids, but also how to create the environment of emotional language throughout the environment of your home. We specifically talk about: * The difference between emotional safety, empathy, and emotional intelligence * Why these terms matter for how we lead others and parent our kids* Personal examples of differentiating our kid's emotions from their behavior* How we talk about emotions in our marriage* How to help our kids feel valued and understoodShow Notes: To purchase the What Am I Feeling? children's book, click here.To set up a discovery call or inquire about the Marriage Coaching Journey with Famous at Home, click here.

What does it look like to actually listen to what's going on within your spouse's heart? Especially when there's been unresolved hurt, misunderstanding, and even built up resentment in your marriage through the years? Ryan and Courtney have walked through this pain. In this episode, they tell their story of how they learned to listen to one another, forgive one another, and make deliberate choices to begin serving one another. But that's just the beginning.Little did they know why resolving the emotional brokenness in their marriage would matter so much, so quickly. As we continue our journey through the 7 Core Decisions of Becoming Famous at Home, this is a story of marital transformation you won't want to miss. Show Notes: To learn more about our Marriage Coaching Journey, click here. To schedule a discovery call with us, click here.To wear the new Famous at Home t-shirt, click here!

In this episode, we talk about the decision to listen to what's happening within the heart of our spouse. When life gets busy, our conversation at home becomes primarily content-based (i.e. information about the day, upcoming schedule, etc.). Yet, it's the process-based conversation (i.e. how we feel about what's happening in our day) that keeps us growing as a couple and feeling connected to one another. Sure, this is conversation that takes a little extra work, especially for those of us who weren't taught to communicate this way. That's because we go on autopilot to keep up with everything we're doing, that it gets too easy to neglect our being. But you, and your spouse, deserve deeper connection. In this episode, we talk about some very practical strategies for being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. If you feel stuck in your marriage, even unsure what to talk about anymore, this episode is for you.Show Notes: Download the 7 Core Decisions to Becoming Famous at Home by clicking here.To inquire about Marriage or Leadership Coaching, click here.

Healthy rhythms have the power of making, or breaking, the trajectory of our family. In this episode, Jeff Bethke joins us to talk about the daily, weekly, and seasonal rhythms he and his wife Alyssa set in their home. Jeff takes us back to why they decided to be so intentional about setting rhythms. He also has a new book releasing called To Hell with the Hustle, a book about the rhythms that keep us thriving. In this episode we talk about: * How our culture is set up to numb us from healthy rhythms* Why we have to make the decision to set and then regularly practice rhythms * The daily morning rhythm the Bethke's use at the breakfast table* How healthy rhythms can viscerally influence our kids later in their adult life* Ways your family can implement rhythms to honor the Sabbath* The 1-1-1 rhythm is for technologyShow Notes: Preorder To Hell with Hustle: Reclaiming Your Life in an Overworked, Overspent, and Overconnected World by clicking here!Purchase Homegrown: Cultivating Kids in the Fruit of the Spirit by clicking here.Be sure to check out www.familyteams.com, by clicking here.Check out the To Hell with the Hustle course at www.jeffandalyssa.com, by clicking here.

In this episode, we talk about making your one goal doable by setting one new rhythm in your life. Notice this next decision also includes a singular focus—one new rhythm. Remember, even with parenting, we become an overnight success a decade in the making.Some of the highlights of this episode include: * Keep your rhythm doable* Vectoring means that small changes over time leads to an entirely different destination.* Why work-life balance is not attainable* Why your first rhythm should coincide with your first goalShow Notes: Download the 7 Core Decisions by clicking here. To follow along and stay accountable with others on Instagram @famousathome, click here. To request access to the private Facebook Group for women to journey together through the 7 Core Decisions, click here.To learn more about The Leader's Way cohort, click here.

When things aren't going well at home, we feel it. The toll that the pace and added emotional pain of our day has on our marriages and most important relationships can feel overwhelming, and even unmanageable.This week's episode is the beginning of the powerful, life-changing stories you'll hear as we journey through each of the decisions.  In this episode, we interview Jerrad and Leila Lopes about their rock bottom moment as a family, and the one decision each of them made to begin their ascent back to one another. Prepare yourself. These two were serious about their decisions!Jerrad and Leila are proof that our circumstances do not need to remain unmanageable. As we like to say, you can't eat an elephant in a day. Leila's one decision, one-bite-at-a-time mentality, got the process started. Sometimes, all it takes is just one person. Leila's one decision was the catalyst Jerrad needed to begin making his own decisions and move him from a place of deep brokenness, to a thriving ministry today. Out of his brokenness he founded DadTired.com, a non-profit ministry focused on equipping men to lead their family well. He hosts the weekly Dad Tired Podcast, listened to by hundreds of thousands of men from around the world. Jerrad and Leila live in Portland, Oregon with their three children. Their story will inspire you to name your one decision and get moving in a new direction!Show Notes: Purchase Jerrad's new book, Dad Tired and Loving It, by clicking here.Follow the Dad.Tired podcast, by clicking here.Podcast Sponsors: Get your kids emotionally ready for school by journeying with Sam and friends. You can purchase our brand new What Am I Feeling? kids book by clicking here.Journey through a 6-week study on the fruit of the Spirit with other parents AND your kids. Includes family activities, prayers, and more. Purchase

The Famous at Home journey begins this week! We start by discussing core decision #1 -- defining your first goal. This fall, we're journeying together through the 7 Core Decisions of Becoming Famous at Home. Last week, we mentioned that becoming famous at home is a journey to making ongoing decisions about how we pursue one another.In this episode, we invite you to download the e-book, sit down with your spouse or loved ones, and talk about your first goal.Key talking points in this episode include: * We have 100% responsibility for how we show up.* Why our self-medicators may not be working anymore. * What one thing weighs you down the most right now? * The power of starting a gratitude journal as you begin this decision-making journey* How do define your first goalShow Notes: Follow along on Instagram at www.instagram.com/famousathomeDownload the 7 Core Decisions here: www.famousathome.com/7coredecisionsTo learn more about the Famous at Home Marriage Coaching Journey, visit www.famousathome.com/coaching

You can be famous at home and thrive on your stage. In other words, you don't have to choose between work and your family. In this episode, we welcome you to the newly titled Famous at Home podcast and discuss all of exciting initiatives ahead--including the upcoming podcast series on the 7 Core Decisions of Becoming Famous at Home. The Famous at Home podcast will feature conversations and interviews about how to: * Have a rock solid marriage. * Stay close to your loved ones, even when work and travel pull you apart. * Show up and make the most of raising your kids.* Avoid the pitfalls of success. * Define and clarify your family values. Show Notes: Download the 7 Core Decisions by visiting www.famousathome.com/7coredecisionsTo order What Am I Feeling? click here.

In this episode, we cast the vision for Famous at Home. Up until this point, our podcast has been affectionately known as "In This Together." Like so many of you, we spent time in the trenches, having babies, chasing toddlers, and trying to find time in between to still pursue our spouse's heart. That's why we've been "in this together," trying to do all of these things well and inviting you along for the ride. But as of today, we have a new vision. And in this episode, you'll hear all about the vision of Famous at Home! That's right, starting today, we'll now be the Famous at Home podcast with Dr. Josh and Christi. You'll still get both of us--our hearts, our stories, and our journey. And don't worry, your podcast feed, as well as all of the previous episodes, will remain the same. But what's new is a fresh vision and clearer direction for what we do and how we serve families, just like yours!So beginning next week, we start a whole new journey together! And we cannot wait for you to join us on it. Listen to this episode for the vision, follow Famous at Home on Instagram, and invite your friends to join us--in this together--becoming famous at home!Show Notes: Follow @famousathome on InstagramTo sign up for the 7 Core Decisions of Becoming Famous at Home, click here.

Our "Best of" summer series concludes this week with one of our most downloaded episodes of this past season. We believe it speaks to where we are as a culture with the hustle we feel. This episode is about bringing freedom to your life through practical, easy-to-implement, daily habits.The modern world is a machine of a thousand invisible habits, forming us into anxious, busy, and depressed people. The trouble is that our habits are almost invisible to us. In fact, habits form us more than we form them. So what can we do about it?Welcome to The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose in an Age of Distraction. In this week's episode, we interview Justin Whitmel Earley, a mergers and acquisitions lawyer who nearly crashed and burned in his own panicked lifestyle. As a husband and father to four young boys, Justin knew he needed help.In what turned out to be a fateful moment of self-discovery, Justin's compelling story led him to create The Common Rule, four doable daily and four weekly habits designed to help us create new routines and transform frazzled days into lives of love for God and neighbor.Looking for a doable routine for your family that leads to freedom and rest for your soul? This episode is for you.Show Notes: To purchase The Common Rule, or to learn more, click here. To purchase What Am I Feeling? or to learn more, click here.

Our summer "best of" series continues with one of our most listened to episodes on marriage. In this episode, we discuss some of the deeper reasons behind why it's so difficult to connect with the one we love the most.We also talk about our own marital journey of late and how counseling has helped us work through the baggage, blindness, and busyness of the day. Yes, three "bee's" that can "sting" your marriage. Dad jokes rock.Of course, the conversation includes practical ways we can connect at a deeper, more intimate level with our spouse.Show Notes: To learn more about Winshape Marriage Intensives and Adventures, click here. To learn more about marriage coaching intensives we offer, or to set up a discovery call, click here.

Welcome to part 2 of our "best of" summer series! Last week, we talked about raising our girls. This week, we talk about raising our boys. Our podcast “resident therapist," David Thomas, is back with us, live from Daystar Counseling. He talks with us about what our sons need across the developmental lifespan.In this episode, David breaks down what our boys need in the following age groups:Ages 2-4: The ExplorerAges 5-8: The LoverAges 9-12: The IndividualAges 13-17: The WandererAges 18-22: The WarriorSome of the best nuggets of this interview include:* The biggest hurdle of boys today across the developmental lifespan* Ways that boys self-medicate their pain and why* Why helping boys problem solve and use critical thinking is crucial to their development* The importance of placing your hand on your son's shoulder and addressing him by name* Why boys need less words, not more* Helping our boys navigate video gaming in a healthy wayShow Notes: To purchase the What Am I Feeling? children's book, click here.To learn more, click here to purchase David's book, Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing BoysTo buy David’s latest book, Are My Kids on Track?, click here.To learn more, check out: www.raisingboysandgirls.com

Welcome to our "best of" series of the summer! The next two episodes are gold medallion interviews with our podcast "resident therapists." This week, we interview Sissy Goff from Daystar Counseling about what our daughters need. Next week, we interview David Thomas about what our sons need.In this episode, Sissy breaks down what our girls need in the following age groups:Birth-5: The Discovery YearsAges 6-11: The Adventurous YearsAges 12-15: The Narcissistic YearsAges 16-19: The Autonomous YearsSome of the best nuggets of this interview include: * The growing epidemic of anxiety in girls today * The years our daughters seem disinterested in relationship with dad * How dads can press into their daughters * Why daughters tend to be ambivalent with their moms in the narcissistic years * How moms can press into their daughters in these yearsShow Notes: To learn more, click here to purchase Sissy's book, All You Need to Know About Raising Girls.To buy Sissy's latest book, Are My Kids on Track?, click here.To learn more, check out: www.raisingboysandgirls.comPodcast Sponsors: 

Be prepared to have your idea of how you "do" family flipped upside down. Our friends Jeremy and April Pryor join us this week to talk about multigenerational family teams on mission, a way of leading their family they have been practicing for two decades.In this episode, we talk about: * The difference between the ancient Jewish and modern day Western approach to family * How the West has redefined family to focus on individuals * Why the Western redefinition of family doesn't resonate with most men * How we can practically begin to implement a multigenerational family on mission * An innovative way of implementing the Sabbath into your homeShow Notes: Click here to purchase and learn  more about Homegrown: Cultivating Kids in the Fruit of the SpiritClick here to visit www.familyteams.com to learn more and follow all of the Family Teams podcasts and resources.To sign up for the Family Teams event in October, click here.To follow Family Teams on Instagram, click here.

What if God has more for your marriage than happily after? Could it be that God intended your marriage to have a life-enriching, hope-giving purpose of sharing God's love with a hurting world?In this episode, Aaron and Jennifer Smith, founders of the well-loved UnveiledWife.com and HusbandRevolution.com, share their own marital journey of one in crisis, to one built on Christ's redemptive love. No matter the current condition of your marriage, God still can, and even wants to, use your marriage for His glory.In this episode, Aaron and Jennifer talk with us about: * Their story of marriage in crisis * How God got a hold of Aaron's heart and gave him vision for their marriage * How to practically lay down our lives for our spouse each day * Why our kids learn to interact with others based on how we interact with our spouse * What it means for your marriage to boldly chase after GodShow Notes: To purchase What Am I Feeling? click here.To purchase the Marriage After God book, click here.Follow Aaron and Jennifer Smith: To follow Marriage After God podcast, click here.To visit UnveiledWife.com, click here.To visit HusbandRevolution.com, click here.

Finding friends once we have children and become "grownups" isn't always easy. Especially for families who move quite often. Especially for moms who long to talk to anyone who can tie her shoes. And especially since it takes time and trust to go deep.This episode came out of one question from our question and discussion episode. Some of the topics we discuss include: * The struggle it is to find friends you connect with * Practical ways to move from acquaintances to friends * The time and vulnerability required to go deep * How to move from authenticity to vulnerability * Christi discusses practical ways for women to find and cultivate friendships with other women * Josh discusses practical ways for men to find and cultivate friendships with other menHere's the question that got it all started:From Jenny: First, I just wanted to say thank you. I am so grateful for you. I found this podcast last week and it has already changed my life. I have two kids, 22 months apart, and my youngest is turning one next month. I love them with all of my heart, but it has definitely been a struggle. I feel like I am just coming out of the cloud of postpartum depression and probably still revert back to those feelings on tough days, but your episode about self-care as a parent was so helpful in that stage of finally being able to breathe again.One of the biggest pieces of advice I hear when searching for answers to finding time for myself as a mom or for us as a couple "in the trenches" is to find your community, those really good friends that you admire, because it really does take a village to raise a child. And I really want my kids to have that blessing, too. My question is, how do we do that?I feel like that is often given as a simple answer even though it is so hard to do, especially as an introvert. We serve and are involved in our church, and I try to reach out of my comfort zone at least once a month, but I still have trouble connecting on that deeper level, or on more than an acquaintance basis with people in large group settings. I sometimes say I prefer having one or two good friends versus several acquaintances, but the problem is you have to have acquaintances to have good friends and I just can never seem to make that transition. And taking that to a couple or family level adds even more layers. Do you have any practical tips for finding those people and really connecting?Show Notes: To learn more about Eden and Vine Magazine, click here. To read the article Josh refers to about men and friendships, click here: Today's Problem with Masculinity Isn't What You Think, by Ben SledgeTo learn more about Homegrown: Cultivating Kids in the Fruit of the Spirit, click here.

In this episode, we once again discuss your questions. In particular, this week's discussion points include: * Marriage books to read for non-Christians * Ways to get your spouse to increase more time together and get in sync * Next steps for rebuilding your marriage after it fell apart * How to help our kids navigate adults who lack emotional intelligence / awareness * Whether your child's enneagram type influences how we discipline and disciple themThe Questions:  * From Emily: I really like your podcast and have been feeling this urge to put my husband and I more in sync. He thinks we are great and perfect and that you shouldn't mess with something that's not broken. And we are really great most of the time, but I want more. I want us to be "in this together" more. He is fine with watching TV together at night and calling that quality time, however, we don't say any words to each other. I told him that for my birthday, which is at the end of this month, I want his time. I want to read a book together or something and grow our marriage. I think he would rather spend a $1000 on me than read/discuss a book! lol! A little background: he is not spiritual at all, and I don't know if I am a believer these days either. We both grew up Christian. He is very scientific and logical and seems to disprove a lot of the Bible. And when he talks, it makes sense. So y'all talked about Fierce Marriage on your podcast and I thought about reading this together, but I CAN NOT push religion on him or he will check out. I am on the fence about Jesus, but he isn't. So my question is, what book do you suggest we read together to strengthen our marriage and make it even better without pushing religion on my husband too much? Thank y'all! And thank you for being so REAL about marriage and life! * From Brooke: My husband and I are struggling with how to parent our kids through interactions with adults who lack emotional intelligence/awareness. Would you guys talk about that? We do feelings in our home, and we expect emotional honesty. However, grandparents and teachers don’t always deal with things the same way. How do we teach our kids to honor emotion and respect authority? * When trying to rebuild your marriage, how do you heal past hurts and move forward when you each speak a different love language and one seems to take the other for granted, but we didn’t know until it fell apart? * Could you discuss how knowing your child’s enneagram type can help guide the approach used in discipling your child?Show Notes: To learn more about or to purchase The 5 Love Languages, by Gary Chapman, click here.Marriage books not from Christian perspective:To learn more about or to purchase Feeling Good Together, by David Burns, click here.To learn more about or to purchase The 7 Principles to Making Marriage Work, by John Gottman, click here.Marriage books from Christian perspective:

Sex is the elephant in the room. At some point, every spouse feels the unspoken tension. For many marriages, the elephant grows bigger after our kids enter the family.In this episode, we call out the elephant in the room and provide ways you and your spouse can begin talking about sex with one another in an emotionally safe way. We talk about: * Why sex is so difficult to talk about in the first place * How to communicate about sex if past trauma is influencing physical intimacy in your marriage * What to do if only one spouse is interested in talking about sex * How husbands need to approach the conversation * Helpful ways for wives to approach the conversation * Why the word "duty" should be banished from the conversation altogether * Practical ways to talk about sex in an emotionally safe wayShow Notes: To learn more about marriage coaching, or to set up a free discovery call, click here.To learn more about Onsite Workshops, click here.To learn more about Winshape Marriage Intensives, click here.To find a counselor in your local area, click one of the following:Focus on the Family NetworkThriveworks Network Psychology Today

Having an emotionally safe marriage doesn't just happen. The way we listen to and communicate with our spouse makes all the difference. But doing so takes practice--and the willingness to be empathetic.In this second episode of our two part series, we talk about the building blocks to having an emotionally safe marriage. In particular, we talk about: * What it means to be empathetic with our spouse * Why labeling emotions makes a difference * A simple way of communicating for deeper connection * Practical strategies you can implement todayShow Notes: To learn more about marriage coaching, or to set up a free discovery call, click here.To learn more about or to purchase Feeling Good Together, by David Burns, click here.For the blogpost, How 15 Minutes is Changing my Marriage, click here. 

So often, couples tell us that communication is their greatest problem. But more than communication, empathy for what's going on within your spouse's heart is even more crucial to connection and intimacy. In fact, our willingness to genuinely show care and concern for our spouse's feelings is where great communication begins.In this episode, we talk about what it takes to have an emotionally safe marriage. In particular, we talk about: * What it means to be "emotionally safe" * What hinders us from being emotionally safe for our spouse * The three decisions you need to make for an emotionally safe marriage * Why blame is the greatest barrier to changeShow Notes: To learn more about marriage coaching, or to set up a free discovery call, click here.To learn more about or to purchase Feeling Good Together, by David Burns, click here.For the blogpost, How 15 Minutes is Changing my Marriage, click here. 

Have you ever been curious about your own family lineage? The marriage that happened you didn't know about? The hobbies passed down through the generations? Or maybe even the relational dynamics that led to addiction?Or what about the reasons you parent the way you do? Why you treat your spouse the way you do?Genograms can reveal so much about our family history. In this episode, we talk about genograms and how they can help us discover more of who we are and where we come from. We also discuss practical ways we can learn from our family history to stop negative generational patterns and embrace the positive ones.Show Notes: Click here to purchase What Am I Feeling? To learn more about genograms or how to create one, click here to download the necessary charts. *Note: You don't need to buy the software on this site.If you'd like to create your own genogram with a third party, you can check out our coaching services by clicking here and setting up a free discovery call.  

Gain insight into two husbands and dads building their family teams. That's what this episode is all about. Josh interviews Jeff Bethke about the state of the American family, how it stands in contrast to biblical fatherhood, and the practical ways we can build a family team.Specifically, we talk about: * What Abraham might be looking for in a dad today and why. * The biblical foundation and mission of family versus how we actually function in the Western world * The intentional steps you can take right now to lead your marriage and family on purpose, not by accident * What a multigenerational family team on mission looks like * How Jeff and his wife Alyssa manage and thrive on social media as a family on missionShow Notes: Click here to visit www.familyteams.com to learn more and follow Jeff's podcasts. You can learn more about and follow Jeff and Alyssa's podcast by clicking here.To purchase What Am I Feeling?, click here. 

We love getting your questions and discussing the topics dear to your heart. In this week's episode, we discuss the following topics and questions: * Kids should be allowed to feel anger, but should we allow our kids to stomp off in their anger? It feels like such a fine line to walk. * When our children don't transition well, or don't want to transition well, from one activity or event to another, what do I do? * As a single mom, how do I compensate for my children not having a father? * I'm emotionally safe for my kids, but my husband is not. Are there extra things I can do? * I'm a foster mom and our kids are transitioning back to their parents. How can I prepare them?The Questions: I have a 4-year-old little girl and 1-year-old twins. I can't wait to get your feelings book. Something you guys mentioned in your Kids Who Can Empathize episode was that we should allow our kids to feel that anger. I think you mentioned allowing your kids to stomp. This may be a ridiculous question, but is stomping always acceptable? My daughter got upset that I didn't give her way about something and she stomped off to her room. Is this considered disrespectful? Or should it be allowed because she's expressing I upset her by not giving her what she wanted? I feel like it's a fine line. How do we teach them when it's acceptable?  --JourdanMy husband and I have two boys three and six. My husband is transitioning into a new career which has led him yet again to a new schedule. I own a business and work full-time. Our children attend to a private Christian school and are surrounded by a wonderful tribe. My question is an ongoing issue of our eldest son. He is full of life and energy as little boy should be. We struggle with listening and follow through. He does not like transitions at all. He will do anything he can to make sure that we are late. We have tried rewards. We have tried talking about respect and loving. I know that this issue hits a trigger for me because as a child my mother was always late and therefore as an adult I am always early. Each day throughout the day it is a struggle getting up transitioning to breakfast transitioning to backpacks transitioning to getting dressed or getting out the door. Even leaving school we have to go and say goodbye to all of the teachers. And then, when we get home, transitioning into the next thing. I’m not sure where he is coming from and in our conversations his answer is I just want to play mommy. We spent most of our time at home cooking together, doing Legos together, or art, or whatever they want to do. I am a hands-on mother who just wants to help my kiddo. This one just hits the right spot since it affects everyone in the family as well as others around us. --KristinI just listened to the two podcasts on raising boys and girls, by David Thomas and Sissy Goff, respectively. They were really insightful and helpful for me, especially the one with David regarding boys. I know the father's role was mentioned in those podcasts, and I wondered if they, or you, have any advice for single parents. I am a single mom, and my kids' father is not involved. They haven't even seen him in four years. I have a son, 7 and a daughter, 4. I so appreciated the podcasts and even bought the book by David Thomas but honestly, I am feeling so overwhelmed and kind of anxious right now. Any special words for single parents? --JennYou talk about how emotional safety of parents is the key of raising children. I couldn't agree more and am so willing to change things in my life to become more emotionally safe. I'm ordering your book Safe House...

We all seek to find our life purpose. But have you ever thought about your marital purpose? The purpose God has for your marriage? He has one for you--but it may not be for what you think.In this episode, we talk with Ryan and Selena Frederick from Fierce Marriage about how your marriage is designed to bring God glory. But what does that mean? And how can we do that, especially in an age of confusion?Ryan and Selena break down what it means to be transparent in marriage and cover such topics as: * Exposing ourselves to meaningful risk * How to have a "see through" mentality * What it means to be vulnerable with one another * Why self-discovery is crucial for transparency * To be "unoffendable"Show Notes: To order Ryan and Selena's book, Fierce Marriage, click here. To subscribe or listen to The Fierce Marriage Podcast, click here. Sponsor: For FREE downloadable lunch notes and games, or to order Homegrown: Cultivating Kids in the Fruit of the Spirit, click here. 

Sex is our most requested topic lately for the podcast. And the types of questions we receive about sex reveal the power it holds in how well--or not--we connect with our spouse.In this episode, Ryan and Laura Dobson join us to talk about the joys and difficulties of sex in marriage.We discuss: * How to begin talking about sex in your marriage * The power sex has on how well we feel emotionally connected * How to discuss and overcome past hurts to rediscover--or maybe discover for the first time--an enjoyable sex life * Sexual satisfaction and the early years of parenting * What porn does to marital intimacy and some ways to get through it * The spiritual significance of sex in marriageShow Notes:To learn more about marriage or family coaching with the Straubs, click here. To find a Christian counselor in your local area, click here. To find a counselor in your local area, click here.To listen to REBEL Parenting Podcast with Ryan and Laura Dobson, click here.  

Feeling exhausted, or simply tired of going through the motions? The modern world is a machine of a thousand invisible habits, forming us into anxious, busy, and depressed people. The trouble is that our habits are almost invisible to us. In fact, habits form us more than we form them. So what can we do about it?Welcome to The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose in an Age of Distraction. In this week's episode, we interview Justin Whitmel Earley, a mergers and acquisitions lawyer who nearly crashed and burned in his own panicked lifestyle. As a husband and father to four young boys, Justin knew he needed help.In what turned out to be a fateful moment of self-discovery, Justin's compelling story led him to create The Common Rule, four doable daily and four weekly habits designed to help us create new routines and transform frazzled days into lives of love for God and neighbor.Looking for a doable routine for your family that leads to freedom and rest for your soul? This episode is for you.Show Notes: To purchase The Common Rule, or to learn more, click here. To purchase What Am I Feeling? or to learn more, click here.

This episode is a discussion about what we describe as the "art of becoming." Too often we get so focused on the day-to-day sleep, discipline, or behavioral issues with our kids that we lose sight of what really influences who they become.Don't get us wrong, it's not that these day-to-day issues don't matter. However, it's easy to get so lost in the day-to-day, that we neglect who we're becoming.In this episode, we talk about a recent research study that connected more parenting information to increased parenting anxiety and decreased self-confidence. As one article suggests, we get more anxious when we think there is one answer to our parenting problem, and we don't have it.Our hope is that this discussion encourages you to create the spiritual and emotional environment you and your kids need to thrive.Show Notes: Click here to learn more about Homegrown, to watch the video trailer (a must see!) and to receive free downloads for your kids.Click here to purchase the new children's book, What Am I Feeling?Articles mentioned in the podcast:The Diabolical Genius of the Baby Advice Industry by Oliver BurkemanBecoming Human by Jean VanierSafe House: How Emotional Safety is the Key to Raising Kids Who Live, Love, and Lead Well by Joshua Straub

The Bible consistently uses botanical growth to describe our spiritual maturity and how we grow. Applied to us as parents, we want to raise children who love God and share His love with the world. But how do you prepare a spiritual seedling to become fully grown?In this episode, we talk about our new parent Bible study that you can do with your kids to cultivate them in the fruit of the Spirit. But what does this look like, especially at a practical level?This week, we discuss: * What botanical growth looks like * The necessary ingredient for the fruit of the Spirit to grow, is to die to our flesh (Gal. 5:24, John 12:24). * Cultivating kids in the fruit of the Spirit is connected to the spiritual environment of our home * Connection to Jesus (John 15) and a Church community is necessary and important for growth * The practical ways you can cultivate and water your seedlings during the four key times of the day (Deut. 6:7, Proverbs 22:6).Show Notes: Click here to learn more about Homegrown, to watch the video trailer (a must see!) and to receive free downloads for your kids.Click here to purchase the new children's book, What Am I Feeling?We also talked about the following books in this episode:Safe House: How Emotional Safety is the Key to Raising Kids Who Live, Love, and Lead Well.Faith of the Fatherless by Paul Vitz

Our 100th episode! And what better way to celebrate than talking with two amazing humans--Ryan and Laura Dobson--about being emotionally healthy for your family.This is arguably our most raw and vulnerable episode to date. We talk with Ryan and Laura about mental illness, addictions, pornography, and other self-medicators. Even more, we talk about grace and the path to healing. No matter your family history or past mistakes, you have a story you get to live--a story that's being passed on from one generation to the next.Our discussion is all about how we can engage a path of healing and become emotionally healthy for our spouse and kids. Feel like you're messing up a lot? You're not alone. In this episode, you will find grace and a few next steps.Show Notes: Our next Emotionally Safe Marriage Coaching Group begins April 15, 2019. Click here to learn more. Spaces are limited.Check out Ryan and Laura's Podcast Rebel Parenting by clicking here. Check out Winshape Marriage Intensives by clicking here.To learn more about Onsite Workshops, click here.

In this episode, we take your questions and talk about them. This week's questions include the following topics: * What educational apps we would recommend * How to handle a co-parenting situation where you have no control with what's happening in the other home * How to help our kids with bad dreams and night terrors * How to further talk to your kids about Santa, Easter bunny, Tooth Fairy, etc. * Managing a child who craves being social more than we have the energy forThe Questions:  * I am a first grade teacher in public school. I often get asked about educational apps that I would recommend. Knowing what you know about screen time, what is your opinion about using a tablet for educational purposes? * I'm a stepmom of three children who live with their mom 70% of the time. My husband and I do plan to fight for more custody this year. My question relates to how to co-parent with someone who is working from a different worldview. Their mom is more focused on herself and her life than the kids. She frequently leaves them home by themselves (ages 13, 10, and 8) until midnight or later while she is out at the bar. She has had a live-in boyfriend and other boyfriends that are a part of their daily life (most of these men also have kids who come around). They do not have consistency or security with their mom. We have had the kids in counseling for almost a year and even the counselor said it's a struggle when we can only be consistent with them when we have them 30% of the time. On top of that, I'm the stepparent so I have little influence/say over any interactions with their mom. I have a great deal of frustrations/concerns/questions surrounding this topic and i am trying to keep this brief. --Jamie * I listened to your podcast regarding the holiday season. I loved it. My husband and I LOVE that you say "Santa is pretend and we pretend in this house." I know you had said that you just make that blanket statement and move on. We are struggling when our 4 year old daughter wants to know more and more about Santa. Last night when we were talking to her at bed time she was asking questions like, "Does Santa sleep in a bed?", "Where does Santa eat?", "How does Santa get everywhere?" So, even though she didn't say, "Is Santa real?", we did say, "He sleeps in a pretend bed. He eats pretend food."...etc. Do you have other suggestions? To be honest, she doesn't like the idea of Santa. She doesn't like that he goes into people's houses and she's scared of him when she sees him at a mall or anything. So last year Santa "delivered on our porch"...but even with that she woke up a few times that night and nights leading up to it and said, "Are you sure he's not going to come in our house?" Also, do you tell your kids to NOT tell other kids about him being pretend? --Amber * What is your advice for providing opportunities for a child who enjoys/thrives on being social, around people way more than I have energy for? My husband and are social people--he even more than me and we feel like we provide plenty of social opportunities, yet it never seems to be enough from her perspective. She loves serving/helping so we have involved her in some (though limited) of those activities. When as parents do you draw the line? * How to handle bad dreams and night terrors in young kids? How much is a spiritual battle vs normal growing up? This is something my daughter is going through right now. It was really hard the first few times. Any advice? --BekahShow Notes: 

"Mom, who sang the first song?" When Ellie Holcomb's then five-year-old daughter, Emmylou, asked her this question, Ellie threw the question back at her. "Well, who do you think sang the first song?" Emmylou's answer is priceless. Yes, you have to listen to find out.But as Ellie thought about it, she had to do some research. Her answers were put into her first children's book called Who Sang the First Song?  In this episode, we go behind the scenes of this incredible story and what it means that God created each of us with a song to sing.Applied to the family, we talk about the "rhythms" God calls us to. With three children, ages six and under, Ellie and her husband, Drew, have some very practical ways they create rhythm for their family. This is an episode you won't want to miss.Show Notes: To download Sing: Creation Songs by Ellie Holcomb, click here.To purchase Ellie's children's book, Who Sang the First Song, click here.Start feeling better today by ordering What Am I Feeling? Click here to order. 

In this episode, we take your questions and talk about them. This week's questions include the following topics: * How to thrive in the survival years with young kids * Should we send our kids to kindergarten early or hold them back * How to manage our own anger and fear so as not to yell at our kids * How to be emotionally safe in the early years * The stage we set up for our kids in our dining roomThe Questions:  * Hi! Absolutely love your podcast and have been a fan since episode one. Could you please post a picture of your living room concert stage? I love the idea behind this simple yet impactful and intentional choice you’ve made in making family memories come to life! God bless! --Suzanna * I absolutely love your podcast and Safe House book! It's completely changed how I view parenting, as I did not grow up in an emotionally safe home. I struggle with control and anger that leads to yelling at my child. How can I safely teach my toddler that she needs to obey her parents without yelling or threatening? - Ashley * Can you please talk about leading your family well in the survival years? We have a 3.5 year old boy and one year old boy. Thank you. - Mandy * I would love some insight in delaying kindergarten. My son (my first born) will turn 5 on June 9th. I never really thought much about delaying kindergarten, and always just knew we would wait and make the assessment towards the end of his PK year to see if he was ready. My husband feels pretty strongly now about delaying it no matter what to help him in the future. There is just something about it that doesn't feel right to me, but my husband is pretty confident in delaying and I don't want to push and regret it later down the line in middle school when it seems the age difference really starts to become an issue. I would greatly appreciate and respect your thoughts. - MichelleShow Notes: Start feeling better today by ordering What Am I Feeling? Click here to order.You can also click here to learn about Safe House: How Emotional Safety is the Key to Raising Kids Who Live, Love, and Lead Well.    Images of homemade stage outside and inside the house. 

In part 2 of our series on kids and feelings, we talk about kids who can empathize with others. This episode is a deeper dive into the "why" behind our new kid's book What Am I Feeling?So often, it can feel like a pipe dream getting our kids to think about anyone other than themselves. Let's be honest, our world could use more adults who can empathize as well. In this episode, we talk about being teachable, responding to others in empathy, and how our kids mirror our emotions. We also discuss how fear and busyness become barriers to entering our child's world and helping her label her feelings.Show Notes: Start feeling better today by ordering What Am I Feeling? Click here to order.You can also click here to learn about Safe House: How Emotional Safety is the Key to Raising Kids Who Live, Love, and Lead Well.For a link to the Google study mentioned in the podcast, click here.

Teaching our kids to give their feeling a name and then decide what to do with it—is crucial to helping them love God and love others. Turns out, it's also helpful for juvenile delinquents to develop empathy, and for our kids to one day be successful at major companies like Google.In this episode, we talk about these scenarios and why developing emotional awareness is so important for our kids. As it relates to spiritual growth, this is also where emotional and spiritual maturity go hand-in-hand: the lived out fruit of self-control (Galatians 5:23).But it all starts with us as parents. Being emotionally safe with our kids provides calm to the fear center of their brain. The calmer our kids are in emotionally overwhelming situations, the more likely they are to think straight and make wise decisions.And that’s our privilege as parents—to help our kids learn to name their feeling, make good decisions with that emotion, and begin to think about others. That's what this episode is all about.Show Notes: Start feeling better today by ordering What Am I Feeling? Click here to order.You can also click here to learn about Safe House: How Emotional Safety is the Key to Raising Kids Who Live, Love, and Lead Well.For a link to the Google study mentioned in the podcast, click here.For more insights into the circle of security, click here.For John Bradshaw's book Homecoming: Reclaiming and Championing Your Inner Child, click here.

Sometimes, a few nuggets of wisdom just isn't enough. In this episode, we discuss some of the deeper reasons behind why it's so difficult to connect in marriage.We also talk about our own marital journey of late and how counseling has helped us work through the baggage, blindness, and busyness of the day. Yes, three "bee's" that can "sting" your marriage. Dad jokes rock.Of course, the conversation includes practical ways we can connect at a deeper, more intimate level with our spouse.Show Notes: To learn more about Winshape Marriage Intensives and Adventures, click here. To learn more about marriage coaching intensives we offer, or to set up a discovery call, click here.

We live in a beautifully diverse world. Unfortunately, our world is also plagued by racial and ethnic division.As families, we can bring unity and change by embracing our differences. But it requires that we pass onto our kids what it means to walk in love, not fear—a lesson that's easier said, than done.In this episode, author Trillia Newbell, sits down with us to discuss: * How to talk to our kids about families who look different from ours * Whether or not we should raise our kids to be "color blind" * What it looks like for us as adults to model unity and love in our home * How we should talk to our kids about the history of racial tensions * And most importantly, how the gospel transcends racial and ethnic differencesShow Notes:Trillia Newbell is the author of If God is For Me, a 6-week Bible study on Romans 8 (2019), Enjoy: Finding the Freedom to Delight Daily in God's Good Gifts (2016), Fear and Faith: Finding the Peace Your Heart Craves (2015), United: Captured by God's Vision for Diversity (2014), and a children’s book, God’s Very Good Idea: A True Story of God’s Delightfully Different Family. You can find her at trillianewbell.com and follow her on twitter at @trillianewbell.Bring the 2019 Parent's Summit to your church via simulcast! Click here to learn more. 

We can get so busy that we allow culture to dictate who we are as a family, rather than our family influencing the culture around us. In this episode, we talk about some of the critical first steps in discovering what makes your family unique.And as Christi so eloquently states, "Your uniqueness is so normal to you, that you often can't see it." That's because our family purpose is often hidden within the generations that went before us--the family stories, patterns, and even moments of overcoming difficult circumstances.In this episode, we outline the beginning steps to discovering your family purpose and why it's important for your kids. And, if the Your Family Purpose group coaching program sounds like something your family could use, simply click here.Show Notes: Your Family Purpose: 4-week Group Coaching Program begins February 11! Click here to learn more. Spots are filling up.Click here to purchase or learn about Safe House: How Emotional Safety is the Key to Raising Kids Who Live, Love, and Lead Well.To preorder our new children's book, What Am I Feeling? click here. It releases March 1.    

Welcome to season 5! This week's episode is full of updates about the upcoming season. In addition, we talk about why we believe "parenting" is the wrong term to use when it comes to raising our children.The best part is that we don't leave you hanging. We talk about what we believe the right term should be and why it matters in how we relate to our kids.Show Notes:To preorder our new children's book, What Am I Feeling? click here. It releases March 1. Your Family Purpose: 4-week Group Coaching Program. Next group begins February 11! Click here to learn more.

What a year in the life of the "In This Together" podcast family. As you'll hear once again through Christi's tears, we love journeying with you. Your stories, questions, podcast reviews, and encouragement fuel our souls. Thank you for making 2018 one of the most joy-filled years for our family.In this episode, we go back and forth, each offering our wishes for your family in 2019. This is a heartfelt episode, offering our blessing over your family for the New Year. We love journeying with you.Show Notes: To learn more about the coaching programs we offer, click here.To learn more about our 4-week Your Family Purpose group coaching program for families, click here. To learn more about Onsite Workshops, click here.

Our podcast “resident therapist," David Thomas, is back with us, live from Daystar Counseling. He talks with us about what our sons need across the developmental lifespan.In this episode, David breaks down what our boys need in the following age groups:Ages 2-4: The ExplorerAges 5-8: The LoverAges 9-12: The IndividualAges 13-17: The WandererAges 18-22: The WarriorSome of the best nuggets of this interview include: * The biggest hurdle of boys today across the developmental lifespan * Ways that boys self-medicate their pain and why * Why helping boys problem solve and use critical thinking is crucial to their development * The importance of placing your hand on your son's shoulder and addressing him by name * Why boys need less words, not more * Helping our boys navigate video gaming in a healthy wayShow Notes: To learn more, click here to purchase David's book, Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing BoysTo buy David’s latest book, Are My Kids on Track?, click here.To learn more, check out: www.raisingboysandgirls.com

The next two episodes are gold medallion interviews with our podcast "resident therapists." This week, we interview Sissy Goff from Daystar Counseling about what our daughters need. Next week, we interview David Thomas about what our sons need.In this episode, Sissy breaks down what our girls need in the following age groups:Birth-5: The Discovery YearsAges 6-11: The Adventurous YearsAges 12-15: The Narcissistic YearsAges 16-19: The Autonomous YearsSome of the best nuggets of this interview include: * The growing epidemic of anxiety in girls today * The years our daughters seem disinterested in relationship with dad * How dads can press into their daughters * Why daughters tend to be ambivalent with their moms in the narcissistic years * How moms can press into their daughters in these yearsShow Notes: To learn more, click here to purchase Sissy's book, All You Need to Know About Raising Girls.To buy Sissy's latest book, Are My Kids on Track?, click here.To learn more, check out: www.raisingboysandgirls.comPodcast Sponsors: 

As a social entrepreneur and founder and co-CEO of Noonday Collection, Jessica Honegger aims to do everything with boundless courage. But just as happiness is not the absence of sadness, and faith is not the absence of doubt, courage is not the absence of fear.Now leading the largest fair-trade jewelry company in the world, Jessica gives us a behind the scenes look at her highly-successful business and her journey to get there as a working mom. In this episode, Jessica shares stories of motherhood, adoption, guilt as a working mom, partnership, and friendship.Most powerfully, she explains how she made fear her friend.Speaking from her highly-touted book, Imperfect Courage: Live a Life of Purpose by Leaving Comfort and Going Scared, Jessica shares with us her inspiring story and challenges us to have the courage to do the very thing we've been afraid of doing.Show Notes: Buy Imperfect Courage here. It also makes a great gift!To buy gifts from or learn more about Noonday Collection, click here. Subscribe to Jessica's podcast, Going Scared.Learn more about Jessica by clicking here.To learn about becoming a Noonday Ambassador, click here.

This is a special re-released episode on Christmas topics for families, because there's nothing we want more than to experience the joy of Christmas.The problem is that Christmas can leave our time feeling pressed and our wallets stressed.In this episode, we go behind the lens of our own crooked picture frame to discuss some Christmas hot topics. We tell stories about how we were raised and what we implement today in our own family. We also discuss topics like: * Is my gift-giving out of control? * What does an entitled child look like? * Is it okay for my kids to believe in Santa Claus? * What will my kids really remember about Christmas? * How can we truly make it about Jesus’ birth? * Is the attitude I’m modeling for my kids at the holidays one of gratitude or grumbling? * What role do traditions play in our family?As you listen to this episode, think about your own family traditions, values, and what you model for and teach your kids. And be sure to engage the conversation. Tell us stories from your own picture frame. We love learning from you.

Christmas often comes and goes in the blink of an eye. Not only that, it's easy to miss the magic of the season. Either things don't go the way we had hoped with our family, or we get so buried in our to-do lists we need a search and rescue team just to help us come to the surface.In this episode, we talk about decisions you can make to enjoy the Christmas season with your family. We talk about: * Practical ways we can manage our expectations of the Christmas season * Why it's important to also acknowledge and grieve loss during this season * Being people who include others * How to prioritize Jesus during the holidays--i.e. getting our kids to behave because of Jesus, not for Santa :) * How to make decisions at Christmas based on your family values, not the culture around you * One very practical way husbands can crush it this Christmas * How to be the grace others need at this time of yearShow Notes: To join us in the 25 Characters of the Christmas Story: An Advent Experience for Families, click here!Podcast Sponsor:

Bedtime--it's that sometimes elusive and dreaded time of the day, especially if you have young kids. Yet, bedtime can be the most significant time of the day to connect with your kids, and even your teens.In this episode, we discuss the spiritual and emotional significance of bedtime. We also get super practical about turning it into one of the most memorable--and maybe even enjoyable--parts of your day. Even more, bedtime could be the environment that shapes your family and child's story for years to come.We talk about: * Why even Moses championed bedtime * When it's okay to call an audible * Practical ways to keep our kids in bed and not dread the process * Guilt free and emotionally safe ways for either laying with our kids to help them fall asleep or making them stay in bed * Questions we can ask our kids to draw out what's happening in their inner worldShownotesClick here for 15 Conversation Starters for Tucking Your Kids into Bed.Click here for Dr. Ross Greene's book, The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children.For free resources and to learn more about Dr. Ross Greene's approach to behaviorally challenging kids, click here.Podcast Sponsors

For many of us, inviting people into our lives and homes feels more like inviting judgment on our entertaining skills and stress on our already maxed-out schedules. And with the holidays approaching, you may be feeling the pressure.But what if you knew that opening your front door had the power to radically change the world around you? To make an impact and leave a legacy with everyday invitations?Jen Schmidt has set out to reframe how we think about hospitality and to equip us to walk a road of welcome in our daily lives. Jen knows that every time we choose open-door living—whether in our homes or by taking hospitality on the road—those we invite in get to experience the lived-out love of Jesus, our kids grow up in a life-lab of generosity, and we trade insecurity for connection.In this episode, we talk to Jen about how you and your family can offer the life-changing gift of invitation, no matter the stage of life your family is in. We talk about: * The freedom of hospitality, not the burden of it * How invitation gives purpose to our kids and family * The difference between hospitality and entertaining * How your invitation can expand beyond your home * Ways you can see your home as the most likely location for changing the world around you, one open door at a time.Show Notes:To learn more about Jen's book and Bible study, Just Open the Door, click here. For information on The Becoming Conference, click here. Podcast Sponsors: 

What happens when our son is exposed to pornography at a young age? Or our daughter begins hearing about sex at school and asking you questions? Many of our own parents didn't model for us how to have these difficult conversations with our kids. Not only that, our kids seem to be exposed to sex at even younger ages today.In this episode, we revisit with Linda Noble and Linda Stewart, two leading voices helping parents talk to their children about body image and sex through THE Conversation Workshop. This is part two of a two part series.In this episode, Linda and Linda discuss with us how to talk to our kids about sex through a simple, yet powerful framework of flourishing.We discuss: * how to talk to our kids about difficult topics, like when they discover their private parts * why a Theology of the Body is an important framework for us as adults as well * age-appropriate ways--from preschool through the teen years--to talk to our kids about sexIn the show notes below, you can also gain access to free PDF downloads from THE Conversation Workshop that help you have these conversations with your kids.Show Notes: To access free PDF conversations of "The Talk" with your kids, click here. To learn more about THE Conversation Workshop, click here.To subscribe to THE Conversation podcast, click here.  

What happens when our daughter tells us she's fat? Or our son begins to ask questions about his private parts? These questions are enough to throw off any good parent. So how can we raise our kids to have a healthy body image in a culture that has distorted it?That's the conversation we have today with Linda Noble and Linda Stewart, two leading voices helping parents talk to their children about body image and sex through THE Conversation Workshop. This is part one of a two part series.In this episode, Linda and Linda discuss a framework for the Theology of the Body, and how we as parents can be ready anytime these conversations arise with our kids.We discuss: * the 2 most common parenting approaches to the body and the one we need to take * the 3 truths we need to instill in our kids about their body-selves on an ongoing basis * practical questions we receive from parentsIn the show notes below, you can also gain access to free PDF downloads from THE Conversation Workshop that help you have these conversations with your kids.Show Notes: To access free PDF conversations of "The Talk" with your kids, click here. To learn more about THE Conversation Workshop, click here.To subscribe to THE Conversation podcast, click here.   Podcast Sponsors:

There are eyes on your marriage. If you have kids, they watch how you interact. If you lead others in your community, those you lead watch how you live. In other words, your marriage is in a fishbowl.Some feel it more than others. But regardless of who's watching, if we don't pursue a marriage we'd wish on our kids, or we keep leading others without tending to our own marital garden, it will catch up to us. And besides, isn't it better to enjoy life with our spouse than merely tolerate it and go through the motions?We think so. That's why this episode covers four ways we can become teammates in marriage and why it's so important.Show Notes:To learn more about our Coaching Programs, click here.To learn more about Winshape Marriage Intensives and Adventures, click here. Podcast Sponsors:

This episode is a treat. Lisa Harper joins us to talk about her newly released children's book, Who's Your Daddy: Discovering the Awesomest Daddy Ever.But she's not the only one to join us! After the break, her daughter Missy joins us - along with our kids - to sing and talk about Sid the Science Kid, the Greatest Showman, and Sing. They also talk about God and people they know in heaven. It is a precious portion we decided to keep in. We hope you enjoy the "real" interaction.The best description of this episode comes directly from the children's book:Missy has lived with her new mommy (Lisa) ever since she was adopted from Haiti. But when someone asks little Missy a BIG question—"Who's your daddy?"—she starts thinking and learning a lot about daddies.Missy could be sad that she doesn't have a "skin" daddy who can make her pancakes and take her to soccer practice. But through lots of talks with Mommy, Missy realizes that she DOES have a Daddy! In fact, no matter what our family looks like, we all have the same amazing Daddy; and Missy can't wait to tell everyone about the Daddy who loves us more than all the stars in the sky.Told mostly through a mother-daughter conversation, this sweet story is careful to affirm relationships with the good, strong daddies here on earth, but it is also comforting for children who might be struggling due to divorce or the loss of a father.Show Notes: To purchase Who's Your Daddy? Discovering the Awesomest Daddy Ever, click here: 

How we set boundaries with our parents and in-laws is a frequent stressor for many families, especially around the holidays. Whether family lives close by or far away, everyone brings expectations into what that relationship should look like. We navigate this on an ongoing basis as well.The first question deals with that very issue. How do we talk to our parents about it in an honoring way? How can we be united as husband and wife in making decisions and setting our own traditions?In this episode, we also discuss questions related to: * helping kids set their own boundaries and manage their feelings * teaching kids to play independently * how we can avoid showing favoritism when one child is more compliant than another * resources to manage explosive or strong-willed kidsThe questions: Question 1: Hi! I've recently listened to your grandparent episode - THANK YOU. My husband and I are new parents, and his parents live close by. My (divorced) parents both live out of state. Anytime they come visit they usually stay with us (and they come separately so it's kind of double visits). I know my husband doesn't love when they stay with us but he grins and bares it for the most part since he knows it means a lot to me.However, this Christmas my mom had announced (not asked) that she will be visiting and staying with us for over a week. It's really important to my husband that she does not stay with us on Christmas Eve since we have (and are still) developed our own family traditions. I know that the "guidelines" we set in this first year of our child's life will live forever, and I'm so nervous to have this conversation with my mom. I want to honor my husband's wishes and present a united front to my mom and also be respectful to her when I ask that she stays elsewhere for two nights. Help?? How do I handle it? She is emotionally very dependent on me since I am an only child and I don't want to hurt her feelings but I need to put my own small family unit first.Question 2: Thank you so much for your book and podcast. The book has given me a framework with which to help navigate this parenting world that I am very new to and I am so appreciative!My question is about teaching kids about their own boundaries. It is so important that they are taught to be kind and think of others first, but how do you balance that with the fact that each person is responsible for their own actions and feelings. For example, I watched a 4 year old emotionally manipulate her friend into giving her what she wanted by pouting and her friend said after she just wanted her “to be happy”. Being kind, sharing, and self sacrifice are so important but so is developing the ability to say no. How do you find the balance?Question 3: In episode #42, you referenced a question that my husband and I both responded with "get out of my head!!" but didn't answer it. The question was something like, "How do you parent/discipline a strong willed boy and a compliant boy without showing favoritism?" We need this one! The strong willed, older boy is in a cycle of feeling defeated while his younger brother just doesn't deal with defiance as a frequent heart issue. We are on the cycle with him - and its incredibly hard on the entire family.Also - another aspect of the same scenario - since our firstborn is also incredibly strong willed, explosive, and hyper - we wonder these things: was it our doing, especially since we had no idea what we were doing and parented so much out of our own issues and dysfunctions? Regardless,

Do you have a recurring issue in your marriage you can't seem to settle?Perhaps every now and again your marriage is tested in ways you couldn't even imagine at the time. Some nights you don't even sleep in the same bed.Maybe right now you just can't seem to connect with your spouse at all. Just getting on the same page would feel like a win.If you've been married for any length of time, you likely experience all of the above.That's because spiritual warfare is real. Natural and supernatural forces attack our most cherished relationship regularly. In this episode, we talk about how the things that separated Adam and Eve in the Garden are the very things attacking our marriage today.In this episode we discuss: * The three most common enemies of a great marriage * The importance of coming into agreement as a couple * How blame and shame distance us from our spouse * Why the love of God is the antidote to seeing your spouse as the enemy * Effective ways to pray and fight for your spouseShow Notes: Get the Ransomed Heart AppClick here for Moving Mountains, by John EldredgePodcast Sponsors:

Did you know that singing is one of, if not the most, stated commands in all of the Bible? Filling our homes with song has a deep, visceral effect on who we are and what we believe. Perhaps it's no wonder why singing is arguably the most powerful way to pass God's truth onto our kids.In this episode, Keith Getty joins Josh to talk about the importance of singing in the home. Keith and Kristyn Getty occupy a unique space in the world of music today as preeminent modern hymn writers. According to CCLI, it is estimated that 40 to 50 million people sing their hymn “In Christ Alone” (penned by Keith and long-time writing partner, Stuart Townsend) in church services each year.With four young daughters, Keith takes us behind the walls of the Getty home to describe how he and Kristyn pass on the truths of God to their kids through song. Even more, Keith gives us insightful reasons for (that are quite convicting by the way) and practical ways to implement song into our kid's lives every single day.To learn more about the Getty's, click here.Show Notes:Sing Conference 2019     Getty Kids Hymnal: Family Hymn Sing       Sing: How Worship Transforms Your Life, Family, and Church  Getty Music Tour Joy: An Irish Christmas Tour  Podcast Sponsors:

Thanks again for your questions. These episodes are gold for us because we get to interact with you, our family of listeners, on a regular basis.The questions this week are vulnerable and honest. We appreciate that so much about this community. Let's keep striving to be better spouses, parents, and all out human beings.This week we discuss: * How being raised in a legalistic home can impact our own parenting and climate of our home * How grandparents can influence the spiritual lives of their grandchildren * How to make Jesus attractive to our kids and grandkids * The one key factor to faith transmission across the generationsShow Notes:For more information on the findings of the study on faith transmission across the generations, click here to check out Families and Faith: How Religion is Passed Down Across Generations by Vern Bengtson. The Questions:#1. My question relates to the spiritual life of my 5 year old daughter. I am a pastor's kid and was brought up in a very legalistic but loving family. I went astray for a few years of my life but I know for certain that my parent's prayer is what kept me not too far so that I could come back to Jesus. My husband was brought up in a semi-Christian home, where his mom was/is a very devoted Christian but his dad was/is not. All of this is to give you an idea as to why I am concerned. We both love the Lord, we both serve in the church and are leaders, but we definitely have different views of what a Christian life is or should be.I am more on the legalistic side, where I put all the burden on him being the head of the family. I feel that if I don't say "Let's read the Bible or pray," we don't do it. It makes me mad that I have to be the one initiating these times. And so I enter into this guilt trip where if I don't do it, my fear is that my daughter will not grow up in a Godly home. My husband feels that if we serve in an area at church, we do not need to be involved in anything else. I, on the other side, go the extreme of having to be involved in everything the church offers (to the point that it gives me anxiety if I don't).How do I let go of the legalistic way of thinking? No matter what my decision is I feel like I'm letting someone down. And I feel like my daughter is living in an unstable environment when it comes to our spiritual lives.#2. From Collene: As a grandmother who really failed as a mother, but have sought and received full forgiveness from my son - Praise the Lord, I am puzzled how to be a spiritual guide to my two grandsons, 9 and 12 years old. I don't get to be around them all the time, but do visit frequently. My son and his wife want their children to be brought up in church (which really didn't start until 2 years ago). The boys love church and have gone to church camp once last summer. When I ask my grandsons if they would like me to say night time prayers or read the Bible or anything that I would like to do to open the door to spiritual talks they say no. I let it go at that. I grew up in a very strict religious home and was forced to do everything right. So, I guess I am asking for ideas to free our spiritual conversations up. Thank you for your prayers to lead all of us in the Truth of leading our children in His wisdom and love!Podcast Sponsors:

In a recent survey of over 700 parents, we found that “being too busy” or “not having enough time” was the biggest parenting struggle of our day. Can you relate?Do you wish you could slow down a bit? Do you seem to use the phrase "too busy" too often?We did. That's why we're having this conversation on today's episode. And it begins by realizing one thing: You are the only person looking out for your family.Starting at a 30,000 foot view, we begin our discussion asking of ourselves one question: "What are we chasing?" Usually we can see what it is we're chasing when we look at our calendars and see where we're spending our time. From here we discuss what the Bible says about rest, provide practical ways for creating margin, and why it's more important than ever to honor the Sabbath.Show Notes: What Makes a Good Parent? - A Scientific Analysis Ranks the 10 Most Effective Child-Rearing Practices by Robert Epstein. Click here for journal article. In our conversation we talk about kids being able to play independently. Click here for a blogpost I wrote on it: 4 Ways to Help Your Child Play Independently.Two books influencing our lives right now and that helped birth this conversation:Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less by Alex Soojung-Kim PangThe 3 Big Questions for a Frantic Family by Patrick Lencioni For Pastor John Lindell's message on the Sabbath, click here. Podcast Sponsors:

Have you felt stuck in the trenches, especially in the early years of parenthood? Trying to be the best mom you can be, yet also feeling the urge to lead outside the home too?Or maybe you decided that in certain seasons you would focus on leading your kids, and wait to find God's calling for you outside of motherhood after that particular season was over.In this episode, we talk with Kelly King, Women's Ministry Specialist for LifeWay Christian Resources, about how women can lead in the varying seasons of motherhood.We talk specifically about: * How to navigate raising kids and discovering the call to lead * Not dismissing the little doors because they feel small to us * Why it's important to stay in your lane * How to overcome mom shaming * The importance of who you surround yourself with * How husbands can champion their wives to leadKelly's insights come directly from her own personal lessons. This is a message she has lived in every season of raising her kids.Show Notes: Click here to register for the LifeWay Women's Leadership Forum, November 8-10, 2018. To receive a special $20 discount, use Promo Code: FORUM226    Podcast Sponsors:

Have you been faced with getting difficult questions from your kids, and perhaps at a younger age than you had wished? Or feeling the need to have conversations with your kids but not sure how to have them?Welcome to parenting in the 21st century.We live in a very different political and cultural climate than in decades past. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Phillip Bethancourt, executive vice president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, on how he equips parents and church leaders to have these conversations. A very practical episode, you will be encouraged and equipped, especially if you lack confidence with some of the topics.Phillip, who has four boys, also provides super helpful illustrations to matter the age of our kids.In addition, this episode kicks off an online Bible study that Phillip co-wrote and that we're hosting on our blog called Christ-Centered Parenting: Gospel Conversations on Complex Cultural Issues. It's a free online study and we'd love to have you join us! Click here for details and to sign up. These 6 sessions will give you more confidence as a parent, help you instill a biblical worldview into your children, and equip you to talk to your kids about today’s tough cultural issues, including: * Gender issues * Suicide, depression, and anxiety * Pornography * Addiction and coping mechanisms * Technology * Singleness, dating, marriage, and divorceShow NotesSign up for the Christ-Centered Parenting Free Online Bible Study. Click here.To sign up and learn more about the ERLC National Conference, The Cross-Shaped Family, click here. To sign up for The Weekly, and learn more about today's cultural issues with the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, click here. Podcast Sponsors

Your questions are fuel for us for two reasons. First, you are real and desire to live a great story for your kids. Secondly, your courage to ask questions helps everyone listening to the podcast. If you struggle with something, other families struggle with it too.It's an honor being in this together with you. These Q & A episodes give all of us encouragement. So thank you!In this episode, we had a number of questions related to being emotionally safe for our kids and why it's important. In this week's episode we discuss: * Resources for understanding our own story as a parent * How to connect and talk to our child with grace, especially if he / she is prone to feeling ashamed * If a parent is away for work, ways he / she can connect with the kids from the road * How to plan for a difficult conversation with our teenager (and even our kids), especially when there is a rift in the relationship * Championing our kids in their interests and passions, even if they have no outlets for it in our local area * The importance of kids recognizing and putting words to their emotionsAs a general takeaway for this episode, give yourselves grace. When we walk in grace, it's easier to pass it onto our kids as well.The questions: Jen: In episode 51 you talk about emotional safety for our kids and attachment. I recognize the only way I can address my own attachment style and my tendencies and my reasons for flying off the handle (or why certain things make me go to that place) is if I do the hard work of understanding my past and who I am. But I don't know where to start. I have very little long term memory, so I don't know how to dig in? Do you recommend any resources for helping along with this deep work?Annie: My oldest is 6, she is extremely independent and smart. I have raised her almost completely by myself because my husband is in the oilfield and physically absent. Over the last year or so she has developed this habit of every time I try and correct her (often my delivery isn’t with grace) she responds by saying, "It’s because I’m stupid, I’m just stupid.” She just seems so frustrated and defeated. I can’t seem to get through to her to try again or that she isn’t dumb/stupid. I know I have done something maybe to contribute to that. But since it’s already been done, what is something I can say to maybe help navigate or reframe her mindset. I also need to say I have NEVER called her that. However, I know she has heard me say things like, “This is so stupid,” talking about lots of different things.Lindsay: I just found your podcast in a major time of need. I just feel I'm getting it all wrong. I've listened to a few of your episodes and know I need to change my parenting style. I have a 16-year-old who previously to this last year was easy to raise. The last year has been a living nightmare and I'm handling it all wrong. I'm disappointing, angry, mean, and just lost. My question is, how do you suggest I start making a change? I know I need to sit down and have a conversation but I don't know where to start.Shannon: My daughter is nine years old and she hates sports, exercise and being outdoors. She loves singing and performing and creating movies on her iPad. Unfortunately we live in an area where our school only offers athletics - there is no chorus, show choir, drama, or band. My daughter has a meltdown and wants to quit anytime something is difficult. She is a pleaser, is very sensitive and wants to fit in and be included. So we make her play rec sports because a) she needs the exercise and b) we are worried that if we let her quit now that she will regret it once she gets up to junior high and all of her friends are on teams. She currently complains about leaving the house...

Welcome to Season 4 of the "In This Together" podcast!School is back in session. In this episode, we talk about three ways we can spiritually prepare our kids for the new school year.Whether you homeschool, or your kids go to a public or private school, this episode will help guide your family to spiritually prepare your kids (and yourself) for the school year ahead.Here are the questions we consider to help us: * What is the biggest lesson you learned from last school year? Revisit that lesson. Write it down. What decisions will you make differently this year as a result? * What parental agendas do you have for your kids that you need to surrender this year? What are questions your kids have about the year ahead? * What two values do you want to instill in your kids this school year? * Do you have a family mission's statement? Put a plan in place to start one this week. * What is one thing you can remove from your family calendar that is adding undo pressure?Podcast Sponsors:

The final week of our "Best Of" Series is one that will challenge your faith. We listened to it again and it was like watching a movie the second time around. There was much we missed the first time that we needed right now in this season of our lives.Faith is the currency of heaven. We all need more of it. You may be in a season where you think that a "faith adventure" is just too much... * “But we are in survival mode.” * “Maybe when the kids are out of the house.” * “I’m too afraid.”We ourselves have said everyone of these. Christine Caine shares her family’s story of living a faith adventure and graciously shows us why we can’t afford not to.Here are a few highlights from one our favorite episodes! * How to overcome our, “But, God.” * Why marriage and family is a crucial part of Christian witness in the days ahead. * How our paralyzing fear serves nobody, and how to overcome it. * How to bring our kids on the adventure, no matter their age, and why our kids deserve it!Don’t miss this one. The topic is too important.Show Notes:Purchase Unexpected: Leave Fear Behind, Move Forward in Faith, Embrace the Adventure by Christine Caine, click here.      

Welcome to week 3 of our "Best Of" series!As Dr. Townsend states about entitlement, "This isn't a generational problem; it's a human problem."Apparently, a lot of parents in our generation don't want their kids to be entitled. It was the most listened to episode of season 3!Entitlement, according to Dr. John Townsend, is "a belief that I am exempt from responsibility and that I am owed special treatment." Unfortunately, you don't have to look too far today to find entitled kids--and adults!In this episode, Dr. Townsend helps parents learn how to not raise entitled kids. An incredibly practical discussion, you'll learn the three antidotes to entitlement and hear Dr. Townsend explain the following three ways to apply the antidote: * Change your language * Do hard things first * Keep inconvenient commitmentsDr. Townsend encourages us, "Kids need to grow up at a dinner table where mom and dad are doing interesting things." Here's to being parents who take responsibility, live well, and show our kids how to be grateful.Show Notes: Learn from a Role Play Coach. Join TownsendNOW today!To learn more about Townsend Leadership Program, click here.Learn more about earning a Master's degree through the Townsend Institute. Click here.To purchase The Entitlement Cure by Dr. John Townsend, click here.

Welcome to week 2 of our "Best Of" series!Emotional safety was one of the most requested topics in season 3. Not only that, this episode became one of the most listened to of any we did.When we first became parents we were exhausted and overwhelmed by the opinions of what we "should" do. That's why we decided to start with the end in mind. With the outcomes we most desire in our kids when they become adults. What we found is that emotional safety—more than any other factor—is scientifically linked to raising kids who live, love, and lead well.In other words, the posture from which we parent matters infinitely more than the techniques of parenting. What is emotional safety?In this episode, we answer this question and discuss: * The Golden Rule of relationships * Four walls of a Safe House (exploration, protection, grace, truth) * Four parenting styles (BFF, helicopter, boss, religious) * How to lead in grace and follow up in truth as we discipline * Why being a parent isn't rocket science; it's just brain surgery.Show Notes:To order Safe House: How Emotional Safety is the Key to Raising Kids Who Live, Love, and Lead Well, click here!        Interested in going through the 6-week DVD Safe House Parent Study with your spouse or church small group? Click here to learn more!  

We're kicking off our "Best Of" Series for season 3. During the summer we take a little hiatus to regroup, rejuvenate, and plan for our upcoming season--season 4!In part 1 of of our "Best of" series, we revisit our interview with Frank Tate. As one of the most highly listened to and commented about episodes, we chose it first because of how it will change your view of being a parent.If you're a regular listener and were unable to listen to this episode, put it at the top of your list. Likewise, if you're new to the podcast, put it at the top of your list. This is time well spent!In his upcoming book, Foster Kid, Frank tells his riveting story and leaves behind nuggets of wisdom he’s picked up from the screaming data of raising his own two kids. Here’s a few nuggets he discusses with us in this episode: * How to listen to your kids’ screaming data * Why parents should be editors, not authors * How to avoid GPS (Generational Peer Stress) Parenting * What “goodwill shaming” is and why we do it * Why you should give data-based praise * How to champion your child’s inner genius (and potentially save lots of money on a college education)If there is one episode that will change how you think about parenting, this is that episode.

Championing kids with special needs or medical disabilities can be quite difficult on many levels.First, there's the academic needs of the child. For instance, in some school systems, grades become emphasized over emotional development or character. Other schools lack the resources to champion the heart or strengths of the child.In addition, there's the therapeutic needs of the child. From a financial perspective, this can put quite a strain on the family.We close out this three-part series on families with children who have disabilities or special needs by talking with Kelly Bagwell. She and her husband Jeff are on the latter end of the journey, as their twin boys (who are on the autism spectrum) are about to graduate high school. She is also a high school teacher with special education students and a certified Christian counselor. So her perspective comes from all sides.However, as you listen, especially if you're a parent, what you'll hear is raw emotion and honesty about how to champion your family and kids. It's an honest conversation about the challenges, necessary steps, and gifts of raising children with special needs.Show Notes: Click here for the 100 Day Kit for Newly Diagnosed Families of Young Children at www.autismspeaks.org.Podcast Sponsor:

So often, conversation on kids with intellectual disabilities centers on ministry "to" children with disabilities. What if we instead focused on the ministry "of" children with disabilities?In this episode, Amy Julia Becker presents us with a massive paradigm shift on many levels. After reading her cover article in Christianity Today titled The Ministry of the Disabled, we knew we needed to learn from her.A graduate of Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary, Amy Julia's essays about faith, family, and disability have appeared in the Washington Post, USA Today, Christianity Today, the Christian Century, and online for The New York Times, ABCNews, the Atlantic, Vox, and The Huffington Post.Here are some highlights of our conversation: * Changing how we see the word "need." Would you describe yourself as "being needy?" What if it were a necessary and good thing? * Why it's important to receive people (especially our kids) as they are given to us, not through the lens of who we want them to be. * How Amy Julia discovered the core parental fears and idols she had after learning her daughter, Penny, had Downs Syndrome. * Tangible ways we can all come alongside families who have children with disabilities. * How churches can include children with disabilities. * Very practical ways we can celebrate and champion every child, and look for ways to bring everyone together.Show Notes: Visit Amy Julia Becker's website by clicking here. Click here to read Amy Julia's Christianity Today article title, The Ministry of the Disabled. Click here for A Good and Perfect Gift: Faith, Expectations, and a Little Girl Named Penny.Click here for Small Talk: Learning From my Children About What Matters Most.        Podcast Sponsors:

Parenting children with special needs or medical disabilities brings with it so many added variables. As if having a strong marriage and being a great parent weren't hard enough, what happens when you have to travel for 20 hours of therapy each week in addition to your other tasks and roles?This is the journey Nick and Jackie Tait are walking. With three beautiful children ages five and under, their five year old was born at 23 weeks. Today, he is a walking miracle. However, he has medical disabilities and developing special needs that require added attention and care.In this episode, we talk with Nick and Jackie (a 22:6 family!) about their story. Their countenance and approach alone speaks volumes. They share with us not only what they have done to maintain a strong marriage, but also what they need from others who aren't walking the same road.Here are a few highlights from our discussion with Nick and Jackie: * Grieving the loss of dreams you had for your child * The pressure of social media in comparing your family to others * The surprising benefits of reaching out and asking for help * The high divorce rate and how to focus on your marriage * How to genuinely interact with each child * Practical advice on how to interact with families who have a child with special or medical needsGuest bios:Jackie Tait is married to her college sweetheart, Nick, and is a mama to three littles. As a nonprofit writer and communicator, she is passionate about child and maternal health and telling the stories of the world’s most vulnerable people. Her first children’s book, The Adventures of Abuelito, is available on Amazon, benefitting UC San Diego’s neonatal intensive care unit where she serves on the Women and Infants Advisory Council.Based out of San Diego, Nick Tait is a commercial insurance broker at Marsh & McLennan Agency and leads the Life Science Practice Group for the West region. Originally from the U.K., Nick has been married to his wife, Jackie, for eleven years, and together they have three children. In his spare time, Nick enjoys traveling with his family, playing golf and following Formula 1 racing.Show Notes: Click here to check out Jackie's children book: The Adventures of Abuelito.        Podcast Sponsors:To learn more about the 22:6 Parenting Community, click here! We'd love to journey with you!

Money is one of the single biggest reasons for divorce today. If we don't have vision for our money, it will own us.Chris Brown, host of Life, Money, and Hope and a Ramsey Personality, joins us this week to talk about two primary topics:A.) How and why to budget from a Biblical perspective.B.) How to teach our kids about money.Here's a specific overview of what we talked about: * How to tell your money where it's going * How the Western world and Biblical teaching contradicts one another when it comes to money * Why normal in today's world is broken * How to shift your mindset about money * Surprising statistics about families and money today * 3 ways to teach your kids about how to give, save, and spend * A surprising perspective on college debtShow Notes:Check out Life, Money, Hope with Chris Brown. Click here.       Click here for Financial Peace University, Jr. Podcast Sponsors: 

With Father's Day approaching, we want to honor dads. In particular, we share stories from our own dads.In this episode, I (Josh) share about what I've learned about being a dad, from my dad. He went to be with Jesus in November, 2016, but his legacy lives on in our family.Christi also shares memories from her childhood and the influence of her dad to this day.In this episode, you'll hear about: * Dad jokes. Yes, dad jokes. * How to make the most of the moments with our kids and those we love. * The importance of being others-centered. * The power in telling stories of how your dad influenced you.Show Notes:For Celebration of Life Video of David E. Straub, click here. The Boat!       Podcast Sponsors:

Your questions have been so good! We love hearing from each of you. This episode covers more questions related to parenting.In this week's episode we discuss: * How kids handle emotions * New ways to think about your child's overwhelming emotions * The difference between a temper tantrum and an act of disobedience * Sibling rivalry * How to handle grief and loss with kids * And how should we handle family members who don't hold their kids to the same values we hold ours to, especially when we spend a lot of time together with them?Again, if you want to submit a question for a future episode, simply click here to submit your question.It's an honor journeying with you!Show Notes: Click here for Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys by Stephen Thomas and David ThomasClick here for Safe House: How Emotional Safety is the Key to Raising Kids Who Live, Love, and Lead WellClick here for FREE Feelings Chart for Kids!This week's questions:Emma: I am a part time single parent. My children are 5, 4 and 8 months. Last night, my eldest would not stop slamming things. I told him if he was going to continue this he would not have the sweets he was going to have for dessert when he finished his fruit. He slammed and his sweets were taken away. He then refused to get in the bath, refused to brush his teeth, refused to get into bed, and refused to be quiet so I could put the baby to sleep.I tried many things. He ended up slamming his door and crying in his bed (after 1 hour of all this). When I had gotten the baby to sleep, and my middle child was sleeping, I went into his room, told him his behavior was unacceptable, but that I still love him and always will. I told him that tomorrow was a new day and a new start.I had to keep my physical distance from my son as I was so angry with him that I was afraid of hurting him in my anger (grabbing him, pushing him, etc.). I was so angry that I could not hug him, or try to calm him, when he would not listen. What could I have done?Nichole: I have two things we struggle with in our house more recently.Part I: We have a 10-year-old and 5-year-old boy. I feel like we always have to separate the two of them because they both just can't play together well without fighting. Or my older son always wants to be away from his younger brother. I want to foster a healthy brother relationship for the boys and for them to grow up loving each other. Can we get more tips or ideas to foster this relationship and teach them better how to love each other more!Part II: We have also struggled this past year with death. We have had 4 huge losses and the kids went to all funerals. I can see they get anxious about things, more teary and worried. So we would love tips in how to continue to make them feel safe and that they don'...

When should I get my child her first phone? Once I get that first phone, how should I set it up? What limits should I set on it? Is my child's phone different than the one I buy?We get so many questions from parents about what to do, and what not to do, when it comes to their child's first phone. Navigating the world of screens can feel scary, but it doesn't have to be!In this episode, we interview Michael Kong, CEO and founder of Forcefield, a parental control product he developed when his girls were in middle school (5 years ago). He shares with us what he's learned first as a dad, and now as a developer.With your kids home for the summer, this is a fascinating episode on screens you won't want to miss.Show Notes: Try Forcefield FREE for 30 days! Just click here. Podcast Sponsor:

In 2015, Corie Weathers was named Military Spouse of the Year. That was in large part because of how her husband, Chaplain Matthew Weathers, nominated and championed her. But as we all know, championing your spouse is much easier when you feel championed.In honor of Military Appreciation Month, we wanted to honor and learn from the marriage of a military family who is also in the trenches serving other military families and first responders.In this episode, Chaplain Matthew and Corie Weathers take us behind their own picture frame and teach us how they connect personally as a military family. Even more, they share with us incredibly powerful insights and tools they use to help military and first responder families thrive.The nuggets harvested from this episode are gold. Here are a few of them: * How to praise your spouse * The power in seeing your spouse as a bonsai tree * How to find purpose together in your marriage, especially for families with traveling spouses * How much is too much to share with your spouse, especially in relation to deployment or where trauma is involved * What it means to have sacred spaces in marriage and how not to miss them * The feeling wheel on their refrigerator * The healthy competition that keeps Team Weathers thriving.Show Notes: Click here to download the Lifegiver AppClick here to learn more about Corie's book, Sacred Spaces: My Journey to the Heart of Military MarriageTo listen to Raising Emotionally Safe Kids with Dr. Josh + Christi Straub on the Lifegiver Podcast, click here.Podcast Sponsors: 

When you hear the phrase, "faith adventure," what comes to mind? Excitement. Risk. Trust. Memories. Miracles. Or does the rational, natural side of your brain kick in? * "But we are in survival mode." * "Maybe when the kids are out of the house." * "I'm too afraid."We ourselves have said everyone of these. In this episode, Christine Caine shares her family's story of living a faith adventure and graciously shows us why we can't afford not to.Here are a few highlights from one our favorite episodes! * How to overcome our, "But, God." * Why marriage and family is a crucial part of Christian witness in the days ahead. * How our paralyzing fear serves nobody, and how to overcome it. * How to bring our kids on the adventure, no matter their age, and why our kids deserve it!Christine Caine is an Australian born, Greek blooded, lover of Jesus, activist, author and international speaker. She and her husband, Nick, founded the global anti-human trafficking organization, The A21 Campaign. They also founded Propel Women, an organization designed to activate women to fulfill their God-given passion, purpose, and potential. Christine is the author of six books including Unexpected, which we discuss in this episode.Don't miss this one. The topic is too important.Show Notes:Purchase Unexpected: Leave Fear Behind, Move Forward in Faith, Embrace the Adventure by Christine Caine, click here.       Podcast Sponsors:

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes that sweet, lovely, and wonderful baby carriage.Then comes our in-laws telling us how to parent.Then comes our parents spoiling our kids.Okay, so that may sound a bit dramatic. At least we hope so for your sake. Truthfully, we loved seeing our parents become grandparents. That doesn't mean we haven't had to figure things out along the way, sometimes with difficult conversations. But it does mean that our parents have our hearts. And because they have our hearts, they have incredible influence in how their grandkids are being raised.In this episode, we go behind the scenes to talk about our own relationship with our parents and how they grandparent our kids.We also discuss practical ways for unity and honor to be the soil for the intergenerational relationships in your family to flourish.Podcast Sponsors:

If parenting is difficult, single parenting is all the more unyielding and lonely. In this episode, we learn from someone walking the road of single parenting. Even more, she gives us insights into her own ministry to single moms in her church community.Nicole C. Mullen, a two time Grammy nominated recording artist and Female Vocalist of the Year Award winner, who is now a single mom of three, shares her story. Since her difficult divorce, she has emerged from a "night season" stronger than she's ever been before. Compiling her story into a new album fittingly titled, Like Never Before, Nicole shares how she had to learn to forgive and relates to those who have walked through betrayal and hurt.Church leaders, single parents, and families with single parent friends will find this episode incredibly insightful, practical, and inspiring!Show Notes: Be sure to check out more of Nicole's story at www.nicolecmullen.com.For Nicole C. Mullen's latest album Like Never Before, featuring her kids, click here. Podcast Sponsors:

Welcome to our third Q & A episode! As always, we're grateful for the opportunity to journey with you. Thank you for submitting your questions.In this episode, we address questions specifically related to parenting teenagers, dealing with respect, the reasons for increasing anxiety and depression in teens, and managing technology in the home.Here’s a review of the questions we discuss in this episode: * What to do with a teen who is rude and disrespectful when spending too much time on technology. * How to manage our own anxiety and depression and not pass it onto our children. * Why anxiety and depression are increasing in kids and teens. * When to say yes to our teens (so they can prove their trust to us) and when to say no (without overprotecting them). * How to encourage our teenagers to be self-motivated.The questions:I am a Christian, and I struggle with anxiety and depression. I am going to counseling to work through these struggles, and my goal is to hopefully not pass them on to my children. Do you have any advice or resources you would recommend?  - AshleyMy 15 year-old is rude when he spends too much time with his technology. My husband and I have set boundaries and he continues to break these boundaries. When we enforce consequences by taking his technology (all of it) away for periods of time, his attitude changes. However, this is a cyclical pattern that has been reoccuring for 2 years now. He uses his technology for good purposes. He's learning to speak 3 languages online. He's very bright, but sometimes his intelligence gives way to pride and disrespect.What advice can you offer us?  -JenDepression in teenagers appears to be on the rise. What are the causes? How do we as parents help our teenager?  -TeresaI have 2 teen girls. They have been raised in the church and learning God's word. Yet, they battle the temptations of this world via social media and public school life. I try to keep them centered on being in the world but not of the world. To rely on God's word and not the lies of the world. With that said, I struggle with how much slack I give to let them make--and learn--from their mistakes so they will be refined and grow, yet keep them from falling off the cliff (so to speak).  Bottom line, as their guide, I struggle with when to speak up, put my foot down, say "NO," VERSUS when to be silent, say "YES," and trust them to make some decisions (even if I do not agree 100%) hoping they will learn as they go.  -MichelleI have an adopted daughter age 14 and I feel that I have missed the mark on a few things. I need your help and would like a do-over on some things. For example technology, respect, and responsibility. I'm married to a wonderful man and we have to move forward and make some changes.  -HelenaShow Notes: Parents --> This episode is super practical -> Episode #47: Screaming Data: How to Hear Your Kid's Passions and Strengths by Observing Their Actions with Frank TateThe Screen-Balanced Family Workbook (with included Family Media Agreement). Use code: JCPODCAST20 for 20% off. We appreciate you being an ongoing listener and journeying with us!Why Mister Rogers is Smarter Than Baby EinsteinPodcast Sponsors:To establish your family values we talk about in this episode,

Entitlement, according to Dr. John Townsend, is "a belief that I am exempt from responsibility and that I am owed special treatment." Unfortunately, you don't have to look too far today to find entitled kids--and adults!As Dr. Townsend states, "This isn't a generational problem; it's a human problem."In this episode, Dr. Townsend helps parents learn how to not raise entitled kids. An incredibly practical discussion, you'll learn the three antidotes to entitlement and hear Dr. Townsend explain the following three ways to apply the antidote: * Change your language * Do hard things first * Keep inconvenient commitmentsDr. Townsend encourages us, "Kids need to grow up at a dinner table where mom and dad are doing interesting things." Here's to being parents who take responsibility, live well, and show our kids how to be grateful.Show Notes: Learn from a Role Play Coach. Join TownsendNOW today!To learn more about Townsend Leadership Program, click here.Learn more about earning a Master's degree through the Townsend Institute. Click here.     To purchase The Entitlement Cure by Dr. John Townsend, click here.        Podcast Sponsors:

With Mother's Day just around the corner, we wanted to do something special for moms, so I (Christi) decided to host an online Bible study!The study is called Mom Set Free by our friend Jeannie Cunnion, it begins May 17, and it's good news for moms who are tired of trying to be good enough.We love Jeannie and wanted you to have a special opportunity to get to know and learn from her!This episode describes the details of the upcoming online Bible study and also includes our original interview with Jeannie where she talks about "wrestling with the wild grace of God," so she could learn to overcome shame and give grace to her kids in their weaknesses and brokenness.To learn more about the online Bible study and to sign up, click here!Show Notes:Click here to sign up for the FREE online Bible study.Have more questions? Check out the Online Bible Study FAQs.To pick up a copy of the Mom Set Free Bible study book, you can order online or pull off the shelf from your local LifeWay Store.

Does parenting sometimes feel complicated to you?You can't even leave the hospital before having to make a decision on whether or not you're going to immunize your child. Think about some of the other choices we have to make as parents in the twenty-first century.~  “Is it okay that our baby sleep in bed with us?”~  “Should we let our baby cry it out?”~  “Is spanking okay? Or should we do time-outs?"~  “How do I respond to a temper tantrum?”~  “Wait, we're supposed to do time-ins? What's a time-in?"~  “Should I stay home with the kids or put them in day care?”~  “Should we homeschool or send our kids to a private or public school?”~  “How much screen time do I let my kids have?”To be quite honest, we were exhausted. That's why we decided to start with the end in mind. With the outcomes we most desire in our kids when they become adults. What we found is that emotional safety—more than any other factor—is scientifically linked to raising kids who live, love, and lead well.In other words, the posture from which we parent matters infinitely more than the techniques of parenting. What is emotional safety?In this episode, we answer this question and discuss: * The Golden Rule of relationships * Four walls of a Safe House (exploration, protection, grace, truth) * Four parenting styles (BFF, helicopter, boss, religious) * How to lead in grace and follow up in truth as we discipline * Why being a parent isn't rocket science; it's just brain surgery.Show Notes:To order Safe House: How Emotional Safety is the Key to Raising Kids Who Live, Love, and Lead Well, click here!        Interested in going through the 6-week DVD Safe House Parent Study with your spouse or church small group? Click here to learn more!         Podcast Sponsors:For a FREE one month trial for 22:6 Parenting, click here.      For more information on a LifeWay Women's event near you, click here!  

In the spirit of interviewing people who influence us personally, this episode features marriage mentors of our own, David and Claudia Arp. Married for 55 years, their insights on marriage have influenced the types of conversations we have in our marriage today.In this episode, David and Claudia share the secrets that have kept them enjoying their marriage for more than five decades. In addition, they introduce us to their research based marriage program, 10 Great Dates!Here are some insights you'll hear from them in this episode: * The story of their greatest period of emotional disconnection in their marriage (hint: it was when their kids were young!) * How they overcame this season and the lessons they learned from it * Why having fun in marriage is serious business * The beauty of an anger contract * How both spouses can be right * Why it's important to walk down memory lane * The amazing benefit of intimacy couponsFinally, we had the privilege of being a part of David and Claudia's updated 10 Great Dates curriculum. Be sure to check it out and watch our video journals. They were pretty epic :)Show Notes:Order the 10 Great Dates Book + Video Curriculum and Receive 20% off your order! COUPON CODE: together20       Visit David and Claudia's website at 10GreatDates.org, click here.10 Great Dates: Connecting Faith, Love & Marriage        Podcast Sponsors:For more information on upcoming LifeWay Women's events in your area, click here!       To learn more about Exile International and how you can partner in restoring former child soldiers to become leaders for peace, click here!

Welcome to our second Q & A episode! Thank you for submitting your questions.In this episode, we address questions specifically related to marriage, sex, and what to do when you and your spouse are not on the same page.Here’s a review of the questions we discuss in this episode: * How can I stop from feeling wrong and dirty about sex with my spouse? * What do I do when my spouse isn't "on the same page." * How can I encourage godliness in my son when his dad isn't actively growing in his faith? * What is the best way to help our kids heal after years of marital turmoil we are now trying to fix?The questions:From Amanda: My husband and I have been married for about 4 1/2 years and have had sex about 4 times. Every time I begin to feel good I also feel incredibly wrong and dirty. I believe this may stem from my abstinence, true love waits upbringing, but in marriage it's now time to stop waiting. Mentally, I can grasp this concept but I'm having a hard time letting my body catch up. Are there any resources you can recommend to get past this mental block?From Amanda: How do I implement the great advice and tools you offer if my spouse is "not on the same page"?From Natalie: One of the best gifts that we can give our children is a strong spiritual marriage with our Lord Jesus Christ and our spouse. How do you recommend doing that when your spouse isn’t a strong believer and isn’t actively growing their faith but rather seems to be slipping down the trap doors Satan has planted. What are ways as a wife/mom to encourage godliness in our son when he isn’t seeing that in his earthly father and to encourage repentance in our husbands?From Tara: A question about family healing after turmoil. When a marriage has been through major turmoil or brokenness with many things said and did through anger, hurt, and regret, how do you heal the kids and the family unit once the marriage is piecing back together and healing. How do marital struggles affect the children? How can you help them heal when mom and dad feel they have caused damage with their own struggles in the marriage?Show Notes: For information related to sexual wholeness in marriage, you can visit our trusted friend and colleague's website, Dr. Doug Rosenau at www.sexualwholeness.com.A Celebration of Sex: A Guide to Enjoying God's Gift of Married Sexual Pleasure by Dr. Doug RoseneauIntended for Pleasure: Sex Technique and Sexual Fulfillment in Christian Marriage by Ed and Gaye WheatEnjoy: The Gift of Sexual Pleasure for Women by Joyce PennerMoving Mountains by John Eldredge

The resurrection of Jesus changed everything. But how do we help our kids understand the resurrection in a concrete way? How can we communicate to our kids the power that Christ has in our life?Don't get us wrong, we love chocolate and Easter eggs, but how can we make sure Easter isn't just another holiday for our kids.In this episode, we clarify four ways we can turn the abstract message of the resurrection into a concrete message our kids can begin to understand. * Live out the resurrection for our kids. * Use resurrection eggs. * Raise caterpillars. This is our favorite. * Die to something that has power over you.Being families who live, love, and lead well begins with the resurrection. Let's not allow Easter to slip by as just another holiday. Instead, let's be intentional about walking daily in the authority and resurrection of Jesus. Our kids are watching, and always learning.Show Notes: To purchase Resurrection Eggs, click here.To purchase caterpillars, click here. For the blogpost, How I'm Dying in my Marriage & Why That's a Good Thing, click here.Sponsors:To learn more about Exile International and how you can partner in restoring former child soldiers to become leaders for peace, click here!        For more information on upcoming LifeWay Women's events in your area, click here!

If you love stories that lead to practical truths, this episode is for you! Frank Tate is one of Josh's closest friends on the planet. Even more, his insights as a dad have revolutionized the way we parent our kids.Growing up as a foster kid, Frank came to know "invisible Jesus" as his dad. During that time, Frank began asking Him what good dads do. Then, in Sunday School as a little boy, Frank remembers learning that wisdom cries aloud in the streets (Proverbs 1:20). With this newfound truth, Frank ventured into the world looking for "screaming data" on what it takes to be a good dad, because he never wanted his own children growing up the way he did.The "screaming data" Frank learned through the years and the stories he tells will leave you wanting more. One of the most invaluable truths Frank discusses is that, as parents, we can't hear screaming data if we're screaming data. Too often, we don't listen to our kids' passions or see their strengths. That's because we're too busy trying to make them into the people we want them to become.In his upcoming book, Foster Kid, Frank tells his riveting story and leaves behind nuggets of wisdom he's picked up from the screaming data of raising his own two kids. Here's a few nuggets he discusses with us in this episode: * How to listen to your kids' screaming data * Why parents should be editors, not authors * How to avoid GPS (Generational Peer Stress) Parenting * What "goodwill shaming" is and why we do it * Why you should give data-based praise * How to champion your child's inner genius (and potentially save lots of money on a college education)If there is one episode that will change how you think about parenting, this is that episode.Show Notes: To stay up-to-date on the progress of the Foster Kid book, click here.Visit fosterkidbook.com to sign up for updates.Podcast Sponsors: Sign up today for a FREE one month trial of 22:6 Parenting! Click here to learn more. 

Jonathan and Wynter Pitts have four beautiful girls. At one point, three of them were in diapers at the same time. As you can imagine, Wynter was overwhelmed. But in the middle of the exhaustion and discontentment, she found purpose and contentment. During this time, the Lord revealed to her a need he wanted her to fill for girls in today’s culture.Today, she leads a ministry called For Girls Like You, a magazine for girls that unravels the heart of God for them. Her passion for raising girls who find their identity in Christ is contagious.In this episode, Wynter, along with her husband Jonathan, who serves as Executive Director for the Urban Alternative (the ministry of Dr. Tony Evans), describe practical ways they shepherd the hearts of their girls.Fellow dads, you also want to listen to what Jonathan has to share. The conversation in this episode is so rich and applicable to each of us, but to dads especially, Jonathan will encourage you.Here are a few highlights from this episode: * How to see the art of parenting as Kingdom work * What it means to invite our kids into our world * How to strive for presence, not perfection * Why we need to give our kids more credit * The power of turning things outward for our kids * The difference between good intentions and intentionalityYou cannot listen to Jonathan + Wynter without one of their many insights sticking on you. As they state, “The degree we reflect Christ as parents is the degree to which our kids will see Christ.”Show Notes:Visit For Girls Like You and subscribe to the quarterly magazine, click here!Click here to purchase She is Yours by Jonathan + Wynter Pitts        Podcast Sponsors: To find a LifeWay Women event near you, click here!       We would absolutely LOVE to have you join the 22:6 Parenting Community! Click here to learn more.

This is our first Q & A episode! Thank you for submitting your questions.In this episode, we address questions specifically related to parenting young children.Here's a review of the questions we discuss in this episode: * What are good, practical survival tips for our marriage? * How do I hit the reset button after blowing up at my kids? * I struggle with setting limits on technology. * I'm a single mom and I'm all alone.The questions:From Jody: In September, we will be welcoming into the world our fourth child in 5 years. We are very excited. But it is definitely tough because we have zero help from grandparents and are on our own. What are some good practical survival tips for our marriage in this season to keep it "till death do us part and not till kids do us part?"From Jenny: Two sick toddlers + one sick mommy = a terrible, horrible morning today. After the dust settles though, how do I come back from that? My kids recover more quickly than I do. How do I hit the reset button after blowing up at my kids and show them patience and love again, without needing to take a break from them?From Jenny: I have a three-year-old and struggle with setting limits on technology but also allowing her to explore technology. I don't want her left behind with knowing how to use it but I want her to be a kid and learn how to be independent of it. I struggle with the balance.From Kerry: I'm a single mom. My boyfriend left when I was 3.5 months pregnant. I've now been on my own for the past six years. I am all alone. What can I do? I'm missing the conversation with an adult. I read books, I read the Bible, but I miss socializing with friends. I go to church, but the church is so big. I don't particularly like hanging out with other couples with kids. I do sometimes and the dads try to include my daughter in wrestling, etc. but it's just not the same. Help?Podcast Sponsors: For LifeWay Women events in your area, featuring Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, and more, click here!

Jamie Ivey's Happy Hour podcast was Christi's gateway drug into the podcastosphere. So you can imagine what a joy it was to have Jamie, and her husband Aaron, join us on our podcast.We love these two human souls because they embody healthy authenticity. Jamie's new book is called If You Only Knew: My Unlikely, Unavoidable Story of Becoming Free. The title itself is a fitting description of our conversation. As parents to four children, Jamie and Aaron have navigated ministry, marriage, and adoption. Once Jamie navigated her way through her own story, finding identity in Christ, she became free to lead--as a wife, as a mom, and as a successful podcaster.And that's what you hear throughout the interview: a message of freedom. Jamie and Aaron give us the permission to tell our stories and the importance of doing so for our family. So we can champion our marriage. Get rid of shame as a mom. Be present as a dad.So many of us want rid of the nagging feeling of shame. We desire vulnerability. Jamie and Aaron share how they found it, and lead boldly because of their identity in Christ.Show Notes: Check out Jamie and Aaron's book and Jamie's podcast below.If You Only Knew: My Unlikely, Unavoidable Story of Becoming Free by Jamie Ivey        Steal Away Home by Matt Carter & Aaron Ivey        The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey Podcast        Sponsors: Forcefield: The best parental control software on the market. Become a digital mentor to your kids. Click here for a FREE 30 day trial!

Why is it that our natural tendency is to become hard and insensitive toward the person we love the most? Rather than being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry (James 1:19), we're quick to defend ourselves, quick to cast blame, and slow to understand—a recipe that keeps us enslaved to self-righteousness, and too often, unable to forgive.In this episode, we talk about 5 ways you can create a culture of forgiveness in your marriage: * Forgive from the heart but set boundaries on behavior. * Don't defend yourself. * Clothe yourself in gentleness, because bitterness is unattractive. * Pray this one prayer each day for your spouse. * Take the Golden Rule and replace the word "do" with the word "understand."We also reveal the first three actions we give to a couple who call us because they feel stuck in their marriage. If you feel stuck, forgiveness may be the first place to begin.Show Notes:For counseling referrals in your local area, enter your zip code in one of the links below:Focus on the Family Counselor NetworkAmerican Association of Christian CounselorsThriveworks Blog Post: How 15 Minutes Is Changing Our MarriagePodcast Sponsors: LifeWay Women Events. For the latest events in your area, click here.      Exile International. To learn more about how you can serve war affected children, click here.

We asked families in our 22:6 Parenting audience this one question: What’s your #1 struggle as a parent? We had over 700 responses.Last week we covered struggles 6-10. In part 2, we talk about the top 5 struggles of today's parents. We also offer some practical insights on how we can overcome these struggles.In this episode, we talk about the top 5 struggles:5. How do I disciple my kids?4. I lose my patience.3. I feel inadequate.2. How can I get my kids to obey? (Discipline)1. There's not enough time.Also, we invite YOU to ask us questions and be on the podcast. We will have Q&A episodes this season. Just click here to ask your questions or submit your topic. Show Notes:Be on the podcast! Submit your question / topic here!Christi's article: A Shame-Free Approach to Teaching our Kids About Jesus written by Christi StraubSafe House: How Emotional Safety is the Key to Raising Kids Who Live, Love, and Lead WellOther books mentioned in this episode:Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene BrownMindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck 

Welcome to season 3!Last month, we asked families in our 22:6 Parenting audience this one question: What’s your #1 struggle as a parent? We had over 700 responses. Trust us when we say, you’re not alone.In the first two episodes of season 3 we talk about the top 10 struggles of today's parents. We also offer some practical insights on how we can overcome these struggles.In this episode, we talk about struggles 6-10:10. Single parenting9. Technology8. Raising kids to be independent7. Communication6. RespectFinally, in season 3, we are going to focus on topics YOU deal with in your family. That's why we want to invite YOU to ask us questions and be on the podcast. We will have Q&A episodes this season as well. Just click here to ask your questions or submit your topic. Show Notes:Be on the podcast! Submit your question / topic here!You can download the electronic nuptial agreement by clicking here.You can also check out The Screen-Balanced Family workbook and digital video series written and produced by Josh + Christi. Click here for the videos + workbook ($29.97).Click here for just the workbook ($14.97).

Welcome to our 40th episode!What an incredible and fun year it's been for the podcast.Having not yet been at this a year, we have learned a lot from each of you. Thank you for becoming a part of our family and making this journey so enjoyable.We thought it would be fitting to close out season 2 by talking about ways we can prioritize our family in the New Year. As the saying goes, "The days are long, but the years are short."In this episode, we light-heartedly go behind our own crooked picture frame to discuss how we have prioritized--or failed at prioritizing--one another. Throughout the discussion, we also offer practical ways you can have fun with your spouse and make memories with your children in the New Year. In addition, we offer tons of bonuses in the show notes to help you get started.As a fun addition for season 3, we will have specific episodes where we answer listener questions. Therefore, we invite you to ask questions, give us feedback on topics you'd like to hear about, and share the podcast with your friends and family.It is an honor being in this with you!Show Notes: Receive 20% off The Screen-Balanced Family Digital Videos and Workbook when you use the code: JCPODCAST.Sign up to receive 40 Date Night Ideas + 216 Questions. Click here.To download FREE the 100 Commonly Held Values List, click here. To download FREE the Marital Electronic Nuptial Agreement, click here.Podcast Sponsors: Become a digital mentor to your kids. Try Forcefield FREE for 30 days. Click here to learn more. We would LOVE to have you join our 22:6 Parenting Community! Get monthly discipleship tools, coaching, and a community of like-minded parents. To learn more, click here!

When is the last time you and your spouse argued about being too busy? Or maybe you didn't argue. Perhaps the busyness meant you just passed one another by, like ships in the night. That's how overcommitment usually begins in our home. It's not until we feel the stress of trying to manage it all that we begin to argue. That's when we "see" one another floating by.Let's face it, overcommitment is plaguing today's families. Unfortunately, the first casualty is usually our marriage. Whether it's finances, work, kid's school activities, or even church, we all feel stretched. Without intentionality, our family life will simply go wherever the winds take it.That's why we decided to make this episode a special one!We were invited to talk about overcommitment in marriage as a part of "marriage week" on Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk. This is a conversation we want to invite you in on, especially with the demands of the holiday season upon us.Our hope is that after you listen, you and your spouse are able to recognize and talk more openly about when saying yes is adding too much stress.Podcast Sponsors: Become a digital mentor to your kids today. Try Forcefield FREE for 30 days. Click here. Struggle with finding time to disciple your kids? 22:6 Parenting gives you the tools you need without adding anything to your already busy day. Click here to subscribe today! 

There is nothing we want more than to experience the joy of Christmas. Unfortunately, Christmas can leave our time feeling pressed and our wallets stressed. In addition, the holiday also brings along with it some baggage, especially when it comes to our children and the traditions we hold dear.In this episode, we go behind the lens of our own crooked picture frame to discuss some Christmas hot topics. We tell stories about how we were raised and what we implement today in our own family. We also discuss topics like: * Is my gift-giving out of control? * What does an entitled child look like? * Is it okay to lie to my kids about Santa Claus? * What will my kids really remember about Christmas? * How can we truly make it about Jesus' birth? * Is the attitude I'm modeling for my kids at the holidays one of gratitude or grumbling? * What role do traditions play in our family?As you listen to this episode, think about your own family traditions, values, and what you model for and teach your kids. And be sure to engage the conversation. Tell us stories from your own picture frame. We love learning from you.Podcast Sponsors:If you buy screens at Christmas, consider a 30-day FREE trial of Forcefield. Click here to learn more about becoming a digital mentor to your kids. To make the most of the time you have with your kids with creative discipleship tools, subscribe today to the 22:6 Parenting community! 

Over one-third of Americans live in, or are a part of, a blended family. So many questions abound for stepparents. Fortunately, in this week's episode, our dear friend and expert on blended families, Ron Deal, answers many of these questions.Ron serves as Director of Family Life Blended and is the author of The Smart Stepfamily, The Smart Stepmom, The Smart Stepfamily Marriage, and The Smart Stepdad. After listening to this episode, you'll realize he's smart too. What's even better, his approach to blended families is honest, but full of grace. He answers questions like: * What does the Bible say about stepfamilies? * I'm trying to instill good values with my kids but my ex-spouse doesn't. How do I handle that? * What do I tell my kids when they have a new aunt, uncle, grandparent, etc. * How do we deal with loss during the holidays in our family? * We just divorced and now we are both getting remarried. What do we tell our kids to call our new spouses? * How do we decide whose house to go to for the holidays? * And many more!This episode is rich and full of wisdom. If you live in a blended family, grew up in a blended family, or are now raising kids in a blended family, Ron will bless you.Show Notes: For more information including articles and links to Family Life Blended events, click here.To purchase The Smart StepFamily, click here.For the article, 13 Ideas to Manage Holiday Step-Stress, click here.Podcast Sponsors: A Parenting Community for Busy Parents. Click here for more information. Forcefield: For a FREE 30-Day Trial, click here. 

Cooler weather. Peppermint mochas. Hallmark movies. The holidays. For many, it’s wonderful. For others, this time of year can be quite chaotic. The pressure of figuring out what to buy. Making travel arrangements. Deciding which family members to spend the holidays with.We try—emphasis on “try”—to talk about the upcoming holidays ahead of time. We pray and think through how we can make the most of it as a family. Having little kids can make it a bit more chaotic for us, but it can also make it a lot more precious too.What #TeamStraub has found out is that, without a plan, it’s too easy to allow the chaos and busyness to rob us from being truly present with those we love most, especially one another.In this week's episode, we talk through the acronym E.N.J.O.Y.I.N.G., and discuss eight proactive ways we can enjoy the upcoming holiday season as family. Some of the topics we discuss include: * When and how to say "no" * How to navigate Christmas gatherings with extended family * Ways we can be proactive with potentially awkward family interactions * How to simplify our lives * Ways to take care of yourself during the holidaysShow Notes:Podcast Exclusive Offer: Sign up and receive the 25 Characters of the Christmas Story: An Advent Experience for Families, in your inbox each day beginning December 1st! Click here to sign up. Podcast Sponsors:Click here to join 22:6 Parenting! We'd love to journey with you!To become a digital mentor to your kids, try Forcefield FREE for 30 days! Click here to learn more.

Do you sometimes feel like you live in a fishbowl? Especially as a parent of young kids, your every move feeling scrutinized by glaring eyes in the grocery store. Or your teenager's every post on social media a reflection of how you parent?For many of us, the peanut gallery just adds insult to injury. We don't need the added pressure of the critics or the perfect family on social media to feel like we're not living up to the expectations we have of ourselves. One person who lives with these feelings heightened to the nth degree is our friend and America's beloved "DJ Tanner," Candace Cameron Bure.In spite of living in the fishbowl of Hollywood, Candace lives, loves, and leads with a confidence so many admire. In this episode, she graciously invites us behind the picture frame of her own family. With candor, Candace describes how she filters out the noise of the critics and who she allows to have access to her heart.Based on her new book, Staying Stylish: Cultivating a Confident Look, Style, and Attitude, Candace talks about how she cultivates confidence. However, as you'll learn, this didn't happen overnight. Candace details for us: * What she learned living "in the invisible" as a stay-at-home mom for 10 years while her kids were little * How she decides who can have access to her heart * Why it's important for moms and wives to feel good about themselves (and their style) and how to do it * How she and her husband, Val, navigate raising three teenagers in a social media driven world * The single biggest factor for her in maintaining confidence as a wife, mom, and actorShow Notes:To preorder Staying Stylish: Cultivating a Confident Look, Style, and Attitude, click here.Podcast Sponsors:22:6 Parenting--Tools for Raising Kids Who Love God and Love OthersForcefield: Screen Time Done Right. 

Nobody can really prepare us for the chaos, unpredictability, and self-imposed guilt that accompany becoming a parent. Well-intentioned people may try to prepare you for the sleepless nights, colic, and grocery store tantrums, but let’s be honest, you can’t really be prepared until you encounter them.Instead, it was something subtler, yet much deeper, that nearly took me (Christi) out as a momma. Something nobody else warned me about—I lost my identity.In this episode, we talk about what taking care of ourselves as parents looks like from our own picture frame. Rather than remaining stuck in the ongoing cycle of guilt, shame and feelings of depression, together, we are finding a way out. The reason this is so important to us is because research consistently shows that it's not necessarily what we know about parenting that matters most for how our kids turn out, but who we are becoming as adults.If you too have lost yourself in parenting, this is a conversation we think you’ll find quite refreshing. We not only share our own journey, but we offer realistic and practical ways we can all come alive and rediscover ourselves, even in the midst of parenthood. Because the reality is: the healthier we are, the healthier our kids will be.Show Notes:For the FREE PDF Download: 7 Ways to Disciple Your Kids, click here.For Christi's blogpost, 11 Ways to Reclaim Yourself in the Midst of Parenthood, click here.For the book, The Slight Edge, click here. Podcast Sponsors:22:6 Parenting--Tools for Raising Kids Who Love God and Love OthersForcefield: Screen Time Done Right. 

Education is one of the most challenging topics for many parents. Do we homeschool our kids? Is it okay to send them to public school? Or should we invest in private school?What about a parent's role in their child's education? How much responsibility should we shoulder versus the school itself?These are questions we tackle in this episode with Mr. Stuart Tutler, the Headmaster of New Hope Academy in Franklin, TN.We describe Mr. Tutler as a student of pedagogy. He has a passion for learning about the methods of teaching. In other words, in this episode, Mr. Tutler shares with us what he's learning to be the best ways to teach kids.Encouraging parents, he answers for us a few questions: * Who's responsible for a child's education? * How important is it that my child gets good grades? * What is the role of experience in a child's education? * How do we navigate the private, homeschool, or public school discussion? * Why and how should we emphasize wellness (i.e. nutrition, movement, rest, etc.) in our child's education? * How can we educate our children--and ourselves--about the history and issues related to both racial reconciliation and empowering the poor?Speaking of these latter two topics, one of the reasons we love New Hope Academy is because they are committed to providing an excellent, Christ-centered education to all students while intentionally reserving 40 to 50 percent of their seats for children from low-income households. With an emphasis on economic and racial diversity, the heart is to teach kids to love all people.Our discussion in this episode ends with ways we as parents can help our children do just that. No matter your choice of schooling, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.Show Notes: For more information about New Hope Academy, click here.Podcast Sponsors:22:6 Parenting--Tools for Raising Kids Who Love God and Love OthersForcefield: Screen Time Done Right.  

For parents in the trenches of the early years, this interview is for you. The heart of our conversation with Christy and Nathan Nockels is the story behind their new lullaby album. The reason we were drawn to the story is because we have played Scripture lullabies in our children's bedrooms from the time they were infants. Ironically, as you'll learn, this album was birthed in the early years of Christy and Nathan's journey as parents.Christy Nockels is a worship leader / singer-songwriter. Her husband, Nathan, is a producer (Passion, Matt Redman, Laura Story). Together, they have three beautiful children.Christy and Nathan toured for several years as the duo Watermark. Today, Christy is a GMA Dove Award winner and podcaster. Her own podcast, The Glorious in the Mundane, came from her own journey as a mom. She shares her journey in this episode.Even more, Nathan shares how he championed Christy's creativity and career from behind the scenes. Truly, the conversation on marriage in this episode, especially for husbands, is so rich. These two not only talk about how they champion one another, but how they have championed their children's gifts and strengths through the years. Our favorite song on the lullaby album, Pitter Patter Goes the Rain, includes all five of the Nockels' family.In the end, they give us hope that we don't just have to survive the early years, but together, as a team, we can thrive there.Show Notes: Podcast Sponsors: TwentyTwoSix Parenting: Community. Content. Coaching.Forcefield: Become a digital mentor to your kids.

Our affectionally labeled "resident child therapists," David Thomas and Sissy Goff are back on the podcast! In season 1, David and Sissy joined us to talk about the emotional milestones of boys and girls. Now that school is in full session, we talk with them about social milestones. Respectively, Sissy eloquently describes how girls can develop socially, and David describes what it takes to help boys do the same.The four core social milestones include: awareness, reciprocity, ownership, and boundaries. In this episode, David and Sissy talk about the milestones, and also give us very practical ways we can help our boys and girls, respectively, reach these milestones. Fortunately, they also counsel us a bit with our kids. Christi took copious notes.David and Sissy are licensed counselors and serve at Daystar Counseling in Nashville. Along with Daystar’s founder, Melissa Trevethan, they host a website of helpful resources for parents called Raising Boys and Girls.Show Notes:For the book, Are My Kids on Track? click here.For David's book, Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys, click here. www.RaisingBoysandGirls.comPodcast Sponsors: 

We want to ask an honest question: Are you the master of your screen, or is your screen the master of you? Nobody doubts the pervasiveness of screens in our culture today, especially among kids and teens. But when was the last time you stopped and truly asked yourself, "What, about my screen, do I accept without question?"Don't misunderstand us, we don't believe screens are all bad. We just want to be honest with ourselves. And after listening to our conversation in this episode, we hope you'll do the same. Because as research is showing, the subtle lies we have come to believe about our screens may be changing us in ways we never expected.Show Notes: The Death of Reading is Threatening the Soul by Phillip YanceyHave Smart Phones Destroyed a Generation by Dr. Jean TwengeiGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood--and What That Means for the Rest of Us by Dr. Jean TwengeThe Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to our Brains by Nicholas CarrPodcast Sponsors:TwentyTwoSix Parenting: Discipleship Tools for Raising Kids Who Love God and Love OthersJoin exclusively for a limited time ONLY between now and September 30! 

Our guest this week is singer and songwriter, Matthew West. Matthew just released a brand new album called "All In." When we heard about Matthew's heart behind the album, we knew we had to interview him.Most noteworthy, our conversation centers around a song on the album called, "The Beautiful Things We Miss." If you listen to our podcast, you can already tell where this is going.As a self-described "professional Christian," West knows how easy it can be to coast, to pretend his spiritual life is in a better place than it actually is.“That’s a dangerous place to be,” he says. “That’s what the Bible talks about. Being lukewarm. So I’ve had this idea that I want to be all in like never before. I want to be all in with the songs that I write, I want to be all in with my time with the Lord, I want to be all in with my wife, I want to be all in with my relationship with my daughters.”As a husband, dad, and "professional Christian," Matthew takes us behind his crooked picture frame, and tells us what it means for him to be "all in." As you listen to this episode, may you ponder these lyrics:Open up my eyes, LordKeep me in the moment just like thisBefore the beautiful things we loveBecome the beautiful things we missShow notes:Matthew West's album, ALL INPodcast Sponsors: TwentyTwoSix Parenting: Discipleship Tools for Raising Kids Who Love God and Love OthersForcefield: Screen Time Done Right. Try it out FREE for 30 days. 

Don't let the title of this episode fool you. Yes, Jeannie Cunnion's message is helping moms find relief from the pressure to get it all right (i.e. be perfect). But this conversation is for all parents. If you need to experience the grace and gentleness of Jesus today as a mom or dad, this episode is for you. Jeannie's words are salve to the exhausted parent. You don't need to listen long before you realize Jeannie really "wrestles with the wild grace of God."We had the privilege of meeting Jeannie through this episode. Since then, her words have penetrated our home and how we show Jesus to our kids. Jeannie is a wife and mom of four fun boys. Her unique message of God's grace is so refreshing.In Jeannie's words, "I spent the first many years of parenting believing that I had to be a perfect example for my kids to follow and worrying that their entire futures were riding on my ability to perfectly orchestrate their lives. My goal was to make very few mistakes and have very little regret. You can probably guess how that turned out. The shame I felt from the mistakes I made was real. And because I wasn't accepting God's grace for me in all of my weaknesses and brokenness, I struggled to give grace to my kids in their weaknesses and brokenness."But Jesus. Yes, but Jesus. This conversation helps all of us wrestle with and apply the grace of Jesus in our homes.Show Notes: Jeannie Cunnion's blog and website, click here.Mom Set Free Book by Jeannie CunnionMom Set Free Bible Study Launch November 1. For more information, click here. Podcast Sponsors: TwentyTwoSix Parenting: Discipleship Tools for Raising Kids Who Love God and Love OthersForcefield: Screen Time Done Right. Try it out FREE for 30 days.  

Our guest this week is Ian Morgan Cron. We invited him on the podcast because nothing has been as significant as the Enneagram in taking our marriage to the next level.What is the Enneagram? Personally, we have been busting at the seams to introduce you to it. But nobody can explain the Enneagram the way Ian can. In this episode, Ian graciously joins us to explain all nine types.As you'll learn, and unlike all other personality tools, the beauty of the Enneagram is that it doesn't just show who you are, it shows you who you could be. When you become aware not just of your behaviors, but the underlying motivations behind your behaviors, it changes the view you have of yourself.Subsequently, we unlock barriers to living fully alive. Not only that, it changes the view you have of your spouse as well. That's why Christi and I also go behind our picture frame to share stories about how the Enneagram has helped us to understand ourselves, and one another, at a much deeper level.We hope this episode leads you on a deeper journey toward intimacy with one another, and ultimately toward your relationship with Jesus.Show Notes:To purchase The Road Back to You Book, click here.For The Road Back to You Podcast, click here.Check out Ian's NEW podcast, Typology.You can also take his Enneagram assessment by clicking here.Podcast Sponsors:Forcefield: Screen Time Done Right. Try it out FREE for 30 days. TwentyTwoSix Parenting: Discipleship Tools for Raising Kids Who Love God and Love Others

Have you given thought to what it means to be human? Think about what makes you--and your kids--truly come alive. Perhaps not surprisingly, those moments rarely happen on a screen.This summer we challenged ourselves to embrace more of what it means to be human. We took our kids camping. Gave away items to those in need. Went on adventures. Completed projects with our hands. And in so doing, we discovered five ways we can teach our kids to be human.In this episode, we tell stories from behind our picture frame and use examples from our journey this past summer. We also talk through the five ways we can show our kids what it means to be human. Full of stories and practical application, it was one of our favorite episodes to record together.Show Notes:Feelings Chart FREE DownloadPodcast Sponsors:Forcefield: Screen Time Done Right. Try it out FREE for 30 days. TwentyTwoSix Parenting: Discipleship Tools for Raising Kids Who Love God and Love OthersJoin exclusively for a limited time ONLY between now and September 30! 

Do you struggle finding time for those you love most? Does busyness tend to disconnect you from the heart of your spouse?In this episode, we affectionately adopt new "podcast parents," Rodney + Selma Wilson. They join us to explain the secret behind how they can still look at one another like teenagers in love, after 40+ years.Now grandparents, they talk about how they see parenting differently today than when they were raising their daughters. The wisdom and encouragement Rodney and Selma share in this episode comes purely from their experience of loving people so well.At LifeWay, Selma Wilson serves as VP of Organizational Development and Chief People Officer. Cool title, right? She's also a cheerleader for moms! Her husband, Rodney, is an Associate Pastor and Marriage and Family Counselor. He doesn't consider himself a cheerleader (bye, bye pompoms), but he is an encourager.You are in for a dose of wisdom. Some highlights include: * How to prioritize your marriage for your kids * The images we can etch into our kids' minds for a spiritual legacy * How to look at life in seasons * The one perspective that helps moms move from surviving the trenches to enjoying motherhoodAll in all, the primary theme is about guarding our time and our hearts.Show Notes:Check out Selma's blog and podcast, Selma on Leadership. Podcast Sponsors:Forcefield: Screen Time Done Right. Try it out FREE for 30 days. TwentyTwoSix Parenting: Discipleship Tools for Raising Kids Who Love God and Love Others

If you listen to the podcast, you know every conversation we have is centered on being a generation of families who live, love, and lead well. This week's guests, Louie and Shelley Giglio, epitomize this vision.Louie is pastor of Passion City Church and founder of the Passion movement, which exists to call a generation to leverage their lives for the fame of Jesus. Since 1997, Passion has united millions of students in worship, prayer, and justice.Not only did Louie join us, we got the inside scoop from behind their picture frame from his wife, Shelley. Together, Louie and Shelley lead the teams at Passion City Church, sixstepsrecords, and the Passion Global Institute. Shelley is chief strategist, director of label operations and artist management at sixstepsrecords.Not surprisingly, Louie and Shelley walked down a difficult road a few years ago. Remember, everyone of us has a picture frame. And every one of us have Goliath's we fight in our families. Fear. Rejection. Addiction. Anger. Comfort. Louie and Shelley share with us about the Goliath Louie had to fight a few years ago. Some of richest part of this conversation include the ways Shelley supported and championed Louie through it.There's a reason these two have the favor of God on their lives. You'll hear it in this episode.Show Notes and Sponsors: Goliath Must Fall by Louie GiglioTwentyTwoSix Parenting: Discipleship Tools for Raising Kids Who Love God and Love OthersForcefield: Screen Time Done Right. Try it out FREE for 30 days. 

Today's episode is a continuation of last week's conversation for Dads. This week, however, we talk to Moms. But that doesn't leave husbands off the hook. Guys, it's imperative you join the conversation. Without your input, it's hard for your wife to know what motivates you to pursue her.To reemphasize, our conversation in this episode comes from our own crooked picture frame. Our story is not your story. My (Josh) needs may be different than those of other husbands. However, we hope this conversation is what you and your spouse need to talk deeper about your own relationship and how you can better support one another--especially when the going gets tough.Once again, based on a blog post I (Josh) wrote, we talk about the valuable lessons we continue to learn as it relates to connecting deeper in our marriage, particularly after kids.Let us hear from you. Join the conversation with us and share the lessons you are learning from your own picture frame.Show Notes and Podcast Sponsors:TwentyTwoSix Parenting: Discipleship Tools for Raising Kids Who Love God and Love OthersForcefield: Screen Time Done Right. Try it out FREE for 30 days. 

Today's episode is a conversation for Dads. Okay, so wives will appreciate it too. Peaking behind our own picture frame, we begin with a story about how we began to emotionally disconnect in our marriage after our kids entered the world (i.e. invaded our home).Don't get us wrong, we love our children dearly. But nothing challenged our marriage more than having two kids less than two years apart. Even more, it impacted Christi's identity. But in the moment, she was unable to put words to that. As I left for work each day, she stayed in between the four walls of our home. Eventually, as she describes it, she was on "the bottom rung of life."Based on a blog post I (Josh) wrote that continues to resonate with many, we talk about the valuable lesson we learned on connecting deeper in our marriage, after kids.This conversation is certainly not exhaustive, nor does it represent the feelings of every woman. However, we hope it opens the door for wives to voice what they really need, and for husbands to empathetically understand and offer support.Let us hear from you. Join the conversation with us and share the lessons you are learning from your own picture frame.Show Notes and Podcast Sponsors:TwentyTwoSix Parenting: Discipleship Tools for Raising Kids Who Love God and Love OthersForcefield: Screen Time Done Right. Try it out FREE for 30 days. 

Part of the vision of In This Together with Dr. Josh + Christi is to be a podcast where we interview guests to discover how their stories can give us insight on becoming families who live, love, and lead well. Today's guest is the epitome of what it means to live a great story. Rarely are the terms hilarious storyteller and theological scholar used in the same sentence, much less used to describe the same person. But then again, Lisa Harper is anything but stereotypical! Listen for a few minutes and you'll see why.Lisa a gem. In this episode, she shares her journey with adoption, losing two, before adopting her precious daughter, Missy.In addition, Lisa hilariously, yet truthfully, gives us incredibly practical advice on living happy. And no it's not sinful to be happy. In fact, Jesus teaches about it. Lisa encourages exhausted moms, single parents, and families in the trenches. She even lovingly calls us out as parents (hint: we do trauma, but we don't do drama).You'll hear Lisa's heart behind her latest book, The Sacrament of Happy: What a Smiling God Brings to Wounded World. Be prepared to laugh and walk away feeling less guilty, and more inspired, about your parenting.Show Notes and Podcast Sponsors:The Sacrament of Happy by Lisa Harper   TwentyTwoSix Parenting: Discipleship Tools for Raising Kids Who Love God and Love OthersForcefield: Screen Time Done Right. Try it out FREE for 30 days.