The Honest Truth About Our Messy Families: Joseph Grenny at Restore 2024

This week, we’re re-sharing what we thought was an “instant classic” from last year’s Restore Gathering; a deeply personal and thought-provoking message about family, faith, and the complexity of life from Joseph Grenny, author of Crucial Conversations and co-founder of The Other Side Academy.

Drawing from his own experience with his own “messy” family, Joseph speaks openly about moments of despair, like the heartache of watching loved ones—including his own children—struggle with addiction, estrangement, and other crises.

But at the heart of his message is a radical idea: that the phrase "All is well" can be true even in the face of chaos and imperfection. He challenges the traditional "brochure" image of family success, reminding us that not even the families in our sacred texts had it all together. Through powerful stories of redemption, both from his own family and the lives transformed at The Other Side Academy, Joseph encourages us to rethink what it means to succeed as families, and to embrace waiting as part of God’s divine work.

We think Joseph’s words will resonate deeply with anyone who has felt the pain of seeing a loved one struggle, and we hope it offers both comfort and inspiration. I also want to mention that Joseph’s full presentation is available on our YouTube channel. We highly recommend watching it there—his visuals are fantastic, and it’s a completely different experience seeing him bring it all to life in person.

Joseph will be speaking at Restore again this year, along with a fantastic line up of speakers, musicians, and performers. We would love to have you join us! Visit faithmatters.org/restore to see the agenda and get your tickets.