“Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare him room.”   Singing carols like “Joy to the World” is one of my favorite things this time of year. The nostalgia that comes with singing these beautiful words reminds me over and over again of the significance of Jesus coming to earth as a baby, paving the way for our salvation.   This week we’re praying for our kids to experience the true message of Christmas and respond with the profound joy that our favorite Christmas carols describe. My dear friend Kay Wyma joins us to talk about Psalm 98 and how Christmas impacts our parenting and changes the lives of our families.   As we enter this week leading up to Christmas, I pray we can remember to praise God no matter what we’re facing in the moment, because our eternity is settled. That’s the heart of Christmas.    Join Kay Wyma and me as we pray for our kids. Our Sponsors:* Check out IXL and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.ixl.comPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We hear Jesus referred to as Immanuel in the Christmas story and all throughout the Christmas season. We know it means “God with us,” but do we ever stop and think about what that means practically?    Rebecca Carrell is with us today and has the perfect Christmas reminder of why Immanuel changes everything in our lives. She challenges us to consider how the Israelites experienced God in the desert through the daily direction and provision of following a cloud and waiting for manna to eat.    We have the same opportunity to tap into the real presence of Jesus, who wants to guide and direct us through all we face each day.    Take a few minutes to nurture your soul as we consider the gift of Immanuel, the God who is with us in this very moment.    Resources from today's show:  Rebecca Carrell Honestly Though podcast  Sky Ranch Camps  Our Sponsors:* Check out IXL and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.ixl.comPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Oh contentment, why are you so elusive this time of year? Why do the holidays leave us searching for better presents, bigger wow moments, and flawless family interactions?    As you may have guessed, we’re praying for contentment this week as we head into the home stretch of Christmas. We’re asking God to remind us that he knows each of our needs before we even realize them, and he’s faithful to provide in the most generous and comprehensive way that’s in our best interests.    Join me this week as we consider Psalm 34 and what it means to “taste and see” that God is good. Leaning into this truth will help us pray for our kids (and ourselves) to acknowledge that anything and everything that’s good in this life is from God—and his provision is perfect.   Our Sponsors:* Check out IXL and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.ixl.comPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Friendships are some of God’s greatest gifts in our lives. However, they can be super complex too.    Amy Weatherly and Jess Johnson join us today to talk about healthy friendships in our own lives, as well as parenting friendships with our kids.    Here’s some of the great friendship topics we cover: The lies we believe in friendships Loving ourselves so we can love others The number of friends we have capacity for Facing rejection in friendships Guiding our kids through lasting friendships   Amy and Jess are so much fun, and I know you are going to walk away with a new appreciation for the true gift of friendships.     Resources from today's show:  Christian Parenting Year End Giving I’ll Be There by Amy Weatherly and Jess Johnston Our Sponsors:* Check out IXL and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.ixl.comPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

I realize it’s December and life is crazy! But let’s take just a few minutes to slow down and pray for our kids today.    Our focus this week is praying that our kids learn to fear God. Fearing God sounds confusing, but it’s not about living scared or fleeing from him. Instead, it’s living in such awe and reverence towards God that we’re willing to submit to him even when it doesn’t make sense.    We learned last week that fearing God is the key to wisdom (Psalm 111:10). And in a world that thrives on earthly knowledge, our kids need wisdom from God’s word now more than ever.     Join me in praying that our kids won’t settle for a head-knowledge of God, but instead gain a heart of awe and reverence that propels them towards their Savior. Fear God. Gain wisdom. Live in his blessing. That’s the long and short of it.   Our Sponsors:* Check out IXL and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.ixl.comPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today we’re talking all things Christmas with Alicia Wood and Lee Cordon! Alicia and Lee are pros when it comes to Christmas preparations and keeping our sanity this time of year. They are so much fun and you’re 100% guaranteed to be in the spirit of Christmas after today’s show.  Here are a few of the things we cover: 🎄Gift giving ideas and how to keep it under control 🎄Making lists and preparing for Christmas early  🎄Hosting holiday gatherings with less stress 🎄Hacks for decorating your house and wrapping gifts  🎄Family traditions and keeping our faith central to our celebrations   This is the podcast you need while running errands, addressing Christmas cards, and doing all the Christmas things this time of year!    Resources from today's show:  Alicia Wood Lifestyle  Do Say Give with Lee Cordon Our Sponsors:* Check out IXL and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.ixl.comPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

There’s a big difference between knowledge and wisdom, and this week Janet Denison of Denison Ministries is joining us to talk about praying wisdom over our kids. Psalm 111 tells us very plainly that wisdom comes by fearing God and following his word. And in a culture that is pursuing worldly knowledge at all costs, it’s a great time to pray for our kids to choose wisdom.    And please don’t miss Janet Denison’s great insight into teaching our kids to listen for God’s voice—something I wish I would have practiced much earlier in my faith walk.    It’s a great week to be praying for wisdom and the much-needed ability to focus on what’s unseen in a world that’s hyper focused on the temporary things that are here and now.    Kayla Craig’s Collection of Liturgies Our Sponsors:* Check out IXL and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.ixl.comPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃🦃🦃   I hope you are surrounded by friends and family today with the smell of familiar food floating through the house. There’s so much to be thankful for this year, but I’m especially thankful to be walking this parenting road together with each of you. It’s a true gift.   Today we have Kayla Craig with us and we’re discussing liturgies and how they add a richness to our prayer life. So often we overcomplicate prayer or even find ourselves at a loss for words—praying liturgies is a wonderful way to bridge the gap.    I’ll leave you with a list I wrote a few years ago of the top 10 ways to determine if your Thanksgiving was an epic fail.  1.) When sharing what they are thankful for, your first guest responds, “Thanksgiving rotates to a new house next year.”   2.) Your mother-in-law questions why your “homemade” pumpkin pie has a Costco imprint across the top.   3.) Despite dieting all year, you’re still asked to play linebacker in the annual family football game.   4.) When the conversation gets slow around the table, you nervously share your annual income and who you voted for in the last election.   5.) Several relatives tentatively decline your Christmas invitation pending ancestry results.   6.) When guests ask how they can help after the meal, your husband accidentally responds, “Why start now?”   7.) Grandpa grabs the Gas-X before agreeing to a game of Twister with the kids.   8.) After replacing the batteries on the meat thermometer, you decide “done” is a relative term.   9.) You receive multiple copies of the book Parenting with Love and Logic as hostess gifts.   10.) The Turkey Trot isn’t a family 5K but rather a reminder of how fast people exited your house after the meal ended. All kidding aside, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.   Resources from today's show:  To Light Their Way Jones & Parker Case Files The Songs Tell the StoryOur Sponsors:* Check out IXL and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.ixl.comPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It’s the week of Thanksgiving and Psalm 16:2 gives us the most basic truth in these seven words: “Apart from you I have nothing good.” What a great starting place as we celebrate Thanksgiving by remembering that every single thing we have is from God.    Kayla Craig joins us today to pray thanksgiving over our kids. She also encourages us to consider the value of praying liturgies. A liturgy is simply a written prayer that helps us connect with God. I just started using liturgies as part of my prayer life, and it has been so impactful that I want to share a little bit about that with you today.    My prayer this week is for our hearts and minds to be filled with the gratefulness that comes only from knowing the generosity and abundance found in Jesus.   Our Sponsors:* Check out IXL and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.ixl.comPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Don’t anyone panic, we’re not skipping Thanksgiving!    But we are chatting with Ruth Chou Simons about advent and why the posture of our hearts as we enter the holiday season matters. Ruth is hilariously practical and talks about her scrapbooking skills (or lack thereof) and her propensity to lose sight of what matters this time of year… if her perfectionist ways take over.    Ruth reminds us that there’s an opportunity to experience Jesus even during a time of year packed with family, parties, and preparations.   She also has the most BEAUTIFUL advent book available now—a 25 day journey leading up to Christmas. I’m going to be using this book all of Advent and would love for you to join me.    Today’s a fun conversation about holidays, family, and maintaining a posture that invites Jesus to be near in the middle of it all.    Resources from today's show:  Jones & Parker Case Files The Bible for Teen Girls Emmanuel Ruth Chou Simons  Our Sponsors:* Check out IXL and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.ixl.comPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy