Let's Parent on Purpose: Christian Marriage, Parenting, and Discipleship

How do you measure a good day? What are the things you can control when everything feels out of control? As we walked through a month of ICU hospitalization with our son for his bone marrow transplant, he was unable to even leave his room for 28 days. To keep from focusing on the isolation and sickness, we developed a plan to measure a “good day”. No matter what happened in a day, if we could do most of these things, we can say that it was a day well spent. A good day. On todays episode, I walk through the following list, explaining how these items helped the doctors describe my son’s mindset as “the model patient”. If these items work for you in an isolated hospital, you can trust they will help you make the most of the blessedly “normal” days in your life as well!   What makes up a Good Day? - Time with God - Train my body - move! - Eat intentionally - Encourage someone - Learn something - Play - Talk to a friend - Tell people I love them   This is the third episode in my “Upside Down Insights” series. Birthed out of our bone marrow transplant journey, these are insights God has given me as our world turned upside down.   Resources Mentioned: Sign up for my Things for Thursday Email: https://tinyurl.com/292kv68y   If you like this episode, check out Centering on Christ in the Midst of Chaos with Virgil Tanner: https://letsparentonpurpose.com/2022/01/02/ centering-on-christ-in-the-midst-of-chaos-with-virgil-tanner/

Sometimes I feel the pressure to fix all of the broken things in my family and friends. It’s especially paralyzing when you cannot see what God is doing. In this devotional form John 5, we see that Jesus did nothing of his own initiative, but only what he saw His Father already doing. If the Son of God only worked in areas where He could see his Father working, shouldn’t we enjoy the freedom of following His example? God doesn’t need us to join his work, but he wants us to. As we join the Father, we grow in character and skill. We go from knowing about God to knowing God. And the more time we spend working with our Father, the more we become like our Father. This is the second episode in my “Upside Down Insights” series. Birthed out of our bone marrow transplant journey, these are insights God has given me as our world turned upside down.   Resources Mentioned:   Sign up for my Things for Thursday Email: https://tinyurl.com/292kv68y   Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God: https://amzn.to/ 37jJJTa          

What would happen if you had to live without 95 percent of your “stuff”? That’s exactly what our family has been experiencing as we live in a rental house for a couple of months. The conclusion: we are just fine. It’s led me to think about how much stress and anxiety we normally live under because of our accumulation of stuff and commitments. How do we fightback to simplify our lives so that we can truly live in the freedom Jesus gives us?This is the first episode in my “Upside Down Insights” series. Birthed out of our bone marrow transplant journey, these are insights God has given me as our world turned upside down.   Resources Mentioned: Sign up for my Things for Thursday Email: https://tinyurl.com/292kv68y   If this topic interests you, check out Richard Foster’s Freedom ofSimplicity: Finding Harmony in a Complex World: https://amzn.to/3OdR9bn    

There are few fears more gripping to a parent than the thought that one of their children might get sick... really sick. Sick to the point of real suffering. Sick to the point of no answers. Sick to the point of death. This is something we’ve been walking through as a family for eight years now. Having experienced the dreaded diagnosis of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, having walked through years of bad news, good news, injections, and hospitalizations, I want to offer some wisdom that we’ve gained along the way. Resources Mentioned: Sign up for my Things for Thursday Email: https://tinyurl.com/292kv68y

One of the common feelings shared by our children is "I feel like I don't fit in.” The truth is this feeling doesn’t go away just because we become adults.   I've been thinking about that...   From my personal experience and from over 20 years as a pastor, I have come to believe that "I don't fit in" is a more common feeling than "I fit in". 
 Today I share thoughts on why I think this feeling is a part of the curse, and how the Gospel is the cure.   Resources Mentioned: Sign up for my Things for Thursday Email: https://tinyurl.com/292kv68y

Fear of failure as a parent can paralyze a mom or dad. In my new “What if…?” series I look at the reality of our parental failure through the lens of the gospel. We talk about:   1. Why many of our failures don’t matter 2. The reality that there will be many times when you really blow it 3. How to view your failure in the light of the gospel.   Failure is not the last word, and God can use our worst moments to shape some of the best character qualities in our children.   Resources Mentioned: Sign up for my Things for Thursday Email: https://tinyurl.com/292kv68y

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, about 74 percent of adults in the United States are overweight. After 10 years of marriage and five pregnancies, Amber Lia, a former college athlete and recreational bodybuilder, found herself to be one of them. Feeling ashamed of her physical state and knowing that she could and should do better—for herself, her husband, and her children—she embarked on a journey to reclaim her health, one unhealthy pattern at a time. We discuss her journey to spiritual and physical health, understanding the importance of your “why”, identifying food triggers, and learning to replace unhealthy habits with healthy ones.   Amber Lia is an independent certified health coach who has been on her own transformative health journey. She has written and coauthored several books, including Marriage Triggers and the bestselling parenting book, Triggers. A former high-school English teacher, Amber is a sought-after mentor for women and a regular contributing writer for The Better Mom. Amber and her husband co- run the faith-friendly production company Storehouse Media Group, and they live in Southern California with their four boys. To learn more, visit AmberLia.com.   Resources Mentioned: Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email - https://bit.ly/3EDH56y www.amberlia.com https://www.instagram.com/therealamberlia/ Your Future Self Will Thank You with Drew Dyck - https:// letsparentonpurpose.com/2021/01/03/your-future-self-will-thank-you- with-drew-dyck/ Food Triggers: Exchanging Unhealthy Patterns for God-Honoring Habits by Amber Lia - https://amzn.to/3mLUbY9

Pastor and author Jonathan Pitts joins me once again, this time to talk about the growth and adjustments from his newly blended family. We discuss setting-but also adapting-expectations, the mix of grief and joy in a blended family, and giving one another grace with feelings and emotions.   Jonathan Pitts is an author, speaker and the executive pastor at Church of the City in Franklin, Tennessee. He previously served as the executive director at the Urban Alternative, the national ministry of Dr. Tony Evans. Jonathan has co-authored two books alongside his late wife, Wynter Pitts. He is also President and co-founder of For Girls Like You Ministries, an equipping and resourcing ministry for tween girls and their parents. Jonathan is the father of four daughters and is blessed to be newly married to his wife Pita Pitts.   Resources Mentioned: Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email - https://bit.ly/3EDH56y Jonathon’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pittsjr26/?hl=en The Journey Podcast - https://www.christianparenting.org/podcasts- post/rescued-from-the-fear-of-loneliness/ The Chip Dodd Eight Feelings Chart https://sagehill.co/eight-feelings/  

Parenting doesn’t stop just because your children turn 18. But it sure can be confusing! Willow Sanders joins me to talk about the transitions from boss to coach to advisor that a parent must make over the years. We share our struggles and encouragements as we seek to navigate the challenges of parenting adult children in a healthy way.   Willow Sanders is the director of Student Services and Protect the Heart Ministries for CareNet of the Treasure Coast. Willow has served the Treasure Coast for over 2 decades and has two adult sons.   Resources Mentioned: Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email - https://bit.ly/3EDH56y https://protecttheheart.org Talking to Your Children about Sex with Willow Sanders - https://letsparentonpurpose.com/2018/03/18/talking-to-your-children-about- sex/

Family worship is one of the most transformative habits a family can have. It’s also very intimidating to most moms and dads. Dr. Rob Rienow, founder of Visionary Families, helps simplify the process of starting and continuing family worship. With a simple toolbox of prayer, Bible reading, and other elements, you can implement a healthy habit of family worship in your home no matter the age of your children.   Dr. Rob Rienow’s most important ministry is loving his wife Amy and partnering with her to lead their seven children to love God. He is the founder of Visionary Family Ministries (www.visionaryfam.com), a pastor, international conference speaker, and the author of several books including Visionary Parenting and Visionary Marriage. When Rob is not fishing for men, he enjoys fishing for fish. The Rienow family lives in West Chicago, IL.   Resources Mentioned: www.VisionaryFam.com www.Facebook.com/VisionaryFam www.Twitter.com/VisionaryFam www.YouTube.com/visionaryfamilyministries PODCAST www.VisionaryFam.com/podcast Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email - https://bit.ly/3EDH56y