Church and Family Life Podcast

Leading one’s family in God’s ways requires focus and resolve. With the world arrayed against us, we must proclaim with Joshua, “as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Josh. 24:15). As parents, we must not only love God with all our heart, soul, and strength, and keep His commands (Deut. 6:4-5), but we must “teach them diligently to [our] children, and shall talk of them when [we] sit in [our] house, when [we] walk by the way, when [we] lie down, and when [we rise up” (Deut. 6:6-7).  In this podcast, Scott Brown and Jason Dohm, joined by special guest Carlton McLeod, discuss five ways to double down on your family: (1) Identify a consistent spot in your schedule for family worship; (2) Pick a strategy for reading the Bible; (3) Squeeze more life out of your local church; (4) Have a discipleship goal for each of your children; and (5) Take one high-impact trip as a family. They then add key reasons to do so, including the fact that the Bible has put family discipleship squarely in your laps, and your role as parents is one of the greatest privileges of a lifetime. 

Delayed obedience. Partial obedience. Rolling of the eyes. “Selective” listening. A dishonorable tone. Such gestures are tell-tale signs of a child who doesn’t honor their parents from the heart. And whenever parents see such signs, they have a duty to promptly get on top of these problems and secure first-time obedience from their children—for it will not go well with them if they fail to honor their father and mother (Exod. 20:12).  In this podcast, Scott Brown and Jason Dohm discuss the need for parents to insist on first-time obedience with their children. Slow obedience is disobedience, they explain, for it reflects a heart of dishonor. Proverbs gives this helpful corrective, “The rod and rebuke give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother” (Prov. 29:15). The message is clear: Passivity in child training will lead to disaster. Proper training of our children, on the other hand, requires verbal instruction, with physical discipline to back it up. 

One of the pivotal duties of a father is to lead his family daily in prayer. Whenever dads fail to do this, more often than not, the rest of their family’s prayer life will languish. A father’s prayers should be marked by praise to God for His many mercies. Dads should lead the way in acknowledging their own inability and weakness, even as they appeal to the Giver of all good things for their family’s every need.   In this podcast, Scott Brown and Jason Dohm, joined by special guest Paul White, discuss the importance of a father’s prayer life, outlining seven reasons dads should pray daily with their families: One, because we receive family mercies every day from God’s hand; two, because of the sins committed in our families; three, because we have wants that none can supply but God; four, because of our family’s daily employments and labors; five, because we’re liable, every day, to temptations; six, because all in our family are liable to daily hazards, casualties, and afflictions; and seven, if we fail to pray, the very heathen will rise up and condemn us.  

Corporate singing as a church is vital to the health and well-being of the body. Through it, we teach and admonish one another, even as we stir up good affections toward God and praise His glorious name. The songs we sing tell us what kind of God we worship and what kind of gospel we're proclaiming. Singing together brings joy to God’s people and is one of the most spiritually unifying things that the church ever does. In this podcast, Scott Brown and Trent Moody, joined by special guest Chris Law, discuss how to build vigorous and happy cultures of singing in the local church. Rather than treat corporate singing as a secondary matter, they encourage church shepherds to make it a high priority. This involves carefully shaping the music chosen—which should include “psalms . . .  hymns, and spiritual songs” (Col. 3:16)—and calling the whole church body to embrace singing together as a gift to be cultivated for God’s glory.  

How should Christians plan and celebrate their wedding and reception? What should the wedding say and emphasize? And how should we conduct ourselves? Here’s good news! God has not left us to flounder. His all-sufficient Word provides what we need to make wise choices in planning this special day.  In this podcast, Scott Brown and Jason Dohm, joined by special guest Carlton McLeod, share insights from their new book, A Christian Wedding, on how a bride and groom can reflect Christ every step of the way. After overviewing the biblical record of weddings, they then give practical counsel on how to steward your relationships and resources wisely and make God-honoring decisions related to music, wedding attire, and more. Their advice: Showcase the biblical vision for marriage. Put on a wedding you can afford. Reject worldliness—and give your family and friends wonderful pictures of the beauties of Jesus Christ as you come together as one. 

God calls us to be a thankful people (1 Thess. 5:18), and such thanks was powerfully modeled to us by the Pilgrims in Plymouth in 1621. Following a harsh start where half their number died due to sickness and starvation, they gathered the next Fall to celebrate God’s goodness. Joined by local Indians such as Chief Massasoit and Squanto, they feasted, played games, and gave thanks to their Maker for blessing them with an abundant harvest.   In this podcast, Scott Brown and Jason Dohm, joined by special guest Al Burke, give practical tips on how to celebrate Thanksgiving Day as a family. Along with fitting songs to sing, they suggest fun games to play rooted in Pilgrim history, special Psalms to rehearse, and Thanksgiving Proclamations and other period accounts to read aloud—all designed for families to enjoy a rich and memorable day of thanks together.     Check Out These Resources as you Plan Your Thanksgiving Day Celebration:  Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford Resource on the Pilgrims history and early Thanksgiving celebrationsRead Online / Purchase Online    Magnalia Christi Americana by Cotton Mather Explores the blessings of God on early America    First Thanksgiving Account by Edward Winslow An eyewitness account of the first Thanksgiving    Continental Congress “Thanksgiving Proclamation” (November 1, 1777) A one-page proclamation for Thanksgiving    George Washington’s “Thanksgiving Proclamation” (October 3, 1789) A historical thanksgiving proclamation    Abraham Lincoln’s “Thanksgiving Address” (October 3, 1863) A thanksgiving and repentance address during the Civil War    The Ainsworth Psalter Used by Pilgrims for singing Psalms, historically tied to early Thanksgiving. Download PDF / Purchase Online     

What drives churches into irrelevancy? What harms the coming generation that’s grown up in the church? What nullifies preaching and doctrine? What compromises the family’s integrity at its core? What damages our witness in the world? It’s syncretism—mixing the things of God with the things of the world. Besides rejecting the true Gospel, syncretism is the greatest threat to the church and family in every age.  In this podcast, Scott Brown and Jason Dohm warn against the dangers of syncretism and give practical counsel on how to avoid it: First, cry out to God that he would resensitize you to the fact that you’re a blood-bought believer who’s to live set apart from the world. Second, double down on God’s Word—meet with the Lord every morning and let him shape your thinking and priorities. Third, double down on your family—don’t let the enemy kick down your home’s door anymore. Fourth, devote yourselves fully to your local church. In all this, resist the mixing the things of God with the things of the world.  

Manhood today is in crisis, as men across the globe have become increasingly passive, effeminate, depressed, medicated, and, in some cases, suicidal. Yet there is hope! God calls men to be men, and His Word shows us what manhood looks like. Rather than kowtow to feminism’s lies or gave way to their sinful flesh, men are to be strong and courageous dominion-takers whose chief desire is to glorify God.  In this podcast, Scott Brown, along with guests Trent Moody and Paul Carrington explain that the foundation of biblical manhood rests on men loving God with all their soul, mind, and bodies (Deut. 6:5; 1 Cor. 6:19-20). Men must have souls that long for God, “as the deer pants for the water brooks” (Ps. 42:1). They must order their thoughts after God’s Word (Ps. 119:133). And they must “present [their] bodies [as] a living sacrifice” for His service (Rom. 12:1). By doing these things they’ll be the men God’s called them to be. 

There’s a baby on the way! When a dad and mom learn they’re expecting, joy fills the air as they discuss baby names, redecorating the nursery, and what life will be like in welcoming a new child into their home. Then the mother begins to bleed. And worry. And, before long, she has a confirmed miscarriage. As she and her husband begin to grieve, how should we comfort them?  In this podcast, Scott Brown and Jason Dohm, joined by guest Trent Moody, discuss this tender topic. When we learn of those who’ve miscarried, we must first “weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15) and show compassion in real and tangible ways. We must next herald God’s perfect attributes: He is faithful, holy, and loving, and—no matter the circumstances—He does all things well (Mark 7:37). Finally, we must encourage grieving couples that God will hold them up in their painful loss: Though they walk through the valley of the shadow of death, He will be there to comfort them (Ps. 23:4). 

Sermons should play a heightened role in our child training, for God has ordained the preaching of His Word as an integral part of the disciple-making process. They’re not only a key instrument He uses to convert the lost, but they’re a vehicle through which families are strengthened and children are trained up “in the way [they] should go” (Prov. 22:6). With this in mind, parents should thoughtfully guide their children to get the most out of sermons each week.  In this podcast, Scott Brown and Robert Bosley, joined by special guest Joel Beeke, give parents practical tips on how to teach their children to view sermons, prepare to hear sermons, listen to sermons, and weave them into daily life. Their counsel: stir up in your children a hearty appetite to receive the word. If you know the passage to be preached on, read and review it ahead of time with your family. Communicate to your kids that every sermon is a meeting with God, and that when a sermon is preached, they’re not mere spectators, but participants. They should therefore listen well, take careful notes, and be prepared to share what they’ve learned.