Let's Parent On Purpose

Do you have a plan for getting your children through college debt free? Today’s conversation is incredibly helpful to that end. Anthony ONeal, author of the new book Debt Free Degree and speaker with Dave Ramsey’s team talks with me today about how we can get our children through college without going into debt, so that they can thrive into adulthood. Since 2003, Anthony ONeal has helped hundreds of thousands of students make smart decisions with their money, their relationships, and their education. He is a national best-selling author who travels the country, spreading his encouraging message to help teens and young adults start their lives out right. He has a new book, Debt Free Degree, that I received an advanced copy of. I devoured it and had got to have a great conversation with him. You can follow Anthony on Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and on his website, which has some incredible resources. If you find this podcast helpful, you can subscribe and click here to find past topics and free reso

Do you ever feel awkward or overwhelmed with the thought of talking to your teenagers about sex? Author and Christian counselor, Eliza Huie, joins me today as we talk through this immensely practical book that she wrote called Raising Teenagers in a Hyper-Sexualized World.  I found this book so helpful and insightful that I asked the author, Eliza Huie, to come and discuss what she brings to light in the book. Eliza is the Director of Life Counselling Ministry and the Dean of Biblical Counselling at Metro-Baltimore Seminary. Eliza is also a wife, mother of three, and new mother-in-law to one! Depending on what you’re dealing with right now, this podcast might be a life-saver for you. And if you’re not there yet, you will be. So, I just encourage you to take this podcast and share it with those who are there right now. Today’s episode is brought to you by my Patreon supporters, who I would like to thank and who make all this possible. Through your help, I was able to interview Eliza from a distance, upgrade e

Nathan Buchanan is an operator of two Chick-Fil-A franchises in Martin County, Florida. He’s also a husband and the father of five children as well as a pastor’s kid and a follower of Jesus. He manages to get exceptional quality service out of a group of rotating teenagers. Join me as I interview Nathan and discuss how the principles found in the Chic-Fil- A franchise can help you parent your children. If you find this podcast helpful, you can subscribe and click here to find past topics and free resources. Feel free to share with others, as well! If you would like to help support Let’s Parent on Purpose, you can do so by becoming a patron. I send a weekly email called “Things for Thursday” and it includes things I’ve found helpful related to parenting, marriage, and sometimes just things I find funny! You can sign up for “Things for Thursday” by joining my newsletter on my homepage. If you would like to suggest a topic, let me know here or on the Facebook page. Show Highlights J: What is the ideal culture in

Today we are talking with my friend, Jenny Price, and an incredible, practical tool for couples to strengthen their marriage called Marriage on Mission. Jenny is a Pastor’s wife, mother of five, and coach who is passionate about building healthy marriages. The Marriage on Mission tool is one that will help you and your spouse dream, plan and sharpen your direction in a healthy way. If you find this podcast helpful, you can subscribe and click here to find past topics and free resources. Feel free to share with others, as well! If you would like to help support Let’s Parent on Purpose, you can do so by becoming a patron. I send a weekly email called “Things for Thursday” and it includes things I’ve found helpful related to parenting, marriage, and sometimes just things I find funny! You can sign up for “Things for Thursday” by joining my newsletter on my homepage. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS No matter what stage your marriage is in, if you can get your marriage on mission, you can push toward health. Marriage is the on

Spiritual warfare is all around us. It exists in our everyday lives. However, we often overlook aspects of it because we are looking for the big moments of fighting instead of the small daily instances.  So, today I want to look at a certain aspect of spiritual warfare that I believe can derail our families and our relationships with others if left unchecked. If you like the content of this podcast and find it insightful and helpful, please subscribe. If you would like to support Let’s Parent on Purpose and our ministry, please consider becoming a patron. For more information pertaining to the topic of this podcast, please check out this article on spiritual warfare on the Focus on the Family website. Show Highlights To begin, we need to understand that human beings are spiritual beings. The two aspects are not separate. Yet, we do separate them all the time by believing that we are spiritual beings when we attend church, read the Bible, or pray, but we are regular humans the rest of the time. This is not t

Today I am joined by my good friend, Melissa Weimer. Melissa is a wife, mother, and the ministry leader of Celebrate Recovery at Covenant Fellowship Baptist Church. During this episode, Melissa shares her encouraging redemption story, starting with how she began spiraling into addiction at a young age and how that carried into her early years of marriage and parenting. As you listen, I think you will see that Melissa’s story is Jesus’ story.   If you find this podcast helpful, I’d love for you to subscribe and share with your friends! If you would like to help support Let’s Parent on Purpose, you can do so by becoming a patron. I send a weekly email called “Things for Thursday” and it includes things I’ve found helpful related to parenting, marriage, and sometimes just things I find funny! You can sign up for “Things for Thursday” by joining my newsletter from the homepage of letsparentonpurpose.com. Finally, I’ve been using an internet filtering program called “Covenant Eyes.” It’s a wonderful, Christian-ba

Today, we’ll be talking about discerning which battles are worth fighting with our children, teenagers, and our spouses. How do we know which battles to pick and when to let go? Together, we’ll look at some really helpful questions to ask as we seek to navigate these challenges with wisdom. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS When do I let my kids make their own decisions, and when do I stay involved? This question applies to so many areas of life: grades, dating, friendships, a clean room, respect, their relationship with God, work ethic – the list goes on. How do we know which battles to pick? Here are some principles to remember: Curiosity—what is the reason they are doing what they are doing? Correlation—people, especially our children, are a bundle of contradictions Don’t let things slide that will be detrimental to them later in life Don’t let your kids do things that make you dislike them. These are things that will cause other people to dislike them. Some things don’t matter as much as we think. Get some feedback—o

We’re going to change things up today. We’re going to do a little devotion about a big truth. Walk with me through my favorite Psalm, 127, and learn how we can apply it to our lives. Show Highlights This was a song they would sing as they were marching up the temple steps in Jerusalem each year. It beings as a powerful reminder that, “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.  Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” Think about the protective measures for our families we have put in place-health insurance, home insurance, car insurance, savings – all to treat our children well and d protect them from the unknown. No matter how many safeguards we put in place, we are just not in control. This can be terrifying, but, it should also be freeing! We are responsible but we are not in control. What does that mean? Wouldn’t it be better if being responsible meant we were in control? We are responsible to be faithful with what God has put in front of us

Today’s big question: How do you, as a parent, emotionally and spiritually set yourself up for starting the school year off well? I want to propose four truths to consider, and what we might do in response to these truths. Audible credits have allowed me to enjoy books such as Free to Focus, Atomic Habits, Harry Potter books, and The Body Keeps the Score. I highly recommend Parenting by Paul David Tripp. In it are not tips and tricks on how to be a good parent, but direction on resetting your heart for what God has called you to do. Want to try audible for free? www.audibletrial.com/letsparentonpurpose   Show Highlights Truth #1: My children are my Treasure. Is there anything in this life that you have invested more time, effort, energy, and resources in than your children? Family Wealth by James Hughes. In Family Wealth, Hughes writes about how families can preserve their wealth for multiple generations. The greatest treasures in your family are the individuals in your family, as well as their ideas and

We’ve all been there. Life gets to be so overwhelming that we start using words like “stress” and “anxiety” to describe the way it makes us feel. What can be done about it? How do we unpack, rearrange, or maybe eliminate the heavy boxes in our lives? My friend and Christian Counselor, Brian Neal, joins me again today to share wisdom on the matter. A father of six, husband of 28 years, and Marriage and Family counselor, Brian provides a few strategies for tackling these stacks. (Click here to listen to Brian’s previous interview in episode 122, “How Can We Benefit from Counseling.”) Show Highlights Who is my returning guest, Brian Neal? Brian is a Christian Marriage and Family counselor in West Palm Beach, Florida. Brian has an office in Palm Beach Gardens, and also provides online counseling to Florida residents via True Course Counseling. What is one of the most common areas of need for Christian counseling? Emotional stress and feelings of being overwhelmed. Teens, parents, families all have more and m

Today, I’m talking to the guys. But ladies, I think you will be blessed by the conversation today, too. I hope you’ll join me as I talk about ways husbands can help their wives when they’re overwhelmed. I’m going to provide tools and solutions that you can implement right away, and I encourage you to share these with others. This is the next podcast in my You Ask It, I Answer It series. To view the last episode, click here. Show Highlights When your wife says she’s overwhelmed, listen first without jumping to a solution. Men and women have been designed by God to communicate in distinctly different ways. A study was done where the brains of men and women were scanned while a story with a problem was told. For the women, the empathy section of their mind remained engaged throughout the story. Women are able to work out problems by verbalizing, sharing, and receiving emotional sympathy. Able to fix it themselves, often. For the men, the “fix it” section of their mind lit up rapidly. Men are wired to provid

What if my primary love language is not physical touch and my spouse’s is?  Spouses can each experience love differently, but to have a healthy marriage, it’s vital to learn how to love your spouse in the ways they receive love.   Listen to this episode to grow in your understanding of the importance of physical touch, learn how to actively love your spouse better even if physical touch isn’t your primary love language, and even learn about the many benefits of physical touch. Show Highlights The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman: Quality Time Physical Touch Words of Affirmation Acts of Service Gifts The premise is that we tend to give love in one or two primary ways, and we tend to receive love in one or two primary ways.  Conflict arises in marriage often when we give love in a way that isn’t the primary way my spouse is looking to receive it. When it comes to physical touch, it sounds simple when you don’t have a problem with it.  Issues could come from: abuse, past physical relationships, sensory issue

We each have different bents; what’s important to us many times looks different for each spouse – a clean house, an organized garage, etc.  There will be plenty of trials in life that you have no control over so why not just strengthen the areas you DO have control over?  Join me today as I discuss some practical tools in loving your spouse through actions and filling in the gaps with grace.  We may not always be drawn to serve or lift each other up, but we find that sprinkling undeserved favor into our most important relationships brings life to everyone involved. Show Highlights How do I, as a man, know that the house is messy?  My wife says she needs help, but I don’t know what to do. Different environments, different bents. Specificity drives accountability; accountability drives performance. Ask for a checklist.  Ask for responsibility on specific spheres, and for your spouse to train you on what he/she would like you to do. Vague instructions give ambiguous results. Can you explain “Fill in the gap

One out of every three families in the United States is some form of blended family. Many have asked for wisdom on how to make their blended families work. Today I bring in the two wisest people I know on the subject: my dad and mom! Dan and Pat Holland are 45 years into their second marriage, and share a lifetime of wisdom from raising a family of 5 children. Show Highlights Intro to my parents dating and marriage What it was like in the 60s and 70s to be a divorced Christian in the church What we thought the biggest challenges of a blended family would be vs our actual biggest challenges How we handled two completely sets of rules and family dynamics – challenges for both parents and the kids Step-mom as primary caregiver and dad working Step-parent feeling authority to manage the home Discipline as a step-parent Dealing with feelings of guilt as a parent some parents try to overcompensate with rules or gifts how we kept from overcompensating showing our children we love them vs trying to buy our child’s

What if you could figure out how to take your family around the world to experience people and culture beyond the basic tourist experience? My new friend Susan Whitehead has spent the last several years traveling the world, even living in foreign countries, with her family of 8. All of this started with a one way ticket to Costa Rica and $3,000 in the bank. Along the way, she’s figured out how to master planes, rentals, and cultures while her family experiences the world that goes much deeper than tourist attractions. You’ll be inspired and learn some tricks of your own from our conversation today. Click Here to Download my free 52 week Scripture Memory PDF! Show Highlights How Susan and her family of 7 (before the bonus baby), struggling financially,  started realizing that they could move overseas and live for half the expense of living where they were in Tampa, FL The life-changing moment when her landlord showed up at the door with a peach pie and a bow Selling 15 years worth of possessions in just 3

Whether your children have phones and iPads or not, they are massively influenced by social media because of the culture we live in. It can be scary. But you’re still the parent, and you get to have the biggest influence in your child’s life. Youth Pastor and podcast host Aaron Mamuyac, student pastor and host of the We Think God is Awesome Podcast,  joins me to discus ways we can make sure that we are still capturing the heart of our children. Click Here if you’d like to download a copy of my 52 week Scripture Memory Tool. As always, thank yo so much to my Patreon Supporters! These show notes and the extra microphones for my interview are from your generous support! Show Highlights Technology immigrants vs. technology natives The social engineering behind the addictive nature of games Technology as a force for good as well as evil Tweens average 6.5 hours a day exposure to media. Teens average more than 6.5 hours a day. The brain development of a child, referencing Episode 97 The Radically Changing World

Goals are great, but goals alone don’t change much. Until you have a process or a system, goals are just opportunities for disappointment. Today I am going to share why it’s much more important to define and love your process than it is to live and die by goal setting. Click Here if you’d like to download a copy of my 52 week Scripture Memory Tool. This is the third podcast in my series on Habits and Transformation 124 The Surprising Power of Small Changes 125 How to Start or Stop Any Habit Show Highlights Biblical Foundation 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and

As my friend always says, “your habits are perfectly suited to give you the life you are living.” If you want to change your life, change your habits. In this week’s podcast, I share steps for starting, starting, or replacing any habit. Learn to master this in your own life and you will be primed to unleash the power of habit in your family! This is the second of a three part series I am doing on transformation through intentional habit change. You’re welcome to jump right in to today’s podcast, but if you find it helpful, you’ll want to check out my last episode –The Surprising Power of Small Changes Show Highlights Biblical Foundation Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Colossians 3:9-10 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the ima

Tiny changes can work like compound interest over long periods of time. This week we begin a three part series on change, habits, and transformation. Rather than focus on radical change, we’re going to learn the atomic power of getting just one percent better. If you catch the vision and apply them, these concepts can change any aspect of your life. As James Clear says, “You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than with your current results.” Is Let’s Parent on Purpose a blessing to you? Consider becoming a Patreon Supporter! Show Highlights I’m drawing heavily from two books that have had a great impact on me: 1. Atomic Habits by James Clear 2. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. I’ve linked both books in the show notes.  As well as God’s word: Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Three Reasons We Don’t Change Lack of Perspective – we d

Sometimes we overcomplicate things. My good friend and brother-in-law Brent Gibson has been using a simple spiritual growth strategy with his children for each of the last three summers. Today, we talk about being intentional dads, and Brent shares how he’s encouraged Bible Study, memorization, and reading with his children each summer. You might also want to check out my blog from Last Year: Summer Growth Plan Show Highlights If I am not the most centrally present male figure in my kids lives, I have no idea what I can expect from whoever is going to fill that role. There’s never been a more important time than now for Dads to be engaged with their kids. Kids are going to find a central male in their lives; let it be you, and work hard at it.  – Brent Gibson It doesn’t matter as much what you tell your kids; they’re going to model what they’ve experienced with you as their parent.  Being present and engaged goes a long way. Tools we can use to pour into our kids Set up intentional play time with others goi