Afleveringen

  • We all have wish lists in life—wishes for bigger houses, more quality time with our spouses, or even just a simple wish for better weather.

    While there’s nothing wrong with dreaming, we find our spirits dragging when we grow too preoccupied with the parts of life we wish would change. When this mindset takes over, it can prevent us from finding joy in the present.

    So what’s the solution?

    Our inspiring guest, Tama Fortner, is here to help us find out. Tama is a best-selling writer who has published and contributed to many books that are inspirational for all ages. Her newest book, Everyday Joys Devotional, invites us to experience God in our real day-to-day lives. Tama was moved to write this book during a time of great personal struggle. When her hope was scarce, she asked God for help, and He gave her a strength that empowered her to restore a joyful spirit to her heart and her home.

    Tama shares with us:

    How to start seeing His divine presence even in the ordinary moments of lifeAdvice for setting a positive tone of joy and trust in your householdThe secret to holding happiness even during the “in-betweens” of lifeAnd more!

    We hope you enjoy this conversation!

    Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/tama-fortner-89

  • Raising our two sons has been one of the most rewarding journeys of our lives. If you have boys of your own, you know that parenting sons comes with its own unique set of blessings and challenges.

    One skill we strive to help our sons build is the ability to overcome the lies they encounter in life. We want to help them better understand what’s true and false about who they are, what’s really important in life, and where God is when things get hard.

    That’s why we were so grateful for the opportunity to chat with today’s guests, Erin and Jason Davis. They’re the authors of Lies Boys Believe, a book that helps kids understand the truth of the Bible using strategies taken straight from Erin and Jason’s experiences raising four sons.

    In this episode, you’ll hear:

    How to use narratives from the Bible to counteract the lies society has told your sonTips for working the Word into daily life in a way that helps your sons appreciate the stories of ScriptureWhy grounding your sons in the truth of the gospel will help them identify lies for themselvesAnd more!

    We hope you enjoy this conversation!

    Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/erin-jason-davis-88

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  • Our son entered middle school this year and he is growing in all sorts of new and fun ways! He outgrew his shoe size, his appetite is bigger, he’s grown a wider circle of friends, and he’s definitely sleeping longer and longer hours. Along with that growth, his desire and appetite for screen time is growing bigger too!

    Honestly, navigating our son’s screen time isn’t a new challenge to us. We’ve wondered for years how to set good boundaries so that screen time could be a blessing and not a burden as he grows.

    That’s why we are glad to have our guest on the show today, Arlene Pellicane. She is the author of Screen Kids and is here to help us all navigate screen time with our kids.

    In this episode, you'll hear:

    How technology has been designed to be addictiveThe importance of managing your own screen timePractical tips for putting limits on screen time as a parentAnd more!

    We hope you enjoy this conversation!

    Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/arlene-pellicane-87

  • The goal of our ministry has always been to help you care for the soul of your family and help you nourish relationships that keep God at the center of your home.

    We know that many couples desire the closeness and encouragement of sharing their faith with their husband or wife. Instead, they feel a painful sense of disappointment when their spouse isn’t stepping into the role of spiritual leader as they expected. It can feel lonely and like you are single-handedly trying to teach your children about Jesus and deepen your family’s spiritual walk.

    That’s why we are so glad to welcome today’s guest, Dana Che Williams, to talk about what it really means to lead your family spiritually and how couples can find peace in this area of their marriage. Dana is a wife, mom, speaker, marriage coach, and the host of the Real Relationship Talk podcast.

    In this episode, you'll hear:

    A definition of spiritual leadershipWhat it looks like to be unequally yoked in your marriageThe impact of cultivating a deep relationship with the LordAnd more!

    We hope you enjoy this conversation!

    Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/dana-che-williams-86

  • Before you got married and into the first year of marriage, you probably spent hours dreaming about what your life would look like together. But today those dreams may feel far out of reach. Your marriage may have settled into a predictable routine that seems impossible to get out of. You may even feel like you're stuck in a rut and have lost your sense of excitement for what the future could hold for you as a couple.

    We’ve heard this from many other couples and even felt it at times in our own marriage. But the truth is you still have many exciting years ahead of you! They can be full of exciting adventures and dreams if you take the time to talk with your spouse and dream together.

    This is why we are so excited to have our good friends, Kathi & Roger Lipp, on the show today. They know what it is like to dream together and make those dreams become a reality. Kathi is a popular author and speaker as well as a marketing and writing coach. She hosts the popular Clutter Free Academy the Podcast! and the Writing at the Red House Podcast.

    Kathi and Roger are also homesteaders who traded their life in the city for the mountain life in California.

    In this episode, you'll hear:

    Practical tips for discussing your dreamsThe importance of knowing your limits and triggersHow chasing after a dream can bring out the best in youAnd more!

    We hope you enjoy this conversation!

    Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/kathi-roger-lipp-85

  • I take you to be my wedded wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.

    Whether it’s been one year, ten years, or 25 years since you uttered those vows, we can all agree that they have and will be tested! We all experience some kind of disappointment, loss, or pain. And even though we’ve vowed to walk through hard times together, grief can take a toll on our marriage, causing us to question how to communicate about the deep loss we feel, how to best support each other in grief, and even how to maintain our faith when life circumstances just don’t make sense.

    Chuck & Ashley Elliott are popular speakers and workshop leaders, a pastor and a counselor who hold numerous psychoeducational certifications. After walking through miscarriage and grief in their own lives, they authored their new book, I Used to Be ___: How to Navigate Large and Small Losses in Life and Find Your Path Forward. Chuck and Ashley are here today to help us understand how grief can actually draw us closer to God and each other.

    In this episode, you’ll hear:

    How everyone responds to grief differentlyThe role “Switch Theory” can play in our outlook during hard timesPractical tools for navigating grief togetherAnd so much more!

    We hope you find this conversation insightful and valuable in your own relationship!

    Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/chuck-ashley-elliott-84

  • Words are powerful! They have the potential to tear down our relationships or build them up. Ever since I (Joanna) was a young girl, I loved words. I would spend hours writing stories and poems. When I went to college, it just made sense to pursue a major in communications. Even though I took numerous writing and even a public speaking class, I was never taught was how to talk to people with kindness and express my thoughts in a way that protected other people’s hearts.

    If we are honest, we all could use some help understanding the power of words to impact our relationships. That’s why we are excited to have Sarah Molitor with us. Sarah is a wife, mother of seven kids, and the author of Well Said: Choosing Words that Speak Life, Give Grace, and Strengthen Your Faith and Family. You may know Sarah from her thriving social media community at Modern Farmhouse Family.

    In this episode, you’ll hear:

    The power words carry in our relationshipsHow God can sometimes do more in our lives when we hold our tongueCommon pitfalls our words can lead us intoAnd so much more!

    This conversation was such an honor, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

    Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/sarah-molitor-83

  • From the time we had the first of our five children, some of our most special moments were snuggling up to read books together. And some of those stories became like familiar old friends as we read them over and over until the kids could probably recite them by heart.

    We found so many gifts in reading together with our kids – the quality time, our children’s enjoyment of language and artwork, and many sweet life lessons contained in the stories.

    We found a kindred spirit in a love of reading in our guest, Valerie Ellis. She is an author, speaker, certified teacher, and mom. Valerie knows the power of a story to connect children to their families and to the love of God. We are excited to hear about her latest children’s book and how through this story we can help our kids to share the joy of Christmas this year.

    In this episode, you'll hear:

    How God created us to learn through storiesTips to engage all ages in readingWays to connect reading to our faithAnd more!

    We hope you enjoy this conversation!

    Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/valerie-ellis-82

  • We got married young and it felt like we were launching out of a starting gate with other couples we knew who got married around the same time. As the years have gone by, one of the hardest things to hear is when one of the couples we care about has fallen to sexual sin and some have even chosen to get a divorce.

    It’s a sad reality that many marriage partners struggle against the pull of pornography. This sin is wreaking havoc on the trust and intimacy of the marriage relationship. Based on statistics, it’s a sure thing that some couples listening here or sitting next to us in church are walking wounded because of this sin that is damaging their marriage.

    That’s why we are so grateful to have Dannah Gresh join us for this episode. She shares her own story of heartbreak and marriage in her book, Happily Even After. Dannah is the co-host of the Revive Our Hearts podcast, a speaker, a best-selling author, and a wife who has experienced the power of God to redeem her marriage.

    In this episode, you'll hear:

    The physical and neurochemical impacts of pornographyWhy this is not an issue exclusive to menHope for healing and redemptionAnd more!

    We hope you enjoy this conversation!

    Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/dannah-gresh-81

  • Many of us have the perception that prayer is a one-size-fits-all aspect of our faith with God. We may think that we are getting it wrong or failing that aspect of our Christian life.

    We believe that prayer is a deeply personal practice. It is an essential way to invite God’s power and wisdom into our lives, marriages, and relationships with our kids.

    We are so excited to welcome Janet McHenry back to the podcast today. Janet is a national speaker who has authored 27 books, including PrayerWalk and her newest title, Praying Personalities: Finding Your Natural Prayer Style. Janet serves on the California leadership team for the National Day of Prayer and she has been helping others build their lives on prayer for over 20 years.

    In this episode, Janet is sharing how, just like our personalities are unique, how we connect with God through prayer should be unique too! It’s not about doing it right or wrong, it’s about praying in line with how God has created us. Janet’s perspective will definitely grow our hope and confidence in prayer today.

    In this episode, you’ll hear:

    The connection between our personality and our prayerExamples of prayer styles from ScriptureThe four praying personalitiesAnd more!

    We hope you enjoy this conversation!

    Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/janet-mchenry-80/

  • Most couples have encountered situations where they feel stuck. Maybe there’s a recurring area of conflict. Or a pain from the past that keeps showing up in the present. Maybe you wish your spouse would utilize your love language more, or that the two of you would be more unified in your parenting.

    No matter the area of your marriage that feels stuck, the good news is that change in your marriage is possible! The Bible says when we seek God through prayer, He will do something new in our lives.

    We are excited to have Jodie Berndt back on the show with us. She is the bestselling author of the Praying the Scriptures book series, which includes her latest book, Praying the Scriptures for Your Marriage. Jodie has been a trusted speaker, Bible teacher, and prayer warrior for 30 years, and she’s here to give us a word of encouragement in our marriages.

    In this episode, you’ll hear:

    How to start a habit of prayer with your spouseThe ways prayer can powerfully strengthen your relationshipPractical guidelines for hard conversationsAnd more!

    We hope you enjoy this conversation!

    Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/jodie-berndt-79

  • We are keeping it real today! You’ve likely heard us say that we are committed to quality time as a couple. Even when our kids were small, once a month we would scrape together whatever money we had left in our budget to pay a sitter to make sure we got quality time together.

    Date night has always been a big deal for us, but lately these last months we’ve fallen out of our routine. It’s felt like a struggle to find time alone together where we can have conversation and fun! We are definitely feeling the effects of not being able to get quality time together.

    To help us get back into our routine, we want to invite you along as we take a deep dive into conversation cards and how they can help you build intentional connection time with your spouse.

    Rob and I share:

    How intentional time can benefit you as a couplePractical ways to use conversation cardsA real life conversation prompted by conversation cardsAnd more!


    We hope you enjoy this episode!

    Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/conversation-cards-78/

  • Did you know that we’ve been parents for over 30 years? We can still remember holding each of our children as newborns and feeling overwhelmed by our love for them. But we also had many fears about raising our children in a world that is so broken and full of dangers. While we knew we couldn’t change the world, we did have hope that our children would grow resilient, full of faith in God, and able to cope with whatever life throws their way.

    That’s what we all hope for as parents, isn’t it? We want our kids to be strong, brave, and emotionally prepared to face the world. But how can we raise kids who will be strong and resilient when we still know we have areas to grow as parents? To help us answer this question and more, we are excited to welcome Lauren Gaines to the podcast.

    Lauren is an author, speaker, teacher, and mother. She is the creator of Inspired Motherhood, a thriving online community for moms to find practical tools to raise spiritually and emotionally healthy kids. Lauren also holds a master’s degree in school psychology and is about to release her first book, Unshakable Kids.

    Lauren shares with us:

    The best way to increase our child’s resilience Why we should be thinking about our thoughtsHow our brains are constantly learningAnd more!

    We hope you enjoy this conversation!

    Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/lauren-gaines-77/

  • I have to be honest with you. This month is just giving me all the excuses to lay awake at night and worry about my kids. I have one that is headed into middle school and it’s just so easy to spiral into worrying about his friend group, how he is going to manage academically, and what kinds of influences might drag him down this year. Not to mention we have a daughter who is moving away to college for the first time.

    I think we would all agree that parenthood brings one worry after another. But how do we tell when our worry is something more? How do we recognize when we have a mental health issue with anxiety? And if we do, how do we cope as moms and dads? How does it affect our faith in God?

    To help us answer these questions is my guest, Courtney Devich. Courtney is a former human resources professional who is using her leadership skills to manage her three kids as a stay-at-home mom. She has authored a new book called Mama’s Got Anxiety: But It’s Not Going to Steal Her Joy. In this book, Courtney shares her story and so much insight to encourage moms who struggle with anxiety or depression.

    Courtney shares with us:

    The difference between “mom worry” and anxietyIf anxiety should be considered a faith issueHow to help your kids understand anxiety in age-appropriate waysAnd more!

    We hope this conversation helps you navigate worries and stressors in your everyday life!

    Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/courtney-devich-76/

  • Recently, I (Joanna) have been meditating on the story of Abram and Sarai in Genesis 12. In the story, Abram becomes afraid that someone will murder him because his wife, Sarai, is so beautiful. It can seem like a pretty crazy story. But it shows how we can look at our spouse's assets and view them not as gifts, but liabilities.

    In this episode, Rob and I want to look at why we can struggle to celebrate our spouse's strengths, skills, talents, and qualities that make them special. In our own marriage, we encountered moments where the character we love about our spouse is also the thing that costs us something. For me, it was when Rob’s passion for learning inspired him to pursue a master’s degree. However, that also meant it would cost us a lot of time and money. For Rob, it is when my gift of hospitality causes stress and takes him out of his comfort zone to open our house to others.

    Do you see your spouse’s differences and talents as an asset or a liability? Join us as we discuss the ways we can view our spouse’s gifts and how to see them as an asset to the relationship.

    Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/asset-liability-75/

  • Next month, our family remembers one of the most important anniversaries of our life together–the adoption day of our youngest son. We view this day as a blessing and a celebration, but for our son, that day holds a whole mix of feelings. While he loves us and is securely knit in the love of our family, his story holds confusion and loss that are an inherent part of a child’s separation from their birth parents.

    As our son grows, we want to create space in our home for him to express his emotions, ask questions, and be confident that he is a wonderful and valuable person. This can be challenging and requires a special set of skills as well as an extra dose of understanding.

    As parents, it can be hard to know what is happening inside your adopted child. They don’t always share what they are going through. And they may even be acting out on emotions or beliefs that they are hiding. As a parent, you may be wondering how can we understand your child and their experiences.

    Our guest today is Susan TeBos. Susan is a writer, speaker, Bible study leader, adoption advocate, and adoptive mom of three children. She is the author of We've Been There: True Stories, Surprising Insights, and Aha Moments for Adopted Teens.

    Susan shares with us:

    Her story of international adoptionWhy adopted teens may resist bringing up the pastThe importance of honing your observation skillsAnd more!

    We hope this conversation is an encouragement to you as you help your adopted child navigate the teenage years!

    Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/susan-tebos-74

  • You may have heard of decision fatigue where you just have so many choices to make it can kind of be exhausting. Well, our family has been going through transition fatigue.

    We have had so many transitions both as a family and as individuals over the last year and a half. These transitions have been everything from switching jobs, moving to a new house, saying our goodbyes as a family member moves overseas, and having a daughter graduate college. Each of these transitions on their own are a major event, but we have begun to feel the wear and tear as it has felt that life has been constantly changing.

    As we approach this topic of transition fatigue and share what has been going on in our own life, this episode will look a little different from our normal. We hope this is an encouragement for you in whatever season of life you are currently in!

    Rob and I share:

    Some of the transitions our family has experienced recentlyPractical tips as you experience transitionsHow prayer can bind your family togetherAnd more!

    We hope you enjoy this conversation as we discuss how to navigate transition fatigue!

    Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/transition-fatigue-73

  • We have five children and in recent months they have been asking some significant questions about their money and their future. Everything from how health insurance will handle a pregnancy, how to find a good job and a reasonable apartment, and how to sell old video games to finance purchasing a new game.

    Each of our kids is at a different age and stage but they all have questions about money that are significant to their life and how they are moving forward. As we listen to their questions, we are wondering how to prepare them to find answers and make sure they understand how today’s decisions might affect tomorrow. Do they know the spiritual implications of how they relate to money?

    Our guest puts it so well when he says, “Get the money thing wrong and it can shipwreck your life. Get the money thing right and it can contribute mightily to a life of great joy and impact.” We all want our kids to get the money thing right, so we are excited to dig into this topic with our guest, Matt Bell.

    Matt is the managing editor at Sound Mind Investing as well as an author, speaker, and dad to three kids. Matt has a powerful testimony about his faith and his finances. He is passionate about helping others manage their finances well.

    Matt shares with us:

    How money management reveals what we believe about GodIf allowances are a helpful tool or hurtful handoutLittle ways you can prepare your children to handle financesAnd more!

    We hope you enjoy this conversation and feel better equipped to teach your children about finances!

    Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/matt-bell-72

  • Even before we were married, we dreamed about becoming parents. We’re so grateful to God that today we have two wonderful sons and three beautiful daughters.

    While parenting truly is incredible, it is not easy! For Rob, if he had to pick one of the hardest parts of parenting, it’s when our kids break down and cry. As a dad that just breaks his heart and he wants to make it all better as quickly as possible. It’s hard to see them feeling those emotions and know how to best respond!

    The truth is that our kids deal with such heavy things in this world. If you have wondered the best way to comfort your child, how to help them understand themselves, or explain to them how God can meet them in their sadness, then you will want to pay special attention to this episode.

    Michelle Nietert is a professional counselor of 25 years, speaker, and frequent guest on national television and podcasts. She hosts her own podcast called Raising Mentally Healthy Kids. Michelle is also an accomplished author and just released her latest book, God, I Feel Sad: Bringing Big Emotions to a Bigger God.

    Michelle shares with us:

    Why you should ask your kids when they cried lastHow to know when your child needs professional helpThe importance of acknowledging emotionsWhy we shouldn’t ignore meltdowns over something that feels small to usAnd more!

    We hope this conversation helps you support your kids even more intentionally in their sadness and emotions this week.

    Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/michelle-nietert-71

  • It’s a very common story. You have an idea of how life will be with your spouse. You probably imagined a picture-perfect idea of a marriage with no conflict where you would just click together. But then once you start living with them day in and day out, it is all too easy to get hung up on their flaws and notice all the ways you are different from one another.

    This happened to Rob and me when we were first married and living in Chicago. Every day Rob and I would commute home through terrible rush-hour traffic. As Rob would take very sensible and cautious routes home, I began to perceive this as driving like an old man and as the negative thoughts spun out of control I soon found myself thinking that he was not being confident or assertive enough. My negative thoughts had given me a false sense of reality and were straining our relationship.

    At some point, God smacked me upside the head to show me that I was letting negative thinking steal my joy and come between us. It was a lesson I needed to learn as a young wife for sure!

    Rob and I aren’t alone. There are so many couples, marriages, and relationships that are impacted when we get stuck in negative thinking. That is why we are so excited to introduce you to our guest, Kendra Burrows. Kendra is a writer, speaker, and personal coach who helps bright, successful overthinkers overcome their negative thoughts using Scripture and the science of how God made us. With her Bible in one hand and her advanced psych degree in the other, Kendra is going to show us how to shift our mindset for stronger relationships with the ones that we love.

    Kendra shares with us:

    How everyday thoughts can become negativePractical tips for preventing negative thoughts from ruining relationshipsWays you can practice asking and not assuming in your marriageAnd more!

    We hope you enjoy this conversation!

    Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/kendra-burrows-70