We often hear that we should not fear anything. I would clarify this to say that the Bible clearly and repeatedly and expressly commands us to fear the LORD. That God commands us is all the reason we need. But what's really cool is that God promises tons of blessings to those who fear the LORD. We need this message today and we need to teach it and model it to our kids! In this episode, Graham makes a biblical case for fearing the LORD. Let's model this and teach it to our kids! Scriptures Used:...
Dec 31, 2023•29 min
**Part 2 of 2 with John Fort** Join us in this two-part interview to learn from John Fort, Director of Training for Be Broken Ministries. John is the author of Honest Talk: A New Perspective on Talking to Your Kids About , which discusses 6 critical conversations we need to have with our kids. John helps us see that we can't just think of "The Talk" -- this is a conversation that starts with emotions and feelings and goes on for years. Through these two episodes, you will be much better equipped...
Jun 27, 2023•34 min
**Part 1 of 2 with John Fort** Join us in this two-part interview to learn from John Fort, Director of Training for Be Broken Ministries. John is the author of Honest Talk: A New Perspective on Talking to Your Kids About , which discusses 6 critical conversations we need to have with our kids. John helps us see that we can't just think of "The Talk" -- this is a conversation that starts with emotions and feelings and goes on for years. Through these two episodes, you will be much better equipped...
Jun 19, 2023•49 min
In this episode, 5 of the 6 Clark Family members talk about the value of kids working outside the home. What's that you say? Kids working? I thought being a kid was all about FUN?!? Well, being a kid is fun, but remember -- we want to raise them to be adults. Kind, compassionate, productive, hard-working, considerate adults, no matter where God calls them in life. Yes, they need to work INSIDE your home -- chores are hopefully a given! But they also need to work OUTSIDE the home and gain all of ...
May 17, 2023•28 min
Our guest for this episode is Dr. Christopher Perrin, co-founder and CEO of Classical Academic Press. Dr. Perrin is a wise man who has a great deal to teach us about parenting and generally living life as a Christian. He's one of those guys who just makes you feel smarter after listening to him! You'll see what I'm talking about as you listen to this interview. Our main topic is logic -- what it is, why it's so useful for the Christian life, and how we can bring it to bear on our family life. In...
Apr 18, 2023•1 hr 10 min
**Part 2 of 2 with Monica Irvine** Our guest for this episode is author and speaker Monica Irvine, and this topic is so relevant, practical and really critical to our children's upbringing -- we're diving into the topic of courtship and dating. Monica is the founder of The Etiquette Factory, a ministry designed to equip us to help OTHER people feel valued. Monica has amazing ideas on ways we can be successful in this arena with our kids. But these aren't just tips. Monica has so much WISDOM that...
Mar 21, 2023•39 min
**Part 1 of 2 with Monica Irvine** Our guest for this episode is author and speaker Monica Irvine, and this topic is so relevant, practical and really critical to our children's upbringing -- we're diving into the topic of courtship and dating. Monica is the founder of The Etiquette Factory, a ministry designed to equip us to help OTHER people feel valued. Monica has amazing ideas on ways we can be successful in this arena with our kids. But these aren't just tips. Monica has so much WISDOM that...
Mar 13, 2023•38 min
Our guest for this episode is author Hillary Morgan Ferrer, founder of Mama Bear Apologetics. Hillary has so much excellent wisdom to teach us in this interview about how we can approach our kids when it comes to defending the Christian faith. She discusses her story of becoming fascinated with apologetics, what apologetics is and why it's important; and she also gives a great framework for helping your kids hold to what is true and reject what's false, when it comes to what they're exposed to i...
Feb 11, 2023•45 min
In this episode, we (Graham and Katie) share all about a tool we developed years ago that has been critical for in our marriage and that we believe can be a great benefit to your marriage as well: the Date Night Inventory. We've used this dozens of times in our 15 years of marriage to encourage each other, reflect on ourselves and in some cases, bring up difficult things that need to be worked through -- all so we can experience more and more of the beautiful oneness that comes when God sovereig...
Jan 08, 2023•28 min
In this episode, Graham interviews Andrew Kern, President & CEO of the CiRCE Institute, an awesome organization that focuses on Classical Christian Education. Andrew has amazing thoughts on not only education but how to guide our children towards virtue and wisdom. You will find this episode enlightening, encouraging and challenging!Resources:https://circeinstitute.org/Scriptures referenced:Matthew 6Genesis 3Music:Intro: Life of a Traveler, by Black Rhomb (License #3565685)Outtro: Avocado St...
Dec 11, 2022•1 hr 4 min
Today's episode features an interview with author SD Smith of The Green Ember series, along with his son, Josiah Smith, with whom SD just co-authored a book called Jack Zulu & The Waylander's Key. We discuss the Green Ember series and how they can be used within families; we discuss their new book together; and we get a window into what life is like in the Smith Family household, including how they seek to be a family of "grace and truth" -- just like Jesus Christ.In this interview, we discu...
Nov 13, 2022•44 min
In this episode, Graham interviews Sarah Mackenzie, founder of the Read Aloud Revival, an amazing effort to help parents help their kids learn to love to read. She and her husband Andrew have 6 children. You may also know Sarah from her highly acclaimed book Teaching From Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace. In this interview, we dive into the beauty and benefits of reading aloud to your kids (hint: it's way more beneficial than you may think!), including one of my favorite benefits...
Oct 09, 2022•39 min
In this episode, Graham interviews author and dad of 4, Dave Runyon, co-author (with Jay Pathak) of The Art of Neighboring, a fantastic book that encourages the church to be the church -- and get outside our four walls to engage those who live closest to us. This book reminds us that good neighboring is right at the heart of Jesus' commandments to love the LORD our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves. It may not be easy, but as Christ-followers, ...
Sep 10, 2022•49 min
In this episode, Graham interviews author and mom of 6 boys, Catherine Claire Larson, about her new & upcoming books and excellent thoughts on parenting. Catherine reminds us that parenting is both a responsibility and a joy and that the discipleship of our kids is absolutely critical work for the kingdom. Catherine is the author of two books, Waiting in Wonder: Growing in Faith While You're Expecting and As We Forgive. Her upcoming books will be Watching in Wonder (for moms of babies) and W...
Aug 14, 2022•36 min
In this episode, Graham interviews his great friend and neighbor, and pro parent Don Land, who recently retired from the Air Force. Don most served as Professor of Aerospace Studies and the Commander of Air Force ROTC Detachment 592 at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. Don is a great guy and awesome brother in Christ -- and also a fantastic parent! He's got so much wisdom to share with us in this episode, and you will especially love his out-of-the-box thinking on how to approach our ...
Jul 31, 2022•43 min
This episode is #3 in the 3-part mini-series on strategically implementing Christ-honoring music into your family life. In this episode, Graham shares the Strategic Families Podcast's "Top 7 Old Hymns to Teach Your Kids." If you haven't already, check out the previous two episodes, #32 & 33, where we discuss why music is so important to remind us of Who God is and Who we are in Christ, and where we also provide two other lists of songs for you to check out and play for your kids -- and we th...
Jul 17, 2022•29 min
This episode is #2 in the 3-part mini-series on strategically implementing Christ-honoring music into your family life. In this episode, Graham shares the Strategic Families Podcast's "Top 7 songs to Grove Out to with your Kids." If you haven't already, check out the previous episode, #32, where we discuss why music is so important to remind us of Who God is and Who we are in Christ.This Top 7 list includes:#7 – Beautiful Day by Jamie Grace#6 – Higher by Unspoken#5 – Yes He Can by Cain#4 – Feel ...
Jul 03, 2022•20 min
This episode is #1 in a 3-part mini-series on strategically implementing MUSIC into your family life. In this episode, Graham shares the Strategic Families Podcast's "Top 7 songs to Jam Out to with your Kids." First, we cover some important introductory material about the compelling idea of music as meditation: how music can be an amazing way to fill our kids' heads -- and our own heads -- with wonderful truths about God and who we are in Christ.This list includes:#7 – That Was Then, This Is Now...
Jun 19, 2022•30 min
In this episode, Katie and Graham talk through ideas on how to make this summer both peaceful and productive for your family. Katie is the expert planner and while it may seem counterintuitive to plan out what we call a "break," if we fail to plan, we could be setting ourselves up for squandering an awesome opportunity that we have to set our kids and ourselves on a great trajectory. Remember Paul's words from Ephesians 5:16 to make the most of every opportunity -- summer is one of those opportu...
Jun 05, 2022•23 min
My guests in this episode are old friends of mine and people that I admire so much, Ben and Mary Craft. We've known each other for a long time but our families have been able to spend time together these last few months and it's just been really cool to reconnect with them. Ben and Mary are an awesome example of parents that are strategically raising a family that honors Christ. They're really are incredible people, but at the same time they're ordinary people like me and you. And they're just f...
May 22, 2022•54 min
Today's guest is Andrew Pudewa, a wonderful and influential thinker and speaker and educator and someone who has so much to teach us about godly living. Andrew is a gifted communicator who loves helping families educate their children and is the founder of an awesome organization called the Institute for Excellence in Writing. He's also the host of the Arts of Language Podcast, which is also excellent. In this episode, Andrew helps us think strategically and soberly about how to prepare well for...
May 09, 2022•1 hr 7 min
Today's guests are Taylor Hebert & Cabel Bailey, reporters with the fantastic daily 10-minute video news program, WORLD Watch. As Christian families, it matters where we get our news! WORLD Watch presents the news factually and with a Biblical worldview and is a great way to spark important conversations around the dinner table. In a world that is full of bad news, the good folks at WORLD Watch remind us, in every episode, "Remember: whatever the news, the purpose of the LORD will stand." Yo...
Apr 22, 2022•26 min
Today's guest is Dr. Danny Huerta, Vice President of Parenting & Youth at Focus on the Family. Focus on the Family is an amazing, faithful ministry that has been serving families for decades and Dr. Huerta has so much wisdom to share with us today on how to cultivate a mentally healthy home. Dr. Huerta emphasizes that we as parents have the primary influence in our children's lives and what a wonderful invitation that is. Programs that Dr. Huerta leads at Focus on the Family include:Clubhous...
Apr 10, 2022•44 min
Everything is more expensive now -- that's no longer news. The question for us as families is: how will we respond in this moment? In this episode, we encourage your family to think of it as an opportunity -- yes, an opportunity -- to teach your kids -- and remind yourself -- that God is in control. He's not surprised in the least. This is a moment of "tightening the belt" for many families, including ours. But it's also a moment to lean into the LORD and be thankful for His goodness and provisi...
Mar 27, 2022•36 min
In this episode, Graham interviews psychologist, business consultant and author Dr. Jennifer Thomas about her book and work around the languages of apology. This is such an important topic for our families, as there is no family that doesn't need to offer and receive good apologies! We sin against each other; we break promises; we let each other down. Dr. Thomas give us incredibly valuable tools so we can handle these situations well, which she calls the Five Apology Languages.Points we cover:Th...
Mar 13, 2022•38 min
In this episode, Graham interviews Dr. Pete Frank about an awesome program he and his wife Amy created for boys called Gateway on the Journey to Manhood. Pete is an accomplished economist and serves as the provost for Grove City College in Grove City, PA. Today's topic is all about Gateway -- where it came from, why it's so beneficial for boys as they grow into men and how you can get one started in your own community.In this episode, we cover:Male role models in the culture, and the confusion t...
Feb 27, 2022•44 min
In this episode, Graham interviews author, speaker and business leader David Benham. David is a passionate man of God who is known for unapologetically standing for the truth of Jesus Christ. He and his twin brother Jason are the authors of numerous books, including the bestseller Whatever the Cost. In this episode, David shares a powerful framework from one of their books, Living Among Lions, of how convictions lead to commitments, which lead to courage -- an awesome concept that we as parents ...
Feb 13, 2022•39 min
In this episode, Graham and Katie explore everybody's favorite topic: discipline and consequences! But seriously, discipline is an important role for us as parents as we strive to build strategic families that are on mission for the Lord. Last time, we discussed how to motivate our kids to become contributors to your family life using a tool we call the Chip System. Today's episode is about the "stick" part of the "carrot and the stick," helping your kids see that their less desirable actions ha...
Jan 31, 2022•27 min
Sticking with the theme of resetting & realigning things in your family, in this episode Graham & Katie introduce two concepts that have been helpful in our own family life: the Chip System and the Consequence Jar. We dive into the details on Chip System and how it can be used to help you kids become more responsible and producers in your family. It's basically your family's own unique currency.Features of today's episode:Why we developed the Chip SystemKey elements to the Chip System - ...
Jan 14, 2022•27 min
Now that you've hopefully had a chance to set some life-giving family goals together, this episode is all about STAYING THE COURSE. Sometimes we feel like we've accomplished something just because we wrote it down! That's a foundational step, but good intentions won't get us very far. We need to make sure we have a plan to stick with our goals, and accountability along the way, along with celebrations as we achieve them. In all things, let's remember that we don't set family goals to earn God's ...
Jan 02, 2022•35 min
