The Family Discipleship Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Otherness with Jen Wilkin Sep 12, 2022

Show notes

Adam Griffin, Cassie Bryant, and Chelsea Griffin are joined by Jen Wilkin to discuss the “otherness” we will experience in all seasons of life as we follow Jesus.Questions Covered in This Episode:

For those who don’t know you Jen, would you introduce yourself and tell us about you, your family, and your ministry?
10 years ago you wrote a blog post called “Otherness.” It’s written like a letter to one of your children about feeling different because of some of the choices your family was making. Would you be willing to read it for us?
What do those words make you feel today?
What kind of “otherness” do you think was hardest for you? Anything specific that comes to mind?
Why is conformity so tempting, not just for kids, but for parents?
Did you have other families that made your kids feel less of the “otherness” you describe? Anybody that you partnered with in non-conformity?
What can you say today that would encourage or embolden the family who is struggling to make decisions that they know are going to potentially make their child’s life harder socially?
What is God communicating in Psalm 16:5-6 that you are tapping into?
When we see the life of Christ, we see Jesus boldly standing out from the crowd, forsaking conformity, and we see him often rejected for his “otherness.” How should churches be teaching families to “follow Christ” when it comes to those aspects of his life?
Jen, when you were growing up, did you ever feel like you experienced “otherness” for following Jesus? How do you remember navigating that?
How does your letter apply to the parent?
If our listeners want to pray for you and your family, what can they ask God for on your behalf?

Guest Bio:Jen Wilkin is an author and Bible teacher from Dallas, Texas. She has organized and led studies for women in home, church, and parachurch contexts. An advocate for Bible literacy, her passion is to see others become articulate and committed followers of Christ, with a clear understanding of why they believe what they believe, grounded in the Word of God.Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

“Otherness” Jen Wilkin
Psalm 16:5-6

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Use code FDP and get 30% off of "Storing Up Treasure" by Kyle Bjerga at thegoodbook.com today!
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Raising Emotionally Strong Children with David Thomas Sep 05, 2022

Show notes

Adam Griffin, Cassie Bryant, and Chelsea Griffin are joined by David Thomas from Raising boys and Girls to discuss what it looks like to raise emotionally strong children in today’s culture.Questions Covered in This Episode:

For those who don’t know you, David, would you introduce yourself and tell us about you, your family, and your ministry?
What’s been your favorite episode of Season 4 of the Raising Boys and Girls Podcast?
Can you give us a little bit of the story of where this book came from?
Can you tell us about the emotional health we see in Jesus? How can we all model that when our culture is going in the other direction?
In the book, you talk about what it might be like if we prioritized emotional health the way we prioritize youth sports or academics. What would it look like in our families if we were doing that? What would have to change?
Can you help us understand the three “R’s” that you talk about, “Recognize, Regulate, and Repair”?
When it comes to regulating, how do you know when to encourage which strategy? i.e. go work it out physically or go breathe.
One of my favorite lines in your book is “In life, we’ve been promised struggle, but we’ve also been guaranteed hope.” Please talk to us about that. What is the hope?
You talk about being on a mission to bring back journaling. How do you see that as an important part of dealing with our emotions?
If someone doesn’t journal and they want to start, how would you advise them to start?
What are the scriptures you lean on the most when you’re helping families think about raising kids that are emotionally strong?
At the conclusion of the book, you encourage the readers to stop asking kids “what do you want to do?” and to start asking “who do you want to be?” Can you help us understand what you mean by that?
If our listeners want to pray for you and your family, what can they ask God for on your behalf?

Guest Bio:David Thomas is the Director of Family Counseling at Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville, TN. He is the co-author of ten books, including the best-selling Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys and Are My Kids on Track? The 12 Emotional, Social & Spiritual Milestones Your Child Needs to Reach as well as his two latest titles Raising Emotionally Strong Boys and Strong and Smart: A Boy’s Guide to Building Healthy Emotions. He is a frequent guest on national television and podcasts, including his own called Raising Boys and Girls, has been featured in publications like The Washington Post and USA Today, and speaks across the country. He and his wife, Connie, have a daughter, twin sons, and a yellow lab named Owen. You can follow him on social media @raisingboysandgirls and find the latest parenting resources at raisingboysandgirls.com.Helpful Definitions:

Recognize: Paying attention to the signs and signals my body is going to give me when I am having an emotional response.
Regulate: Employing healthy coping skills to help me get from stress to settled.
Repair: Taking ownership and doing any needed relational work.
Blame: Discharged pain.
Shame: Self-contempt.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

“Raising Emotionally Strong Boys” by David Thomas
Raising boys and Girls Podcast
Hope Heals
John 11, Matthew 26:36-46, Matthew 21:12 Isaiah 53:3, Romans 8:22-23, Romans 5:3-5, Ephesians 4:26, Titus 3:4-5

Countercultural Parenting Aug 29, 2022

Show notes

Adam Griffin, Cassie Bryant, and Chelsea Griffin kick off Season 3 talking about how we are called to countercultural parenting and what that looks like.Questions Covered in This Episode:

What did you do with your summer?
What is our theme this season?
Are you seeing families struggling with being different from the culture in your church?
Is being countercultural different now than it used to be?
What are the topics and subjects that come to mind when you think about being different than the culture?
Are you seeing anything in youth culture that is concerning?
There are a lot of aspects of Christianity that are not culturally normal. How do those things affect our parenting?
One of the verses that come to mind for me on this is Romans 12:2. How does that apply to us as parents?
Why do you think people are so tempted to be ashamed of the gospel we believe?
Who comes to mind for y’all when you think about someone who showed you how to be countercultural well?
How can parents know when and how to say “no”?
How do we parent counterculturally without kids or parents villainizing people that believe differently than us? How do we keep our commitment to loving?
How is the sifting of the church good for the church?

Helpful Definitions:

Countercultural: There is a course to this world, a wide path to destruction; that we are called to walk differently than. Then scriptures would call us to walk a narrow path that leads to life. A path that follows Christ as the way, truth, and the life, and that will make us different.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Romans 12:2, Romans 1:16, Matthew 22:34-40, John 17
Episode w/ Jen, Episode on influences

Season 3 Teaser Aug 22, 2022

Show notes

Season 3 of the Family Discipleship podcast begins on August 29! In this episode, Adam Griffin, Chelsea Griffin, and Cassie Bryant preview what is to come in Season 3 as they cover countercultural parenting!Questions Covered in This Episode:

What is our theme for this season?
Who are some of the guests we expect to hear from this season?
What topics are we covering?
What are you looking forward to this season?
How do you feel about pineapple upside-down cake?

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Raising Boys & Girls
Tiny Theologians
“Raising Emotionally Strong Boys” by David Thomas
“10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity” by Rebecca McLaughlin

Fathers Day: The Dad Difference with Bryan Loritts Jun 13, 2022

Show notes

On the twenty sixth episode of the Family Discipleship Podcast the hosts (Adam Griffin and Cassie Bryant) talk about Father’s Day and fatherhood with Bryan Loritts. Questions we asked Bryan about in this episode:

As it pertains to your book on fatherhood, The Dad Difference, can you tell us why you wrote it? What was the heart behind this project?
One of things you say very early on in the book is that “For better or for worse, right or wrong, by his absence or presence, Dad’s shadow looms large over our lives.” Can you unpack that for us some?
Why do dads make such a difference?
What kind of cultural shift will it take for men to think rightly about work outside the home and about the labor of love to lead their family?
Your book is built around four things to give our kids; relationship, integrity, teaching, and experiences. Can you sum those up for us briefly to catch the drift of the vision you’re casting?
You write about how “coddling moms and passive dads” over value their child’s happiness. How do you advise parents to love and lead their children well without making their kids feel like they are the center of the universe?
What is the difference in the home of a parent struggling with pride that will not admit fault and what does that do to a family and then what does humility foster in a family?
You do such a great job equipping parents with the things you write in this book. Could you take a second to encourage the discouraged parent? What do you say to the mom or dad who read what you wrote and they feel like they fall so desperately short of the picture you’re painting?
How do we invest now in raising men to lead well one day?
Are there any passages of scripture about fatherhood that stick out to you? Where do you root your parenting in the word?

Some of our favorite quotes from Bryan in this episode:

“Every man is either going to be a tailwind or a headwind in the lives of their children. Either by my presence or absence. By my activity or my passivity.”
“Dads make such a difference because that’s the way God intended. I think the most profound word in the English language is “dad.” I am handing to my kids their paradigm of what the Heavenly Father looks like.”
“Men, typically we are wired towards significance and we typically battle trying to find significance in other things. For a lot of us it’s success on the job, it’s money, so we are providing a certain kind of lifestyle, in a certain neighborhood with a certain house, and we vacation a certain way. What that inevitably does is run counter to the greatest means of provision that your child needs. That’s not just your resources, it’s your actual presence.”
“We can be so busy buying things for our kids that those things serve as surrogates for our presence in their lives.”
“The idolatry of the family is horrible. Our kids aren’t made to bear the crushing weight of deity.”
“I’m following Jesus Christ today because I saw authenticity in my dad’s walk with the Lord and how that bled out into his relationship with others.”
“Before we’d get disciplined, my dad would read us a proverb. He constantly wanted to thread things back to the word of God and that helped me to see that my sin didn’t just break a rule, it broke the heart of God.”
“Looking at the typical American. If you were to reduce the parental aspiration for our kids down to one word it would be “happy.” That is not going to cut it as a biblical view of what we should pursue for our children.”
“When I am constantly trying to orchestrate and micromanage my kids’ lives so that there is always comfort, there’s always enjoyment, there’s always happiness. At the same time what I am depleting them of is strength and resiliency.”

Resources mentioned in this episode:

The Dad Difference
“Christ calls us to care for those living in poverty—including parents working hard for their children’s future. Download your free copy of Created to Flourish: How Employment-Based Solutions Help Eradicate Poverty, to learn how. HOPE International fights physical and spiritual poverty in 16 countries through Christ-centered microenterprise development.”

To keep up with the Family Discipleship Podcast, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter. To read more about family discipleship, check out the book Family Discipleship: Leading Your Home Through Time, Moments, and Milestones by Adam Griffin and Matt Chandler. The Family Discipleship Podcast is a podcast of Training the Church. Let this Mother’s Day be a reminder that she deserves care, too. Head to cozyearth.com and use our code FDP for an exclusive 20% off, and if you see a post-purchase survey, be sure to mention you heard about Cozy Earth from us here at The Family Discipleship Podcast. Follow Us:
Instagram | Facebook | WebsiteEditing and support by The Good Podcast Co.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Use code FDP and get 30% off of "Storing Up Treasure" by Kyle Bjerga at thegoodbook.com today!
Use code FDP to get 30% off all the Do Great Things for God books at thegoodbook.com or get 40% off when you buy the whole series.
The Kingdom and the King brings a complete Storybook Bible to your Yoto player! Use code YOTO at checkout to get 25% off all Yoto cards at thegoodbook.com.
Follow Us:
Instagram | Facebook | Website
Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co.

Talking to Kids About Heaven with Joni Eareckson Tada May 09, 2022

Show notes

On the twenty fifth episode of the Family Discipleship Podcast the hosts (Adam Griffin and Cassie Bryant) talk about heaven with Joni Eareckson Tada. Questions we talked about in this episode:

You have done so much to help churches serve people with disabilities. Can you share with us the vision of Joni and friends and all that your organization does?
How can a church lead well in this area, even if they don’t have a lot of resources?
What led to wanting to write to kids about heaven?
Why do you think there are so many cultural misconceptions about heaven? Which misconceptions affect kids in particular??
Why do you think it’s important for parents to talk with kids about the afterlife?
How has your theology of eternal life impacted the way you see life and God?
How do you help kids see that the best thing about heaven is Jesus?
How can parents have good conversations with their kids about someone’s death?
Are there any passages of scripture about heaven that you have a particular love for?

Some of our favorite quotes from Joni in this episode:

“I love thinking about heaven. I love investing in heaven. Every little thing I do down here on earth. Everything I do has a direct bearing on my capacity for service and worship and joy in heaven. I don’t want to waste my suffering. I don’t want to waste my afflictions. I want to build things that will last for eternity. And I want to stretch my heart’s capacity for service and worship and joy for eternity.”
“I want moms and dads to build within the hearts of their children a love and a zeal and a passion for, not just heaven, but Jesus.”
“I want to help children get past the myths of me-centeredness in heaven.”
“I think our thoughts about heaven are lazy. We tend to buy into the world’s fables about heaven…It’s all about ‘I’m gonna be happy forever.’ That is true, but it’s so much more.”
“It is a parent’s job to connect the heartfelt expressions of children and immediately connect that to God. Draw a direct line from their little hearts and connect it directly to their Lord Jesus.”

Resources mentioned in this episode:

The Joni Book
The Awesome Super Fantastic Forever Party
“Christ calls us to care for those living in poverty—including parents working hard for their children’s future. Download your free copy of Created to Flourish: How Employment-Based Solutions Help Eradicate Poverty, to learn how. HOPE International fights physical and spiritual poverty in 16 countries through Christ-centered microenterprise development.”

Risen Motherhood with Emily Jensen May 02, 2022

Show notes

On the twenty fourth episode of the Family Discipleship Podcast the hosts (Adam Griffin and Cassie Bryant) talk about motherhood with author, podcaster, and mother, Emily Jensen from Risen Motherhood. Questions we talked about in this episode:

One of the reasons we wanted to talk with you on our Mother’s Day episode is that a few years ago you wrote an absolutely beautiful book, Risen Motherhood. For those who have not read the book, can you tell us what it is about and why you wrote it?
You also have a really fantastic podcast by the same name, Risen Motherhood. What led to the idea to minister to moms as you do?
Which of the chapters that you wrote is most precious to you? Does any one of them stand out?
What are the words that you feel like you find yourself needing to hear over and over again as a mom yourself?
How has being a mom shaped your view of God’s love?
What are the common struggles and challenges that you think Christian moms are facing in this generation?
Would you mind giving us a glimpse into what that has looked like for you and your husband?
What are the truths in God’s word that you really cling to as a mother?
If you got to sit down with a brand new mom and give her some gospel wisdom as she is just getting started on this journey, what could you say that would really encourage her?
Do you have any words of challenge or words of encouragement that you wish dads out there could hear and believe for their family?

Some of our favorite quotes from Emily in this episode:

“A lot of our questions in motherhood come down to matters of conscience and matters of freedom that take a lot of wisdom and discernment and prayer as we do life with other people. It’s not something that has a cookie cutter answer.” - Emily Jensen
“It’s so tough and I see it more and more every year. There is so much pressure to be everything and to do everything well...It’s just crippling. It’s so good that the gospel answers that pressure.” - Emily Jensen
“Where are there some older women who can fill these gaps and teach us these things we don’t know? Hopefully the church.” - Emily Jensen

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Risen Motherhood book
Risen Motherhood podcast
“Christ calls us to care for those living in poverty—including parents working hard for their children’s future. Download your free copy of Created to Flourish: How Employment-Based Solutions Help Eradicate Poverty, to learn how. HOPE International fights physical and spiritual poverty in 16 countries through Christ-centered microenterprise development.”

In The Ortlund Home with Ray Ortlund Apr 25, 2022

Show notes

On the twenty third episode of the Family Discipleship Podcast the hosts (Adam Griffin and Cassie Bryant) talk about family discipleship with Ray Ortlund. Questions we talked about in this episode:

If we asked your kids and wife about you, what kind of man would they describe?
This is a podcast about spiritual leadership. When you started growing your family, who did you look to in order to teach you about or be an example for leading the spiritual life of your home?
Your family has accomplished A LOT for the kingdom of God. How does that sit with you, how does it make you feel to see your family making significant contributions and leading so well?
Can you think of a time that things did not go “according to plan” in the Ortlund home?
What would you say to the parent who is really discouraged right now in the spiritual leadership of their home? How can you encourage our listeners?
What role has the church played in coming alongside your family as you’ve discipled them?
You recently put out a book addressing pornography, The Death of Porn. It’s written like a father to a son. Why is this an issue that was of particular importance to you and talk to us about how it intersects with a Christian home?
Is there any scripture that you or your family can point to that has been a guide to you in how you’ve led your home or how you think about your hopes for your kids and the generations after them?

Some of our favorite quotes from Ray in this episode:

“Like every family we are a convergence of flaws and God’s grace. Great things happen when those two things get together.” - Ray Ortlund
“I had the advantage of having a fantastic dad. My dad was the greatest man I’ve ever known.” - Ray Ortlund
“There is no formula. This is not an assembly line. Our family is all an ongoing miracle of grace.” - Ray Ortlund
“What can we do that would make it easier for our kids to believe in God?” - Ray Ortlund
“What parent is not discouraged? We all hit a wall. We all fail. Our kids let us down too. I’m so thankful for those three words in Romans chapter six, “newness of life.” I see so much hope there. We are not stuck with the reality we are experiencing right now.” - Ray Ortlund

Resources mentioned in this episode:

The Death of Porn
“Christ calls us to care for those living in poverty—including parents working hard for their children’s future. Download your free copy of Created to Flourish: How Employment-Based Solutions Help Eradicate Poverty, to learn how. HOPE International fights physical and spiritual poverty in 16 countries through Christ-centered microenterprise development.”

Talking with Your Family About Pornography with Aszia Pearson Apr 18, 2022

Show notes

On the twenty first episode of the Family Discipleship Podcast the hosts (Adam Griffin and Chelsea Griffin) talk about an important topic with their friend, Aszia Pearson. Questions we talked about in this episode:

Why does a podcast about spiritual leadership spend an episode talking about pornography?
What age families should be thinking about this?
Where are you seeing issues with pornography in church families?
What are the dangers and the damage done by exposure to pornography for kids?
How can families who’ve never talked about sex, think about talking about pornography?
How should we help our kids think about devices, movies, and things their friends might show them?
What do you say to the parent who is struggling themselves with pornography?
Are there any helpful resources for families to help them have this conversation?
What scriptures come to mind for you when you think about addressing this topic with your family?
How do you set yourself up for success in a conversation of this importance with your family? How can parents approach this well?
What if we catch our sons or daughters looking at it, how do we approach the conversation with the appropriate weight and grace?
Sometimes in a church we create a purity culture that makes sex seem dirty. How do we talk about pornography with our kids without making sex something the Lord hasn’t made it?
Any thoughts about what Aszia is saying there and about purity culture in a church?
That’s a lot about why and how to have the talk, but what about preventing exposure? What do you guys think we can do to keep our kids away from it?
How can we make conversations about this more normal and comfortable even for our kids to initiate?
How can churches navigate sensitive topics like this with families and for kids whose families are not talking about this?

Some of our favorite quotes from this episode:

“Ultimately we want to see our kids be freed up by the gospel of Christ. Pornography in its very nature is addictive and it runs opposed to the God of the universe who’s made people in his image. Where we objectify people, or comidify people, that is offensive to the holy God that we serve who made us.” - Chelsea Griffin
“God created us with special dignity. Where we fail to dignify people by lusting after them in our hearts – exploiting, objectifying – these things are offensive to God. When we do things that are an offense to God it hurts our ability to draw near to him.” - Chelsea Griffin
“Kids aren’t just getting exposed to things they’re not ready for, they’re getting exposed to things that no eye should see and no ear should hear. And that’s a problem because the eye is never satisfied with seeing and the ear is never satisfied with hearing. Even though for most people that initial exposure has some cocktail of arousal and interest, as well as shame and terror.” - Aszia Pearson
“We believe God designed people for one, long-term, monogamous, sexual relationship and not only is pornography offensive to that it is detrimental to it.” - Adam Griffin
“If you believe that something would be harmful for your kid to watch then you should consider it harmful for yourself.” - Adam Griffin
“It’s important to start with God’s good design for sex and his hopes for us. God gives us good gifts and we sometimes pervert those things and we twist those things thinking that we have a better idea of what to do with creation than God himself does. We have to resubmit ourselves to his authority.” - Chelsea Griffin
“We have to be ready to give things up. I would rather not have a phone if it is dragging me into something addictive and destructive, that is searing my soul. I would rather not be in a group text with the right color texts than have something in my pocket that tempts me and lures me in.” - Chelsea Griffin
“The same way we don’t look through our neighbors window and watch them have sex, we don’t look through our screens and watch people have sex.” - Chelsea Griffin
“Can a man carry fire close to his chest and not be burned?” Proverbs 6:27
“The right tone is not one of fear or alarm.” - Cassie Bryant

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Pure Hope
Good Picture, Bad Picture
God Made All of Me
“Christ calls us to care for those living in poverty—including parents working hard for their children’s future. Download your free copy of Created to Flourish: How Employment-Based Solutions Help Eradicate Poverty, to learn how. HOPE International fights physical and spiritual poverty in 16 countries through Christ-centered microenterprise development.”

Talking With Your Family About Good Friday and Easter Apr 11, 2022

Show notes

On the twenty-first episode of the Family Discipleship Podcast the hosts (Adam Griffin, Chelsea Griffin, and Cassie Bryant) talk about Good Friday and Easter. Questions we talked about in this episode:

Y’all have Easter traditions in your house growing up?
First things first, let’s talk about the bunny. At your house are there bunnies laying eggs and baskets of candy?
Do we shame the parents who like chocolate bunnies?
Talk to me about explaining to our kids the difference between cultural Easter and celebrating the resurrection?
How are y’all teaching kids about Good Friday?
Is the gospel more than Easter weekend?
How can parents and church workers maximize Easter creatively to teach about Jesus?
Where do we see Easter as an evangelistic opportunity inside and outside our homes?
What comforts do the truths of Easter bring to our hearts?
Can you think of a way to make Easter into a milestone for a Christian family?

Resources mentioned in this episode:

“Christ calls us to care for those living in poverty—including parents working hard for their children’s future. Download your free copy of Created to Flourish: How Employment-Based Solutions Help Eradicate Poverty, to learn how. HOPE International fights physical and spiritual poverty in 16 countries through Christ-centered microenterprise development.”