The Intentional Parents Podcast Intentional

We have the executive director for the non-profit Risen Motherhood and talented Author Laura Wifler, on today's show. This interview is a sweet and transparent conversation about children with disabilities. Laura shares stories from her own life about how God has used motherhood, in particular mothering a child with disabilities, to transform her, as well as her family and her ministry. She has a beautiful purpose to help create conversations, normalize disabilities, and train others to interact with people of all ages with disabilities. We hear how Laura educates her kids through great family phrases and helpful heart-to-heart conversations. Laura gives us some wise advice in handling the complexities of being in a family with disabilities, and she speaks to the grace God gives us each day. We also explore the healthy practice of holding grief, sorrow, hope, and joy. We hope today's show is an encouragement to families that have members with disabilities and to help serve as an education to those who don't. Enjoy!

In today’s show, we talk about the different processes by which we make decisions. We make decisions every day, and sometimes they can be life-changing. Our culture tells us one way, but as followers of Jesus, how do we discern God’s will with the choices that come our way? We break down three different ways people make decisions: The way of Logic, The ignition way, and The way of discernment. We share some real-life stories where we learned the hard way and explore the lessons from those experiences. We dive into practical ways to help you navigate the discerning process. We cover topics such as how our egos or false self can affect our decision-making abilities and how some may have misconceptions about suffering related to God’s will for our lives. Today, we ask a couple of essential questions that can help you uncover some patterns that may make you stuck; What do I believe about God, and Does he want the best for me and my family? We also discuss balancing our feelings while not letting our emotions rule our decisions. We have been working thoughtfully to develop a process to help our own family make big decisions and discern God’s will for our lives. We genuinely hope these nine steps bless and assist you as you walk through your moments of discernment that arise. This process takes time, and we hope to encourage you to practice these steps slowly.

We are thrilled to have the co-founder and creative director of The Bible Project, Tim Mackie, on the show today. Brook and Tim dive into some big questions like what it looks like to be faithful to Jesus in our time, where we need to put our attention, and how some desires will lead us to life and others will not.

Today we have Strahan Coleman on the show. Strahan is a writer, spiritual director, and award-winning musician from New Zealand. In this rich conversation, Brook and Strahan discuss chronic pain, depression, anxiety, and how to find a vibrant faith amidst these challenges. They talk about the importance of shifting our prayer lives from following a prayer formula and seeking to perform for God to prayers that are intimate and purely about beholding the presence of God. In Strahan’s words, “Prayer equals nakedness with God.” They also discuss the constant noise in our culture and why bringing the volume down in our homes is essential. Strahan shares with Brook some practical ways he teaches his kids to hear from God. He gives us an inside view of his intentionality in teaching his kids to bring their heart posture to a constant awareness and integration of God in their everyday lives. We hope you enjoy this interview.

Why is it that sometimes close personal family and extended family are the hardest? Occasionally well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies, but why? What does the Bible say about this paradigm, and how can we live at peace even in tension? We discuss our responsibility in the relationship and the part we can play. What does Matthew 10v34-37 mean when Jesus talks about not bringing peace, but a sword and "turning man against father, a daughter against a mother"? We break down the context of this scripture and define what an idol is, the purpose of not having idols, and how idols can be good things, just in the wrong order. We also discuss nine ways to honor your convictions and your family. Enjoy!

Today is a fantastic meaningful conversation. We have Sally Lemos on the show. We cover attachment, attunement, how to NOT parent from our woundedness, connection before correction, how to noitice when your flooded and so much more! Enjoy!