Have I mentioned lately how much I love my church and pastor? Ron and I feel really grateful that we found a home at Compass Church. Drew Sherman (lead pastor at Compass) and his amazing wife Michelle are on the podcast today.

It all started with a sermon that he preached at the beginning of the year that was SO GOOD! Even Larson remarked that it was her favorite sermon he has ever done. We are talking about the idea or the issue of: CONSISTENCY. And more specifically, how can we be consistent in our spiritual growth (for us and the kids).

It’s so easy to have huge dreams and ideas at the start of a year only to find yourself failing again and tossing your hands up. From physical goals to reading goals to financial goals - staying consistent can be the hardest part. The same is true for our spiritual goals as a family. Drew and Michelle share 4 very practical ways we can all grow in our consistency.

When he talks he gives us a sincere caution: as a pastor, he is often seeing parents with seriously high (unrealistic) goals for their kids. Don’t miss his encouragement and warning about exhausting our kids and being fixated on goals that don’t matter as much as their walk with Jesus. As he says, “Don't miss the ride and the journey!”

In this episode, we chat about:

• Why “consistency” matters for our spiritual growth
• Embracing small steps that will lead to lasting change
• How to model faith and values in our homes
• How a grace-filled environment allows for mistakes

Enjoy!

Courtney

Chapters

00:00

Introduction and Connection

05:03

The Importance of Declaring Intentions

10:01

Consistency as a Catalyst for Change

14:58

Starting Small in Spiritual Growth

20:04

Overcoming the Urge to Give Up

27:29

Navigating Distractions in Modern Parenting

35:12

Cherishing Small Moments in Family Life

Connect with Pardon The Mess:

Christian Parenting

Pardon The Mess

Courtney DeFeo

Get your 2024-2025 prayer journal, A Life of Faith

Resources from today’s show:

Compass Church

Drew’s sermon on CONSISTENCY

Landon’s sermon on RESPONSIBILITY (mentions manifesting)

Pardon The Mess is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Matthew 6:21 NLT)

Most of us make it a priority to teach our little kids the difference between wants and needs.

“No, you don’t need a new Lego set, you want a new Lego set.”

“I know you don’t want to help clean the house, but you need to.”

Owning things and wanting things is not a bad thing in itself. What is bad is putting those things before following God. Jesus tells us very clearly that we cannot serve two Gods, meaning we cannot serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24). Instead of focusing our minds and hearts on all the things that money can buy, we are to focus our minds and hearts on the greatest gift that money cannot buy: Jesus and his kingdom. This is so hard in our current influencer society, where you can't use your phone without feeling like you need to buy something or compare yourself to someone else, and it starts young!

This week let’s pray that our kids focus their hearts on things that are eternal instead of temporary. Let’s pray that they follow God by putting their energy into what God has for them instead of what the world tells them will make them happy and fulfilled.

Father God, you gave us everything when you gave us the gift of salvation through Jesus. I pray for ___________________. I pray that they store up treasures in heaven, that they fix their eyes on the unseen things that honor and bring glory to you Lord, not on the things of this earth. When they are tempted to idolize material things, give them the strength to see past the temptation and recenter themselves on the things that matter most. Amen.

Pardon The Mess is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Are you raising athletes? Are you struggling with how to best support them? Are you thinking about how their faith impacts their sport - or informs their sport? We have two experts today on the podcast, Elisabeth and Sarah Hasselbeck - both are wives of former NFL players and moms of D1 athletes.

Listen to this episode with the entire family. Maybe sports is a place of disagreement in your family and this could open up some healthy dialogue with your spouse and children. Sarah and Elisabeth share such practical tips for you as you parent your athletes.

Don’t miss the end when both Sarah and Elisabeth share about the bigger picture of parenting. They take a moment to give heartfelt wisdom and encouragement for all parents (not just those with athletes)! I am so thankful for these two ladies and the legacy of faith their family is leaving in the sports community.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Hasselbeck family and their history of sports and faith
• Parental involvement in sports
• How to make faith the highest priority in your home
• How to help your athletes face setbacks and disappointments

I have a feeling this will be one of your favorite episodes of the year.

Much love,

Courtney

(Former mediocre dancer who wanted to be a Rockette or Janet Jackson)

(02:55) The Hasselbeck Dynasty: Sports and Faith

(05:53) Navigating Parental Involvement in Sports

(08:57) Lessons from Competitive Parenting

(11:58) Managing Expectations and Financial Burdens in Sports

(19:00) Navigating Sports and Family Commitments

(20:07) Faith and Sports: A Family Perspective

(23:04) The Role of Identity in Sports

(26:01) Encouragement for Moms in Sports

(27:50) Trusting God's Plan for Our Kids

(32:00) The Importance of Great Coaching

Connect with Pardon The Mess:

Christian Parenting

Pardon The Mess

Courtney DeFeo

Get your 2024-2025 prayer journal, A Life of Faith

Resources from today’s show:

Connect with Elisabeth

Elisabeth’s newest book - God’s Masterpiece

Connect with Sarah

Annabelle Hasselbeck’s Podcast - What’s Up

Family Meeting Guide

Pardon The Mess is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org