BONUS: Marked by Mission

Grace Valentine is BACK! You all absolutely loved the first episode and you will love this one even more. Grace is a firecracker for Jesus. Thats what a grandma would say - but its so true. She comes in with such energy and truth that will just fire you up.

She is a speaker, author and podcast host and is impacting thousands of young women around the world. On todays episode we talk about all things FRIENDS. Friendships are just hard, not just for young girls for us as women. Grace has bible-based true encouragement for how to make and maintain friends.

JOURNAL alert! You will need to take notes for this one. She just casually tosses out profound statements at the speed of lightning. So, buckle in.

My favorite part is when she compared homecoming to the Met Gala. I still laugh out loud when I think about it. She quickly pivots from that joke to the sting of rejection. She also asks amazing questions: will that rejection taint your view or make you wiser and kinder? Or will it make you bitter? 

In this episode, we chat about: 

• Understanding shallow vs deep friendships
• How to humble yourself in conflict
• Challenges of making and keeping friends

Enjoy!

Courtney DeFeo 

(02:58) Navigating College and Post-Grad Life

(05:53) Friendship Journeys and Challenges

(09:00) The Complexity of Friendships

(12:00) Understanding Shallow vs. Deep Friendships

(15:02) Finding Your Community and Dance Floor

(16:29) Navigating Loneliness and Friendship

(20:45) Conflict Resolution in Friendships

(28:08) The Importance of Authentic Connections

Connect with Pardon The Mess:

Christian Parenting

Pardon The Mess 

Courtney DeFeo

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

Resources from todays show:

• Connect with Grace Valentine
• The Better Friend - Graces new book
• A Million Tiny Moments
• Sky Ranch Camps

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

Depending on how old your kids are, the idea of praying for their future spouse and family may feel like a stretch. But even if your child is currently toddling around your house playing with blocks and eating cheerios, its never too early to start praying for their future family.

Maybe its easier to imagine if your kids are older, but at some point in the future, your child will more than likely go and create their own family to lead. As believing parents, we all desire our kids to lead their future families in the way of the Lord.

If marriage is Gods will for your child, someday your childs spouse will be the most important person in their life. He or she will know them the absolute best and be their partner in faith and life. Together they will, God-willing, raise beautiful children who know, love, follow, and share Jesus. 

We can pray that our child will find a spouse who loves Jesus, family, the church, and be a supportive partner through the ups and downs of life. We can pray that any future grandkids will grow to love Jesus and continue on a legacy of faith. In the grand scheme of life, we only have our kids in our homes for a little while. As their parents, we have an amazing opportunity to pray for their future family starting now!

This week, lets pray that our kids will continue to pass along a legacy of faith in their future families and homes.

Jesus, you know our past and you know our future. Today, I pray for ____'s future. If your plan for them is singleness, I pray that you will surround them with a wonderful community of friends and family and that you will always be their rock, fortress, and best friend. If your plan for them is marriage, I pray that they will find a spouse who loves you with all their heart and has a desire to raise up children who love and follow you. Thank you for the gift of family and the ability to watch my children grow into the adults you created them to be. Amen.

Get your printed copy of A Life of Faith: Prayer Journal

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

Do you spend time overthinking? I sure do, but can honestly say its gotten way better over the years. This episode is dedicated to my small group of senior girls. They were telling me that overthinking is taking them down for so many days. That conversation had me pondering about the topic and I wanted to help them with this struggle. So, I got Jon Acuff back on the podcast to help me wrestle through it.

Jon Acuff writes the most relatable books with common struggles in our daily lives. Hes an entrepreneur, author, speaker, podcaster, husband and dad of 2 college girls. Hes also hilarious and always has me laughing every time we connect.

My favorite part is how he gives us a very practical way to approach overthinking. Instead of letting this steal our time, creativity and productivity - what if we were deliberate with what we think about? Could we use that same time and energy to fight for positive thoughts over negative thoughts?

He offered a code for his upcoming event 

In this episode, we chat about:

• How overthinking affects almost everyone
• How to switch overthinking to something positive 
• How to shorten the pity parties in our minds

Enjoy!

Courtney 

(03:08) The College Experience and Loneliness Epidemic

(05:59) Overthinking: A Common Human Experience

(08:55) The Dangers of Overthinking

(11:56) Soundtracks: Shifting Negative Thoughts

(15:07) Faith and Practicality in Overthinking

(18:09) Navigating Teenage Emotions and Relationships

(20:05) Understanding Teenagers: Insights from Parenting

(22:10) Navigating the Empty Nest: Emotions and Realities

(24:12) The Challenges of Parenting Adult Children

(28:40) Creating a Remarkable Life: Upcoming Event Insights

Connect with Pardon The Mess:

Christian Parenting

Pardon The Mess 

Courtney DeFeo

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

Resources from todays show:

A Million Tiny Moments

The Unbreakable Boy movie

Connect with Jon Acuff

Remarkable You - upcoming event with Jon Acuff (code: PODCAST50)

Soundtracks book

Your New Playlist book for teens 

How Teens Win book for teens

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

Dont copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know Gods will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:2 NLT)

On top of these difficult conversations, our kids are growing up in a world that increasingly values individual truth over Gods truth; a world where everyone is encouraged to live their truth. But, the Bible tells the story of Gods plan for his people; and as believers, we should use it to shape the way we see and interact with the world. That will often look different than other people around us. 

These changes in our world can make us feel really unprepared and afraid of the future. But, remember we serve a sovereign God who is always in control! He loves our kids even more than we do. We are not powerless as parentswe have the Holy Spirit in us. We can ask him to prompt our kids' hearts and we can commit to praying for them to treasure the Bible and find a true worldview and identity in Christ!

This week, lets pray that our kids live out a biblical worldview. In other words, lets ask God to help them know the gospel, love the gospel, and that their lives would be completely changed by it!

Dear God, help my child to hate sin and live a life of standing out and following you. Help them to find out what pleases you (Ephesians 5:10) and commit to following you wholeheartedly. Help them to love your word, hide your word in their heart, and let your word shape the way they live. Amen.

Sadie Robertson Huffs message on your truth.

Get your printed copy of A Life of Faith: Prayer Journal

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

Did you know that Pardon The Mess is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network? There are 29 podcasts for Christian parents within our network. Our guest today, Jessica Hurlbut, is the co-host of the popular Full Spectrum Parents podcast, a faith-based podcast for parents who are raising kids with autism.

I learned so much from Jessica today and I know you will too. Whether you are raising a child with autism, down syndrome, learning disability or any other special needs diagnosis - you will be so encouraged by her story.  

Greg and Jessica Hurlbut are parents of five children: two autistic, two adopted, and one future president. Their heartfelt desire is to serve special needs families each week with a dose of help, a dose of humor, and a dose of hope. 

My favorite part is at the end when she encourages parents with a new diagnosis. As I think about what my sister has walked through with her son - I know she would echo what Jessica is sharing. She shares that all kids are a gift and that the pain and shock of the new diagnosis doesnt last forever. 

In this episode, we chat about:

• How autism killed her perfectionism
• Public perception of families with special needs (how to judge less)
• What all children want - no matter how their brain works
• Encouragement for parents with a new diagnosis

Enjoy!

Courtney 

Chapters:

(03:01) Life in Upstate New York

(05:58) Family Dynamics and Motherhood Journey

(09:03) Navigating Autism and Special Needs

(11:59) Faith and Challenges in Parenting

(14:59) The Role of Humor and Perspective in Parenting

(18:14) The Journey of Seeking Solutions for Autism

(20:11) A Shift in Perspective: From Fixing to Loving

(22:34) Embracing Humility and the Gift of Children

(24:46) Navigating Public Perception and Judgment

(25:27) The Impact of Media on Parental Healing

(28:15) Fostering Empathy in Children

(30:18) The Importance of Compassion and Understanding

(34:27) Words of Encouragement for New Parents

(36:15) Finding Strength in God During Difficult Times

Connect with Pardon The Mess:

Christian Parenting

Pardon The Mess 

Courtney DeFeo

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

Resources from todays show:

The Unbreakable Boy movie

Connect with Jessica

Full Spectrum Parents Podcast

Unlimited Motherhood - Jessicas book

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