This episode was incredibly special to me. I have long admired Pastor Louie Giglio and the work he has done through Passion Conferences and Passion City Church. I invited Amelia McBrayer, one of my favorite college kids, to join me in chatting about how to find authentic faith in the college years. This episode is packed with wisdom on how to help encourage our kids (and all of us) to not just know ABOUT God, but to really KNOW God.

Since 1997, Passion Conferences has gathered over one million collegiate-aged young people in events across the U.S. and around the world. It was so much fun to bring one of those students on the podcast with me today - to share what God has done through Passion and how her life has been impacted by Jesus.

My favorite part is when he talks about the ups and downs of faith. That we need to keep praying and believing for the faith of our kids - but never to shove it on them. He encouraged us to spend more time doing what we want our kids to do. He reminds us that our time as parents in God’s word and praying will have a massive impact on the lives of our kids.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How to stop shoving faith on our kids
• Power of praying and believing for your kids’ faith
• How to practically put a touch point with God - easy ways to connect
• Tips on how to grow in a community as a college young adult

Enjoy!

Courtney

Chapters

00:00

Introduction and Background

02:02

The Impact of Passion Conferences

06:03

Faith and College Life

10:51

Navigating Spiritual Challenges

15:04

The Power of Prayer and Authenticity

20:11

The Role of Devotionals

23:05

Maintaining Faith After Events

30:08

Prayer for the Next Generation

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:

Grace & Glory - Louie’s new devotional

LouieGiglio.com

Passion Conferences

Passion City Church

Christian Parenting store

Christian Parenting Christmas Gift Guide

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

“‘For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you” (Isaiah 54:10 ESV)

Everything in our world may change, but God’s love will not be moved. Our kids will be disappointed too many times to count over the course of their lives. Despite our best efforts, even we will let them down. But throughout it all, God will not change, will not leave them, and will never let them down. His love is steadfast.

God loves us, and he loves our kids, with a fierce love. It’s hard to even wrap our heads around God’s love for us: the kind of love that led him to the action of sending his son to die on a cross to deliver us from our sins. While the unending, unshakeable, unbreakable, constant love of God may be hard to grasp, once we take hold of it, we won’t want to let it go.

For our kids to truly live a journey of faith, they must recognize and accept the full, steadfast love of God. So this week, let’s pray that our kids will truly feel God’s love for them. The enemy will lie to them and make them doubt God’s love for them, so our prayers in this area are essential!

Father God, you love us enough to send your one and only Son to die on the cross so we can be reconciled to you and live eternally with you. May ________________ fully know your steadfast love. I pray they feel your love wrapped around them today and every day, and I pray they can rest in that love. May they never doubt that no matter what is going on in their world, your love will not change. Amen.

I am so fired up about this episode with Chris and Jan Woodruff. I believe serving together is one of the very best things you can do as a family. As I look back over 18 years as a mom, I can truthfully say that the times we have served together has deeply impacted each of us. We always see the best version of our family.

Many times, the service opportunities are only available for teens and older. When we discovered Lighthouse, we found a way for our kids to serve as young as 4 years old. In this episode, we talk about the benefit of serving and putting others before yourself. My goal for today’s episode is that it unlocks the power of serving together and motivates many to find unique ways to serve as a family.

My favorite part of the episode is when we talk about the benefits of serving together. We have both seen unique benefits on each of our kids. They have practiced and prioritized serving others and we can now see how it has helped develop their character and passions and gifts.

Challenge today: Go on a date with your spouse or grab some girlfriends and brainstorm: “What are the top values we want to instill in our home? In our family culture? And then how can we be intentional to live out those values?”

Enjoy!

Courtney

Chapters

00:00

Introduction and Family Background

03:02

The Importance of Service and Generosity

05:57

Building a Family Culture of Service

08:52

Transitioning from Volunteers to Staff

11:49

The Impact of Serving on Children

15:12

Finding Individual Strengths in Service

18:00

Creating Community Through Service

20:12

The Joy of Serving Together

22:25

Empathy and Growth Through Service

24:36

Building Community and Communication Skills

26:46

The Impact of Small Acts of Kindness

28:04

Finding Your Family's Serving Style

30:39

Navigating Overwhelm in Family Service

33:45

Encouragement for Busy Families

37:04

Getting Involved with Lighthouse

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:

Lighthouse Family Retreat

Light ‘Em Up - 100 simple ideas and random acts of kindness

In This House, We Will Giggle - Courtney’s book

Under shorts for women - you’re welcome

Christian Parenting store

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