The family you come from shapes the family you build.

In Episode 263 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra explore how growing up in a divorced home affects your marriage. From trust issues to conflict styles to fears of abandonment, the patterns we experience as children often reappear in the way we relate to our spouse. But your past doesn’t have to define your future.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• 5 common ways a divorced upbringing influences marriage.
• Why unhealed wounds often resurface in conflict, intimacy, and communication.
• Biblical truth about breaking generational cycles of brokenness.
• Practical steps to build trust, stability, and security in your own marriage.
• How to invite God’s healing into the places divorce left scars.

Whether your parents divorced when you were young or later in life, this episode will help you understand how your background affects your marriage, and how to walk forward in wholeness and hope.

Bonus Resource: Send an email to [email protected] for our Breaking The Cycle Of Divorce Reflection Guide.

For more information: https://linktr.ee/familymeeting.

Foster care is one of the most beautiful and challenging callings a family can walk through. It stretches your faith, tests your patience, and sometimes leaves you feeling overwhelmed, but it also reflects the very heart of God, who welcomes the vulnerable into His family.

In Episode 262 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra open up about how families can stay strong in the midst of foster care. Whether you’re fostering now, considering it, or supporting foster families in your church, this episode will encourage you to lean on God’s strength and not your own.

You’ll learn:

• The unique emotional and relational pressures foster families face.
• How to guard your marriage and family unity in the middle of chaos.
• Biblical wisdom for loving children through trauma and transition.
• Practical ways churches and communities can support foster families.
• Encouragement for weary parents who feel like giving up.

This episode is for foster parents, adoptive families, and anyone who wants to understand how to walk this journey with faith and resilience.

Bonus Resource: Send an email to [email protected] for our 10 Scriptures To Pray Over Your Foster Family.

For more information: https://linktr.ee/familymeeting.

Emotions are a gift from God, but how we express them can either build up or tear down.

In Episode 261 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra explore the difference between emotional maturity (controlling and managing emotions) and emotional integrity (honestly expressing emotions without shame or suppression). Too often in Christian homes, we either explode in anger or shut down in silence, when God calls us to handle emotions with both truth and grace.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• The difference between emotional maturity and emotional integrity.
• Why denying your feelings is just as damaging as losing control of them.
• Biblical principles for expressing emotions in a healthy, God-honoring way.
• How emotional maturity and integrity strengthen marriage and parenting.
• Practical steps for creating a safe space for emotions in your home.

If you’ve ever wrestled with when to speak up, when to hold back, or how to express emotions without sinning, this episode will give you clarity and hope.

Bonus Resource: Send an email to [email protected] for our Healthy Emotional Expression Worksheet.

For more information: https://linktr.ee/familymeeting.

Emotions are a gift from God, but how we express them can either build up or tear down.

In Episode 260 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra explore the difference between emotional maturity (controlling and managing emotions) and emotional integrity (honestly expressing emotions without shame or suppression). Too often in Christian homes, we either explode in anger or shut down in silence, when God calls us to handle emotions with both truth and grace.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• The difference between emotional maturity and emotional integrity.
• Why denying your feelings is just as damaging as losing control of them.
• Biblical principles for expressing emotions in a healthy, God-honoring way.
• How emotional maturity and integrity strengthen marriage and parenting.
• Practical steps for creating a safe space for emotions in your home.

If you’ve ever wrestled with when to speak up, when to hold back, or how to express emotions without sinning, this episode will give you clarity and hope.

Bonus Resource: Send an email to [email protected] for our Healthy Emotional Expression Worksheet.

For more information: https://linktr.ee/familymeeting.

Few parenting moments feel as bittersweet as dropping your child off at college. It’s the moment years of raising, guiding, and praying culminate in a new season of independence, not just for your child, but for you as a parent.

In Episode 259 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra share their heart and personal experiences about this milestone moment. From the tearful goodbyes to the quiet drive home, they unpack both the challenges and the opportunities this transition brings.

You’ll discover:

• Why letting go is one of the hardest acts of parenting.
• How to trust God with your child’s future when you’re no longer right beside them.
• The emotional rollercoaster parents face during this season, and how to process it with grace.
• Practical ways to stay connected without controlling.
• How to embrace the new rhythms of marriage, family, and faith after your kids leave home.

Whether you’re preparing to send a child to college soon or simply want to understand what this transition feels like, this episode offers comfort, encouragement, and biblical wisdom for the journey.

Bonus Resource: Send an email to [email protected] for our Prayer for Parents Sending Kids to College.

For more information: https://linktr.ee/familymeeting.

Sometimes the greatest dangers to your marriage don’t come from within, but from outside influences trying to pull you apart.

In Episode 258 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra discuss the external threats that can slowly weaken your marriage if left unguarded. From unhealthy friendships and toxic family patterns to work stress, financial pressure, and even digital distractions, these outside forces can create cracks in your relationship if you’re not intentional.

You’ll learn:

• 6 common external threats every couple must recognize.
• How to set healthy boundaries with extended family, work, and social media.
• Why “good things” like success and busyness can still harm your marriage.
• Biblical strategies for keeping your covenant strong against outside pressures.
• How to build a united front that resists division and distraction.

Listen now and learn how to protect your marriage from the outside in.

Bonus Resource: Send an email to [email protected] for our Guarding Your Marriage: External Threats Checklist.

For more information: https://linktr.ee/familymeeting.

Most marriages don’t fall apart because of outside pressure. They weaken from the inside.

In Episode 257 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra unpack the internal marriage threats that quietly erode love, trust, and unity. Left unchecked, these hidden struggles can turn small cracks into deep divides.

You’ll learn:

• The most common internal threats couples face (bitterness, pride, selfishness, secrecy, poor communication)
• Why unresolved conflict poisons intimacy and trust Biblical warnings about what happens when hearts grow cold
• Practical steps to guard your marriage against internal drift
• How humility, forgiveness, and intentional connection bring healing

If your marriage feels distant, strained, or stuck in cycles of hurt, this episode will help you identify the real issues and take steps toward restoration.

Listen now and strengthen your marriage from the inside out.

Bonus Resource: Send an email to [email protected] for our “Marriage Threats Self-Check” Worksheet.

For more information: https://linktr.ee/familymeeting.

Saying “yes” feels easier in the moment, but real love is strong enough to say “no.”

In Episode 256 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra talk about why loving your child sometimes means setting limits, holding boundaries, and saying no, even when it’s hard. In a culture that pushes parents to keep kids constantly happy, giving in can feel easier than standing firm. But in the long run, it weakens character and undermines trust.

You’ll discover:

• Why boundaries actually make kids feel safer, not restricted.
• How saying “no” shapes responsibility, resilience, and self-control.
• Biblical wisdom on discipline and love in action.
• Practical ways to enforce limits without shame or anger.
• How to handle guilt, pushback, and parenting pressure.

If you’ve ever struggled with guilt after saying no, or wondered if you’re being too hard on your kids, this episode will encourage you to see boundaries as an act of love.

Listen now for biblical parenting wisdom and practical tools to help you raise confident, faith-filled children.

Bonus Resource: Send an email to [email protected] for our “Healthy Boundaries for Christian Parents” Checklist.

For more information: https://linktr.ee/familymeeting.

Sex is meant to connect, not divide.

In Episode 255 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra tackle a difficult but crucial topic: what happens when physical intimacy in marriage feels disconnected, obligatory, or even adversarial. Instead of fostering closeness, the bedroom becomes a source of resentment, pressure, or avoidance, and both spouses feel the distance.

We explore:

• How unresolved conflict spills over into the bedroom.
• The emotional cost of duty-driven intimacy.
• Why pressure and performance kill connection.
• Biblical truth about intimacy as a reflection of love and unity.
• Practical ways to rebuild trust, desire, and safety in your physical relationship.

If sex has become a source of stress instead of joy in your marriage, this episode will help you address the root issues and take steps toward restoration.

Listen now + subscribe for an honest, grace-filled conversation about turning intimacy from a battleground into a safe place.

BONUS RESOURCE: Send an email to [email protected] for our “Rebuilding Connection in Marriage” Guide.

For more information: https://linktr.ee/familymeeting.

Your kids are watching, and they see more than you think they do!

In episode 254 of the Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra confront a hard but necessary truth: parental hypocrisy destroys credibility. When our actions don't line up with our words, we teach our children that appearances matter more than authenticity, and that faith is something we perform, not live.

Rooted in Luke 12:1-3, Jesus warns that nothing hidden will stay hidden. In a culture of image and performance, your home must be a place of honest, Christ-centered integrity.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• 5 subtle signs of hypocrisy in Christian parenting.
• How children internalize the gap between what we say and what we do.
• Why humility and repentance are more powerful than pretending.
• What it means to model faith that's real, not just visible.
• How to rebuild trust if your past actions have hurt your witness.

Whether you're a new parent or raising teens, this episode will help you lead with conviction, not contradiction.

BONUS RESOURCE: Send an email to [email protected] for our "Live What You Say' Parenting Reflection Tool.

For more information: https://linktr.ee/familymeeting