It's crazy how a couple minutes on social media in the morning can impact the rest of our day. Oftentimes we view a post from across the world that provokes an emotion of fear, anxiety, or depression into our own world. This, then, effects the way we communicate with our loved ones.



In this 5 minute episode Josh and Christi encourage you to pay attention to the things that are impacting your attitude. They suggest creating an emotion log of instances that trigger negativity, as well as instances that bring you life. This practice provides awareness of what needs to be eliminated and what needs to be implemented. It's the little changes that order your day in a way that allows you to show up for your family.

Welcome to our "Best of" series as we ring in 2021! No doubt your child's world has been rattled in some way by the uncertain times we live in. How we respond to our child's big emotions now will set the stage for how they learn to manage those emotions and make decisions in crisis as they grow older. No pressure, right? In this episode, we provide hope and talk about five practical ways to create an emotional growth environment for your kids.

The more we are wearing face masks, the less children are becoming familiar with our facial cues and how we are relating to them. In this episode, Josh and Christi share powerful ways to increase face time in a day and age where it is challenging to do so. This includes putting our phones away and initiating quality time with our kids.

The enemy is constantly at work to steal, kill, and destroy our marriages. In this episode, Josh and Christi provide helpful ways to create war against the enemy as you cultivate a healthy marriage.



Here are a few key takeaways:



* Your spouse is not your opponent; the enemy is.* Listen to your spouse without trying to fix the problem.* Be a watchman and spend 15 minutes a day focusing on your spouse's emotions.* We do not fight against flesh and blood. We fight in the supernatural.* Stand firm as you remind the enemy WHO you are and WHOSE you are.

One of the hardest things to do is be joyful when our circumstances don't look the way we'd like them to. But when we look closely at the Christmas story, we are inspired by Elizabeth because of the way she leaped for joy in the midst of her pregnancy. How often do we sing hymns to Jesus and have a dance party when we don't feel like it? When you shift your mind toward what you are grateful for, everything in your life begins to change. Josh and Christi share practical ways to count your blessings and find reasons to throw a dance party in the holiday season.

One of our favorite Christmas traditions is throwing a birthday party for Jesus. Think about what He might want for His birthday and talk to your kids about giving Him a present. Plan your party and make a family memory as you celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Savior.

In this episode, we have a special announcement to make (23:47). But before we do, we use this episode to talk about hearing the voice of God.

In a time with so many voices filling your head, how can you discern, is it my voice or God's voice I'm hearing? Or what if it's some other voice? We tell stories from our own journey that might help you learn to trust His voice more in your life. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

* Why we have a difficult time discerning the voice of God* How to begin discerning the voice of God in your everyday life* Whether what we take in feeds fear or faith* Why listening to the Holy Spirit leads to loving our neighbor* The consequences of obeying the voice of God when we hear Him speak

Faith is the evidence of things not seen. But getting our kids to understand trust in God is so difficult, especially when we as parents doubt His goodness.



This is an #adventfamilyexperience we used to help our kids understand trust and talk about faith in a tangible way they can "taste." Let's keep pressing into David's Psalm, that we might "taste and know that the Lord is good."

Like a caged tiger walking the same path every single day, we too walk a similar path with our phones. We pull it out and get on the same app trail. How does this trail increase your faith? How does it make you feel after you get off of it? Does it build your relationship with your family?



In this 5 minute episode, Christi shares a powerful revelation about a recent decision she made with her phone.

If 2020 were one long rainy day, how did your family dance in it? In this episode, we redefine 2020 not as a curse word, but for the beauty it brought about for our family. We discuss ways you can do the same.



Here are a few key takeaways:



* If you were to look back at your family photos, what were the sweet moments you remember about 2020?* How can you turn those sweet moments into a bucket list for 2021?* How to define your family purpose for 2021.* What it means to move from good intentions to living intentionally.* The power of pro relationship thoughts in living out your family purpose.



Show Notes:



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