Pardon the Mess with Courtney DeFeo - Christian Motherhood, Biblical Parenting, Raising Christian Kids – Details, episodes & analysis

The mother-daughter relationship can be the most special bond out there. However, it can also be tough in many seasons. The mother-daughter duo of Sandra Stanley and Allie Stanley Cooney are on the podcast today to give us very practical tips on ways to build, maintain and strengthen our relationships with our daughters.

As we think about the mother-daughter relationship, we can often jump to the things we need to add to our plate. We feel guilty that we aren’t doing enough. Sandra shares that we may need to actually eliminate things. We may need to limit what we do - to make room for this important relationship. 

As a mom of daughters, I absolutely loved this chat and it gave me so many great ideas I can still implement in my own home. However, if you have sons, you will still gain some great thoughts on connecting with all of your children.

My favorite part of the episode is when Allie shares about her college experience and how she made her faith her own. Her insight was really helpful to me about our kids finding their identity and how they can change from “I have to love Jesus” to “I want to love Jesus.” So many powerful moments from two of my favorite people.

In this episode:

• Creating a safe and loving environment for daughters
• How to pass on an authentic faith
• How to show interest in your child’s life

Enjoy!

Courtney

00:00

Introduction and Mother-Daughter Similarities

03:50

Creating a Safe and Loving Environment for Daughters

07:16

Passing on Faith: Modeling and Encouraging a Personal Relationship with God

16:14

Modeling Authentic Faith

18:36

Personal Faith Journey

22:11

Staying Stable in Parenting

24:12

Being Available and Humble

28:30

Showing Interest in Your Child's Life

30:23

Adjusting Parenting Approaches

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:

SandraStanley.com

Allie Stanley Instagram

Meet Me In The Middle - their new book

I Said This, You Heard That - temperament book

Parenting book by Andy and Sandra Stanley

Allie & Courtney - previous podcast episode

Have you ever had a season where you question everything about yourself? Have you found yourself in an insecure spot and wonder if you’re too late or too old? Do you wonder if you have anything to offer the world?

I have been in this place more times than I can count. Being a mom and balancing career and purpose and raising kids can be very complicated and very discouraging. It’s so very hard to discern what to do when God feels quiet and sometimes the path feels uncertain or vulnerable.

My guests today, Cari Trotter and Terri Flannagan, share their own stories about why it’s so hard to discern around career and calling. I believe their honest feelings and practical advice will encourage you in your own journey.

Please don’t miss this entire episode. It’s a little long, so you may need to listen in two parts. My favorite part is at the end when we start tackling the practical stuff. What do we do with a complicated situation? How can we take a step? How can we discern what to do in the next season?

I pray this episode meets you in such a special way. That you feel like we opened your heart and soul and spoke to a place that needs encouragement. I am insanely thankful for authentic and honest friends that love me and love Jesus. It’s a true gift.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Handling a midlife crisis, work and reinventing ourselves
• Balancing careers and raising kids
• How to discern what God has for us 
• How to fight the very loud lies that want us silent and frozen

00:00

Introduction and Entertaining Start

04:02

Talking About Fashion and Passion Projects

05:50

Midlife Crisis, Work, and Reinventing Ourselves

08:51

Introductions and Current Life Situations

11:54

Why Balancing Work and Personal Life is Hard

16:38

Discerning What's Next and Dealing with Lies

22:13

Navigating Transitions and Evaluating Priorities

25:20

Dealing with Comparison and Seeking Authenticity

27:13

Being True to Yourself and Finding Support

31:48

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

34:46

Staying Rooted and Grounded

37:13

Embracing Silence and Growth

44:34

The Journey of Faith

50:56

Redefining Success

57:45

Embracing Struggles and Failure

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:

CariTrotter.com

Party On Purpose - Cari’s business with girls

Cari’s Instagram

TerriFlannagan.com

The Unreal Reel - Terri’s Instagram

Welcome to Week 3 of our Summer of Stories series! For the next 10 weeks, you will hear one powerful story after another. We are featuring 10 stories of incredible moms that have endured significant challenges. Through these stories, we pray you will remember that God is faithful and always with you through life’s most challenging moments.

I need everyone to take a massive deep breath before listening. And listen to the entire episode, not just the first few minutes. This is not a political episode. This is a story of one incredible mom, Amy Ford, that chose to keep her baby boy after an unplanned pregnancy and the God-sized story that followed. 

My favorite part is when she shares about her love for the women that walk with the shame of abortion. She is for all women and all stories. And she walks closely with women who have endured every part of the unplanned pregnancy journey. 

I am praying deeply that this story reaches an untold number of women and heals their hearts in a special way. And that we may join together and support women with unplanned pregnancies in the way God would. That we would love them deeply. 

Don't forget to share this episode with women in your community that need encouragement and healing around unplanned pregnancies.

In this episode we chat about: 

• Amy’s unplanned pregnancy 
• Amy’s encouragement for those who live with shame of abortion
• How to create a safe and supportive church environment with unplanned pregnancies
• How to turn towards God in some of life’s biggest mistakes or struggles

Chapters

00:00

Introduction and Amy's Family

03:34

The Love Box and Volunteer Opportunities

06:08

The Rejection from a Pastor and the Healing Journey

09:21

The Impact of Amy's Story on Her Son

14:35

Creating a Safe and Supportive Church Environment

19:28

Healing and Hope After Abortion

22:26

Creating Safe Spaces in Churches for Unexpected Pregnancies

26:34

Taking Small Steps of Obedience

29:15

Celebrating Women Who Turn Towards God

Connect with Pardon The Mess:

Christian Parenting

Pardon The Mess 

Courtney DeFeo

Become a Christian Parenting donor

Resources from today’s show:

Amy Ford

Embrace Grace

A Bump In Life

Love Box

Support After Abortion

It’s not every day we get to hear from an NFL football player and his wife about raising 7 children - while trying to honor God, stay married AND do ministry together. Kirsten and Benjamin are the Directors of the NFL for Pro Athletes Outreach. In addition to this important work, they also spend time equipping and encouraging families through speaking and writing.

You will enjoy hearing these UGA Bulldogs (both former college athletes) chat a little about football, and we get to hear Kirsten affirm Benjamin ahead of this Father’s Day weekend.

My favorite part of the episode is when they discuss the non-negotiables in their family. It gives a framework for intentional parenting and how to get ahead of it all with a plan. It also encourages us to be on the same page with our spouses as we encounter the tough moments of parenting.

Enjoy!

Courtney DeFeo

Connect with Pardon The Mess:

Christian Parenting

Pardon The Mess 

Connect with Courtney DeFeo

Resources from today’s show:

Connect with The Watsons

Pro Athletes Outreach (POA)

Benjamin’s New Book - New Fight For Life

Kirsten’s Book - Sis Take a Breath

Helping Moms Raise Confident Daughters

Pardon The Mess  is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual advice to help you grow into the parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.org

This week, we get to hear from one of my all-time favorite moms and leaders - Elisabeth Hasselbeck. She has worn many hats over the years - from Survivor contestant to co-host of The View to shoe designer to carpool mom and NFL wife and now author and speaker.

In this episode, we get into specifics around how to trust God. And how to teach our kids to trust God in prayer even when he feels silent or absent. This idea can be really tough because we often don’t get the answer we hope for in the big and small moments of life, and yet we want our kids to remain faithful in that disappointment.

We also discuss the idea of “contenting” - an idea God is stirring in Elisabeth for us to learn how to be stretched and be content in the midst of life’s struggles. As moms, it’s so easy to compare left and right and lose sight that God is at work even in the stretching and growing phases of motherhood.

Enjoy!

Courtney DeFeo

Connect with Pardon The Mess:

Christian Parenting

Pardon The Mess 

Courtney DeFeo

Resources from today’s show:

Connect with Elisabeth

Her latest book - Flashlight Night

More on “Contenting”

Classical Conversations

Pardon the Mess is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual advice to help you grow into the parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.org

This week, Sissy Goff and David Thomas with Daystar Counseling are here! Each of them have been counseling kids for over 30 years. I cannot think of two individuals that have impacted my parenting in a more practical and profound way. 

In this episode, we talk about a few of the challenges with raising our kids in a scary and sometimes dark time. From anxiety to school shootings - we’ve never felt more anxious or ill-equipped to raise children.

David shares some encouragement and tips on raising an emotionally strong boy. Sissy shares about her upcoming book to help anxious parents raise kids in the midst of our own self work. She notes that women and girls lead the statistics in anxiety. 

There are also some tender moments where they both reflect back on the most horrendous time in their own Nashville community. You will be encouraged to hear more stories of God working in and around Covenant School. I know so many are grateful for the work Daystar did to step up, comfort and care for so many families (locally and nationwide).

Quotes:

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” - Frederick Douglas

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me: ‘Look for the helpers.’ You will always find people who are helping.” - Fred Rogers

Enjoy!

Courtney DeFeo

Connect with Pardon The Mess:

Christian Parenting

Pardon The Mess 

Connect with Courtney DeFeo

Resources from today’s show:

The Worry Free Parent- Pre- Order!

Raising Emotionally Strong Boys by David Thomas

@raisingboysandgirls 

@sissygoff 

Pardon the Mess is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual advice to help you grow into the parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.org

This week is a big week for Pardon the Mess! If you missed last week’s show, go back and hear the announcement about our new host, Courtney DeFeo. In this episode, Courtney and Cynthia talk about how this decision unfolded and the challenges of obeying God even when it’s messy and unclear.

Our show today is a super-fun conversation with Cynthia and Courtney giving a deep dive into these exciting changes. Join in as Courtney interviews Cynthia about her favorite Pardon the Mess moments. You can also hear the who, when, where, what, and why behind Cynthia’s move to a new podcast.

We are beyond excited about what’s to come! This summer is going to be packed with more great interviews about parenting in the midst of our messy lives. We will continue to laugh together and possibly cry together as we pursue our relationship with God during all of life’s challenges.

We did it!

We’ve made it to last week of our 2022-2023 prayer journal and praying our kids through the school year. 🙌🏼

I can’t think of a better way to wrap things up than to pray for our kids to walk with God. Today we’re talking very practically about ways to do that, and how the Psalms give a roadmap for weathering the ups and downs of our everyday faith.

On a personal note, I want to thank each of you for joining me each Monday this year (and the last several years) to pray. It’s been an amazing journey and hearing the ways the Lord is moving in your families has forever marked me.

I also want to let you know that after May, I will no longer be hosting Pardon the Mess. My dear friend, Courtney DeFeo, will be the new host and you’re going to LOVE her. I can promise you that 100%.

In the last two episodes, we’re sharing more details about Courtney, what’s to come on Pardon the Mess so definitely tune in.

I’m so grateful for each of you. Great days to come!

In this with you,

Cynthia Yanof

Today is a big day for Pardon the Mess! We’ve got an announcement that we’re so excited to share with you. At the end of May, Cynthia will be leaving Pardon the Mess and passing the mic to our dear friend Courtney DeFeo. Courtney is a wife, mom, author, speaker, and 100% the authentic and hilariously real friend we all need. 

Our show today is a super-fun conversation with Cynthia and Courtney giving a deep dive into these exciting changes at Pardon the Mess. You will get to know (and love) Courtney DeFeo as well as hear the who, when, where, what, and why behind Cynthia’s move.

These next two weeks will be a big celebration of where we’ve been and where we’re heading towards on Pardon the Mess. And above all, we want to be sure YOU have all the scoop on the amazing things coming your way. 

Continue to connect with Cynthia Yanof here:

MESSmerized Podcast 

FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM 

Resources from today's show: 

Love God Love Others

Classical Conversations

Pardon the Mess is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual guidance to help you grow into the perfectly imperfect parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Having an inaccurate view of who we are to God is one of the enemy’s greatest weapons for keeping us discouraged, defeated, and ineffective for Kingdom purposes. 

Today we’re praying for our kids to have the heart knowledge (not just head knowledge) of who they are in Christ. We’re praying they understand at the deepest levels how they were designed perfectly in the image of God and nothing can change his great love for him. 

Join me in praying Psalm 139 over our kids and ask the Lord to shelter our families from anyone and anything that calls our value and significance into question. 

Can’t wait to pray with you!

P.S. We would be so grateful if you’d consider sharing Pardon the Mess with a friend. Encourage those you know and love to join us in praying each week by forwarding this email or sending a link to the show. Thank you!