Navigating Adolescence

In this episode, Shannon interviews her friend, Jeannie Cunnion. Jeannie's passion is encouraging moms to live in the freedom for which Christ has set us free, which is something her own heart needs to be daily reminded of. She is the author of Parenting the Wholehearted Child, Mom Set Free, and the Mom Set Free Bible Study.  She is also a frequent speaker at women’s conferences and parenting events around the country.

In this episode, Matt has a conversation with Jake Habegger. Jake is a Church Of The City Stakeholder, a dad of two girls, and a middle school history teacher. Jake is passionate about teaching and helping students, and he talks about what this season is like for teachers as they try to support their students remotely.

In this episode, Matt and Shannon unpack the new Around The Table resource to go along with our new teaching series. To access these materials, go to churchofthecity.com/aroundthetable or go to our Church Of The City app.

This week Matt and Shannon have a conversation with Pastors Derek and Courtney Bareman. The Bareman’s moved to Spring Hill from Michigan, with their three kids, four years ago when Derek became the Leader Pastor of Church of the City Spring Hill.  Derek and Courtney have been in ministry together at different churches for nearly 20 years. Currently, Courtney leads KidCity and COTC Women in Spring Hill. In this episode they talk about the unique challenges and blessings of this season. They share practical advice for having spiritual conversations with their kids as well as how they balance having two working parents with three kids at home, all at home at once. We hope you enjoy this episode!

In this episode, Matt and Shannon discuss the statement, "Parents are the primary disciplers of their children." When you hear that phrase, what stirs inside you? Excitement? Fear? Confusion? A mix of all three? In this wide-ranging conversation, we aim to offer both encouragement and practical advice for parents when it comes to discipling their sons and daughters. 

This week we have the privilege to share our recent conversation with Sissy Goff from Daystar Counseling Ministries. Sissy is the Director of Child and Adolescent Counseling where she has been helping girls and their parents since 1993. She is a nationally sought after speaker for parenting events and the author of eleven books, including the bestselling Raising Worry-Free Girls and Braver, Stronger, Smarter (for elementary aged girls). It would be great to talk to Sissy anytime, but we are particularly grateful to have this conversation at such a time as this. Many of us parents are navigating heightened levels of fear and anxiety with our children in the wake of COVID-19, and Sissy offers practical advice and encouragement for parents in this unique moment.    You can check out Sissy's work in the following places. DaystarCounseling.com RaisingBoysandGirls.com @SissyGoff and @RaisingBoysandGirls on Instagram 

In this episode Shannon and Matt check in with one another as their families navigate a new reality due to the spread of COVID-19. They have an honest discussion in which they wrestle through the new reality parents find themselves in. The discussion addresses the challenges and opportunities they're experiencing in their own families, as well as offering advice on how parents capitalize on the unexpected time they now have with their children.

In this episode, Matt walks through three questions we need to help our kids answer in order to navigate the more complicated questions around sex, dating, and marriage that they will ask as they grow up.

In this episode, Matt shares some common mistakes he has observed that the Church has made when talking about sex, dating, and marriage.

This episode is a recording of a recent live gathering Matt led at Church Of The City Franklin. We are discussing three ways social media is affecting our kids.

Recently we had the privilege to host a conversation between Jeff Helton and Laura Glover. Jeff and Laura are both parents of young adults and have developed a friendship over the years through their common work. Jeff has been a pastor and counselor for years and Laura is an addiction counselor at Cumberland Heights, a non-profit alcohol and drug addiction treatment center. Jeff talks to Laura about what parents should know as they try to navigate alcohol and substance abuse issues with their adolescents. For more information about Cumberland Heights, visit CumberlandHeights.org.

In this episode you'll hear from Nate Larkin, founder of the Samson Society. Nate travels the country speaking on sexual addiction. He shares with us his own journey of pornography addiction and offers some observations on this critical topic facing adolescents today. Pornography is one of the most under discussed crises facing our society today. With great humility and transparency, Nate shares his heart for this next generation and challenges parents to think about how we can be part of the solution. Check out SamsonSociety.com to learn more about Nate's work. Check out Nate's book Samson and The Pirate Monks on Amazon or other Christian book outlets. You can get his newest book, Beyond Accountability for free at Discipleship.org. For web/mobile based resources, check out FightTheNewDrug.org and the Fortify app.

We recently sat down with our good friend Curtis Zackery, or as many of you probably know him, CZ. CZ is a teaching pastor at Church of the City, but his first job with a church was as a youth pastor. In this conversation he shares about his life growing up and what he learned about parenting from his time as a youth pastor. CZ also just wrote his first book, Soul Rest. The book looks at God's invitation for us to find rest in him. With so many parents and students alike feeling stressed out and over-worked, we were excited for CZ to share some encouragement to the parent who is having hard time finding their own rest.

Christy Nockels is a well known worship leader, songwriter, artist, and podcaster. She is ALSO a mom to three adolescents. We recently had the opportunity to sit down for a wide-ranging discussion on all things parenting. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did. The instrumental version of Christy's latest album Be Held: Lullabies for the Beloved is available now at all places digital music is sold. Follow her on social media @ChristyNockels. Listen to her podcast Glorious in the Mundane.

In this episode, we are joined by marriage and family therapist Alicia Lewis. Matt spoke with Alicia about how we can help our kids navigate their journey of discovering their identity. She shares great wisdom on developmental stages, questions to ask, and tips for having important conversations.

This episode is a recording from a recent talk Matt gave to parents at Church of the City. All adolescents are on a journey to find their own identity. In this talk Matt invites parents to consider that all adolescent behavior finds its root in the two questions every child is asking. Do I matter and do I belong?

Matt sat down with Robert Beeson from the Solo Parent Society. After a long and successful career in the music and entertainment business, Robert recently left a company he founded to devote himself full time to his work with the Solo Parent Society. SPS is working to support the 1/3 of families in our country who are being led by a single parent. They create community, provide resources, and train churches to better support single parents. Regardless of what kind of parenting season you find yourself in right now, we think you'll find this conversation with Robert both encouraging and enlightening. His book Going Solo is available on Amazon. Check out soloparentsociety.com and the Solo Parent Society Facebook page as well.

Today we interview Patsy Clairmont. She is an author and a well-known speaker, but she is also a mother and a grandmother. Though she has been in the public eye for a few decades now, she struggled with crippling anxiety as a young mother. She offers hope and encouragement to parents in all seasons of life.

Our guest today is Gabe Lyons, founder and president of Q. In this episode Gabe shares the best data we have available about about how young people in America view the Bible. After explaining this information, the conversation shifts to talking about how we can shape a Biblical worldview in our children. We conclude by sharing some of our favorite resources and practical tips for helping families engage Scripture together. Resources shared are listed below. To see more about what Gabe and his team are working on, visit QIdeas.org. Books authored or co-authored by Gabe///Good Faith: Being a Christian When Society Thinks You’re Irrelevant and Extreme (Baker 2016); The Next Christians (Doubleday 2010); UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity and Why It Matters (Baker 2007) Resources mentioned in episode///TheBibleProject.com; SheReadsTruth.com; HeReadsTruth.com; YouVersion Bible app; Faithlife Study Bible app.

In this episode, Matt addresses some of the most frequent questions he's hearing from teenagers as they try to engage with the Bible. He challenges parents to consider how we are influencing our kids with regards to understanding Scripture. He shares some good news (they're so curious!) and some sobering news (many don't know how to read the Bible). This episode is a recording of a live event Matt did in November, 2017. Be sure to check out our next episode, recorded the same day, a conversation with Gabe Lyons from Q.

This is a conversation with Shannon Scott. As you'll hear in this episode, Shannon has had a long and interesting career working with kids and families both in churches and schools. She also has three adolescents of her own with her husband Jeff. She recently joined the Church of the City staff where she is leading KidCity at COTC Franklin. In this episode, she shares thoughts on topics such as why family worship is important, how parents can talk with their kids about Scripture, and what parents of younger children can do now to prepare for the adolescent years. Toward the end of the episode, she shares about her family's decision to follow God to Nashville and what the transition from Atlanta to Nashville has been like. Enjoy!

It is mid-December which means many students are right in the middle of exams. We asked a handful of college students to look back on when they were stressed out about exams in high school and share what their perspective is now. We hope you find this episode encouraging as you help your son or daughter navigate stress and anxiety around academic performance.

This a conversation we recently recorded with Jeff and Lora Helton. Jeff and Lora bring a combined 40+ years of experiencing as pastors and counselors. They also have raised four children who are now adults, and we asked them to share about how we can help our kids navigate the areas of sex and dating. We are so grateful for their wisdom and transparency as they address this critical topic from a number of different angles. You can learn more about what Jeff and Lora are up to by visiting their website www.WellspringTN.com.