MFP 238: Empowering Your Children
Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family
Release Date: 05/15/2023
MFP 337: The Invincible Family
Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family
“True power is not dependent upon the invented honors of earth. True power is that which guides, shapes, carves, and claims the souls of men. And the souls of men are most often won and lost at the feet of mothers.” - Kimberly Ells Summary Does it feel like its harder to be a parent today than ever before? There are powers arrayed against the family - powers in secular philosophies, modern politics, and even our education system. The roots of these forces are deep and have been growing for years, but we are just now seeing their ugly fruit. We would like you...
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MFP 336: What Would You Say to Your Younger Self? An Interview with Suzanne Bilodeau
Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family
God has selected you uniquely to be the mother for these children. He will equip you for the work He wants you to do! Summary No one feels prepared to be a parent. Even if you were one of the oldest of 10 kids in a Catholic family (like Alicia or Katie) or a family of 7 (like Suzanne) you can never really be ready! The key to surviving, and even thriving, is stepping fully into your identity as a daughter of God. All the love that we have for our spouse and children needs to come from a deep place of confident love from our Heavenly Father. Listen in to this...
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MFP 335: Safety-ism
Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family
'Cause I love you more than you could know And your heart, it grows every time it breaks I know that it might sound strange But I wish you pain - “Wish You Pain” by Andy Grammar Summary Every parent wants to keep their kids safe, but is it possible to keep them “too safe”? In this podcast episode we dive into the overwhelming cult of safety-ism, which makes keeping your child from all pain and suffering an idol. Children are really “antifragile” - meaning that they need to have an appropriate amount of stress physically, mentally and emotionally to be able to...
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MFP 334: An Addiction, a Marriage, and a Priest
Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family
Our vows are for life, and we need overwhelming grace to live them out - Kevin Wells Summary If you ever thought your marriage was in such bad shape that you simply did not know what to do, this podcast is for you. We were so blessed to be able to talk to Kevin Wells, the author of The Hermit: The Priest Who Saved a Soul, a Marriage, and a Family. This interview is deep because Kevin and his wife Krista have been through the fire together and it is only by the grace of God that they both survived. Our discussion includes the indissolubility of the marriage vows, how...
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MFP 333: The Family Meeting
Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family
What is the rhythm of leadership in your family? Summary Every relationship relies on communication, but when you operate as a family with many members, communication can become difficult! Kids can get lost in the chaos, plans get forgotten, chores undone, and mom and dad are constantly putting out fires. In comes the miracle of the Family Meeting! Well, let’s rephrase that… A family meeting will not solve ALL your problems but it is a great step forward in leading your family and living life intentionally. In this podcast, we discuss the REAL purpose of a...
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MFP 332: The Seven Marks of Christian Forgiveness
Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family
If forgiveness isn’t hard, you aren’t doing it right - Dan Meola Summary Many parents struggle with their children--not because of the kids, but because of the wounds they are carrying from their own parents. The only path for healing those wounds is forgiveness. But how do we forgive, especially when the hurts are deep and real? In this podcast we sat down with Dan Meola, the founder of Life Giving Wounds, a ministry for adult children of divorce. We talked about the importance of forgiveness, what it is--and what it is not. To define true...
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MFP 331: Let’s Talk About Husbands! Listener questions answered
Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family
“If we accept that God’s love is unconditional, that the Father’s love cannot be bought or sold, then we will become capable of showing boundless love and forgiving others even if they have wronged us” - Pope Francis in Amoris Laetitia Summary: Becoming a husband and father is the biggest change a man goes through in his life. There is simply no better “life-coaching” than family life! But when men find their vocation difficult, it is usually their wives that they turn to or who observe this difficulty and have a desire to help. In this podcast, we hear from...
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MFP 330: What Will Your Children Remember?
Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family
“You’re not just parenting your children… you are parenting your grandchildren” Summary Have you ever walked through a thousand-year-old castle or along a wall built by Romans nearly a millennium ago? On a recent trip to the UK, we were struck by the longevity of these structures—and the intentionality behind them. They weren’t built to last a season, but centuries. In this episode, we challenge you to think the same way about your family culture. Are you parenting just for today… or are you building something that will bless your children, grandchildren, and...
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MFP 329: Who is “God the Father”?
Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family
“Unleashing the heart of the Father is a power the world does not know.” Summary God wants us to know Him as a father. We as parents are to prepare the hearts of our children to know the father by acting like him. So when our children wonder what God is like, we should be able to say to them, “God loves you as I love you, but so much better”. For us to do that, we need to know what God is like, so we can act as him. In this podcast we break open the Word of God to share with you how God describes Himself in the Bible and how we can come to know Him better...
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MFP 328: Let Your Life Be a Witness, An interview with Chris and Molly McMahon
Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family
"Never be embarrassed to love your wife." – Chris McMahon Summary What does it take to build a thriving business and a strong marriage at the same time? In this episode, Mike sits down with longtime friends Chris and Molly McMahon—financial advisors, founders, parents of five, and marriage warriors. Together, they unpack the real story behind balancing ambition with family, building a faith-filled home without a perfect blueprint, and making decisions that prioritize your marriage even when the world says otherwise. From the mess of early parenthood and maxed-out credit cards to...
info_outline“When we're able to put most of our energy into developing our natural talents, extraordinary room for growth exists. So, a revision to the "You-can-be-anything-you-want-to-be" maxim might be more accurate: You cannot be anything you want to be—but you can be a lot more of who you already are.”
― Tom Rath, Strengths Finder
Very often parents focus on improving the weaknesses in their children, but actually the opposite is more effective. The best way for any person to grow is to focus on their strengths - virtues, talents, or what they are naturally good at. Using those strengths builds confidence and actually can then make up for the weaknesses. Listen in as we discuss how to empower children through “strengths-based parenting”.
Play and Pray Challenge - www.messyfamilyproject.org/challenge/
Catholic Couples Getaway - www.catholiccouplesgetaway.com/
Watch here - https://youtu.be/TTV85m_tlp0