Christian Parent, Crazy World

Catherine continues in a series on truth with this second installment, which identifies the leading way that the enemy tricks Believers. Truth is the central issue of the Christian faith—it is the primary reason Christ came to earth, and yet nearly half of all born again Christians do not believe in universal truth. The enemy has a plan to twist and contort the truth, and in this episode, Catherine examines his tactics by peering into his playbook. She will take you on a tour of history, literature, current media trends, and even a classic hymn, all the while using theological truth as our guide to uncover the enemy’s greatest weapon of mass destruction in our lives. Teach your children to see what the enemy is doing. Let your home be a place where truth reigns supreme.SPARK MEDIA FAN AWARDS: Nominate CHRISTIAN PARENT/CRAZY WORLD for a Spark Fan Award in the categories of “Best Female Podcast” and “Best Solo Podcast.” https://www.sparkmedia.ventures/site/awardsDon’t forget to leave a review of CPCW on both Apple Podcasts and Spotify!WORKS REFERENCED:CW Article: “What is the Biggest Threat to Our Faith and Our Culture Today?”: https://bit.ly/3GNOeRPChristian Headlines: “58 Percent of Americans Believe Moral Truth ‘Is Up to Each Individual,’ New Poll Finds”: https://bit.ly/3uOXy5C1984 by George OrwellCNN Story: “Fiery But Mostly Peaceful Protests After Police Shooting”: https://bit.ly/3Bm3wfeThe Federalist: “Death Toll Rises to Estimated 30 Since ‘Mostly Peaceful Protests’ Began”: https://bit.ly/36eS4XBMartin Luther: “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”: https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/886 SCRIPTURES REFERENCED:John 18:37John 8:44Genesis 3:1, 4John 3:5Matthew 26:65Acts 6:11Follow Catherine:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catherinesegars/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motherhoodfaithandculture/Episode Image Credit: Getty/z_wei Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In this episode, Catherine identifies the greatest threat to our faith and our culture today. That threat involves an attack on something that is so central, so foundational to our faith, that to attack it is to attack the very core of who we are as Christians. Truly, it is an attack on Christ Himself. This threat is leading to an erosion of both our faith and our culture, and it is leading to the massive youth exodus from the church that we have been trying to assuage since episode 1 of this podcast.But first, Catherine asks this question: “Why did Jesus come into the world?” The answer to that question is central to our faith, and it shows us why the biggest threat to our faith and culture is what it is today.Nominate CHRISTIAN PARENT/CRAZY WORLD for a Spark Fan Award in the categories of “Best Female Podcast” and “Best Solo Podcast.” https://www.sparkmedia.ventures/site/awardsResources Cited:“What is the Biggest Threat to Our Faith and Our Culture” https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/what-is-the-biggest-threat-to-our-faith-and-culture-today.htmlFocus on the Family: The Truth Project (Digital, Small Group Curriculum CDs): https://bit.ly/35wGUNjChristian Headlines: “58 Percent of Americans Believe Moral Truth ‘Is Up to Each Individual,’ New Poll Finds”: https://bit.ly/33XVA81Christian Headlines: “Record Low 6% of Americans Adhere to a Biblical Worldview, New Study Shows”: https://bit.ly/3KUaOLMCultural Research Center: “American World Inventory 2020—At a Glance”: https://bit.ly/3ubjureHouston Chronicle: “Evangelical, Fundamentalist, and Born Again Aren’t the Same”: https://bit.ly/3ISr7XKScriptures Referenced: John 18:37Genesis 3:1John 1:1, 14John 14:6Hebrews 13:8Malachi 3:6Numbers 23:9Deuteronomy 30:19-20***Follow Catherine:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catherinesegars/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motherhoodfaithandculture/Episode Image Credit: Getty/Svitlana Tytska Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This is Catherine’s most practical podcast yet. In this insightful episode, Catherine helps you leave behind the old and embrace the new in 2022 with a “Dashboard for Life,” which is a report card containing 13 gauges on how to improve in the new year. Catherine walks you through how to examine your faith life, your marriage or dating life, your family life, and nine other areas by offering simple, everyday guidance on how to make effective and lasting change. This powerful tool for self-assessment will help all of your relationships, especially your parenting relationships. But most of all, it will help improve your relationship with God, and when that relationship is better, all of your relationships are better. NOW, with each and every one of these gauges, don’t just write something down on how to improve. Our methods, our remedies often fall short. Ask God. And listen to His prompting. See what He has to say. Because He has the remedy that really works.To get the “Dashboard for Life” Report Card, subscribe on Catherine’s website: https://catherinesegars.com/OTHER RESOURCES MENTIONED:Chris Hodges’ Sermon, The Best Teacher, Dec. 26, 2021: https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/media/message/the-best-teacherFinancial class: Financial Peace University: https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus/financial-peaceThe One Year Bible: Paperback: https://bit.ly/34RK7GZEbook: https://bit.ly/3A4yesOBible Reading Plans: https://bit.ly/3FzgdUMLife Application Bible: https://bit.ly/3A5iPINEpisode 17 of our show - “How To Discover Your Purpose in Life,” https://www.lifeaudio.com/christian-parent-crazy-world/how-to-discover-your-purpose-in-lifeSpiritual Gifts & Personality tests:https://giftstest.com/ http://www.humanmetrics.com/personalityScriptures mentioned:Psalm 100:4; Psalm 51:10; Romans 8:28; Proverbs 29:18; 2 Corinthians 10:5Episode Image Credit: Getty/gvardgraph Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The Hallmark Channel has found a cash cow with their Countdown to Christmas, attracting around 80 million viewers during the 8-week event. These films are a cultural phenomenon. Why are they so popular? After all, they are predictable and a little cheesy. Why do we love them so much?Catherine has a theory on that, which is both enlightening and entertaining. The answer is very significant both culturally and spiritually. In this episode of CHRISTIAN PARENT/CRAZY WORLD, Catherine identifies what we are really looking for when we imbibe hours of this fluffy, feel-good entertainment. And then she points us towards what we really need.ARTICLES REFERENCED:“Why Are So Many People Obsessed with Hallmark Movies?” https://bit.ly/3swRhdL“Hallmark Christmas Movies: Five Reasons To Be Careful”: https://bit.ly/3E7qPJK“Should Christians Be Concerned by the LGBTQ Direction in Hallmark Movies?”: https://bit.ly/3e7wWDl“How Should Christians Talk to Their Kids about LGBTQ Issues?”: https://bit.ly/3EeMTSP“Is It Possible to Be a Christian and a Modern Feminist?”: https://bit.ly/3Ee14azSTATISTICS MENTIONED:“How Hallmark Takes Over Your TV Every Christmas” by Emily VanDerWerff, Vox https://bit.ly/3H06cB6“Why Netflix Is Making Hallmark Christmas Movies” by Caroline Fox, Screenrant https://bit.ly/3GVQHKr“The Impact of Coronavirus on Cable TV is Mixed” by Brad Adgate, Forbes https://bit.ly/3padw76PODCASTS & BLOGS REFERENCED:CPCW Episode 13: “Four Types of Prayer Every Believer Should Know”: https://bit.ly/30Hpz2a“I Want to Live in a Hallmark Film”: https://catherinesegars.com/2019/11/26/i-want-to-live-in-a-hallmark-film/***Follow Catherine:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catherinesegars/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motherhoodfaithandculture/Episode Image Credit: Getty/Svitlana Tytska Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Culture swings on a pendulum between two extremes, and the enemy is very adept at using these extremes to his advantage. He is masterful at hiding our vices, and using a complementary virtue to reinforce what is our greatest area of weakness, as a culture and as individuals. In this episode, Catherine shows how culture how ebbs and flows between these two extremes throughout history. Then she identifies what is the greatest virtue of our culture and how the enemy is using that virtue to lead us astray.Resources mentioned:The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis: https://bit.ly/3GEdNF9Audio version from Focus on the Family: https://bit.ly/3IJP8kuThe Unfortunate Tale of the Witch of Pungo: https://bit.ly/3ymyNNFC.S. Lewis quote: https://bit.ly/33g0jB0Wisdom from Lewis (The Gospel Coalition): https://bit.ly/3Gw5dbAHedonsim (Philosophy Terms): https://philosophyterms.com/hedonism/Scriptures Referenced:Exodus 32 (The Golden Calf)2 Kings 17:33-41***Follow Catherine:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catherinesegars/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motherhoodfaithandculture/Episode Image Credit: Getty/Flash Vector Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

HOW DO YOU LIVE BIBLICALLY WHEN EVERYONE AROUND YOU ISN’T? Or a lot of people around you aren’t. In other words, how do you live a counter-cultural life? Good question, huh? We are in the middle of a series on how to be a counter-cultural Christian. In this episode, Catherine offers six guidelines to help you and your kids swim upstream in our downstream culture.At the end of life, all that matters is our faithfulness to God. Did we stand strong? Culture is always flowing downstream. Always has been. Always will. Did we go with the flow, or were we determined to swim the other way?If we want to swim upstream, we need to:(1)Know the Word(2)Find encouragement in those who swam upstream before us.(3)Question everything.(4)Expect opposition and even persecution.(5)Listen intently for God’s voice.(6)Maintain an ETERNAL MINDSETIf we can do these things, and if we can teach our kids to do these things, we will be swimming the right way. RESOURCES MENTIONED:Keys for Kids: Website: https://www.keysforkids.org/Daily Devotional: https://www.keysforkids.org/Programming/Keys-for-Kids-Daily-Devotional/Read-ListenThe Jesus Storybook Bible: https://amzn.to/3D4GPeUApologia What We Believe Series:Who Is God? And Can I Really Know Him?: https://bit.ly/314vUFnWho Am I? And What Am I Doing Here?: https://bit.ly/314jzAZWho Is My Neighbor? And Why Does He Need Me?: https://bit.ly/3D4FHI8What On Earth Can I Do?: https://bit.ly/3lktucqThe Bible Project: Website – https://bibleproject.com/How To Read the Bible (videos): https://bibleproject.com/explore/how-to-read-the-bible/Article on Yeonmi Park: “Columbia student who escaped North Korea says she sees similarities in the US”: https://bit.ly/3I4MVzF“Only One Life” by C.T. Studd: https://bit.ly/3d2puZG***Follow Catherine:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catherinesegars/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motherhoodfaithandculture/Episode Image Credit: Getty/Jorm Sangsorm Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

If we are going to swim God’s direction in this downstream culture, people will think that we are odd. They will have all kinds of choice words to describe us. We need to have this expectation in life, and we need to give our kids this expectation as well. If our children stay true to God’s Word and God’s standard, our culture will not celebrate them. In fact, our culture will accuse and may even cancel them. Other Christians may accuse and cancel them. But that’s ok. We stand in good company when we are accused and canceled for our faith. This episode is the first in a series on being a counter-cultural Christian. In order to do that, we need to (1) stay grounded in the Word, and (2) draw inspiration from those who swam upstream before us. In this first installment, Catherine gives some practical tips and lots of Biblical inspiration to help us swim upstream in our downstream culture.PODCASTS REFERENCED:CPCW 4-part Worldview series – you can find all the episodes at https://www.lifeaudio.com/christian-parent-crazy-world/episodes Episode 6: Why You Should Teach Your Kids About Other WorldviewsEpisode 7: What Other Worldviews Are Competing for Your Kids’ FaithEpisode 8: What Sets the Christian Worldview Apart from Other WorldviewsEpisode 9: How Does the Christian Worldview Create a World We All Want To Live In?Episode 4: Is Christianity Just a Religion of Do’s and Don’tsSCRIPTURES REFERENCED:Hebrews 4:12 Proverbs 14:12RESOURCES FOR SCRIPTURE SONGS:Catherine Segars’ Website: Resources : https://catherinesegars.com/resourcesEsther Mui: Scripture Songs for Worship: http://www.scripturesongsforworship.com/Seeds Family Worship: https://bit.ly/2YOHnrpThe Corner Room: https://bit.ly/3CckdJ2Sherri Youngward: http://www.sherriyoungward.com/King Things: https://bit.ly/3qzp5Wy The Bigsby Show - Books of the Bible Song: https://bit.ly/3kAQWC0The Bigsby Show - 12 Disciples Song - https://bit.ly/2YOI9EPASL Page on Handspeak (motions to aid in Scripture memory): https://www.handspeak.com/word/ARTICLES REFERENCED: “Factose Intolerance,” by Cheryl Lowe, Memoria Press: https://www.memoriapress.com/articles/factose-intolerance***Follow Catherine:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catherinesegars/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motherhoodfaithandculture/Episode Image Credit: Getty/PeterHermesFurian Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Do you know that you have a purpose in life? Like beyond parenting. Beyond what you do for a living, even, perhaps. Beyond paying the bills and doing the chores and feeding the kids. You have a purpose in life. Something that God created you to do before you were ever born. God has a very specific part for you to play in the grand story He is writing throughout all of historyIn this podcast, I’m going to talk about how to discover why you were born. I will give you the Five P’s of finding your purpose.Discovering your purpose in life really does tie into your parenting in a big way. Because when your kids see you living your purpose in life, they are going to be inspired to live out theirs. The majority of people live and die without ever discovering their purpose in life, the reason God created them. Isn’t that sad. But what is even more sad is that the majority of Christians, the majority of people who know the God who created them with a purpose to fulfill for His Kingdom, they never discover that purpose is either. They never realize why they were put on this earth. How sad is that? It is tragic, really.The 5 P’s to Your Purpose:People who fulfill their God-given purpose in life are people of prayer.They are people who plant themselves in Christ’s body, in the church. They are people who allow God to prune them without losing their faith.They are people who persevere. And all the while, they never stop praising God. The question is not “Do I have a purpose?” Scripture is clear—you do. The question is, then, “Will I discover God’s purpose for my life?” And then, “Will I fulfill God’s purpose for my life?” Or…“Will I usurp God’s purpose for my life with my own?”I encourage you to fulfill your purpose by praying, planting, allowing God to prune, the persevere, all the while praising God. And as you do this, you will be modeling for your kids how to fulfill their purpose in life too.SCRIPTURES REFERENCED:Jeremiah 1:5Isaiah 49:1-2Psalm 139:13-17Ephesians 2:10 Isaiah 46:10-11Proverbs 25:2Psalm 92:12-13John 15:1-2Psalm 144:1OTHER SOURCES REFERENCED:John Bevere Devotional“Jobs Are Hard” videoThe Road Not Taken by Robert Frost Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The more your kids understand their God-given purpose in life, the more likely they are to stay grounded in their faith into adulthood. As parents, we have this incredibly unique position in our kid’s lives. We are literally front row center for most of the first two decades. We are, hands down, the most important influence on our kids during their formative years. We have not just the ability, but the responsibility to uncover those spiritual gifts in our kids’ lives, and to cultivate them. You could say that we are the chief gardener in their lives. How well those little seeds do is, in a large part, up to us.“God gave you your kids for a reason, your specific kids. That’s because you hold the key to unlocking who God created them to be.”***Tips for Cultivating Your Child’s Spiritual Gifts:1. What do you see in your child’s life that isn’t like your other kids, or other peoples’ children? When you see a gift – feed it. Call it out and encourage it. Water that gift and watch it grow.2. Don’t compare your parenting or your kids to other kids. God specifically chose you to parent your children. What your kids need is quite simple: they need you. And God will meet all the needs you have as you parent them.***Resources Mentioned in this Episode:Pass the Baton (blog): https://catherinesegars.com/2020/12/11/pass-the-baton/Blogcasts at CatherineSegars.com: https://catherinesegars.com/category/blogcast/The Mere Mother Blogcast on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3PXxZ9OEvangeline’s Faith Testimony in Episode 14: https://bit.ly/3BjI5xMSing to Me (blog post): https://catherinesegars.com/2020/03/07/sing-to-me/***Scripture Mentioned in This Week's Episode:Jesus at the Temple: Luke 2:41-52; Philippians 4:19***Follow Catherine:Instagram | FacebookEpisode Image Credit: Getty/Olha Khorimarko Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

When you step out with God in prayer, you need to expect opposition from the enemy. That’s because prayer changes history. Your history, your child’s history, human history.***Resources:Read my article on this topic on Crosswalk.comGod Is Good, But This Isn’t: Blogcast Recording | Article.Take Heart: 100 Devotions to Seeing God When Life's Not Okay***Scriptures to Pray When You Go to Battle in Prayer:Jeremiah 24:7John 8:31-32 2 Corinthians 3:16-172 Peter 3:9 Exodus 23:25-26Galatians 3:29 Matthew 6:10Romans 8:28Whatever happens in this life, it won’t happen because I didn’t pray with faith. Whatever doesn’t happen in this life, it won’t fail to happen because I didn’t pray with faith. Because I didn’t fight, because I didn’t take the authority that God has given me, those keys, and use them to speak forth what I believe is His will here on earth. HERE’S THE BOTTOM LINE when it comes to prayer. Our faith in prayer must not be in a certain outcome—now we may be praying for a particular outcome. Our faith must be in God regardless of the outcome. ***Follow Catherine:Instagram | FacebookEpisode Image Credit: Getty/Yelyzaveta Hryhorieva Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.