Church and Family Life Podcast

There’s only one kind of parents any child will ever have—imperfect ones. Yet God’s command to “Honor your father and mother” is to be followed, regardless. The good news is: Though it’s hard to obey, at times, this command comes with a blessed “promise: ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth’” (Eph. 6:2-3).     In this podcast, Scott Brown and Jason Dohm explai...

Most children training books are bad—but a few are fantastic. In this podcast, Scott Brown and Jason Dohm discuss their top three: (1) Training Tips by Reb Bradley; (2) Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp; and (3) Purposeful and Persistent Parenting by John and Cindy Raquet .     How can parents proactively raise their kids, rather than have a “child-run” ho...

It’s easy to complain that the culture’s crumbling all around us. But as homes go, so goes the nation. When fathers and mothers neglect reading the Bible daily to their family and directing their children in God’s ways, nations fall into decay. The remedy comes not in changing Washington, London, or Paris, but in transforming our homes by practicing regular family worship and putting God at the ce...

Jon English Lee’s new book, There Remains a Sabbath Rest for the People of God answers the question: Are Christians are bound to keep the sabbath? Or is it simply a relic of Israel’s law system that was fulfilled in Christ? The answer comes in the Fourth Commandment. We’re to “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exod. 20:8) because God established it as a creation ordinance, “For in six da...

Every year should be a year of consecration. So as we enter 2025, we should set our yearly goals apart to God for His glory. This requires looking to Him for wisdom and ordering our way rightly, as the Psalmist cries: “ Direct my steps by Your word, a nd let no iniquity have dominion over me ” (Ps. 119:133).     In this podcast, Scott Brown and Jason Dohm, joined by special guest Carlton...

Leading one’s family in God’s ways requires focus and resolve. With the world arrayed against us, we must proclaim with Joshua, “as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Josh. 24:15). As parents, we must not only love God with all our heart, soul, and strength, and keep His commands (Deut. 6:4-5), but we must “ teach them diligently to [our] children, and shall talk of them when [we] sit i...

Delayed obedience. Partial obedience. Rolling of the eyes. “Selective” listening. A dishonorable tone. Such gestures are tell-tale signs of a child who doesn’t honor their parents from the heart. And whenever parents see such signs, they have a duty to promptly get on top of these problems and secure first-time obedience from their children—for it will not go well with them if they fail to honor t...

One of the pivotal duties of a father is to lead his family daily in prayer. Whenever dads fail to do this, more often than not , the rest of their family’s prayer life will languish. A father’s prayers should be marked by praise to God for His many mercies. Dads should lead the way in acknowledging their own inability and weakness, even as they appeal to the Giver of all good things for their fam...

Corporate singing as a church is vital to the health and well-being of the body. Through it, we teach and admonish one another, even as we stir up good affections toward God and praise His glorious name. The songs we sing tell us what kind of God we worship and what kind of gospel we're proclaiming. Singing together brings joy to God’s people and is one of the most spiritually unifying things that...

How should Christians plan and celebrate their wedding and reception? What should the wedding say and emphasize? And h ow should we conduct ourselves? Here’s good news! God has not left us to flounder. His all-sufficient Word provides what we need to make wise choices in planning this special day .     In this podcast, Scott Brown and Jason Dohm , joined by special guest Carlton McLeod,...

God calls us to be a thankful people (1 Thess. 5:18), and such thanks was powerfully modeled to us by the Pilgrims in Plymouth in 1621. Following a harsh start where half their number died due to sickness and starvation, they gathered the next Fall to celebrate God’s goodness. Joined by local Indians such as Chief Massasoit and Squanto, they feasted, played games, and gave thanks to their Ma...

What drives churches into irrelevancy? What harms the coming generation that’s grown up in the church? What nullifies preaching and doctrine? What compromises the family’s integrity at its core? What damages our witness in the world? It’s syncretism—mixing the things of God with the things of the world. Besides rejecting the true Gospel, syncretism is the greatest threat to the church and family i...

Manhood today is in crisis, as men across the globe have become increasingly passive, effeminate, depressed, medicated, and, in some cases, suicidal. Yet there is hope! God calls men to be men, and His Word shows us what manhood looks like. Rather than kowtow to feminism’s lies or gave way to their sinful flesh, men are to be strong and courageous dominion-takers whose chief desire is to glo...

There’s a baby on the way! When a dad and mom learn they’re expecting , joy fills the air as they discuss baby names, redecorating the nursery, and what life will be like in welcoming a new child into their home. Then the mother begins to bleed . A nd worry. And, before long, she has a confirmed miscarriage. As she and her husband begin to grieve, how should we comfort them?     In this...

Sermons should play a heightened role in our child training, for God has ordained the preaching of His Word as an integral part of the disciple-making process. They’re not only a key instrument He uses to convert the lost, but they’re a vehicle through which families are strengthened and children are trained up “in the way [they] should go” (Prov. 22:6). With this in mind, parents should thoughtfu...

Apart from how you walk with God, marriage is the most important life decision you’ll ever make. While “falling in love” may come easy, marrying well in the Lord requires careful prayer and counsel, as well as the resolve to keep personal passions and hormones in their rightful place. It should be pursued for the right reasons with a clear mind and calm judgment—and ultimately be driven by the des...

When civil rulers spurn God’s law, Christians have a duty to speak. That’s the clear testimony of Scripture. Throughout history, faithful heralds of righteousness have called out civil magistrates for committing evil deeds and enacting laws repugnant to God’s moral order. Think of Elijah before King Ahab and John the Baptist before Herod.     The need is no less great today. In this podc...

Who should be baptized—the children of believers or only those who repent and believe on Christ? The debate between paedo- and credo - baptists has waged for centuries, and the answer hinges on how we interpret C ovenant T heology. What is without question is that all of God’s dealing s with man are covenantal. And Scripture further makes plain that those who enter covenant with God should receive...

What is the role of a grandparent? While the world says it ’ s time to retire and relax, Scripture paints a much different picture. Grandparents have an opportunity to help disciple their grandchildren in God’s ways and leave a lasting heritage for their families that will bless generations to come.     In this podcast, Scott Brown and Jason Dohm , joined by special guest Jos...

Before they reach 18, 37% of the children in America will receive a visit from Child Protective Services. While some visits are warranted , 83% of the cases CPS investigates are unfounded. Sadly, doctors and nurses, driven by “mandatory reporting” laws, along with unwise neighbors, regularly tip CPS off to concerns that open up innocent families to needless scrutiny that can result in children bei...

It’s the world turned upside down! The July 13th assassination attempt of Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania showcased an image Americans had never seen before—a female Secret Service agent coming to the defense of a man. While woman warriors populate the Marvel universe, they don’t play this role in God’s world whenever Christian culture prevails. Sadly, we’ve lost our bearings, and women have...

T he gospel of Jesus Christ is not an aside to our faith. It “ is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes ” (Rom. 1:16). Without its wonder-working power, there is no hope for family, church, or cultural reformation. We must therefore keep the Gospel at the center, for from it flows salvation and hope for the nations.   In this podcast, Scott Brown and Jason Dohm discuss the G...

Faithful church deacons provide a ministry of mercy that the state can never match—reaching those in need not just with physical and financial aid, but with spiritual help to the heart and soul. Their care for the sick, the disabled, along with widows and orphans, is Christianity in action. But what makes a young man qualified to fill this role? What attributes should he exemplify before assuming...

While the world trumpets an anti-child bias, God proclaims large families to be a blessing, “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward” (Ps. 127:3). Yet a large family is a big responsibility. It requires a lot of discipline and resources. If you ’ re going to have a productive womb, you need to have a well-managed household.      In this podca...

How does God desire to be worshipped? The right answer doesn’t come from the latest whiz-bang idea from today’s creative coolness technicians, but from God’s Word itself. Sadly, many in the church believe that anything that’s not forbidden in Scripture is fair game to use in the worship of God—from entertaining skits to musical light shows. But such notions reject the Bible’s teaching on how God w...