Growing Home Together Podcast

Three years ago, Rob left his day job and Joanna took on a new full-time career to become full-time partners in writing, podcasting, and building Growing Home Together. As they joined both their personal and working lives, they heard the same question over and over: I could NEVER work with my spouse! How can you be happy working together as a team?    The answer to that question isn’t simple and i...

Even the most bold, assertive, and confident man feels the heavy burdens and fears that come with fathering kids in these challenging times. He wonders Do I have what it takes? Who is the right example to follow? How do I measure up to God’s perfect example of fatherhood? What does it take to be a success? Am I the only one who struggles? Who will walk this road of parenting with me?     Today’s g...

Pain and stress, unresolved conflict, and past traumas can lead even the most committed couple to the brink of divorce. Perhaps you and your spouse—or a couple you know—is feeling so hurt and disconnected you wonder how to carry on. In your heart of hearts, you’re tempted to give up and walk away from your relationship.    Today’s guest, Toni Nieuwhof, knows what it’s like to feel wounded and hope...

Today’s guest, Blake Brewer, faced unspeakable tragedy at the age of nineteen when his father died in his arms. Later that same day, he discovered his dad had provided an unexpected gift in the form of a letter to Blake and his siblings. The letter became a lifeline that permanently connected Blake to his dad’s wisdom, encouragement, and love. That life-changing experience prepared Blake to help y...

You feel lonely in your marriage. Your spouse pursues every other relationship and activity instead of you. Romance gave way to rejection, and you’re asking tough questions in your heart. Does she love me anymore? Am I still attractive to him? Why don’t we talk like we used to? Will I always feel invisible and unappreciated? Am I the only one working on this marriage? You feel the pain of trying t...

As parents of five kids, now ages 10 to 27, we’ve been blindsided by every kind of tough question over the years. You know the kind of questions we’re talking about: Where do babies come from?  When can I have my own smartphone?  Why does that family have two moms?  What’s going on with the riots on the news?  It’s tempting to dodge the questions instead of talking with your kids about the tough i...

Our life as a couple brings one transition after another. For Rob and I, we’ve added babies to our family and sent young adults out into the world. Job changes sent us cross-country and turned our routines upside-down. For years Joanna was a stay-at-home homeschooling parent, but now she’s working and sending our son off to school each day. Like us, you’ve had to face the changes of life as a coup...

Every couple begins married life together with a different background of traditions and habits, values and relationship patterns. Today’s guests, Kagiso and Kate Motaung, know all about bridging differences in their cross-cultural marriage. They offer hope and great wisdom to help couples understand    How God wrote Kate and Kagiso’s love story in South Africa  The cultural differences they faced...

You’ve taken your child to church since they were a baby. Family Bible reading, worship music on the radio, and bedtime prayers have been woven into the life of your family. Yet despite the foundation of faith you’ve built for child, they struggle to believe. Doubts, poor choices, and even resistance to God have eroded their trust in Jesus. You’re discouraged and afraid as a parent—will praying fo...

Parenthood doesn’t come with an instruction manual. So as you and I try to write our own job description, you might say your job is to raise responsible, independent adults. Or it’s to raise godly children who love Jesus with all of their hearts. Or maybe it’s to raise kids who make good choices and have strong character. But as you work so hard to achieve those goals in your home, you just become...

This week we are excited to celebrate our 29th anniversary! In just a few more weeks, our oldest daughter will be walking down the aisle as a bride. And a few weeks beyond that, our son and his wife will celebrate five years of married life together. As we reminisce about our own newlywed season and watch our kids experience love for themselves, we’re asking these important questions: How can you...

Since the day you fell in love and married, you carried a dream in your heart. More than anything you want to build a Christian home full of faith and the goodness of God. Yet like so many couples, you have no blueprints from your past to guide your way. You feel scared and insecure about how to put Christ in the center of your home and love each other like Jesus.  Today's guest, Mary DeMuth,...

Ten years ago we began a new journey into foster parenting that would grow our family with the adoption of our youngest child. We didn’t know then how little we understood the realities of childhood trauma. Learning how to understand our son’s emotions—and the behaviors they triggered—has challenged us in our parenting like nothing else.  Perhaps your own child has suffered separation from birth p...

Rob did the math, and discovered that we’ve shared 10,552 days of our lives together as a couple! That’s a LOT of time to spend raising kids, growing careers, coping with pain and struggles, and seeing the good, bad, and ugly in one another. It’s just as true today as 29 years ago—it takes effort and intention to keep the love alive between us.  That’s why we’re excited to welcome Jason and Terri...

As moms, we can feel overwhelmed and tired. Lonely and restless. Sad and even helpless in the face of our families’ struggles. We move into survival mode, pushing our dreams, needs, and growth to the back burner. What happens to our hearts when we're overwhelmed it all? How do we grow and flourish as a mom when life is hard? Today’s guest, Bethany Howard, brings us a refreshing perspective on...

We don’t need the experts to tell us that anxiety is a very real and growing struggle for children today. It touches nearly every family we know, and moms and dads are feeling discouraged and helpless in the face of their kids’ emotions. That’s why we’re thrilled to welcome an expert therapist and mom of two, Kelly Boprie, to the podcast today.  Kelly provides therapy for kids who face struggles w...

Deep down, you want more than anything to be a good man. A man of courage and self-discipline. Of character and integrity. Of wisdom, insight, and faith. You want to be the kind of man your friends and family can count on when life is tough. Yet with all the pressures and shame you feel from inside and the world around you, you feel unsure of how to be a good man and raise one too. Joining Rob and...

At the end of this long year, perhaps your marriage feels battered and bruised. Stressors, losses, and obstacles have tested your vow to cherish and love one another “for better or worse.” Affection gives way to irritation. Warmth is chilled by cold distance. Passion and intimacy fall away, leaving you with empty arms and lonely nights.   Today our guests Bill and Pam Farrel offer hope to couples...

This Christmas, we’re all a little weary. A little stressed. A little lonely for the friends and loved ones we’ve felt separated from for so long. Many of the gatherings, events, and traditions we cherish each year have been taken from our hands, leaving us empty or confused. And yet, there is hope that Jesus can restore the heart of your family this Christmas. Today’s guest, Asheritah Ciuciu, poi...

If most dads are honest, they carry a truckload of insecurity about parenting their daughters. They wonder, How do I know if I’m the dad she needs? Why won’t she open up and talk to me? How do I show I love her even when I don’t like her choices? What difference can I really make in her life, anyway? That’s why we’re thrilled to welcome today’s guest, Dr. Michelle Watson-Canfield, who has marked a...

During Thanksgiving—and the holiday shopping frenzy that follows—we want to see a grateful and generous spirit in our kids. At the end of this rough year of struggles and losses, we want our sons and daughters to recognize God’s blessings through it all. In today’s episode, Rob and Joanna share a personal conversation about their own family’s journey of learning to be thankful. They tackle parenti...

Our kids’ passage from childhood to life as adults is rarely smooth, straight, or simple. As moms and dads, we carry a burden of worry over our young adult children’s lives. We wonder, Will they ever be fully independent? Will they succeed in school or in a career? What if they reject our values and Christian faith? Will their friends and dating relationships move them forward or hold them back? H...

In all the talk about 2020, the word we’ve heard the most is “unprecedented.” Who in the world expected a pandemic to land on our doorsteps? Who could foresee the fires and natural disasters. The school closures and financial losses. The empty shelves at the store. Lockdowns and travel bans. Is it possible that our families could have been prepared for crisis after crisis this year?  Today’s guest...

How to Walk Your Way Closer to God and Each Other Stress. Political turmoil. Racial division. Financial hardship. The pain of life’s burdens can shake your faith to the core. In this year of trouble, relationships struggle too. Couples, families, and friendships suffer from loneliness and conflict with no relief in sight. Today’s podcast offers great hope in the hurt as you learn how to walk your...

You want a close, intimate relationship with your spouse. Both of you want to make memories as one another’s best friend. You aim for unity and teamwork in your parenting, decisions, and plans. Yet for many couples, these goals and desires crash against the rocks of your circumstances. You might be separated by job assignments or military deployment. One of you may be called away to care for an ag...