Pardon the Mess with Scarlet Hiltibidal - Christian Motherhood, Biblical Parenting, Raising Christian Kids

On today’s show, Ellie Holcomb joins us to talk about seeing Jesus for who he really is and guiding our families to practice the truths of scripture and trust God even in the midst of the unknown. She very practically shares how she speaks truth into the darkness by using fighting words from scripture.  Ellie is an amazing singer, author, songwriter, speaker and, most importantly, mom. She literal...

Happy Thanksgiving week!  Just curious, is anyone besides me completely grossed out by the whole cooking the turkey thing and pulling out the innards? Honestly, I could do without the turkey in general and just park myself in front of the sides for a fine little Thanksgiving. With great timeliness, my Mom is joining me on the podcast today to talk about Thanksgiving, praying for our kids, and ever...

It’s a hallmark day at Pardon the Mess because for the first time ever we have Annie Downs on the show. Annie lives in Nashville and is an author, podcaster, speaker, and expert on all things related to having fun!  You guys have no idea how long I’ve waited for a chance to chat with sweet Annie. Having followed her for many years, I’m absolutely in awe of how she lives out her faith in fresh and...

When I read the verses above, it makes me think of how nice it would be to simply hear a voice telling me how to proceed in certain situations and the resulting confidence I would have in knowing that I’m getting it right. And then I’m reminded that the Holy Spirit does just this when we listen expectantly as believers.    My dear friend Stephanie Martin (and one of the most discerning people I kn...

There’s just nobody like Jamie Ivey when it comes to having a hilarious conversation filled with lots of truth and vulnerability. This girl loves Austin, Texas, her family, parenting, marriage, and encouraging people to walk the path God has uniquely designed for them.  Today’s show was such a great reminder for me that what we do matters, and that our job is to be faithful where God has us (inste...

Today we’re talking about time-management on Pardon the Mess , and my husband Mike is making a cameo as we pray over our children.   As a young mom I so often remember being told to treasure each moment because “the days are long but the years are short.” Now as a mom who just celebrated a fairly large milestone birthday, I realize the absolute truth of those words both in raising kids and just in...

November is National Adoption Month, and I’m thrilled to be talking with Rebekah Lyons about adoption, following God’s callings, and what a ‘surrendered yes’ looks like in each of our lives. And then there’s the fact that I’m slightly obsessed with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, and Rebekah (having lived in NYC for several years) tells us all about it. Basically I’ve reconfir...

It’s November, and as we begin the countdown to Thanksgiving I naturally think of friends, family, and doing life together. Because of this, all month long I’ll be bringing some of my favorite people on the podcast to join us in praying over our kids. You’ll hear from people like my husband, my mom, and several of my sweet friends with lots of wisdom.  To kick it off today, we’re praying for the f...

When my son was about five-years-old he repeatedly urged me to say no to “rugs.” I was perplexed at his stance against floor coverings until I realized he was referring to drugs. Apparently he misunderstood a well-intentioned friends' advice on avoiding drug use—and it still makes me laugh today. But I digress.  This week is red-ribbon week in public schools and the perfect time for us to talk...

If David was named a man after God’s own heart yet still needed accountability, how much more do we need it in our own lives? That’s why we’re praying this week for our kids to have mentors and friends (i.e. Nathans) who point them to truth when their actions don’t line up with God’s word.   Accountability is not only important for our kids now, but also as they leave our homes one day and need tr...

She needs no introduction yet I’ll give her one anyway. Sadie Robertson Huff is with us today and she blows me away every single time. Sadie is a Duck Dynasty daughter, speaker, podcaster, New York Times best-selling author, and now in her most important role . . . . a mom!   Sadie talks with us about the ups and downs of being a new mom while also balancing God’s public calling on her life. She s...

What we believe about ourselves informs virtually every aspect of our daily walk in this world and with Jesus. If we don’t continually ground our identity in the Lord, we begin searching for identity in the things of this world. Paul Tripp says it this way: “Identity amnesia leads to identity replacement.”  Join us this week as we not only pray identity over our kids, but also address some of the...

It’s double fun today with Heather MacFadyen AND Kay Wyma joining us on Pardon the Mess.    Kay and I talk with Heather about her new book, Don’t Mom Alone , and all the reasons it’s critical we seek community as we raise our kids.    Some of my favorite topics we hit are: Ways to find our people and raise our kids in community  Why we struggle to let others in when life gets messy  Tying our wort...

Love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—it’s hard to think of a list of attributes our kids need more than those listed in Galatians 5:22–23.   Thankfully we’re spending this entire week praying the fruit of the spirit over our kids. As we do so, it’s important to remember that the fruit of the spirit isn’t something we’re simply hoping they will...

“I’ve been raised in a family where telling people about Jesus is as common as drinking water.” —Rachel Ruth Graham Lotz   If you’ve ever wondered about the legacy Billy Graham left for his family then the quote above pretty much says it all. I don’t know about you, but in my house there’s a lot of things happening as common as drinking water, but it’s not telling people about Jesus. 😫  Either wa...

We’re a month into praying for our kids, and it’s not too late if you are just now jumping in! Each Monday morning we will pray an attribute of our faith over our kids with a short 10 minute podcast guiding us as we do it. It’s fast, it’s intentional, and it’s so important we cover our kids in prayer each day.  This week we’re praying for our kids to have self-control and . . . well—there ain’t a...

How do we raise sons of courage and character? That’s the million dollar question we’re tackling today on Pardon the Mess .   Jon Tyson, Pastor of Church of the City New York, spent six years shaping, guiding, and mentoring his son from adolescence to adulthood believing intentionality was the key to raising Godly men in today’s culture. As a part of this journey with his son, he learned practical...

If anyone can appreciate the impact influencers have in our world today, it’s our kids. They are inundated with social media influencers telling them what to buy, how to look, and what to do in given situations. But despite the somewhat negative perception we may associate with our culture’s “influencers,” as Christians we are called have influence in our own circles and our kids are too.  Today w...

We are coming in hot this week with Jackie Hill Perry. She’s chatting with us about holiness, what that even means, and why God’s holiness matters to our everyday lives.   If you haven’t heard of Jackie Hill Perry, or JHP as I like to call her (not really, but kinda wanted to) you’re missing out. She’s been given the opportunity to share her story in all the big places and has an amazing testimony...

Praying fearlessness over our kids will likely result in a little bit of fear in our own lives—am I right? My youngest has already fully embraced the fearless life, and let’s just say it has caused me more gray hair than I care to highlight at this age. 🤪 Even so, as Christian parents we want our kids to live fearless when it comes to sharing their faith, walking in the ways of the Lord, and chas...

If I was braver I would show you a picture of my closet floor at this very moment in solidarity with all those slowly being overtaken by the clutter in their homes. But I’m not that brave, so let’s move on. Ha! Allie Casazza has been on Good Morning America , The Today Show , and a whole lot of other places talking about ways to keep our stuff from stealing our joy. Coming from a place of deep str...

It’s finally here! Week one of our 2021-2022 prayer journal kicks-off today on Pardon the Mess. If this is your first time to join us for the prayer podcasts, here’s how it works. Each Monday morning we will release a short, ten-minute podcast praying for an attribute of our faith over our kids. We will be praying our kids are marked by things like gratefulness, purpose, patience, resolve, courage...

If I had to pick just one person to speak into the nitty gritty of starting a new school year, it would 100% be Mia Mbroh. She’s not only a licensed professional counselor, but she has also worked directly in the school trenches giving her a unique insider's perspective.    In the only way Mia knows how, today she brings us an honest and vulnerable look at the good, bad, and ugly that our kids...

It feels like we’ve weathered some pretty significant storms the last 18 months, both in the world at large as well as individually and as families. If you’re anything like me, there have been hard places that have caused you to cry out to God and, at times, even question his plans.  I’m so thankful that Sally Clarkson is here today talking about the hard places we face, reminding us that storms a...

I don’t know about you, but it feels like now that school is back in session I can finally exhale and breathe a little bit knowing there’s going to be more routine in my days.  Maybe it was getting one ready for college, or mentally preparing for high school with my middle son, or the beginning of kindergarten with my youngest—but life has felt like a lot the last few months.  If you’re feeling th...