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

Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Jeremy Camp experienced both love and gut-wrenching loss in his twenties after falling in love with Melissa Henning and then losing her to cancer shortly after their honeymoon.  I Still Believe is the newly-released film portraying their story of God’s faithfulness in meeting the deepest of needs, even in the midst of unimaginable loss.  Today, Jeremy is marr...

I was reading through the book of Daniel this week, and I came across the part most of us learned about in first-grade Vacation Bible School: the part where King Nebuchadnezzar built a golden statue and told everyone they had to bow to it. When Daniel and his buddies refused to comply, the king promptly decided the next best step would be to turn up the temperature on the ol’ furnace and throw the...

Do you feel like you’ve got more questions than answers these days? Me too! Which is why I’m thrilled that we have Sissy Goff and David Thomas on our podcast to walk us through ways we can support our kids emotionally during these tough days. Sissy and David are on staff at Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville, Tennessee, and have extensive experience counseling kids. They speak all over the...

Have you found your family doing some unusual things as you’ve had extra time these last few weeks?  Us too. For example, my family was sitting around yesterday searching pandemic playlists and laughing at the songs that have a completely new meaning in these days of social isolation. Here are a few we came across: “Can’t Touch This” – MC Hammer “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” — Elvis Presley “All by...

The Israelites were trapped with seemingly no way out. The Egyptian army was fast approaching from behind. In front, they faced the unpassable waters of the Red Sea.  In frustration, they cried out to God, asking why he would allow this desperate situation and questioning if he really cared about them.  And then Moses answered with twelve words of truth: “The Lord will fight for you; you need only...

“You don’t have to worry about whether your world is under control. God rules. You just have to learn to trust him when his rule isn’t evident.” —Paul David Tripp This week, as we’re praying our kids through the school year, we’re focused on praying about service for our families (especially in days like we’re facing now). Paul Tripp’s devotional, New Morning Mercies , is relevant to what we’re fa...

“It’s never too late to start today.” That’s the challenge Latasha Morrison leaves us with on today’s podcast as we talk about diversity and racial reconciliation. I can promise you that listening to this forty-minute podcast will be one of the best uses of your time today. It’s that good! Latasha Morrison is the founder of Be the Bridge , a nonprofit organization equipping folks just like us to s...

How are your New Year’s resolutions coming? It’s been a few months since we kicked off 2020 and, undoubtedly, many of us have decided those naïve resolutions of January were simply a pipe dream. The crowds at the gym have died down while the lines at the In-N-Out Burger have maxed out. I have the “My Fitness Pal” app on my phone. Every single morning, it pops up a notification around 10:00 a.m. as...

We’re kicking off a new series this March focused on intentionality. I can’t think of a better way to get started than with Jennie Allen encouraging us to be intentional in identifying the toxic thoughts in our lives.  Jennie says “the greatest spiritual battle of our generation is being fought between our ears.” And with an average of 30,000 thoughts a day going through our minds, it’s easy to se...

As we pray inerrancy this week, you may be wondering what in the world that word even means.  And, for that matter, why does it matter for our kids? You’re not alone. I think we’ve all had that question. To believe the Bible is inerrant means we believe it is “inspired” and “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16).  If that’s the case, then the Bible must be without error and completely trustworthy (2 Timo...

New York Times bestselling author Melanie Shankle joins us on Pardon the Mess as we continue our February series focused on the things we love. Melanie has a great word of encouragement for us on truly appreciating friendship. She talks about what the ups and downs of friendship have meant in her life and reminds us that we have to make new friends in order to eventually have old friends. We talk...

We say this often, but parenting is one of the greatest blessings and one of the greatest challenges. There are really hard places in parenting that are much easier to avoid rather than address head-on.  Suicide is one of those topics.  It’s emotional, it’s scary, and it’s easy to feel inadequate when it comes to talking about it. That said, the CDC lists suicide as the second-leading cause of dea...

We say this often, but parenting is one of the greatest blessings and one of the greatest challenges. There are really hard places in parenting that are much easier to avoid rather than address head-on.  Suicide is one of those topics.  It’s emotional, it’s scary, and it’s easy to feel inadequate when it comes to talking about it. That said, the CDC lists suicide as the second-leading cause of dea...

This week we’re praying for our kids to have courage. The further our culture strays from God’s truth, the more courage it will take for them to live biblically. I wrote an article last year about the importance of raising kids who can stand alone . I saw a picture on social media of a boy standing by himself while praying at his school’s “See You At The Pole” Day. I realized right then how import...

We’re talking all things love this February, and it’s only fitting we talk about our love for our kids! Speaking of love, how was your Valentine’s day?  Some years, V-Day (that’s what the cool kids call it) entails fancy clothes and a night out for a steak. Other years, it’s more of the boneless wings and a Diet Coke variety.  Mine fell in the wings category this year, but I have no complaints. As...

It’s often said that character is how we act when nobody is looking.  As a parent of a toddler, I cling to the hope that character evolves with age.  For that matter, as a parent of teens, I’m counting on God’s promise that he will “finish what he started” and help me get them over the finish line (Philippians 1:6). Character is a big one on the list of things we can be praying for our kids.  It’s...

This month, Pardon the Mess is focused on things we love, and we’re thrilled to have Kirk Cameron on the show to talk about family, marriage, faith, and raising kids. That pretty much covers all the things we love! Kirk is best known for his 1980s portrayal of Mike Seaver in the sitcom Growing Pains . Since that time, he’s continued to act, direct, and produce films primarily in the context of his...

R-E-S-P-E-C-T! There’s not a parent out there who hasn’t echoed the words of the legendary Aretha saying, “All I’m askin’ is for a little respect when you get home.” This week, we’re praying for our kids to have respect. This is a core value that impacts all of their relationships, and it’s critical to walking well with the Lord. It starts by teaching respect in the home, and obedience is a key co...

In today's  episode , I talk to Robert J. Morgan, the author of one of my favorite books EVER, The Red Sea Rules .  It’s about the Israelites’ journey across the Red Sea and ten biblical principles for when we face difficulties in our faith. Pastor Rob got me thinking about the difficulties I’ve faced lately, as well as the way God has helped me in and through them. Which then got me thinking...

“The truth is, of course, that what one regards as interruptions are precisely one’s life.” —C. S. Lewis The Lord uses people for his kingdom purposes who are willing to let go of their own agenda and go with his. To trade in their own personal security for something bigger than they can accomplish on their own. He uses those who live interruptible lives. Many of the disciples were asked to litera...

As we continue our “New Year, New You” series this January, we’ve covered topics related to our physical health, emotional health, and finances. This week, we’re talking about marriage, and I don’t know of a better person to talk to about this important but oftentimes difficult subject. Today, we’ve got Lysa TerKeurst! Lysa is a New York Times bestselling author , speaker, and the president of Pro...

“Safety first!” These words are the mantra everywhere, from the sixth-grade science lab to your own home when your kids run by with a pair of scissors. We’re all about safety when it comes to our families. This week we are praying protection over our kids. Praying protection is probably something that comes automatically when you’re praying for your family; however, if we look a little bit deeper,...

“Mo Money Mo Problems” —The Notorious B.I.G. It’s not often that one quotes The Notorious B.I.G. to kick off a Christian podcast, yet his song title is all too relevant for how many of us feel when dealing with our finances. It’s not necessarily a reference to how much money we have, but just to the problems money can cause when we don’t approach it biblically. As we continue our miniseries this J...

Why does contentment matter? “I would totally be content if I had just a little bit more.” We don’t actually say those words, but show your hand if you’ve ever bought into that lie. (Unfortunately, my hand is raised.) When we define success by God’s standards of prosperity and not the world’s, life is lots easier and a whole lot more peaceful. If we define ourselves by what we have or how much we...

Well, excuse us for getting a little personal so early in 2020! But life is messy, and we plan on staying true to our name and hitting some of the hard stuff in our January miniseries called “New Year, New You.” Last week, we talked about improvements we can make in our physical health. This week, we’re discussing mental health. If we haven’t stepped on your toes yet, there’s still time as we roun...