Tuning the Bow

Why do churches champion parents as the primary disciplers of their children? How are parents supposed to carry out this call? Why would anyone cheer for the Houston Astros? These questions and others will be answered by Matt and Tim's special guest, published author and First Odessa's children's minister Rebecca Robson. In this episode, Rebecca breaks down how parents can practical...

Tim is back from Missouri, and his students are fired up for some evangelism! In today's episode, he and Matt talk about how believers are useful to God through our obedience to the commands in the Bible and the importance of taking responsibility to live differently than the world. In all that parents do, God should be glorified and magnified because this might be what someone needs to see a...

A lot of people read the Bible as a good book, but it has been Tim and Matt's challenge to live out what the Bible teaches. In this episode, they begin to walk through the Sermon on the Mount and how it speaks to parenting. Starting with the Beatitudes, the Bible calls believers to live differently, and by extension, parent differently. Passage – Matthew 5:1-12 Message us through Buzzsprout h...

The Bible is filled with a lot of failure. The Israelites, the twelve disciples, and many others constantly failed to meet God's standard, yet we celebrate their successes. Why is that? In this episode, Matt and Tim talk about legacy and why it is important to remember where God gave us grace to move past our failures into His marvelous light. When we live for God in the small moments, we tea...

There is a lot that happens out of our control, but we have a choice in how we respond. In this episode, Matt and Tim talk about both options: complaining about the outcome and how it is not what we want or finding contentment in the situation. In a world of complainers and grumblers, be a light by worshipping God in every situation knowing God gives a spirit of peace not found anywhere else. Pass...

The parable of the sower is a wonderful passage that talks about the different types of reception to hearing the Gospel. The question Tim asks (as Matt gets distracted by a phone call MID RECORDING) is if parents consider their actions towards their kids as sowing seeds of the Gospel? The habits and thoughts we pass down to our kids take root and form them into the adults they will become, so take...

Matt and Tim were at camp last week, so they talk about what happened to them and share some stories about their (mis)adventures. Through our lives, stress becomes something that everyone must deal with. The greatest issue is not having a biblical basis to operate on and reacting in the heat of the moment. When we step back and depend on God to guide our next steps, we find peace that surpasses un...

Most people do not usually think of confrontation as a good thing, but as Matt and Tim will discuss in this episode, it can be the difference between obedience and disobedience. Through the example of Eli and his sons, parents should consider taking opportunities to confront their children's sin. Doing this must be done in prayer and love, but the long term blessings it will bring are better...

That's right. Matt and Tim are back to make another case for a church event that has been happening for years. Vacation Bible School is one of the most fun ways to tell kids about the saving grace of Jesus and bring churches together. Not only that, but it's worth mentioning that it helps your teens as well. Make VBS a priority for your family to both participate and serve for the glory...

Memorial Day has passed, which means summer is right around the corner. Camps, VBS, and so much more is about to start happening, so how do parents keep up with the spiritual growth of their kids? In this episode, Matt and Tim will talk about what it looks like to set SMART goals so that your family conforms to the image of Christ. Keep on teaching your kids in the summer and set routines that wil...

There is a lot of negativity in the world, and Matt and Tim have talked about it in past episodes. However, they want to talk about some encouraging parenting stories they have seen and heard about and want to pass them on to listeners. Take some time and enjoy your parenting because things will not be like this forever, so slow down and spend some good, quality time with your families this week!...

There are simple things in life that can be celebrated, but the question parents must answer is what acts should be rewarded and what acts are expected. In this episode, Matt and Tim discuss these categories and want encouragement to be a part of everyday language without being over-the-top on every little achievement. Keep in mind that God shows unending love every moment, so our encouragement sh...

It can be crazy to think that people would defend popstars before they defend Christ, but this world is filled with crazier things. In this episode, Matt and Tim talk about why it is important to guard your heart and your children's hearts against desiring things of this world over Jesus. Though there are things that we can enjoy on this earth, we must place importance and preeminence on Chri...

Lots of people pray, and as Tim and Matt have discussed before, lots of people pray incorrectly. There is a place for prayers that include praying for things, but when "things" take up all of our prayers, it sounds like we are no longer asking but demanding. Listen carefully to how you and others pray. Fill your prayers with biblical thoughts of adoration, confession, and thanksgiving be...

There is no denying the fact that we live in a sexualized world. Movies and shows have romance in them constantly, and many of these examples are not God-honoring. Tim and Matt want to encourage parents to be shining examples of what biblical romance looks like so that they may teach their children before the world does. Whether it is talking about the love for your spouse more to your young kids...

We often want our children to experience amazing things, but how often to we put God in that category? In this episode, Matt and Tim want to show why parents should live in a way that shows Christ to their children because that is what pleases God. With a look at the Shemodel and the rich young ruler, we can see what good parenting looks like and what bad parenting creates. Lead your family to Chr...

…sort of. Though we are getting closer to the end of time, parents still have a responsibility to disciple their children. Tim and Matt encourage parents to not just read the book of Revelation but know what it says. Even though these prophetic books are difficult to understand, parents should not be afraid to live with the end in view. Jesus will return, establish His reign, and make all things n...

The difficulty of raising children is matching your words with your actions, and many parents fail in this way. The culture around us pushes children to adopt unbiblical ideas of gender, and the failure of teaching at home adds to the confusion. In this episode, Tim and Matt encourage parents to deeply consider what they are teaching through their words AND actions. The Bible not only teaches peop...

It is easy to treat holidays as just a break from the norm, but should they hold any other purpose? In this episode, Tim and Matt want to show why Easter matters much more than people (or churches) make it out to be. Because Jesus loved humanity so much, He willingly endured the pain and humiliation of death on a cross, rose again on the third day, and is now seated at the right hand of God for us...

Each year is an opportunity to do something different, and this can also apply to how we parent. For Tim and his wife, they have decided to focus on doing some things that are important but have not been a priority in the past. In this episode, Tim discusses why they have made this decision, and Matt warns about listening to the wrong voices when it comes to making our decisions. Stay in God'...

When families vacation, there seems to be a lack of Christian living away from home. In this episode, Matt and Tim want parents to consider that discipleship does not stop while away from the normal activities back home. They also talk about sports for the first seven-ish minutes, so you can skip that part if you are not interested. Passages – 1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 5:9 Message us thro...

Lent is the time of preparation for Easter, but much like deconstructing, people do not replace things they lay aside with Scripture. In this episode, Matt and Tim challenge the current view of fasting and want to give parents a biblical understanding of what it looks like. Though fasting is not always best way for some people to prepare their hearts, removing distractions from our lives so that w...

is what most parents think when their child asks some difficult questions, but this is not always the case. In this episode, Matt and Tim pick on each other for a bit before discussing what deconstruction is and is not. Be discerning to see if your child is asking questions to stump you or to see if you can give them the right answer, so never throw away their seemingly senseless questions. Do not...

Parenting is difficult to do alone, so it is good to have friends you can trust to help. This trust is not open to anyone, so Tim and Matt try to give you some parameters in looking at who you want to be friends with (with a bit of a longer intro talking about some Super Bowl drama). Matt recounts a friend of his parents' impact on his life and why it matters to find the right friends to spea...

When parents encounter conflict, it can either end up being a good teaching moment for the kids or a terrible fight that can hurt their child in the future. In this episode, Tim and Matt want to encourage good communication, a humble heart, and a life filled with the fruit of the Spirit. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, believers have the ability to overcome their sinful desires and can live...