In This Together With Dr. Josh + Christi

Our affectionally labeled "resident child therapists," David Thomas and Sissy Goff are back on the podcast! In season 1, David and Sissy joined us to talk about the emotional milestones of boys and girls. Now that school is in full session, we talk with them about social milestones. Respectively, Sissy eloquently describes how girls can develop socially, and David describes what it takes to help boys do the same.The four core social milestones include: awareness, reciprocity, ownership, and boundaries. In this episode, David and Sissy talk about the milestones, and also give us very practical ways we can help our boys and girls, respectively, reach these milestones. Fortunately, they also counsel us a bit with our kids. Christi took copious notes.David and Sissy are licensed counselors and serve at Daystar Counseling in Nashville. Along with Daystar’s founder, Melissa Trevethan, they host a website of helpful resources for parents called Raising Boys and Girls.Show Notes:For the book, Are My Kids on Track? cl

We want to ask an honest question: Are you the master of your screen, or is your screen the master of you? Nobody doubts the pervasiveness of screens in our culture today, especially among kids and teens. But when was the last time you stopped and truly asked yourself, "What, about my screen, do I accept without question?"Don't misunderstand us, we don't believe screens are all bad. We just want to be honest with ourselves. And after listening to our conversation in this episode, we hope you'll do the same. Because as research is showing, the subtle lies we have come to believe about our screens may be changing us in ways we never expected.Show Notes: The Death of Reading is Threatening the Soul by Phillip YanceyHave Smart Phones Destroyed a Generation by Dr. Jean TwengeiGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood--and What That Means for the Rest of Us by Dr. Jean TwengeThe Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to our

Our guest this week is singer and songwriter, Matthew West. Matthew just released a brand new album called "All In." When we heard about Matthew's heart behind the album, we knew we had to interview him.Most noteworthy, our conversation centers around a song on the album called, "The Beautiful Things We Miss." If you listen to our podcast, you can already tell where this is going.As a self-described "professional Christian," West knows how easy it can be to coast, to pretend his spiritual life is in a better place than it actually is.“That’s a dangerous place to be,” he says. “That’s what the Bible talks about. Being lukewarm. So I’ve had this idea that I want to be all in like never before. I want to be all in with the songs that I write, I want to be all in with my time with the Lord, I want to be all in with my wife, I want to be all in with my relationship with my daughters.”As a husband, dad, and "professional Christian," Matthew takes us behind his crooked picture frame, and tells us what it means for h

Don't let the title of this episode fool you. Yes, Jeannie Cunnion's message is helping moms find relief from the pressure to get it all right (i.e. be perfect). But this conversation is for all parents. If you need to experience the grace and gentleness of Jesus today as a mom or dad, this episode is for you. Jeannie's words are salve to the exhausted parent. You don't need to listen long before you realize Jeannie really "wrestles with the wild grace of God."We had the privilege of meeting Jeannie through this episode. Since then, her words have penetrated our home and how we show Jesus to our kids. Jeannie is a wife and mom of four fun boys. Her unique message of God's grace is so refreshing.In Jeannie's words, "I spent the first many years of parenting believing that I had to be a perfect example for my kids to follow and worrying that their entire futures were riding on my ability to perfectly orchestrate their lives. My goal was to make very few mistakes and have very little regret. You can probably gue

Our guest this week is Ian Morgan Cron. We invited him on the podcast because nothing has been as significant as the Enneagram in taking our marriage to the next level.What is the Enneagram? Personally, we have been busting at the seams to introduce you to it. But nobody can explain the Enneagram the way Ian can. In this episode, Ian graciously joins us to explain all nine types.As you'll learn, and unlike all other personality tools, the beauty of the Enneagram is that it doesn't just show who you are, it shows you who you could be. When you become aware not just of your behaviors, but the underlying motivations behind your behaviors, it changes the view you have of yourself.Subsequently, we unlock barriers to living fully alive. Not only that, it changes the view you have of your spouse as well. That's why Christi and I also go behind our picture frame to share stories about how the Enneagram has helped us to understand ourselves, and one another, at a much deeper level.We hope this episode leads you on a d

Have you given thought to what it means to be human? Think about what makes you--and your kids--truly come alive. Perhaps not surprisingly, those moments rarely happen on a screen.This summer we challenged ourselves to embrace more of what it means to be human. We took our kids camping. Gave away items to those in need. Went on adventures. Completed projects with our hands. And in so doing, we discovered five ways we can teach our kids to be human.In this episode, we tell stories from behind our picture frame and use examples from our journey this past summer. We also talk through the five ways we can show our kids what it means to be human. Full of stories and practical application, it was one of our favorite episodes to record together.Show Notes:Feelings Chart FREE DownloadPodcast Sponsors:Forcefield: Screen Time Done Right. Try it out FREE for 30 days. TwentyTwoSix Parenting: Discipleship Tools for Raising Kids Who Love God and Love OthersJoin exclusively for a limited time ONLY between now and September

Do you struggle finding time for those you love most? Does busyness tend to disconnect you from the heart of your spouse?In this episode, we affectionately adopt new "podcast parents," Rodney + Selma Wilson. They join us to explain the secret behind how they can still look at one another like teenagers in love, after 40+ years.Now grandparents, they talk about how they see parenting differently today than when they were raising their daughters. The wisdom and encouragement Rodney and Selma share in this episode comes purely from their experience of loving people so well.At LifeWay, Selma Wilson serves as VP of Organizational Development and Chief People Officer. Cool title, right? She's also a cheerleader for moms! Her husband, Rodney, is an Associate Pastor and Marriage and Family Counselor. He doesn't consider himself a cheerleader (bye, bye pompoms), but he is an encourager.You are in for a dose of wisdom. Some highlights include: * How to prioritize your marriage for your kids * The images we can etch int

If you listen to the podcast, you know every conversation we have is centered on being a generation of families who live, love, and lead well. This week's guests, Louie and Shelley Giglio, epitomize this vision.Louie is pastor of Passion City Church and founder of the Passion movement, which exists to call a generation to leverage their lives for the fame of Jesus. Since 1997, Passion has united millions of students in worship, prayer, and justice.Not only did Louie join us, we got the inside scoop from behind their picture frame from his wife, Shelley. Together, Louie and Shelley lead the teams at Passion City Church, sixstepsrecords, and the Passion Global Institute. Shelley is chief strategist, director of label operations and artist management at sixstepsrecords.Not surprisingly, Louie and Shelley walked down a difficult road a few years ago. Remember, everyone of us has a picture frame. And every one of us have Goliath's we fight in our families. Fear. Rejection. Addiction. Anger. Comfort. Louie and Shel

Today's episode is a continuation of last week's conversation for Dads. This week, however, we talk to Moms. But that doesn't leave husbands off the hook. Guys, it's imperative you join the conversation. Without your input, it's hard for your wife to know what motivates you to pursue her.To reemphasize, our conversation in this episode comes from our own crooked picture frame. Our story is not your story. My (Josh) needs may be different than those of other husbands. However, we hope this conversation is what you and your spouse need to talk deeper about your own relationship and how you can better support one another--especially when the going gets tough.Once again, based on a blog post I (Josh) wrote, we talk about the valuable lessons we continue to learn as it relates to connecting deeper in our marriage, particularly after kids.Let us hear from you. Join the conversation with us and share the lessons you are learning from your own picture frame.Show Notes and Podcast Sponsors:TwentyTwoSix Parenting: Disc

Today's episode is a conversation for Dads. Okay, so wives will appreciate it too. Peaking behind our own picture frame, we begin with a story about how we began to emotionally disconnect in our marriage after our kids entered the world (i.e. invaded our home).Don't get us wrong, we love our children dearly. But nothing challenged our marriage more than having two kids less than two years apart. Even more, it impacted Christi's identity. But in the moment, she was unable to put words to that. As I left for work each day, she stayed in between the four walls of our home. Eventually, as she describes it, she was on "the bottom rung of life."Based on a blog post I (Josh) wrote that continues to resonate with many, we talk about the valuable lesson we learned on connecting deeper in our marriage, after kids.This conversation is certainly not exhaustive, nor does it represent the feelings of every woman. However, we hope it opens the door for wives to voice what they really need, and for husbands to empathetically

Part of the vision of In This Together with Dr. Josh + Christi is to be a podcast where we interview guests to discover how their stories can give us insight on becoming families who live, love, and lead well. Today's guest is the epitome of what it means to live a great story. Rarely are the terms hilarious storyteller and theological scholar used in the same sentence, much less used to describe the same person. But then again, Lisa Harper is anything but stereotypical! Listen for a few minutes and you'll see why.Lisa a gem. In this episode, she shares her journey with adoption, losing two, before adopting her precious daughter, Missy.In addition, Lisa hilariously, yet truthfully, gives us incredibly practical advice on living happy. And no it's not sinful to be happy. In fact, Jesus teaches about it. Lisa encourages exhausted moms, single parents, and families in the trenches. She even lovingly calls us out as parents (hint: we do trauma, but we don't do drama).You'll hear Lisa's heart behind her latest boo