The Session: Special Guest, Betsy Marvin, host of Everyday Faith for Her!

Luke 10:41-42, “But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Our episode with Betsy today is all about the busy Christian mom.

Why Busy Christian Moms Feel So Overwhelmed & Spiritually Disconnected by Everyday life, & The simple faith principles they can use to get back to a life of peace, purpose, and connection with Jesus.

Often, in the world of noise and busy, we let our spiritual lives diminish while we go after all the things. Then, it can feel overwhelming to reconnect with God. I believe that there are some simple principles that we can use to reconnect with God and renew our walk with Him.

Talking points:

• Spiritual growth isn't found only in mountaintop moments
• How God works through everyday routines
• Developing a faith that survives difficult seasons
• Finding God in work, family, and relationships

The simple faith principles:

Reading a small portion of Scripture → understanding what God is saying → connecting it to what's happening today → responding to Him.

Spiritual growth rarely happens through dramatic moments alone. Betsy helps women discover how God uses everyday circumstances, ordinary routines, and small acts of obedience to build a lasting faith.

Find out more about Betsy Marvin and her ministry at https://www.betsymarvin.com

Her podcast is called Everyday Faith for Her. She does speak at conferences. We really enjoyed having her as a guest! Reach out if you need a special, powerful ladies event speaker!

A devotional podcast for parents on the go! Encouragement, Scripture, & prayer in just 7 minutes. Join the journey!

To reach Tom Russell, please call 419-709-8447, email Tom at tom.hccm@gmail.com, or visit his website at https://www.heritagechristiancounselingofmansfield.com

Click this link to purchase Tom’s devotional, “Seeing Yourself Through the Eyes of God: A Weekly Devotional for Improving Self-Esteem.”

The Session: Foster Care, with special guest, Sherry Bouquet, from Fostering Family Ministries

Thank you Greg & Sally Kibler for their monthly support!

Ps. 68:5-5 “A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation. God sets the solitary in families; He bring out those who are bound into prosperity; but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.”

We don’t have a lot for you as far as notes this episode. Our conversation with Sherry Bouquet was very free-flowing and off the cuff.

The goal of Fostering Family Ministries is to get children to a place of permanence, hopefully back with their family. But foster care and adoption are also very important and useful.

Fostering Family Ministries is headquartered in Ashland, Oh. But they offer training and service across the state. Please don’t hesitate to contact them if you need assistance or have any questions about fostering or adoption!

For more information about Fostering Family Ministries:

419-496-2507

Home | Fostering Family Ministries

A devotional podcast for parents on the go! Encouragement, Scripture, & prayer in just 7 minutes. Join the journey!

To reach Tom Russell, please call 419-709-8447, email Tom at tom.hccm@gmail.com, or visit his website at https://www.heritagechristiancounselingofmansfield.com

Click this link to purchase Tom’s devotional, “Seeing Yourself Through the Eyes of God: A Weekly Devotional for Improving Self-Esteem.”

The Session: What to Do When Your Teen Girl is Pregnant – Or, How to Parent When Your Teen Becomes a Parent

Book update

You can help share the hope of Jesus on the Session by becoming a sponsor!

Psalm 139:13 says, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.”

God made that baby and loves it. He has a plan for that child’s life.

From Focus on The Family

Process your reaction: Take time to calm down so your initial shock, anger, or disappointment does not push your teen away.

Listen actively: Let your teenager share her fears and thoughts without immediate judgment, lecturing, or harsh criticism.

Reassure love: Remind her that she is cared for and that you are there to face the situation together.

Your daughter desperately needs your love and support

Let her know that you’re ready, willing, and available to walk alongside her.

It is important to help your daughter work through the decisions that she has in front of her It will be important to help her study her options.

Find Professional Christian Counseling

They can help you set boundaries, establish expectations, and clarify the consequences of your daughter’s failure to abide by them.

How Scott & Shari handled consequences with their daughter…off praise team, no teaching.

It is important to remember that our God knew this baby and knit this baby together in its mother‘s womb.

Toms thoughts?

A devotional podcast for parents on the go! Encouragement, Scripture, & prayer in just 7 minutes. Join the journey!

To reach Tom Russell, please call 419-709-8447, email Tom at tom.hccm@gmail.com, or visit his website at https://www.heritagechristiancounselingofmansfield.com

Click this link to purchase Tom’s devotional, “Seeing Yourself Through the Eyes of God: A Weekly Devotional for Improving Self-Esteem.”

The Session: The Celebration of Success

That each of them may eat and drink and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. Ecclesiastes 3:13.

Why Your Brain Needs Celebration

• Dopamine release: Acknowledging milestones activates the brain’s reward system, which boosts your mood, attention, and drive.
• Momentum building: Tracking small achievements breaks down overwhelming, long-term goals into manageable steps.
• Burnout prevention: Skipping acknowledgments traps you in a chronic cycle of "what's next," which research links to exhaustion and disengagement. [1, 2, 3,

Key Scientific Findings

• Motivation and Tracking: Research by Teresa Amabile from Harvard Business School shows that daily progress tracking significantly enhances overall motivation.
• Team Success: Studies by Dr. Gert-Jan Pepping indicate that teams who convincingly celebrate wins together have a higher probability of future success.
• Relationship Bonds: According to UC Santa Barbara psychology professor Shelly Gable, how partners respond to and celebrate each other's good news strongly predicts relationship strength and intimacy.

How to Practice It

• Pause and reflect: Deliberately stop to acknowledge the effort behind a finished task, rather than instantly rushing to the next project
• Praise progress: Focus on rewarding consistent hard work and growth instead of just innate talent.

Make it a habit: Keep a simple daily or weekly log of your minor victories to combat negativity bias. [1, 2, 3]

A devotional podcast for parents on the go! Encouragement, Scripture, & prayer in just 7 minutes. Join the journey!

To reach Tom Russell, please call 419-709-8447, email Tom at tom.hccm@gmail.com, or visit his website at https://www.heritagechristiancounselingofmansfield.com

Click this link to purchase Tom’s devotional, “Seeing Yourself Through the Eyes of God: A Weekly Devotional for Improving Self-Esteem.”

The Session: The Pastoral Grind

Proverbs 4:23: "Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life"

Stress, loneliness and political division are the three items that rise to the surface.

56% of pastors say stress of the job is the biggest issue.

(43%) of Pastor, say “I feel lonely and isolated.

Treatment

Pastors should have a leader outside of his church

• Pastors should have a small group that they attend with their spouse outside of the church they pastor.
• Pastors should have a support group that they can be supported in. It should be a safe place where they can vent pray and be supported. If there isn’t one that you’re aware of then maybe start one and invite a number of other pastors to a luncheon to talk about.

The following statistics are likely a result of not feeding themselves before the Lord. Without safe people to talk about how they feel it is very difficult.

• Only 26% of the pastors said they had regular devotions.

This is very important. So, in their spiritual bank account, they are running on a negative balance, because they are always withdrawing from that account without depositing in to it.

• 70% of pastors suffer from depression

Without close relationships or a support group it is difficult to share and open up.

• 77% of pastors believe they are not in a good marriage. 50% of pastors end up in divorce

Pastors have to prioritize their marriages. They have to be assertive with their church to get the time and space to do it They are a role model to their people.

• 40% of pastors have had an extra marital affair.

Hurting people turn to the pastor who is hurting which is when needs get met outside of marriage.

• 70% of pastors only study the word when doing sermon prep.

They are not exercising their spiritual muscles.

• 70% of pastors do not have close friends

There has to be a personal life. (From Scott….should those friends be outside the church the Pastor serves in?)

• 35% of Pastors struggle with from sexual sin

This leads to loneliness and divorce.

As Rev. Dr. Glenn Packiam—author of The Resilient Pastor—writes in Barna’s The State of Your Church, “We need sages to advise us, leaders to direct us or hold us accountable, peers to remind us that we aren’t alone, healers to dress our wounds and companions who carry us when we can’t carry on.”

A devotional podcast for parents on the go! Encouragement, Scripture, & prayer in just 7 minutes. Join the journey!

To reach Tom Russell, please call 419-709-8447, email Tom at tom.hccm@gmail.com, or visit his website at https://www.heritagechristiancounselingofmansfield.com

Click this link to purchase Tom’s devotional, “Seeing Yourself Through the Eyes of God: A Weekly Devotional for Improving Self-Esteem.”

The Session: Pastor Appreciation Month

1 Thessalonians 5:12–13 (NIV): “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.”

Pick a different strategy for the week. Do it every day of the week. Do this for the entire month of October.

1 Thessalonians 5:12–13 (NIV): “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.”

Here are some ways to bless pastors during pastor Appreciation Month

Pastor Appreciation Month:

• Pray: Pray for your pastor's spiritual vitality, protection from Satan, and the grace and love of God. You can also pray for their family.
• Give a gift card: A gift card to a restaurant or an Amazon or iTunes card can be a great gift for a pastor.
• Post pictures with the pastor: Share pictures of yourself and the pastor at church events on social media.
• Adopt a local church: Send a care package to another church in your area or serve together with another local church.
• Speak encouraging words: Let your pastor know how the Lord has changed you.
• Write a note: Write a note with encouraging feedback about their sermon.
• Set out a gift basket: Set out a gift basket in the church lobby for members to leave notes and gifts.
• Mow the pastor's lawn: Mow the pastor's lawn when their family is on vacation or ministry
• Connect with the church office manager. Find out your pastors likes and needs and organize a plan to meet them
• Encourage time off and 48 hour getaways!
• Develop assistant pastors who can carry some of the load
• Encourage the pastor to
• Plan for more than Sundays.

Resources

• Remember the pastor's role is 24-7; assign a person or persons to be on-call to help in emergencies. Identify people within the church who can counsel or advise others whether that means listening to problems or pointing them to a professional. Also, before your pastor hits the beach, determine the type of events about which he or she would like to be contacted. (Resource UMC)
• The Gravity Community is an online community of practice for Christians to stay connected and learn together in an environment that's safe for questions and doubts. Join the Gravity Community for connection and support for struggling pastors.

A devotional podcast for parents on the go! Encouragement, Scripture, & prayer in just 7 minutes. Join the journey!

To reach Tom Russell, please call 419-709-8447, email Tom at tom.hccm@gmail.com, or visit his website at https://www.heritagechristiancounselingofmansfield.com

Click this link to purchase Tom’s devotional, “Seeing Yourself Through the Eyes of God: A Weekly Devotional for Improving Self-Esteem.”

The Session - Parenting Today’s Teenager

Mark Gregston, Parenting Today’s Teens

Parenting Today's Teens with Mark Gregston

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4

Christian parenting today involves guiding teens through cultural pressures by replacing lectures with meaningful conversation, grace, and relational connection.

Core Strategies for Christian Parents

• Ask questions instead of lecturing: Modeled after Jesus, asking open-ended questions invites reflection and reduces teen defensiveness.
• Shift from control to training: Move away from micromanagement and allow teens age-appropriate responsibilities and ownership of their faith.
• Lead with grace and authenticity: Admit your own imperfections to create a safe space where teens know mistakes do not define them.
• Balance boundaries and resilience: Avoid overparenting by letting teens experience healthy trials and natural consequences to build lasting character.

For daily faith-based advice and resources, explore Parenting Today's Teens (A Great resource)

Teen Issues. (Gallup Pole 2006).

The results show that 3 in 10 teenagers (31%) mention consumption of drugs, tobacco, or alcohol as the most important problem. This issue is followed by peer pressure, fitting in, personal appearance, or popularity (17%); sexual issues like teen pregnancy, abortion, or STDs (14%); education (14%); ignorance or lack of youth being involved (10%); and careers, employment, money, or the future (10%).

Fewer than 1 in 10 teenagers mention morality, lack of respect, violence or gangs, or world politics as the top problems.

2024 to 2026 Met Teen Issues (National Institute of Health)

• Anxiety and Depression: Millions of adolescents experience clinical anxiety or major depressive episodes, with rates significantly higher among teen girls and LGBTQ+ youth.
• Persistent Sadness: Roughly 40% of high school students report ongoing feelings of hopelessness or sadness.
• Suicidal Ideation: High rates of serious psychological distress have led to alarming numbers of reported suicidal thoughts and self-harm incidents.

Social Media and Digital Pressures

• Constant Comparison: Platforms like Instagram and TikTok fuel unrealistic body image standards, envy, and low self-esteem.
• Tom: What difference do you think the settlement between the Government and Meta will have on social media’s impact on our kids?

Indicators of positive mental health are present in most children. National U.S. data from 2023-2024 show that:

• Nearly 4 out of 5 children ages 6 months to 5 years (79%) exhibit all of 4 indicators of flourishing:1
  
  • 96% usually or always are affectionate and tender with parents or caregivers.
• 83% usually or always bounce back quickly when things do not go their way.
• 96% usually or always show interest and curiosity in learning new things.
• 99% usually or always smile and laugh.
• 3 out of 5 children ages 6 to 17 (61%) exhibit all of 3 indicators of flourishing
  
  • 84% usually or always show interest and curiosity in learning new things.
• 72% usually or always stay calm and in control when faced with a challenge.
• 81% usually or always work to finish tasks they start.

Teen issues in the 1990s

• Drugs and alcohol
• Teen pregnancy
• Violence

Teen problems in the 1960s (prayer was removed in 1962 from the schools)

• Strict Control: Adults imposed rigid dress codes, curfews, and bans on items like jeans or long hair for boys, viewing them as rebellious.
• Conformity vs. Rebellion: Teens navigated a massive divide from their parents, famously popularized by the phrase "Never trust anyone over 30".
• Music and Media: Rock and roll, Beatlemania, and loud transistor radios served as symbols of youth identity that clashed with traditional adult values.

A devotional podcast for parents on the go! Encouragement, Scripture, & prayer in just 7 minutes. Join the journey!

To reach Tom Russell, please call 419-709-8447, email Tom at tom.hccm@gmail.com, or visit his website at https://www.heritagechristiancounselingofmansfield.com

Click this link to purchase Tom’s devotional, “Seeing Yourself Through the Eyes of God: A Weekly Devotional for Improving Self-Esteem.”

The Session: Parenting Today’s Teenager - Part 1

Mark Gregston, Parenting Today’s Teen

"Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." Ephesians 6:4

Christian parenting today involves guiding teens through cultural pressures by replacing lectures with meaningful conversation, grace, and relational connection.

Core Strategies for Christian Parents

• Ask questions instead of lecturing: Modeled after Jesus, asking open-ended questions invites reflection and reduces teen defensiveness.
• Shift from control to training: Move away from micromanagement and allow teens age-appropriate responsibilities and ownership of their faith.
• Lead with grace and authenticity: Admit your own imperfections to create a safe space where teens know mistakes do not define them.
• Balance boundaries and resilience: Avoid overparenting by letting teens experience healthy trials and natural consequences to build lasting character.

For daily faith-based advice and resources, explore Parenting Today's Teens (A Great resource)

Teen Issues. (Gallup Pole 2006).

The results show that 3 in 10 teenagers (31%) mention consumption of drugs, tobacco, or alcohol as the most important problem. This issue is followed by peer pressure, fitting in, personal appearance, or popularity (17%); sexual issues like teen pregnancy, abortion, or STDs (14%); education (14%); ignorance or lack of youth being involved (10%); and careers, employment, money, or the future (10%).

Fewer than 1 in 10 teenagers mention morality, lack of respect, violence or gangs, or world politics as the top problems.

2024 to 2026 Met Teen Issues (National Institute of Health)

• Anxiety and Depression: Millions of adolescents experience clinical anxiety or major depressive episodes, with rates significantly higher among teen girls and LGBTQ+ youth.
• Persistent Sadness: Roughly 40% of high school students report ongoing feelings of hopelessness or sadness.
• Suicidal Ideation: High rates of serious psychological distress have led to alarming numbers of reported suicidal thoughts and self-harm incidents.

Social Media and Digital Pressures

• Constant Comparison: Platforms like Instagram and TikTok fuel unrealistic body image standards, envy, and low self-esteem.
• Tom: What difference do you think the settlement between the Government and Meta will have on social media’s impact on our kids?

Indicators of positive mental health are present in most children. National U.S. data from 2023-2024 show that:

• Nearly 4 out of 5 children ages 6 months to 5 years (79%) exhibit all of 4 indicators of flourishing
  
  • 96% usually or always are affectionate and tender with parents or caregivers.
  • 83% usually or always bounce back quickly when things do not go their way.
  • 96% usually or always show interest and curiosity in learning new things.
  • 99% usually or always smile and laugh.
  • 3 out of 5 children ages 6 to 17 (61%) exhibit all of 3 indicators of flourishing.
  • 84% usually or always show interest and curiosity in learning new things.
  • 72% usually or always stay calm and in control when faced with a challenge.
  • 81% usually or always work to finish tasks they start.

Teen issues in the 1990s

• Drugs and alcohol
• Teen pregnancy
• Violence

Teen problems in the 1960s (prayer was removed in 1962 from the schools)

• Strict Control: Adults imposed rigid dress codes, curfews, and bans on items like jeans or long hair for boys, viewing them as rebellious.
• Conformity vs. Rebellion: Teens navigated a massive divide from their parents, famously popularized by the phrase "Never trust anyone over 30".

Music and Media: Rock and roll, Beatlemania, and loud transistor radios served as symbols of youth identity that clashed with traditional adult values.

To reach Tom Russell, please call 419-709-8447, email Tom at tom.hccm@gmail.com, or visit his website at https://www.heritagechristiancounselingofmansfield.com

Click this link to purchase Tom’s devotional, “Seeing Yourself Through the Eyes of God: A Weekly Devotional for Improving Self-Esteem.”