Watermark Family Ministry Podcast

How to love and support families of children with special and additional needs. (Kaleidoscope ministry with Lyn Pollard)

How to love and support those who are experiencing infertility and/or miscarriages. (Shiloh ministry with Julie Fowler and Susie Littrell)

How to love and support those going through Foster Care and/or Adoption. (Family Restoration ministry with Martha Canuteson and Kate Wallace)

How to love and support those who have experienced the death of a loved one. (GriefShare and Shift ministries with Julie Nicholson and Jill Cook)

At the Nest on the Dallas campus, Chrisey Billman encourages women to consider others and step into their stories to love them well, when they are going through a crisis or challenging circumstances.

Anxiety among children and teens is an increasingly prominent challenge within the American family today. How can we as Christian parents prepare ourselves and our children for this battle for peace and contentment in our homes? How can we help our children who may struggle with these issues and create an environment of security and authenticity that enables us to talk about it? Join us for an evening with the Watermark elders and their wives as we consider these questions and more to equip you for these crucial conversations. Whether you are a new parent, have children moving into the pre-teen life stage, or are about to launch your kids off to college, these conversations are for you.

Real life mothering is HARD, but if our priorities are in the right place, you can find life, and joy and peace in Him. At the Nest on the Plano Campus, Shelly Ahlemeier and Caitlin Clyde encourage moms to be purposeful with their priorities, avoid common mommy pitfalls, and to be careful about what treasures they chase.

From potty training to training wheels to table manners to driver’s education, the journey of parenting is one sprawling training ground after another. In all of those, there is no area of our child’s development more crucial than the maturing of their spiritual lives. At this month’s DadU, we will take a look at the key role we play as dads in training up our children in the “discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). We will seek to remove some of the mystery from spiritual discipleship and equip you with the tools necessary to help you to be faithful with your God-given role as the spiritual leader in your home. To view resources on this podcast, visit: https://www.watermark.org/message/6864

Whether you see your differences as a benefit or a hindrance, God can use them to bring balance and perspective to you and your family. It often depends on your attitude and approach. At the Nest on the Dallas campus, Holly Barnett and Casey Uphues encourage moms to consider their differences, as it relates to marriage and parenting.

Drawing from years of experience working in student ministries at Watermark, David Penuel (Director of Students) and Rebe Long (Women's Coordinator of Middle School Ministries) share insights of patterns they've seen in parenting from the kids who graduate the ministry and continue on with their faith into college and young adulthood. For more see https://www.watermark.org/blog/common-denominator

In this Nest Plano talk, Morgan walks us through a mother's role as Lifegiver. We look at being a Physical Lifegiver, Emotional Lifegiver, and Spiritual Lifegiver through three different filters: Created, Fallen, and Redeemed. We were CREATED to give life to our families in these roles, but the FALL has marred each of them and our sin keeps us from being the Lifegivers God intended. However, because of the redemption we have in Christ, we are able to live as REDEEMED Lifegivers in a fallen world. Be sure to download the handout to follow along with the chart!

At the Nest on the Dallas campus, Mandy Sisco encouraged moms to consider the bigger picture in their parenting. She shared suggestions and fun ideas to help motivate moms to gain perspective, understand purpose, and take aim at a plan.

Have you ever considered what your greatest parenting challenge is? While each stage of the fatherhood journey presents unique difficulties and parenting riddles to solve, there is one challenge that remains constant through every stage of your parenting – YOU! At this session of DadU we consider the influence we have as Dads in the lives of our children simply through the life we model for them and 3 markers of our life that we can use to evaluate our faithfulness in the area of self-leadership. To view resources on this podcast, visit: https://www.watermark.org/message/6722

In this episode, we present Part 3 of a 3-part series on "Making the Most of Your School Year". Wes Butler is joined by Missy Leventhal, Morgan Buchek and Jeff Parker for a conversation on 4 principles parents can put into practice to make the most of their homeschool experience. For more information, be sure to check out the corresponding blog post at watermark.org/blog/homeschool.

In this episode, we present Part 2 of a 3-part series on "Making the Most of Your School Year". Wes Butler is joined by Ben Solomon, Missy Richardson, and Katrina Saugier for a conversation on 3 principles parents can put into practice to make the most of their public school experience. For more information, be sure to check out the corresponding blog post at watermark.org/blog/public-school.