Church and Family Life Podcast

God made men and women different — and truly understanding their distinctions is key to a healthy marriage. Hosts Scott Brown and Jason Dohm break this down with guest Michael Foster. They discuss why men often carry burdens silently, why women tend to communicate more contextually, and how a woman’s cyclical hormonal reality differs from a man’s more stable pattern. Along the way, they unpack “disappointment dynamics” in early marriage, the temptation to despise or judge one another, and why learning to live with “understanding” is essential (1 Pet. 3:7). Their takeaway: embrace God’s design, and your home will be stronger for it. 

Growing up, Jeff craved affirmation from his hardworking, athletic father — a man who rarely showed affection. After being cut from one junior high sports team, after another, he found his place when his dad brought home a guitar from Western Auto. Music quickly became Jeff’s world. Fronting Louisiana garage bands, his talent as a songwriter led to record deals and touring opportunities with major acts like Kansas, Chicago, Kenny Loggins, the Allman Brothers, ZZ Top, and many more you would recognize. But everything changed when he encountered the writings of D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones and was personally discipled by Conrad Murrell. Confronted with the sovereign God of Scripture, Jeff was radically converted to Christ at age 30. A longtime pastor, he served as elder at Mount Zion Bible Church for 23 years and continues to edit The Free Grace Broadcaster in retirement. 

the last century, churches around the globe have traded the biblical doctrine of family life for worldly pragmatism. This change has led to broken homes and dysfunctional families. To reverse course, the next generation must understand and reclaim what God created the family to be. Hosts Scott Brown and Jason Dohm discuss a new catechism designed to help families in this quest. Using a simple question-and-answer format, it gives robust but concise definitions of what a family is and how God designed the home to function. Foundational Scripture verses are given for each topic, along with family discussion questions and a suggested hymn and memory verse.

Justin grew up in rural Tennessee, working tobacco fields with his father. He loved laboring outdoors with his dad, yet his mom took him and his siblings to church, where Justin heard the Gospel. Around 12, he answered an altar call and was baptized—but in his teen years struggled with his faith. Seeing his younger brother’s own anguish over salvation, Justin knew he had to get right with God. Confessing his sins, Justin was rebaptized. John Piper’s sermons on Romans deepened his grasp of sovereign grace, and in time he committed his life to pastoral ministry. Husband to Tilly and father of three, Justin serves as elder at Grace Baptist Church in Hartsville, Tennessee. 

Scripture declares that civil rulers are to be “God’s ministers . . . for good” (Rom. 13:4). But what does this mean, in practice? Hosts Scott Brown and Jason Dohm discuss the answer with pastor James Baird. In his new book, King of Kings, Baird explains that every ruler—in every nation throughout history—is required to “be wise . . . [and] serve the Lord with fear” (Ps. 2:10-11). And this doesn’t mean advancing some vague notion of “good,” but what God decrees as “good” in His righteous laws, as summarized in the Ten Commandments. To put the matter simply—all civil governments must promote Christianity as the only true religion.  

Scripture models a family-integrated church. Not youth church, old church, or middle-aged church—but one family growing together. That’s the pattern throughout God’s Word (Deut. 31:11-13; Eph. 6:1–4). Hosts Scott Brown and Jason Dohm discuss this biblical picture with Pastor Ben Seewald. Ben has not only led a long-established Southern Baptist church to drop age-segregated worship for this approach, but has worked with his wife Jessa to train their six children to participate in weekly corporate worship. Yes, there have been awkward moments—for his family and others—but seeing every generation stretched and growing together has brought him great joy. 

The oldest of seven, Ben was raised by faithful Christian parents who not only took their family to church, but who practiced regular family worship. Yet as he came into his teen years, Ben made football his idol. Gratefully, his loved ones and mentors pushed back. Ben’s father challenged his sports obsession. And other men in his life relentlessly set Jesus before him till, one day, Ben was converted as he fixed his eyes on Christ’s finished work. Ben married his wife Jessa at age 19. Now a father of six, he currently serves as pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Springdale, Arkansas. 

This year, four remarkable men passed away — John MacArthur, Voddie Baucham, James Dobson, and Charlie Kirk. A bold expository preacher, MacArthur defended the Lordship of Christ and the true Gospel for 56 years, refusing to close his church during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Baucham, another lion in the pulpit, championed Scripture’s teaching on the sufficiency of scripture, the centrality of the church, social justice, male headship, family-integrated churches, and much more. Dobson called Christians to prioritize and protect their family life. And Kirk — martyred at 31 — fearlessly proclaimed his faith on college campuses, urging young people to reject the world’s lies and embrace biblical manhood and womanhood. With their passing, the work now falls on us to continue. 

The Western church is in shambles. It has become lukewarm and compromised because of a love for the world, a lack of an awestruck fear of God, and a watered-down view of His grace and sovereignty. In answer to this crisis Kevin Swanson has issued an urgent call-to-arms in his new book, Strong: An Urgent Call to Strengthen the Things that Remain. Pulling no punches, he calls out Christians to reject escapist pursuits—be it through alcohol, sports, the Internet, or other off-ramps from reality—and pursue a stronger grace, a stronger faith, a stronger church, and stronger families.    Join Scott Brown and Jason Dohm in today’s podcast as they break down the book with Kevin.  

“Who gives this woman to be married to this man?” In most weddings today, these words are just a quaint formality. But what stands behind them is a timeless biblical principle—that parents have the authority to give or withhold consent in their children’s marriages. The truth is, parents generally know their children better than they know themselves and see blind spots they miss. This said, parents should exercise their authority with wisdom. They must recognize there’s no “perfect suitor” and that their child and potential spouse won’t be as mature, at age 20 or 25, as they are now.  Learn more on these points in: A Holy Vision for Raising Children 

How can Christian men and women live faithfully in a world confused over sexuality and gender? The answer is simple — amidst the moral chaos, embrace God’s beautiful design for manhood and womanhood. Hosts Scott Brown and Jason Dohm discuss this subject with pastor Michael Clary. Clary’s new book, God’s Good Design, is a compelling call for men and women to reject the world’s dark vision of sexual madness and fall in love with the way God made them. Today’s young people are crying out for truthful answers of who they are, and this book gives an oasis of hope, explaining how God wonderfully creates each person as “male” or “female” (Gen. 1:27).  

How do parents cultivate a child’s affection? First and foremost, model love in your marriage. You can be perfect technicians in child training, but if you’re snippety toward your spouse, you’ll undo everything—so teach your children, by example, what loving respect is through your conversations. Second, give clear expectations and hold your children to them. You only get what you insist on, so promptly discipline them in love when they cross the line. Finally, don’t allow your children to constantly interrupt, but teach them to wait to ask questions by modeling patience as husband and wife.  Learn more on these points in: A Holy Vision for Raising Children 

Michael Clary grew up in Huntington, West Virginia, in the shadow of the Marshall University plane crash that marked his hometown. Ministry ran deep in his family line—his great-grandfather and grandfather were both Baptist preachers—but his own childhood was shaken when his parents divorced at age seven. Shuttling between households, Michael experienced both the steady example of his Christian father and the destructive influence of a tyrannical stepfather. Those early wounds left him with a deep burden for healthy, Christ-centered homes.Though he professed faith from a young age, Michael’s spiritual growth accelerated through Campus Crusade for Christ at Marshall University. Immersed in Bible study, evangelism, and worship leadership, his heart for ministry took root. It was during a summer project with Crusade that he met Laura, the shy young woman who would later become his wife. Married in 1999, Michael and Laura went on staff with Crusade before sensing God’s call to local church ministry.In 2010, with nothing but faith and a handful of families meeting in his basement, Michael planted Christ the King Church in Cincinnati. Over 15 years, the church has grown, planted daughter churches, and recently moved to a new facility in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. Along the way, Michael’s convictions deepened around biblical manhood, womanhood, and family life—shaped by both his wounds and God’s grace. Today, he continues to serve as lead pastor, husband to Laura, and father to four children, proclaiming God’s good design for households and the church

“Hands-off” parenting advocates scorn the use of physical correction, but what does the Bible say? Hosts Scott Brown and Jason Dohm, joined by Scott’s wife Deborah, explain that disobedience, dishonor, and dishonesty call for the rod. And how should such correction be pursued? First, make sure there is a fault committed that has just cause. Second, make sure your child is convinced that he has sinned. Third, pray for yourself and your children before correcting them. Fourth, correct them in love. Fifth, make sure your emotions are under control when you discipline them. And, sixth, correct by word and instruction before correcting by the rod. In all this, recognize that just as God lovingly corrects His sons, so we, too, must correct our children (Heb. 12:5-11). Learn more on these points in: A Holy Vision for Raising Children 

We’ve lost the strong man. Kevin Swanson is holding the Act Like Men Conference to restore men to their God-given role.   On the whole, men today are AWOL, having departed from the Biblical picture of leadership and love. 60% of Master’s degrees are awarded to women. 57% of boys are born without fathers. So, what’s the solution to this crisis? Hosts Scott Brown and Jason Dohm, joined by guest Kevin Swanson, explain that the right answer is not the “macho man” or the “wild-at-heart man,” but the biblical man who’s strong in faith and who fears God. This is the focus of the upcoming Act Like Men Conference, to be held Oct. 29-Nov. 1 in Elizabeth, Colorado. Rather than fall for the pseudo-visions of masculinity found in the “Manosphere,” we must look to God’s Word to understand what it means to be a faithful man. That’s the goal of this gathering — to teach 12-year-old boys to grandfathers to “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, [and] be strong” (1 Cor. 16:13 ESV).  Click here to learn more and register. 

What do parents need to do to faithfully raise their children? William Gouge has the answers. Hosts Scott Brown and Jason Dohm, joined by Scott’s wife Deborah, give five critical actions parents should take drawing from William Gouge’s, A Holy Vision for Raising Children. First, engage in focused parenting while your child are young; don’t wait till they’re 8 or teenagers. Second, teach your children good manners. This will help your kids to thoughtfully focus on others, rather than themselves. Third, train your children to be in some good vocation. This means more than a job skill. It’s about calling and dominion, equipping them to take care of their own family one day. Fourth, teach your children piety. Point them toward godliness—that they might love the word of God, live by it, and trust it with all their hearts. And, fifth, redeem the time, for what’s learned in childhood lasts the longest. Learn more on these (5) points in: A Holy Vision for Raising Children 

Why do young people not turn the Christ? Hosts Scott Brown and Jason Dohm, joined by guest Carlton McLeod, answer this question, giving ten common lies that ensnare unsaved youth: (1) you’ll be deprived of pleasure; (2) faithfulness to God is impossible; (3) you’ll be beset by trials and tribulations;  (4) you'll be reproached; (5) you won’t be prosperous; (6) you’ll be unfashionable; (7) you will die young and miss all the fun; (8) you won’t be able to keep it up for very long; (9) you have plenty of time; and (10) there are many ways to God. Rather than fall for these deceptions, young people should come to Christ without delay: “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, ‘I have no pleasure in them’” (Eccles. 12:1).