Crazy Cool Family

#235: NEW SEASON + New Ways to Engage

SEASON SIX STARTS TODAY!
We are so excited to launch our 6th season of the Crazy Cool Podcast! Today's episode is filled with vision and new resources. The word for this year is ENGAGE. We desire for every parent, kid, grandparent, and sibling to grow closer to Jesus and each other.
So how do we do that?
By ENGAGING in RELATIONSHIPS. Our podcasts will be topical and question based with your family relationships in mind. You won't want to miss an episode!
Join Don, Suz, and a few guest along the way to learn how to strengthen your family relationships and engage with all the Crazy Cool Family ministry has to offer!
Speaking of resources....
Check out our new website to learn more about all the NEW resources Don and Suz talk about in today's episode. On the new and improved website you will find...
(1) 5 Day Family Challenge (for newbies AND those who need a CCF refresh)
2 New Guidebooks (coming soon but info available)
3 New Micro-books (easy to read topical parenting books)
Daily Parenting Tips via email (you gotta subscribe to these- life changing!)
Our very own Crazy Cool STORE!
So much more!
Check out all the resources HERE!

#234: Season 5 Finale!

It’s the SEASON FINALE of our podcast! We are wrapping up SEASON 5 of the Crazy Cool Family podcast and we are so excited!
Here are a few words we heard from God about this year and podcast season:
SIMPLE
We realize we need to simplify our life. How? Letting things go and relaxing into family, culture, and our kids. Just pausing and asking God, "What is the best thing for my kid in this season?"
ENGAGE
Chaos of the last few years has caused us to disengage. It's time to engage again because it's worth it. Technology and information is bombarding us and we need to simplify and pick what we want to engage in - we hope you pick Crazy Cool Family!
CULTURE
We are focusing on what culture is and why it is important. Culture is the builder of relationships. It's intangible yet possible to cultivate. Do you like the culture in your family? Did you know you can change it?
We really held onto these three words as we built content, invited guests to share, and had honest conversations about family! This episode we are going to recap all we talked about over the season and share a few reminders as you wrap up your year!
3 Main Parts to Season 5:
Family Culture Made Simple (Ep. #194-#212) - 19 episodes
Holy Spirit, Bring on the Fruit (Ep. #213-#222) - 10 episodes (every other week)
Guests + Holiday + Season Finale (#223-#232) - 10 episodes
Family Culture Made Simple: Ep. 195-211
This series is based on one of our foundational elements of CCF – Building Culture. We felt strongly from God that a good portion of Season 5 was going to be equipping parents to build culture. He gave us so many great revelations about culture over the years and we wanted to share them with you in bite size chunks!
Holy Spirit Bring on the Fruit: Ep. 213-222
We based this series off of Galatians 5 and felt God leading us to go deep into the concept of “walking with the Holy Spirit.” We interviewed our kids and dove deep into how we build culture in our homes by walking closely with Holy Spirit.
Guests + Holiday Inspiration + Season Finale: Ep. 223-234
We ended the Fruits series in October and launched into a ton of amazing guest podcast recordings. We had so many people invite us onto their podcast AND they said yes to being on ours! We value having other voices speak to you parents, and season 5 wrapped up with a few AMAZING men and women of God who spoke challenging and inspiring truths.
Season 5 is a wrap!
We will take a few weeks break and launch season 6 of the podcast in 2024! Be on the lookout for the first episode coming to you in January! Thanks for being a faithful listener and share this podcast with a friend or family as we wrap up the year!
Resources:
CCF Website (It's NEW- check it out!)
Season 5 Podcast Episodes

#233: Getting Off the Sideline (Feat. Laura Malone)

Are you feeling stuck?
It's our second to last episode for season 5 and Laura Malone joins Don to talk about life coaching and global disaster relief opportunities. Laura is a life coach and she also works with her husband to bring global relief.
This podcast will challenge you to get involved in the mission of God by becoming healthy and serving others. Listen as Laura shares the heart behind life coaching and invites every listener to get off the bench and join in what God is doing on earth.
Listen and share with a friend today. Also check out Laura's resources below.
Podcast Resources:
CCF Website (It's NEW- check it out!)
Laura's Life Coaching Website
Malone's Non-profit Info

#232 : Building Blended Families (Feat. Craig Morgan)

Divorced? Re-Married? Blending Your Family?
Craig Morgan, the founder or Blended Together Forever joins Don today on the podcast to talk about building the BEST blended family possible. They discuss blended families and how to make them thrive.
Here are the main topics from the podcast:
The challenges of building a healthy blended family
How to process the pain of separation or any type of disconnect within family relationships
Building culture and realigning family values
Working through new relational dynamics during blending
How to "blend well" and what ingredients it takes to blend a family
How to speak into the lives of stepchildren as the "new parent"
Co-parenting a blended family (being a team NO MATTER WHAT!)
The process of walking through divorce is not God's design for family BUT He can and wants to redeem all relationships. Craig and Don give all families ways to build thriving, blended relationships. The wisdom and experiences Craig shares can help any family. Take time to listen and share with a friend who may be in this season of blending their family.
Resources:
CCF Website (It's NEW- check it out!)
Blended Together Forever Website
BTF Social Media

#231: Making THIS Holiday the BEST One Yet

We have a lot of holiday podcasts and we wanted to remind you of the topics we’ve covered over the years. Listen to an "oldie but a goodie" and share the goodness or revelation with a friend.
Here are the past podcast topics:
How to have Peaceful Holidays
How to Handle Santa as Christian Parents
How Much Should You Buy Your Kids At Christmas?
How To Connect With Your Spouse During The Holidays
Avoiding the HOLI-DAZE series
Ep. 93-97 Series called Jesus is... series (showing kids the focus of Christmas- aka Jesus!)
What Your Kids Need MOST for Christmas-aka Jesus lol
Other things we cover in this podcast:
What makes us excited for Christmas (give you vision for the season)
How to build culture during this season
The value of making memories
How to make Jesus the center of the season
Slowing down and showing our kids Jesus amidst the events
The only thing that is going to get your soul excited is paying attention to Jesus. He is the reason for the season. He is why we are celebrating and being generous this month. As parents (and grandparents), we get to invite our kids into seeing Jesus as the MAIN EVENT of this season and everything else is a bonus.
Lastly, we announced our NEW CCF WEBSITE! This resource is the BEST way we can equip you to have a Crazy Cool Family. So click the link below to check out the new website, buy merch from our store, and see all the new resources we have for parents, just like you, who are aiming to grow!
NEW NEW NEW CRAZY COOL WEBSITE!

#230: Relationally Connect with Your Kids (Feat. Joe Martin)

Dr. Joe Martin joins the podcast to share and inspire families. He grew up in an impoverished area, born to a young mother, and didn’t plan on going to college. He was the first in his family to graduate from high school.
He graduated college at age 20 and became a professor at age 24. He had his PHD by the time he was 28. He said this not to brag but to say, “no one can determine your future but you.”
His surroundings and upbringing tried to label him as a future criminal, athlete, or rapper. He saw 6 of his kids die before he reached the age of 18. The “make it” mentality of his childhood caused him to choose education and desire to make a life for himself outside his broken neighborhood.
His childhood can be summed up in 3 words: desperation, not inspiration.
Don and Dr. Joe discuss the hard truths about raising and connecting with the kids of this generation. Dr. Joe explains how connection comes through understanding pain, connecting with them, and finding a way to bring hope and help.
Main points from the podcast:
Parents are called to help their child just take the next step.
How all people are the same and we can connect through our pain/hurts.
Helping kids through crisis.
Processing God’s character amidst everyday trauma.
“Getting to the root of behavior creates connection with any relationship.”- Joe
3 Simple Steps for Connection:
Understand the hurt first
Give them hope
Find a way to help
Listen and share the podcast with anyone you know who needs to hear this powerful, challenging, and encouraging message!
Podcast Resources:
Dr. Joe's Resources
Join Basecamp Here!
Other Resources!

#229: What Are You Driven By? (Feat. Shae Bynes)

Guests on guests on guests!!
We have another amazing guest joining the CCF podcast this week. Shae Bynes joins Don to talk about how to be a Kingdom focused worker. Shae has a ministry called Kingdom Driven Entrepreneur and helps people find their purpose in alignment with God.
She has multiple “drop the mic” moments on the podcast and challenges the listener to MAKE A MOVE towards the things of God.
Here are a few of the topics from the podcast:
Inspiration on how to take steps towards entrepreneurship and living intentionally
How to process big life decisions with God
Discovering your God-given assignments
Signals on when to make a change
How to have “Grace over Grind” in any job you are in
Her book, Grace Over Grind inspires people to do diligent work WITH GOD. We are not made to do this life on our own and that includes our jobs. He is our source of wisdom and peace. When we engage God throughout the day, it changes our perspective and helps us see His supernatural grace over our life which leads to diligent, hard work.
This podcast is jammed packed with wisdom and practical resources to help you live a life of grace and grind like Shae Bynes. Listen and share today!
Podcast Resources:
Kingdom Driven Entrepreneur Resources
Join Basecamp
Other CCF Resources

#228: Is God Calling You? (Feat. Sam Semans)

Is God Calling You?
Sam Semans, who is a part of our CCF Team joins Suzanne to discuss life, family, and ministry. She shared about her family - amazing husband, homeschooling 4 children while creating a new ministry. The Abundant Women Collective was created out of an obedient YES to the Lord. She sold her marketing business to gather women who want to deepen their relationship with Jesus to share their testimony and journey with other like-minded women.
We discussed capacity and calling.
We have to decide our capacity. Sam has always had a large capacity. She started doing things out of a good works mentality. Thinking that busy means good. She was all about striving because it made her feel accomplished.
She had to learn how to practice resting and abiding and having a surrendered life and holding onto everything loosely. Sam, “I want to do what God tells me to do.”
At the end of the day, God is calling you something and wants to walk with you into more of His purposes. It's worth it to seek Him for your ministry/calling. Do you know your calling from God?
Ministry is a calling.
We are all called to do something different, but we are called.
A calling is a stirring in our hearts.
Examples of ways we are called:
Bible study in the home
Making a meal
Knitting/sewing
Making meals for others
Loving people along the way
Nuggets from the podcast:
God has qualified you - if you are called, he has equipped you.
Our only job as women is to fall more in love with God.
Pressing into him loving him more discerning ear tuned in.
Fall in love with Jesus more everyday.
Must exercise our obedience muscle.
Must intentionally focus on our relationship with Jesus.
You can reach out to Sam if you want to join the Abundant Woman Co. and want to be challenged to stretch your capacity and say YES to God's call on your life! You can directly message her in Instagram (info below) and join the Abundant Woman Collective TODAY!
Check out Sam's resources:
The Abundant Woman Co. Info
Want MORE resources?
Join Basecamp Here!
Other Resources!

#227: Is Your Marriage Surviving or Thriving? (Feat. Jon and Carrie Vajko)

Is your marriage surviving? Thriving? How do you make a change?
Husband and wife Jonathan and Carrie Vajko join the CCF podcast to help take your marriage deeper! They have a podcast that is about being intentional in your marriage and joined us to share how you can strengthen your marriage TODAY!
Their story: Met 8 years ago at church, got married a year later, and a year and a half later they got pregnant with their son. They have a 5-year-old son and 3-year-old daughters.
They got into helping couples 2 years ago when they felt led to share their story and how it played a role in their current marriage. They wanted to help people see how their upbringing affects current relational dynamics.
After sharing their story and hearing others, they realized intentionality kept surfacing and when they focused on it, their relationships grew stronger.
How has intentionality helped your marriage? Your parenting? What are the benefits and challenges of being intentional?
When intentionality is modeled, it helps kids have loving relationships with all other people.
Being intentional has generational impact.
Intentionality brings relational blessings and creates thriving not just surviving relationships.
Not being intentional creates “two ships passing in the night” or “roommate” relationships
A lack of intentionality can cause you to believe lies about marriage over time.
How do you bring intentionality into marriage?
Acknowledge you want your marriage to go from surviving to thriving.
Taking the time to spend and invest in your spouse (date nights – make them happen!)
Ask questions and make sure you are listening.
Practice listening and allowing spouse to think of their answer after you ask a question.
Marriage is important and is worth the investment. Understanding your spouse is essential to choosing intentionality. Jon and Carrie challenge and encourage you to go deeper in your marriage by investing time, asking questions, and learning to listen.
Take this information and go make time for your spouse. If we make time and ask questions, we can live intentionally in all our relationships, especially our marriage!
Check out her resources:
Vajko's Email
Connect with Jon and Carrie Vajko
Want MORE resources?
Join Basecamp Here!
Other Resources!

#226: Find Delight in Your Marriage (Feat. Belah Rose)

*This podcast contains intimate language and may not be suitable for children's ears.*
How's your marriage doing, really?
Belah Rose joins our podcast and tells the story of her purity going into marriage, the relational struggles of her first marriage and her solution and now success in her current marriage. She says if she had known the things she knows now about men and women she would have applied that to her first marriage and believes it would have been a successful marriage.
She is working on a marriage bundle now that starts with pre-dating to give our kids before they start dating a plan on not falling in love but in how to know yourself and find the person for you. The second book is about dating and the last one is about being engaged. (these last two will be out in 2024)
Delightyourmarriage is her ministry and was born- first with a book Delight your Husband found on Amazon which then led to interviewing many wives on their successes and failures in spiritual, emotional and physical intimacy.
The connections with wives then became a connection with husbands as Belah shared her findings and now her ministry is made up of more husbands wanting to learn how to be intimate with their wives.
Belah shared that men and women are created differently- by God’s design so their intimacy needs are very different too. She created a Delight Your Marriage Framework resource that can be downloaded on her website.
Here is a summary of the DYM Framework:
To feel loved a wife needs to feel known, safe and wholeheartedly cherished
Husbands date your wives- set a regular weekly time and a spontaneous monthly time to get to know and cherish your wife.
To feel loved a husband needs to feel respected, admired and have wholehearted sexual intimacy
Wives don’t ‘mother’ your husband it disrespectful.
Wives have wholehearted sex 2-3 times a week- make your man the happiest man on earth (ONLY you can do that)
We wrapped up by having talking about the value of marriage in the family and that it’s the most important thing you can do for your children. She shared a quote- the best thing a wife can do for your children is have passionate sex with their father.
Check out her resources:
Belah Rose's Website
Book- Amazon Delight Your Husband: The Christian Wife's Manual to Passion, Confidence, & Oral Sex
Podcast- Delight your Marriage
Want MORE resources?
Join Basecamp Here!
Other Resources!