Harriet Connor

Author of Big Picture Parents

Category: Recordings (Page 1 of 3)

Prayer and its place in our families

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On 15/11/2025

In Recordings

Prayer is an essential part of the Christian life—but it can be challenging for parents and children alike. How can we make prayer a part of our routine throughout the different stages of family life?

In this episode of Timeless Parenting we got practical about prayer with our guest, author and mother-of-three Wendy Lin. We spoke about how we experienced (or didn’t experience) Christian prayer in our families of origin and how we decided to approach it with our own children. We set the scene by discussing the questions ‘What is prayer?’ and ‘Why should we pray if God already knows everything?’. We then shared insights and practical ideas about:

  • How can we practise both routine and spontaneous prayer?
  • How does God answer prayer?
  • How can we do family prayer when we’re not confident?
  • What should we do if our spouse is not a keen Christian?
  • How can busy parents find time for personal prayer?

This conversation is insightful, practical, encouraging and full of grace for families in every season of life! You won’t hear a lot of ‘shoulds’, but rather a whole range of ideas that you could try out with your family.

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You can also find our podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other platforms.

Mothers Union Sydney runs an annual seminar about Christian life and parenting: The Joy of Enough, February 27, 2026.

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Timeless Parenting is brought to you by Growing Faith, a ministry of Youthworks Media and Mothers Union Sydney.

Timeless Parenting – latest conversations

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On 20/09/2025

In Recordings

Through co-hosting the Timeless Parenting podcast, I’ve had the privilege of talking with lots of interesting and well-thought-out Christians about issues that relate to family life. Some of our recent conversations have been about:

I hope these conversations will equip and encourage you too!

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Timeless Parenting is a collaboration between Growing Faith and Mothers Union Sydney. Find all of our episodes on your favourite podcast platform or here:

Timeless Parenting on Transistor.

The what, why and how of discipline

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On 14/06/2025

In Recordings

Discipline is probably the most difficult—and divisive—area of parenting, even among Christians. At some point every parent wonders: Are we disciplining our children enough? Or perhaps too much? Are we too lenient? Or perhaps too strict?

Our society usually equates discipline with punishment—a response to bad behaviour. But the Bible’s definition is much broader than that. Understanding biblical discipline begins with knowing God, the only perfect Father, who lovingly disciplines his children for their growth in godliness. In the light of this, the Bible describes parental discipline in terms of a loving, intentional, wholistic and long-term process that involves modelling, encouraging, teaching, training and correcting our children to help them mature towards godliness.

In this episode we speak with author and mum of five, Jocelyn Loane, taking a deep-dive into what biblical discipline really means.

We talk about:

  • What is discipline, according to the Bible?
  • Why do parents need to discipline their children?
  • How can discipline go wrong?
  • Is it OK for Christian parents to smack (or not to smack) their children?
  • How should we understand the ‘rod of discipline’ described in Proverbs?
  • How can we best respond to our children’s bad behaviour?

This conversation will be valuable for any Christian parent who wants to better understand the what, why and how of biblical discipline.

Further reading:

Parenting in God’s Family: Biblical Wisdom for Everyday Issues, which contains a chapter on ‘Discipline as discipleship’ by Harriet Connor.

Motherhood: How the Gospel Shapes Our Purpose and Priorities by Jocelyn Loane, which has two chapters devoted to the topic of discipline.

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You can also find our podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other platforms.

Mothers Union Sydney runs an annual seminar about Christian life and parenting. Listen to talks from previous seminars on Soundcloud.

How conflict offers opportunities for growth

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On 17/05/2025

In Recordings

Christians are meant to be people of peace, right? We follow the Prince of Peace; he calls us to be peacemakers; the fruit of the Holy Spirit includes love, joy and peace. And yet, we still seem to experience conflict in our churches and families. Our kids fight, we have arguments with our teens, and conflict plagues our marriages too. Sure, the neighbours may not hear us, but we know that our homes aren’t always places of peace.

We tend to default to the way that conflict was managed in the families we grew up in. Were difficult issues avoided and swept under the rug? Did one person always get their way? Were voices often raised? These patterns can shape our own response to conflict.

In this episode of Timeless Parenting our guest Jane Gibb, an experienced life and conflict coach, helps us to consider a Christian approach to conflict, especially within marriages and families. In particular, we talk about the opportunities that conflict offers—it can be a catalyst for personal growth and stronger, deeper relationships. We cover questions like:

  • What is conflict?
  • Is it normal for Christians to experience conflict?
  • What are the different ways people naturally respond to conflict and why?
  • Where do we experience conflict in our families?
  • What steps can we take to work through personal conflict in a healthy way?
  • What are some principles for managing conflict in our marriages?
  • How can we teach our children to manage conflict well?

This is a very insightful, practical and wide-ranging conversation—you might even want to take notes! You can find further resources for you and your children at Peacewise.

 

You can also find our podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other platforms.

Mothers Union Sydney runs an annual seminar about Christian life and parenting. Listen to talks from previous seminars on Soundcloud.

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If you want to get in touch with us to offer some feedback or suggest a topic, you can write to us at: timelessparenting@youthworks.net

Timeless Parenting is brought to you by Growing Faith, a ministry of Youthworks Media, and Mothers Union Sydney.

When children wander from the faith

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On 12/04/2025

In Recordings

As Christian parents we have to live with an uncomfortable tension. Our parenting matters—indeed God instructs us to raise our children in the Christian faith—but ultimately, it is only God who can give saving faith to our children.

We long for our children to grow up knowing, loving and following Jesus, just as we do. We do all that we can to pass on our Christian faith through our example, our teaching and our family routines and priorities. This is what we explored in the last episode of Timeless Parenting: how we can equip our children to stand firm in the Christian faith, especially in an increasingly hostile world.

But in this follow-up episode, we discuss the confronting reality that, despite our best efforts, not all of the children of Christian parents choose to keep following Jesus. This is a great test of our own faith—will we keep trusting God, even if our children wander away from him?

In this conversation, we are joined by guests Kat Ashton Israel and Al James as we explore:

  • Why do Christians feel uncomfortable discussing this topic?
  • How does it impact parents (and their faith) when a child ‘wanders’ from God?
  • If we can’t guarantee our children’s faith, what is our role?
  • How can we respond helpfully to our children’s questions and doubts about Christianity?
  • How can parents respond when a child walks away from church and Christianity?
  • How can our churches better support families with children who have ‘wandered’?

This episode offers real stories and helpful insights, as well as empathy and encouragement for parents and churches who are experiencing the heartache of seeing young people walk away from faith.

For more on this topic, you can read Kat Ashton Israel’s chapter ‘Teenage faith: doubters, drifters and deserters’ in Parenting in God’s Family.

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You can also find our podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other platforms.

If you want to get in touch with us to offer some feedback or suggest a topic, you can write to us at: timelessparenting@youthworks.net

Timeless Parenting is brought to you by Growing Faith, a ministry of Youthworks Media, and Mothers Union Sydney.

Family holidays are worth it!

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On 18/01/2025

In Recordings

What are your strongest memories of family holidays growing up? Was it the time when you saw your parents finally relax and have fun with you? Was it that amazing mountaintop view or waterfall swim? Was it the bushwalk that went horribly wrong? Or was it the time you went camping and it rained the whole time?

The truth is that holidays are more important for our families than we realise. And holidays are about much more than just having fun. After all, our families remember and talk about the bad holidays as much as we do the good ones.

A family holiday gets us out of our normal environment and routine and so it provides a great opportunity for us to reconnect—with each other, with God’s creation and with God through his word.

But planning a holiday is hard work, which makes it hard to prioritise.

That’s why Youthworks is excited to announce the launch of a brand new program, Getaways, which will help more families to enjoy time away together in God’s creation. Let Youthworks do the organising for you!

In our latest Timeless Parenting conversation, we chatted with Sam Hudson from Youthworks’ Getaways program about how to holiday well as a family.

More about Getaways

Getaways offers immersive outdoor adventures and experiences that celebrate God’s creation and strengthen family bonds. Each Getaway is designed to help families disconnect to reconnect. Disconnection from the built environment, social commitments and technology allows us to be reconnected to God’s creation, his people and his Son. It’s fair to say that quality time with family is rarely experienced without quantity time, such as a family holiday. We’re confident that these experiences are great value for money and will make memories to last a lifetime.

You can enjoy these programs in three different ways: Parent–Child Adventures, Family Adventures and Family Holidays.

Head to the Getaways website to find out more.

 

Technology: it’s a discipleship issue

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On 15/12/2024

In Recordings

Every modern parent knows how hard it is to get the balance right with technology. That’s why, in our latest Timeless Parenting episode, we sat to talk with Daniel Sih, author of Raising Tech-Healthy Humans and contributor to Parenting in God’s Family.

Our conversation moved beyond simple tips and hacks to the deeper questions of Christian discipleship and Christian values and how these might shape our family’s approach to tech. When it comes to technology, we need to stop and ask ourselves: How is this helping my child to love God and follow Jesus with all their heart, soul, mind and strength?

We also talked with Daniel Sih about the effects of tech overuse on children and their learning, the importance of creating ‘tech-healthy’ rhythms and ‘going slow’ with introducing new tech to kids. You’ll hear Daniel’s insights into which kind of ‘screen time’ is best for kids, what age is best for giving children access to a smartphone or social media, and how we can best set our children up to thrive in a tech-saturated future.

Our conversation finished up with an encouraging reminder that no matter what, parents and children alike can keep coming back to God’s unending grace.

As the summer holidays approach, with the seemingly constant appeal of more screen time, I encourage you to make time to listen to Daniel’s very wise (and gracious) advice for making sure we’re using technology in a way that helps, not hinders, our family’s Christian discipleship.

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If you would like to think more about this topic, have a look at Daniel Sih’s chapter of Parenting in God’s Family: ‘The art of tech-healthy parenting’.

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Timeless Parenting is brought to you by Growing Faith, a ministry of Youthworks Media, and Mothers Union Sydney.

Interview with HerTheology

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On 23/11/2024

In Recordings

I had a really great chat with my friend Cass from HerTheology podcast. We talked about Christian parenting, our new book Parenting in God’s Family and what the Bible says about family life, from Genesis to Revelation.

HerTheology has been interviewing some high quality guests this year on significant topics such as singleness, assisted reproductive technologies, gender confusion and masculinity. I highly recommend having a listen.

Here’s the YouTube video of our conversation, but you can find an audio version on your preferred podcast platform.

What’s the value of family rhythms and traditions?

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On 19/11/2024

In Recordings

What does your family’s calendar look like at this time of year? Perhaps Christmas is looming a little too close for comfort, and the weekends are beginning to fill up with end-of-year events.

In a busy world, it sometimes feels as if others are setting the rhythm for our family’s life. Whether it’s our children’s school, their sporting and dance groups or even just the commercial calendar at the shops, we can feel like we’re just running from one event to the next. And when it comes to Christmas, these ‘traditions’ we get caught up in do not necessarily help our family to focus on Jesus, the reason for the (silly) season.

As Christian families, we want to be intentional about how we use our time—our days, weeks, months and years—because the things that we prioritise and regularly repeat become the things that shape and define our family.

The latest episode of our Timeless Parenting podcast is an opportunity for you to slow down and give some thought to your family’s rhythms and traditions. Join us for a warm and encouraging conversation with Mary O’Brien, a great-grandmother and former missionary, and Jocelyn Loane, a mother of five children, aged 8 to 18, about the traditions that have shaped their families in the Christian faith.

We talk about what the Bible says about family traditions, how repeated rhythms can benefit our families and how we can keep a healthy focus on relationships rather than ‘rules’ amidst it all. You’ll be inspired by their ideas and examples of the kind of daily, weekly and yearly rhythms that can draw our Christian families closer to God and closer to each other.

Listen, be encouraged and share it with your friends!

If you would like to think more about this topic, have a look at Wendy Lin’s chapter of Parenting in God’s Family: ‘Setting rhythms that point our family to Jesus’.

Youthworks Media has also just released a digital Advent resource for families:
An Arrival to Celebrate: Fun Advent devotions for busy families unwrapping God’s big Bible plan

An Arrival to Celebrate

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Timeless Parenting is brought to you by Growing Faith, a ministry of Youthworks Media, and Mothers Union Sydney.

Schooling: positive starts and positive partnerships

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On 12/10/2024

In Recordings

Most Australian children will spend 13 years of their life attending school. That’s a long time! So as parents it’s important for us to think about how to set our kids up for a positive and meaningful experience of schooling.

That was the focus of our most recent conversation on the Timeless Parenting podcast with our guest, preschool educator and mother-of-five, Kat Ashton Israel.

Many parents agonise over the seemingly all-important question: When should I send my child to school? For children born in the first half of the year, parents have the choice of sending them when they are turning five or turning six. We can become preoccupied by getting this decision ‘right’.

This is indeed an important question to consider, and one that we discuss in this episode. But actually, it isn’t the only question we need to think about. In our conversation we also talked about:

How can we begin preparing our child for starting school?

How can we develop a positive partnership with our child’s school and teacher?

When concerns and conflicts with the school arise, how can we navigate them well?

As Christians, how can we make a positive contribution to our school community?

One question we chose not to discuss was which kind of schooling to choose for your child—public, church or Christian school … or homeschooling. If you would like to think more about that topic, check out Emily Cobb’s chapter of Parenting in God’s Family: ‘Weighing up different types of schooling’.

This conversation brings a balanced Christian perspective to the topic of schooling and will give you plenty of ideas for having positive starts and positive partnerships at school!

Listen, be encouraged and share it with your friends!

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You can also find our podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other platforms.

Mothers Union Sydney runs an annual seminar about Christian life and parenting. Listen to talks from previous seminars on Soundcloud.

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If you want to get in touch with us to offer some feedback or suggest a topic, you can write to us at: timelessparenting@youthworks.net

Timeless Parenting is brought to you by Growing Faith, a ministry of Youthworks Media, and Mothers Union Sydney.

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Harriet Connor

Harriet Connor

I'm a mother, wife and Bible teacher from near Sydney, Australia. I write about how the Bible's ancient wisdom makes sense of modern life and parenthood.

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