Last month before I became sick I was able to have a most wonderful conversation with the great people at Families of Character, an organization committed to providing families the best tools to make home the most loving and unified place for children to grow. The goal is for them to understand that even if their family life feels off course or divided, change is always possible.
As we prepare to head into the Fourth of July weekend–one of the most family focused holidays of our country, I thought this would be a wonderful time to share this episode with the Say Yes to Holiness community to share about the great work being done by Families of Character.
The story begins with Steve Markel as a very successful business owner and speaker, and his wife Nancy were busy raising their five young children when they found themselves feeling like most parents: overworked and overwhelmed. They would constantly ask themselves, “Does it ever get better?”
In an attempt to find the answer to this question, he and his wife took parenting courses and attended parenting seminars. They would even fly in prominent parenting speakers for their community. They were on the search for creating a more peaceful home that would set their kids up for success.
After years of looking, Steve’s search came to an end when he realized that the underlying problem in their home was a lack of character being lived. Steve and his wife researched the good habits that make up character and started working with their kids to live these habits. They were so blown away by the results, they knew it was their calling to share their secret with the world.
What transpired is Families of Character, a non-profit dedicated to providing parents with the tools to instill character in their homes.
Families of Character believes that the first team we have is our family. They’re the ones cheering us on from the beginning; learning to use a spoon, getting our driver’s license, navigating our first job, and everything in between. When we know we belong, that our family is united around us, we feel freedom to be who we were created to be.
But our culture is broken. Instead of turning to our families to help determine right and wrong, we’re being bombarded with how we should be living from every side. And, honestly, it takes a bit of grit to navigate all the division we face in life. We need a firm home base to return to in order to develop and live out strong character strengths in our daily lives to face the challenges of the world today.
In this episode, I speak with Steve Markel and his team abour the wonderful work they are doing in order to help parents and families develop strong character traits within everyone in the family. All of these things lead to healthy relationships, more empathy and understanding, and, ultimately, becoming better parents and raising functional adults.
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They provide everything from free resources to their Thrive Journal series. The Thrive Journal: Purpose was created as the starting guide for families to grow in community. Parents who would like to grow their family in unity, joy, and self confidence can use this journal to jump start your parenting strategy in a whole new way with guided practice, enriching lessons, and child-friendly tools.
I pray that you find this conversation with Steve and his team at Families of Character as enriching and fascinating as I did, and that it gives you much inspiration, hope and encouragement for the state of families in our world today.
Listen to this special episode of the Say Yes to Holiness podcast
Or you can watch the interview here on the Say Yes to Holiness YouTube Channel
You can connect with Steve Markel and Families of Character at the website: https://www.familiesofcharacter.com/
The Say Yes to Holiness Transformation Online Summit had more than 30 speakers and panelists come together to focus upon the question of how to “Pivot Towards Our Best Selves” in these challenging times. To access all of the FREE content from the Summit, go to the Say Yes to Holiness YouTube channel to access the Say Yes Summit Speaker Video Playlist, the Summit Discussion Panels, and the Summit Speaker 1 on 1 interviews as they are released.
Christina Semmens is a Roman Catholic author, speaker, and coach and host of the Say Yes to Holiness podcast. She currently lives in Fort Payne, Alabama where she strives to live out a life of authentic discipleship in the pursuit of holiness while empowering, teaching and accompanying others in striving to do the same.
If you want to learn more about how to embrace the life God created you for and discover more purpose, peace and abundance in your daily life, then click to join the Say Yes to Holiness TODAY Facebook group or send an email to: christinasemmens@gmail.com.
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