This episode is a short introduction about your hosts for The Walk. Tony and Laura Smith have been married for almost seven years and have two children and are expecting their third! They have a desire to share God's truth and encouragement to young families who may be navigating their own struggles and questions with parenting. They share a little bit about what they do in their daily lives and share about the structure of The Walk podcast. Subscribe Tony and Laura's Top 3 Parenting Bo...
12/30/2021 The Walk Podcast Family Worship: Episode 1 Deuteronomy 6:5 commands us to love the Lord with all of our being. The art of family worship is missing in modern society. In this first episode of a five-part series, Tony and Laura discuss what family worship is and how to begin as a family. They offer practical advice that ties directly into Deuteronomy chapter 6 and share from their own personal experiences with how and when to incorporate family wor...
12/30/2021 The Walk Podcast Family Worship: Episode 2 Our second episode in the Family Worship series focuses on Deuteronomy 6:6. This verse is all about God's commandments being on our hearts. Tony discusses the impact of a personal relationship with God has on our children. Going through the motions of "pretending" to walk with God is hypocrisy and kids are quick to observe hypocrisy in others, especially within the home. We all need have a relationship with God...
1/11/2022 The Walk Podcast Family Worship: Episode 3 Deuteronomy 6:7 emphasizes that parents are to impress or engrave God's wisdom, truth and love onto their kids. Doing this with gentleness and intentionality is the goal, but forcing God's Word upon children can have negative consequences. Tony and Laura discuss the fact that you can talk about God anywhere and at any time with your kids. As parents, being sensitive to the Spirit of God can allow you...
1/18/2022 The Walk Podcast Family Worship: Episode 4 Do our actions and words really matter to our kids? As Tony tackles how parents influence their kids by what they say and what they do, he also shares a mistake of his own that might have a lasting impact on his oldest daughter. Understanding Deuteronomy 6:8 gives moms and dads a clue that their routines in daily life are observed by their children as well as others and can have an impact on how they live their ...
1/25/2022 The Walk Podcast Family Worship: Episode 5 As the Family Worship Series comes to a close, Tony and Laura take time to focus on Deuteronomy 6:9 while explaining ways that you can share God's Word with people all throughout your home. The closure of this episode transitions into a new topic beginning next week: Newborns! Bible Study Fellowship Link Sign up for The Walk's Email List and receive Tony and Laura's recommended Top 3 Pare...
2/1/2022 Newborns: Encouragement in a Tribe New parents experiencing the trials of bringing home a fresh baby, or a veteran parent snuggling great-grandkids, there is nothing like the newborn phase of life. Focusing on encouragement through the local church, Tony and Laura discuss 2 Corinthians 13 and how finding a tribe of your own is uplifting and helps you endure the hardships of parenting an infant. Sign up for The Walk's Email List and receive Tony and Laura's r...
2/8/2022 The Walk Podcast Newborns: Contentment Anxiety and fear can easily set in long before you bring home a new baby. All of the societal pressures to buy the newest fancy gadget or uphold certain family expectations can be a bit overwhelming. Tony and Laura discuss the issue of finding contentment in God, not things, while welcoming a newborn to your family. Sign up for The Walk's Email List and receive Tony and Laura's recommended Top 3 Parenting Books fo...
2/15/2022 The Walk Podcast Newborns: Attachment Jeremiah 1:5 claims that God forms children in the womb and knows who they are before they are even born! Having a new baby can be such a powerful, joyous experience. But having instant affection for your newborn isn't always the norm. What happens if you don't feel affection for your new baby that entered into the world? What do you do about that? Are those apathetic feelings normal or even okay? In this episode, To...
2/22/2022 The Walk Podcast Newborns: Postpartum Depression 1 Kings 19 describes the depression of the Hebrew Prophet Elijah and how God comforts him. In this episode, Tony and Laura discuss their own struggles with depression as parents and how God met them at their lowest points. My Utmost For His Highest Daily Devotional Sign up for The Walk's Email List and receive Tony and Laura's recommended Top 3 Parenting Books for 2022 Support the show You can ...
Isaiah 41:10 In this episode Tony uses Isaiah 41:10 to navigate through a few different types of Mental Health disorders that are most commonly found in parents and kids. How does God guide us through these dark moments in life? As we trust in God, who knows our circumstance, His presence become more real and our experiences through depression or anxiety begin to diminish. What Impact Does Parental Mental Health Have on Children? My Ut...
3/8/2022 Parental Mental Health: Blindsided In this episode, Tony interviews Heather Caster, author of Blindsided to Blessed: My Family's Journey from Teen Suicide to Finding a Purpose. Heather talks about the struggles of losing her youngest daughter Lauren to suicide and shares her own research on mental illness as an adult as well as a teenager, of which, many parents may not be aware of their own child's struggles. Blindsided to Blessed: My Family's Journey from Teen Suici...
3/15/2022 Parental Mental Health: Blessed Tony continues his discussion with Heather Caster and her daughter MJ about finding God and how He has provided hope during the grieving process after Lauren's death. Heather and MJ both share about their experiences of love from so many people over the last three years and offer some words of encouragement to those who may be struggling through something similar. Blindsided to Blessed: My Family's Journey from Teen Suicide to ...
3/22/2022 Tony dives into the mental health struggles of teens and how parents can adapt and have discussions with them. So often, teens set up walls where we don't realize anything is wrong. Sympathy, understanding and helping them to feel valued are keys to guiding your teenagers through mental health struggles. Support the show You can connect with Tony and Laura at thewalkpodcastministries@gmail.com Twitter (X) @TonySmith4520 https://www.thewalkfm.com/ Newsletter and Pra...
4/5/2022 Prayer Pillars: Gratitude Children are a gift from the Lord, but sometimes we don't treat them as such. We get bogged down with life, work and fatigue where we go through the motions of getting through the day instead of embracing our children. Tony and Laura discuss the heart of gratitude through prayer for our kids in this first episode on Prayer Pillars. Support the show You can connect with Tony and Laura at thewalkpodcastministries@gmail.com Twitter (X) @TonyS...
4/12/2022 Prayer Pillars: Salvation Tony discusses the second pillar of prayer: salvation. In regards to lifting up your kids hearts to God in prayer, asking Him to reach your children in a divine way, it isn't a guarantee that your children will know the Lord based off of what you do to raise them. The truth is that, as parents, the reliance upon God and His faithfulness is needed. Absolute Surrender- Andrew Murray Support the show You can connect with Tony and Laura at ...
4/19/2022 Prayer Pillars: Wisdom Tony discusses the third pillar of prayer: wisdom. When your kids enter into a new phase of life, particularly adulthood, there are a lot of internal struggles and conflicts. Children learn to be independent but parents go through a transition as well. In this episode, we discover that godly wisdom can have an impact not just for your kids, but for the future generations of your family. Support the show You can connect with Tony and Laura at ...
5/6/2022 Prayer Pillars: Guidance Tony discusses the fourth and final prayer pillar: Guidance. As we prayer for our kids as they are younger, our prayers for them shouldn't cease as they enter into adulthood. The reality is, most of our adult children will eventually begin a family of their own. They will desperately need God's guidance as they navigate the trials of having their own family and begin to lead them to follow the Lord as well. Website: https://thewalkpodcast.buz...
5/10/2022 Prodigals: The Younger Son Looking through Luke chapter 15, the story of the Prodigal son, Tony dives into understanding the mind and heart of rebellious prodigals. Often times as parents we experience the heartache of a child choosing to live recklessly. However, there are many times where we relate to the younger son in our lives by pursuing selfish desires rather than chase after our Heavenly Father. Luke 15: 18-20 "I will arise and go to my father, a...
5/17/2022 Prodigals: The Older Son Continuing through Luke chapter 15, we take a glance at the older son in the parable. How do we as people and as parents struggle with comparison and self-righteousness? We can fall into entitlement when we look at what other people experience. Tony wrestles through how we have a tendency to bring a self-centered attitude into our home and how our kids are affected. Luke 15: 28-29 “The older brother became angry and refuse...