God's Big Story

Anna and Matt explore why bedtime is about more than getting kids to sleep. They share how a simple routine of connection, faith, and prayer can help calm anxiety, build security, and teach children to trust God as they end each day.

🌙 Why Bedtime Matters

Child development and Scripture both point to bedtime as a unique moment when children are especially open to connection, comfort, and spiritual formation.

Psalm 4:8 reminds us:

"In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety."

🤝 A Simple Bedtime Rhythm

Build a predictable routine around three simple steps:

💛 Connection – Slow down, listen, cuddle, and help your child process the day.

📖 Faith – Read a Bible story, play Scripture-filled music, or remind them of God's promises.

🙏 Prayer – Give the day and every worry to God together.

🛏️ Practical Bedtime Ideas

⭐ Play High/Low by sharing the best and hardest parts of the day.

👀 Use "I noticed..." to encourage and affirm your child.

❤️ Offer comforting physical touch like holding hands, rubbing their back, or brushing their hair.

🎵 Play peaceful Scripture songs or an audio Bible while cuddling.

🌟 Replace fears with bigger truths from God's Word.

😴 Teach a simple breath prayer:

Inhale: "The Lord is my shepherd."

Exhale: "I have everything I need."

💙 When Bedtime Doesn't Go as Planned

Some nights are messy—and that's okay.

If you lose your patience or bedtime falls apart, let it become an opportunity to model repentance, forgiveness, and God's grace. Your children don't need perfect parents. They need parents who point them to a perfect Savior.

🙌 Encouragement for Parents

Those quiet moments before sleep may seem ordinary, but they are shaping your child's heart for years to come. A few extra minutes of listening, praying, and reminding your child of God's love can become some of the most meaningful discipleship moments in your home.

You are not doing this alone.

You are partnering with the Holy Spirit, who loves your child even more than you do.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, one of the best ways to support the show and make sure others find it, is to subscribe and leave a review. Thank You!

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Kids will learn that a request is asking God to do or give something. God invites His children to bring every need to Him, trusting that He always hears our prayers and answers according to His perfect wisdom and plan.

⭐ What Kids Will Learn:

🙏 A request is asking God to do or give something.

👑 We pray to God the Father through Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.

🍞 Jesus teaches us to ask God for our "daily bread," trusting Him to provide what we need.

☀️ Joshua boldly asked God to make the sun stand still, and God answered according to His promise.

❤️ We can ask God for anything because He is good, attentive, and always does what is best.

📖 Bible Passage:

Matthew 6:11

🏡 Try This at Home:

✍️ Write or pray three requests to God: one for yourself, one for someone else, and one asking God to help you grow more like Jesus.

👨‍👩‍👧 Read Joshua 10:12-13 together and talk about why Joshua was able to pray such a bold prayer.

🙏 As a family, thank God for how He provides your daily needs and ask Him to help you trust His answers, even when they're different than what you expected.

📖 Memorize the phrase, "Give us this day our daily bread," and talk about what it means in everyday life.

❓ 5-Second Fly Through Review:

God wants to talk with us. The primary way God talks with us is through the _____ (BIBLE)

The primary way we talk to God is through ______ (PRAYER)

We pray TO the _____ (FATHER)

We pray THROUGH the _____ (SON)

We pray BY the power of the _____ (HOLY SPIRIT)

True or False? One type of prayer is requests. (TRUE!)

True or False? We can only ask God for certain things. (FALSE. WE CAN ASK GOD FOR ANYTHING!)

🎶 Song Featured:


⁠⁠⁠⁠The Lord's Prayer⁠⁠⁠⁠ by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Village Kids⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Editing and support by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Good Podcast Co.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

For sponsorship inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sponsor@thegoodpodcast.co

kids will learn that lament is a type of prayer where we honestly talk to God about things that feel hard, hurtful, sad, or wrong.

⭐ What Kids Will Learn:

🙏 Confession is telling God the truth about our sin.

🔄 Repentance is turning away from sin to follow Jesus.

❤️ Jesus came to seek and save sinners.

🌳 Zacchaeus experienced forgiveness when he met Jesus.

🕊️ The Holy Spirit helps us recognize our sin and follow Jesus more faithfully.

📖 God hears our prayers of confession and gladly forgives His children.

📖 Bible Passage:

Luke 19:10

🏡 Try This at Home:

✍️ Write or say a simple prayer of confession, asking God to forgive a sin you've committed.

👨‍👩‍👧 Share with a parent or trusted adult how God helps us turn away from sin.

📖 Read Luke 19:1-10 together and talk about how Zacchaeus changed after meeting Jesus.

❤️ Think of one practical way you can follow Jesus more faithfully this week.

❓ 5-Second Fly Through Review:

God wants to talk with us. The primary way God talks with us is through the _____ (BIBLE)

The primary way we talk to God is through ______ (PRAYER)

True or False? Jesus didn’t forgive Zacchaeus right away _____ (FALSE)

True or False? The Holy Spirit helps us know when we have sinned (TRUE)

Confession is telling God the truth about our ____ (SIN)

How did Zacchaeus repent? (HE REPAID ALL THE MONEY HE HAD STOLEN AND FOLLOWED JESUS)

🎶 Song Featured:


⁠⁠⁠The Lord's Prayer⁠⁠⁠ by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Village Kids⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, one of the best ways to support the show and make sure others find it, is to subscribe and leave a review. Thank You!

Editing and support by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Good Podcast Co.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

For sponsorship inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sponsor@thegoodpodcast.co

kids will learn that lament is a type of prayer where we honestly talk to God about things that feel hard, hurtful, sad, or wrong.

⭐ What Kids Will Learn:

🙏 Lament is a type of prayer where we talk to God about things that feel hard, hurtful, or wrong.

❤️ God loves His children and wants them to be honest with Him.

📖 King David wrote many prayers of lament in the book of Psalms.

👂 God is attentive and hears His children when they cry out to Him.

🌟 We can trust God even when we don't understand what's happening around us.

📖 Bible Passage:

Psalm 130:1-2, 7-8

🏡 Try This at Home:

✍️ Think of something that feels hard, sad, or confusing and write a simple prayer about it.

🙏 Pray together as a family, thanking God that He listens when we bring Him our hurts.

📖 Read Psalm 13 or Psalm 130 together and look for examples of lament.

❤️ Talk about a time when God helped you through something difficult.

❓ 5-Second Fly Through Review:

God wants to talk with us. The primary way God talks with us is through the _____ (BIBLE)

The primary way we talk to God is through ______ (PRAYER)

We pray to the _____ (FATHER)

We pray through the _____ (SON)

We pray by the power of the _____ (HOLY SPIRIT)

True or False. It’s wrong to talk to God about things that feel hard, hurtful, or wrong? (FALSE)

The type of prayer where we talk to God about what feels hard, hurtful, or wrong is _____ (LAMENT)

🎶 Song Featured:


⁠⁠The Lord's Prayer⁠⁠ by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Village Kids⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, one of the best ways to support the show and make sure others find it, is to subscribe and leave a review. Thank You!

Editing and support by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Good Podcast Co.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

For sponsorship inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sponsor@thegoodpodcast.co

Kids will learn that thanksgiving is a type of prayer where we thank God for who He is and what He has done. We can give thanks in every circumstance, especially for the greatest gift of all: Jesus.

⭐ What Kids Will Learn:

🙏 Prayer is how we talk with God.

❤️ Thanksgiving is thanking God for who He is and what He has done.

📖 Paul taught Christians to "give thanks in all circumstances."

🌧️ We can thank God even when life is difficult because God is always good.

✝️ Jesus is God's greatest gift to His people.

📖 Bible Passage:

1 Thessalonians 5:18

🏡 Try This at Home:

📝 Make a list of 5 things you're thankful to God for.

🙏 Pray a prayer of thanksgiving together as a family.

📖 Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 and talk about what it means to give thanks in all circumstances.

❤️ Share one way you've seen God's goodness this week.

❓ 5-Second Fly Through Review:

God wants to talk with us. The primary way God talks with us is through the _____ (BIBLE)

The primary way we talk to God is through ______ (PRAYER)

We pray TO the _____ (FATHER)

We pray THROUGH the _____ (SON)

We pray BY the power of the _____ (HOLY SPIRIT)

True or False? One type of prayer is thanksgiving. (TRUE)

True or False? We can only give thanks when things are good and easy? (FALSE! WE SHOULD THANK GOD ALWAYS, IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES)

🎶 Song Featured:


⁠The Lord's Prayer⁠ by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Village Kids⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, one of the best ways to support the show and make sure others find it, is to subscribe and leave a review. Thank You!

Editing and support by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Good Podcast Co.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

For sponsorship inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sponsor@thegoodpodcast.co