Why does prayer feel so hard — especially when trying to help children and teenagers engage with it?

In this episode, the Famalam team explore the realities of prayer in family life, sharing honest stories about awkwardness, inconsistency, and the challenge of making prayer feel natural rather than forced. They unpack how parents can model a real, conversational relationship with God, helping children see prayer as something woven into everyday life.

The conversation introduces simple, practical ways to build family prayer habits, including “arrow prayers” (short, spontaneous prayers), morning “please and thank you” prayers, and evening highs and lows reflections. They also discuss how to help children and teens pray for others, respond to real-world needs, and process big issues without feeling overwhelmed.

Through personal stories of answered prayer, unexpected moments, and long-term persistence, the episode highlights how sharing testimonies can build faith within the family. They also explore how prayer evolves as children grow — from simple repetition to more personal, independent faith — and why relationship matters more than routine.

This episode will equip Christian parents with practical, realistic ways to nurture a culture of prayer at home, helping children and young people grow in confidence, compassion, and connection with God.

We’d love to hear from you — email hello@famalampod.com or DM us on Instagram @famalampod.

If you’re enjoying the podcast, please like, share, comment, and subscribe!

About Famalam:

Famalam is a Christian family & parenting podcast hosted by Gareth, Lizzy, Daisy, Lucy, and Toby Robinson. We explore Christian parenting, raising kids, faith at home, discipleship, family challenges, communication, boundaries, discipline, tech and screens, mental wellbeing, friendships, church engagement, Christmas traditions, and real-life family dynamics.

Follow & Connect:

Instagram: @famalampod | Email: hello@famalampod.com

What is shaping your children more right now — faith, family, or the world around them?

In this episode, Gareth, Lizzy, Daisy, Lucy and Toby explore how spiritual formation happens every day, often without us realising it. From social media and algorithms to friendships, school pressures, and family rhythms, they unpack how what we consume — and what we model — is constantly shaping our children’s identity and faith.

They discuss the difference between drifting and intentional parenting, and why building consistent, simple habits is key to helping children develop a lasting relationship with Jesus. The conversation highlights the growing pressures young people face — socially, academically, and digitally — and how parents can respond with presence, wisdom, and intentionality.

This episode also shares practical ways to build faith into everyday family life, including the powerful habit of “highs and lows” reflection, prayer, and creating space for honest conversation. They emphasise the importance of modelling an authentic, non-performative faith, allowing children to grow at their own pace while still prioritising Jesus and community.

Drawing on biblical wisdom like Proverbs 13:20 and Luke 10:41–42, this episode encourages families to simplify, refocus, and choose what truly matters — trusting that small, consistent choices can shape a child’s faith for the long term.

This episode will equip Christian parents with practical tools to navigate peer pressure, digital influence, and everyday formation, helping their children grow in faith, character, and resilience.

We’d love to hear from you — email hello@famalampod.com or DM us on Instagram @famalampod.

If you’re enjoying the podcast, please like, share, comment, and subscribe!

About Famalam:

Famalam is a Christian family & parenting podcast hosted by Gareth, Lizzy, Daisy, Lucy, and Toby Robinson. We explore Christian parenting, raising kids, faith at home, discipleship, family challenges, communication, boundaries, discipline, tech and screens, mental wellbeing, friendships, church engagement, Christmas traditions, and real-life family dynamics.

Follow & Connect:

Instagram: @famalampod | Email: hello@famalampod.com

How do you help children and young people develop a genuine, lasting faith in a world full of distraction?

In this episode, Gareth and Lucy are joined by Amanda Neill to explore the importance of spiritual formation in kids and young people. Together, they unpack how everyday habits, digital influences, and intentional rhythms shape a child’s relationship with Jesus over time.

Amanda explains the difference between passive formation — where culture and screens shape our kids by default — and intentional formation, where families actively create space for prayer, Scripture, and connection with God. They discuss the growing impact of digital life on attention, anxiety, and discipleship, and why creating healthy rhythms around technology is essential for spiritual growth.

The conversation is full of practical, realistic ways to build faith habits at home, including prayer, Bible reading, Sabbath rhythms, and simple moments of connection throughout the day. Amanda also shares wisdom on navigating distraction, helping children process anxious thoughts, and keeping spiritual practices fresh, engaging, and life-giving rather than forced or routine.

With honesty and encouragement, this episode reminds parents that spiritual formation isn’t about perfection, but about intentionality, consistency, and grace — trusting that nothing offered to Jesus is ever wasted.

This episode will equip Christian parents and youth leaders with practical tools to help the next generation grow in faith, resilience, and a deeper relationship with Jesus.

We’d love to hear from you — email hello@famalampod.com or DM us on Instagram @famalampod.

If you’re enjoying the podcast, please like, share, comment, and subscribe!

About Famalam:

Famalam is a Christian family & parenting podcast hosted by Gareth, Lizzy, Daisy, Lucy, and Toby Robinson. We explore Christian parenting, raising kids, faith at home, discipleship, family challenges, communication, boundaries, discipline, tech and screens, mental wellbeing, friendships, church engagement, Christmas traditions, and real-life family dynamics.

Follow & Connect:

Instagram: @famalampod | Email: hello@famalampod.com

What is it like to live with chronic pain — and how does it shape faith, identity, and family life?

In this deeply personal episode, the Robinson family open up about Lucy’s journey with chronic pain, sharing the reality of living with ongoing, often undiagnosed pain over several years. Lucy reflects on the physical challenges, the emotional toll, and the frustration of not having clear answers, while the family discuss how it has impacted mental health, relationships, and everyday life.

Together they explore how chronic illness affects self-image, family dynamics, and communication, and why it’s so important for parents and siblings to listen, believe, and support one another. Lucy also shares her journey of faith in Jesus, including moments of doubt, perseverance, and hope, and how prayer and community have played a role in sustaining her through difficult seasons.

The conversation highlights practical ways of coping with chronic pain, including learning to listen to your body, celebrating small wins, and finding rhythms that support both physical and emotional wellbeing. They also reflect on the progress Lucy has made — from severe limitations to rediscovering activities like running — and what that journey has taught them as a family.

This episode will encourage Christian parents and families facing long-term health challenges to support one another with compassion, prioritise mental health, and hold onto hope even when answers are unclear.

We’d love to hear from you — email hello@famalampod.com or DM us on Instagram @famalampod.

If you’re enjoying the podcast, please like, share, comment, and subscribe!

About Famalam:

Famalam is a Christian family & parenting podcast hosted by Gareth, Lizzy, Daisy, Lucy, and Toby Robinson. We explore Christian parenting, raising kids, faith at home, discipleship, family challenges, communication, boundaries, discipline, tech and screens, mental wellbeing, friendships, church engagement, Christmas traditions, and real-life family dynamics.

Follow & Connect:

Instagram: @famalampod | Email: hello@famalampod.com

What do you do when family life feels chaotic, overwhelming, and emotionally stretched?

In this episode, Gareth and Lizzy share honestly about navigating a season of stress, pressure, and unexpected challenges — from family celebrations and big life moments to health scares, travel mishaps, and relational tension. They reflect on how these intense seasons impact marriage, parenting, and emotional wellbeing, and how faith, forgiveness, and humility help rebuild connection when things feel strained.

They explore the importance of pausing to process emotions, extending grace to one another, and recognising that difficult seasons are not signs of failure, but opportunities for growth. Through real stories of disagreements and navigating busy family life, they highlight how the Holy Spirit, prayer, and community support can bring clarity and peace in the middle of chaos.

The conversation also celebrates the small moments — walks, shared laughter, and simple acts of connection — that help families stay grounded and rediscover joy even in challenging times.

This episode will encourage Christian parents to approach stressful seasons with honesty, humility, and faith, trusting that even in chaos, God is at work strengthening relationships and deepening resilience.

We’d love to hear from you — email hello@famalampod.com or DM us on Instagram @famalampod.

If you’re enjoying the podcast, please like, share, comment, and subscribe!

About Famalam:

Famalam is a Christian family & parenting podcast hosted by Gareth, Lizzy, Daisy, Lucy, and Toby Robinson. We explore Christian parenting, raising kids, faith at home, discipleship, family challenges, communication, boundaries, discipline, tech and screens, mental wellbeing, friendships, church engagement, Christmas traditions, and real-life family dynamics.

Follow & Connect:

Instagram: @famalampod | Email: hello@famalampod.com

What does it look like to practice intentional fatherhood and guide sons into adulthood with faith, purpose, and confidence?

In this episode, Gareth and Toby Robinson are joined by Luke Smith, husband to Hannah and father to two teenage boys, Morgan and Aaron. Luke shares how he has intentionally sought to raise his sons as followers of Jesus, building daily rhythms of affirmation, connection, and spiritual formation within family life.

Luke explains the power of a simple nightly blessing he has spoken to his boys since they were young — reminding them they are good, loved, and safe — and how those words shape identity, courage, and resilience. The conversation also explores the father–son initiation retreats Luke created for each boy before they turned 13, inspired by John Tyson’s The Intentional Father. These trips became powerful opportunities to talk about character, faith, responsibility, and the journey toward becoming a good man.

They also discuss a meaningful “ritual of transition”, where Luke’s wife Hannah intentionally passed the mantle of guidance to Luke as the boys entered adolescence. Luke reflects on lessons learned along the way — from embracing adventure and hardship together, to staying curious about his sons’ interests, to helping them process frustration by asking, “Do you need to be heard, or do you need help?”

This episode will encourage Christian dads and parents to approach parenting with intention, creativity, and faith — modelling courage, identity, and resilience as their children grow into adulthood.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Intentional Father by Jon Tyson
• Three Questions for a Frantic Family by Patrick Lencioni
• Fusion — the organisation Luke leads helping students find hope in Jesus

We’d love to hear from you — email hello@famalampod.com or DM us on Instagram @famalampod.

If you’re enjoying the podcast, please like, share, comment, and subscribe!

About Famalam:

Famalam is a Christian family & parenting podcast hosted by Gareth, Lizzy, Daisy, Lucy, and Toby Robinson. We explore Christian parenting, raising kids, faith at home, discipleship, family challenges, communication, boundaries, discipline, tech and screens, mental wellbeing, friendships, church engagement, Christmas traditions, and real-life family dynamics.

Follow & Connect:

Instagram: @famalampod | Email: hello@famalampod.com

What happens when a healthy, active family suddenly faces childhood cancer?

In this powerful episode, Liz and Isaac Fell share their journey through childhood leukemia, reflecting on the shock of diagnosis, the long road of treatment, and the sustaining power of faith, prayer, and community support. From the first symptoms to hospital life, side effects, and recovery, they offer an honest account of parenting through a prolonged medical crisis.

Liz and Isaac speak openly about how they communicated the diagnosis, processed fear and uncertainty, and leaned on their church community during the hardest moments. They reflect on how faith in God brought comfort and clarity, how milestones were celebrated even in hospital rooms, and how resilience grew through adversity. The conversation also explores sibling dynamics, emotional strain, baptism as a declaration of hope, and the shift in family priorities after treatment ended.

This episode will encourage Christian parents facing serious illness to cherish small moments, seek community support, and trust that even in suffering, faith and resilience can deepen and sustain family life.

We’d love to hear from you — email hello@famalampod.com or DM us on Instagram @famalampod.

If you’re enjoying the podcast, please like, share, comment, and subscribe!

About Famalam:

Famalam is a Christian family & parenting podcast hosted by Gareth, Lizzy, Daisy, Lucy, and Toby Robinson. We explore Christian parenting, raising kids, faith at home, discipleship, family challenges, communication, boundaries, discipline, tech and screens, mental wellbeing, friendships, church engagement, Christmas traditions, and real-life family dynamics.

Follow & Connect:

Instagram: @famalampod | Email: hello@famalampod.com

Are family disagreements damaging — or can they actually shape children in healthy ways?

In this episode, the Robinson family reflect on the reality of arguments at home, sharing personal stories from camping disasters to awkward public moments, and exploring how disagreements have shaped their family dynamic over the years. They discuss how children experience parental conflict, what they notice (even when parents think they don’t), and why healthy communication is essential in family life.

The conversation highlights the importance of modelling conflict resolution, apologising sincerely, and talking openly about work stress and misunderstandings. They emphasise that arguments are a normal part of relationships — but the way they are handled can either create insecurity or build resilience, understanding, and trust.

This episode will encourage Christian parents to approach disagreements with humility, love, and intentional communication, creating a home environment where conflict can be resolved peacefully and children learn from watching grace in action.

We’d love to hear from you — email hello@famalampod.com or DM us on Instagram @famalampod.

If you’re enjoying the podcast, please like, share, comment, and subscribe!

About Famalam:

Famalam is a Christian family & parenting podcast hosted by Gareth, Lizzy, Daisy, Lucy, and Toby Robinson. We explore Christian parenting, raising kids, faith at home, discipleship, family challenges, communication, boundaries, discipline, tech and screens, mental wellbeing, friendships, church engagement, Christmas traditions, and real-life family dynamics.

Follow & Connect:

Instagram: @famalampod | Email: hello@famalampod.com