Episode Title: Parenting with Meekness and Temperance

Hosts: Reverend Michele Owes & Reverend Diana P. Cherry

Series: Parenting Through the Fruit of the Spirit

1. Introduction: Teaching God’s Heritage with Purpose

Rev. Michele Owes and Rev. Diana P. Cherry welcome back the podcast family with joy and prayer. This episode concludes their powerful parenting series, reminding listeners that children are God’s heritage, entrusted to parents to raise in “the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” The conversation opens by reaffirming that teaching our children about God — at every moment of life — is a sacred duty not to be delegated to schools or even the church.

2. The Foundation of Parenting: The Fruit of the Spirit

Building on Galatians 5:22–23, Rev. Owes reminds listeners that the fruit of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance — are not our fruit, but God’s fruit manifested in us. True parenting, they explain, must begin with love, the root of all spiritual fruit, and flow naturally into every interaction we have with our children.

3. Practical Parental Wisdom: Teaching Peace at Home

Rev. Cherry urges parents to reflect the fruit of the Spirit actively in their homes. When parents teach their children about God’s ways, they cultivate peace — not the absence of trouble, but the inward peace that Jesus gives. She warns that modern children face immense stress and temptation, even to the point of despair. The remedy? Intentional spiritual parenting that models faith, love, and emotional balance.

Key Tip: Parents must reclaim their teaching role. Neither technology nor entertainment can shape the hearts of children as effectively as loving, godly instruction.

4. The Dangers of Overexposure and Technology

With heartfelt concern, Rev. Cherry speaks candidly about the modern dependence on electronic devices. She maintains that young children do not need cell phones and cannot be properly monitored with them. Technology, she cautions, often introduces harmful influences to children before they are prepared to discern them.

Quote: “Exposure creates options, and out of options, we make choices.”

She encourages parents to redirect children toward hands-on activities — puzzles, reading, and problem-solving — that develop godly focus and creativity instead of digital dependency.

5. The Power of Relationship and Communication

Rev. Owes expands the discussion by emphasizing the loss of interpersonal relationships among children engrossed in screens. She recalls how important it was, growing up, to converse with elders and form meaningful connections — lessons that many children now miss. Such relationships, she notes, teach humility, respect, and empathy.

Reflection: The enemy wants our children to miss real relationship. Investing time in genuine dialogue builds trust, identity, and spiritual grounding — things no device can provide.

6. Parenting with Meekness and Temperance

The heart of this episode centers on the final two fruits: meekness and temperance.

• Meekness is not weakness but power under control. Jesus exemplified this on the cross — having all power yet choosing restraint for the sake of salvation. As parents, we likewise have power, but we must exercise it wisely, using authority to build up rather than break down.
• Temperance is spiritual balance and control — the ability to flow through life’s challenges with grace, not reacting in anger or haste. Rev. Cherry beautifully compares temperance to a well-built truck bed that flexes with heavy loads: strong but flexible.

Together, meekness and temperance teach parents how to guide children calmly, lovingly, and with...