Parenting Against The Current

Jonathan Moon grew up as a homeschooled pastor’s kid, and the lesson that stuck with him most wasn’t any sermon. It was watching his parents meet with God every single morning. In this episode, Jonathan shares how ordinary, everyday faithfulness shaped his walk with Jesus, and how he’s passing it on to his own son.

Raised near Houston, Jonathan was homeschooled from pre-K through graduation by parents who modeled faith without making a show of it. His dad read his Bible at the kitchen table every morning, and his mom prayed through her memory verse flashcards. He talks honestly about the pressures of growing up a pastor’s kid, the conversations in which his dad apologized for putting ministry ahead of family, and a note his grandfather left him in his Bible. Today, Jonathan and his wife are raising their two-year-old son, Asher, with a daughter on the way, and they’re finding simple ways to point him to Jesus every day.

Jonathan is now the youth minister at Delta Church in Marble Falls, Texas, and teaches worldview classes alongside David at One Day Academy.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why your daily devotion may speak to your kids more loudly than anything you teach them
• How Jonathan’s dad handled his own struggles honestly, and what that meant to Jonathan
• How to give older kids freedom to make decisions in their conscience before God
• The hidden pressures pastors’ kids face, including living in “ministry mode”
• Why a “Hebrew mindset” means faith shapes every part of everyday life
• Why it’s okay to set aside the lesson plan when a teachable moment shows up
• Simple ways to point a toddler to God throughout the day
• Why “be kind” teaches kids more than “be nice”

Memorable quotes:

“That resonated with my heart more deeply than all of his sermons put together.” — Jonathan Moon

“You are not called to be grandpa, you’re not called to be dad, but you are called to walk in the same faithfulness.” — Jonathan’s grandfather

“Homeschool kids aren’t waiting for Superman. They’ve already got Superman. It’s mom and dad.” — David Swarbrick

“Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit. Being nice is not.” — David Swarbrick

Resources mentioned:

• The Walk on Water Syndrome by Edward B. Bratcher
• Waiting for “Superman” (documentary)
• One Day Academy

Scripture referenced:
Proverbs 1:5, Deuteronomy 6:5–9, Romans 12:1–2, Galatians 5:22–23, Mark 2:27, Luke 10:38–42

Chapters:
00:00:00 Welcome and introductions
00:01:14 Meeting his wife at camp
00:03:53 Growing up a homeschooled pastor’s kid
00:06:59 Homeschooling in the 2000s
00:09:17 The transition to college
00:11:17 When dad is pastor and teacher
00:13:02 A grandfather’s note in his Bible
00:14:10 Dad’s open Bible every morning
00:16:09 Seeing your dad’s struggles
00:18:06 When dad apologized
00:20:43 Should parents share their struggles?

00:23:37 When kids discover dad isn’t Superman

00:24:50 Mom’s memory verse flashcards

00:27:30 Loving God with your whole being

00:29:01 Movies, music, and conscience

00:32:42 The pressures of being a pastor’s kid

00:34:53 Living in “ministry mode”

00:38:17 From camp counselor to youth pastor

00:41:03 Becoming “Johnny Moon” at camp

00:43:52 What discipling parents do well

00:46:12 Sports, church, and priorities

00:49:38 Teaching as you walk by the way

00:50:46 Hebrew mindset vs. Greek mindset

00:53:46 Finding the radical middle

00:57:20 The hummingbird moment

01:00:07 Making margin for teachable moments

01:02:37 Raising a two-year-old to love Jesus

01:04:08 “Good job, God”

01:04:40 Kind, not nice
01:07:12 Final thoughts

If this episode encouraged you, subscribe so you don’t miss the next one, and share it with a parent who needs a little hope today.

What if your kids don’t need perfect parents, just parents who keep pointing them to a perfect Savior? Author, pastor’s wife, and mom of six daughters Jeanine Sanchez joins David Swarbrick on the first episode of Parenting Against the Current to talk about how to raise kids who keep walking with Jesus even after they move out.

Jeanine has been married to her husband Juan, a senior pastor in Austin, Texas, for 36 years and has raised 5 daughters who are still walking with Jesus. She and Juan learned a great deal along the way, and they put it into their book, Reaching Your Child’s Heart: A Practical Guide to Faithful Parenting.

In this episode, Jeanine talks honestly about the difference between managing behavior and reaching a child’s heart. She and David also discuss reconciling with an angry teenager, how the authority of the parent changes as children age, and why church was a non-negotiable in the Sanchez home.

If you’ve ever worried that you’re doing it all wrong, this conversation will remind you where your hope belongs.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why your kids need to watch you repent
• The difference between heart engagement and behavior management
• How grace and mercy work together with correction
• Simple ways to build Scripture and catechism into routines you already have
• How to reconcile with a teenager who isn’t ready to talk yet
• Why fear makes a poor foundation for parenting and the damage of being a chronically angry parent
• How freedoms should grow with responsibility as kids approach moving out
• How to receive feedback from your kids about how they see you as a parent

Memorable quotes:

“Our kids don’t need perfect parents, because they’re not going to get that anyway. What they really need is a perfect Savior.” — Jeanine Sanchez

“If you deny and justify and explain and sweep it under the rug, that’s what your kids are going to learn to do.” — David Swarbrick

“As long as that child has breath in their lungs, there is hope.” — Jeanine Sanchez

“Quality time is born out of quantity time.” — Jeanine Sanchez

Resources mentioned:

• Reaching Your Child’s Heart: A Practical Guide to Faithful Parenting by Juan and Jeanine Sanchez (New Growth Press), also available in Spanish

Scripture referenced:
Proverbs 1:5, Psalm 139:14, Deuteronomy 6, Romans 3:23, Romans 5:8, Romans 8:1, Proverbs 3, Matthew 18:22, Matthew 12:43–45, Psalm 103:12, Galatians 6:9, Ezekiel 36:26, Philippians 2:12, Hebrews 12:2, Isaiah 55:11

Chapters:
00:00:00 Welcome and introductions
00:01:01 Six daughters and a life in ministry
00:02:28 Why parenting stereotypes don’t help
00:07:00 Writing Reaching Your Child’s Heart
00:12:35 God’s desire for godly offspring

00:15:19 Kids need a perfect Savior
00:16:34 Letting your kids see you repent

00:20:32 Transparency and kids leaving faith
00:22:07 Holding justice and mercy together
00:28:38 Reaching the heart, not just behavior
00:34:39 How we harden our kids’ hearts
00:37:10 Positive biblical instruction
00:41:26 Building Scripture into daily routines
00:44:55 Catechism and the mental warehouse
00:46:32 Having uncomfortable conversations
00:48:22 Spanking as one tool among many
00:52:40 Reconciling with an angry teenager
00:58:08 Choosing fun over fear
01:03:03 From command to counsel
01:06:31 Freedom to fail and launching well

01:10:12 Raising worshipers, not just believers
01:12:59 Why church was non-negotiable
01:15:49 Praying for what only God can do
01:16:43 I don’t agree, but I trust you
01:20:06 Anger destroys relationships
01:20:40 Quality time needs quantity time
01:23:35 Hope in Jesus alone

01:26:26 Wrap-up

If this episode encourages you, subscribe so you don’t miss the next one, and share it with a parent who needs a little hope today.

Every Christian parent carries a picture: kids who love Jesus, live with purpose, and launch into the world well. But with so many kids walking away from faith, that picture can feel more like a fear than a hope.

Parenting Against the Current is a podcast built on a simple belief: there are things you can do that make a real difference. Each episode, we sit down with parents who've launched kids who still walk with Jesus, and adults who grew up in believing homes and kept the faith. Real stories. Wins, failures, joys, heartaches.

Pull up a chair, be encouraged, and learn how to resist the pull of the world so the picture in your head can become real.