Raising Christian Kids

God is compassionate and promises to save those who are crushed in spirit! Lisa Appelo is the author of Life Can Be Good Again: Putting Your World Back Together After It All Falls Apart and speaks to inspire women to cultivate faith in life’s storms. Lisa went to bed happily married one night, and the next day woke up a widow and single mom to her seven children. As a former litigating attorney, L...

“There is a difference between excellence and perfection. Excellence allows for growth, and perfection doesn’t.” -Dr. Kathy Koch Dr. Kathy Koch, an author, speaker, and follower of Jesus, earned a Ph. D. in reading and educational psychology from Purdue University and influences thousands of parents, teachers, and children worldwide. She is the Founder and President of Celebrate Kids and an associ...

“Today’s kids believe happiness is their right and choice is their right, so they treat God like Amazon Prime. They want him to answer their prayers in the way they want him to answer it, right now.” -Dr. Kathy Koch Dr. Kathy Koch, an author, speaker, and follower of Jesus, earned a Ph. D. in reading and educational psychology from Purdue University and influences thousands of parents, teachers, a...

“We have to understand that all kids are motivated. It’s not a question of how do I get them motivated; it’s how do I redirect their motivation to something healthy.” -Dr. Kathy Koch Dr. Kathy Koch, an author, speaker, and follower of Jesus, earned a Ph. D. in reading and educational psychology from Purdue University and influences thousands of parents, teachers, and children worldwide. She is the...

In the typical order of things, parents give, and children receive. Sometimes, though, this gets reversed… So, what is parentification? Parentification is when the parent delegates their duties to a child, and the child ends up with too many parental responsibilities and sometimes even takes the role of caregiver to keep the family functioning. Parentification can help a child gain competence and...

“If we can just expose them in small, controlled dosages when we are still there to guide them through it, it can really help build immunity to false ideas.” -Elizabeth Urbanowicz Elizabeth Urbanowicz is a follower of Jesus, passionate about equipping kids to understand the truth of the Christian worldview. She holds a B.S. in Elementary Education, an M.S. in Education, and an M.A. in Christian Ap...

Do you deal with mom guilt? Well, if so, this episode is for you. "When I brought my firstborn home from the hospital, I was snapping the buttons on his onesie to get him to sleep, and I snapped the last snap by his neck and pinched his skin. He let out a piercing scream and started crying. I never forgot it because I felt so guilty about it! I recently saw a mother at the grocery store with her t...

Lisa Tawn Bergren is a best-selling, award-winning author who has written over seventy books! She writes in many different genres, from historical women’s fiction to illustrated Christian children’s books to time travel and spiritual suspense. Some of her books include the best-selling God Gave Us Series, Nana the Great Comes to Visit, and Upside-Down Prayers for Parents. Lisa talks about her jour...

Can sports actually help our children grow spiritually? Sports are one of the best ways to keep children busy and out of trouble. And most importantly, it can help prepare them to run the race that brings eternal life. During this episode, Lee Ann elaborates on how sports can benefit your child’s spiritual growth and how they can also teach them Christlike characteristics. Sports: Help children do...

“One in five children will be sexually abused by their 18th birthday in the United States! 34% of perpetrators are family members, 58% are acquaintances, and 7% are strangers.” -Justin Holcomb Justin Holcomb, Ph. D., is a minister and professor of theology at Reformed and Theological Seminary and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has authored, co-authored, and edited more than twenty books!...

“People really need to get plugged into their local pregnancy centers and really get plugged into their local pro-life community because we still have a big fight ahead of us.” -Abby Johnson Abby Johnson continues to share her conversion story from being an abortion clinic leader to the amazing pro-life activist she is today. She relates the story in the Bible about Paul’s conversion to Christiani...

 “We wanted people’s lives to be changed. We wanted people’s hearts to be converted. We wanted people to walk in pro-choice and walk out pro-life.” -Abby Johnson Abby Johnson, wife and mother of 8, worked for Planned Parenthood for eight years to become the clinic director. But, she walked away from her job after witnessing a 13-week-old fetus during an ultrasound-guided abortion. She went on to b...

Don't you think it's a crazy name for a clinic that aborts children... Planned Parenthood? Abortion is the killing of humans. Our children should understand what the sanctity of human life means. When we help our children understand the value of human life, it also helps them understand why it is important to be respectful and loving towards each other. Lee Ann elaborates on the following ways to...

God has given us a tool of gratitude; when you choose to look at things differently and be grateful, you can work to overcome anxiety! Caris Snider is a Christian communicator delivering the hope of God through speaking, writing, worship, and life coaching. She is the author of, Anxiety Elephants: A 31-Day Devotional to Help Stomp Out Your Anxiety, Anxiety Elephants for Tween Boys: A 90-Day Devoti...

Joe Carter is a senior writer for The Gospel Coalition, the author of The Life and Faith Field Guide for Parents, the editor of the NIV Lifehacks Bible, and the co-author of How to Argue Like Jesus: Learning Persuasion from History’s Greatest Communicator. He also serves as an associate pastor at McLean Bible Church in Arlington, Virginia. Joe elaborates on how the decision-making process is circu...

Tammy Daughtry is known as America's Coparent Strategist. She is the author of the book Co-Parenting Works! and the founder of Co-Parenting International, which is an organization that helps thousands of single parents and stepparents raise amazing children in complex families. Her resource, One Heart, Two Homes, serves as a helpful guide for parents who recently went through a divorce or separati...

Penny Cooke is the author of the award-winning book Pursuing Prayer – Being Effective in a Busy World and a certified biblical life coach. Her passion is to see everyone pray more often and more fervently. Whether she is writing, coaching, teaching, or speaking, Penny seeks to encourage and equip others with the Word of God and see them empowered by His Spirit. Key takeaways: Children should learn...

“If God calls you to it, he will equip you to do it!” -Kate Battistelli Kate Battistelli is the best-selling author of The God Dare: Will You Choose to Believe the Impossible and Growing Great Kids: Partner with God to Cultivate His Purpose in Your Child’s Life. She is one of the three hosts of the popular Mom to Mom Podcast. Kate and her husband of 38 years laid down their careers in the Broadway...

Are you looking for a devotional that helps your child apply biblical principles to everyday life? Linsey Driskill is a mother, author, and speaker who has helped lead educational awareness trips and directed the nonprofit organization, Villages of Hope. Linsey’s book, Beautiful Hearted Women of the Bible: A Creative Mother-Daughter Devotional, published by Focus on the Family, is a unique devotio...

“Small actions on our part as parents can lead to huge spiritual differences in our family.” -Justin Earley Justin Whitmel Earley is a lawyer, author, husband, and father of 4 boys. He holds a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and a degree in English Literature from the University of Virginia. He runs his business law practice under the Earley Legal Group. Justin frequently speaks a...

Petherbridge is an international speaker, author, and life coach. She has been featured in: Focus on the Family, The Billy Graham Training Center, FamilyLife, iBelieve, Crosswalk, Lifeway, Today's Christian Woman, and Momlife Today. Her books include The Smart Stepmom, 101 Tips for the Smart Stepmom, and Quiet Moments for the Stepmom Soul. Key Takeaways: Divorce is a death for everyone; even if th...

“The most effective form of learning educates the whole person, but it doesn’t happen overnight. It happens by sowing one tiny seed at a time, then watering, feeding, nurturing, and covering it all in prayer.” -Durenda Wilson. Durenda Wilson has homeschooled and graduated 7 out of 8 children so far. She is a speaker, podcaster, and author who strives to encourage an unhurried homeschooling approac...

“Your child’s maturity in Christ is your priority.” -Josh Mulvihill Dr. Josh Mulvihill is the Executive Director of Church and Family Ministry at Renewanation. He served as a pastor for nearly 20 years, has a Ph. D. in Family Ministry, serves on the board of Awana, and is the author/editor of ten books on parenting and grandparenting. Josh is married with five children. Josh elaborates on how pare...

“Lying expresses a lack of trust that God is in control.” -Ginger Hubbard Ginger talks about why children lie, what God’s Word says about lying, and encourages parents with practical ways to train children to speak the truth. Her book, Chloe and the Closet of Secrets, is a great resource to help children understand and overcome the sin of lying. Key takeaways: Most of the time lying derives from t...

Is your child struggling with habits of whining, but you aren’t sure how to address them? Ginger Hubbard discusses a biblical framework and practical ways to help children understand why they whine, how they can learn better ways to express themselves, and how to become better communicators ultimately. If you haven't already, we recommend listening to part 1 - Ginger Hubbard’s 3-Step Plan to Help...