Raising Christian Kids

“I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.” -Psalm 86:12 There is a strong connection between the words thankful, grateful, grace, and mercy. However, even though the words thankful and grateful are used interchangeably, to be thankful is to feel an emotion, and to be grateful is to take it a step further and express that emotion in action. Tha...

“We started coming together as a family for a few minutes of prayer and a few minutes of spending time in God’s word, and that family worship time has transformed our family and generations of our family.” Rob Rienow Rob Rienow has partnered with his loving wife, Amy, to help their seven children follow Jesus. Together they founded Visionary Family Ministries, an organization that encourages famil...

James 1:5 states, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” Sometimes kids can figure things out on their own. Other times, if they can’t, they become frustrated and overwhelmed, and can't seem to resolve problems on their own. As parents, we can exhibit effective problem-solving for our children to mirror. We...

“We want kids to know that their home is a warm place, a fun place, a fair place, a safe place; we want to free families up to have fun with the Bible.” -Frank Trimble Frank Trimble serves as the Director of Training and Consulting for Family Time Training, an organization that offers programs to help families pass down the Christian faith, in the home. Frank is honored to be Kristin's husband and...

Did you know that we are hardwired for spirituality? In a previous episode, we learned from Dr. Lisa Miller that 21% of our DNA is spiritual. This means we are hardwired for spirituality! We should know the best ways to connect spiritually with our children and how to help them engage in meaningful, spiritual conversations. During this episode, Lee Ann elaborates on the following suggestions: Purc...

“Marriage is a byproduct of our relationship with Jesus, and at the same time, the way we parent is foundational to understanding what it means to have a relationship with God.” Dr. Dewey Wilson Dewey Wilson, Ph. D., is the founder and CEO of Strong Marriages. Dr. Wilson Co-Authored The Relationally Intelligent Child and contributed to Focus on the Family's book, The Best Advice on Marriage. He ha...

Did you know that the sin of idolatry is the most detestable sin in God's eyes? God makes it known many times in the Bible, especially in Ezekiel chapters 8 and 9, that the sin of idolatry is the most detestable sin. It's also God's number one commandment to not have any other Gods besides Him, the one true God. In Ezekiel chapters 8 and 9, the Lord addresses the four components of idolatry and de...

"We are giving our kids so much more than what we are taking away from them when we do this detox." – Molly DeFrank Stay-at-home mom and foster mom of six, Molly DeFrank helps free families from their addictions to electronic devices. She holds a degree in international relations and worked as a press aide for former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Molly's book, Digital Detox, offers gu...

When teenagers don’t experience connection and consistency, they have a hard time developing self-control and responsibility. The last episode detailed ideas and ways to improve communication with teens. During this episode, Lee Ann continues to share her wisdom from her research to help you and your parenting partner, or just you if you’re a single parent, discipline your teenagers more effective...

The terrible twos… more like the terrible teens! In the first part of the two-part episode series on parenting teenagers, Lee Ann elaborates on the following topics to help improve communication and hopefully better your relationship with your teenager: Using "neutral ground communication" when trying to improve communication. The best and worst time to try and talk to your teens. How to empathize...

Does your son sometimes have trouble expressing his emotions or he doesn't like to share how he's feeling? If so, this episode is for you! David Thomas is the director of counseling for boys and men at Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville, TN. He is the author of several influential books including his latest, Raising Emotionally Strong Boys: Tools Your Son Can Build on For Life, and a compa...

“The 6th day of creation wasn’t the end of creation; it was just the beginning. It’s simply when God passes the baton to his image bearers and says, ‘pick up where I left off and go fill this earth for my glory and the good of others.’” -Jordan Raynor Jordan Raynor helps Christians respond to the radical, biblical truth that their work matters for eternity. He does this through his bestselling boo...

The Psalms claim, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” It is in our human nature to be fearful of things, and those who don’t believe in Jesus need to fear the Lord, for they will receive his wrath on judgment day. But those who believe in Jesus can have the type of fear that creates a desire in our hearts to worship him and obey his commands, called Godly fear. It’s a fear that caus...

That week, locked in the Monroe Juvenile Detention Center, Catherine gave her life to the Lord… Catherine Zoller is the author of The Rhyme and Reason series and a dynamic speaker who uses humor and truth to inspire audiences across the country. Her testimony is proof of God's ability to redeem everything. Her goal for the series is to familiarize children with the word of God and to help them und...

“Science shows us that in our darkest moments, we are particularly able to break through and deepen our relationship with God.” -Dr. Lisa Miller Lisa Miller, Ph. D., is the New York Times bestselling author of The Spiritual Child: The New Science on Parenting for Health and Lifelong Thriving and The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and our Quest for an Inspired Life. Dr. Miller grad...

“Spirituality is involved with a circuit in the brain that every single one of us has been given from day one… and we can watch through our MRI machines how the brain moves when we are knowing, feeling, and experiencing our personal relationship with God.” -Dr. Lisa Miller Lisa Miller, Ph. D., is the New York Times bestselling author of The Spiritual Child: The New Science on Parenting for Health...

How can we help our children find their identity through Christ? Today, children believe their self-worth is measured by what people say about them or by what they see and hear on social media. But it can be difficult for them to build self-esteem if they don't understand that they were made in the image of the creator of all things! We can also help them recognize that they are so much more valua...

“It’s easier to raise a boy than fix a man.” -Rick Johnson Bestselling author and speaker Rick Johnson founded Better Dads, an organization based on the urgent need to empower men to lead and serve in their families and communities. Rick, an experienced grandparent raising his grandchild, works to influence the whole family with life-changing insights for parents and grandparents on parenting, mar...

How can we help our children to learn to relinquish when the world teaches them quitting is never an option? Relinquishment means to abandon, put aside, let go, release, or cease from holding. Relinquishment is not surrendering or giving up for no reason. To surrender means that we admit the enemy has won. When we relinquish, we are releasing to God what we cannot control and letting go for a good...

Champ Thornton, Ph. D., and his wife, Robben, live in Newark, Delaware, and have three children. He is the author of many books that children and families can enjoy while staying engaged and learning biblical content, more speicfically, the history of the church and the Bible. He also hosts a ten-minute family podcast called “In the Word, On the Go.” Champ discusses lessons and biblical wisdom fro...

Do you have a child that, no matter what, always seems to be complaining or grumbling? If you have a child who never seems to see the positive in things, is never satisfied, or always seems to be grumbling, there are many ways you can help them transform their heart into a heart that give thanks in all situations. According to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, it is God's will that we rejoice always, pray...

“The average age of exposure to pornography is 8 -11, and I wondered… why aren’t we talking about this?” -Barb Winters. Barb Winters is a pastor’s wife and parent of four adult children, one of who is a recovering pornography addict. She’s a hopeful mom supporting, encouraging, and offering help to parents in this digital world through her writing and speaking engagements. Her book, Healthy Relati...

What are generational parenting patterns and why do they matter? Generational parenting patterns are patterns that are transferred from one generation to another. For example, if your parents screamed at you as a teenager, sometimes you may scream at your own teenagers now because that is the way you were raised. Or even saying things the same way your parents said things to you. “I told you a tho...

"One out of every twenty adults in America have a biblical worldview. Our worldview begins developing at 15 months of age and is almost fully formed by age 13." -Dr. Barna Dr. George Barna founded the Barna Research Group in 1984 (now The Barna Group) and helped it become a leading marketing research firm focused on the intersection of faith and culture. He currently serves as the executive direct...

Do you have a child that likes to take control or, may we dare say, is bossy? We as Christian parents should acknowledge children who may be showing signs of being bossy and never ignore them. There are many ways to address children who may be showing signs of bossiness. Ginger Hubbard states, “To redirect a teachable moment is an opportunity to miss a teachable moment.” Children should understand...