License To Parent With Trace Embry

Politically Incorrect Parenting When we parent according to Scripture, we aren’t always seen as normal in the eyes of the world. Sometimes we even see strange looks from other Christian parents! But answer this for me: Are your kids more emotionally well-adjusted than other children? Are they better behaved? Are they easier to handle? Keep this in mind when you see side glances or others begin to question why you choose a Scriptural foundation for your parenting decisions. It is certainly tempting to update our parenting style to match the culture around us. Maybe no one openly questions your Scripture-based parenting, but you may feel like a parenting primitive who is behind the times for choosing to raise your kids with a different set of restrictions and requirements. If these statements ring true in your life, then we want to encourage and stand with you. You are a politically incorrect parent! And there is nothing in the world wrong with that. Discussing Parenting in a Political Correct Culture with

The Absolutes of Manhood In today’s world, it’s difficult to even have an intelligent conversation about manhood. Why? There are new terms, new standards, new protocols that many of us are still needing clarity on and to become familiar with. In fact, many of the terms being tossed around need to be defined and agreed upon before we can truly communicate on this topic. Fluidity has overtaken the conversation about boyhood and manhood. Absolutes have disappeared. But more than that, our culture has become ripe and ready for systemic discouragement of young men. Are we emasculating our boys before they even have a chance to grow into strong men? What we can do about it? The crisis of manhood extends beyond political correctness. We’ve messed with God’s ecosystem. But somehow, the creation thinks they have a better idea for doing and defining life than the creator. And that’s a disaster waiting to happen. Discussing the Challenges of Manhood with Gregory Koufacos  Today we welcome Gregory Koufacos to the pr

The Evolution of Higher Education & Faith But today the very mention of having faith in God is something that is often considered equivalent to being a neanderthal. A Christian Perspective on Higher Education Many of the nation’s most prestigious institutions actually began as theological establishments. However, today we see a much different picture. So how can we as parents set our children up for not only academic success, but spiritual growth as they enter the college-bound years? Is there a way to prepare them to enter an environment that may not be receptive, and may even be hostile to their faith? Should we prepare our kids to stand their ground amidst a hostile environment that challenges their faith to its core? Do we even consent to send our kids to such an environment? How do we guide our children to making a decision that will strengthen rather than hinder their faith? Discussing the Hostile Environment of Colleges & Universities with Dan Dupee Dan Dupee is President Emeritus of the Coalition f

Manipulation, Money & Modern Parenting America continues to be a country that sparks not only the curiosity but the desire of those from other nations. Day after day people are trying to get here; whether that be legally or otherwise. If American is such a terrible place to live, then why are we facing a crisis at the border? There are those that would seek to manipulate our society into hating our country. As the church, we must learn to recognize this for what it is: a history lesson in a failed form of government. Our kids deserve the rest of the story. Our kids are not naive to manipulation. In fact, I’ve learned through my work with teens that they don’t particularly like to be unjustly controlled, played, conned, or manipulated. They don’t tolerate hypocrisy and lies from anyone; not the government, teachers, bosses, coaches, or even their own parents. So why would they accept being conned by foreign billionaires? Unfortunately, manipulated is a good word to describe our youth today. And it’s happenin

Navigating Our Culture's Digital Landscape Can our children navigate the digital landscape free of corruption and addiction? Is there wisdom in giving our children digital technology? What about virtually unfettered access to digital technology by way of the smartphone? How can we know when our kids are safe? Or when they’ve crossed the line? When are our kids at risk of becoming eye-slaves to digital tech? What does healthy technology use look like? How do we teach our children to successfully balance healthy tech use? Do we have what it takes to step in when they cross the line? The Technology Take Over For many children in America, screens have become their “other parent.” What impact does technology have on our children? Unfortunately for many, technology has shifted from “parent” to god. Their energy, time, and thoughts are consumed by what they find on the screen. What does the Bible say about technology use in our lives? Can we find wisdom on this matter in Scripture? Today we discuss how we as pa

When Our Kids Look to Us in the Unknown As adults, many of us were completely blindsided by the events of 2020. The careers we held in high esteem, the same careers we planned to retire from, suddenly don’t exist anymore. Positions cut, or moved remote at the very least, initiated a huge shift for our personal lives and for our family. But the ripple effect of the pandemic didn’t just impact us. It impacted our kids. Normally our children would be seeking our guidance and wisdom on dealing with the unknown. But what happens when we are both sailing in uncharted waters together? The Impact of a Global Pandemic on Our Child’s Mental Health Many of us have never experienced a global pandemic. So the old model of teaching our kids and story-telling through our learned experiences doesn’t work here. Our kids are seeing us struggle. They are seeing and working through the very raw and real emotions that we are. That brings with it stress all its own. Discussing Mental Health and Crisis with June Hunt June Hunt

Explicit Content & Our Children Today, sexually explicit images aren’t just those naughty magazines sold from behind the drug store counter. Milder or “soft” versions of it can be seen on billboards along the highway. Stronger forms are readily available out in the open now as well. They may be lurking just next to the candy aisle at your local convenient store. These images are not only in the line of sight of your children but well within their grasp. But this isn’t the worst of the readily available images. Many parents are continuing to harbor explicit images and scenes by way of satellite or cable TV packages. These images are in high-definition motion picture and living color, truly bringing these scenes to life and leaving nothing to the imagination. Could there be anything worse? Unfortunately, yes! Many parents have given (often unknowingly) their children their own private access to it. The access comes by way of the devices they carry to school, to play, and even to bed each night! All of this and

Healthy Boundaries & Our Children Even as parents, we also need to adhere to boundaries both for ourselves and in other interpersonal relationships. But what if you were told that in some areas of life, even in your child’s life, that there may not be a reason to adhere to boundaries at all. What if you were told that boundaries, in some cases, might actually be detrimental? When it comes to spiritual growth and Christ’s character in our kids and ourselves, growth has no boundaries. Let’s explore what that kind of growth actually looks like today as we speak with Dr. Henry Cloud. Discussing Boundaries with Dr. Henry Cloud Dr. Henry Cloud is a graduate of Southern Methodist University with a BS in Psychology, he completed his PhD in Psychology at Biola University. Dr. Cloud is a New York best-selling author where his book Boundaries, sold over 15 million copies worldwide. His latest book is called Growth Has No Boundaries. Boundaries and the Christian Home Episode Highlights: Should our childre

Technology Use for Good & Evil It seems as though as soon as you get a new computer it has already sneaked in its replacement and it’s already out of date. If you’re looking for the latest apps for your smartphone, anything you download today will surely be obsolete tomorrow. Now we’ve often said that technology isn’t bad in and of itself. It’s a tool that can be used to do great things. But in the wrong hands or when used in the wrong way, some technology can actually be a dangerous weapon. Case in point; smartphones. They represent multiple ways to communicate but they also offer unencumbered access to the internet. We’re not fans of that! Discussing the Gabb Wireless Alternative with Anne Marie McDonald Last week we talked with Anne Marie McDonald, Vice President of Public Relations and Strategy at Gabb Wireless. Gabb is a tech company offering not only wireless phone service but also wireless phones. And that suggests that there may be a safe alternative.  How Gabb Can Be a Solution for Your Family

The Over-Consumption of Technology By Our Kids Is being ostracized even a wise or valid reason? After all, kids being ostracized is a risk of having or not having or participating or not participating in something all the time.  If our reference point of how to live is what other people think we are all going to be in for a lot of disappointment! However, being ostracized for doing something right can actually result in good things for our kids such as character growth, resilience, grit, integrity, patience, and a stronger resolve to keep doing what’s right. Being strong enough to incorporate a safe and wise digital alternative for our kids. There is no reason that any minor should have unencumbered access to his or her own smartphone. This even includes those who use their own money to pay for it. And there is a case to be made for this from the scientific perspective, biblical perspective, relational perspective, logical or psychological perspective, the physical perspective, and the spiritual perspective

Parenting Priorities and Today's Culture Are we, as parents, taking our parenting advice from popular media? Science? Pop Psychology? Scripture? As Christian parents, it is important to take our cues from Scripture, walking in the foundations of God's word. Today, we speak again with John Rosemond as we continue to discuss politically incorrect parenting. Our parenting styles, disciplines, and general way of life may not always add up to what culture expects. Today we discuss some important questions that Christian parents should be asking, and how the answers will impact the well-being of our children for years to come. Discussing The Hard Questions with John Rosemond John Rosemond has worked with families, children, and parents since 1971 in the field of family psychology. In the past few years, John has appeared on numerous national television programs including 20/20, Good Morning America, The View, The Today Show, CNN, and CBS Later Today, as well as numerous print interviews. Old Fashion Parenting Epi

Parenting Differently in Today's Culture You may parent a little bit different than those in your neighborhood, at the grocery store, and even those in your extended family. A genuine commitment to God and His word can get funny looks from your kids’ friends, the parents of those friends, and even other Christian parents. But have you noticed that your kids are more emotionally well-adjusted, better behaved, and easier to handle? Still, the temptation to give in to the prevailing parenting trends of our culture may be a nagging concern to you. Maybe no-one openly rebukes you for it, but you may still feel at times like a parenting primitive who is behind the times and raising your kids with a different set of restrictions and requirements than most other kids. Your kids often seem to identity better adults than with their actual peer group. You are a politically incorrect parent. And we’re here to encourage you in that. Discussing The Challenges of Parenting Today with John Rosemond John Rosemond has wor

The Crisis of Manhood Today, there are new standards, protocols, and even terms that many of us are yet to be familiar with. In fact, many of the definitions of these terms have to be sorted out and agreed upon before we can have an intelligent conversation about manhood. Apparent absolutes about boys and men have become fluid. But more than that, American culture has created a climate ripe for systemic discouragement of our young men. Have they been in some sense emasculated? If so, what can be done about it? The crisis of manhood extends beyond political correctness. The bottom line is that we have messed with God’s ecosystem. When the creation thinks that they have a better idea for doing and defining life than the creator, that’s when we are building a house of cards. Discussing The Challenges of Manhood Today with Gregory Koufacos Today we welcome Gregory Koufacos to the program. Gregory is a veteran addiction counselor and therapist. He has just published a book called: The Primal Method: a book for

Putting Romans 12:2 into Practice By and large, a vast majority of moral views and perspectives of even non-believers in America used to be in line with biblical views. Unfortunately, it’s hard to say that about many Christians today. This similarity in views also applied to parenting. This was specifically seen in what used to be required of our nation’s youth and what they were allowed to be exposed to. But the times have certainly changed. Today’s American parents don’t look the same as they used to. It’s a struggle and a challenge for parents to range healthy and emotionally well-adjusted kids. It requires us to be so much more intentional about the parenting choices that we make. We now must teach our kids to “swim upstream” against the current cultural tide. That means taking Romans 12:2 to heart and to a whole new level. Our goal is to be counter-cultural parents raising counter-cultural kids. Discussing The Challenges in Counter-Cultural Parenting with Tina Marie Griffin Tina Marie Griffin went fr

Educating our Children in Today's Culture As a result, our kids have been allowed to be exposed to influences that we wouldn’t regularly even think of allowing them to be exposed to. Media, movies, peers, popular culture and more are vying for our kids' attention. Have we been complicit in all of this? We must be vigilant. Our kids are God’s kids and we have the responsibility to train them in the way they should go. The tragedy is that today in many cases someone else already has trained our children. In the past, it was always the “bad crowd” that parents warned their kids about. But today the bad crowd could be what was traditionally thought of as the good crowd of people we trusted. This could be school board members, teachers, professors, media personnel, news anchors, doctors, lawyers, and the list goes on. Today it seems like the spiritual life has been sucked out of the noble professions. But they still hold much of the influence in today’s society. If there is a systemic problem in America today— i

The Christian Perspective of College Yet many of these prestigious universities such as Harvard, Yale, and others actually began as Christian theological institutions. As Christian parents then, how should we be preparing our kids to deal with an academic environment that might actually be hostile to their faith? How can we better prepare our kids to stand their ground amidst this growing hostility? Should we even consider sending our kids to a college or university that might draw our kids away from God? It's no secret that for quite some time now there's been a liberal bent in much of higher education.  But, it seems that in recent times there's actually become a seething resentment, perhaps even hate, for anything to do with faith in God. Another thing that so many of these academics don't always have, is the ability or the wisdom to come to terms with the limits of their own finite knowledge.  That's a huge and arrogant mistake. So, when they pass-on their emotionally-charged leftist rhetoric to their yo

Forsaking The Ideals of Socialism & Globalism Our country is the country people from other countries are trying to get to; both legally and illegally. If it is such a terrible place then why are they trying to do this? Today we look at how the church can recognize manipulation by those who would want us to hate America and those who wish for us to accept the narrative of a historically failed form of government. We need to let our kids in on the rest of the story. I know from working with kids that they don’t like to be unjustly controlled, conned, or otherwise manipulated. Not by their government, their teachers, bosses, coaches, or their own parents; and certainly not by foreign billionaires! But being controlled, conned, and otherwise manipulated is exactly what’s been happening to our kids these days through lies, revisions of history, and lore of free stuff! Our kids aren’t the only victims here. It’s a lot of adults too. I’m talking highly educated adults. I can’t tell you why but we know that there i

The Impact of Screens on Our Children & Teens We’ve seen that screens often become something like our children’s “other parents” but has it become even worse than that? Could these smart devices have become our children’s god? What does the Bible say about this topic and how to instill biblically, safe, and healthy wisdom into our kids? Discussing Digital Addiction with Kathy Koch Dr. Kathy Koch is the founder and president of Celebrate Kids Incorporated, based in Fort Worth, TX. She is the co-founder of Ignite the Family. She is a featured speaker for Great Homeschool Conventions and is a frequent speaker for Care Net, Axis, and a number of other organizations. Dr. Kathy earned a Ph.D. in Reading and Educational Psychology from Purdue University. She was a tenured associate professor in Education at the University of Wisconsin. She was also a teacher of 2nd graders, a middle school teacher, and much more! She has also written 6 books including her most recent, Start with the Heart. We have asked her here

Guiding Our Children through the Unknown It’s challenging for us as adults, but it’s challenging for our kids too. But it’s challenging to them in different ways. Normally our kids would look to us for guidance on how to get through life’s challenges. We’re usually pretty good at helping them because, more often than not, we’ve already been through the challenges ourselves and can show them how we managed them. Covid-19s Impact on our Children 2020 has shown us that this model isn’t going according to plan either, as most of us have never experienced a global pandemic. It’s new to us just like it’s new to our kids. This time, they get to see us flounder. That brings up another point of stress: Covid-19’s impact on our kids and how we can help them manage these pain points and come out stronger on the other side. Discussing Mental Health Struggles with June Hunt June Hunt is an author, speaker, singer, and founder of Hope for the Heart. Hope for the Heart is a worldwide biblical counseling ministry founded

Grace and Compassion Last week we began a conversation with Kendra about this new film that addresses the conflicts between the LGBTQ+ community and the teaching of the Bible; yet with compassion and grace. Continuing the Conversation with In His Image Director, Kendra White There is so much to uncover that we simply didn’t have enough time to squeeze it all in in one episode. If you missed our first interview with Kendra you can listen to it HERE. Kendra joins us today to offer more great insights from the film. Rooting Our Family in Scripture Episode Highlights: Investigating the topic of Choice Vs. Born this Way Is abuse a factor in gender identity? Does God make somebody desire the opposite gender? Does He trap someone in the wrong body? Without freewill you cannot love Is there conflict within the LGBTQ community? Why must this topic be addressed in the church? Scripture to help you address confusion Image from Pixabay