The Journey: PCA Parent Podcast

Zig Ziglar Servant Leadership Award Banquet 2023

Guest: Megan Rogers, Lauren Aulenbach, and Veronica Erickson

 

Zig Ziglar Servant Leadership Award Banquet

 

Sunday evening, April 2nd starting at 6:00 pm (doors open at 5:30 pm). Attire is WESTERN! The event is at The Star in Frisco. The recipient for the award is Michael W. Smith. This is a great event to invite a family that you want to introduce to PCA! Parents, we also need volunteers to help set up and tear down the event - check out the website for more information.

 

The Zig Ziglar Servant Leadership Award was established in 2008 through the shared vision of Prestonwood Christian Academy and the Prestonwood Foundation, with the purpose of encapsulating the legacy of Zig Ziglar by annually naming a recipient who embodies the very essence of Christ-like servant leadership. We are proud to announce Michael W. Smith as the 2023 recipient! Learn more about Michael W. Smith here.

All proceeds from the Zig Ziglar Servant Leadership Award Banquet directly benefit Sponsor-A-Lion (SAL), Prestonwood Christian Academy's tuition assistance program. Each year, 500-600 PCA students receive need-based financial assistance through SAL.

Special shout out to Jared Wood for allowing us to use his music - check him out at JaredWoodMusic!

Sanctity of Life Emphasis with Autumn Higashi

Guest: Autumn Higashi

Autumn was our speaker for our Sanctity of Life emphasis in chapel. She is involved with an organization called Students for Life and you can listen to more of her sessions on their website or her YouTube channel called Unapologetic.

Autumn shared some powerful and plain truths about the development of human life - from conception to a full term baby inside the mother’s womb - and why it’s important to protect this developing life from those who would seek to destroy it through abortion. Autumn shared this message with PCA’s 7-12 grade students in two different chapels.

When Autumn shares with others about the challenges to a pro-life worldview, she answers many of their issues with this powerful statement: “No situation will be made better by the ending of an innocent human life.” Autumn also shares the important aspect that abortion isn’t the only option available to a woman, but we live in a culture that settles for limiting narrative. There are available solutions for a woman in a crisis pregnancy - financial resources, adoption, counseling and support are just some viable alternatives to the killing of a human life.

Autumn reminded our students that our faith tells us that all life is made in the image of God and is valuable and science tells us that life begins at conception - putting those powerful concepts together means that we, as Christians, should be fighting for protecting the life of the unborn and helping those individuals who are wrestling with these concepts in their own life.

To learn more about how the Dobbs decision changed the legal landscape of America, check out this article by John Stonestreet at The Colson Center.

Students for Life ACTION trains and mobilizes this generation of pro-life leaders to impact public policy and influence key elections in order to restrict and abolish abortion in America. The goal is to make abortion unthinkable one day!

Final word to parents - you need to be the one who is training your children about the issues of sex and abortion - Planned Parenthood is looking to introduce a counter narrative to our students, but we should be vigilant to make sure that our children know the truth about God’s design for human life.

Special shout out to Jared Wood for allowing us to use his music - check him out at JaredWoodMusic!

Biblical Wisdom for Raising Boys with Ricky Chelette

Guest: Ricky Chelette

Ricky recently spoke to our parents at the Plano campus and will be giving that same presentation to our parents at the North Campus on Monday, January 30th at 6:45 pm in The Gathering. Invite your friends to join you to come out and hear him in person.

Living Hope Ministries

As Executive Director, Ricky’s vision, leadership, compassion and passion for truth has helped LHM grow and expand amidst a culture often antagonistic to its mission. Before joining Living Hope Ministries, Ricky served the Lord as a single adult/outreach pastor, youth pastor, and education minister. Ricky holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science/ Pre-Law, A Master of Arts in Religious Education, is an ordained minister, and has taught at seminaries, colleges, and universities. While serving as executive director, Ricky concurrently serves on the pastoral staff at First Baptist Church, Arlington, TX as an ordained pastor.

Over his more than thirty years in ministry, Ricky has vast experience speaking to and journeying with thousands of men, women, and friends and family of those struggling with gender and identity confusion. Ricky enjoys traveling, cooking, painting, writing, reading, and seeing people’s lives transformed by Jesus. His real passions are teaching the word of God, serving the church and her people, and hosting folks at his house for his personally prepared gourmet meals. Ricky was joyously married for thirty years to the late Merlinda Allen Chelette, who went to be with the Lord in April 2019.

 

Parents of boys - what things do they need to know?

Ricky - we are having a big crisis of masculinity and the demonization of men - “toxic masculinity” - reality is that there are “toxic” men, but as Christians we need to raise our young boys into godly men - men who know how to work hard, treat others well, serve their community, and love their Lord.

Ricky - go back to the Word of God for instruction. Genesis begins with God giving men work to do and that’s an important place for men to begin - work gives men meaning and significance…and helps out the community at the same time! Men were also given the task to speak truth into chaos and give that chaos an identity and direction. So important for fathers to do this with their children - to speak truth into their life and give them identity and direction.

Ricky - every child needs the Attention, Affirmation, and Affection of their parents, especially their father.

Dads - find out how your children are created and what they are passionate about, and find ways to enter into their world to encourage them in their pursuits. If you don’t do this, your children may believe that they are not good enough for your love and attention.

Ricky - every dad ought to “date” their children - one-on-one time, finding out more about them…what’s your child’s favorite color, what is the name of their teacher, what book are they reading, are they allergic to anything…dads, you need to know these things!

Ricky - single parents, this is a difficult journey alone, but there are others out there who can help you - coaches, teachers, etc…but be careful and vigilant to vet those you allow into the life of your children.

Special shout out to Jared Wood for allowing us to use his music - check him out at JaredWoodMusic!

Biblical Wisdom for Raising Girls with Ricky Chelette

Guest: Ricky Chelette

***Ricky will be speaking at PCA for two PCA parent training sessions, first on Monday evening, January 23rd in the SLC on the Plano campus starting at 6:30 pm as well as the following Monday evening, January 30th in The Gathering at the North Campus beginning at 6:45 pm. Childcare is not available for these sessions.***

Living Hope Ministries

As Executive Director, Ricky’s vision, leadership, compassion and passion for truth has helped LHM grow and expand amidst a culture often antagonistic to its mission. Before joining Living Hope Ministries, Ricky served the Lord as a single adult/outreach pastor, youth pastor, education minister, and even used his gifts of singing and teaching traveling the US performing gospel concerts. Ricky was one of the founders of LHM’s online support forums and was instrumental in establishing satellites of LHM in Denton and Houston. Ricky holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science/ Pre-Law, A Master of Arts in Religious Education, is an ordained minister, and has taught at seminaries, colleges, and universities in addition to speaking throughout the US and abroad. While serving as executive director, Ricky concurrently serves on the pastoral staff at First Baptist Church, Arlington, TX as an ordained pastor.

 

Over his more than thirty years in ministry, Ricky has vast experience speaking to and journeying with thousands of men, women, and friends and family of those struggling with gender and identity confusion. Ricky enjoys traveling, cooking, painting, writing, reading, and seeing people’s lives transformed by Jesus. His real passions are teaching the word of God, serving the church and her people, and hosting folks at his house for his personally prepared gourmet meals. Ricky was joyously married for thirty years to the late Merlinda Allen Chelette, who went to be with the Lord in April 2019.

Starting the conversation with raising girls today (boys will be next week). 

Ricky sees the gender “confusion” today as a “social contagion” - many young girls are following the lead of another or even someone famous

Where do we begin this conversation with our daughters?

• Talk with your daughters about why God created gender, especially the beauty of being created as a woman.

• Is there anything that a woman can’t do in today’s current culture?

• Are there things that specifically a woman can do that is special and unique?

If you just allow a person to progress normally through puberty, 75-85% of gender confusion will resolve for the sex to which they are born.

Parents - celebrate the way that your child was created by God - if they are a boy, celebrate that they are male - if they are a girl, celebrate that they are female. Remember that God doesn’t make mistakes - your children were created by God for a purpose, which includes their gender.

Parents - understand the influence that social media is having on the hearts and minds of your children!

Special shout out to Jared Wood for allowing us to use his music - check him out at JaredWoodMusic!

Welcome to PCA - Maria Bower

Parents, join me as we welcome Maria Bower to PCA where she will serve as our Director of Spiritual Development! You can reach Maria at 972-930-4127 or at mbower@prestonwoodchristian.org

 

About Maria (from her website): Maria serves as the Director of Spiritual Development, Wellness Coordinator, and as a Biblical Counselor for the  Prestonwood Christian Academy School System.  She is also the founder, teacher, and podcaster of Faith Vs. Weight: Slaying the Sugar Dragon based on the Faith Vs. Weight Series, and her two books, Faith Vs. Weight: Magnifying the Glory of God by Reclaiming Your Energy to Serve the Kingdom and Faith Vs. Weight: Daily Strength to Shine Action Guide. 

 

Through her Faith Vs. Weight podcast, classes, and books she empowers clients to identify strongholds and experience life-changing breakthroughs with regard to their spiritual, emotional, and physical health. Biblical inspiration is introduced with practical and proven behavior, nutrition, and fitness strategies that have helped hundreds of clients lose weight and regain their energy to serve the kingdom. 

 

Growing up in an abusive home, Maria has personally dealt with emotional eating, depression, drug abuse, and other unhealthy behaviors.  She understands the very real spiritual warfare involved in these struggles.  She also knows what it is like to live in VICTORY and loves leading others to that same freedom in the LORD, JESUS CHRIST!!

 

Maria is a former U.S. Navy Health Information Systems Officer (ACHE) and White House Military Social Aide.  She graduated from The George Washington University with an MBA and has completed certifications from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) as a Certified Nutrition Coach and Personal Trainer specializing in Metabolic Health, Behavioral Change, Fitness Nutrition, Weight Loss, Pilates, and Women’s Fitness.  She has also served as a YMCA LIVESTRONG cancer survivor trainer. 

 

She currently teaches Faith Vs. Weight at Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano Texas.  

 

Maria has also completed certificates in Biblical Counselor through Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary (MABTS) as well as Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS).

 

As a fifty-six year old wife of fellow Navy Veteran, Mark Bower, and the mother of two sons; Benjamin,  a High School Junior and Matthew, a Freshman at Texas A&M studying Engineering,  the joy of the LORD is her strength! Nehemiah 8:10

 

Maria was brought up in the Catholic faith - she talks about how spending time in the Word of God completely transformed her understanding of God’s grace and mercy in her life.

 

Maria found that listening to the Bible was helpful - a way to spend time in God’s Word without adding one more thing to her plate - and found playing worship music was a powerful addition as well. Maria also suggests putting Christian Bible books in your car so that our kids have access to some good reading material instead of them wasting time on technology!

 

Check this out to find out more about Faith vs. Weight

 

GIGO - Garbage In, Garbage Out - you will reap what you sow - what you fill your time and mind with will influence your thought process and develop your worldview.

 

Don’t worry - God’s plans for your children will not be thwarted!

 

Model your spiritual journey for your children - let them see you read God’s Word and get involved in church! Most efficient use of your day - start it in the Word of God!

 

Join me in praying for Maria as she begins to serve the PCA community in this role as our Director of Spiritual Development!

Special shout out to Jared Wood for allowing us to use his music - check him out at JaredWoodMusic!

Life Lessons from a Life Coach

Guest: Tami Peterson, Founder and CEO of Life Architects

Life Architects: Designing Solutions for Life and Leadership

Tami is a designer by vocation and has been creating lesson plans, curricula, and experiences her whole life. She holds an undergraduate degree in Christian Education from Ozark Christian College in Joplin, MO, and an MA in Leadership, Theology, and Society from Regent College in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Her occupational titles have included elementary, middle, and high school teacher, librarian, admissions director, career coach, and director of college advising. Her title at Life Architects is Founder and Creative Engagement Officer where she designs and directs the projects we work on and helps everyone flourish by connecting with individuals, families, and institutions. Tami is married and has two adult children.

One of the amazing and important resources of a private Christian school is that it can be a safe place to ask questions, to wrestle with important life issues - your family should also be a place where children are asking questions - and that you, as their parents, are seeking to listen and learn from them and with them!

How do we start to train our children in “the way they should go”?

• Start by just paying attention
• “See and Say” - when you see something in your children, communicate that to them - encourage them by telling them the things that you see that God has created in our children

Some things that you can identify in your children that reflect the nature of God:

• God’s order and design - do your children love to bring order out of chaos?
• God’s desire to seek and save the lost - do your children love to save lost puppies?
• God’s creativity - do your children love to create new things and beauty?
• God’s healing and restoring - do your children enjoy helping others?

How do we equip our children to learn from the pains and sorrows of life instead of looking to help them avoid all pain and only seek pleasure? It’s difficult to allow our children to struggle, especially in a world that pushes everyone to be “elite.”

How do we develop a “learner mentality” - which means that we allow them to fail, so that they can learn from that failure - and that they can learn there are things they are not good at?!

Remember that all children are “wired” differently - and just because our current culture advances one particular area doesn’t mean that our children are wired to be successful in that area. If we allow our culture to define what is valuable, then our children will be defined by our culture. We should define our children by God’s design for them - and equip them to be all that God has designed for them to be - even if that means that their vocation does not command a great deal of money! Do we want our children to define their success and happiness by God’s design for their lives or by what the world says is important?

Scripture gives several warnings against the “love” of money, the pursuit of money - God’s Word frames us as “stewards” of resources - time, talents, and treasure - that ALL belongs to God, and we are to use what He’s given us for His greater glory!

Research about what keeps people “in the faith”

1. Worldview that has the answers to the questions of life
2. Mentor who walks with you on your journey
3. Community of people who speak the truth in love

Parents, if you’d like to reach out to Tami for additional attention, check out their website and services.

Special shout out to Jared Wood for allowing us to use his music - check him out at JaredWoodMusic!

PCA Alumna Cesia Rodriguez

 

Parents, at least once a year, I want to share with our parents an episode from our alumni podcast called LifeTalk for a couple of reasons: first, to let you hear how valuable PCA is to our students especially after they leave our halls and enter the “real world,” but also to remind you that our “journey” with our PCA students and families continues even after a student graduates!

 

This episode is a conversation with our PCA Alumni Director Veronica Erickson, PCA alumna Cesia Rodriguez (class of 2015) and myself. I found the story fascinating because of how PCA was introduced to Cesia and her family - through our PCA minimester program! Cesia was born and raised in Cuba - her father was a pastor and got connected with Dr. Larry and Delinda Taylor on a minimester trip - which resulted in Cesia’s entire family moving to Dallas and her attending PCA!

 

Listen to Cesia tell about the vast differences between her memories of Cuba and their lack of religious freedom to the experiences she had here in America and at PCA.

 

Cesia continues to share her love for the Lord and her passion to help people by doing missions and connecting her degree in nursing with those trips. She attended John Brown University (JBU) and did some medical missions through the college as well! Wouldn’t it be awesome to have a PCA alumni minimester trip - someone needs to work on that!

 

Cesia went on some medical mission trips with a group called Dustin’s Dream - check out their website to learn more about this incredible medical missions group.

 

Let’s all be praying for Cesia as she continues to share the Gospel through medical missions - and be praying about how God could use YOU to advance the Kingdom as well! PCA loves our alumni and we love having them back on campus sharing the stories of what God is doing in and through their lives. Thanks for taking the time to listen to Cesia’s testimony!

Special shout out to Jared Wood for allowing us to use his music - check him out at JaredWoodMusic!

Freedom 2023 with JMick and AV

 

FREEDOM Week is February 1, 3-5, 8

 

Jason Mick (JMick) and Anthony Vargas (AV) will walk us through everything we need to know to get our students registered and ready for Freedom 2023!

 

Prestonwood Students exists to REACH our community, the nation, the world, and every generation with the Gospel; to LEARN to grow in an authentic and visible faith; to LOVE those around us with a biblically based devotion to Jesus; and to MULTIPLY what God has done in our lives into the lives of others.

 

Freedom begins with a Wednesday night kick-off on each campus followed by the Friday-Sunday activities and then another Wednesday evening celebration session.

 

Check out all the information about Freedom at Prestonwood Students.

 

Freedom 2023 will feature breakout sessions addressing a variety of topics and the main speakers include Clayton King, Dr. Jeremiah Johnston, Marquise Cox, Rob Wilton, Tasha Calvert, and Mike Taylor.

Parents, get connected with the Parent Resources available on the Prestonwood Students website - also reach out to Johnny Farr at the Plano campus or James McKinney at the North campus. Also, in preparation for Freedom, model for your students what the authentic Christian walk looks like - be in the Word building your personal faith, in church growing and developing your community, and sharing your faith with others.

 

Parents, there is also a parent training session on Saturday, February 4th at 1 pm in the SMB.

 

Parents, you can get involved and help out with so many different opportunities at Freedom and beyond! There is also an opportunity to give financially to help students who can’t afford to attend.

Thank you to Jared Wood for allowing The Journey to use his incredible musical gifts and talents as our intro and outro for this podcast. Check out his music at JaredWoodMusic.

 

National Adoption Month with Bryant and Kyndall Forshee

November is National Adoption Month - Bryant and Kyndall Forshee were so gracious to let us join them in their journey of adoption so that we can listen and learn...as well as encourage and support them and others on their adoption journey. This is a great episode to listen to over Thanksgiving - hope you are encouraged and inspired by Bryant and Kyndall's faith journey in the adoption process.

 

Bryant is the PBC Junior High Pastor, Plano campus

Kyndall teaches 4th grade at a local elementary school

 

Prestonwood has a ministry that highlights and encourages foster care and adoption called CHOSEN - which stands for Christ’s Hope for Orphans: Supporting, Embracing, and Nurturing

 

“Closed” vs. “Open” Adoptions

• A closed adoption is when the adoptive papers are sealed and children are not told who their biological parents are - adoptive parents have a choice if and when they tell their child that they are adopted

• An open adoption is when the adoptive parents maintain an open relationship with the biological parents, adoptive parents maintain legal custody of their children, but visitations with biological parents are encouraged and can be mandated by the courts

 

Forshees went through a typical adoption process, which includes a “home study” - a very in depth evaluation of the “quality” of your marriage and home life!

• Big questions that needed to be addressed is about the community that the Forshees have around them to be supportive during difficult times

• Open adoptions can require the adoptive parents to make annual visits to the biological parents - something that the Forshees have to consider in this selection process

 

How can you support the Forshees or another family looking to adopt?

• Financial support

• The Forshees actually did set up a Venmo account where people can give to help them financially, check it out @forsheefor3

• Prayer - don’t just say it, do it!

• Look for other opportunities to encourage adoption and walk alongside those who are interested

• Learn more about adoption - check out the adoption agency that the Forshees used called LifeLine Children’s Services

Thank you to Jared Wood for allowing The Journey to use his incredible musical gifts and talents as our intro and outro for this podcast. Check out his music at JaredWoodMusic.

 

PCA Counselors

Parents, we hope that you listen and learn about the incredible group of PCA counselors that we have on staff at both the Plano and North campus locations. If you only want to listen to the information that relates to the campus where your students are, please see the times listed below and you can simply listen to the time slot for your preferred campus:

PCA Plano campus (podcast from :00 - 18:07)

LS - Dr. Clayr Schreiner - cshreiner@prestonwoodchristian.org

MS - Denise Thornton - dthornton@prestonwoodchristian.org

US - Tamara Addis - taddis@prestonwoodchristia.org

 

PCA North campus (podcast from 18:08 - 26:48)

Kristin Dysart - kdysart@prestonwoodchristian.org

 

PCA counselors provide counseling for students, parents, and faculty dealing with a variety of issues that stem from both academic issues or general life issues such as anxiety and depression, peer pressure, divorce care, etc.

 

Counselors in LS, MS, and US see many of the same issues, but as students get older there are “age-specific” issues that students face - puberty and body development issues are most common for middle school students.

 

PCA Plano started a program called Link Crew to help new students get connected and adjust to the new environment.

 

Remember that communications and conversations with PCA are kept confidential, as per legal guidelines.

 

There is constant training dealing with mental health issues happening at PCA for students, parents, and faculty.

 

PCA North campus offers the opportunity to connect with a program called Cookies with the Counselor - so be on the lookout for that!

 

Please keep our PCA counselors in prayer and send them a note of encouragement and thanks for the wonderful job they are doing!

 

Thank you to Jared Wood for allowing The Journey to use his incredible musical gifts and talents as our intro and outro for this podcast. Check out his music at JaredWoodMusic.