The Journey: PCA Parent Podcast

Retreat: The Importance of Pulling Back to Move Forward

Guests: Maddie McDonald (PCA Plano senior), Kellen O’Brien (PCA Plano junior), Naomi Livings (PCA Plano sophomore), Madison Kirby-Birdwell (PCA Plano freshman), and Ryan Newsome, PCA Plano Spiritual Development Director

 

If you’d like to watch this podcast, check out the PCA YouTube page.

 

Both the North and Plano campuses took their US students on retreat to Sky Ranch this past week. We had the opportunity to sit down with students from the Plano campus at their retreat as well as with the new Director of Spiritual Development Ryan Newsome to record some comments about why they felt a spiritual retreat was an important component of the PCA DNA and why, as students, they felt like this time away from school and with their classmates was essential to building community and meaningful relationships.

 

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

The Forge - New Christian Movie about the Making of a Man

Guests: Stephen Bryant (PCA dad, coach, SLi Director), Mike Thornberry (PCA North dad), Aaron Ulmer (PCA alumni, Class of 2007), Chris Housewright (PCA dad)

 

If you’d like to watch this podcast, check out the PCA YouTube page.

 

The Forge is the latest movie from the incredible Christian movie producers the Kendrick Brothers (Alex, Stephen, and Shannon), who brought Facing the Giants, Fireproof, Courageous, and War Room to the big screens. This new movie is about the process of making a man - and it’s a powerful story of prayer, forgiveness, redemption, and salvation! 

 

The Forge opens in theaters across the country on Friday, August 23, 2024.

 

In the movie, Joshua Moore (older man, business owner) asks a younger Isaiah some important questions that cause Isaiah to pause and evaluate his life and future - here are those questions:

 

• 5 years from now, where do you want to be?

• What ways do you want to grow in the next year?
• What kind of man do you want to be?
• What do you want people to think when they see you coming?

 

The Forge isn’t a “self-help” movie about making better decisions - Isaiah surrenders his life to Christ and as he begins to follow Jesus, his life and decisions are radically changed! The Forge also highlights the importance of walking in community - surrounded by others to hold us accountable and encourage us on our journey!

 

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

Be Strong and Courageous - PCA Theme for 2024-25

Guest: Dr. Mike Goddard, PCA Superintendent

 

If you’d like to watch this podcast, check out the PCA YouTube page.

 

This year’s theme comes out of the Book of Joshua, specifically Joshua 1:9, which reads:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

 

As Joshua was standing at the precipice of something new, exciting, and definitely nerve-racking, God reminded him to be strong and courageous. What new adventure lies in front of you and your family this year - what is God doing in and through your life that you’ll need to rely on Him and His strength to make it through?

 

Remember that great trials and tribulations produce great faith in a great God. J.K. Gressett is credited with saying, “God prepares great men for great tasks by great trials.”

 

The Book of Joshua begins with this charge to “be strong and courageous” and ends with Joshua reminding the nation of Israel that “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Parents, you have a choice to make this year - whom will you serve - the gods of our age (convenience, comfort, competition) or the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

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

"Family Talk" about PCA's New Internet Enabled Device Policy (Part 2)

Guests: Jillian Bryant, Plano US Dean of Students, and Erin Williams, Plano US Counselor

 

If you’d like to watch this podcast, check out the PCA YouTube page.

 

PCA’s New “Internet Enabled Device” Policy

• Basically, PCA is going to be a “cell phone free” environment
• Much of the rationale for this decision is encapsulated in the research presented in Jonathan Haidt’s latest book The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
  • Haidt writes about four foundational harms from a phone-based childhood:
    • Social deprivation
    • Sleep deprivation
    • Attention fragmentation
    • Addiction
  • Haidt also gives four foundational reforms:
    • No smartphones before high school
    • No social media before age 16
    • Phone-free schools
    • Bring unstructured “play” back for children

 

If you would like to review more of Haidt’s research, check out The Anxious Generation Research Website that goes beyond the book.

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

"Family Talk" about Dress Code and Modesty (Part 1)

Guests: Jillian Bryant, Plano US Dean of Students, and Erin Williams, Plano US Counselor

 

If you’d like to watch this podcast, check out the PCA YouTube page.

 

Dress code

• Greater emphasis on enforcement and understanding

 

Modesty

• Five Lies book by Rosaria Butterfield:
  • A godly woman is a modest woman.
  • A modest woman does not bring attention to herself but instead gives glory to God.
  • In Modesty: More than a Change of Clothes, Martha Peace and Kent Keller define modesty as “an inner beauty of the heart motivated by a love for God that seeks His glory through purity and humility; it often reveals itself in words, actions, expressions, and clothes.”

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

Everything You Need to Know about PCA's Sage Dining Experience

Guests: Julie West, Senior Food Services Director, and Vinny Tellini, Executive Chef, with Sage Dining Services

 

If you’d like to watch this podcast, check out the PCA YouTube page.

 

Both Chef Julie West and Chef Vinny Tellini are “seasoned” veterans making the dining experience for PCA students something wonderful! Sage desires to be part of the PCA community  - a meal is a chance to connect with others and Sage does a great job of making the food service at PCA special, unique, healthy, and delicious!

 

Sage takes into account the variety of allergies that students might be sensitive to as well as what are the favorites for the students. The menus are planned with great care taking into consideration what is best for the students and what the students will enjoy. As a parent, you can see what is available for your students on the Touch of Sage app - you can see the weekly menu, you can rate specific menu items, you can filter based on allergies, and you can contact Chef Julie or Chef Vinny to share your thoughts, compliments, or concerns.

 

If you would like to email Chef Julie West directly, her email address is JWest@sagedining.com. Parents, you are also always welcome to purchase a lunch pass and go eat with your child. Please see Susan at the LS front desk or Sarah at the MS/US front desk for more information.

 

Remember when your child says that they “don’t like” something - make sure you encourage them to try it first before they decide that they don’t like it!

At this time, the Sage dining experience is only available at the Plano campus, but consideration is being given to adding Sage dining to the North campus when time and space permit.

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

Valuable Resource Recommendations for Parents (Part 2 of 2)

Guests: Anna May, Sharayah Colter, Marchelle Michel

 

If you’d like to watch this podcast, check out the PCA YouTube page.

 

Some Resource Recommendations for Parents:

1. Godly people! You need to get plugged into a solid, Christ-centered, Bible-teaching church and “LifeGroup” filled with individuals who are doing life looking to know God and make Him known - and do life together with them!
2. God’s Word! Before you dive into other outstanding resources, you need to dive into God’s Word - there is only one book that is living and active. Jeremiah 6:16 reminds us to ask for the ancient paths - the way of the Lord is well worn by the travels of believers before us - walk in those ways!
3. JC Ryle - great author - some of his works include Thoughts for Young Men and Holiness.
4. The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt - written by a professed atheist, Haidt’s research into the negative effects of screen time on our kids is a valuable read for parents today.
5. Atomic Habits by James Clear. How to make those small, 1% changes that over time become powerful habits in your life.
6. Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster - great resource for spiritual growth and maturity.
7. Marriage on the Rock by Jimmy Evans
8. Al Mohler’s The Briefing podcast.
9. Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age by Rosaria Butterfield.
10. The Indwelling Life of Christ by Major Ian Thomas

 

Again, parents, we are working on a Resource Page - so if you have some suggestions or recommendations, please email me at dpanetti@prestonwoodchristian.org - love to hear from you!

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

Valuable Resource Recommendations for Parents (Part 1 of 2)

Guests: Anna May, Sharayah Colter, Marchelle Michel

 

If you’d like to watch this podcast, check out the PCA YouTube page.

 

Parents, we are creating a RESOURCE PAGE to help direct you to outstanding resources - and I’d love to get your favorite resources listed on there as well. Please email me at dpanetti@prestonwoodchristian.org to share your favorite books, videos, CDs, podcasts, etc…stayed tuned for more information.

 

While we mentioned dozens of resources in this podcast, here are a few highlights:

 

The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls by MJ Thomas

 

Adventures in Odyssey Audio

 

Chronicles of Naria by CS Lewis book set

 

The Little Pilgrim’s Progress by Helen Taylor

 

The Priest with Dirty Clothes by RC Sproul

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

Your Life...Well Spent - Interview with author Russ Crosson

Guest: Russ Crosson, chief mission officer and senior partner of Blue Trust (Ron Blue Institute), and author of Your Life…Well Spent: The Eternal Rewards of Investing Yourself and Your Money in Your Family

 

If you’d like to watch this podcast, check out the PCA YouTube page.

 

Russ - I manage my money to have more LIFE, not just more money!

 

Russ - you need to know the difference between PROSPERITY (wealth/money/material possessions) and POSTERITY (children/legacy/generations to come).

 

The Principle of Time Replacement: How to Add Posterity Time to Our Schedules

• “Time-saving” devices - we spend more time working in pursuit of more money or to buy more possessions that require time to use and maintain. As a result, the typical full-time employee’s work week has expanded from forty to nearly fifty-seven hours.

 

• When you make spending decisions, ask, “How will this expense affect our entire family?”

 

• Principle of Replacement - the addition of new time commitments to my schedule usually involves a trade-off between work and posterity time
  • Only say yes if the activity can replace something else that’s already in your schedule that doesn’t detract from your posterity time

 

A New Understanding of Work

#5 - Only change vocations to better fulfill your purpose and maximize your time flexibility - not to make more money

 

#7 - If you’re in a career that is currently generating sufficient income, carefully evaluate additional time spent to earn more income, especially if your children are young.

• Remember, your children’s first ten years are the most critical

 

A Good Name is Better Than Riches: Building Our Posterity’s Social Capital

• Must take the time to train our children
• More money doesn’t mean better lives…or better children

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

Inside Out movie discussion (2 of 2)

Guests: Jane Matthews, Julie Hildebrand, and Gabe Boyd

 

For video of this podcast, check out PCA’s YouTube page.

 

In this episode, we look at the latest Inside Out 2 movie which adds additional emotions to young Riley as she turns 13 and enters puberty. In addition to Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust, Riley now gets Anxiety, Envy, Ennui (Boredom in French), and Embarrassment.

 

As with the first Inside Out movie, this film is filled with excellent content for meaningful conversations with your children. The situations are powerful and the changes and challenges that Riley faces are moving.

 

We hope that our discussion helps you, as a Christian parent, engage with mediums like mainstream movies in a significant way with your family. Our discussions of Inside Out 1 and 2 are not an endorsement of the movies, their content or message, but a realization of the powerful influence of movies in our culture and an opportunity to present you with insights about how to utilize these resources to equip your family from a Biblical worldview.

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