The Journey: PCA Parent Podcast

Train Up a Child in the Way They Should Go

Guest: Kristin Dysart, M.Ed., MS and US Guidance Counselor, PCA North

 

PCA isn’t just a “college prep” educational institution - the Biblical worldview and academic rigor of PCA is designed to equip students for success in life, which includes college for those who desire to attend.

 

Kristin references a Christianity Today article that differentiates between the “price” of a college education and the “cost” - which dives into the cost of young people being indoctrinated in a worldview that is contrary to solid and orthodox Biblical teaching. In the article, Dr. Henderson points to a “strong link between a young person’s choice of a college and their short-term and long-term commitment to Christian faith.” Here is a summary of that article.

 

To learn more about Hope College’s “Hope Forward” initiative featured on Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History podcast, click here.

 

What should parents instill in their children as they mature on their journey at PCA - here are some recommendations:

• Allow your children to fail and to learn from their mistakes
• Stain your children with the Word of God
• Ground your children’s identity in Christ
• A connection to you as a parent is more important to your child’s development than connections to their peers
• Train your children to be responsible for their actions
• Be intentional about the conversations you’re having with your children.

 

Good resource as you consider where your son/daughter should attend college:

• Where You God Is Not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania by Frank Bruni

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

Protecting Texas Children from the Porn Industry

Guest: Matt Shaheen, Texas State Representative, District 66

State Representative Matt Shaheen led the efforts in the last legislative session to pass laws requiring age verification for access to “adult” [porn] websites (for more information, see House Bill 1181). The law requires that users verify that they are over 18 years old. A couple of months ago, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a challenge to the Texas age verification requirement. Responding to that decision, several porn sites have blocked all uses from Texas. Several other states are passing similar legislation in efforts to protect children from sexually explicit material.

Common Sense Media released valuable research called “Teens and Pornography” which found that 73% of teens aged 13 to 17 who participated in the survey have watched pornography online and more than half (54%) reported that their first exposure to pornography occurred around the age of 13. The report also revealed that a majority of teens who indicated that they’ve viewed online pornography have been exposed to what has been labeled aggressive and/or violent forms of pornography.

And remember that this year is a Presidential Election and the General Election is coming up this November. Christians Engaged is a wonderful organization to help you get informed and engaged as a Christian citizen in our great country.

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

Tents and Temples: How Should We Think about Our Bodies as Believers?

Guest: Erin Williams, LPC, PCA US Counselor

 

Erin recommends Jess Connolly’s book Breaking Free from Body Shame: Dare to Reclaim What God Has Named Good as a good resource and launching point for conversations about body image, God’s design, God’s goodness in our lives, and our struggles to embrace God’s best for us when it conflicts with the world’s narrative

 

Another good resource for wrestling with body image issues from a biblical perspective includes the work and writings of Heather Creekmore made available on her website Compared to Who?

 

Scripture refers to our bodies as temples…and tents…both are important to understand - temples meaning that our bodies are important, valuable - we actually carry the Holy Spirit with us - and tents meaning that our bodies are temporary and should be held in the proper perspective of eternal things…as Christians we have this tension between this world…and the next - we are citizens of both!

 

Our bodies are “good” - but aren’t they also “broken” and flawed because of the curse of sin - and working to “better” our bodies doesn’t always have to be trying to beat the curse…can’t it also be just working to better what’s broken?

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

The Chosen Conference: God's Heart, Our Hands

Guests: Michael Perron, Minister over Life Recovery, and Tim Matthews, Minimester to Adults, at Prestonwood Baptist Church

 

Dr. Jack Graham - Don’t just curse the darkness; light a candle.

 

James 1:27 - Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

 

Prestonwood is hosting The Chosen Conference on Saturday, April 13, 2024 from 8:30 am - 7:00 pm. Speakers at this conference include Sadie Robertson Huff, Korie Robertson, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Scott Turner, Gregg Matte, and Shane and Kasi Pruitt. The conference will highlight the needs relating to adoption and foster care as well as give practical ideas how you can make a difference on this front.

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

Minimester 2024 Highlights

18 destinations (10 international, 8 domestic) plus local missions across two campuses sending thousands of students and faculty across the globe and right next door to share the Good News that Jesus Christ came, lived, died, and rose again and that there is life eternal by grace through faith in Him. Students serving as the hands and feet of Jesus, packing food for the needy, collecting items for the homeless, offering coffee and a smile just for the opportunity to tell one more person that Jesus loves them - Minimester 2024 is in the books and the stories of God’s goodness, His provision, His protection, His providence are what motivate PCA to continue this program year after year. Minimester is more than a week-long mission/service opportunity; it’s a year-long, campus-wide effort to equip students to be bold witnesses and faithful servants.

 

Thank you to the students and faculty for sharing their stories and perspectives on the importance of PCA’s Minimester program. We pray that we never take for granted God working in and through the PCA community to impact the world for His glory.

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

Bonding with Your Teens Through Boundaries

Guest: June Hunt

 

Bonding with Your Teens Through Boundaries by June Hunt. Discover a balanced, biblical way to set appropriate boundaries that will prepare your teen to live an independent, self-controlled, successful life. JUNE HUNT, one of the world's leading Christian counselors, shows you how. Using scores of tough real-life scenarios, June helps you learn to use boundaries--each linked to specific repercussions and rewards--to guide your teen through four critical areas of life: home, school, personal, and social. Each scenario is followed by concrete advice on what to do and what to say.Once you communicate the boundaries, your teen has a choice: Cross them or stay inside. At that point, the teenager--not you, the parent--chooses to receive the repercussion or reward. Behavior becomes linked to consequences, building maturity, trust and security. Practical and realistic in its tone, June's biblical guidance helps you win--not a war, but a relationship of mutual respect.

 

The Hope Center houses 64 different ministries in this one facility, which is an incredible stewardship opportunity for these ministries.

 

Hope for the Heart is a worldwide biblical resource ministry, founded by June Hunt, that offers biblical hope and practical wisdom on over one hundred relevant topics facing individuals, families, and the church today! The different elements of June’s ministry include the following:

• Keys for Living Library
  Short helpful books with clear answers from God’s answer and concise, practical guidance on life’s challenges.

• Lifeline to Hope
  A suite of video-based courses on lay caregiving designed to equip people to provide support, encouragement, and spiritual care to those in need.

• International Christian Coaching Institute (ICCI)
  A global network of like-minded Christian coaches with online courses, credentialing, and certifications – bringing life and living into focus.

• Radio Broadcast
  Hope in the Night is a live, one-hour, call-in counseling program with June Hunt sharing biblical guidance to real callers facing real challenges.

• June’s Place
  Helpful books, Bible studies, music, and more from Hope for the Heart Founder, June Hunt.

• Counseling Services
  HopeWorks Counseling provides professional counseling (in-person and teletherapy) for individuals, couples, families, and groups.

• Free Downloads
  Find quick answers and biblical guidance to everyday problems with our free, downloadable life guides.

• Social Media
  Follow Hope for the Heart on Facebook to receive encouraging posts from God’s Word, blog articles to help you grow in your faith, and discounts on our biblical resources and training courses. You can also follow June Hunt on Facebook here!

Also, check out the incredible Mental Health & The Church conference with June Hunt, George Barna, Greg Stier, Haley Scully, and Dr. Eric Scalise on Saturday, June 22, 2024 at the Plano Event Center from 9am-5pm. This event is for anyone called to care for those around them…including parents, youth pastors, coaches, and teachers.

 

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

A Personal Journey and Biblical Perspective on Gender & Sexuality

Guest: Hope Harris

 

Hope is a former “loud and proud” lesbian activist from Seattle who surrendered her life and sexuality to Christ about fifteen years ago. Her spiritual journey with Christ began when a friend asked Hope what she really wanted in life and when Hope responded with “peace,” her friend showed Hope the peace with God made possible by the work of Jesus Christ on the cross - see John 14:27.

 

The verse in Scripture that jumped off the page to Hope was found in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, which reads:

 

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

 

God’s intended design is what is best for each person. God does not withhold what is best. His design for gender and sexuality gives healthy boundaries and relationships that help us know what is best, healthy, and beneficial to human flourishing.

 

Because God is relational, we as human beings created in the image of God are designed to be relational as well. We are designed to be in community and to live lives with purpose and meaning beyond what feels best for our own self-interest.

 

“You are” messages translate into “I am” concepts in the minds of many young people. Be very careful what you say to others - words have power. Part of parenting is to model what healthy gender and sexuality really are for others to see.

 

Fighting back against the lies of this world is really a discipleship issue. Are you discipling your children, grounding them in the Word of God, and building them up to be the men and women that God has created and designed for them to be? Remember that people, even if we disagree with them, are not our enemies. Scripture reminds us that our “battle isn’t against flesh and blood, but against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

 

Hope’s Recommended Resources:

Homosexuality and the Christian: A Guide for Parents, Pastors, and Friends by Mark Yarhouse

 

Talking to Kids about Gender Identity: A Roadmap for Christian Compassion, Civility, and Conviction by Mark Yarhouse

 

Feelings are real, but they are not reliable. Also, parents, we need to discuss God’s design for gender and sexuality - if they aren’t hearing the truth from us, they are learning lies from the world.

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

Advancing the Gospel through the Ministry of the Prestonwood Pregnancy Center

Guests: Leanne Jamison, Alana Campbell, Whitney Freeman, and Dalton McGaha

 

The work and ministry of the Prestonwood Pregnancy Center is vital and as important as ever, even after the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the recent Dobbs decision, saving the lives of the unborn and helping families in crisis is an incredible opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those who are in need of love and care. But the pregnancy center needs YOU to help - to volunteer, to serve, to ministry, to give. Listen to this moving and powerful powerful podcast featuring some PCA parents just like you as they tell about how they got involved and the difference their time and energies make in the lives of others!

 

And then connect with the Prestonwood Pregnancy Center - set up a diaper drive, donate items on their Amazon wish list, volunteer some of your time, and give some of your resources to help continue their incredible work!

 

Also remember the Chosen conference is just around the corner on Saturday, April 13th. This conference is a national gathering of life-affirming leaders and organizations providing information, resources, and support about adoption and foster care. Dynamic keynote speakers who have a passion for the sanctity of life and a heart for children in desperate need of a “forever home” include Gregg Matte, Sadie Robertson Huff, Korie Robertson, and Shane & Kasi Pruitt. 

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

Scientific Evidence for a Young Universe and the April 8th Total Eclipse

Guest: Dr. Leo (Jake) Hebert III, Research Scientist, Institute for Creation Research (ICR) 

 

April 8th will feature a total eclipse and Dallas, TX is in the path of totality. To learn more about the path of totality and what you need to do to prepare, visit NASA’s site here. You can also pay attention to our friends at Day 4 Astronomy.

 

You will need some special glasses to view the eclipse - lots of places are selling them, make sure they are NASA certified.

 

The solar system is remarkable for how young it appears and new research continues to support a young universe. Check out the latest articles at ICR that point toward evidence for a young universe.

 

To read more about how blue stars point to a young universe, check out this article at ICR. Evolution has a problem with their origin story for the creation of stars.

 

Check out Dr. Hebert’s latest article on the ice sheets and how they demonstrate a young earth.

 

Check our Dr. Hebert’s article on delayed maturation and extreme longevity in the pre-flood era.

 

Check out the ICR Discovery Center for Science and Earth History.

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

Scientific Evidences Support the Biblical Narrative for Creation

Guest: Dr. Tim Clarey, Director of Research, Institute for Creation Research (ICR)

 

What’s new in the world of science - plate tectonics! The movement of the sea floor had a dramatic impact on the impact of the Flood - and the more recent discoveries give more evidence for a worldwide and catastrophic Flood. Dr. John Baumgardner has done some amazing research in this area - you can read more about this here.

 

Dr. Clarey’s research shows evidence for a “progressive” and worldwide flood as well as deposits of marine fossils in places where water just shouldn’t be unless there was a worldwide flood.

 

To learn more about the fossil record and how scientists use this for dating strata, check out these resources at ICR.

 

You’ll want to check out The Discovery Center at ICR - here’s what you can expect there:

• Planetarium shows
• Engaging exhibits that teach the origin of the universe and how science affirms the Bible
• Animatronic creatures, special effects, and a chilly Ice Age theater
• Fascinating facts about DNA and human ancestry, fossils and rocks, dinosaurs, and astronomy
• Development and application of critical thinking skills while discovering the latest scientific research
• A Bible-based journey through Earth's history, highlighting scientific discoveries along the way
• Special events will include live presentations by scientists and scholars
• A resource store full of creation-based science resources and educational kits

 

Read more about the latest discoveries related to “feathered dinosaurs” and the Biblical narrative that God created animals according to their kind. Also read more about the six biological evidences for a young earth by ICR.

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