Raise Them UP!

Family Vision Media
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"Raise Them Up" is a podcast dedicated to encouraging parents to follow Proverbs 22:6 --"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."

  1. Riley Lee, President & Founder Skytree Book Fairs

    08/19/2025

    Riley Lee, President & Founder Skytree Book Fairs

    Rise them UP! is underwritten by The Wicks Family Grace Foundation Guest: Riley Lee, President & Founder Skytree Book Fairs Introduction, Riley’s background-she worked previously with actor Kirk Cameron How difficult it is for parents navigating the world of children’s books…what’s Christian, wholesome & family friendly. Riley explains how she never thought she would get into the publishing world. How I attended a Drag Queen Storytime library board meeting. How I pointed out how they were a tool of the American Library Association. How I pointed out to them how the drag queen’s outfit was the indoctrination. How her 3-year old daughter attended with her a Scholastic Bookfair. How Riley discovered LBGBQi & DEI books are being sold at those fairs. Subtle, but indoctrination none the less. The difference between what the Left defines as book banning, but is simply parental efforts to make sure their children are not exposed to books that are not age appropriate. Even the movie industry has age-appropriate ratings systems. How does Skytree Book Fairs find their books since they are not a book publisher? How their review board reviews books. Riley introduces their mascot, a golden retriever, named Scout and what Scout stands for. What children are looking for in books, excitement, adventure, humor & fun, not social justice agenda. How their bookfairs work, usually runs 3-5 days. How they partner with nonprofits, schools, churches and ministries splits a percentage of sales. Skytree sends boxes of books and whatever does not sell is returned. But, host of the bookfair does not incur any upfront costs. But, they get to share a percentage of the sales for hosting. Underewriter mention. No upfront costs for the host, but they do screen the applicants and what Skytree as a nonprofit can handle. Riley does then explain how their program works. How much monetarily does the school or church have to sell as a minimum to get a share of the profit? How does a church or school contact them. Website: https://skytreebookfairs.org/Skytreebookfairs.org, email: info@skytreebookfairs.org.

    24 min

  2. 07/23/2025

    Trent Rogers and Jonathan Wood, authors of "Rooted in Truth, Answers to Lifes Questions for College Student"

    Introduction of Guests: Trent A. Rogers serves as the Dean of Theological Studies & Associate Professor of New Testament & Greek at Cedarville University. Jonathan A. Wood serves as Vice President for Student Life & Christian Ministries and is an Associate Professor of Theological Studies at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio. They discuss how long they have been serving college students & the two years it took to write the book. Fred Zielonko-suggests while this book is for students, their parents ought to read it as well. Talking to students working and teaching students led to the writing of the book. And, the two authors polled students & parents as to the questions they wanted answered from a biblical perspective and via biblical truths. Trent talks about how as a college student he was not well connected or intimately connected to your church. Jonathan talked about the chapter he wrote about how to pick a college major. Jonathan did not grow up in church. He learned he had a lot of compassion to help 17-year olds to bring clarity to decision making while in college to help figure out what God has planned for their life. Both professors homeschool their children. Parents want to protect their children, but they also want to prepare them as well. We then review the chapter headings and what all the book covers. Jonathan gives us how he came to Christ not being raised in church, and the questions he asked back as a young man. Then we focused on how to choose a major to pursue. Then the professors discussed how to choose a major; however, we need to focus more on God’s desire for us versus what are our passions. They encourage students to think about how best to serve the world on behalf of God? What are they prepared to do? What are they passionate about? And how one makes that all come together for a student to make a living. They both then talk about how they chose to be what they wanted to be and how that is a meandering route not a straight line towards a career. We discussed how God is directing our path even when we do not know it…. Choosing a major end of the chapter is to “trust God!” Don’t build an idolatry in your own heart whereby it causes you to make bad decisions. We then talk about the overriding theme of the book that is trust & discernment. We also talked about how when students get to college they are in a situation where they make more decisions in a shorter amount of time that they ever did for their life. So, they teach discernment and trusting in God. We also discussed how the book prepares the students for life beyond college including dating and marriage. They challenge students to not fall for the world’s definition of dating and marriage. Instead, take a step back and discern whether your dating life is in accordance with what God has planned for you. We discussed iPhones and technology and its influence upon the college experience. Then we switched directions and talked about after the students read the book how do they put it to use it to fulfill the Great Commission and discipleship. Both while in college and once a student is out, they have a responsibility to be part of the community of the local church. What they see on campus as to who is leading the youth revival. Asked what did the professors learned while writing the book? Getting things to a point of simple clarity for students is needed by students. God’s word is sufficient, but we need to point students continually back to the Word. Where the book can be found. Rooted in Truth amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Rooted-Truth-Answers-Questions-Students/dp/1527112691/ref=ascdf1527112691?tag=bngsmtphsnus-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80883022504496&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=89993&hvtargid=pla-4584482486187399&psc=1 (https://www.amazon.com/Rooted-Truth-Answers-Questions-Students/dp/1527112691/ref=asc_df_1527112691?tag=bngsmtphsnus-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80883022504496&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=89993&hvtargid=pla-4584482486187399&psc=1)

    36 min
  3. The HSLDA Compassion Curriculum Grants for Poor Homeschool Families & How To Apply

    06/23/2025

    The HSLDA Compassion Curriculum Grants for Poor Homeschool Families & How To Apply

    100% of the money for the Compassion Grant Program comes from donors, many are former homeschool parents, and others who support educational choice. We talked about the HSLDA and their core mission of legal defense for homeschool families. Organization is 40-years old. Nearly everyone who works for them homeschool or is a homeschool graduate. HSLDA is a membership organization & what it costs. Here is where podcast listeners can apply for curriculum grants: https://hslda.org/explore/applying-for-a-curriculum-grant And, Lorraine talks about what the requirements are to apply for the grants. Families receiving funds from the state via an ESA, families are not eligible to apply. We talked about references needed to apply they can validate the general circumstances of the family apply and that they will use the money towards homeschooling. All the processes are explained on the HSLDA website via short videos. Or, you can email the Compassion grants team to ask questions. Base amounts in the grants are $300-$400 per homeschool student for core curriculum. HSLDA does not dictate what curriculum you can purchase with thee money. Special needs students and their needs are eligible. Lorriane & Dianne stressed that you use Google Chrome to apply. That works best for applying for the Compassion Curriculum Grant. Earliest opportunity to apply is by JUNE 30th! However, if you miss out, we discuss the two other times of the year to apply. If one’s application is submitted by June 30th of this year, applicants learn if they’ll receive a grant in about 6-weeks, or mid-to-late August. Applicants can call HSLDA Compassion with questions not found on the website at: 540-338-8688. Recap of what it costs to join the HSLDA and financial aid available How does one donate to the HSLDA to fund the compassion grants. Over ¼ of the grants distributed the recipients found out about the HSLDA curriculum grants via word of mouth. And, applicants can apply more than once from year-to-year. HSLDA Compassion Grants Program distributes anywhere between 700-800 grants per year. HSLDA can also assist families struggling through natural disasters with grant money, and those families do not need to be HSLDA members.

    30 min

  4. 05/21/2025

    Dr. Janice Supplee, vice president for marketing and communications of Cedarville University

    Guest: Dr. Janice Supplee, vice president for marketing and communications of Cedarville University of 6,400 students. Undergraduate 4,000. Introduction to Dr, Janice Supplee, VP of marketing and communication since 2016 of Cedarville University in Southwestern Ohio. How she became a dean at Cedarville University. Her father was a professor at the University when it was a small college. How the Lord called her back into service at Cedarville. Why homeschool parents might appreciate Cedarville. Location: Cedarville is tiny but it is in easy reach of Columbus, Dayton & Cincinnati, Ohio. Interstate 70 is just north of Cedarville, Interstate 75 & Interstate 71, right in the triangle Between those three highways. Their advertising motto and how they came up with it. Based upon an approximation of 1,000 days that students are enrolled in Cedarville University The Curriculum is Christ-centered. -Students are exposed to Gospel impact and Christ through all disciplines. Investment by Cedarville into programs that prepare students for real world careers even though they are liberal arts school. Read a list of offerings…. What really sets Cedarville apart is their innovative approach? They have a firm commitment to biblical truth across all disciplines. They have 175 different programs. Strategic decision in 1982 to start a nursing program, that is now their largest major. They added multiple engineering disciplines, and after that cybersecurity. Why homeschool students should attend Cedarville: It’s the intentional investment of parents in their children’s education, and Cedarville continues that commitment to that intentionality. Cedarville guards against cultural undermining of their faith. How they help students acclimate to college life especially since many new students are experiencing life for the first time away from home. She recommends dual enrollment where high school students are enrolled in high school or in homeschool, while taking some online courses from Cedarville. Eighty percent of students live on campus, so it’s family-oriented, community-oriented environment. Dr. Supplee talks about how Cedarville pushes students biblically and academically Daily Bible reading and discussion is encouraged. How Cedarville went from a Presbyterian denomination to Baptist to non-denominational First steps for parents and their students to enroll in Cedarville. She recommends visiting during the school year to get fully immersed in the full college experience She then discusses where the University draws its students. 80% from Ohio and the Midwest. Close and sponsorship mention of Wicks Family Grace Foundation. Janice Supplee, PhD-Vice President for Marketing & Communications Biography Dr. Janice Supplee serves as Vice President for Marketing and Communications and Dean of Graduate Studies. She moved into her role leading Marketing and Communications in November 2016, began her service as Dean of Graduate Studies in 2017, and has been with the University since 1995. Privileged to be a part of Cedarville’s mission to equip students for professional excellence and Gospel impact, she has invested much of her Cedarville career in enrollment and marketing-related leadership roles. She has served on the president’s cabinet since 2009. Education PhD in Educational Leadership, University of Nebraska MBA in Marketing, Wright State University BA in Communication, Cedarville University Website: Cedarville University; https://www.cedarville.edu/ (https://www.cedarville.edu/) Contact: 251 N. Main St. Cedarville, OH 45314 USA 1-800-CEDARVILLE1-937-766-7700

    30 min

  5. 04/17/2025

    Is Overuse of Profanity Harming Our Society?

    How second nature profanity has become in our society & even in Congress. The way that we speak reflects the way that we feel. Swearing is “lazy language.” Cursing is an excuse for thinking. Judy Gruen talks about being a religious Jew who tries to avoid exposing herself to flagrant profanity, including by comedians. The sinful nature of cursing Fred gives biblical examples-quotes Scripture verses. Parents are the first teachers and it’s best not to curse in front of your your children. Judy then gives advice on how to talk to children about cursing even if it comes from their mommy or daddy. Teach your children that “words can create worlds or destroy worlds.” Judy talks about how she wanted her words to count for the good is one reason she writes on faith issues. How we turn the tide of reversing the cursing trend that is so prevalent. How she became aware how much cursing has become so prevalent. She recalls a specific incident in a parking lot when she was with her children. Why she thinks the issue is broader than cursing alone. The broader issue is that we’ve become used to saying what is the first thing that pops into our head especially on social media. She advises us that we all need to be more disciplined and actually stop to think before speaking. How vulgar and coarse has become thought of in the public as somehow sophisticated. She’s puzzled by that trend. We then pivoted the conversation to her new book, Bylines & Blessings, and how she came to write one. It deals with the push/pull of being a stay-at-home mother and professional journalist. How to balance motherhood and a professional life. There is a lot of humor in this book and how she believes humor is a life tool. She then goes on to discuss other books she published and that she is a accomplished editor. How writing teaches one how to speak. Clear thinking leads to clear writing and speaking. She advises to slow everything down. Too much happens too fast and we’d all be better off. How times have changed whereby there are fewer & fewer censors to police the language. What book influenced her to be a writer? She loved the humorous & columnist Erma Bombeck. She expounds upon Bombeck’s influence. She explains how humor is a balm and how it helps heal especially, like her, how it helped her through personal tragedy. We then discussed what the future of the print media is like newspapers, magazines and books. We then talked about coaching young writers and where to look for good writing such as her Substack & the Free Press. Judy then talked about the public speaking aspect of her career. She often talks about the intersection of a personal life and professional life and utilizing faith as a undergirding value. She then encourages people to find a creative outlet no matter what you are creating. “Creativity is energy.” Find ways to creatively share what you have to share. Don’t be intimidated by your creative status. Go for it no matter what! She relates how she overcame such intimidation at a conference when she was sandwiched between two more prominent speakers. How she learned to be real as a writer and speaker. And, how to be honest with yourself and your audience. How to use New Media as a tool for furthering your message. Wrapped It Up…. How we all need to work together to push back against the culture,

    45 min
  6. Fred Pry, VP of Administration at CEF

    03/25/2025

    Fred Pry, VP of Administration at CEF

    Introduction-Sponsorship mention: Wicks Family Grace Foundation Fred Pry: describes what is Child Evangelism Fellowship Ministry. Announces that he is no longer “Acting VP of Administration, but the Vice President of CEF Fred talks about how CEF was founded & how long it has been around and who they serve worldwide. I reference the article what brought Fred Pry into the studio about Undertanding the 6-Vital Keys to Spiritual Growth for Kids after they accept Christ. Prayer, but not rote prayer, but encourage children to have a conversation with God. Read the Bible…where do they start in the word? Start children with the Book of Mark. Teach children to remember the number of verses that match the child’s age. Go with your child and let them pick out their bible at the Christian bookstore. Bibles make great gifts. As they get older keep buying them bibles to suit their age. Other devotional books Fred Pry recommend. CEF began publishing devotional books tailored to the children’s age, early readers and those students new to the bible. Let kids mark up their bibles with notes. And, how do parents acquire the devotionals-www.CEFonline.com Give as God Leads…teaching children to have a giving heart and how well that serves them. Not just money, but time. And, giving within the family, siblings helping siblings. Got to Church….why this is troublesome today with parents and children not returning to church after the pandemic. Teach children the value of community. Where does Fred stand on having children within the church service. He has personally seen the benefits for keeping children with parents within the service or at least for a portion of the service. Parents need to be enthusiastic about going to worship and worshipping. Make Friends with Other Believers. We then discussed making friends with other believers and what opportunities present themselves outside the four walls of the church. Tell Others About Jesus-CEF has created the “Good News Club.” It’s one of CEF’s primary ministries for the purpose of introducing Christ to children. How do churches get affiliated with the Good News Clubs and how they have been able to get those clubs into public schools. He then explained how CEF was involved in a Supreme Court case that ruled in their favor. We then recap the 6-Vital Keys to Spiritual Growth for Kids he wrote about in his article. We briefly revisit those 6-keys. Fred mostly edited the article, but a team at CEF wrote the main body of the article. That led to a discussion of CEF’s creative staff locally and around the world. Fred Pry then explains the joy of serving the Lord and why he loves his job. We further discussed his background in publishing that brought him to CEF. Outro and closing mention of our podcast sponsor the Wicks Family Grace foundation. CEF’s website- https://www.cefonline.com/

    37 min

  7. 02/21/2025

    Katy McKinney- Founder & Headmaster of Academy de Lafayette

    On this episode of Raise Them Up! host Fred Zielonko talks to Katy McKinney, founder and headmaster of the Academy de Lafayette, whose student body was ranked by the classic learning tests as having one of the highest test scores in the nation for the 2023-24 academic year. How Katy came to name the school she founded and is the headmaster back in 2017. Katy started out as a teacher in California, sold investments, and then decided she did not want to be a public education teacher Moved to St. Louis and learned about homeschooling and started teaching her own children. Her “ah-ha” moment that convinced her start her own classical education school. How she reached out to God to find a way to start her own school-God directed her to the Internet and Hillsdale College. It took her three years to raise the money and open the school. She explained the process. Her husband and her funded the school initially, and paid herself finally after the third year. How she partnered with Hillsdale College to develop her school and curriculum…Hillsdale’s curriculum is in many, many schools now. Then we discussed what is classical education? Katy explains how our founders had a classical education and she explains it’s constitutionally-based, and all what it includes including Latin. We discussed how much homework they have and how they started as a K-thru 7th grade, and now it’s through it is K-thru-12. Her one regret about founding her own school. School has grown from 9-children to 102 from 2017 to 2024. How COVID impacted the growth in her school. Katy discusses her vision for her academy and that includes an online edition. Then, we discussed her teaching of civics in her academy and reading via phonics. Why her Academy also includes a music education. Katy discusses how they are funded and if they are profitable. She goes on to discuss the value of their education and what parents actually pay. Lafayette also teaches capitalism, financial literacy, and how they integrate field trips into the curriculum. Then we discussed parental involvement in classical education-Lafayette welcomes all parental involvement. We discussed when is the best time to apply for enrollment? Katy lays out and explains the whole curriculum, faculty, mission and discipline. Finally, we discussed the decline of liberal arts education and how she thinks classical academies will cause a resurgence of liberal arts colleges. Concluded with her contact information and how to apply, grants, financial aid & scholarships. Hillsdale.edu is where you can find information about classical education schools throughout the United States. Katy’s website is: www. lafayetteacademy.org – where you can find her bio and background information. Bio of Katy & Letter of recognition as a top 20 classical academy is attached.

    51 min
  8. Natalie Mack: Home School Consultant for Military Families

    01/09/2025

    Natalie Mack: Home School Consultant for Military Families

    Natalie is a homeschool mother of five. Four of the five children have graduated college. Still homeschooling one. Has been homeschooling for over 23-years. Why she became a homeschool mom… When her military chaplain husband got transferred to California, she gave up her therapy license in Maryland and decided then to homeschool mom. Not anti-public school but favors homeschooling. She is now a public speaker and author. She talks about how God opened doors for you, but no need to walk through them at one time. Please put in an amazon link to her book: 101 Tips for Homeschooling. Her workshop is bloom, uproot, and replant geared towards military families who are reassigned every two years. She teaches parents how to adjust to a new environment and maintain homeschooling., what laws apply in what states and in what country. Wherever you homeschool state laws apply. We then shifted to talking about how she helps homeschool students adjust to being away from home for the first time. Parents must realize that their children will leave one day & it’s important to prepare them to live away from home. Raising them to launch somewhere, but it doesn’t necessarily be college. It could be a career, military service, etc. So, it’s important to play to their passions and gear their education to support their passions. We then discussed the importance of getting children in outside interests such as clubs and groups. (She recommends some groups a few minutes later) It helps them flesh out their academic resumes for college as well. They need to learn to make decisions independently. She found in homeschool families, the older siblings help raise the younger siblings and help them learn to listen to and trust MOM. Participation in outside groups helps children think independently, make decisions, some good & some bad, and how to learn from their independence. That’s where parents need to step back and not be involved. Natalie then discusses how she would incorporate their various domestic and foreign locations into learning, or the national election in teaching civics and citizen responsibilities. She suggested taking your children with you when you go vote. Then we discussed MHA, Military Homeschool Association, a nonprofit to assist military parents. They’ll learn their rights as military homeschool parents. (This would be a good group to add to our Education Resource Page). She then plugged her podcast, consulting, public speaking, and her website www.natalie-mack.com. Natalie then discusses how God is using her and how she listens for His direction. We close talking about her consultation business. First consultation is free. She can help homeschool student athletes learn what they need to know to meet NCAA requirements for athletic scholarships. Finally, how to pace oneself for all that God gave her to do.

    35 min
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About

"Raise Them Up" is a podcast dedicated to encouraging parents to follow Proverbs 22:6 --"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."

Information

  • Creator
    Family Vision Media
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Raise Them UP!
  • Show Website
    Raise Them UP!