Raising Christian Kids Lee Ann Mancini

“They need routine, they need protection, they need biblical truth, they need things labeled as what's God-honoring and not God-honoring behavior.” -Darby Strickland.
Darby A. Strickland, MDiv, is a faculty member and counselor at the Christian Counseling & Education Foundation (CCEF). She is a contributor to Becoming a Church That Cares Well for the Abused and author of Is It Abuse? A Biblical Guide to Identifying Domestic Abuse and Helping Victims, the children’s book Something Scary Happened, and the mini book When Children Experience Trauma. She writes regularly for the Journal of Biblical Counseling. Darby and her husband, John, have three children.
During this episode, Darby discusses the effects of trauma and abuse on children and offers valuable insight into how parents can support their children through difficult times. She shares tips on addressing trauma with children, the importance of open communication, and the role of faith in comforting and guiding children through tough situations. Additionally, she provides information about online counseling resources for families in need.

Key Takeaways:

Encouragement for parents to face hard truths with their children and the importance of addressing behavior as a clue to the child's struggles.
Advice on how parents can communicate with their children about traumatic events.
The influence of parental reactions on a child's experience of trauma.
The importance of routine, protection, and biblical truth for traumatized children.
Something Scary Happened can help children overcome fear by learning how to express and understand their fears.
The free resources, blogs, and journal articles are available on ccef.org.
When Children Experience Trauma is a mini book that can help parents help their children navigate their fears, guide them through their distress, and assist their recovery after a traumatic event.

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“Being thankful means seeing that God is the source of all the things that we experience in life.” – Champ Thornton.
Champ Thornton is an acquisitions editor at Crossway and the author of several books for kids and families, including The Really Radical Book for Kids, The Radical Book for Kids, Wonders of His Love, The Serpent Slayer and the Scroll of Riddles, A Five-Senses Countdown to Calm: You Count!, Why Do We Say Good Night, and Why Do We Say Thank You?
During this episode, Champ discusses the importance of teaching children gratitude and thankfulness. He delves into the essential role of parents in connecting children to God in their everyday experiences. From fostering politeness to guiding emotional calmness, Champ has a treasure trove of resources for parents looking to cultivate strong Christian values in their children.
Key Takeaways:


Importance of teaching children gratitude and politeness.
The storyline of the book Why Do We Say Thank You? - features a grumpy young boy who learns to be thankful and the transformation of the boy's perspective on gratitude through a dream sequence.
The connection between boredom and gratitude.
The role of parents in helping children recognize that everything comes from God.
Ideas and suggestions for parents to help children recognize the role of God in their lives and the importance of integrating faith into everyday experiences.
Organic ways to connect children to God in their daily lives.
A Five-Senses Countdown to Calm: You Count! can help guide children to manage their emotions through sensory experiences.
Addressing the importance of addressing spiritual topics, such as salvation and the existence of Satan, in children's literature.

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Once a month, Lori and Lee Ann will discuss complex topics regarding parenting and disciplining. Lori Wildenberg is a national speaker, a licensed parent-family educator of over 25 years, and an award-winning author of six Christian parenting books. Lori also leads the popular Moms Together Facebook Community Page and Group.
During this episode, Lori and Lee Ann delve into the aspects of parenting prodigal children, offering guidance to parents navigating these challenges with faith and grace. Lori shares her insights on the different types of prodigals, drawing parallels from biblical examples to provide a multi-dimensional understanding of wayward children and give hope to parents grappling with despair and hopelessness while raising prodigal children.
Key Takeaways:


Reference to Luke 15:11-32, the parable of the lost son in the Bible.
The importance of not overreacting to their behavior and choosing when to step in to pursue them or wait for them to return on their own.
Encouragement to rediscover the "jewel" in your child's heart.
The five different types of prodigals:

The heart, soul, mind, body, and the reluctant.


Biblical examples of each type of prodigal discussed: David, Aaron, Paul, the woman condemned, and Samson.

Prodigal of the heart – David (Psalm 51:10)
Prodigal of the soul – Aaron (John 8:12)
Prodigal of the mind – Paul (Philippians 4:8)
Prodigal of the body – the woman who was an adulteress (Romans 12:1)
The reluctant prodigal – Samson (Proverbs 8:13)


The importance of praying for them and trusting in God's transformative power.
Emphasizing hope for parents with prodigal children, regardless of the duration of their absence.

Resources:


Help! I Have a Prodigal, by Judy Slay.
Praying for Your Child from Head to Toe, by Sharon James.
Messy Journey: How Grace and Truth Offer the Prodigal a Way Home, by Lori Wildenberg.

Lori’s Website, Facebook, Moms Together Facebook, Moms Together Facebook Group, and Instagram.

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“I want them to know just how much God loves them, how that is demonstrated again and again in the stories in the Bible, and how he loves when we come to him with our emotions, with our needs, tell him what's going on, come to him to ask for forgiveness. That he loves to connect with us through prayer anytime and anywhere.” – Laura Sassi.
Laura Sassi has been a teacher, homeschool mama, children’s ministry director, and more. She is the author of multiple children's books, including Christian Book Award finalist Goodnight Ark, Love is Kind, Bunny Finds Easter, My Tender Heart books, and more. She’s also written poems and stories for various children’s publications, including Spider, Highlights for Children, and Clubhouse Jr. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, two children, and an adorable cockapoo named Sophie.
During this episode, Laura discusses her heartwarming books and the valuable resources that accompany them. She shares her passion for connecting children with God's love through her books and offers insightful tips on helping families incorporate biblical concepts into their children's lives.
Laura also shares what families can learn from her interactive board book series, which includes My Tender Bible, My Tender Heart Prayer Book, and a devotional book coming out soon. By weaving heart moments into her work, Laura emphasizes the significance of connecting daily experiences with God's love and teachings, empowering families to cultivate a genuine and enduring faith in their children.
Four tips for teaching biblical concepts to young children:


Tip 1: Prioritize your own spiritual growth first. It's hard to guide your children if you're not feeding yourself spiritually.
Tip 2: Pray for teachable moments and be on the lookout for ways to connect everyday experiences to biblical concepts.
Tip 3: Use great resources like Bible storybooks and picture books to share biblical stories with your kids, especially during bedtime.
Tip 4: After reading a Bible story, take a moment to connect its message to everyday life, reinforcing the concept of God's love and forgiveness.

Laura’s Website & Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

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“If we really start undergirding kids with a biblical worldview and showing them how these other worldviews really don't align with reality, then a lot of those questions will go away because they don't have the bad assumptions to begin with.” –Hillary Morgan Ferrer.
Founder and Mama-Bear-in-Chief of Mama Bear Apologetics, Hillary Morgan Ferrer, is passionate about providing accessible apologetics resources for busy moms. She is the co-author and general editor of the bestselling book Mama Bear Apologetics: Empowering Your Kids to Challenge Cultural Lies and the recently released Mama Bear Apologetics Guide to Sexuality. She holds a master’s degree in biology, and she and her husband, John, have been married for 15 years and minister together as an apologetics team.
During this episode, Hillary delves into the important topic of helping children discern truth from lies, specifically in the context of sexuality and cultural influences. She shares insights on empowering kids to challenge cultural norms while upholding biblical truth, as well as practical tips for parents to guide their children through these complex issues.
“Interest, personality, and style are on a spectrum. Gender is not." – Hillary Morgan Ferrer.
Key Takeaways:


Social attitudes and beliefs surrounding sexuality.
Confusion, mental well-being, and helping children discern truth from lies.
Categorizing questions based on ideologies.
Undergirding kids with a biblical worldview.
Addressing naturalism, postmodernism, and Marxism.
Mama Bear Apologetics: Empowering Your Kids to Challenge Cultural Lies serves to equip parents to teach kids how to form their own biblical beliefs about what is true and what is false.
Mama Bear Apologetics Guide to Sexuality is a comprehensive tool for discussing false teachings regarding gender, same-sex marriage, and pornography.
Reasons for children's confusion and refusal of biblical truth and the impacts of societal messages on children's perception and identification.
Awareness of parental influence on children's perspectives.
Deconstructing agendas without diminishing individuals while educating children to think critically and biblically.
Repeating maxims to counteract lies and the importance of familiarizing children with truth.
Encouragement for nervous parents to engage in the topic of sexuality.

Hilary’s Facebook & Instagram.

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“I think parents today, more than ever, tend to really want their kids not to experience pain or anything negative. And I think that's understandable in the short run, but in the long run, it really hurts them because all of a sudden, they're out in the real world and have a job and, and something bad happens, they don't know how to handle it.” – Steve Hines.
Steve Hines is the author of the recently released book Salt, Light, and Kids: Parenting Well in Today's Culture, as well as a lifelong entrepreneur and musician. Church of the Highlands founding pastor Chris Hodges wrote the book's foreword. In the book, Steve talks about how to raise up good kids who are salt and light to our ever-darkening world. Steve lives with his wife, Leigh Ann, in Nashville, where their children, spouses, and grandchildren live.
During this episode, Steve discusses the many parenting challenges in raising children in today's culture. He sheds light on the impact of technology, social media, and social influences on kids and shares valuable insights from his book Salt, Light, and Kids: Parenting Well in Today's Culture. He emphasizes the importance of awareness, wise parenting, and the need for parents to guide their children in a rapidly changing world.

Key Takeaways:

Confusion and desensitization caused by the media and social media.
Increased hate, school shootings, and availability of negative influences due to technology.
Importance of awareness and the need for parents to be aware of the content their children are exposed to.
Balancing the role of parents as protectors and allowing children to experience hardships and learn from mistakes.
Importance of parents being parents and teachers being teachers and the dangers of teachers crossing into parenting roles by influencing children with non-academic subjects.
The potential impact of early exposure to certain ideologies and beliefs on children.

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