The Journey: PCA Parent Podcast Dan Panetti

Guests: Shannon Lichty, Trudy Reed, Jillian Bryant, PCA’s FPS State 1st and 2nd Place teams
 
Twenty-five years ago, Shannon Lichty brought the FPS program to PCA. Along with several others who have invested in making this program a resounding success, Shannon has invested her heart and energies into countless PCA students both in the classroom and through FPS. To learn more about PCA’s FPS program, check out this page on the PCA website. To learn more about FPS in general, check out: Future Problem Solving Program International
Special shout out to Jared Wood for allowing us to use his music - check him out at JaredWoodMusic!

Guest: Giovanni Capriglione, Texas State Representative, District 98
 
Barna’s research has shown that nearly 3/4th (72%) of parents are worried about or concerned with AI’s impact on their children - but also that only 17% have actually taken steps to learn more about AI - so, basically parents are afraid and under-informed
 
One concern expressed about AI is the potential likelihood of decreased social connection, adding to the epidemic of loneliness and isolation this generation is already facing
 
AI is more complex than “if/then” commands - it is a system that can be trained to use data for specific purposes
 
Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Rep. Capriglione’s bill (HB 2060) into law creating the Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council that will study the use of AI in state government
 
AI collects data points - the average person has at least 100,000 data points collected on them - which means that AI can know you better than you know yourself! Digital privacy laws are being passed so that people can begin to see the information that has been collected about them.
 
The best way to protect yourself is to reduce the amount of information that AI can collect on you - be aware of this
 
Social media has one goal - to make sure you don’t put your phone down - the more you scroll, the more data that is being collected about you!
Special shout out to Jared Wood for allowing us to use his music - check him out at JaredWoodMusic!

Guests: Emerson Seal, Elizabeth Teague, and Sevyn Trogdon (PCA Freshmen, Class of 2027)
 
Sevyn’s dad runs a discipleship ministry called Kingdom Focus Coaching.
 
The girls share their thoughts about some of the more memorable moments at PCA Lower School including: the Kindergarten Circus, sea animal project, transportation day, Invention Convention, Let George Do It, and the Boosterthon Fun Run! Their favorite part of school was definitely their teachers!
 
Things that their parents did to help them grow in their faith:
Going on ministry service projects and opportunities with their parents and actually seeing God at work
Leading by example - living out your faith so that your kids can see that it is truly important to you and your family - has such a significant impact on your children
Kingdom Education is the working together of the church, the home, and the school working in concert to train up a child in the way they should go - and “church” isn’t just a Sunday morning activity, but being involved in a variety of opportunities including PSO for sports, MidWeek on Wednesday evenings, student choir, etc. For more information, check out the Prestonwood Student Ministry page and the Prestonwood Student Worship page.
Helping your kids navigate “friendships” and building quality relationships by being a good friend and surrounding yourself with godly individuals who can challenge you to be the best person you can be. Also, remember to maintain good relationships with non-Christians to be a light and encouragement pointing them to Christ!
Special shout out to Jared Wood for allowing us to use his music - check him out at JaredWoodMusic!

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!

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!

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!