Episodes

Looking for a tool to help make praying more fun and fit naturally into your children’s daily routines? Sarah Holmstrom and Stephanie Thurling are two friends who met during their undergrad years and launched a ministry together called Raising Prayerful Kids. Though they live in different parts of the country, they both are passionate about helping parents teach their kids how to pray. Authors of Raising Prayerful Kids, they love to share easy, life-giving, and fun ways to help children experien...

Did you know that experts say around age 5 or 6 is when feelings of romantic love begin to form? It can be challenging to navigate the topic of romance and relationships with our children, especially at a young age. Scientists say falling in love is a complex process and that our brains are hard-wired to give our emotions the upper hand over common sense. Falling in love is a beautiful and strong emotion, but it can be dangerous for children if we ignore, belittle, or dismiss their feelings. Her...

“When we are partnering with God and trusting in him for our child’s future, we can parent out of that sense of peace… and it helps us build a relationship with them while were helping them build a relationship with God.” Christie Thomas. Christie Thomas is a Canadian homeschooling mom of 3 who spends her evenings helping Christian parents disciple their kids without knowing it all or doing it all. She is the author of several books for Christian families, including Quinn’s Promise Rock, Mother ...

Once a month, Lori and Lee Ann will discuss complex topics regarding parenting and disciplining to help families have peace in the home and work together to build lifetime connections! 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 of Moments with Lori and Lee Ann, both ladies discuss the many wa...

“How can we bring about life transformation in the hearts of our children so that they won’t only just live for Christ, but they’ll go out into the world equipped to share the gospel of Jesus and his transforming power with others?” -Joleen Steel. Joleen Steel is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Camping Stick Kids. In addition to writing the curriculum for CSK, her heart is to help Christian parents and leaders ground the emerging generation in a robust, resilient faith that equips ...

“When we make it about us, what we do is that we fail to enter into those small moments…Those small moments are what gives us relational capital later for our kids to come to us in big moments.” -Dr. Joshua Straub. Dr. Josh Straub is a speaker, author, marriage and leadership coach, and podcast and TV cohost. He is the author or coauthor of eight books, including the book Famous at Home: 7 Decisions to Put Your Family Center Stage in a World Competing for Your Time, Attention, and Identity. He a...

“Everything you need for your marriage, for raising your children, and for yourself, it’s all there in the Word of God.” -Mary Garcia. Mary Garcia is a family pastor and has a master’s degree in marriage and family counseling and has been a certified biblical and family counselor for thirty years. Her passion is to share deep and rich wisdom from her life experiences and biblical insights on how to raise godly children. Sarah Garcia, Mary’s daughter is a certified youth and family counselor and ...

There are ways to make the dreaded doctor’s visit less painful (emotionally and physically) for our children. You can help your child work through their fear of the doctor with some understanding and patience. If your little one seems to fear the doctor, talk with your physician beforehand and share your child’s concerns. Every child fears something at some point in their life. But what may be frightening to one child may only be a bump in the road for another. During this episode, Lee Ann elabo...

Once a month, Lori and Lee Ann will discuss complex topics regarding parenting and disciplining to help families have peace in the home and work together to build lifetime connections! 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 of MOMents with Lori and Lee Ann, both share pointers on dealing ...

Do you have a child who has struggled to empathize with others? Don’t feel alone - most parents have experienced this with their kids at one point or another. Empathy has been described as a person’s ability to recognize and share another person’s emotions; it connects us with our common humanity. It has been called a virtue of the intellect. Empathy comes from the heart; it is foundational to what it means to be human and to act in an ethically loving manner. Empathy is critical to healthy emot...

“There is a lot of toxic content now pushed on very small children, and the worst statistic of all is that while 62% of Americans who are over 40 believe in God, 32% of children believe in God in America.” -Brent Dusing. Brent Dusing is the CEO and founder of TruPlay, a gaming platform created to bring high-quality, fun, and biblically-sound entertainment to audiences worldwide. An entrepreneur at heart and a Harvard University graduate of economics, Dusing pioneered game creation with Christian...

“A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you, and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” -Ezekiel 36:26. The beauty of the Christian faith is that it offers redemption and forgiveness for our sins. We can use the Bible to show our children how even though people committed the worst sins against God, he still forgave them and transformed their hearts. We can help our children understand that character transformation is a continuous ...

“There’s a lot of practical things we can do to build character in our kids; it doesn’t have to be overwhelming!” -Monica Swanson. Monica Swanson is a popular blogger, the host of the Monica Swanson Podcast, and the author of Boy Mom and Raising Amazing. Monica graduated from Pepperdine University, has a teaching credential from Linfield College, and has a bachelor’s degree in sports medicine. Monica strives to encourage families to raise amazing kids and loves to help build strong family relati...

How can we help children learn to trust God, especially when they feel like their world is falling apart? As parents and caregivers, it is our responsibility to help our children learn to trust God; They must learn to trust God’s guidance as the days become increasingly chaotic and evil. During this episode, Lee Ann expounds on the following tips for helping children to learn to trust God: Talk to them about God’s love for all people - use stories from the Bible to explain God’s character and ho...

“My job is to teach my kids to discern right from wrong and to constantly help them practice in everyday situations. I’m instilling and equipping wisdom and discernment in my child by doing so.” – Julie Lowe. Julie Lowe, MA, is a faculty member at CCEF and a licensed professional counselor with over twenty years of counseling experience. Julie is also a registered play therapist and has developed a play therapy office at CCEF to better serve families, teens, and children. Julie is the author of ...

“No two mothers are alike. No two experiences in motherhood mirror each other. But something powerful happens when our stories come together: they speak love, worth, value, and beauty.” -Leslie Means. Leslie Means, the founder and owner of the popular website “Her View from Home,” is passionate about connecting women through heartfelt stories on motherhood, marriage, faith, and grief. She is a former news anchor, a weekly columnist and has published several short stories. During this episode, Le...

"I think it’s very important not to play referee but be the coach and help them work through the issues.” -Lori Wildenberg Once a month, Lori and Lee Ann will discuss complex topics regarding parenting and disciplining to help families have peace in the home and work together to build lifetime connections! 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 Togeth...

Looking for a summer camp for your child to have fun adventures, make lifelong friends, and learn more about Christ? Amy Lowe is the Director of WinShape Camps for Girls – a summer camp for girls from 1st grade to 12th grade, and she also oversees WinShape Camps for Families – a family camp and family weekend experience. She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Samford University and a Master of Arts in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. Before WinShape, Amy worked f...

Michelle Medlock Adams is a NY Times best-selling ghostwriter and an award-winning author of over 100 books. Raising Christian Kids and Michelle are doing a giveaway with four of her amazing books: I Love You to the Sun and Beyond, Our God I Bigger Than That, Fly High, and Love Connects Us All. During this episode, Lee Ann and Michelle discuss the four books in the Spring giveaway: I Love You to the Sun and Beyond is an educational picture book for parents to read with their children. It teaches...

“Everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” -Luke 24:44. In a world that seems to reject Christianity, many Christian holidays such as Easter or Christmas seem to be centered around traditions such as the Easter Bunny or Santa Clause. And although we can still incorporate those fun traditions, we should also emphasize the importance of the actual reason for these holidays. Easter is a time to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, and it is ...

“I think for us to be able to understand what the Bible is saying to us, we have to fully understand the broader context of what the author of the scripture intended for the original audience.” - Dr. Eric Bargerhuff. Dr. Eric Bargerhuff serves as the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Bible and Theology at Trinity College of Florida. He has served there for the past ten years; prior to that, he served in Pastoral Ministry for over 20 years. He is the author of four books and ha...

Mother Theresa wisely said, “Some people come in your life as blessings. Some come in your life as lessons.” “Life is not easy.” “It gets harder as you get older.” These are some phrases we sometimes hear throughout life. And maybe there is some truth to these sayings, but during tough times, the Lord can teach us and our children some valuable life lessons. Life lessons can be learned anywhere and however in life – through experiences, from family members, and most notably, from the Bible. The ...

“Ask God to help you focus on that person, the eternal spirit, that is living inside that temporary body that may have limitations.” -Sonya Shafer. Sonya Shafer is a popular homeschool speaker and writer specializing in the Charlotte Mason Method. She has been on an adventure for more than 20 years studying, researching, practicing, and teaching Charlotte’s gentle and effective education methods. Her passion for homeschooling her own four daughters grew into helping others and then into Simply C...

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” -Matthew 25:40. Good friends are valuable for many reasons, one being that they help to prevent isolation and loneliness while increasing our sense of belonging and purpose. Jesus is the perfect example of what a friend should look like; in fact, he is the perfect example of a best friend. As children get older, their friends may have more influence on them than we do, making it a top...