How can Parents Prepare for the Attacks Facing Their Families Today?

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Get ready. It's one of America's most important, influential, and respected voices on cultural and political issues. An apologist, Christian political advocate, and author, here is the founder and chairman of the Citizens for America Foundation, Dr. Chris Hughes. Parenting has never been easy, but right now it seems like parents have more pressure than ever before. You're going to want to call your friends to listen to today's show because it's Family Friday and we're talking about family issues with Tawny Alberts.

I'm Chris Hughes, welcome to The Christian Perspective, where we look in God's Word in order to develop a Christian worldview and modern culture. And folks, there's no greater area of our lives where we need to have a Christian perspective and to develop a biblical worldview than really within our families. Parenting's hard. Vicki and I have two kids, and just like you, we face challenges every day where we don't always know what to do. Matter of fact, we hardly ever know what to do. And I thought that those challenges would end when the kids went to college, but they don't.

And certainly not in this COVID area where kids are sent home from college, and they're really our kids our whole lives. So we're starting something new today, and I hope that you'll listen to The Christian Perspective every day, but I want you to mark your calendar to make sure that you listen to us every Friday. Because starting today, we're going to talk about family issues on Fridays with my co-host, Tawny Alberts. Tawny Alberts is an author, she's a speaker, and she helps parents and families discover who they were created to be, and how to cultivate lasting relationships within their family. And Tawny also knows a lot, a lot, a lot about being a mommy, because she and her husband Tom have five kids, and she homeschooled her kids.

So she deserves a crown for being kind of super mom to me. Tawny's an author. Her most recent book, Parenting Beyond the Rules, is ranked number one on Amazon in its category, and her podcast, Equipped to Be, is one that you should listen to every single week. Tawny's the director of family and parents at Citizens for America Foundation, and she's the one to call when you have a parenting question. Tawny, I am so excited to introduce you to our audience and to have you join me as a co-host on The Christian Perspective.

Chris, I'm delighted to be with you and your listeners. My goodness, this is very exciting how you're filling a need within our community, our culture, and politics, and oh, just to be able to be together every Friday and talk about matters that pertain to family is going to be such a need in our society right now. It seems to be even more, I mean, family issues have always been important and, you know, their spouse relationships and relationships with children and grandparents and in-laws and outlaws, but it seems like families are really coming under attack now at a time like never before.

Yeah, absolutely, and it used to be subtle. It's like you always kind of knew, especially me as a mother of five, you know, people would say, do you know how that happened or how many are you going to have? And people, society in general, didn't always view children as a gift and a treasure and something that was to be celebrated and delighted. It was something we were to count, like how many do you have?

And if you reach a certain limit, which was nebulous because it depended on who was asking the question, then they would raise their eyebrows or they would celebrate with you. And so you knew families and family values were always under attack, especially if you have a Christian mindset and a biblical worldview. Now we don't have to wonder. It's just straight in our faith. Everything we do, our family values, our character training, our teaching of God's word, all of that is now under attack and in plain view for all parents. So in some ways, Chris, that's a good thing. We actually know what we're fighting.

We don't have to guess and wonder. It's just right out there for us to combat and confront and teach our children, like how do we navigate this? So there's a lot of negative, but there's also some positive. Yeah, and I think it's kind of different for families the last couple of years. You know, husbands and wives are spending more time together as many companies are sending people home.

You know, not that you want to get away from your spouse, but sometimes you need a break. But when you're locked in for two years with them and kids are sent home from school and home from college, it just created a whole new set of issues for families. So Connie, with families, even though they've always been under attack, it really is a different time. So have you seen a change in the way families are being attacked?

Oh absolutely. I think we see it every day on the news cycle. We see, you know, parents that are concerned, their children. I know you mentioned that at home school.

Yes, people thought I was crazy then and sometimes they still think I am. But you know, what we're seeing is parents and me that are sending their kids to private or public school or charter schools and they want to have a say in what their children are learning. They want to make sure that it lines up or at least they know what's being taught so they can discuss it at home. You know, they're being labeled domestic terrorists. They're being marginalized and sidelined.

And as you know, because the show also deals with some politics, I mean we know that people that are elected in positions of authority and power, I mean they will blatantly say, Chris, oh parents, you know, you should sit down, shut up. We know best. We're the educators. We're the ones with the degrees and we will take your children and we will teach them what we think is right, whether it's equity or whatever the flavor of the day is. And so as a parent, we now know that those attacks and what we can do to combat that in our school systems and in our communities since COVID is awareness, not being afraid.

So we have to start that fear. There are children. They were given to us and we will answer for how we teach and train them.

Not a teacher, not the Department of Education, the DOE, not the union. They aren't responsible for our children. You and I are, you know, as you have your children that are both in college, they're learning ideas ideas and maybe philosophies and theories about issues that you and your wife may not agree with, but you can still, you can talk about them.

And they also have greater reasoning ability as they get older, but still we're sending them out into a world that isn't, is not really parent-friendly or family-centric like it once was. It's pretty much anything else. Whatever you want. You want to call a family this or that or label this and hey that's great.

You do you. And you know at the Christian perspective so much of what you focus on in the show is throughout the week, you know, Monday through Friday, is what does God's word say about that? There are there are truths. There are standards.

There are values. There are order and decency and creating rhythms and routines within our family that go in all parts of our life. Not just the family, but that's our segment today, but it really crosses over to all areas.

Yeah it's really crazy Connie. I think, you know, parents they hear, you know, people like you and me speaking at conferences and telling them things are going on in the school system or in colleges, but it was distant from them and they didn't really know. When kids came home both in high school and in college, parents were seeing things that their kids were being taught that they had no idea was going on before and they realized that the family truly is under attack.

I mean my kids aren't in high school anymore, but I know a lot of people who've just been shocked to see the things the curriculum in high school and as you mentioned my kids are both in college now and so sometimes, you know, I'll sneak around if they hear the show today I'm gonna get trouble for this, but I'll kind of listen in to see what their teachers are saying, you know, because they're online and it's just shocking the stuff that's being taught and the mindset. It's a very liberal, very anti-family mindset. The attack coming across the family is, you know, like abortion is an issue that colleges are teaching kids.

It's crazy to think that that baby in a mother's womb is a living creature. It's just a blob of cells and that's like a brainwashing that's going on with our kids and not just with abortion with sexual identity and teaching kids that it's okay to have sex outside of marriage and to think that your, you know, your transgender or I think Facebook now has over 150 choices of which I don't know how you can have that many choices of what your gender identity will be and Connie, all of these are attacks on the family that have never existed before because God created man and woman in his image and a man and woman are not complete as an individual. God made a husband and wife to be one and when the society and the school system and those around us in the culture attack what God designed, it's destroying the traditional family. Absolutely and I think in America at least because I know we have to be mindful of why. Why is the family under such attack and why are we seeing it more dramatically play out since COVID hit?

You know, we can talk about that later on in the show but what we have to realize is there is a purpose behind all of this. If a society can break down the nucleus of a family, if they can normalize absolutely anything and everything then the family unit gets marginalized and once that happens then the children are fair game. You know, they're free to teach and train whatever ideology, philosophy, religion that is possible out there. I mean they're now in some schools, at least one I know for sure, you know now they allow Satan groups. Kids can go to the Satanic groups and learn about Satan and their statues and when we, if a child is left to themselves they bring destruction on themselves.

Why? Because they don't have the reasoning ability. The brain isn't fully developed till now they're learning 25 years old. That is a long time for your children to be indoctrinated, to be persuaded in a way that may not be actually accurate and then unfortunately Chris, you and I both know that. When these children are taught untrue or there's no absolute, there's no standard, there's no nucleus of the family, guess what ends up happening? When they hit adulthood, I mean when they really hit that adult years, they're so confused. They don't know up or down, right or wrong. They don't have a mooring, they don't have that anchor and children need that.

They need that to be able to become contributing citizens in a society. They do Connie and I don't think people understand it's a spiritual tack that's coming across our families today and we need to really get rooted in God's Word. We're going to have to take a commercial break here. You're listening to Connie Albers and Chris Hughes on The Christian Perspective. It's family Friday so we're going to take a quick break and thank our sponsors. When we come back we're going to talk more about the effects on the family today and specifically we're going to jump in right away and what's happening in the churches and are the churches part of the problem in today's society. Stick around, we'll be right back. This show is brought to you by Generous Joe's, the coffee company with The Christian Perspective. This is the answer that Christians and conservatives have been looking for. A coffee company that gives back to causes you care about.

Order your coffee today at shopgenerousjoes.org and even subscribe to a subscription coffee plan and never forget the coffee you love or the causes you care about. Walk in the footsteps of Jesus and see the Bible come to life. This December join nationally syndicated radio host and founder of the Citizens for America Foundation, Dr. Chris Hughes on a life-changing trip to Israel. It's one of the world's oldest and most fascinating travel destinations, luring the faithful from all over the world for thousands of years. Visit Jerusalem's religious quarters and explore Christianity's most treasured religious sites like the Wailing Wall, the Dome of the Rock, and the Via Dolorosa. Walk with Chris through the winding alleyways of Nazareth's old city and visit ancient Bethlehem, the place of our Savior's birth. Float in the Dead Sea. Visit the Sea of Galilee and the Jewish fortress of Masada. See firsthand where the events of the Bible took place. Touring Israel with Dr. Chris Hughes is a travel odyssey like no other.

Visit citizensforamericafoundation.com and get ready for an unforgettable trip and memories that will last a lifetime. Do you desire to build family relationships that stand the test of time? Does creating a godly family seem like a daunting challenge?

You're not alone. I'm Connie Albers, author of Parenting Beyond the Rules and host of Equipped to Be. As a mother of five, I understand your struggles. For 35 years, I have been helping families just like yours build lasting relationships.

I'd like to invite you to tune into Equipped to Be and visit ConnieAlbers.com where I share useful tips and proven strategies to help you navigate the seasons of motherhood, faith, and life with confidence and joy. History was made on today's date. Stay tuned for an American Minute with Bill Federer. April 15th, the day income taxes are due to the IRS, is the day the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic in the year 1912. It had struck an iceberg the night before just five days after departing from England. President Abraham Lincoln died this day in 1865. He had been shot the night before in Ford's Theater by John Wilkes Booth just five days after the Civil War ended. Abraham Lincoln stated, I made a solemn vow before God that if General Lee were driven back from Pennsylvania, I would crown the result by the declaration of freedom to the slaves.

This has been an American Minute with Bill Federer. For a free transcript, call American Minute at 1-888-USA-WORD. We were talking about family issues and how the families are being attacked and we talked a lot about COVID and the school system. Connie was talking about how in public schools right now and in colleges there is no truth anymore and that really is the truth. When our parents, you know, when we as parents teach our kids certain rules growing up and we teach them the truth and hopefully as Christian parents we're teaching them that God's word is true and that there is an absolute truth in this world and that truth is Jesus Christ, and then they go to public school or they go to college and they're being taught there is no truth it really confuses our children as to who's right or my parents right or these professors right, you know, sometimes we think that the professors because they have these many degrees and a great education they know more than our parents and it's causing a problem and a risk within families. But Connie I wanted to kind of delve a little deeper there as Christians, you know, we're part of the body of Christ and we're going to church but churches have really changed in the last few years too. Do you think churches are part of the problem with the attacks in our families today? I think I have a two-fold answer on that.

Yes and no. How do you like that? That's a political way of thinking this. That's good.

You should run for office. I think, yes, for this reason. Churches are often, parents often with center kids, now this is pre-COVID, parents with center kids to youth groups and some school and life groups and camps and all those are fine but parents would send them to churches and expect the youth leaders and teachers to teach them what they needed to know to have that biblical world view to understand who God is and that there's a difference between knowing about God and knowing there is a God and the difference is having a relationship with a living God. So it's not about a religion, it's about a relationship. So if parents were sending their children to church and the church was supposed to be equipping these children with the truth found in God's words which is really the parent's responsibility, in Deuteronomy it talks about teach a child in the way they should go.

When you wake up, when you lie down, when you go by the way, here a little, there a little, as you go. That's the nature of parenting and so where the churches have a sales is the churches are being forced to comply with standards and mandates and meeting budgets and budget programs and growth expansions and the political pressure from the outside is now seeping inside the church. Where do they stand?

Do they stand? And so many times Chris, there's a lot of churches that don't have the strength and the fortitude to stand up and say no this is the truth and you can believe what you want but we're going to teach what is true and right according to scripture not according to the whims of the day. So there is partly the church maybe not having the strength of conviction of what they're teaching and also of parents pushing off their responsibility to a church. So that's why I say it's yes and no.

Does that make sense? Yeah it does and I think that parents need to make sure that they don't just drop their kids off to church, that they need to go with them. I think that they need to know what's being taught. Go to Sunday school class and sit in even though that might embarrass your kids sometimes or go to youth group. I know my kids didn't always like it but I tried to volunteer.

They always need parents to go to events or to chaperone stuff and I tried to do that as much as I could so I could hear what was being taught and what was going on. Connie I don't know if you've met George Barna but George is a Christian pollster. He does a lot of research on what happens in churches and is happening in the Christian community and the culture today and George found that pastors who claim now I'm not saying all past people that claim to be pastors but of pastors who claim to be evangelical pastors. Only 10 percent of the pastors who claim to be evangelical pastors ever address issues in the culture today. Issues that our children are facing. You know if you think about it listener you know going to your church when's the last time you heard your pastor preach a message on abortion or does he ever address homosexuality or the transgender issues that are going on in society today. A lot of pastors avoid those issues Connie and they do it you know whether they don't want to offend people or maybe you know maybe they're afraid that their ties and offerings are go down I would hate to think that but that is the case and with some pastors from the research I've read but what's happening is you know parents of most a lot of parents don't read the Bible every day a lot of students don't read the Bible every day so the only Bible that people are getting is when they go into God's house and when a pastor or a youth pastor or a Sunday school teacher doesn't address these issues then our kids don't know what the Bible says or what a Christian stance should be and that's really affecting the families Connie because the church is avoiding those issues but they're hearing it every day in public school and in public universities and colleges across the country. And on all the social media platforms they're constantly indoctrinated with it's like the news has taken the place of what we should be feasting on right we feast on the headlines this is what's happening now and this is what's happening cool and really we want to have our kids focus on being able to rightly divide the truth and that only happens when you do what you have said spend time in the word if you're in the word you'll know what the word says I was writing an article for a magazine and I had mentioned about how for years we would open our home up to kids to teens and college kids and we would just teach the Bible I mean it was just nothing it wasn't a book that somebody wrote it was the book and we would just go through it these kids were starving for truth they needed to know what the word said and not what somebody else said that they said about the work you know what I mean and what we have found is 10 years 15 years later maybe not that many years but these kids are still talking about oh those are some of the best years of my life because we equipped them like in you know usually put on a full armor of God we are able to know what is true and right and lovely we're able to speak intelligently and not just um spouting off cliches and phrases we're able to say what the truth is and that is what makes the difference and that is where the churches have failed in some ways is it's all topical instead of what can we get you some meat can we get deeper to find out the heart of God and not just what all the rules and regulations or denominational practices are but what what is what do the words mean what is there what is there for therefore why does God use but you know God never tells us to take something off without telling us what to put on you don't just say don't steal what does he tell us it's not just okay well don't steal don't lie don't cheat don't don't commit adultery don't do all those things okay that's into that when we know that when our children know that especially like when our kids are in college they're able to defend what what they believe and why they believe it now how does this relate to families because as mom and dad like you were saying you were very involved in the church you would go on the camps and you would show up in in the youth groups and as did we see parenting is an active non-stop activity i mean we are always engaging with our kids and i write about the the parenting styles you know we talk about the hovering and the helicopter and parents that are engaged in their lives with their children parents that know if their kids are flipping through porn if they know what their kids are listening to or what you know tick tock channels they're tuned in if parents are engaged with their kids and having a real relationship not just a bunch of rules okay you can't do this you can't do this can't do this but the kids know why we're doing this they're less likely to push back and it doesn't come across as we're being hovering or helicoptering or sweeping or lawn mowing or what all the new terms are now for parents parents are very concerned for their kids they're concerned not only about what they're learning chris they're concerned about their character they're concerned about do they know how to stand up for right and wrong do the kids know that there can be consequent for standing up for truth yes there there can we see cancel culture our kids are very in tune with that we see it with what's happening with athletes with what's happening with celebrities with politicians they see the double standard our kids are smart but they need engaged parents that are coming at it from a perspective of i love you god loves you god wants us to do life together not just to do let's turn the tassel okay see you my job's done no this is like a lifetime gig well johnny i think you hit the nail on the head where you said the kids are smart today i think we underestimate them and i know that the church has underestimated them kids really are very intelligent today they have access to more information than ever in the history of the world daniel talks about it in the bible where daniel says in the end times that there will be a knowledge explosion on the earth today on that day and that's where we are right now i mean literally kids can jump on their phone and learn about any topic it amazes me the things that my kids know about that i never had a clue about as a kid the kids today are smart and they don't want to just scratch the surface they want to do what you were saying like y'all did like you and tom did in the bible studies in your home where they're getting deep into the word of god but churches today are just giving like a happy meal almost instead of delving in to the word of god and helping these kids so how do you think that churches can show more support for parents and help parents don't undermine them don't think that they are replacing the role of the parents if the parent is not engaged encourage them come alongside them ask how they can help support so often if we get a family that is in crisis or struggle especially if the kids get older and they start pushing back or resisting and they realize this is a family unit it's the first unit got established he created all that there is and then there was adamant and he gave them a command and so what the churches need to do is realize this is a unit that is to do we're to build up and teach and equip and encourage and support because life is hard parenting is hard children they want to have a voice they want to have a say and leaders whether it's church leaders or civic leaders or educators we have to we have to remember that it's a family unit not a group of individuals that are just happen to live under one roof that doesn't that's not going to work but parents you have to also be very active in that you have to insist oh no no no you're you know we go together you know it's it's all of us and i have different temperaments you know not everybody's the same we're not all of the same uh cut and we don't all have the same gift strengths and talents that's not required but we share a last name and whether it's a blended family or it's um you know just one unit that isn't blended and there's not divorce and stuff but we know that's an important part but we're still doing life together and when those children grow up we want them to come back we don't want them to leave the church we don't want them to say well thanks for all that but yeah i'm not buying any of it and i think that's a big part of the parents responsibility not turning over the reins of authority to somebody else when it's clearly mandated that we are to teach and train our children that's the key that's the command we are to teach and train our children that doesn't necessarily mean homeschooling it just means that we are to be that we are we are the primary influence in our children's lives and don't let anybody lead you to believe otherwise and folks we'll be right back we're talking about family issues and our responsibilities parents when we're going to come back we're going to talk about covid and how it's affecting the family we'll be right back the united states of america has a strong christian heritage but most americans don't know the truly important role that god in the bible played in the founding of this great nation this jew joined nationally syndicated radio host and founder of the citizens for america foundation dr chris hughes for four amazing days in our nation's capital with chris you'll embark on a journey of discovering the hidden secrets of washington dc and rediscover much of america's forgotten christian heritage your tour will include an up close and personal look at the nation's establishment and how it's evolved over the centuries learn about the government and the men who helped forge this new kind of republic one that acknowledged the creator from its very inception know the truth about the creation of the united states of america about the faith of the founding fathers and how christian principles were used to establish this form of government visit citizens for america foundation.com today and secure your spot to join chris hughes in washington dc this june this show is brought to you by generous joe's the coffee company with the christian perspective this is the answer that christians and conservatives have been looking for a coffee company that gives back to causes you care about order your coffee today at shop generous joes.org and even subscribe to a subscription coffee plan and never forget the coffee you love or the causes you care about the conservative baptist network is a dynamic movement of southern baptist pastors churches and christians committed to standing for the sufficiency of god's word in the face of a culture of compromise the passion and prayer of the conservative baptist network is that god would help southern baptists stay bold for the gospel so that we might see revival in america and the world reached for christ visit our website today at conservative baptist network.com to learn how you and your church can join and support this exciting movement welcome back to the christian perspective connie alberts is giving us a lot of great information on families today we've been talking about the attacks that are coming on families and even how the church has become part of the problem for families today and connie just gave us a lot of great advice on how if you're a pastor or youth leader or sunday school teacher how you can support parents and support support families in this difficult time well connie we talked about covid a little bit in the beginning of the show but let's kind of dig deeper covid's exposed a lot of issues um in our government and in our society today and it doesn't seem i keep thinking it's going to go away but it really doesn't seem like it's going away anytime soon so what is covid exposed as it relates to the family you know we were so busy as a society weren't we we were running here running there the kids were in you know three different sports and music and and art classes and extracurricular activities and frankly everybody was doing their thing and they would they would teach her in the morning as they were grabbing the lunch bag and heading out the door and they'd have two conversations or people or the kids would be on their phones and then they'd come back together in the evening whether it was drive-through or dinner at home and there was very little interaction you know hey did you do your homework yep okay great um but covid hit and and the family stopped you know the kids peer groups chris they were pulled away they were stripped away from their church groups from their friend groups from their school friends and mom and dad were sent home and the world shut down and here's what happened parents learned what their kids were learning now some people talk about all the negatives that with covid is that chris there's some really good things that have happened with covid parents know what their kids are learning and i believe that's why there's so much uh pushback now from parents of hey oh no we're not talking about this this is our job to have those conversations within our family you can add to them you can give us food for thought but it's our job well parents realize they are teaching our children things that i don't necessarily agree with it's not their job it's you know there's not they're to teach math english writing i mean competency skills that will prepare our kids for adult life you know for the next voc for vocations that will contribute to society the other thing that parents have happened as a result of covid is they're spending more time together now we're several years into it and parents are weary so we have to be mindful of that but they're playing more board games together they're going on bikes bike rides they're going on outdoor camping adventures or stays at the at the beach they're just interfacing more as a family unit as opposed to this child's gone this way this child's going that way mom and dad's over here dad's gone mom's gone the beauty is we're seeing our children's heart we're seeing our children's character or lack thereof because sometimes you know the teacher would be saying hey you know your kids are all disruption in class and like well just as you it's because of every other thing and all of a sudden now the kids are home and parents go well maybe the teacher was right i mean maybe you do need to learn to behave better or maybe you do need to learn to not interrupt so much but that's a good thing parents are spending more time which is quality time with their kids and the third thing is we've learned that suburban life isn't so bad after all there's a beauty to being able to go out and play with the neighbor kids or ride bikes or just have community with with our neighbors that usually we would just wave at or we would see them drive in you know we would see them as we drove in and out of the driveway in the morning and in the evening so those are some good things chris that have come as a result of covet it's brought knowledge and insight for parents to be able to know how to better teach and train their children with character qualities and life skills and coping mechanisms and how to deal with crisis so you know there for all the bad that's happened and all the confusion and all the chaos and the in and in school out of school at home virtual learning uh getting lost not understanding principles we also want to focus on what has helped strengthen our families and as a as a christian that's invaluable because when we get ready to launch these children whether you're you have elementary age kids or chris you've got older kids that are in college you have had some wonderful time to shape mold and form your kids to be more resilient to understand that their identity is first found in the lord and then within their family not their peer group those peers are great friends are wonderful we love them they help us do life together but it's our family that's going to be there in the long run the family's going to be there at the bedside the family is going to be the ones that pick them up when they're down and that's something that is beautiful that has actually happened to the family it has and i'm going to be negative and play devil's advocate it has and i love having my kids home as a matter of fact later today i'm taking my daughter back to start her second semester of school and uh she said yesterday she said she said daddy please i know you want me here do not pray to god that school will cancel when we step back home this semester because she does i've enjoyed uh having the kids home uh my son goes to school in florida where you live and and it's not a strict down there and he's been able to go to school a lot more uh in person but my daughter uh went to emory undergrad and they sent her home in march of 2020 and uh shut down the school and basically went with everything online but it has been an adjustment for families as well so it's been wonderful to have time with my kids and i'd love to keep them forever you know if i could but there are unique challenges for parents and families also connie i think because you have parents who you know some parents find their identity some adults find their identity in their jobs and so when they were sent home it it left an emptiness i think uh you know in some people and and maybe they weren't used to being their spouse around their spouse or kids as much and now they're they're home together all the time and then for a case like my family again i'm not complaining because i love having my kids here but vicki and i went through this time which all parents face at some point and you faced it already connie kind of the empty nest um you know i went through this huge emotion and again i i mean i know every parent loves their kids but it was very emotional for me when my kids went away to college you know they've been here for you know 18 years and and now they're gone and and the house was empty you know and and so it was an emotional time went through all that emotion and be gone and then a few months later they're both back you know so it was like a roller coaster road a roller coaster ride not just for my family but for other families too and so things got a little normal you know connie for the last six or seven months and now with omicron and and other variants possibly popping up uh it's kind of a roller coaster again and an issue um and i'm kind of going down a rabbit trail here but an issue that our families face and i know a lot of families are facing and i'm i'm not being negative about um about vaccinations you know i think that's a person's individual choice as to what they do or don't need to do but a lot of college students right now are being faced with you know do do i get the vaccination or not because a lot of colleges connie and i don't know if it's happened in high school since my kids are in college but a lot of colleges are requiring kids to get vaccinated before they come back and i know that's an issue with a lot of particularly in the christian community you know for various reasons i'm not saying what it's right or wrong so don't come sending me a bunch of emails but i'm just saying it is an issue for some parents because initially it was an issue not so much of whether they got the vaccine but being told that they had to get the vaccine but there are different types of vaccines and i'm not a doctor and i'm probably butchering this but there are some vaccines that are being made for example the johnson and johnson vaccine that i know this is probably not where where you wanted to go in our conversation today connie but uh but it's an issue that my family's facing right now you know there's a johnson johnson vaccine that is made the traditional way and then there's the other vaccines are made with mrna or whatever it's called that may or may not affect dna so when when kids are being told you can't come back to college unless you take a vaccine and now let's not take a vaccine but to take a specific one that like the johnson johnson's not being honored by a lot of colleges universities and hospitals today so that's a different issue that that families are facing and i guess what i'm really saying is that's a challenge again i don't want to my argument is not about vaccines or not vaccines but it's an issue that some parents and particularly christian parents i think are facing of how do you guide your children because i don't think this is going away and you know i watched on the news just this morning where different cities around the country uh you know like dc and new york and others you're going to have to show a passport to eat or do anything if you're not vaccinated you can't go anywhere and as parents that's something that we're going to be faced because if your children haven't been vaccinated they're going to have to be now and that's just one of the challenges i think that we have out there oh everything you just said is just so full of conversation to be honest with you um this is the opportunity for parents well can i just go back for a second i hear you with the whole they're in they're outside the boomerang they're that is that is also equally maddening for kids you know that they're they're gone they're stepping out in the big beautiful wide world with full of opportunities and mom and dad are adjusting to this new life and then okay oh man now we're all back together again with our idiosyncrasies and our our ways and you know they were our kids and but they're what do i have to ask permission for you know they were away they didn't have to ask permission and now you know can i take the car can i do this or that and and that wasn't an issue yeah i want to go to in and out burger at one in the morning um you know when i'm back home with my mom and dad and they're going to be like you know it's really not safe for you to go out at one in the morning that's where all the crime i mean it's attention for both sets so just know that that's normal it is normal and that's also part of the growing up of of releasing our kids and launching them but going to your point about this whole uh what do our kids do you know when this that is part of the biggest frustration is where you live is very different the rules are very different and that can be from you know 10 miles away one mayor or or uh one governor may have these tight lockdown mandates or one governor may be more open but like i live in florida we have a governor that's been very uh economic friendly been very responsibility be responsible yourself as an adult but yet we have um other elected officials local and county level that nope they they want they want control and i really think so much of what let me interrupt you there that's a good place for us to take a break when we come back let's delve into that we'll be right back take a commercial break and we're talking about family issues with connie let's be right back a brand is a design name symbol or any other feature that sets an organization or individual apart bringing that brand to life can be difficult but digs design is here to help you take that next step or re-energize your current situation we can handle logos social media graphics cards words weddings clothings prints photo editing and much more give us a call today at 704-984-2432 or connect with digs design on social media in a world crowded with viewpoints and voices critical condition after asa i believe the message of this financial problems only one voice matters gods at the college at mid america and mid america seminary we equip leaders to think about a biblical world view online or on our memphis campus check out the college 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associations lung force initiative and the ad council the united states of america has a strong christian heritage but most americans don't know the truly important role that god in the bible played in the founding of this great nation this june joined nationally syndicated radio host and founder of the citizens for america foundation dr chris hughes for four amazing days in our nation's capital with chris you'll embark on a journey of discovering the hidden secrets of washington dc and rediscover much of america's forgotten christian heritage your tour will include an up close and personal look at the nation's establishment and how it's evolved over the centuries learn about the government and the men who helped forge this new kind of republic one that acknowledged the creator from its very inception know the truth about the creation of the united states of america about the faith of the founding fathers and how christian principles were used to establish this form of government visit citizens for america foundation.com today and secure your spot to join chris hughes in washington dc this june welcome back to the christian perspective connie arbors is with us today like she is every friday where we're going to talk about family issues we've been talking about really a lot of different things but challenges that families are facing and right before the commercial break we were talking about covid and how it has affected us and and connie brought up a great point where we're talking about our kids being home from college or school and parents being home from work and connie pointed out that it's really confusing because in different uh geographical areas you know whether not just from state to state but county to county and city and city and i live in the mountains of north carolina for example and we have two small towns in our county one town is like on complete lockdown you have to wear a mask everywhere the other town is not requiring that and it's just three miles away so it's a really confusing time for families and connie you were starting to talk about where i had to take the commercial break about elected officials and so do you think it's a power thing a control thing why is it different everywhere and it's really affecting families i would love to be a fly on the wall in some of these decision makers offices when they you know we kind of view them in the back room and they're conniving and scheming how can we just control all these people i i really can't say i just do know god says and the heart of a person the heart of a man that man or woman you know evil is in there and i do believe what we're seeing it doesn't make sense for for most people here's what as we are kind of wrapping all of this up in this last segment i want families to understand that you're doing life together that's the goal is to build rich strong relationships because you will have a say in your child's life they'll listen to you they will trust you they will come to you when they're like hey i don't even know what to do i'm going to get fired if i don't get this vaccine or if i don't get this booster or i'm going to not be able to go on this trip because i don't have you know whatever it is whatever it is today is one thing tomorrow will be something different masks are on masks are off one shot two shot booster for every year is there going to be a coronavirus and a flu vac that's going to be required we all know what the future holds chris but this is what we know as a family you want to have the relationship where you accept each other's decision especially as your kids get older like your college kids if they opt in for something and let's say you know uh they make a decision that maybe you're not necessarily in agreement with or you've you've got a difference of opinion be able to have the conversation without fear of rejection and this is key without breaking the relationship none of these there's been a real issue that if i can interrupt you yeah yeah it's i mean look back at christmas and thanksgiving i know many people who families wouldn't even get together because this person would or wouldn't wear a mask or they wanted to argue about whether or not we had a vaccine and we just got to come together as families and not argue about this and that's possible that is possible it requires mutual respect especially as your kids are older it requires knowing what you believe in why and being willing to give an answer for somebody does ask you and then it also requires an enormous amount of grace because people chris this is what we're seeing around the world it's not even it's not even just in our little cities and towns this is around the world fear is governing decision making fear so we want to teach our children don't live your life based on fear don't make a decision based on fear have sound reasoning like you brought up the johnson and johnson vaccine do your research teach your children to be researchers to know why they're deciding what they're deciding and this is going to be with us for a long time but your relationship is going to be around longer your relationship and your family unit will outlive whatever this is going to be with coronavirus and all of its different manifestations but mom and dad all of you that are listening protect the relationship protect the family unit respect each other for your decisions don't use this as a time to marginalize mock sideline i have told all of our kids that now are adults because there's eight you know five children and three are married they have to make really hard decisions you and i had to make hard decisions when we were their age not like this but they were hard decisions let them know that you're there to support them whatever it is you'll be supporting them but we're going to protect the nature of our relationship because and listeners write this down you're doing life together it doesn't stop at 18 teach them to be of sound mind and make wise decisions to know when to speak up and when just to be about your business everything doesn't need to be shouted from a megaphone you can make private decisions as a family and be about your business yeah and that's something we need to learn in this day of social media we want to put too much uh on uh you know i guess with kids at snapchat and instagram and tick tock and and for adults it's facebook and and like you said the world doesn't need to know everything that we're doing yeah yeah i mean i've had a lot of young people tell me when they're asked certain questions they'll just say yeah yeah i mean if you're talking to you and i both know this i mean you can you can try to explain something but if a hearer doesn't want to hear because they're afraid or because they've done their own research and they've come to their own conclusion and it's different from yours it's okay we have to as a society find that place again we used to have it where we can agree to disagree i don't understand the forces that be i don't know if it's a power grab i don't know if it's for control i personally don't believe they i don't believe anybody could truly understand how powerful fear is in governing people you know we we when you think about this we were 12 we were told to stand 12 feet away then six feet away then masks on then two masks three masks five masks no masks stay in your house only see somebody through a window um you know if you're if you're married and you stay in separate rooms i mean there's just it doesn't it doesn't make sense when you actually stop to think about it but what does make sense is we serve a god who cares a god who loves us and a god who cares more about our relationships with him and with our family and with others about loving others than he does about which vaccine you got or didn't get how many masks you wear or don't wear if your child goes to this school or that school he cares about the heart and the relationships within the family unit so connie as we and we've got about three minutes left is we kind of wrap this up it's a great conversation today and we're talking about attacks on families what can a parent do to push back and protect their families against the chaos in our society and our culture today first thing is pray you know the first thing is to pray and ask the lord like you chris you were you've been doing all this magnificent work and spreading the word and truth and teaching about jesus and then all of a sudden you're like i need to do this there was just this move inside of you it's like i need to have this radio show and it needs to be five days a week so first thing is praying what does god want you to do does god want you to be behind a microphone or behind a camera does god want you to be it quietly in your home or in your community know where god has called you and run your race and fulfill the assignment before you don't look around if god said to speak up at a school board and you speak up at a school board then how make sure your kids know why you're doing make sure your children that's an important is making sure your kids know and that's something i haven't thought about because i'm kind of you and i are both out there we're on the front lines and and i don't know about you i don't always prepare my kids for something that they might read in the newspaper or see on the news that i said or did and and i think you just brought a great point we need to let our families know what we're doing but we do need to be on the front line as parents yeah and sometimes we need to be quiet and there are times i want to just jump out there and just say something or do something go into action i want to go into action and my kids will actually say please don't and i'll be like okay lord you're going to pull somebody else up to go fight that particular battle because i'm doing life with my family and i need to be mindful and considerate because my kids are adults i want to be mindful and considerate that i am honoring them there's mutual honor and respect as your kids get older and even when they're younger and we need to be we all we always have to keep that in the back of our mind we don't just that's something i learn every day connie is is uh you're saying as adults when they get to be adults we don't stop to think sometimes about how our actions affect them even though they're not living in our house anymore that's something i've actually learned from you and talking to you over the past few months is i need to react differently with my adult children and i wasn't really prepared to do that but that's something you've shown me that i need to do well that's awesome yeah i turned in a book proposal today and last night i told the kids hey you're gonna have to sign waivers and my daughter goes i don't want to be in your book i don't want to be in your book it's too late i wrote it and i so i text her chris i mean this is this is like a practical example to end our segment on i literally text her and i said were you serious or just messing around because i want to honor you and that's how we need to live our lives we need to honor one another we need to honor our spouses and our kids especially if they grow up they gain so much trust and respect it shows them their work their value and their identity is within the family unit not in their job not in their position their power of prestige or how many zeros they have in their checkbook but they matter and their work is within our family i mean obviously the lord first but on earth god established the family and that's a great way to end our show today connie we need to honor god but also we need to honor each other and our families and folks if you want to learn how we can honor each other mark your calendar because every friday connie ours is going to be here giving us great parenting and family advice and i'm just looking forward to working with connie thank you so much for being with me here today connie i learn something new every time i talk to you it's good to be with you it's always my honor y'all thanks for joining us today i'm chris hughes and this is a christian perspective please subscribe subscribe and like our podcast and connie has a podcast also called equip the d you want to check it out and be sure to listen to it every week please share a podcast with your friends on social media and be sure to tune here each weekday to learn how you can develop a christian perspective now let's go change the culture for jesus thank you for listening the christian perspective with chris hughes learn more about impacting the culture for jesus visit citizens for america foundation dot com this is the truth network