Family Life News: Recent Episodes
Family Life News
Holidays and DementiaFamily Life’s “Inside Out” podcast with Martha Manikas-Foster
If someone you love is living with dementia, simplifying how you celebrate the holidays could create a more enjoyable time for everyone. Phil Shippers of the Rochester and Finger Lakes chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association offers practical help in this Inside Out news podcast.
One in ten older Americans lives with dementia. Maybe this includes people you love. If so, being flexible and even making a few changes to the way you celebrate the holidays could help everyone feel more comfortable around the table this year.
“We have to realize that due to the changes in the brain, the person is trying to interpret their environment. So, being part of a social event may be upsetting or confusing or stressful,” says Phil Shippers, program director for the Rochester & Finger Lakes Region of the Alzheimer’s Association.
“I think the biggest thing is to be flexible, and perhaps to change our expectations,” he says. “Maybe we try new things. And we want to do this to reduce commotion, to reduce noise and activity, to make the person living with dementia feel more comfortable.”
Even if we’re not organizing the gathering, Shippers says there are practical things we can do to help our loved one living with dementia enjoy the time together. “One of the suggestions that we make is that when people approach the person living with Alzheimer’s or dementia, that they introduce themselves,” he says. “And it doesn’t have to be formal or stuffy. You can just make light of it, saying, ‘Oh, this is your favorite grandson Patrick.’”
We want to preserve each person’s dignity and demonstrate our love. Along the way, Shippers points out, we will make mistakes. “Give yourself some grace as well,” he says. “And just be as positive and really enjoy the moment as much as you can.”
Listen to our Inside Out podcast, where Phil Shippers lists a number of practical ways to make gatherings more comfortable.
For additional help, the Alzheimer’s Association offers support and resources 24/7 through its Help Line at 800-272-3900. You can also contact the Alzheimer’s Association at Alz.org.
That website offers six recommendations for households where the attendees include someone who is dealing with these types of memory loss and limitations.
InsideOut
11/13/2024
Hometown Heroes – Christian mission in Central America(and a bonus Love Story!)Peter and Tyanne Jurka are Mark Webster’s guests on this week’s “Hometown Heroes” feature. The Jurkas are longtime Christian mission workers, serving in Central America. She is from western Pennsylvania, and he grew up in western New York. Their children and grandchildren are also part of their ongoing ministry.
Their story — in their personal lives and the ways they have served people in international mission — are fascinating and heartwarming.
A video highlighting the results of their life-enhancing work is available from StorehouseMission.org.
HometownHeroes
11/12/2024
Major Overhaul Coming to Public Education in New YorkFamily Life’s “Issues in Education” podcastDid you know the Regents exams have been a staple in NY public schools since 1865? They won’t be much longer. The state is in the process of “phasing out” the tests as a required part of teens’ education. Dr. Ralph Kerr with the Teaching and Learning Institute explains why and what’s next, on this week’s edition of “Issues in Education”.
Family Life’s “Capital Connection”Implications and Effects of Election 2024Our Christian watchdogs in the state capitals of Pennsylvania and New York are back to recap the biggest stories of Election 2024. This is our weekly roundtable for commentary and analysis with Jason McGuire in Albany and Michael Geer in Harrisburg.
Family Life Noon Report anchor Bob Price guides this discussion, reviewing election results from early voting, ballots cast on November 5, and the decisions still pending as the week ends:
- The significance of the “red wave” in presidential and congressional voting
- How voters in our two states chose their legislative leaders, statewide and national
- Did voters who are Christian turn out better than expected?
- Amendment One passes in NY, and other states decide abortion-related ballot issues
- Trends from this week which will carry over into the new year
Michael Geer (president of the Pennsylvania Family Institute) and Jason McGuire (executive director of the New York Family Foundation and New York Family Action) were also on the air with us election night for analysis of the news as it was happening. You can listen to or share those special reports from these two Family Life News podcasts:
- Election Night 8/9/10
- Election Night 11/12
Trail Life USA – Mentoring Boys to become strong and faithful young menRaising boys and young men, in a gender-confused generation…. offering them a deep sense of values, character, and a sense of adventure.
Trail Life USA is carrying out a mission to mentor boys who are elementary, middle school and high school ages.
This is our second conversation with Trail Life’s CEO Mark Hancock. He talks about the Christian emphasis which undergirds this nationwide program which wants to give boys and their families good role models and positive versions of masculinity.
Mark Hancock, TrailLifeUSA.org
Family Life Newsmaker interview, 11/07/2024
Our previous conversation with Mark Hancock is here: FLN 7/01/2024
Hancock also talks about the uniquely Christian outreach which is a core value for shaping the lives of young men. That two-part podcast with interviewer Gary Bauer is linked from the Trail Life USA website.
People of Faith: When you win, When you loseNoon News Feature – 11/06/24For a faith-based perspective on political and social issues, Family Life News often turns to NY Southern Tier minister Dave Bretch. Noon Report anchor Bob Price asked the Painted Post pastor about how Christians on both sides of the political aisle should respond to election results, whether your “team” won or lost.
This special news feature also includes analysis from Christian counselor Christopher Anderson. We got his reaction to one university’s move to help its young adults cope with this week’s election results by scheduling a day of Legos, coloring and ways to decompress.
The Rev. Dave Brecht is lead pastor of Beartown Road Alliance Church. (His sermon based in the nation’s capitol which he mentioned during this interview is available from the congregation’s website.)
Christopher Anderson is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in private practice, based in Olean, New York. He offers insights on individual and family challenges in the Family Life radio feature “Real Answers”, heard each month within Noon Report and on our Family Life News podcasts.
The Presidency: A Conversationa Family Life News Feature
As two candidates race toward the end of this year’s campaign for the White House, what can we learn from all the Chief Executives who came before?
In this podcast from Family Life News, you’ll hear from a best-selling author and presidential historian. David M. Rubenstein has compiled stories, records and reflections on all 46 presidents so far, and says the American presidency is “The Highest Calling” in the world.
Rubenstein tells interviewer Greg Gillispie about how the presidency has been reshaped across U.S. history, the uniqueness of Americans choosing their own leaders, and how his broad scope across history provides insights into the 2024 election. He is concerned that 80 million citizens who are eligible to vote and shape their governance choose not to take part.
David M. Rubenstein is a lawyer, businessman, philanthropist, author and host of a history program on television. He has served as a government official, and is a co-owner of the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball.
His book The Highest Calling: Conversations on the American Presidency includes interviews with most of the living presidents, essays by other commentators and journalists, and anecdotes about the people who were chosen to lead their nation.
10/31/2024
10/30/24 Real Answers with Chris Anderson. In today’s segment, Family Life News Anchor Sarah Harnisch asks Christian Counselor Chris Anderson how to process the upcoming general election. What do you do if you don’t like any candidate? What does the Bible say about sitting out on the vote? And how do you process your own emotions when you see inflammatory comments online or in the news? Anderson breaks it down.
Vote Maximizer – Where the most voters have the most influenceA Family Life Newsmaker Interview – 10/30/2024The developer of a web-based tool to evaluate action plans based on political polls and populations says control of Congress runs through Pennsylvania and New York again this year:
Dr. Sam Wang and his team created the “Vote Maximizer” website which shows statewide and national trends to measure how and where individuals and groups have the largest influence on government through their votes and other political activities.
VoteMaximizer.org shows several Pennsylvania counties where an individual voter has the most influence on their state government: Centre, Erie, Mercer, Luzerne, Lackawanna and Allegheny. The biggest influence this year for New York voters is on some Congressional seats from Syracuse and Utica toward New York City, including Districts 19 and 22.
Sam Wang is an Ivy League professor, as well as the founding director of the Electoral Innovation Lab. Princeton University’s Neuroscience Lab is named after him.
Their website is VoteMaximizer.org. An introductory video is here.
He has an interest in improving the government through the ways voting districts are mapped. He gave a TED Talk this fall on “Using Math to Repair Democracy”.
www.familylife.org/newspodcasts
The Cost of Freedom – A place for wellness for military veteransPart 2 of this Hometown Heroes feature from Family Life News
We continue our “Hometown Heroes” conversation about an effort to create a safe and healing place for people carrying the weight of the battles of war.
Dave Miller-Martini — a military veteran himself — is a board member for “The Cost of Freedom” Foundation, which commits itself to creating a veterans’ wellness and recovery retreat. Phase 2 of creating that retreat center is now underway at Tionesta, Pennsylvania.
For more information:
- The Cost of Freedom website is TheCostOfFreedom.org
- How faith plays into their plans to support veterans
- Their Mission Statement: The foundation “supports development and delivery of innovative holistic healthcare models that integrate faith, nature, mind, body, and spirit to produce individualized treatment care plans.”
Part 1 of this Family Life News interview is available here: Hometown Heroes 10/22/2024
#HometownHeroes
#FamilyLifeNews
Indoctrination versus Education when it comes to Talking Politics at SchoolRecently, the “League of Women Voters” put on high school assemblies in NY encouraging students to vote “yes” on Prop 1. Dr. Ralph Kerr with the “Teaching and Learning Institute” says that crosses a line between teaching students “how” to think and not “what” to think. He discusses more this controversy in the latest installment of “Issues in Education” from Family Life News
IssuesInEducation
10/28/2024
Should Pastors talk about Politics from the Pulpit ? If so, how and why ?Paul Batura, editor-in-chief of “Daily Citizen”, weighs in on how much church leaders should discuss elections in our houses of worship.
This interview was included in the Family Life Noon Report on October 24, 2024.
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Paul Batura is a best-selling author, essayist and consultant on faith and values, cultural debates, and family matters. He says his mission while leading the online news source Daily Citizen is to “help Christians analyze the news and current cultural issues through the principles of truth, moral objectivity and inherent, innate natural rights.” He also has hosted dozens of podcasts in a series “What a Life! Lessons from Legends”, gleaning wisdom from a full range of Christian leaders and influential celebrities.
His recent post on Daily Citizen: “Think Critically. Vote Biblically”
NoonReport
Being a Good NeighborThe “Inside Out” Podcast from Family Life NewsAmericans feel detached and isolated. Pastor Doug Hankins believes we have a neighborliness problem. On this edition of Inside Out, Hankins talks about Jesus’ call to be good neighbors, the topic of his The Gospel Coalition article “Benefits of Being a Good Neighbor.”
Americans feel detached and isolated. Pastor Doug Hankins believes we’re suffering from a lack of neighborliness, and Christians are just the people to solve it. But it won’t be easy.
“Neighborliness is costly,” Hankins says. “There’s no shortcut around it. Part of the reason neighborliness is like the fifth level blackbelt of being a Christian is because of the difficulty of it.”
Hankins is senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Winter Park, Florida. He authored the Gospel Coalition article “Benefits of Being a Good Neighbor.”
“I think the way Jesus understood being a neighbor was loving the people who are near you. If there are people around you, there is–if you’re a believer in Christ–a responsibility to consider these people as your neighbors and to ask the Lord ‘what must I do to care for them well?’”.
If you are ready follow Jesus into loving your neighbors–connecting intentionally, compassionately, and regularly with the people around you–Hankins suggests starting with a list. “Think about everybody you interact with: friends, neighbors, co-workers. Write their names on a list. Put it somewhere where you see it regularly and just pray for them.”
But don’t stop there. Ask friends for help.
“I think accountability is going to help. If you’ve got some Christian friends around you, just going to them saying, ‘I think the Lord might be calling me to step up my game in terms of loving my neighbors, could you just pray with me and bring it up once a month and just hold me accountable to this?’”
Hankins believes that not only will God show you who to love, He may overwhelm you with opportunities. “He’s going to bring us probably more than we can handle, but He can handle it. And so, we’ll get to love those people well.”
You can read Doug Hankins’s article “Benefits of Being a Good Neighbor” from The Gospel Coalition website here.
(TGC also published his first-person account of being at the “Asbury Awakening“, the college-centered revival which happened in 2023.)
insideout
Today’s edition of “Hometown Heroes” introduces you to Dave Miller-Martini.
He is with “The Cost of Freedom” Foundation, which commits itself to creating a veterans’ wellness and recovery retreat. Phase 2 of creating that retreat center is now underway.
Host Mark Webster went to their recent event in Tionesta, Pennsylvania, to bring you their story. (This is the first half of a two-part series.)
For more information:
- TheCostOfFreedom website
- How faith plays into their plans to support veterans
- Their Mission Statement: The foundation “supports development and delivery of innovative holistic healthcare models that integrate faith, nature, mind, body, and spirit to produce individualized treatment care plans.”
Part 2 of this feature is available here: Hometown Heroes 10/29/2024
#HometownHeroes
FamilyLifeNews
Abortion is on the Ballot this Election YearA Family Life Newsmaker Interview“The abortion industry has been very successful at using fear-mongering as a way to drive voters.” — Nicole Hunt
Two weeks from Tuesday, Americans will go to the polls to decide the 47th President of the United States. Also that day, they will decide constitutional amendments that dramatically expand abortion access in 10 states.
In today’s feature report, Family Life News interviews Nicole Hunt, a policy analyst at “Focus on the Family” on why the abortion industry has been winning at the ballot box — and what pro-lifers can do to reverse the trend.
Attorney Nicole Hunt is a policy analyst for Focus on the Family. She joined Family Life’s Bob Price for an extended interview on the October 21 Noon Report.
Resources for more information:
- Focus on the Family
- Pennsylvania Pro-Life
- New York issues surrounding abortion
- NY’s 2024 Proposition One, and its effect on pro-life versus pro-abortion debates in the state
Other Family Life News podcasts which discuss how issues will or won’t be decided by “values-focused” voters in this fall’s elections are on www.FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts:
- 10/18/2024
- 10/10/2024
- 10/08/2024
- 10/04/2024
- 09/25/2024
- and others
NoonReport
Financial cyber-fraud is a twelve-billion dollar business each year — all of it illegal.
Consumer advocacy banking specialist Blythe Figurelle is among the experts promoting Cyber Security Awareness month during October. Whether its by phone or an electronic message, the fraudsters try to catch you with what she calls “emotional manipulation”.
Figurelle says it is common for scammers to initiate contact out of the blue, pretend to be a business or person you trust, or add unreasonable urgency.
Her advice:
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- If it’s a phone call, don’t say anything and hang up.
- If it’s on social media, a text or an email — delete that message, without clicking any links.
- You may wish to also block that sender or that phone number
On this Family Life News podcast, Figurelle describes the acronym STOP as the four steps you should do, if you suspect a call or a message is not legitimate, or someone pushes you for your account number or other private information:
Stay cautious
Take your time … don’t be rushed into anything
Only trust verified sources
Protect your codes and numbers and passwords … every time
Bonus content:
A coalition of law enforcement and governments in Dubai and Emirates put together a clever public service announcement, urging consumers to always protect all of their personal financial data. This music video portrays a banker whose customer gave away his codes to scammers. Find it here.
How NY’s Prop 1 impacts Religious Groups and Churches
Reforming Divorce Laws in PA
“Do No Harm” Report Highlights the Dangers of so-called “Gender-affirming” Care
Why Millions of Christians plan to Sit Out the 2024 Election
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire with New York Families and Michael Geer with the Pennsylvania Family Institute discuss the weighty issues in the news — from Albany to Harrisburg to the ballot box to your hometown.
Both organizations offer issues-based voter guides and “how to register to vote” information on their websites.
“Capital Connection” with Bob Price airs on the radio and our live streams during the Noon Report and 5 O’Clock Report each Friday. Listen, download or share these conversations anytime, from the “Family Life News” podcast feed.
Children’s Hospitals & “Gender Care”A Family Life Newsmaker InterviewA national health-care watchdog group is out with new statistics on the number of so-called “gender transition” procedures being done at children’s hospitals. Do No Harm analyzed public insurance records to compile the number of children and teens who were treated using hormones, puberty blockers, and surgical procedures on sexual body parts. The organization also analyzed the amount of money paid by insurance companies to cover those costs. (Public funds such as Medicaid and state and federal government grants are also used for such purposes.)
Beth Serio of Do No Harm told us nearly 2,000 underage minors in New York and Pennsylvania were recipients of such procedures in the most recent reporting period. She talks about the exponential growth in this trend, the financial and philosophical motivations for medical providers and hospitals to recommend “gender affirming care”, and the complications which can result for patients and for the society.
Three PA/NY hospital systems are listed in their national Top Ten List for millions of dollars raked in to perform sex change treatments for minors: Mount Sinai, New York University, and Penn Medicine. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, with 122 such patients, by far tops the list of providers described as what DNH describes as the “Dirty Dozen” in the United States.
These links provide more information about Do No Harm, which takes its name from the millenia-old medical motto:
- DoNoHarmMedicine.org
- This latest research, headlined “Exposing the Child Trans Industry”
- Their Stop The Harm Database provides further information, plus an opportunity to look up your own local statistics.
- The Pennsylvania Family Institute [ PAFamily.org ] has an in-depth analysis of the local implications of these national trends.
FaithUnderFire 10/17/2024
Real Answers – the process of “Adulting”It is a varied range of family situations which has young adults reliant on their parents. In some cases, 20-somethings living in their “growing up” home with their parents is a practical reality or a financial necessity. In some cases, the trendy phrase “failure to launch” applies.
Christian counselor Chris Anderson explore the process called “Adulting” in this edition of Family Life’s “Real Answers” interview. He believes one key to why so many young adults aren’t entering fully into adulthood is an emphasis on “feelings and emotions,” a common trend in this generation and in the wider culture. Senses of entitlement and constant readily-available entertainment also can limit some 20-somethings in their discovery of their true potential.
Listen to this podcast for Anderson’s analysis, advice and recommendations.
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“Real Answers” with Chris Anderson is one of our Wednesday news features on Family Life. You can hear these interviews — about life skills, social trends, family advice, and more — during our Noon Report and 5 O’Clock Report. The podcast versions are available at www.FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts. Listen, download or share them: from our Family Life Now app, the website, or most popular podcast platforms. (Search for “Family Life News”.)
This week’s guest on Family Life’s “Hometown Heroes” feature is Jenn Boyd of the “Hope Walks” ministry. It works from Pennsylvania, but provides international medical work to help relieve the physical limitations — and, just as important, the social and personal stigma — faced by many children who are born with Club Foot syndrome. Their emphasis is that a treatable condition shouldn’t keep a child from walking.
This ministry has provided treatments for more than 161,000 children in 14 nations.
Hear about how this medical mission work is transforming lives and communities. Tap the podcast player on this page. You can also go to FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts to download or share this conversation with other who you believe would be interested too. (That link also give you a subscribe option to be notified each time Mark Webster posts a new edition of his “Hometown Heroes” interviews.)
Jenn Boyd is the communications project coordinator for Hope Walks, based in York Springs, PA.
For more information:
- The website for Hope Walks is www.hopewalks.org
- A background video is called “Hope Prays, Heals, Impacts … and Walks”. Their site also has multiple other videos online to explain the problem, the mission’s ways of healing, and the first-person stories of the families whose lives are enhanced because of a surgery which is simple and common in the U.S.
https://youtu.be/aY18O9CTqPI
HometownHeroes
Many families, workplaces and friendship are suffering under election-induced stressesHowever, today’s Newsmaker Interview on Family Life News says politically-active Christians have a key role to play in shaping that toneThe political climate has become so divided, many people are fearful of talking about campaigns and candidates with friends and co-workers.
We sought advice on how Christians can handle election-based conversations.
Focus on the Family counselor Joannie DeBrito says it can be okay to disagree, agreeably. However, if someone only wants to argue about politics, it’s helpful to just step away.
She uses practical examples of how to maintain both a faithful Christian witness and productive relationships, with friends and relatives you may have on “both sides of the aisle”. She also gives helpful references from Scripture.
Dr. Joannie DeBrito is a coach at Hope Restored Aftercare and a columnist and consultant with Focus on the Family. She has 30+ years experience as a therapist and counselor.
Listen for our earlier conversation with her, on parallel topics: May 24, 2024
Here are links to her work at Hope Restored and Focus. Information about the resources from Focus on the Family she mentions is available from 855-771-HELP (4357) or FocusOnTheFamily.com
Some of her columns and blogs about marriage, parenting and family matters can be found here and here.
When you disagree politically with someone - a Christian counselor's recommendations - 10/14/24
“Issues in Education”Retired school principal and superintendent Ralph Kerr joins us for the Monday Family Life News Feature “Issues in Education”.
This week:
- Teacher shortages, already significant, are magnified by the number of immigrant children who entered the U.S. in recent years
- School districts are hamstrung by the multiple languages spoken by their young newcomers, many of whom are not (yet) proficient in English
- Whether public schools and parochial schools should compete together or have separate leagues and championships — That debate is renewed again
- How will public schools be affected, depending on whether a majority of New York voters approve or vote against Proposition One on this fall’s ballots
Dr. Ralph Kerr founded the Teaching and Learning Institute, based in Houghton, NY. TLI has its mission to influence Pennsylvania’s and New York’s public schools with increased involvement by people traditional family values and Judeo-Christian beliefs.
IssuesInEducation
FamilyLifeNews
Family Life 5 PM News Update – 10/10/2024(Family Life’s 5 O’Clock Report is on a special schedule this week, as we take four days to invite listeners and web visitors to support Family Life Ministries for the upcoming six months.)#familylife.org/newspodcasts#FamilyLifeNews
Family Life Noon News Update – 10/10/2024(Family Life’s Noon Report is on a special schedule this week, as we take four days to invite listeners and web visitors to support Family Life Ministries for the upcoming six months.)#familylife.org/newspodcasts
FamilyLifeNews
Family Life 5 PM News Update – 10/09/2024(Family Life’s 5 O’Clock Report is on a special schedule this week, as we take four days to invite listeners and web visitors to support Family Life Ministries for the upcoming six months.)#FamilyLifeNews
Hurricane Helene – Part 2 with NC Christian Broadcaster John Owens
John Owens, an alum of the Family Life Ministries radio staff, now leads the Christian broadcasting outreach of the Billy Graham Evangelical Association, sending radio broadcasts into a wide area of the region devastated by Hurricane Helene.
When our Greg Gillispie spoke with him a week ago — just days after the monsoon-like rains washed away buildings, roads and even entire communities — he said it is a challenge to get accurate information. In this second half of that interview, the lack of communication and the uncertainty of some social media posts and official announcements made it hard to find trustworthy news and lifesaving information.
That dilemma faced by his radio staff in the immediate aftermath, and by people throughout the multi-state hurricane damage zone since then, has become a forerunner of this week’s back-and-forth on who is giving accurate information, from state and Federal agencies, to local emergency managers, to eyewitnesses watching their real-world situations and hoping for help.
This podcast includes John Owen’s observations and first-person stories from western North Carolina:
- The challenges of getting and confirming information when cell towers and internet service are out, roads and bridges have disappeared, and entire mountain communities are isolated
- The ways help arrived, from packs of donkeys to private helicopters
- The value of radio as a primary information source in such emergencies
- The value of Christian broadcasting in particular, to bring hope and reliable information to people with true human needs — practical, physical and spiritual.
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Part 1 of this conversation aired October 1 on Family Life.
Listen for that first half on our podcast version, available from www.FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts or by clicking the RADAR MAP below.
https://familyliferadio.blubrry.net/2024/10/01/hurricane-helene-christian-broadcast/
If you want to find out more — or feel called to help, pray or donate:
- FamilyLife.org/relief
- Over 1,000 volunteers gathered in the small NC town of Swannanoa to begin the recovery efforts, just days after the flooding began to subside
- Video of a college football team which met Black Hawk helicopters to load emergency supplies
- SamaritansPurse.org is seeking resources and volunteers to help in states throughout the southeastern U.S.
- Public information — and the Christ-centered hope — shared by the BGEA’s radio ministry: The Light FM
Family Life Noon Update – 10/09/2024(Family Life’s Noon Report is on a special schedule this week, as we take four days to invite listeners and web visitors to support Family Life Ministries for the upcoming six months.)
Family Life 5 PM News Update – 10/08/2024(Family Life’s 5 O’Clock Report is on a special schedule this week, as we take four days to invite listeners and web visitors to support Family Life Ministries for the upcoming six months.)
Proposition One – Will New Yorkers add new rights to the State Constitution? – 10/08/24Empire State legislators have asked New York’s voters to amend the State Constitution.
With a title of the “Equal Rights Amendment” it is getting broad support as a means to lock in abortion as a protected activity. However many pro-family advocates across the political spectrum are now expressing concern about how Proposal One’s wording could open the door to transgender procedures with no parental notification, endangers women’s sports, and could add voting rights for non-citizens. Western New York State Senator George Borrello also tells us that, if this is approved by a majority this fall, it will create big business for attorneys who will file many more lawsuits related to the new Constitutional protections.
Borrello is among the organizers for a public information forum on Prop One. That public meeting was Tuesday (October 8) in Corning, New York. He spoke Wednesday morning about the issues with Bob Price of Family Life News.
For further information:
The official text of this proposed Constitutional Amendment: NY Board of Elections website
The New York Times article to which the senator refers
Other analysis of the implications of this “Equal Rights Amendment”: Olean Times Herald, WSJ, NYCLU, NYFA
newsmaker interview
Family Life Noon Update – 10/08/2024(Family Life’s Noon Report is on a special schedule this week, as we take four days to invite listeners and web visitors to support Family Life Ministries for the upcoming six months.)
Issues in EducationAn on-air feature and podcast from Family Life News – 10/07/2024Kids Behaving Badly
The S-A-T
Helping Rural Schools Keep Up with Technology
Dr. Ralph Kerr at the “Teaching and Learning Institute” discusses education “trends” and topics of interest that impact our public schools. Listen for “Issues in Education” on alternating Mondays on during Family Life’s newscasts and podcasts.
Pretty Place – A Giant Cross towers over three hurricane-ravaged statesA faith-centered story from Family Life News
Pretty Place is a renown open-air church at Cleveland, South Carolina. It was built in 1941. It has created memories for generations of visitors.
Last week, the devastating 60-70 mph winds in the remnants of Hurricane Helene hit that area.
Although much of the outdoor chapel suffered major damage in last week’s massive storm, the camp’s giant cross is still standing. Photos have gone viral, bringing hope to the region.
Family Life newscaster Sarah Harnish interviewed the president and CEO of Greenville’s YMCA, Sam Franklin. Listen to the full conversation in the podcast player here.
For more information:
The website mentioned in this interview: campgreenville.org/help
The main website for this camp operated by the YMCA of Greenville, South Carolina: campgreenville.org/pretty-place
Sam Franklin has 33 years of experience with YMCAs, but he only recently was promoted to this new position.
This is a “before” picture of Pretty Place:
A NY Pro-Life Group questions Planned Parenthood’s financial publicityFamily Life’s weekly “Faith Under Fire” featureWhen Planned Parenthood announced it would be, at least temporarily, curtailing some abortion procedures at several New York clinics, an Empire State pro-life organization raised questions about Planned Parenthood’s publicity last month.
Feminists Choosing Life of New York released statements that asked how the largest provider of abortions in New York State and in the nation can be on financial hard times. Spokesperson Sarah Prentice told Family Life News that two significant dynamics are happening. First, well over have of the pregnancies that are ended through abortions are now happening with a cocktail of two pills, including mifepristone which ends the life of the fetus. Also, even as revenue from in-clinic procedures are less frequent, Planned Parenthood still gets hundreds of millions in taxpayer subsidies.
In this podcast, Prentice quotes the New York governor’s annual budget, showing how much tax money goes to funding abortions, encouraging people from other states to come to New York in so-called “abortion tourism”, and to pay for extensive lobbying on Planned Parenthood’s behalf.
Concerned and compassionate listeners across Pennsylvania and New York want to help with the immediate human needs of many many thousands across six states ravaged by the winds and rain of Hurricane Helene.
In this special report from Family Life’s Sarah Harnisch, you can hear some of the sounds and descriptions of the destruction through some many communities in the southeast U.S. — from larger metro areas, to small towns and cities, to rural areas and mountainside hamlets.
You also will hear the story of one local religious group which is doing something tangible: filling a large trailer with water, food and other supplies. It will be delivered this weekend to western North Carolina, where some of the most widespread damage has happened.
Susan Weaver is coordinating this project for the Riverside Chapel in Salamanca, New York.
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Family Life Ministries is partnering with this collection of emergency supplies. For our listeners and web visitors in and near the Twin Tiers region, there is an enclosed trailer parked in the Family Life parking area near Bath, New York.
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- Wednesday, Oct. 2 10 am – 7 pm
- Thursday, Oct. 3 10 am – 7 pm
- Friday, Oct. 4 10 am – 7 pm
Harvest Baptist in Bath NY will be collecting similar items at their church building, also 10 am to 7 pm, the week of October 7-11.
For those who live or work elsewhere in the Family Life radio region (and who connect with us online from other state), check with your local church or denomination for the most efficient way to make donations.)
FamilyLife.org/relief also has direct links to a number of regional/national/international Christian disaster relief agencies. Tap that link to read the latest updates, see images from the flooded zone, and consider options for you to provide support.
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Separately, Family Life News received information on this other angle of this major ongoing story:
Watch out for scam charity appeals on your phone, computer and other devices
Law enforcement authorities are cautioning people to watch out for telephone and online scams, pretending to seek donations to help in hurricane recovery efforts across the southeastern U.S.
Their advice: If someone calls you — or sends a social media post, text or email — don’t reply right away, and don’t give-up your bank account or credit card numbers. Consumer advocates recommend that you initiate any donation you want to make. Do so through an established organization or your own local church.
Family Life Ministries has posted information about multiple reputable relief organizations on this special page on our website: FamilyLife.org/relief.
Hundreds killed.
Hundreds still missing.
Millions without power and other utilities.
The devastation of Hurricane Helene in the U.S. stretches from Florida to Tennessee.
Into that crisis, Christian broadcaster John Owens and his on-air team brought vital and accurate information to people stranded without electricity and safe roads. His radio ministry also continues to bring Gospel hope to a wide swath of the hurricane zone.
Family Life’s Greg Gillispie asked Owens for his first-person, on-the-scene stories of what people in that region saw — and what they need next. This is an extended interview with the Family Life alum to now manages Blue Ridge Broadcasting in Asheville, North Carolina. (The information shared was up to date as of 9/30/2024.)
Capital Connection – Today’s PA & NY IssuesIt’s our weekly Family Life News cultural/political/social roundtable, for the week of 9/27/2024It’s “Capital Connection”, the Friday news feature from Family Life News. Noon Report anchor Bob Price guides our ten-minute conversation, digging into the issues in our two states — and far beyond.
Christian advocates Jason McGuire and Michael Gere have commentary from the two capital cities on these major issues in the news:
- NY’s regents pause consideration on policies for transgender inclusion in girls scholastic sports, but will such rules be back after the election?
- Do voters realize that Proposition One may enshrine such gender diversity in the New York Constitution? What will the “Equal Rights Amendment” do to women’s rights, parental rights, and parental notifications about counseling and medical treatments for their children?
- Thousands gathered in Harrisburg this week. What is happening in the battle over abortion regulations?
- What do our watchdogs see as trends in legislative priorities this fall, swings in the 2024 election, and voters’ confidence in how the ballots are distributed and counted?
Our guests on most editions of “Capital Connection” are Jason McGuire, the executive director of the New York Families Foundation and New York Families Action, and Michael Geer, the president of the Pennsylvania Family Institute.
For further information:
- NewYorkFamilies.org
- PAFamily.org
- Hear or download our Family Life News special report on the voices of the pro-life rally this week, the Pennsylvania March for Life
Navigating Election SeasonThe “Inside Out” Podcast from Family Life News
How can Christians show Jesus’ radical love in the social, religious, and political climate? Martha’s guest Jeff Jones reminds Christians that our primary allegiance is to King Jesus, and He’s not up for reelection. Jones is lead pastor of Chase Oaks Church in Dallas, Texas, and coauthor with Mike Hogan of the book Rebranding Christianity.
How can Christians show Jesus’ radical love as we approach the November election? “Really, it’s an incredible opportunity to be distinctive,” says Jeff Jones. “Not to take our cues from the world that is very polarized and angry and there’s a lot of misplaced hope and vitriol.”
Jones is the lead pastor of Chase Oaks Church in Dallas, Texas, and coauthor with Mike Hogan of the book Rebranding Christianity. He points out that a believer’s model is Jesus, and He reached out to those who disagreed with Him. “As Christians we get to show a better way. In fact, it’s not just that we get to, we’re commanded to. We’re Jesus-followers, and so we take our cue from Jesus and how did He relate to the world, how did He relate to people who disagreed?” he says. “If we can just shift from sort of culture war mentality to mission field mentality–that’s a major shift–but it’s shifting from fear dominating us to love dominating us. What would it look like to relate like Jesus, who moved toward people in love, especially those who disagreed with him?”
And it’s especially meaningful to remember Jesus’ prayer for unity among believers, recorded in the Gospel of John.
“In a divided world, to see a united church where we can remember ‘hey that’s what we agree on–and that’s Jesus and His mission and His truth, and our hope is in Him,’” Jones says. “And what an opportunity to do that this fall and really stand out as believers, if we’re willing to do that.”
Recognizing our primary loyalty can help Christians avoid getting tangled in partisan rhetoric. “Our allegiance is to King Jesus, which is above all this other stuff. And our hope is in Him,” Jones says. “We await a Savior from there, not here. Our hope, our focus–all of that—as we go into these elections: let’s remember who we are, and where our hope is. And then we don’t have to be afraid. Because it really doesn’t matter who gets in or who doesn’t get in. King Jesus is not up for reelection.”
Learn about Jeff Jones and the book he’s coauthored, Rebranding Christianity. He contends that the Christian “brand” is losing relevance and influence in the U.S. A key reason is that Christians, who represent the brand to the world, fail to display what Jesus wants us to be known for — radical love. Jones says the next five to ten years will either deepen the decline or witness a movement to become more of who Jesus called us to be.
#InsideOut
Teens & Screens: Keeping Kids Safe OnlineA Family Life News InterviewChristian family advocate Brad Huddleston wants parents to know practical steps for safe internet usage by their children.
Family Life’s Bob Price talks with Huddleston about the physical and emotional changes that happens in teens’ brains and lives, when they are stuck on their phones. He has spiritual inspiration and practical techniques which parents can discuss with their children.
This discussion aired on the radio during the Family Life Noon Report on September 24. Included in the conversation was a preview of a special in-person event sponsored by Family Life upcoming in October. Listen to this podcast, and then individuals, couples, families and church gr0ups may wish to look up information about the workshop. Discounted tickets can be reserved in advance.
Ticket information for the one-night Family Life workshop (Friday, October 18) can be found at www.FamilyLife.org/events The presenters at this event will be Brad Huddleston of Brad Huddleston Ministries and Joseph Sweeney of the Asservo Project. Brad and his wife Beth Huddleston’s ministry offers a “digital detox” plan for families, and they also have a program which compares cell phone addiction to what they call “digital cocaine”. Sweeney’s organization focuses on the dangers of how the internet and social media are used to recruit teens and preteens into human trafficking, for sexual abuse and forced labor.
“Issues in Education” is a Monday News Feature from Family Life.
This episode includes commentary from former superintendent and current educational strategist Ralph Kerr on significant issues facing families, teachers, school boards and communities:
- Beyond Civics courses, what roles do schools play in shaping discussions of campaigns and candidates? How should parents monitor election conversations which may happen at schools?
- New York State education leaders are surveying every public school district, asking how they are serving their students. One outcome might be recommendations for “regionalization” in many places — cooperation between schools, and perhaps more consolidations of elementaries, high schools, or even entire districts. Population shifts and budget imbalances are a big reason why.
- The State Board of Regents (which oversees most of the education in New York) removed from this month’s agenda a proposed rule which would have mandated that students could cross gender lines for sports, in high schools, middle schools and elementary programs.
Dr. Kerr offers his vantage point on these Issues in Education.
It’s “Capital Connection” from Family Life NewsEach Friday, we air/livestream/podcast a 10-minute roundtable with two state government watchdogs, getting their analysis of cultural, political and social issues facing Pennsylvanians and New Yorkers — and the nation.
On this week’s Capital Connection:
- Why Assisted Suicide is “bad” medicine
- “Down Ballot” races on election day
- Can people trust the results of the election ?
- Reconciling faith with “Border” Issues
- Previewing the Pennsylvania “March for Life” (Monday, September 23)
(Videos for the PA March are available here: previewing 2024 and recapping 2023)
Michael Geer (Pennsylvania Family Institute) and Jason McGuire (New York Families) discuss these issues and more on this week’s edition of “Capital Connection”
Friday, September 20, 2024
Retired FBI & Secret Service Agent Tim MillerA Family Life News InterviewWith two close-calls on the life of Donald Trump within two months, retired Secret Service agents are speaking out about the dangers to elected leaders, political candidates and their families.
One of those with an insider’s insight is Tim Miller, who had twin careers in the FBI and the Secret Service.
Family Life News Anchor Bob Price talked with Miller from his Florida home, just five miles from the golf course that made international news this past weekend.
Tap “play” on the podcast player for an extended version of this exclusive interview.
Retired Secret Service agent Tim Miller now operates an international security enhancement firm. He uses his decades-long experience to provide training and consultations to help churches, schools and businesses to stay safer.
Podcasts of the Family Life Noon Report and the Family Life 5 O’Clock Report are available each weekday from www.FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts.
It’s “Real Answers” on Family LifeThis Wednesday news feature tackles the tough topics faced by many families. Christian therapeutic counselor Christopher Anderson gives insights in how fear in relationships can be replaced by a stronger sense of safety. It’s an important transition to make, and can help everyone involved in abusive or troubled relationships. When one or both partners are involved in addictions, this becomes important as well.
Listen to this conversation for Anderson’s encouragement. Tap the podcast player above.
[ Note: If you or someone you know is involved in a situation similar to those described here, you can contact a Christian counseling agency in your area, a local pastor, or dial either of these three-digit phone numbers: 988 or 211. For assistance in a dangerous situation, law enforcement agencies are trained to attentively and respectfully respond in a helpful manner. Ask any of these sources for their details.]“Real Answers” is a Wednesday news feature from Family Life News. In addition to airing during the Noon Report and 5 O’Clock Report, a podcast version is available for 24/7 listening, sharing, subscribing and downloading. Find it at FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts, or you can search for “Family Life News” on many other podcast sources (such as IHeart and Spotify).
In My Father’s Kitchen“Hometown Heroes” on Family LifeYou have been at an intersection, where a homeless person is standing at that street corner, holding a cardboard sign asking for help. Many people drive by, which makes sense, because a cash handout might be diverted toward furthering an addiction.
Yet, one of those episodes became the spiritual calling for someone who knows a thing or two about feeding people. He bought a lunch, circled back, offered it to the man, and had a life-changing conversation. For both men.
John and Leigh-Ann Tumino launched In My Father’s Kitchen in 2011 to address the physical and spiritual hungers which were widespread in parts of Syracuse.
Chef John Tumino tells our Mark Webster about this ministry, the people it serves, and how the people who carry out this kind of loving work are transformed too.
You can find more about In My Father’s Kitchen from their website, online video and history.
IMFK also sponsors a program to help panhandlers and homeless individuals to build up work experience and skills. It is cleverly named “Hire Ground“.
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Hometown Heroes is a Tuesday feature from Family Life News. Find these inspiring stories during the Noon Report, 5 O’Clock Report, and our podcast feed. These are available from the website, our livestream, the Family Life Now app, and many podcast players. Listen, subscribe or download them by searching for “Family Life News”.
Riley Gaines – Approaches to Women’s Sports (NCAA, NAIA, and Public Action)This autumn marks a new chapter in the debates on transgendered athletes in sports for college students, teens and younger children.
With this new academic year, two major oversight organizations deal with collegiate sports will handle the question differently. The NCAA across all three of its divisions will support student-athletes who were born male to be active with women’s sports, women’s records and women’s scholarships. The NAIA which regulates sports for more than 250 smaller and mid-sized schools is going the other direction, with athletes playing either the male or female sports which matches their genetic makeup.
Riley Gaines, a former championship collegiate swimmer is now an advocate for fairness, privacy and safety surrounding transgender policies. She not only is a commentator for Outkick.com, she is a litigant in Title IX lawsuits against the NCAA. In this special Family Life Interview, she says she one significant change over the past year has been the level of public advocacy for protecting women and girls.
Archives of our Family Life interviews with former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines:
- The Politics of Protecting Female Athletes (full 10-minute interview): FLN 5/31/2024
- Title IX, and a majority opinion on fairness which crosses all political stances: FLN 5/29/2024
- How Riley Gaines’ vocational calling began, as an advocate for women and girls: FLN 10/31/2023
Also on the issue of gender, education and politics, Family Life aired a related interview 9/16/2024 with Shena Rossettie of the Twin Tiers Family Forum.
Riley Gaines testifying recently about her interactions with the NCAA and with a university president:###### vimeo.com/1000850865#t=1h20m51s
“Capital Connection”Family Life’s weekly roundtable on social, cultural and political issues in PA & NY
This week, the latest from Harrisburg and Albany …. plus a preview of Shippensburg and Binghamton
- Pro-life cases go to court
- Protecting parent’s rights — and students’ privacy rights at school
- Abortion rhetoric in the 2024 election
- Is this Governor Cuomo’s comeback?
Jason McGuire and Michael Geer are Christian watchdogs lobbying for the protection and advancement of Christians “and” Christian values in Albany and Harrisburg. Each Friday during the legislative seasons, they join Family Life News for their commentary and analysis — on the air, on our live stream, and with this weekly podcast.
Also, today’s Noon Report and this podcast offer a preview of Family Life’s two “Capital Connection Live” events. Our panel will speak to a pair of public forums we hold so that listeners and website visitors can be part of an extended conversation on the major issues now shaping New York and Pennsylvania, as well as what will make the differences in statewide and national elections this fall.
Between the two events — one in Clarion County, one in Broome County — 275 people have already made reservations. Details and preregistration opportunities are available from the EVENTS page at FamilyLife.org.
Admission is free, and free passes will be available at the door for anyone who still wants to attend (up to the capacity of the host sites). Each night’s program begins at 7:00 p.m.
Capital Connection Live: For locations, schedules, speakers’ biographies and free ticket information, go to FamilyLife.org/EventsMichael Geer is president of the Pennsylvania Family Institute [PAFamily.org]
Jason McGuire is executive director of the New York Family Foundation [www.NewYorkFamilies.org]
Bob Price is news manager for the Family Life Radio Network and anchors the Family Life Noon Report [FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts]
“Back to School” season is now followed by Back to Church Sunday.
Today’s podcast offers you a preview of what several congregations in our listening area are doing this weekend.
Casey Jones is the executive director of Allegany Hope, a Belmont-based network of Christian congregations in Allegany County. They are not only participating in localizing this weekend’s Back to Church Sunday annual emphasis; they also cooperate with a number of prayer, social and mission-oriented projects together.
One of those areas of emphasis is the community of Friendship, New York. Churches there have planned free community lunches there, both Saturday and Sunday. (Sept. 14-15, 2024)
Back to Church Sunday happens on the third Sunday of September, after people are back to school and back from Labor Day Weekend. This is the 15th year of the national emphasis. There are paid and free resources available to churches each year, to help with their efforts to re-motivate their members and to invite neighbors in. They also have options available to promote a Back to Church Weekend for congregation which offer worship and events on Saturdays.
- Allegany Hope offers a community-news oriented website, as well as on Facebook: “What God is Doing in Allegany County”
- The National Back to Church website: backtochurch.com
- Several motivational videos about the evangelistic differences a congregation can foster in its community: Why have a B2CS? and Why invite a friend?
- Making it easy to invite a friend — for worship or a class or a meal: 3-reasons-to-invite
- A searchable map of participating congregations, with the Welcome Mat out, in PA and NY: www.findachurchnow.com
The “Inside Out” podcast, from Family LifeMaking friends at church can be hard, but it’s both important and possible, and we can grow in the process.We want to find community at church, but it can be hard.
One of the challenges, according to writer and blogger Paige Pippin, is that many of us show up on Sundays already exhausted. “Getting to church can feel weirdly taxing at times,” she says. “And maybe it’s our personality–maybe we’re more introverted. Maybe we’re in a very hectic season. Maybe we’re getting our gaggle of young children to church. Or, maybe it’s genuinely heavy or life-altering circumstances, like a sickness or disability. So we show up to church and we already feel tired.”
Pippin’s the author of The Gospel Coalition article Help! I Want to Make Friends at Church. Pippin says that in addition to feeling spent when we arrive, we often feel uncertain.
“How do I engage?” Pippin asks. “This feels risky and out of control. Perhaps I’m believing others don’t want to be approached, or maybe it’s too much work, or maybe I believe the lie that it just doesn’t really matter.”
Our reasons for hesitating may be heart-felt, but the opportunity in front of us is a great one.
“We, as believers, are ambassadors of the Gospel, and we have this rich opportunity in front of us,” she says. “Accepting that means I have an opportunity to pray for my attitude–my openness–to others before I even enter the sanctuary. And maybe even to start leaving more margin in my coming and going on Sunday morning.”
Pippin encourages us not only to seek out friendships, but to seek them out with Christians who are different from us. We’ll likely grow deeper as disciples–and more amazed with God. “Our awe for Him should be expanding as we see Him work in people who think differently than us, or who have walked different roads than us. God is that big, and He’s that able.”
None of this is easy. But God supplies everything we need for His Church to be unified.
“We, as Christians, have a leg up on friendship, because of the Spirit in us,” she says. “This should give us great confidence in pursuing other Christians. Because we know that this is what the Lord has and so we know that it’s not up to us to muster this strength, or to manufacture chemistry. The Lord wants it. He will show us how.”
Join us for our 14-minute conversation by listening to the podcast.
You can also read Paige Pippin’s article “Help! I Want to Make Friends at Church”.
Paige Pippin is a Christian author, blogger. and stay-at-home mom.
Inside Out with Martha Manikas-Foster is one of the Wednesday news features on the air and online. Hear it during our Noon Report, 5 O’Clock Report, and our “Family Life News” podcast feeds.
InsideOut
A Missionary to Our Politicians
A special Family Life Interview
Steve Amerson and his wife traveled to Washington D.C. as weekly worship services returned to the halls of Congress. Since 2014, he has gone to Capitol Hill twice a month to meet with Senators, Representatives and Congressional staffers. Each time, he brings 200 handwritten notes with Scriptural encouragement and words of hope — that adds up to 37,000 handwritten notes across ten years.
His “The Word on the Hill” Ministries offers signs of spiritual renewal among all who work on Capitol Hill. Democrats, Republicans and Independents all get visits, prayers, and caring attention for the realities of their lives — amid the loneliness and stress of their government work, and the everyday crises and problems of their personal lives. While the ministry to elected Members of Congress has great value, this interview also includes the story of a young woman who works in a Capitol Hill
Bob Price asked Amerson to talk about his evangelistic and pastoral work, and the spiritual state of our Seat of Government. Tap the podcast player button to hear our interview.
You can discover more about Steve Amerson and the mission successes of The Word on the Hill Ministries from their website and in this video.
“Of all the voices in government, God’s voice should be the loudest”
Local perspectives on the Tuesday Presidential Debate, the first (and perhaps only) debate between current Vice President Kamala Harris and the 45th President Donald Trump.
Family Life’s Noon Report today sought insights and a preview from Elmira-based political commentator Steve Coleman.
“Issues in Education” is back, for back to school
This Family Life News Feature gets analysis and commentary on big issues for local schools, families, students and educators. Retired school administrator Dr. Ralph Kerr joins Bob Price for that important practical conversation.
As this program returns from its summer break, here are the topics for this podcast:
- What are we doing right and what are we doing wrong when it comes to Public Education?
- Cellphones in School
- Is Homework necessary any longer?
Dr. Ralph Kerr founded the Teaching and Learning Institute which seeks to motivate people of faith to advocate in their home school district. Resources for potential school board candidates are on their website WhyRun.org, as are Kerr’s commentaries on other educational matters in Pennsylvania and New York.
“Issues in Education“ is one of our Monday news features in the Noon Report and 5 O’Clock Report. You can hear these newscasts on the radio, on our live stream, and from our podcast feeds. All of our features and extended interviews also are posted to www.FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts.
“Capital Connection” on Family Life
It’s the “season premiere”, as our roundtable with resident experts about the happenings in Albany and Harrisburg are back
The Capital Connection Crew is back and discussing politics, with just two months to go until the election.
Jason McGuire is the executive director of the New York Families Foundation [NewYorkFamilies.org]
Michael Geer is the founding president of the Pennsylvania Family Institute [PAFamily.org]
Among our topics today, they’re talking about a new initiative to get more people of faith to the polls on November 5.
Now that the summer break is over, Capital Connection resumes our Friday broadcasts during the Family Life Noon Report, on air, on app, and via multiple streaming platforms. We also podcast these conversations at FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts.
Resources, links and info about subjects covered in this podcast:
- “Capital Connection Live”, two public events in NY and PA, with Michael Geer, Jason McGuire and Bob Price on stage for a full evening of discussion and analysis — FamilyLife.org/events
- The March for Life in Pennsylvania, Monday, September 23 — MarchForLife.org/Pennsylvania/
- Take the Pledge to register to vote (Christians at the ballot box, and in early voting) — National Family Policy Alliance and the Christians Engaged organization
- Voter registration deadlines are October 21 in Pennsylvania, and October 26 in New York State. Registration — and updating your name, address or political party (important, if those apply) — can be done at your local country election office, when you apply for or renew your driver’s license, or online through the state government website. Links from many advocacy groups also connect you with this process. Mailed-in applications in both states must be received on or before the deadline date.
987 medals awarded at the Paris Olympics
Another 1,647 medals this week at the Paralympic games
10.500 athletes last month, and another 4,400 this week from 169 nations
700,000 New Testaments and Scripture books distributed!
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Yes, all of these statistics as the sports world has been focusing on Paris. Yes, 700,000 Bible books have been given out, in connection with the Paris Games over the past 6 weeks.
Once every 4 years, the 2 versions of the Summer Games bring about a gathering of athletes, officials, families, dignitaries and fans from nearly every nation on the planet.
A network of evangelical Christian groups has been working for the past 18 months to coordinate a massive outreach to share Jesus with the people in the region which hosts the Games, and with all those people who come from all over to attend. Some of these people have never had an encounter with Christianity, even though they are citizens of some nations that the friendly to this faith. Some of the volunteer evangelists are sharing Good News with people from places and cultures where, back home, Christianity is banned.
Tom Hawkins is with Greater Europe Mission who is among the coordinating team for Ensemble 2024, a massive faith-sharing effort by a combined group of European and global Christians from a wide and diverse swath of the theological spectrum.It ranges from local congregations to large denominations to members of little house churches.
This Family Life exclusive takes you to Paris. Hawkins talks about some of the life-changing stories from these efforts and connections. As otherwise-disabled athletes are thriving in their athletic events this week, they see many Paralympic competitors (and fans with handicaps) who have dealt with physical setbacks are ripe to hear the Gospel.
He also provides hopeful insight about a potential transformation in Europe, where across the past 30 years, cultures have diminished their faith practices. He says though, that he sees signs that a continent which has increasing become defined as “post-Christian” appears to be, in any places, entering a “pre-Rivival” mode.
Bonus factoid: The group of groups chose the name “Ensemble” to show how they are united across cultural and historical and theological distinctives — and because the same spelling of the same word has the same meaning, across multiple languages.
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Tom Hawkins spoke to Family Life News Producer Greg Gillispie this week, via Zoom, from Paris. The Paralympics Games continue there through Sunday, September 8.
Follow up:
The Ensemble 2024 website
The Ensemble 2024 blog
Tom Hawkins works with Greater Europe Mission, which carries out extensive envangelization outreaches, during and beyond the Olympics.
Bible2School – Time Out from the School Day for Faith Development
A Family Life Interview with Kori Pennypacker
A Pennsylvania-based program gives students the opportunity to leave the school building for a Bible-based time of fun and learning.
Some might wonder how this can happen with secular elementary schools, but it is legal and successful for families who choose it.
Kori Pennypacker is President of Bible2School, which essential offers a voluntary option to have experiences similar to Sunday School or an interactive Vacation Bible School. It happens during recesses or lunch periods, offsite, so Bible2School is free to have faith-based content.
Pennypacker explains the program, tells us about how this program benefits students who are already in churches and those who don’t yet have any interactions with faith, and how Scripture and values education benefits school and communities.
This interview was our daily News Feature during the Family Life Noon Report on our network of nearly 70 radio stations across PA and NY — and on our live stream.
For more information:
- How 100 PA students used their state-approved “Release Time” to head out to get Bible-centered learning, starting in 1979
- Why courts have confirmed that this is legal, and how the program is spreading nationwide
- What happens during a Bible2School activity
- How you and your community can explore how to start Bible2School where you live
Zooming Out to Big Views of the Election
A Special Edition of the Family Life Noon Report
Labor Day – 9/02/2024
The proverbial “start” of the election season traditionally kicks in Labor Day Weekend. As American culture slides past the holiday and into the school year, voters are within a couple of months of Election Day. While much of the public has been plugged in to this year’s unique campaign, others are just now ready to begin to explore who and what will be on the ballot.
In this half-hour special from Family Life News, we zoom out beyond the daily and weekly twists and turns of the candidates and their campaign. Today, we delve into some of the bigger issues about the election:
It’s “Staycation Destinations” on Family Life
Keystone Elk Country Visitors Center – the PA Wilds
North Central Pennsylvania is gearing up for a massive influx of tourism, as we move past Labor Day Weekend.
The Elk Country Visitors Center at Benezette, Pennsylvania, sees 400,000 guests annually. Add in the people who go elk watching each fall in the public lands without stopping by the visitors center, and you’ll know why this interaction with nature’s unique wildlife is such a big deal.
Ben Porkolab is the Conservation Education Coordinator for the Keystone Elk Country Alliance. In this Family Life News Feature, he offers our listeners a radio tour of the Pennsylvania Wilds, one of only two regions in the U.S. where Elk are this numerous.
You will hear about the Pennsylvania elk herd, plus what makes these huge animals so unique. He talks about why Elk County and the surrounding regions captures the imaginations of so many people. It draws crowds from through the local area and throughout the world. (Porkolab gives the example of one couple who came half way around the world, with three specific tourism goals.)
Porkolab also gives insights into how this kind of Wildlife Tourism is so significant to the region.
Check out the Elk Country website for full details, recommendations for your visit, and live cameras and recorded videos to “take you there” (even if you can’t visit in person).
In addition to this Staycation podcast, we also have web-only BONUS CONTENT with elk viewing and elk-viewing safety tips for you and your family. Check it out as well.
Staycation Destinations is a weekly summer feature presented by Family Life News. Even as we arrive at the end of Summer 2024, your radio travels don’t have to end. All of Greg Gillispie’s features are available from your “Family Life News” podcast feed or through the NEWS tab at www.FamilyLife.org. You can visit — or revisit — these unique places in New York State and Pennsylvania by listening to or downloading our audio.You can also scroll through our Staycation archives from previous summers.
You can also share these interviews with friends and family, or choose to subscribe to receive notifications each time your favorite Family Life podcast posts a new episode. Find all our podcasts on our website or through the Family Life Now mobile app.
https://youtu.be/APeZxt_3jy4
Staycation – Elk Country – Bonus Content
Pennsylvania Elk Country Educator Ben Porkolab is featured on this week’s Family Life “Staycation Destinations”.
You can hear that primary feature here from FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts.
He also wanted to add some advice for those who go to the Elk Country Visitors Center, any of the nearby national forest or state park areas, or some other place in these 11 counties in north central Pennsylvania.
Tap the podcast player on this page for this bonus content with Porkolab’s recommendations to enjoy watching the elk, but keeping you and your family safe, if you get “up close and personal” around one of these majestic animals.
Also, the website for the Elk Country Visitors Center has a full library of images and videos of the elk in Elk County and beyond … like this one:
https://youtu.be/S1UVi2JnTVs
Churches and Political Actions
A Family Life Interview with Kim Roberts
Many churches and denominations can be labeled as supportive of one side of the political spectrum or the other. Others avoid politics at all costs.
Part of the reason congregations avoid actions and speech related to electoral politics is fear of risking their non-profit status. However, federal law and IRS regulations do not silence Christian entities which want to promote voting and motivate their people into political action.
Family Life News asked reporter Kim Roberts to detail her research into what is and isn’t allowed when churches and campaigns overlap. Christian individuals can always be active with promoting or opposing a candidate, but when it comes to 501(c)3 organizations, they have to stay non-partisan about candidates. Yet churches and other religious ministries are free to speak out on public issues that weigh on the ballot box. There are no IRS consequences for churches to hold candidate forums, carry out voter registration or get-out-the-vote efforts, or offer rides to the polls. In fact, as you will hear in this conversation, the Church throughout history has been vibrant and vocal in the political and social issues around them.
Kim Roberts, a reporter for the Christian journalism organization Ministry Watch, also discusses how local, state and national candidates reach out to churches, in order to influence their members to vote a certain way. Also, political and culture-fight organizations are finding ways to motivate people of faith to elect certain candidates or stand for particular political issues.
Kim Robert’s detailed article “Church and Politics: What’s Allowed?” is available from www.MinistryWatch.com. She also has other reporting on many faith-based events and issues.
Among the resources for congregations and church leaders — and other groups — she mentions in this podcast:
- An IRS document, detailing the distinctions for 501(c)3 organizations on partisan politicking (not allowed) and lobbying (allowed)
- Election guides for congregational planning from the NAACP and the Alliance Defending Freedom
- Turning Point USA’s TPFaith efforts to motivate political and cultural action by conservative and mid-spectrum Christians
- Black Church PAC’s plans to carry out a massive voter mobilization effort this fall
- A political science professor’s observation that it is extremely rare that the IRS revokes a church’s charitable status, even if they carry out activities that lean solidly toward one candidate or one political party
“Loving Christian Nationalists”
The “Inside Out” Podcast from Family Life News
What are the best ways to love our Christian nationalist friends? Martha talks with pastor Caleb E. Campbell about the topic Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor
Christian nationalism promises both security at a time when many Americans feel insecure and powerless. But Phoenix Pastor Caleb E. Campbell points out that only Jesus Christ holds real power and offers true security. That means that people who follow the crucified and risen Christ have good news to share with their Christian nationalist friends.
“The means of American Christian Nationalism are in direct conflict with the teachings of Scripture which call us to love our neighbor as our self, to take up our cross, not the sword, to practice the fruit of the Spirit and First Corinthians 13 love,” Campbell says. “And the fruit of that is that we bear witness to the Kingdom of God not as culture warriors, but as ambassadors to the Kingdom.”
“What they claim that they want is a righteous country. They want a place where justice rules. Those are good ends. But the means by which they’re arguing we should pursue those ends is not a cross-centered posture, but a sword-centered posture,” he adds.
This doesn’t make Christian nationalists the enemy, Campbell says. This makes Christian nationalists the mission field. “We are to set the table of hospitality, study the culture, and show the inconsistencies of their currently-held convictions.”
But we must go on mission knowing that loving, listening, and talking with Christian nationalist friends may not change their minds and hearts. “We can’t change anybody. Only God can do that. So my job is not to bear the responsibility of changing someone. Rather, my invitation is to be faithful to Jesus in the conversations that I’m invited into, or that I invite others into.”
Campbell reminds us that at the core of the Christian faith is this hope: change is possible.
“I firmly believe that there are people that the Spirit of the living God will use our words, our relationship or our hospitality to bring about the fruit of repentance in their life,” he says. “The frustrating part is, sometimes it’s going to take a long time, and oftentimes I won’t be there to see it,” Campbell says. “And so I’m going to entrust that to God’s hands not mine.”
Caleb E. Campbell is the author of the new book Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor.
“Hometown Heroes” on Family Life
A hockey team which is making an impact in Elmira is seeking host families for its players.
Hear about the mission of the Elmira Impact teams from Tim Kolpien.
Family Life’s Bob Price asks him about the types of players who use the Impact as a path toward higher callings and future advancement in their sport.
For more information:
- The Elmira Impact website
- The program’s mission
- The search for “Billet Families” who welcome a player into their homes
- For churches and mission agencies who could use a little help on a special project, these players also carry out community service. You can contact the team with suggestions and requests to have these young men help.
“Hometown Heroes” on Family Life profiles individuals and programs in New York and Pennsylvania actively making a difference in their communities. Listen each Tuesday during the Noon Report and the 5 O’Clock Report, then find the current and previous podcast versions at www.FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts.
Elections: Christian voter turnout falls short at the ballot box
One public opinion poll says one-third of Christian voters stay home on election day and don’t cast ballots.
A Christian social advocate says people of faith who choose not to practice what he calls their “Biblical Citizenship” are instead handing over their influence to other groups who do not share the same values.
Executive Director Jason McGuire of the New York Family Foundation says other constituencies have voter turnout that tops 90 percent for every election.
This week (8/27/2024) Family Life News is airing (and podcasting) a series of extended interviews giving a deeper dive into this year’s elections, beyond the individual candidates and campaigns.
In this conversation about Christians’ roles to shape government, McGuire also talks about:
- Biblical mandates for faithful interaction with voting, campaigns and social action
- Why some Christians believe they should avoid all of politics and partisanship
- How Christians should consider an entire ballot and its consequences, not just the presidential choices
- What a proposed Constitutional amendment in New York State could mean for Christ-centered citizens, people who hold traditional values, and all of their neighbors too
- An effort to increase Christian turnout for early voting and on November 5 locally and in all 50 states, and how to sign up for non-partisan e-mail reminders
PA as a swing state, and a narrow slice of undecided voters – 8/26/2024
In this special Family Life Interview, political scientist Mark Caleb Smith analyzes how the two major political parties will need to focus on about 5% of eligible voters, and to push huge turnout among their own base voters — in order to win the presidential race, seats on Capitol Hill, and other November races.
Dr. Smith also gives his insights into Pennsylvania’s role as perhaps the most-signficant among a handful of “swing” states in this election battle, and why Gov. Josh Shapiro was not the running mate on the Democratic ticket.
Dr. Mark Caleb Smith is dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at Cedarville University, where he is also professor of political science.
Cedarville is a Christian university in southwestern Ohio.
It’s “Staycation Destinations” from Family Life
The beauty and majestic power of Niagara Falls draws tourists from all across the region and all across the world. The power of those millions of gallons of water has powered the generation of electricity which now accounts for all the electrical power used in New York State.
The history and the science of hydropower has been captured by the Niagara Power Vista, a free visitors center at Lewiston New York, at the dam just north of the Falls. Guests have dozens of interactive exhibits to demonstrate how inventors like Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison used hydropower for their engineering work. Visitors can play-act a simulation of how to build a community electric grid and keep it functioning. Plus, the Power Vista has some memorable views of this natural wonder of the world.
Lou Paonessa, community affairs director for the New York Power Authority, describes the uniqueness of the Niagara Power Project since its founding, and what families, individuals and school groups can see and do at the Power Vista.
“Staycation Destinations“ is a weekly Friday feature through the summer on the Family Life radio network. Host Greg Gillispie maps out unique opportunities for you to discover somewhere unique in Pennsylvania and New York, fairly close to home and fairly affordable. These Staycation features air during the Noon Report and 5 O’Clock Report on the radio and on our live streaming. You can also find our features on FamilyLife.org and the Family Life Now mobile app. You also can search for “Family Life News“ on most popular podcast platforms. Listen, subscribe, share or download them.
“Hometown Heroes” on Family Life
Our weekly “Hometown Heroes” feature introduces you to people who find ways to live out their faith by helping their community. For this edition, Paul Marshall tells you his first person story of leading the Willow Network of Pregnancy Care Centers in Central New York. He has done so for 20 years, offering information and encouragement to women and couples who face unexpected or unsupported pregnancies.
For further information:
The Willow Network website is www.willownetwork.org
You can hear, share or download this and other episodes of “Hometown Heroes” from www.familylife.org/newspodcasts
Superintendent LeeAnne Jordan discusses what it’s like surviving not one, but two floods the past 3 years. She’s speaking today about faith, perseverance and hope with Family Life’s Bob Price, a 1993 graduate of Jasper-Troupsburg High School.
Family Life’s Sarah Harnisch sits down with Christian Counselor Chris Anderson to discuss how to drop your kids off at college (and be ok).
The remnants of Hurricane Debby left a swath of devastation across the twin tiers. From Canisteo to Trout Run, towns were evacuated, homes filled with mud, and barn walls and sheds carried away. The Christian relief group “8 Days of Hope” just began aid work in Tioga County, Pennsylvania. They’re looking for volunteers and supplies. Family Life News Anchor Sarah Harnisch sat down with Communications Director Hannah Fletcher to learn more about the work they’re doing and how you can make a difference. To get information, text the word “hope” to Family Life at 888-413-4156. “8 Days of Hope” can be found online here.
This week’s “Staycation Destinations” feature took you on a radio tour of Edwin Drake’s Well #1. It essentially became the birthplace of the modern petroleum industry.
The Drake Well Museum and Park, with its indoor and outdoor exhibits, tells of this history.
In this additional interview segment, Emily Weaver of the Friends of Drake Well Incorporated makes about 20 miles further south of Titusville, to another historic site in the Oil Creek Region.
In the 1860s, Pithole City sprung up and grew to a population of 15,000 as people flooded in there, in an oil-focused version of a gold rush.
Weaver tells us more of that story, and describes what people can see at the Pithole visitors center (open seasonally on weekend).
Pithole City is operated as a tourist site in conjunction with the Drake Well Museum.
If you haven’t yet heard the primary episode of this week’s Staycation, find that feature here among our news podcasts on FamilyLife.org.
“Staycation Destinations“ on Family Life maps out unique opportunities for you to discover somewhere unique in New York or Pennsylvania, fairly close to home and fairly affordable. These Staycation features aire during the Noon Report and 5 O’Clock Report each Friday during the summer. You can hear the broadcast on the air and streaming online. You can also find our features on the Family Life Now mobile app, on FamilyLife.org, and search for “Family Life News“ on most popular podcast compilations.
…. A MAJOR HEARING ABOUT “ABORTION PILL REVERSAL” …. IN BUFFALO THIS THURSDAY…..
A number of pro-life organizations are suing New York’s Attorney General. They argue that threats of legal actions by Letitia James and her office will seek to unconstitutionally silence their advice to clients who start on Mifepristone to chemically end a pregnancy, but then have second thoughts. The state sent letters to the pregnancy care center, threatening prosecution if they provide information about abortion-drug reversal processes to people who visit their clinics.
The Alliance Defending Freedom law group represents those centers and sought an injunction against the Attorney General. That hearing was today (August 15, 2024). Prior to this court hearing, Family Life news producer Greg Gillispie got a preview from ADF attorney Gabriella McIntyre.
Family Life News also reached out to the Attorney General’s media team, offering an interview or seeking a statement.
This podcast post will be updated when we have their response.
“Real Answers” on Family Life
It’s that time of year again.
…And a first-time-EVER for many.
Student head off to college, and parents say goodbye and launch them into a new academic year…and a new season of their lives.
A Christian mental health counselor has some perspectives and recommendations on how to make this a productive transition, for parents and their students.
Christopher Anderson is a licensed counselor who talks about the real-world topics facing families. Listen for our “Real Answers” news feature two Wednesdays a month during the Family Life Noon Report, on the air and on our live streams. “Listen anytime” versions are posted among the “Family Life News” podcasts, on the website, the Family Life Now mobile app, and through many popular podcast platforms.
Shannon Eaton
Family Life News 8/13/2024
Shannon Eaton grew up as a “PK” — a pastor’s kid. As an adult, she has served on the mission field in Latin America.
Her latest chapter of ministry including helping other international mission workers to recognize signs of burnout and to deal with the stresses of living in multiple places, carrying a burden for the people they serve, and facing the everyday challenges of hard contexts. She tells her own story to Family Life’s Mark Webster, and offers encouragement and hope to her fellow missionaries. She says her heart “is with the people on the front line”.
Shannon Eaton, BSN, is a Pennsylvania registered nurse, continues to do domestic and global mission, and is a life coach with Safe Place. That ministry is located in Lehigh Valley.
Hometown Heroes airs most Tuesdays on Family Life’s Noon Report. You can also listen for it during our 5 O’Clock Report and listen anytime from the Family Life News podcasts.
The remnants of Hurricane Debby caused damage and destruction across parts of New York and Pennsylvania. Canisteo was hardest hit, but there was also significant damage in Cameron, Woodhull, Trout Run, Jasper, Greenwood, Westfield, and Wellsville. Steuben County was the epicenter of the damage in New York. Family Life News Anchor Sarah Harnisch sat down with Steuben County Director of Public Safety Timothy Marshall. He explains what to do if you’ve been impacted by the flooding and how to volunteer if you want to serve impacted areas. If you need immediate aid, call 2-1-1. If you want to serve, the group “8 Points of Hope” is doing volunteer work. You can also contact the Canisteo Fire Department or the Presbyterian Church in Canisteo: Phone: 607-698-2589
E-Mail: cpresbyterian1@verizon.net
Many Christian colleges — like their secular counterparts — are facing financial and enrollment pressures which threaten their futures.
Christian journalist Warren Smith, today’s guest on Family Life’s “Faith Under Fire”, analyzes the issues which have led to numerous faith-based schools retrenching, with some forced to merge or close their doors. He says decisions need to be made — by college administrators, by families with college-bound students, and by churches and denominations. If there is value to higher education with a Christian centering, there are ways to make that more feasible.
In addition to identifying problems with tuition costs and college debts, Smith has some success stories too: Christian universities which have “doubled down” on their unique identities, and some who have focused on degrees which reward graduates with high salaries and numerous career opportunities.
Warren Smith is president of MinistryWatch.com, a Christian news organization which covers national and global ministry organizations, transparency for Christian donors, and religious news across the spectrum. Ministry Watch has done extended coverage on Christian higher education, inspiring trends, and college closures (such as the recent one at Clarks Summit University in the Family Life listening area).
“Faith Under Fire” with Greg Gillispie is a Thursday news feature on the Family Life radio network, on the air and through our live streams. Expanded versions of those interviews are also available from our website and many podcast feed apps. Search for “Family Life News”.
Is Getting Even Getting It Right?
The theme of seeking revenge weaves through entertainment and politics. It seems baked into the culture. In this Inside Out podcast, Martha talks with therapist Paula Rinehart.Her recent article in The Gospel Coalition is titled Gospel Hope for a Culture Fixated on Getting Even.
#InsideOut
The theme of revenge weaves through our entertainment and politics, and seems baked into the culture. It’s presented as the inevitable option when someone suffers loss, humiliation, or betrayal. “Perhaps the most primal inclination is to get back at the other party, and I think the illusion is that that will stop it in some way, shape, or form, or it will prevent another hurt,” says therapist and author Paula Rinehart.
“Getting even just seems to drive the nail deeper, that great irony to it all,” she says. “I think, as we move about in the world, the possibility of offering people what could be the possibility of forgiveness really stands out in a culture that has decided revenge is the only option.”
“The first step out of that is bringing something into the light so it can be thought through or prayed through or talked through,” she says. “And that tends to step us out of the kind of knee-jerk reaction of just getting back at the person.”
She points out that Jesus asks us to live in opposition to our instincts and open ourselves to the work of God in us. “Forgiveness of really significant things takes a power that’s greater—it’s not just something I’ve conjured up myself,” Rinehart points out. “It’s really based on the power of the cross and the power of God to bring something quite unexpected and redemptive from things that seem like kind of the end of the story to me.”
No one is saying forgiveness is easy. But the surprising thing is that when we go through the work of forgiving others, we benefit. “What we don’t want to miss in our need to get even with someone is the real freedom that God can bring in our life in very deep places in us through forgiveness—forgiveness and the light of knowing that God is going to deal with this,” she says.
Read Paula Rinehart’s article Gospel Hope for a Culture Fixated on Getting Even. She writes for The Gospel Coalition and lives and works in Raleigh, North Carolina.
A Buffalo-area pastor is back home, after a cross-country adventure.
A 3,000-mile bike trip.
His second!
These two adventurous challenges happened for two differing reasons. Pastor Pat Hilkey eight years ago was among many pastors facing incredible stresses and pressures of church leadership. He decided at the time to use the physical and spiritual adventure of riding a bike across the country as an avenue for his personal renewal. Now, this year, the preacher jumped onto the saddle again, to help his congregation pay off the church building.
Meet Pastor Pat Hilkey of the Evangel Assemblies of God congregation at Williamsville, New York. He tells his story to Family Life’s Mark Webster,
How to “word” an Abortion Debate, to be more likely to change hearts and minds…..
A Christian public-relations specialist says people with a particular “take” on the pro-life/pro-abortion debate — or any other contentious cultural issue — would do well to choose productive tones and words to influence people who disagree. People can use productive vocabulary when we speak, and listen for accurate or inaccurate wording in speeches, news coverage and public debate.
Thomas Ciesielka has recommended a number of experts for other Family Life interviews on multiple”hot topics”. Family Life News Producer Greg Gillispie asked if he would do his own interview, about the best processes and techniques that shape public conversation.
Ciesielka says it is vital to be intentional and conscientious in choosing the wording of your statements and questions. Such choices determine whether you earn a hearing, then ultimately whether you can win or lose the argument.
Pennsylvania native Tom Ciesielka has a quarter-century of experience in public relations and business development. After working at another PR agency which wanted him to work for clients which violated his personal and religious values, he founded TC Public Relations which centers its media and messaging services toward Christian groups, pro-life organizations, and other nonprofits with traditional values:
It’s “Staycation Desinations” on Family Life
This week, a visit to a unique phenomenon of nature, in North Central Pennsylvania.
The Coudersport Ice Mine has been a longtime attraction for locals and out-of-town visitors. After being closed for a number of years, Gary Buchsen (the father) reopened the Ice Mine ten years ago. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, guests can see how layers of ice hold onto the mine’s walls, even with the hot summer temperatures in the surrounding outdoor air.
That man’s son, also named Gary Buchsen, retired after a career as a school superintendent and now leads the family’s operation of the Ice Mine. Listen to that stories — and a preview of what guests experience — in this weekly summer podcast from Family Life News.
The Coudersport Ice Mine is open Wednesdays through Sundays in the summer. More details about the location, hours, and affordable ticket prices are available from their Facebook and website. The travel website Atlas Obscura also took a tour, posting more history, photos and reactions.
Staycation Destinations is a summer feature on the Family Life Radio Network, hosted by Greg Gillispie. Each Friday we seek to map out a unique opportunity for you to map out somewhere unique in Pennsylvania and New York — fairly close to home and fairly affordable. Podcasts of our previous episodes are available anytime to hear, download or share from our News Podcasts page at www.FamilyLife.org. You can also search for “Family Life News” on the Family Life Now mobile app, Spotify and many other podcast sources.
“Buckle up, and enjoy your journeys.”
City on the Hill – Motivation for the Next Generation of Faithful Activists
A Family Life Interview on “Faith Under Fire” – 8/01/2024
Some five dozen young0-adult Christians spent a week getting information and inspiration on how to live faithfully and act Biblically in the public square.
“City on the Hill” just completed its 24th year of motivating the next generation of Christian activists. The program is an outreach of the Pennsylvania Family Institute. It uses workshops, guest speakers, open discussions, and a simulation of a legislative debate to help the high school and college students wrestle with the social, political and cultural issues of the day. The subject matter ranges from Christians in the Public Square to The Case for Life to Why Religious Freedom Matters.
This is the first of a two-part interview with Amaya Montijo, a high school student from Annville, and Jacob Reece, a college student from Blandon. Both are multi-year participants in City on the Hill.
For your follow-up:
- The Pennsylvania Family Institute presents City on the Hill as a leadership development and worldview conference each July. Details are here.
- Their promotional video is also online.
- Jacob Reece also wrote a blog post, telling his first-person account of how he has been changed through his experiences at COTH.
Family Life News Anchor Sarah Harnisch sits down with licensed Christian counselor Chris Anderson to talk about New York’s new SAFE Act that sets limits on social media companies for kids and teens.
The JELL-O Gallery – Le Roy NY
It’s “Staycation Destinations” on Family Life
The hometown of Jell-O brand gelatin continues to celebrate the century-plus of fun, wiggly food.
The Le Roy Historical Society intentionally chose a more-fitting name for its museum — this is an art gallery. As you’ll hear in this podcast, some of the most prominent displays at the Jell-O Gallery are the forms of colorful and vibrant marketing which introduced the product to the American public, and demonstrated the ease of making instant Jell-O … so simple even a child could do it.
Listen as well for other parts of the history, and other parts of the displays which focus on vehicles and a wider view of Le Roy’s history.
The Jell-O Gallery is at 23 East Main Street in Le Roy, which is about halfway between Batavia and Rochester.
Here is the winner of their 2024 Photo Contest on the Gallery’s Facebook page:
“Staycation Destinations” airs Fridays on Family Life during the Noon Report and 5 O’Clock Report.
Each week, all summer long, we map out a unique opportunity for you to discover somewhere unique, in New York or Pennsylvania — fairly close to home, and fairly affordable.
Previous destinations are linked from www.FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts.
“Elder Isolation”
Family Life’s “Inside Out” News Feature
Nearly a quarter of adults 65 and older are socially isolated. In today’s Inside Out podcast, author and speaker Jen Pollock Michel talks about some of the causes of elder isolation, and encourages Christians to help prevent elderly friends and loved ones from feeling alone.
Martha talks with Jen Pollock Michel about elder isolation
Nearly a quarter of adults 65 and older are socially isolated, according to the Centers for Disease Control. And social isolation, studies show, increases the risk of hospitalization and a host of serious health conditions, including dementia and depression. “I think there are a lot of reasons why older people get isolated, and one thing I’ve really grown to appreciate is just how devastating it is,” says author and speaker Jen Pollock Michel, whose family moved to live closer to her aging mother.
Michel points to a number of reasons elderly people can grow isolated. Michel’s mother, for instance, became more isolated when her husband’s Parkinson’s Disease made it difficult for the couple to leave their apartment. Others find that the inability to drive isolates them, especially when there’s no accessible public transportation to fill in the gap. People can also withdraw socially when hearing or memory loss make it hard to participate in conversation.
“All of these capacities that enable us to get out of our house, or maybe invite people into our homes–when those diminish, isolation follows” Michel says.
Michel offers encouragement to those who care for and regularly visit the elderly people in their lives. “It is good work,” she says. “And I think if you know it’s good, you know it’s valuable, and most importantly, you know it’s God-honoring, then that provides the motivation that you need to keep doing it when it’s hard. And you have to lay hold of that.”
And it can be hard. So Michel suggests that caregivers ask for help. “Getting a network of support, I think, is one thing that I would say, because you can’t do everything all alone,” she says. “I allow myself to just be very human in the task. Depending on God as much as I can. You know, abiding in Christ—the foundation of the Christian life.”
God is the stamina giver and also the model. When we spend time with someone who has been isolated, we are imitating Jesus. “God clothed Himself with flesh and took up the loving act of presence,” she reminds us. “That’s where we discover God’s heart for us and live out of His love for other people.”
Learn more about Jen Pollock Michel at JenPollockMichel.com.
“Inside Out” — and all of Family Life’s podcasts and features are available — to download, share or subscribe. Visit FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts. You can also hear them during the Family Life Noon Report on the air and streaming online.
A Family Life Interview – Local analysis of Democrats’ next steps, post-Biden
In these early days since President Biden released a statement that he was stepping away from his reelection campaign, attention has centered around Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.
We get local analysis on these fast-changing political and governmental developments, with a Family Life Interview with Professor Jeff Bloodworth of Gannon University in Erie. Bloodworth gives his initial reactions to Biden’s withdrawal from the race, historical perspectives on this year’s political machinations, and his observations about steps Democrats should take next to strengthen their electoral prospects.
Among those considerations, recruiting Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro to be the vice-presidential nominee — or perhaps even the new presidential candidate.
Dr. Jeff Bloodworth is one of our commentators for Family Life News on politics and history. He teaches both of those subjects at Gannon University.
It’s Staycation Destinations on Family Life
We take a Trolley to this week’s Staycation Destination.
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum offers a ride into pre-automobile history. Most people think of the Land of Make-Believe in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood when they think of trolleys. However, the electrified mode of transportation was real-world big business, shaped the development of metro areas, and expanded ways people could go beyond their neighborhoods to go to work, medical appointments and social events.
Volunteer tour guide Gary Malaskovitz gives Greg Gillispie and our listeners a vision of that history, plus a ride on one of the nine fully-restored trolleys which still offer rides to the museum’s visitors (and guests of the annual Washington County Fair!). You’ll also hear from some of the children who enjoyed a simulator which allows them to drive a trolley.
In addition to what aired during our Family Life Noon Report, you also have bonus content where Malaskovitz talks more about what young families enjoy about the Trolley Museum (many are fans of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Donkey Hodie and Thomas the Tank Engine) — plus his own story, growing up and riding the trolleys of Pittsburgh.
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum is at 1 Electric Way in Washington, Pennsylvania. During the summer, it is closed Mondays, but open on holidays. Outside of summer, the museum operates Friday through Sunday. Their website is at www.PA-trolley.org.
Here is more from the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum….
Volunteer tour guide Gary Malaskovitz gives Greg Gillispie and our listeners a vision of that history, plus a ride on one of the nine fully-restored trolleys which still offer rides to the museum’s visitors.
In this bonus online content, two additional stories: why families enjoy bringing children to experience the museum’s education center, plus his own first-person experiences of riding Pittsburgh’s trolleys when he was a child.
Click the ticket or go to www.FamilyLife.org to hear our full “Staycation Destinations” visit to the Trolley Museum in Washington County PA.
The Attack on Trump — Political & Christian perspectives from Michael Geer – 7/18/2024
As part of the Family Life News continuing coverage of the attempt on Donald Trump’s life on July 13, we continue to seek out reactions and perspectives from the Family Life listening area.
Michael Geer is the founding president of the Pennsylvania Family Institute. (He had been a resident of that area north of the Pittsburgh metro area.) Family Life news producer Greg Gillispie asked Geer to comment on the likely political fallout in Pennsylvania. Winning a majority of Keystone State voters is seen by both major political parties as a key to who will win the presidency this fall. Geer says the assassination attempt, plus the former president’s actions in the immediate aftermath, are likely to influence a number of uncommitted and independent voters.
Geer also offers a faith-based perspective on how, moving forward, this near-death experience is likely to affect the 45th president — and many people for whom this event can be a significant turning point.
Real Answers – Children, Families, Cell Phones – 7/17/24
Today: Questions about “questionable” content coming across the mobile devices of children and teens. New York-based Counselor Christopher Anderson offers some advice for parents and families. Particularly this week, many children were viewing images, videos and reports about the shooting of Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally — often without perspective or support from an adult.
Beyond that immediate incident, young people who use cell phones have access to media files and content which families may consider inappropriate — or at least, not fitting for the age or maturity level of a child or teen.
Anderson says families need open communication, good standards on the use of electronic devices, and — most importantly — an ongoing assurance that the child or teen is valued and loved, by the parent and by the Lord.
“Real Answers” is the Family Life News feature which helps people tackle the tough topics families face. Licensed Mental Health Counselor Christopher Anderson offers his perspectives twice a month, Wednesdays during the Noon Report and on this Family Life News podcast. Sarah Harnisch is your host.
An additional resource: Research from Stanford Medical
Family Life’s Sarah Harnisch sits down with Licensed Christian Counselor Chris Anderson and asks how to handle tough news stories, like the near-assassination of former President Donald Trump. Anderson walks, step by step, how to shepherd your kids and teens from social media, difficult images, and hard news.
The Attack on Trump — Political & Christian perspectives from Jason McGuire – 7/16/2024
As part of the Family Life News continuing coverage of Saturday’s shooting attack which hit Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and three other people, anchor of our Noon Report Bob Price talks with a Christian pastor and political commentator.
Jason McGuire is executive director of the New York Families Foundation.
The Attack on Trump — reaction from PA’s Governor and a Congressman – 7/15/2024
As part of the Family Life News continuing coverage of Saturday’s shooting attack which hit Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and three other people, here are reactions and updates from two elected officials in the Commonwealth.
Governor Josh Shapiro spoke at a news conference. He made the first public identification of the spectator who was killed by a gunman’s bullet.
Congressman Mike Kelly, whose district includes the Butler County site where the assassination attempt was made, was interviewed on Sunday.
Living with ALS – We hear from a military veteran
Tens of thousands of Americans deal with the challenges brought on by ALS — Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis — also known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease”.
Research shows that people who served in the military are at a higher risk of developing ALS, although it is not yet known what causes this trend.
Elizabeth Fassler is one of those veterans living with ALS. She and her friend Shannon McCarthy discuss the disease, treatments and priorities — and how friends, families and caregivers can be most helpful.
Family Life’s “Staycation Destinations” this week takes you to Somewhere Over the Rainbow!….
L. Frank Baum’s hometown — Chittenango, New York — has a claim to fame that draws together everyone from cowardly lions to scarecrows to tin men…. and your little dog too.
Baum wrote the book that inspired the 1939 Judy Garland movie “The Wizard of Oz”. The “All Things Oz” Museum celebrates that legacy, and a century’s worth of so many more stage, literary and screen versions of the “classic American fairy tale”.
Museum Director Allison Lehr talks about the displays and archives available at this museum, once you step off of the Yellow Brick Road and into the building. Greg Gillispie asks her to talk about why Dorothy and her adventures in the Land of Oz have such a significant place in American culture. (And it’s not just Americans either — visitors from multiple countries have dropped by this attraction in Madison County of central New York.)
The “All Things Oz” Museum has a website and multiple social media outreaches. [ www.AllThingsOz.org ] Its hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. (The Museum and its Historical Foundation host an annual festival too — Oz-Stravaganza — typically in early June.)
Family Life 5 O’Clock Update – 7/10/2024
This is our Wednesday update, including Kevin Williams evaluating the stormy and severe weather crossing Pennsylvania and New York this afternoon and evening.
Our full 15-minute Family Life 5 O’Clock Report returns tomorrow, following our one-day “Project TOWER” Fund Drive.
Family Life Noon Update – 7/10/2024
This is our Wednesday update, including Kevin Williams’ forecast regarding severe weather in Pennsylvania and New York.
Our full-length Family Life Noon Report returns tomorrow, following our one-day “Project TOWER” Fund Drive.
It’s “Hometown Heroes” on Family Life
This week’s guest on “Hometown Heroes” is Julie Palmer of PATH — a faith-based organization which fights against human trafficking in western New York.
P.A.T.H. is People Against Trafficking Humans and is headquartered at Depew NY.
Their programs offer prevention, education and restoration. The Enrichment Center in Buffalo offers practical support to any adult or youth who has become a victim of crime, assault, domestic violence, sex trafficking or labor trafficking.
They offer a 24/7 line for voice calls and texts: 716-601-5678. The website is pathofwny.org.
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PATH sponsors a Community Awareness Event and Luncheon on July 30. That day will feature displays created by some of the people who have escaped from their captivity by traffickers. Information is here.
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“Hometown Heroes” is a Tuesday Family Life News feature which seeks out people who, individually or through their groups and organizations, are active with bringing about positive change in their local communities.
Your host is Family Life News Anchor Mark Webster. Subscribe to this podcast to get an update each time a new episode is posted. You can search through and listen to archives at www.FamilyLife.org/NewsPodcasts.
Door International’s ministry to deaf communities around the globe
Family Life’s “Missions Pulse” feature
The people who are served by the ministry organization Door International cannot hear this Family Life news feature.
Which is all the more reason why you should listen to this.
Rob Myers and Door’s other workers and volunteers are active in an evangelism effort to reach out to a people group in which only 1 of every 50 people are followers of Jesus. The outreach is to deaf individuals and communities. Myers “opens the door” for our listeners to understand why it is so hard to share Good News and provide Scriptures to deaf people.
Door says the most fruitful evangelists to deaf people — in whatever nation it is — are Christ’s believers who also cannot hear. As is true in many other faith-sharing efforts, people with direct connections to the indiginous population have an authority and a commeraderie that outsiders need to take long times to develop. Church planters and evangelists who share the same un-hearing circumstances as other deaf people often are best able to bring those people to a relationship with Jesus.
The ministry also is active in translating 110 Biblical narratives into sign languages. This is a massive task — if you are thinking only about ASL (American Sign Language), you are forgetting about the other 375 sign languages around the world.
For more information:
- Door International‘s story, purpose and techniques
- The significant challenges and opportunities faced by deaf people, especially when considering how to compassionately, respectfully minister with them.
- Hear more stories of Bible translation efforts, other evangelization projects, and Christian relief ministries from the Missions Pulse collection at www.FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts.
Family Life Noon Report – July 4, 2024
“Freedom & Faith”
On this special edition of the Family Life Noon Report:
- Actor Gary Sinise tells his story of how portraying Lieutenant Dan changed his life, and how he and his movie character has changed the lives of those in military service, their families, veterans, and — especially — disabled veterans.
[Spoiler alert: Forrest Gump’s commanding officer became a paraplegic because of his military service in Vietnam.]
The award-winning, generational-touchstone movie Forrest Gump entered America’s consciousness — and our national conscience — when it debuted 30 years ago this weekend.
- Christian professor Caleb Verbois gives us insight into how the Christian faith shaped America’s founding generation and their documents. The Declaration of Independence and the U.S Constitution are rooted in Biblical tradition and Christian priorities.
- Political History professor Jeff Bloodworth talks about the extreme personal risks taken by Colonists who chose to rebel against the British king. He also told us that modern-day political turmoil and divisiveness is nothing new. Debate, derision and name-calling are a quintessial aspect of being a democracy — and has been throughout two and a half centuries of U.S. history.
- The “free exercise” and “establishment” clauses are the parallel protections of religious freedom in the First Amendment. But, as we hear from Biblical scholar Paul Kemeny, the United States might have come close to having one official religion for at least some colonies in the new nation, but it was stopped by protests in the decade between the Declaration and the Constitution. Without that early advocacy for full religious liberty without government entanglements, freedom of religion would have been shaped very differently.
Our guests for this Faith & Freedom-themed holiday special:
Dr. Caleb Verbois is Professor of Political Science at Grove City College (Erie, Pennsylvania)
Dr. Jeff Bloodworth is Professor of History and Director of the Public Service and Global Studies Program at Gannon
Dean Paul Kemeny leads the School of Arts and Letters, as well as teaching Bible and Religious studies at Grove City College
Academy-award-winning actor Gary Sinise portrayed Forrest Gump’s commanding officer (and First Mate on Gump’s shrimp boat) in the 1994 movie Forrest Gump. His Gary Sinise Foundation is active in supporting current and previous American service personnel.
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- The American Veterans Center conducted the Gary Sinise interview. You can listen to or watch his longer conversation about Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, his full acting and directing career, and how disabled veterans have given him spiritual renewal and a meaningful life purpose.
Family Life’s News Producer Greg Gillispie hosts this July 4 half-hour special.
The Founders & and the Influence of Faith
Partisanship in Revolutionary Times … & in Ours
What Forrest Gump’s Lieutenant Dan shows veterans & civilians about Vietnam & about Hope
Colonials & the Earliest Debates on Religious Liberty
This is our Independence Day Holiday Special from Family Life News.
Greg Gillispie is your host for this series of special interviews for this patriotic weekend.
A Category 4 Hurricane is bearing down on the tiny island nation of Jamaica, with 145 mile an hour winds. Nestled on a clifftop overlooking the southernmost part of the island is a ministry called “Follow the Source,” a subsidiary of “Source of Light” Ministries. They teach the Bible to 25-hundred public schooled kids each day.
Family Life News Anchor Sarah Harnisch sat down with ministry head Elaine Schiffer to take an inside peek at what it takes to protect a ministry under a hurricane.
To learn more, you can email Elaine directly at elaine@followsource.org
The Closing of Clarks Summit – a Family Life Interview
Clarks Summit University, a Christian college and seminary in eastern Pennsylvania, has ceased operations. While there is grief and sadness surrounding the school’s closure this week, One leader on their staff shares with Family Life News stories of positive responses as well — gratitude, celebration, and a commitment to hope.
Lynze Mewhort has served as a program director and a dorm parent supporting students there. She talks about the immediate reactions among the students and staff at Clarks Summit, appreciation for what the school has done to shape lives and communities across its 90+ year history, and arrangements now underway to help current students transition to their next places.
This interview was part of the Family Life Noon Report on Wednesday, July 3.
Pennsylvania Congressman Glenn Thompson offered his reflections on Clarks Summit on Tuesday, July 2.
Hometown Heroes – Mary Jo Major @ Lily House
Lily House helps women who are escaping human trafficking in the Dominican Republic.
Mary Jo Major tells us about this problem, the solutions that active people are bringing about, and a few of the stories of how important and life-changing this ministry is.
Trail Life USA – a Christian option, for those concerned about how the Boy Scouts of America have changed
Trail Life USA offers camping, outdoor adventures, a process for advancing through ranks and badges, and connects boys and male teens with adult role models.
In some ways this seems like what Boy Scouting has been doing for over a century. However, Trail Life has only been in existence for about a decade. In those ten years, participation in Trail Life has mushroomed to over 60 thousand — that as Scouting USA (the new identity for Boy Scouts) has dropped by fully half, from two million to one million.
While Covid, child safety scandals, less emphasis on outdoors activities (and more on electronic devices) and a general decline in the status of many membership organizations, today’s guest says the BSA’s departure from its traditional values is a big reason why.
Trail Life’s CEO Mark Hancock tells us about the specifically Christ-centered and boy-focused programs for boys from kindergarten through high school. Their activities are a response to national research that too many boys particularly do not have strong, helpful, positive male role models. Today’s Family Life Interview delves into the reasons Hancock sees successes where Trail Life troops have been started in all 50 states.
For follow-up information
Find more about Trail Life, how to charter a troop, and where to find a program for your sons: www.TrailLifeUSA.com
Here is a report on why Boy Scouts are faltering while Trail Life is growing: “No Longer an ‘Alternative'”
A former pastor (and dad of two sons) now leads Trail Life USA: Mark Hancock’s biography
It’s “Staycation Destinations” on Family Life
“Staycation Destinations” takes you to a museum which celebrates how a water-powered sawmill fostered a transformation of America.
The Hanford Mills Museum in Delaware County New York displays a still-operating waterwheel that powered the mill’s equipment. Education Coordinator Ryan Jones tells us about how economic, geographic and social history has been affected by the way that farmstead were built from the abundant wood in the forests of the region. The Hanford Family was a major player in the industry through a 40-year span.
The Hanford Mills Museum shows its guests the Fitz waterwheel — working exactly as it did when it was installed 98 years ago — during four daily one-hour tours. Also on display: woodworking machinery, milling equipment, photos and historical records, and farm implements from the 1870s to the present. Individuals and families can walk to several buildings across the property, as well as take advantage of an outdoor picnic area.
In addition to its ongoing exhibits (open Wednesdays through Sundays), Hanford Mills offers Exploration Days on selected Saturdays (https://www.hanfordmills.org/events/) with themes like New York’s dairy industry, conservation of natural resources, and the annual Antique Engine Jamboree.
Dr. Ingrid Skop was interviewed for the Family Life Noon Report, with a pro-life OB-GYN’s perspective on the recent Supreme Court decision saying the “Hippocratic Medicine” group was not the right plaintiff to bring suit against the Federal Food and Drug Administration.
What do people mean when they say “Christian Nationalism”?
Christian nationalism is in the news, but what is it?
Nationalism is different from feeling patriotic or making sure to vote every November. Part of what defines nationalism in general is its goal to reserve privileges for only one group in a country that has many groups. Christian nationalism, to be specific, aims for the government to privilege Christians.
Dr. Paul D. Miller believes Christian nationalism is a danger to the Church. That’s because it makes a Christian’s citizenship in a country a higher priority than a Christian’s citizenship in God’s Kingdom.
“If we start to orient our hearts towards America as if it were an ultimate thing, well, that’s actually idolatry, and we misunderstand the entire Gospel, as if the Gospel is all about making America great. And that’s just not why Jesus came,” Miller says. “He said very clearly, ‘My Kingdom is not of this world.’ I’m grateful for America, but it’s really important that I don’t confuse America for Jesus’ Kingdom.”
He believes that Christian nationalism not only threatens the Church, but also our democracy.
“It is a danger, I think, in a more mild sense of being in tension with the principles of liberty and equality for all citizens, Christian and non-Christian alike.”
And while not all Christian nationalists are violent, some are. Those waving Christian symbols and calling on God as they broke into the nation’s capitol on January 6, 2021 are an example of the movement’s violent minority. “That kind of mixing of religious rhetoric with a violent assault on the citadel of democracy is, I think, clearly dangerous for American democracy,” Miller says. “Again, that’s a small minority, but it is there, let’s not ignore it.”
Miller wants the Church to be aware of the danger of Christian nationalism, even as he points out that it’s not the only threat.
“This is part of a much bigger conversation. While we’ve talked about the dangers on the Right, there’s dangers on the Left as well.”
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Dr. Paul D. Miller is Martha’s guest for this Inside Out discussion on Christian nationalism. Dr. Miller is a former member of the National Security Council staff who has served as an intelligence analyst for the CIA and as a military intelligence officer in the U.S. Army. Currently Dr. Miller is a professor of the practice of international affairs at Georgetown University. Read a more detailed biography of Dr. Paul D. Miller discover more about his book The Religion of American Greatness: What’s Wrong with Christian Nationalism.
Movie Critics and Audiences love “Sight”
Another successful, meaningful real-life story … from faith-based movie producer Angel Studios
Family Life News takes you behind the scenes — and into this adventure — with a special interview.
You will hear highlights from this movie — and from Angel Studios’ Chief Distribution Officer Jared Geesey who tells us about the impact and the opportunities for inspirational and uplifting films, even for the larger general movie-going/movie-watching audience.
The film’s trailer: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12873300/
The real-life stories, of the doctor, of the patient: Angel Studios
A Special Family Life Interview
The U.S. Supreme Court, at least temporarily, has allowed continued mail-order distribution of abortion-inducing pills. A group of pro-life physicians had sued to stop the practice, after FDA regulations were revised to eliminate a requirement to meet with a doctor before starting the process to end the pregnancy. The latest FDA rules say even a video visit with a prescriber is no longer needed.
Opponents of widespread use of the two-pill “cocktail” of Mifepristone and Misoprostal quote the FDA’s own statistics that 1 of every 25 women who take these drugs end up in an emergency department with complications. Other physical and emotional-health consequences are likely more numerous.
Attorney Katie Daniel of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America gave Family Life News her reaction to the SCOTUS decision, predictions on where the case goes next, and why these pills can be so harmful to women, especially with no required followup with a medical professional.
For further information:
- More from Katie Daniel: In-depth polling, conducted by CRC Research for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, reveals that 75% of Americans believe the FDA should have performed studies focused on girls under the age of 18 before approving these pills for minors.
- Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America: That organizations official website
- SBA on WPLG: Women’s safety, in light of sexual trafficking and domestic abusers
- Click the picture of the Court building to read the full June 13 decision.
In May, New York’s Attorney General, Letitia James, sued 11 crisis pregnancy resource centers across the state because they offer an “unsafe” abortion pill reversal. More than 60 percent of the time, these clinics have been able to save the life of a baby when the mother has taken a mail-order abortion pill like Mifepristone.
Now, one of the largest Christian law firms in the nation has come beside these clinics with a counter suit in federal court.
Family Life News Anchor Sarah Harnisch sat down with Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Gabriella McIntyre to discuss the case.
To learn more about the work of ADF, go here: https://adflegal.org/?utm_source=vanity-url&utm_medium=redirect&utm_campaign=adflegal.com
It’s “Staycation Destinations” on Family Life
We begin the Summer 2024 tour of Pennsylvania and New York in the Finger Lakes region, celebrating 300+ people who transformed medicine, culture, sports, politics, the arts and so much more.
Every one of these special people — a woman.
The National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls has used a nomination process through which the general public can nominate potential inductees.
The Hall marked its grand reopening in an expanded facility this spring, and debuts new exhibit space in July with interactive exhibits on loan from the Smithsonian. “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America” will be paired with displays of fiber arts from local and regional crafters. A guest presenter is Hinda Mandell of the Rochester Institute of Technology who has explored a unique parallel between textiles and smartphones.
In this exclusive Family Life News podcast, Executive Director and CEO Jennifer Gabriel tells you about the Hall and its history, its mission and its summer schedule.
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The National Women’s Hall of Fame is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Details are at www.WomenOfTheHall.org.
“Staycation Destinations” is our weekly summer series, broadcast each Friday at noon on the radio and online, then posted to our News Podcasts page. Each offers a radio tour of a unique site in Pennsylvania or New York, fairly close to home, fairly inexpensive, and good for a potential day trip or longer visit by individuals, couples, families, friends or church groups.
*Each weekend, we also give you a* “**Sidetrip Suggestion**” *-- another place in our two states which stands out in a unique, quirky, or enlivening way.For this weekend, a completely different angle on what a Hall of Fame can celebrate:*The **Bare Knuckles Boxing Hall of Fame** celebrates John L. Sullivan. With none of those bulky boxing gloves, and 75 rounds later, Sullivan won the world championship.It was in barns built in 1889 where Sullivan trained with a very original fitness guru. William Muldoon is celebrated as the "Father of the Modern Medicine Ball". Some of his other fitness innovations are still in use in that industry today.The Bare Knuckles Boxing Hall of Fame [BKBHOF] is seven miles north of exit 30 on I-86, in the town of Belfast, NY.
Pregnancy Care Centers are suing New York Attorney General Tish James, to prevent the AG from suing the pro-life centers who want to share medical information about the dangers of two abortion-triggering pills.
Gabriella McIntyre of the Alliance Defending Freedom joins Sarah Harnisch to discuss the issues underlying these current and proposed legal battles, plus what the courts will be asked to consider about Freedom of Speech, government regulations, and the public’s access to appropriate medical information.
“Faith Under Fire” is our weekly interview feature which listens to the voices at the center of today’s religious battlegrounds. Hear these conversations each Thursday during our Noon Report and 5 O’Clock Report — and anytime from FamilyLife.org, on the Family Life Now app, or by searching “Family Life News” on your favorite podcast feed.
Family Life Hometowns
Geologists say Lewiston, New York, is the original site of the world-famous Niagara Falls.
The first railroad in North America was built there too.
Tom Collister tells us about Lewiston’s history: pre-European settlers, power and transportation systems, and how today’s citizens are celebrating local history.
Family Life news anchor Mark Webster is your host for Family Life Hometowns, our news feature which helps you get to know the cities, towns, villages and burghs which make up the Family Life listening area.
It’s “Issues in Education” on Family Life
Dr. Ralph Kerr, founder of the “Teaching and Learning Institute”, has the latest education issues in the news, in this conversation with Family Life’s Bob Price.
This week:
- Heat Day in School
- Mitigating Brain Drain
- KidsCount Survey
This week’s edition of “Issues in Education” is our 2023-24 “season finale”, as this program takes a “summer break”.
Dr. Kerr will be back when this Family Life News Feature returns just ahead of the upcoming school year, to help you analyze issues and actions in school districts where you live, and throughout Pennsylvania and New York.
In the meantime, TLI’s website WhyRun.org has ongoing information for parents, taxpayers and educators.
Jason McGuire with “New York Families” and Michael Geer with the “Pennsylvania Family Institute” weigh in on the weight issues in the news from Albany and Harrisburg every Friday on Capital Connection. Here’s what’s happening this week.
Transgender Athletes & Female Sports – An Update from Pennsylvania’s State Capitol
An extended Family Life interview with State Representative Valerie Gaydos, who represents District 44 in Western Pennsylvania.
A former college athlete herself, Rep. Gaydos emphasizes fairness and safety as valid reasons to limit girls’ and women’s sports to those who were born female
Family Life News Producer Greg Gillispie spoke with her at the recent Pennsylvania Family Institute event in Moon Township.
Cancel Culture
A Christ-centered vantage point, from the “Inside Out” podcast
In a culture without agreed-upon standards, people across the faith and political spectrum sometimes hold others accountable by “cancelling” them. Christian attorney and apologist Abdu Murray believes the impulse to correct a wrong is natural and biblical.
“What Cancel Culture has become is the–I think a quite biblical–act of holding people accountable, but run amok,” he says. According to Murray, Cancel Culture and Christian accountability have different goals. “Cancel Culture is public erasure. There’s almost nothing redemptive in it. It’s an act that looks a lot more like revenge than it looks like accountability.”
Murray is the founder of Embrace the Truth, a non-profit dedicated to Christian apologetics and evangelism. He reminds us that when you feel that the wrongs of others should be addressed, cancelling is not the only choice.
“If you refuse to cancel them,” he says, “you can still hold them accountable.”
We need to know our motivation: do we want wrongdoers to take responsibility and repent, or do we want to ruin them?
“We always have to think redemptively,” Murray says. “How can this be redeemed? A good friend of mine once said this, ‘that I always want to make it easier for someone to sincerely apologize rather than harder.’ And sometimes Cancel Culture makes it harder for someone to sincerely apologize.”
Cancelling, of course, goes both ways, and it is possible that you could be cancelled and feel that it is because of your faith in Jesus Christ.
“The phrase that’s been repeated many, many times: ‘You can’t always control your reputation, but you can control your character.’ And as painful as it can be to be rejected, the real issue is: are we looking to Jesus to say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’?”
Learn about Abdu Murray and Embrace the Truth here.
Learn about his books here.
Gary Ingraham with the “Love and Truth Network” will be hosting a series of summits in July in Binghamton on how to “heal from” and “deal with” sexual brokenness. Here’s some of his recent conversation with Family Life News.
Family Life’s “Capital Connection” – 5/07/24
NY: Safe 4 Kids Act
PA: Saving Women’s Sports, locally and nationally
What to Watch for at the U-S Supreme Court this month
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer “weigh in” on the “weighty” issues in the news from Albany and Harrisburg
“Real Answers” on Family Life
How parents can reduce stress and anxiety in our children and teens
“You are the parent. You will be your child’s strongest influence, and that is a mantle you really need to take up.”
Christian counselor Christopher Anderson explores how your family be a positive influence on young people who are facing social anxiety, cultural stresses, and the everday growing pains of growing up.
Some of his recommendations:
- Spend intentional quality time with children (even as young as toddlers). Do meaningful activities and have meaningful conversations with your children and teens
- Ask them specifically if there are any matters that are raising internal concerns for them — from school, with friends, anywhere
- Choose the information intake flooding into their lives: reduce the clutter of e-device information, and increase age-appropriate emphasis on Scriptures
Real Answers is one of our Wednesday News Features from Family Life News — from our radio broadcasts, app streaming, and website downloads.
A Family Life News interview
Dr. Steve Coleman is a longtime political commentator from New York’s Southern Tier.
As the nation sorts through implications of the first-ever criminal conviction of a former president, Family Life News asked Dr. Coleman for his take on where this week’s news takes Donald Trump, the upcoming election, and the balance of power between Democrats and Republicans.
A Special Family Life Interview
“America’s Pastor” Max Lucado have encouraging advice for two groups:
- Someone whose self-doubt or mistakes has them wondering whether the Lord has given up on them
- Congregations and their leaders who are wrestling with their proper role when people are concerned about the future of their nation.
Lucado, a Texas pastor and prolific writer of books and Bible Studies, told Family Life’s Greg Gillispie about the discoveries available when a seeker looks into the Old Testament accounts of eventual hero of the faith Jacob. Jacob’s life was full of setbacks, mistakes and turmoil. Yet, even if he was ready to give up — on himself or on God — the Lord never gave up on Jacob.
For further information:
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- Max further explores this theme with his 2023 book and a video + Lucado Bible Study: God Never Gives Up On You
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Riley Gaines, Title IX, and the Politics of Protecting Female Athletes
A special edition of Capital Connection- 5/31/24
Women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines says even though majorities of Americans want to protect girls’ locker rooms, female sports records, and women’s teams — regardless of politic party affiliation.
In this conversation, Gaines talks about the ways that Democratic politicians have “failed in their most basic duties”. She faults the Biden administration for unilaterally rewriting the Title IX civil rights legislation which had opened opportunities for girls and women in education and athletics for more than half a century.
Greg Gillispie also asked her about the disparities which start this fall, between how the NCAA and NAIA will deal with participation by athletes who were born male.
You can listen to Part One of our exclusive interview with Riley Gaines on the May 29 Family Life News Podcast.
More information about the Riley Gaines presentation in Cranberry Township (Friday, May 31) is available from the Pennsylvania Family Institute.
After her successful career as an SEC swimmer at the University of Kentucky, Gaines was brought on as a columnist and commentator for the news site Outkick.com.
The Family Life News Team updates our listeners on the verdict in New York v. Donald Trump.
The verdict was just announced in the 5 O’Clock hour.
Family Life HOMETOWNS takes you into the petroleum-rich history of Oil City, Pennsylvania.
Our Memorial Day edition of the Noon Report today includes special extended interviews with
- Chaplain Nelson Chapman of the Erie Veterans Administration Hospital
- Retired Army Reservist and V.A. Chaplain Bren Bishop
- Vietnam-era Navy Medic Dan Miller, with the story of the National Cemetery in the Southern Tier
- Pastor Scott Wise of Family Church Fredonia
The music included in these stories includes
- “Taps“, the Civil-War era song, played at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery
- “Journey Home“, a U.S. Army composer‘s song which is a tribute to her military grandfather, and all those who are brought home from battlefields to a hallowed resting place
Family Life has a special program for Memorial Day:
- Emphasis on tributes of deceased military heroes (even more than a day off of work/school, and retail sales specials)
- “Taps” and flag-folding rituals at military funerals
- The history and significance of a National Cemetery
- How Memorial Day can affect veterans who lost friends and colleagues in wartime and during deployments
- A local pastor and a V-A chaplain reflect on the spiritual opportunities as we grieve and remember loved ones
Join Greg Gillispie and Bob Price at noon on Monday, as we tour Pennsylvania and New York for perspectives on Memorial Day.
(This Family Life News Special is also available on our podcast feeds, the Family Life Now mobile app, and you can download or share it from FamilyLife.org)
“Inside Out” : Come Ready to Worship
Ever find you’ve gotten to church, but your mind is someplace else?
“We want to urge people: get your heart and your mind ready before worship so that you can be spiritually engaged when you get there,” says the Rev. Alex Mark. He’s the senior pastor of First Scots Presbyterian Church of America in Beaufort, South Carolina.
He encourages us to focus on the privilege we have when we gather to worship God. “The most fundamental thing we need to realize is how important worship really is,” he says. “Our worship today is actually even more awesome than what they saw at Sinai. Because instead of having Moses as worship leader, we have Jesus. Instead of being kept at a distance, we are commanded to draw near.”
Mark is the author of The Gospel Coalition article “Ready for Church: 5 Ways to Be Present in Worship.” Family Life’s Martha Manikas-Foster talks with the pastor about actively engaging in worshiping God.
Foundational to our worship is remembering who deserves our focus. “We are meeting with the living God. We are being led in worship by the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is with us. And then I think the practical things flow from that. That’s one of the things sin does—it just distorts our whole worldview. We become more concerned with whether we’re satisfied than whether God is glorified,” he says.
“The goal of worship isn’t to worship in a way that costs us nothing,” he adds. “Worship should cost us, because it’s a display from our hearts to the world of the incredible value and worth of God.
He suggests several ways we can engage spiritually while at church.
“We want to fight distraction,” he says. “My attention span has to be an offering to God. I want to give it to Him. Sing heartily in worship. I am tone deaf and musically illiterate. It is not a good combination. It’s not the quality of our voices that make our worship acceptable to God. It’s what Jesus has done for us.”
He also points out that we can only apply the lessons of a sermon when we’ve listened to it.
“Engage with the sermon. You know, Satan doesn’t mind us being under the Word, as long as we’re not paying attention to it. And so we’ve got the duty to really listen carefully to the ministry of the Word and then make it our goal for the week to put our preacher’s words into action.”
The Rev. Alex Mark reminds us that worship isn’t always led from the front of the church. It includes supporting and cheering on others in the pews.
“One of the reasons we gather together is to encourage each other,” he reminds us. “Encouraging each other, I think, really means we’re intentional to care for one another’s souls, and to make it our purpose to help one another love and savor Jesus Christ more.”
Listen to our 17-minute conversation in this Family Life Inside Out podcast.
Read the article that inspired this conversation on the Gospel Coalition website
Remembering the Heroes from Hometowns in the Family Life region
As we approach Memorial Day, this Family Life News Feature takes you to the Veterans Administration National Cemetery at Bath, New York.
You will hear the stories of the war dead who were laid to rest there, many dating back to America’s Civil War.
Our story-telling guide for this radio-tour is Dan Miller, a volunteer at the museum at the National Cemetery. Miller himself is a decorated war veteran who served as a Navy medic during the Vietnam War.
Planned Parenthood Closing Up Shop at a PA location
Why Assisted Suicide is Bad Medicine
Trump Effect on State-by-state Races
Nassau County’s Transgender Athlete Ban
What to Watch for in the Closing Days of the Legislative Sessions
Christian lobbyists Jason McGuire and Michael Geer discuss the issues that impact Christian voters on this weeks’ edition of “Capital Connection”
For further information:
- Pennsylvania Family Institute: www.PAFamily.org
- New York Families Foundation: www.NewYorkFamilies.org
- Previous editions of our weekly “Capital Connection” roundtable: www.familylife.org/news
Raising children is a delight and a challenge. Parenting is one of the most important tasks in all of life for those who are given this privilege.
Daughters also rely on uplifting upbringings, yet today we focus on boys. What is unique about raising sons?
On this edition of Family Life’s “Real Answers“, therapeutic counselor Christopher Anderson offers Christian areas of emphasis for parents. These apply, whatever your son’s/sons’ age, whether you are married or a single parent, and whether you are a dad or a mom or a grandparent:
- The urgency of giving your children, especially sons, a deepening understanding of Jesus and of grace
- How vital it is for male and female parents to visibly live out your faith, and explain why the Lord improves your own life
- Connect your son with other men who are faithful adult role models
- The story of a valuable $50 bill
This podcast is the second of a two-part series on this important topic
Chris Anderson and Sarah Harnisch also talked about encouragement and advice for raising sons on our “Real Answers” feature earlier this month. Hear part one of that interview here.
“Real Answers” is one of our extended interviews on Wednesdays from Family Life News. Listen for it online, on our app and on the radio during the Family Life Noon Report
Podcast versions of all Family Life News Features are available for 24/7 listening, sharing, subscribing and downloading. You can find them on our website or search “Family Life News” on your favorite podcast app.
“Don’t talk about Religion or Politics” …. so they say.
But our guest on this Family Life News Feature says our faith can help us talk about tough topics — at work, with friends, and even in our families and congregations.
Focus on the Family counselor Joanie DeBrito offers advice for people who have strong opinions, but might feel afraid to raise an argument on political or social Hot Topics. She says it takes wisdom, humility and self-control. Also, Christians (and others) need to be discerning. With some people who don’t listen well and have no motivation to remain civil, it often is wise to decline to discuss elections and candidates. However, Dr. DeBrito says politics does not have to stay “off the table” if you and the other person are open to listening respectfully, being fair, and being both firm in your convictions and willing to learn something new.
How to have good conversations, even in a contentious election year and a divisive culture … today on this Family Life News podcast.
Dr. Joanie DeBrito is a coach at Hope Restored Aftercare and a columnist and consultant with Focus on the Family. She has 30+ years experience as a therapist and counselor.
Here are links to her work at Hope Restored and Focus.
Some of her columns and blogs about marriage, parenting and family matters can be found here and here.
Dr. Ralph Kerr discusses the weighty issues in the news as they pertain to public education on this week’s edition of “Issues in Education”
- Punishing Anarchists on College Campuses
- School Budget Preview in NY
- Those Accountable for FAFSA Woes Held Accountable
“Issues in Education” airs most Mondays during the academic year during the Family Life Noon Report. Dr. Ralph Kerr, a long-time principal and superintendent directs the Teaching and Learning Institute which advocates for students, families and educators from a Christian vantage point.
“Capital Connection” – This week’s legislative & social issues, in NY & PA – 5/10/24
Equality Amendment Gets the Boot
Proposed Tax Cut in Pa
Protecting Women’s Sports
Assisted Suicide Runs out of Steam
Anarchy in Academia
Christian Watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer discuss the latest issues in the news from Albany and Harrisburg on this edition of Family Life’s “Capital Connection”.
Listen each Friday during the legislative seasons — airing on the Family Life Noon Report, plus available from our podcast feeds and live streams.
Churches Can Help in the Pornography Crisis
Sam Black joins Martha Manikas-Foster for this “Inside Out” podcast on successful ways churches are helping those ensnared by pornography. Black is the author of The Healing Church: What Churches Get Wrong about Pornography and How to Fix It.
A lot of Christians use pornography.
“Two-thirds of the men in the Church — and a third of women in the church — say they have an ongoing struggle with pornography,” reports Sam Black, who has walked his own journey to healing. He is the author of The Healing Church: What Churches Get Wrong about Pornography and How to Fix It.
He says that churches that default to a purity talk to fight pornography need a better plan.
“They already know they need to be pure,” he says. “They just can’t seem to get the gorilla off their back.”
The way that people who struggle with pornography find hope is in community, Black says. They need brothers and sisters, in a safe environment within distinct parameters, to come alongside them on the walk to freedom. “What I want to encourage you with is, through a safe place and a safe process, living in freedom is absolutely possible,” he says. “You need to press into it to get it.”
But because pornography is tenacious, you won’t solve it alone.
“With this encouragement, I also have to offer some caution: you don’t find freedom on your own,” he says. “Trying harder and leaning on your willpower and your resolve never lasts. You must involve others. And that’s why we have the Body of Christ.”
A free chapter of Sam Black’s book is available for download.
“God has given us the opportunity to love and serve the brokenhearted.”
The “Eight Days of Hope” ministry is on the scene where tornadoes created multiple disaster zones in the past couple of weeks.
New-York-based Steve Tybor gives us an update on how the volunteers and equip get mobilized, to respond to the tangible needs while also bringing Christian hope.
Tybor tells Family Life’s Mark Webster about the midwestern response, their efforts to shelter young women caught up in human trafficking, and the upcoming annual trip to Buffalo for a week-plus of work in neighborhoods in need. This is the fifth year for the Buffalo projects — in the previous four, they have rehabs homes of 1,200 families. Individuals, couples and families can participate in that work, even for fewer than eight days.
The national “Eight Days” effort has involved 60,000 volunteers.
Mondays on the Family Life Noon Report, public schools advocate Dr. Ralph Kerr talks about the “Issues in Education” for Pennsylvania, New York, and the nation.
This week’s topics:
- College Protest Reaction
- FAFSA Glitches and their Implications
- Leveling the Playing Field in High School Sports
- NY’s “Back to Basics” Reading Program
- Wells College Closing
Family Life’s “Issues in Education” is available on the air, from our webpage, and wherever you listen to or download podcasts.
Dr. Ralph Kerr was a longtime principal and superintendent. He founded the Teaching and Learning Institute to encourage people of faith to run for school boards, be involved in local education, and stay informed about how to support students and teachers. TLI is online at WhyRun.org.
Family Life’s “Capital Connection” – 5/03/24
Anti War Protests on U-S College Campuses
Medical Aid in Dying Act
School Choice in the PA Budget
New York’s War on Pregnancy Help Centers
McCormick / Casey Race Tightens
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire with New York Families and Michael Geer with the Pennsylvania Family Institute discuss the weighty issues in the news from Albany and Harrisburg
Communists Seeking Christianity – Family Life’s “Faith Under Fire”
As the Soviet Union’s government was crumbling, leaders there turned to American Christians to seek solutions to the problems of the USSR.
John Bernbaum and prominent Christian evangelist Philip Yancey were invited to Russia, to tell how faith could overcome the social and moral problems there. Bernbaum gives highlights of this fascinating story to Family Life’s Greg Gillispie.
You will hear how a National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC led to invitations for a Christian delegation to talk with Soviet groups, how political and economic problems are rooted in a lack of values and morals in the culture, and Bernbaum’s comments on lessons from the 1990’s Soviets which should inspire church folks in 2020’s America.
John Bernbaum and Philip Yancey are co-authors of “What Went Wrong: Russia’s Lost Opportunity and the Path to Ukraine”
It’s “Real Answers” on Family Life
Raising boys affects sons, families and cultures.
Christian counselor Christopher Anderson offers tangible, specific areas of emphasis for parents — which also apply to other influential males in these families, churches and community groups:
- Control the role of tech in the child’s or teen’s life
- Connect with a congregation which sees ministry to growing boys and young men as a vibrant priority
- Adult men lead as role models, so set a Godly example with your own life
- “Nudge instead of judge”
“Real Answers” is a Wednesday news feature from Family Life News. In addition to airing during the Family Life Noon Report, a podcast version is available for 24/7 listening, sharing, subscribing and downloading.
In light of the growing number of campus protests at colleges across the nation — and as a growing number of those get more threatening and more violent — here is a special Family Life Interview with Dr. Steve Coleman, a political analyst from New York’s Southern Tier.
Noon Report anchor Bob Price talked with Coleman about these protests, how they are different from civil disobedience over the 1960s civil rights and Vietnam-era protests, and what university leaders have failed to do to quell the disturbances to provide the majority of their students the academic and social experiences their tuition and fees have paid for.
Licensed Christian counselor Bonnie Kellogg has a heart for the hurting. She’ll headline a daylong conference for widows on Saturday, June 1st at the Chambers Wesleyan Camp in Beaver Dams, NY. This event is intended to help those who are suffering “befriend their grief”. Kellogg spoke recently about the conference to Family Life’s Bob Price. Here’s some of their conversation.
Licensed Christian social worker Bonnie Kellogg has a heart for those who are hurting. She’ll headline a daylong conference on Saturday, June 1st at the Chambers Wesleyan Camp in Beaver Dams, NY. This event is intended to help widows “befriend” their grief. Kellogg spoke recently about this conference with Family Life’s Bob Price. Here’s some of their conversation.
Christian pastor, author and tech “guru” Brad Huddleston talks about what happens in the brain when people become addicted to their devices.
God Uses Long-Lasting Friendships
“Inside Out” with Martha Manikas-Foster
We need long-lasting friendships. But political divisions, our self-reliance, and the failure to prioritize time with friends all work against sustained relationships.
“Intimacy, trust, and vulnerability–which at least to me are all really important factors in friendships—take time. Like years,” says photographer, marriage coach, and author Dorothy Littell Greco. “And that’s not to say that you can’t go deep quickly with someone that you recently met, but I think having friends for a long time—and I’m talking about like decades—is qualitatively different.”
“I think probably most of us could recount seasons in our life where friends just really come alongside of us and give us what we need in order to make it through day to day.”
Greco discusses how we are created to need friendship, and how even when our relationships encounter rocky terrain the challenge can grow us in ways few other things can. “It teaches us how to love, it teaches us how to forgive,” she says, “so there’s something about that forging deeper into friendship that I think allows us to grow up and to grow into people who are more like Jesus. And, at least for me, that’s what it’s all about.”
Greco believes that one way we can keep friendships growing, even during divisive times, is by standing alongside our friends at pivotal moments in their lives. “Showing up is really, really important, right? Showing up for those milestone events—their babies getting christened, or they’re having an engagement party, or somebody’s father died,” Greco says. “So us being present, saying, ‘We value you more than whatever else it is that we could do in that time.’”
Another important way to keep friendships growing is by facing issues head-on. “Those moments when differences surface, all of us, pretty much, have the tendency to just kind of withdraw. But rather than using that as an excuse to pull back, is saying, ‘Well, this could allow us to go deeper with each other,’” she says. “So not backing away from conflict.”
Greco also suggests taking the leap and being authentically yourself with each other.
“Choosing to say, ‘This person, I really like the conversations we’ve had, I’m going to take a risk with them and be a little bit more vulnerable.’”
Dorothy Littell Greco has written on the importance of friendship and how marriages can flourish. She is the author of Marriage in the Middle, Making Marriage Beautiful, and Start Strong.
“Inside Out” is one of our Wednesday News Features on Family Life’s Noon Report and in your Family Life News podcast feed.
Bringing Jesus to Europe’s war zone: Family Life’s “Hometown Heroes”
A Pennsylvania-based Christian evangelist is back in Ukraine, sharing food and hope in and near that war zone.
Family Life’s Mark Webster reconnected with Jeff Seigworth on his way to a return trip with the A-1-8 mission organization.
He talks about the relative dangers for the Ukrainian citizens and global visitors like himself, the human needs in this third year of the Russian war, and the spiritual opportunities which are open amid the widespread misery.
This new conversation about front-line evangelization is available from the podcast player above.
You also can hear, download or share our previous interviews with Seigworth from September 19 and September 26. These podcasts also have links to the A18 mission work.
“Issues in Education” – Family Life Radio Network – 4/22/24
- Should cell phones be banned in the classroom?
- Four-Day School Weeks are now an option in Pennsylvania
- The New York Legislature’s delays on approving a state budget puts unneeded pressure on local school boards and superintendents
Dr. Ralph Kerr is a Christian advocate for public education in Pennsylvania and New York. The longtime school administrator founded the Teaching and Learning Institute, and he joins the Family Life Noon Report on Mondays to talk about schools, voters, parents, teachers and students.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire (who leads the New York Families Foundation) and Michael Geer (who leads the Pennsylvania Family Institute) discuss the weighty issues in the news each Friday on Family Life’s “Capital Connection“. Here’s what’s happening this week:
- New York’s Parental Replacement Act
- Punishing De-Transitioners in Pennsylvania
- Limits on Cellphones in School
- Abortion Extremism in the NYS Budget
- Previewing Primary Day in PA
Followup:
Today’s conversation mentioned Chloe Cole, whose body was medically transformed when she was underaged — starting at 12 years old. Her personal dilemmas continued through her teen years, and as a young adult she underwent a “de-transitioning” in order to be a female. She talked about her life and her unique perspective on the so-called “gender-affirming” social movement at her Capitol Hill testimony in 2023. The August 2 Family Life News Feature offered highlights of her first-person presentation, and you can hear, share or download it from FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts.
For more information:
NewYorkFamilies.org
PAFamily.org
Hostility Toward Churches: Causes & Implications
Faith Under Fire – 4/18/24
A six-year national study of threats, violence and vandalism aimed at churches and religious organization shows the danger spiked in 2023. This edition of Family Life’s “Faith Under Fire” feature invites back Arielle Del Turco for a second conversation. Today, we recap the results of that survey, but then go beyond the statistics to the causes and implications.
- How do the current cultural perceptions of Christians affect how faith institutions see more threats and violence?
- What trends are seen in what types of churches and entities are more likely to become targets, and should all religious groups band together to denounce anti-Christian hostility?
- What advice does she have for Christians to make a positive influence on the surrounding culture?
- Going to worship is safe, considering the 900+ incidents in six years compared to the millions of religious gatherings in that time. Still, what should leaders of congregations and faith-based networks learn from this study?
We also encourage you to listen to, share or download our earlier conversation with Del Turco (Faith Under Fire 4/04/24) when she talked about the numbers and trends which she compiled with this annual report. Other resources are also linked from that podcast at FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts.
Arielle Del Turco is the director of the Center for Religious Liberty at the Family Research Council.
The “Real Answers” podcast from Family Life
Christian counselor Christopher Anderson offers insights for a unique group: those whose spouse has died. There is new research on how often those people get remarried. It happens more often later in life, and he says some of the most fruitful second marriages occur when both partners have lost their spouses.
If a widow or widower does feel a sense that a new marriage might be in their future, Anderson raises three key points:
- Wait until you have properly processed the grief from the loss of your original spouse
- Get advice from a pastor, counselor or Godly friend who knows you and your unique situation
- Have a “non-negotiable list” on your values, background and goals
Anderson says those who do not feel a calling to get remarried don’t need to feel any pressure or need to go that direction. They will do well to get socially and religiously connected for other areas of their lives.
“Real Answers” tackles the tough topics facing Christians and Christian families. Christopher Anderson is an experienced licensed professional counselor in private practice in the Twin Tiers. This feature is among our Wednesday News Features on the air, online, and on the podcast.
Sarah Harnisch is your host.
Bible Quizzing Nationals – Local youth on the way to Wisconsin – 4/16/24
Teams of teens and preteens from the Twin Tiers are among the young people from coast to coast who gather in the Wisconsin Dells this week for the Bible Quizzing Nationals.
What is Bible Quizzing?
Young people and their coaches invest large blocks of time to memorize large swaths of Scripture. At local, regional and national competitions, teams of five pop up out of their seats, answer questions based on the wording of a Bible verse, and quote the full verse — word for word.
Ten members of the local teams sponsored by Family Life Ministries gathered to answer Greg Gillispie’s questions about Bible Quizzing, the tournament process, and the personal benefits which come to those who pour time and effort into reading and studying God’s Word.
By the way, FLM sent four teams to Nationals in 2023, and two of those local teams placed in the Top Four!
Additional information:
- The local website and YouTube and Facebook for Bible Quizzing connected with Family Life Ministries
- A video introduction to Bible Quizzing
- The website and social media for Bible Quizzing Nationals
School Layoffs
Paying Student Teachers
Deadline for School Board Candidates
Dr. Ralph Kerr with the Teaching and Learning Institute has a mission to encourage Christians to get involved with their local public schools. Here’s the latest on this week’s “Issues in Education” report.
- Eclipse Impact at School
- Chronic Absenteeism
- Later School Start Time
- More Glitches with FAFSA Forms
Dr. Ralph Kerr with the Teaching and Learning Institute discusses the weighty issues impacting our public school families each Monday on our “Issues in Education” Noon News Feature and online Podcast. Find out more about TLI and about Dr. Kerr’s work at WhyRun.org.
Capital Connection – Politics & Easter, Marijuana Biz, and more – 4/05/24
This week’s Capital Connection roundtable examines the “big issues” in New York and Pennsylvania. The agenda for this episode includes:
- Politics and faith had a big overlap during Easter Week, with Joe Biden’s triple Sunday proclamations and Donald Trump’s promotion of a specialty Bible
- Legalization of marijuana in Pennsylvania could trigger the same economic, criminal and social problems other states have already seen
- Phrasing of a New York legislative proposal affects the debate: is it “death with dignity” or “physician-assisted suicide”?
- Some legislators recommend action that could affect PA charter schools, limiting some families’ school choice
Dan Bartkowiak substitutes for Michael Geer this week. Bartkowiak is the Director of Communications for the Pennsylvania Family Institute. [ online at PAFamily.com ]
Jason McGuire is Executive Director of the New York Families Federation. [ online at NewYorkFamilies.org ] In this podcast, McGuire explains the “rebranding” of that group, previously called New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms.
Rising Hostility Against Churches – This week on “Faith Under Fire”
The number of incidents of assaults, violence, vandalism and other hostile actions against Churches across the USA doubled in 2023, compared to the relatively high number of incidents reported the previous year. Threats and actual attacks became eight times more frequent than just six years ago.
The Family Research Council has studied law enforcement statistics, news reports and other information to compile a study of Hostility Against Churches from 2018 to 2023. Arielle Del Turco is the director of their Center for Religious Liberty. She joins Family Life News to talk about this new reality, causes for this disturbing trend, and what Christians need to know about their safety and about threats that are a direct result of the increasing secularization of the culture.
For more information:
- An overview of this FRC study [ www.frc.org ]
- The full report, which includes 11 pages of analysis, maps and charts, and a full listing of all incidents of crimes and threats aimed at Christian entities
- A 45-minute Family Research Council podcast, which delves further into the causes, recommendations for action, and how reactions by courts and the media and the general public have taken away cultural respect for the church.
- Del Turco’s testimony at a 2023 Congressional hearing about violence against churches and other faith-based organizations
Many men are tired, feeling guilty, and beat down — because of the challenge of meeting expectations, and (often) because they don’t feel the presence of a support system around them.
Into those realities, comes a national men’s ministry named Dad Tired. It’s founder, Christian pastor Jerrad Lopes, tells Family Life’s Greg Gillispie about the unexpectedly profound rationale behind the group’s name. He talks about why most men today feel like they struggle, about the one common theme he senses from men across the country (and how guys can resolve that #1 dilemma).
In this conversation, he also talks very personally about his own crisis which led to the beginning of the Dad Tired Ministry eight years ago, how he helps dads (and all men) discover hope and healing, and ways that wives and churches and friends can help encourage the men in their lives.
Lopes also previews his upcoming conference on Saturday April 13 at Batavia, New York. Details, registration and ticket information are available from www.FamilyLife.org/events.
Jerrad Lopes is also a podcaster and author on these matters. DadTired.com has an online community where thousands of men have connected and found mutual encouragement.
The journalism school at Northwestern University released a study about the state of news coverage in the United States. The study’s director, researcher Sarah Stonbely, joined Family Life News for a conversation about how the media landscape has changed, and how the biases of many national media outlets makes local news coverage that much more important.
However, she says, local news is hurting too. As traditional sources for news are hurting, many more Americans are living in what is described as a “news desert” — a local region where people have only one sources (or zero!) for local news. Newspapers are drying up at a rate of two per week, fewer and fewer broadcasters focus on news, and much of the public now goes to social media to stay informed.
Included in this interview:
- What troubles have arisen due to changes in news media, plus what are some current bright spots?
- When national outlets have skewed toward a single viewpoint (one side or the other the cultural or political spectrum), what role must local newswriters and newscasters take for their local audience?
- How should news organizations “fix” these dilemmas?
- What is essential for the consumers of news and information, as they seek balance, truth and insights?
Dr. Sarah Stonbely is the director of the Local News Project from the Medill School of Journalism and Media at Northwestern University.
Their latest report is available here: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/projects/state-of-local-news/2023/
Medill’s News Initiative also has additional articles, research and analysis of what the news landscape is like these days, plus a data-based “MRI” of what is happening in news media — with expectations of what trends will be next: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/
Good Friday – Reflections on the significance of Good Friday
It’s an age-old question: What is “good” about “Good” Friday?
Family Life News asked two pastors — both of whom serve in regional roles guiding Pennsylvania and New York congregations — for their stories and interpretations of why we enter the solemn moods of remembering Jesus Christ at Golgotha and Calvary.
Listen for the recommendations of the Rev. Mel McGuiness and the Rev. John Pingel. They talk about Holy Week worship and spiritual reflections give valuable context to the Good News — for people of faith, as well as for anyone who has not delved into the significance of Christ’s arrest and crucifixion.
Mel McGuiness is pastor of the Kiantone of Jamestown, New York. He also is moderator of the Western New York and Pennsylvania Regional Fellowship of the “Four C’s” denomination. The Conservative Congregational Community Churches network is online at** www.ccccusa.com.
John Pingel is president of the Eastern District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. He serves and leads over 120 congregation in that district, which stretches from New York, across Pennsylvania, and stretches into Maryland. Learn more about the LCMS at www.lcmsed.org.
An Insider’s Perspective on Haiti – Faith Under Fire
When gangs burst into prisons throughout the island nation of Haiti, it launched a cascade of violence and brutality which shook the residents, toppled the standing of government, and opened the doors to crime and murder.
Family Life News offers you a perspective on what it has been like to live in Haiti and offer Christian ministry and hands-on development there. Darren Hercyk is a native of New York’s Southern Tier, a current resident of Harrisburg PA, and has directed global development programs for Liberty University.
Based on his three year’s experience in Haiti, he says the current civil unrest is one event in a long trend of disasters for Haitians — earthquakes, political upheaval, and hurricanes.
This conversation includes the need for immediate relief efforts, as well as the extensive Christian mission trips and longer range efforts. Hercyk says the most effective assistance would have two vital aspects:
- A focus on long-term infrastructure: housing, schools, hospitals and other public services
- Is centered on building up the ministries of the local churches in Haiti (or, for that matter, any troubled region)
Hercyk also gives us insights on the effectiveness that Haitian churches have had, when so many others entities have failed or collapsed. Even amid the disasters there, he says there is hope for Haiti — from its Christians.
Darren Hercyk has led global relief efforts and Christian humanitarian work, of his own as well as mentoring future mission workers. He has lived in ten nations doing such work, and directed programs for Messiah University and Liberty University.
Hope for Widows (and their friends)“I rest in who God is to get me though my day. And that, I think, is what the hope for widows is.” — Marilyn NutterTwenty-eight hundred women a day are widowed in the US. For those women, everything changes.
“A widow has not only lost her husband, but she has lost the life that she knew,” says Marilyn Nutter. “And life looks dramatically different.”
Nutter knows there are better and worse ways to comfort the widows in our lives. A widow herself since 2011, her new book is Hope for Widows: Reflections on Mourning, Living, and Change.
“If we can’t say something that can be encouraging and not judgmental, then just be present,” Nutter says. “Put your arm around that person.”
While more than half of the women in the US over the age of 75 are widows, the average age a woman becomes a widow is 59 years old. No matter the age, there’s grief, loneliness, anger, and disappointment.
“I don’t think we can ever prepare emotionally for losing your spouse,” Nutter says. But there are some nuts-and-bolts things people with a living spouse can do now to make life more manageable if they’re widowed someday. We can learn, right now, the essential tasks our spouses usually shoulder, whether it’s changing the household air filters, paying the bills, or making travel arrangements.
“You need to be prepared, practically,” Nutter says. “It’s still not going to be easy. But if you can have some practical things in place, that would make it more manageable when your body is exhausted, and your brain can’t think.”
Randy Nutter died while on the couple’s cross-country Christmas visit to their children. Through Marilyn Nutter’s loneliness and discouragement, she hung onto God and who she knew Him to be. She knows that God is not only her hope, but the hope for widows.
“God is faithful to keep His promises. He hasn’t made a promise that He hasn’t kept. And so, when I think of hope, I think of hope as a person. Biblical hope rests in who God is and who He says He is. And that is where I have found Him to be faithful.”
We invite you to listen to our 16-minute podcast.
Learn more about Marilyn Nutter here.
Teacher Evaluations
Gym Class “Opt-Out”
Saving SUNY
Lots of “Issues in Education” to discuss this week. Our guest is Dr. Ralph Kerr at the Teaching and Learning Institute
“Capital Connection” on Family Life
Two family-values watchdogs join the Family Life Noon Report each Friday, to recap and analyze the biggest social, cultural and political stories of the week. Among the events and issues on the agenda for Jason McGuire and Michael Geer this week:
- New York is losing support for government support of legalized marijuana (but doubling down anyway)
- Pro-abortion matters in the PA legislature and pro-life matters in a number of Pennsylvania communities
- Bypassing doctors, Governor Hochul says pharmacies can dispense abortion-inducing drugs, without a prescription
- The start of “March Madness” is a prime time to evaluate sports betting in our two states
Jason McGuire is executive director of an advocacy/educational group which recently updated its name and logo to reemphasize its mission: New York Families.
Michael Geer founded the Pennsylvania Family Institute in 1989, serving as its president since that time.
For further information:
PAfamily.org NewYorkFamilies.org FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts
Gender, Sports, Parental Rights, and the First Amendment – “Faith Under Fire”
A small Christian school has sued its state sports association, after the Vermont Principals Association evicted the school’s teams from the group. The Mid Vermont Christian School’s girls basketball team forfeited a state tournament game, rather than play an opposing team which included a 6-foot tall player who was born male.
Attorney Jake Reed says the forfeit which ended a successful sports season was a sharp punishment in and of itself, but the statewide group retaliated by forbidding that school from all participation in any other sport (and academic competitions) sponsored by the association. Mid Vermont is also out of a state tuition program, taking away advantages for students and families.
This brought a First-Amendment lawsuit, and the next hearing in the case happens in April. Greg Gillispie asked Reed about matters or parental rights and recent trends on how courts have been ruling in transgender cases and allegations of bias against people of faith.
Jacob Reed is an attorney with the Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal organization which takes on cases related to religious freedom, marriage and family, free speech and the sanctity of life. His emphasis with ADF often centers on schools, students and educational matters.
Details of this specific case can be found here and here.
These are the links to the school and to the state association.
“Real Answers” about: making friends
In an age of social media, online connections, and political divisiveness, it can be hard to find a good friend. The same challenge is also true of being a good friend.
Our “Real Answers” commentator Christopher Anderson offers perspectives and advice on why adult friendship are so valuable, as well as steps to maintain friendships.
Christopher Anderson is a licensed professional counselor who works with clients through his private practice in the Southern Tier region of New York. “Real Answers” is one of our Wednesday News Features on Family Life. It airs during the Noon Report on air and online, and a podcast version is available 24/7/365 (or 366) from the Family Life website.
3/20/24
A Tonawanda Church invites the surrounding communities to experience first-hand what Jesus experienced on the original Good Friday.
Their interactive Good Friday experience takes place on Good Friday, March 29. Guests can drop in for as long or as little as they like, anytime between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. First Trinity Lutheran Church is at 1570 Niagara Falls Boulevard in the northern Buffalo suburb.
Carolyn Doster is one of the coordinators. She tells our “Hometown Heroes” interviewer Mark Webster about what families and individuals will discover as they “Journey Through Good Friday”. The Biblical story comes alive with an all-five-senses self-paced visit. It is family friendly, plus has advice for parents of very young children about two of the 16 scenes which may be too stark or need parental context. The First Trinity website offers a preview (plus information for people who are unable to attend in person).
“Hometown Heroes” from Family Life
Hannah Farley does outreach to encourage people who are 45 and older to get checked for early signs of cancer.
In this Family Life News interview, she says some residents of rural areas have a bias which prevents them from wanting to get cancer screening. Farley finds though that it is productive to reinterpret the question as a “stewardship of your body” and to encourage you to ponder how the people around you rely on your presence — “you are a gift to your family”.
In this week’s edition of “Hometown Heroes”, you will hear about success stories through this program across its three decades. The CSP team can help individuals get screened, even if they don’t have current health insurance or feel there are other barriers.
Farley is the Community Outreach Manager for the Cancer Screening Program in the Finger Lakes region of New York.
“Capital Connection” on Family Life 3/15/24
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer discuss the issues making news from Albany and Harrisburg from a faith and family perspective.
Listen for the latest analysis on these stories:
Making Political Hay out of the IVF Controversy
Recapping Legislative Day 2024 in New York
Decriminalizing Adultery, perhaps
New Bill Targets Gambling Addiction
Abortion Expansion Efforts in Pennsylvania
Jason McGuire is executive director of the New York Families Foundation: www.newyorkfamilies.org
Michael Geer is president of the Pennsylvania Family Institute: www.pafamily.org
They (and other representatives of these two organizations) join Family Life’s Bob Price for this weekly roundtable on the Friday edition of the Family Life Noon Report.
“Faith Under Fire” from Family Life
A reversal by campus leadership will now allow a group of conservative students to receive official recognition for their local chapter of Turning Point USA at SUNY/Cortland. The student senate there had initially vetoed approval of Turning Point as a campus organization. However, a First Amendment lawsuit was filed, claiming that the senate had discriminated against the students’ Constitutionally-protected viewpoints and that opponents had launched a planned assault on the students bringing a petition for consideration. According to the Alliance Defending Freedom, the petitioners endured 100 minutes of questioning and demeaning responses from student senators and a philosophy professor. Students Gabriella Delorenzo and Megan Rothmund next took there concerns to the college president. Erik Bitterbaum warned that they would likely be denied again, telling them, “We silence voices all the time in this country. That’s the tragedy and also the greatness of democracy.”
A review committee at the State University of New York school reversed the rejection, giving the Turning Point chapter the same rights and privileges of other officially-sanctioned campus organizations.
In this exclusive Family Life interview, ADF attorney Matthew Hoffman gives background on this specific lawsuit (which as of now continues to be pending, as ADF wishes to assure that SUNY/Cortland’s policies protect a full range of viewpoints in future decisions). Hoffman, who also works with ADF’s Center for Academic Freedom, also offers his perspectives on freedom of speech and thought on campus and in the culture, and the danger that officials who try to shut down or punish prominent groups and speakers also have a “chilling effect” on others who agree with divergent viewpoints.
For more information:
The Alliance Defending Freedom: ADFlegal.org
Specifics on the case and SUNY’s two actions: adflegal.org/case/turning-point-usa-suny-cortland-v-cortland-college-student-association
Matthew Hoffman: biography
Turning Point USA: national website
SUNY/Cortland: Student Government Association
Family Life News has also reached out to SUNY officials for their comments.
Gen Z is Looking for Friends
Gen Z has a reputation for being tech-addicted and anti-social, but it makes sense that many are looking for friends.
“We were designed by God to experience Him when we’re in fellowship with other believers—believers of all ages,” says Kirsten Franze, author of The Gospel Coalition article “Gen Z is Looking for Friends.”
“This age group can experience a lot of change and emotional instability due to the way they’re developing, and so it’s really hard, and they’re eager for a wise, non-parental figure to care enough to listen to their challenges and offer encouragement,” she says.
“This kind of relationship fills a need for wise guidance in life that they really do want, but maybe there are some things that are hard to discuss with their parents,” she adds.
The opportunities are there, but if you’re older than Generation Z it can feel intimidating to reach out to teens and twenty-somethings when it looks like you have little in common.
“Pray about and consider who God has placed in the regular routines of your life, because they’re there for a reason, right? Remember their names, say hi to them on Sunday or wherever you see them regularly,” Franze says. “Ask them questions, like how their exam went, how sports are going, how developing friendships is going in their freshman year of college. Find out what’s important to them—like what makes them light up—and just take an interest in it, because they’ll be surprised that someone even cares enough to ask.”
Learn more about being friends with someone in GenZ by listening to our 7-minute podcast.
Read the article that inspired the podcast here.
Read more of Kirsten Franze’s work here.
Hannah Farley is the Community Outreach Manager for the University of Rochester Cancer Services Program of the Finger Lakes Region.
For more information on available services, visit their website.
Family Life’s “Hometown Heroes” interviews intriguing people from throughout Pennsylvania and New York who carry out inspirational, life-changing work. Tap the Hometown Heroes icon for more of these features.
The Disastrous Rollout of Marijuana Inc. in New York
A Christian Perspective to the IVF Debate
Protecting Election Integrity
Previewing Legislative Day 2024
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Dan Bartkowiak discuss the weighty issues in the news from the state capitals in Albany and Harrisburg. Here’s what’s going on this week …on Family Life’s “Capital Connection”.
Angel Studios is bringing Christian entertainment to the mainstream.
Their latest production is even gathering some Oscar Buzz from film critics, even before the March 8 world premiere. Cabrini is the life story of an Italian immigrant in New York a century ago. Francesca Cabrini fought against poverty, gender and ethnic biases, and the “powers that be” of New York City to serve underprivileged children, starting an “empire of hope”.
Jared Geesey is Chief Distribution Officer for Angel Studios. In this special interview with Family Life’s Greg Gillispie, Geesey talks about the Angel Studios process of selecting only the best stories to tell, how traditional Hollywood is missing out on a huge audience by ignoring faith-centered films, and offers a preview of the Cabrini movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrhEiHmBwp4
Angel Studios has run up a string of critically-acclaimed, multi-million-dollar blockbusters like The Chosen, Sound of Freedom, and Cabrini. They also produce clean stand-up comedy with Dry Bar Comedy, children’s programming like Tuttle Twins, and Bible-based dramas such as Testament and David.
Cabrini was filmed in Buffalo, New York (and Rome, Italy) starting in 2021, and in this expanded interview, Geesey also makes mention of the local scenery which was (with the magic of moviemaking) transformed into early 20th-Century New York. Cristiana Dell’Anna and John Lithgow are among the stars.
Your mental health affects your physical health.
A body’s malady affects mental and spiritual health.
Stress plays out in tangible symptoms and increased risk of disease.
Our guest on this Family Life News Feature is one of three speakers at the “Step Up Your Health” one-day seminar at the Family Life auditorium on Saturday, March 9.
Dr. Josephine Ellis says human beings are created as one unified whole. Our bodies, minds and souls all interact with and affect each other. She tells us that the epidemic of mental health concerns is real. Stress at home, in relationships or at work also play out in physical ways.
She offers advice for people looking to enhance your health. Dr. Ellis seeks to emphasize “good health” as more than the absence of disease, but as the positive presence of good health and uplifting habits. In this podcast, she describes what she describes at the “Six Pillars of Lifestyle Medicine”. To make these lifestyle changes happen long-term, she says a person should focus on one small habit and let it grow into new patterns.
Dr. Ellis encourages all patients to openly discuss not only physical health, but when you go for an annual checkup or another office visit, to talk about how you are doing emotionally and mentally.
Details about this event, including availability of remaining tickets are available online at FamilyLife.org/events. If you are not attending, or listening to this podcast after March 9, Dr. Ellis still has important information and advice that continues to have value for your consideration.
Syracuse-based missionary Dan Sorber just left for Cuba.
Before his departure, he talked with Family Life News about faith, Christian freedom, and today’s realities in a Communist nation.
Sorber sees the changes that have opened up across his 15 previous visits to Cuba. When government officials and the general population face desperation and economic disaster, those hardships actually open up more evangelistic opportunities. He tells us that real revival is underway there, in ways he has not seen in any other place.
Sorber and his team see one of their most urgent priorities for each of their mission visits is to support and encourage the local Cuban pastors.
Click the podcast player to discover more about what Christians in Cuba face every day, and about how Americans can pray for and support the Cuban people who do and who don’t consider themselves people of faith.
For more about Dan Sorber’s involvement in Christian evangelization in Cuba, go to the Mission Landing Cuba website or watch this video from his church, The Gathering Place in Syracuse.
Family Life’s “Hometown Heroes” interviews intriguing people from throughout Pennsylvania and New York who carry out inspirational, life-changing work. Tap the Hometown Heroes icon for more of these features.
Should New York Students be Forced to take a Financial Literacy Course to Graduate ?
FAFSA Forms Still in Limbo
And Why Protecting Girls Sports is Worth the Fight
Dr. Ralph Kerr at the Teaching and Learning Institute tackles the tough topics facing our public schools Monday’s during the Noon Report on Issues in Education. Their website is WhyRun.org.
Gerrymandering in New York
Gambling Addiction in Pennsylvania
Conservatives Silenced at SUNY-Cortland
Christian activists Jason McGuire and Michael Geer tackle the tough topics facing today’s families each Friday during “Capital Connection”. It’s a front row seat to all that’s happening in Albany and Harrisburg.
Information about the New York “Legislative Day 2024” day-long advocacy event is available here.
An Update from the PA Prolife Movement
A prolife leader in Pennsylvania says abortions happen 34,000 times annually in Pennsylvania, but that the number is decreasing.
Maria Gallagher of PA Prolife Federation says that has abortion providers seeking more funding from government coffers, to make up for lost revenue. Governor Josh Shapiro’s administration has reclassified a longtime budget item which supported agencies which offer alternatives to abortion, but that money now goes to businesses that provide abortions and abortion pills.
Gallagher says the general public can speak up to their leaders in the executive and legislative branches about whether citizens support the use of tax money to end these pregnancies.
In this interview, she also speaks about ways that care centers provide encouragement, perspectives and resources to women — during a pregnancy and after a baby is born.
We began and ended the month with interviews with Maria Gallagher. Click the link below for our earlier conversation with her about a state Supreme Court ruling that had just happened. A lower court chose not to hear a Planned Parenthood lawsuit seeking to open more Pennsylvania Medicaid funding for more abortions. The high court narrowly determined the suit had enough merit to be decided by the Commonwealth Court.
https://familyliferadio.blubrry.net/2024/02/01/faith-under-fire-pa-prolife-maria-gallagher-2-01-24/
“Faith Under Fire” is the Thursday Family Life News Feature which explores governmental, judicial and social controversies which impact the lives of New Yorkers, Pennsylvanians and others. Previous editions — on a full range of topics — are always available from FamilyLife.org and on most podcast hosting services … look for “Family Life News”.
Parenting: Taking the Long View
We want to raise our children well. Because of that, we look for instructions. That was true for parent and educational consultant Laura Spaulding.
“It seemed to be that there was always just a right way presented to you, and some of it came from the Christian culture, and some of it came from the neighborhood, and some of it came from TV,” she says.
Spaulding is the author of a January 2024 Gospel Coalition article titled Taking the Long View Revolutionized My Parenting.
Christian parents hold on to Proverbs 22:6, where we’re instructed to “train up a child in the way he should go,” so that, “when he is old, he will not depart from it. Taking that verse apart and recognizing what it really is saying: it is saying, ‘Start them this way, and it finishes this way.’ Like all the middle is so unique to each person,” she says.
Two decades into her parenting journey, Spaulding believes she’s developed some perspective.
“The chief end of parenting is not getting kids into perfect colleges so that they can find the perfect job and marry the perfect spouse, so that they could turn around and have perfect kids of their own,” she says. “The chief end of parenting, just like the chief end of life, is perfection for all eternity.”
Gospel CoalitionThat’s the kind of perfection that doesn’t come from formulas. It comes from Christ. “The ‘perfection for all eternity’ comes at the end of the race. At the end of the journey. And so our job as parents is to prepare our kids for a journey. It is to get them started.”
Get to know your children well, she says, and parent them accordingly.“Put the parenting books away and instead study the child in your arms,” she says, “really paying attention to what are their unique gifts and limitations. What motivates them. What stresses them out. What lights them up.”
Proverbs 22:6, Spaulding says, is a gracious invitation for taking a long view on the development of our children. “Use what you learn about them to help them know themselves, to help them know and relate to their Creator, to help prepare them for the good works that God has prepared in advance for them to do.
Join us for our 18-minute conversation by listening to the podcast.
Read the article that inspired this conversation here.
Read Laura Spaulding’s other writing here.
Family Life’s “Hometown Heroes” Feature
COPE is “Children of Opioid Parents and Empowerment”.
The program in Chautauqua County, New York, offers of full year of services to children and teens who lost a parent to an opioid overdose.
Bill Matteson is the executive director of the COPE Foundation 19. He knows this tragedy personally. One of his sons died at age 29 due to heroin laced with fentanyl, leaving three children without their father. Matteson offers his family’s story as an encouragement — and a caution — to other families.
In this conversation, he also tells us about how the COPE program became a positive step his pastor promised could come from the disaster, as well as the ways COPE reaches out to guide other children who have faced something similar. It is open as well to children who This effort also includes counseling sessions with a Christian agency.
“Hometown Heroes” is hosted by Family Life’s Mark Webster. He talks with individuals throughout Pennsylvania and New York who are transforming lives and answering real human needs in their local communities.
This feature airs during the Family Life Noon Report on Tuesdays, and is available on our News Podcasts website and through most podcast sources. You are invited to subscribe to this feature — and to share this interview with anyone who may find it helpful for their circumstance, or for a congregation looking to create a similar outreach.
Missions Pulse : Community Bible Study
An international movement, with local and online options, brings diverse people together to study Christian Scriptures.
Community Bible Study offers short-term groups for all age groups and stages of life. Its mission statement: Transform lives through the Word of God.
The local coordinator of New York State groups says CBS brings together people from a variety of Christian backgrounds, people who might not otherwise get together, become friends, and learn from each other. Regional director Pat Bailey tells our Abigail Hofland that a northern New York prayer effort has now brought together 40 children and they recently registered their 100th adult.
Listen to our podcast here, and consider sharing it with other friends and church members.
More information about Community Bible Study:
- The global outreach & purpose of CBS
- How to find a local group near you (or how to start one)
- Subscribe to a daily prayer blog and Bible selection (or read it online)
“Capital Connection” on Family Life
Christian Watchdogs Michael Geer and Jason McGuire take a deep dive into the issues that matter from the state capitals every Friday on “Capital Connection“. Here’s what’s happening this week.
Why New York may reject new Congressional Districts
A Pennsylvania Plan to gut Cyber-Charter Schools
One-Party Rule here to stay in Albany ?
Christian outreach and support for today’s young adults has transformed — yet again.
The unique needs and perspectives of this generation of college students has shaped how campus ministries are doing their work. Today on Family Life, we hear from Mike Andrews, Impact Ministry’s campus pastor at Penn State Altoona.
Andrews tells us about how the most significant impact which meets students where their lives are is primarily in small groups and Bible studies. Even for young people who have never had experiences in a church — or who have wandered away from an earlier faith — he says a hallmark of this generation is an openness to talk about deep core values and to explore spiritual issues.
Greg Gillispie also asks Andrews to give guidance to local church leaders on effective ways to shape youth ministries and to encourage the children of the church to plug into campus ministries if they go away to school.
For more information:
- The ImpacttheU website
- A promotional video to show high school and college students
Real Answers – How to Fight, Right – 2/21/24
New research discusses factors that lead to divorce. How people fight is an important dynamic.
Christian counselor Christopher Anderson joins Family Life’s Sarah Harnish to talk about how to fight in our relationships. He is not (obviously) encouraging spouses to seek out arguments, but to be able to handle disagreements well.
Attentive listening matters, he says. So does awareness on when to take a timeout to allow emotions to settle, so that the people involved can avoid increasing the tensions when differences arise. Anderson also suggests another good practice: writing out questions and responses ahead of time, when a problem needs solved.
“Real Answers” is a Wednesday Family Life news feature which helps Christians tackle the tough topics in our everyday lives. Check out our archives for more advice and encouragement — on relationships, parenting, work place issues, faith dilemmas and more, seeking a Biblical perspective on how to cope with and thrive in life.
It’s Family Life’s “Hometown Heroes”
Celebrate the congregations and volunteers in our listening area who created a magical, memorable evening for hundreds of special guests
The Night to Shine has become a global movement across the past decade, and numerous local churches are plugged in — many of them since the early days when the Tim Tebow Foundation launched a prom-styled festival for special-needs individuals.
In this edition of “Hometown Heroes”, we hear about the local area’s Night to Shine events held February 9, 2024. Representatives of three of these congregations tell us what happens, who is served, the significant responses of the families and the local community, and how this one night spurs churches to be attentive to special needs ministries throughout the year.
Our radio news feature offers highlights and stories. For each of these three congregations, we also will be posting expanded interviews with web-only bonus content.
- “Hometown Heroes” feature — highlights from all three congregations, as aired on the Family Life Noon Report [click the podcast player above to listen]
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- Bethel Life Church, Greenville PA: bonus content with Pastor Kent Bell [web]
- Auburn Alliance Church, Auburn NY: bonus content with Event Coordinator Chad Mitchell [web]
- Sunbury Bible Church, Northumberland PA: bonus content with Pastor Preston Atkinson [web]
Other congregations whose leaders and volunteers also deserve “Hero” status are other churches in the Family Life listening area. These also sponsored a Night to Shine this month:
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- Our Lady Of Peace, Erie PA [web]
- New Life Baptist, New Wilmington PA [web]
- LCBC, Dickson City PA Campus [web]
- Epic Church-Buffalo: Williamsville NY [web]
- Cross Creek Church, Elmyra NY [web]
- Catalyst Church, Altoona PA [web]
- Calvary Church, Boalsburg PA [web]
The Night to Shine movement began ten years ago (2014) as an outreach of the Tim Tebow Foundation. The Heisman trophy winner for the Florida Gators, former NFL quarterback and sports broadcaster started his foundation to fight for what they call the “MVP” — the Most Vulnerable People.
Tebow (himself growing up as a missionary kid) has been at the forefront of multiple forms of international Christian ministry.
Find out about the Foundation and watch the national/international Night to Shine video.
“Hometown Heroes” is one of our Tuesday news features on our Noon Report and 5 O’Clock Report.
A fun P.S…. Tim Tebow (who became famous for waiting for a uniquely Christian marriage partner, despite his famous “eligible bachelor” status) met his future wife at his 2018 NTS, where Demi-Lynn was attending with her special-needs sister.)
Preston Atkinson is pastor of the Sunbury Bible Church in Northumberland, Pennsylvania.
Hear more about the Night to Shine events in New York and Pennsylvania on the Family Life “Hometown Heroes” news feature.
Chad Mitchell is a member of the Auburn Alliance Church in Auburn, New York.
Hear more about the Night to Shine events in Pennsylvania and New York on the Family Life “Hometown Heroes” news feature.
How School Choice for parents makes public schools better
College kids raising their own kids
Will New York make FAFSA forms mandatory?
Why many school districts have Winter Break
Dr. Ralph Kerr at the Teaching and Learning Institute discusses the weighty issues impacting our public schools on “Issues in Education” – airing Monday’s during the “Noon Report”
Each Friday, the Capital Connection Crew delve into the thorny issues impacting our listeners all over New York and Pennsylvania. Here’s what’s happening this week in Albany and Harrisburg
Abortion, by the numbers in Pennsylvania
Push to Legalize Doctor Assisted Suicide in New York
What Christian Activism looks like in 2024
School Choice runs into hurdles in Harrisburg
Why Sports Betting is a bad bet for New York
Jason McGuire is the executive director of the New Yorker’s Family Research Federation [NewYorkFamilies.org]
Michael Geer is president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Family Institute [PAFamily.org]
This is the time of year when many college-bound students are finalizing applications for which school they intend to go to in the fall.
Also at issue: how to pay for higher education, whether that is for incoming first-year students or those who are already at a college or university.
For advice on the decision-making processes, we sought the perspective of President Wayne Lewis of Houghton University in Houghton, New York. In this Family Life Interview, you will hear:
- How the federal delays in this year’s one-application for financial aid computations (the online FAFSA form) has affected students, families and the schools — and best “next steps to take”
- Timelines for applying to your preferred school(s), when financial aid determinations are made, and when someone can change their mind about which college to attend
- How current students are great resources for sorting out where a new student can attend a place which fits them — whether they are liberal or conservative or moderate, whether they are Christian or not
- The difference being colleges which teach their students “to think” versus places which teach students “what to think”
The Gift of Thorns
“We have to very careful to distinguish between ‘did God let me down?’ or ‘did my expectations of God let me down?’
What if not getting what we want is one of God’s great gifts?
“God knows what is good for us when we don’t,” says the Rev. Dr. A. J. Swoboda. “To ultimately assume God’s desires for us are the best desires, and believing that, is our first step in being followers of Christ.”
“I have grown the most in my spiritual journey with Jesus in places where I have not gotten everything I want. And what I’m trying to say is, I don’t grow in the great times. I grow in the times when I’m mad that I didn’t get what I want God to do,” Swoboda says.
When we find that we’re disappointed or angry with God, it’s important to figure out what God has promised us. “We have to very careful to distinguish between ‘did God let me down?’ or ‘did my expectations of God let me down?’ We’ve got to be cautious to not assume that God and our expectations about God are the same exact thing,” he says.
It is actually a gift, Swoboda says, to not get what we want.
“Jesus lived a life of willingly giving up everything He wanted. In fact, in the Garden of Gethsemane, he pleads with the Father to not die on the cross. Yet he submits Himself to what the Father wants over what His flesh and emotions wanted. And so I think life is in those places in our life. I think the thorns are a gift. I don’t think they’re a problem, I think they’re a gift.”
“At least in our world, unless you embrace the thorn, you won’t ever receive the rose. And that with every thorn there is a rose. We tend to focus on the thorn, and we forget the rose.”
Hear much more from A. J. Swoboda by listening to our 15-minute podcast.
Swoboda is Associate Professor of Biblical Studies and World Christianity at Bushnell University in Eugene, Oregon. He also leads a Doctor of Ministry program at Friends University. His new book is The Gift of Thorns: Jesus, the Flesh, and the War for our Wants. Learn more about A. J. Swoboda here.
“The Gift of Thorns” also is available as a Bible study series for individuals and groups.
“We want them to know from the second they walk in that this is a place where they will receive healing and acceptance and value.”It’s “Hometown Heroes” on Family Life
The House of Hope in Williamsport PA exists to help women overcome dependency, barriers, and challenges — so they will move from a state of homelessness to thriving in the community through the transforming power of Jesus Christ. The six-month residential program is an outreach of the Sojourner Truth Ministries there.
Pastor Angelique Labadie-Cihanowyz is the executive director, and she tells us about some of the paths which led these women to desperate or challenging life circumstances, and how the love of Jesus Christ is demonstrated to those who find shelter and solace at the House of Hope.
Sojourner Truth Ministries is named for the former slave who became an outspoken advocate for women’s rights, temperance and abolition of slavery. STM in Williamsport operates the House of Hope, prepares hot lunches six days a week, and have provided an after-school program for children. Find out more from their website, where you can watch their “House Tour” and “Cardboard Stories” videos.
https://youtu.be/iJoa3UowW6A
https://youtu.be/8ML8TAfr4-w
Enrollments at public schools continues to drop, drastically in some districts. The causes are numerous: population declines, lower birth rates, and the move to charter, private and home schooling.
Dr. Ralph Kerr of the Teaching and Learning Institute discusses the weighty issues in the news as they pertain to public education in this ongoing Family Life series. This week on “Issues in Education”:
- Rethinking Education Aid in NY
- The 3 Greatest Challenges Facing PA Schools
- Why Run as a candidate for your local School Board
New York’s lawyers’ group says doctors should assist in suicides.
A gun-rights rally in Pennsylvania draws media attention — and a prominent political candidate
How can parents opposed to the actions of the trans-gender movement stand up for their own families?
Each Friday, Family Life’s “Capital Connection” feature talks with leading pro-family advocates who lobby at the state capitols in Harrisburg and Albany. Listen for this 10-minute analysis from Jason McGuire (executive director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms) and Michael Geer (president of the Pennsylvania Family Institute).
Both of these organizations have additional videos, podcasts, commentary and position papers. They are available through the tabs below.
NY: PA:
With 70 percent of American TV households plugged in, the Super Bowl draws millions of eyeballs, adjusts peoples social schedules, and dominates public discussion throughout an early February weekend. It consistently is #1-watched TV show of the year. (Plus all that doesn’t even include the people who listen on the radio, watch through streaming, or just look up the Super Bowl ads on the internet!)
Family Life News talked with movie & television reviewer Paul Asay about how the Super Bowl broadcast has become such a huge event. We especially wanted a faith-based angle on the hype, from this editor of the Christian media site Plugged In.
Paul Asay gives his take on how massive the Super Bowl has become, including its role as one of the few broadcasts which remind us of a “monolithic culture…where people would all watch the same sitcoms and same adventure shows.” There are lessons from the Big Game weekend for Christian individuals and households, as well as for churches.
Another Family Life Interview about the Super Bowl, its commercials, and its hype aired Thursday (February 7). Hear commentary from Robert Thompson, the well-respected Television & Culture professor at Syracuse University. That conversation is available separately on the Family Life news podcasts page.
It annually is the biggest American television program of the year. (Not even counting the global audience.)
It’s commercials are anticipated, reviewed, over-analyzed, and cost $7,000,000 for 30 seconds.
Even even non-football-fans get drawn into the hype.
Businesses and churches and groups adjust their schedules to avoid conflicting with one of the nation’s hugest non-holiday holidays.
The Super Bowl has come to have a massive influence on American society. For perspectives on how the game became so big, Family Life’s Greg Gillispie talks with Robert Thompson, an expert of television and its effects on culture. Among the topics:
- How the calendar and the NFL’s creativity have moved Super Bowl Sunday to such a national festival day
- What is it that makes Super Bowl commercials such a topic of conversation
- Why those advertisers see enough value to make it worth paying so much to buy the ad slot and produce a “film-festival-worthy” commercial
- How the Super Bowl has become one of the few “shared experiences” Americans have, in our fractured media landscape
Robert Thompson is director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University. He teaches courses on the impact of media and has written five books and edited an ongoing series about television and society.
Also from Family Life’s News Podcasts: Paul Asay of “Plugged In” offers his insights on Super Bowls — including a Christian angle on the widespread popularity of the Super Bowl as a national event, how we need a few shared experiences across a wide swath of the culture, and how Christian messages like “HeGetsUs” can share the Gospel with millions in a single broadcast. Listen for that additional interview here.
“Start early. Monitor closely your children’s online activities. Be consistent with enforcement of online rules you as a parent set in place.”
Parents have more authority over what shows on their children’s video screens than social media titans do.
So says Christian counselor Christopher Anderson.
Last week, in a captivating day of Capitol Hill testimony, Congress and the general public heard from the CEOs of the five largest social media companies in the nation.
This week, Family Life’s “Real Answers” podcast gives you Anderson’s take on how video games and social media affect children and teens. He also gives you encouragement on how your family can reduce the downsides — of online content and on online time.
The week of Ground Hog Day is an opportune time to visit Jefferson County, Pennsylvania.
Punxatawney, Brookville, and the rest of the region have lots of natural wonder, ties to history, and at least two major sports figures who made claims to fame in their careers. Find out about Cook Forest and Clear Creek State Park, Sparky Lyle and Chuck Daly, and the unique history of a site called Scripture Rocks.
Our “Hometowns” series gives you a radio-tour of the communities which make up the Family Life listening area in Pennsylvania and New York. Your tour guide is Family Life news anchor Mark Webster.
Feds have delayed FAFSA forms, for college-bound students
Paying parents to get their children to go to school
Changing Columbus Day and Veterans Day on some schools’ calendars
Education consultant Dr. Ralph Kerr discusses the weighty issues in education. He’s founder and president of the Teaching and Learning Institute which exists to get Christians involved in their local public schools.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court this week, by a narrow 4-3 vote, ruled that a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood is to be heard by a lower court. At issue is a question about whether Pennsylvania can restrict the state’s Medicaid funds only to pay for the abortions which are directly related to situations of rape, incest, or if the pregancy is a risk to the mother’s life. The dominant provider of abortions contends that Pennsylvania’s Medicaid policies over the past 20 years unconstitutionally harm the “rights” of poorer people.
The Commonwealth Court trial has not happened to decide the issue; the Supreme Court majority merely ruled that the case must be tried.
For an interpretation and perspectives on the case and its related issues, Family Life news producer Greg Gillispie spoke Monday with Maria Gallagher, legislative director of the PA Prolife Federation.
You can find more about PA Prolife’s work beyond this one court case on their website.
Today’s Family Life News Feature offers insights from the leader of our January 2024 Thrive Singles Conference.
Professor Sherrie Holloway of Clark’s Summit University offers a recap of the conference’s theme, assurance and reminders for people who are single (in all the forms that takes), and advice and reminders for married people too.
Family Life Ministries and its supporters sponsor this annual event, typically early in each year.
After attending a great women’s conference, the founders of “Women of Hope” asked themselves why there wasn’t a local expression of such an outpouring of outreach and encouragement.
So, they created one.
Women of Hope, in northern Pennsylvania, sponsors events to meet the needs of many women in their community.
Tara Freeman says, unfortunately, many women miss out on the hope and love of the Bible’s story, and they instead can become “beat up by the Bible and burdened by the church, and I want them to feel there is hope and that Jesus is there to love them,” regardless of where they feel their life is at the moment. For women who have struggled with something in their past — or feel trapped or unsettled now — Women of Hope seeks to create a group where each person can feel comfortable, safe and accepted. Freeman says some participants have found healing from situations as wide-ranging as abusive relationship, childhood traumas and other challenges.
Women of Hope specifically does not hold its events at church buildings, in order to remove one potential perceived hurdle from some of those who are open to finding assurances of hope.
Tara Freeman (pictured at right at a “5 Under 40” ceremony) is president of Women of Hope, which began in June 2021 and held its recent conference in Troy, Pennsylvania. She was interviewed by Mark Webster of Family Life News. “Hometown Heroes” brings you the stories of — and the inspiration from — people of faith who have created ways to be positive influences on the communities of Pennsylvania and New York. (Archives of this feature throughout the past 4 1/2 years are available here.)
Keeping Pop Culture in check,
Spiritual truths, amid Taylor Swift’s popularity,
And helping children and teens to prioritize their faith, even using lessons from celebrities.
We have an exclusive interview with Paul Asay of the PLUGGED IN entertainment reviews, a Family Life Interview from the January 29 Noon Report.
Paul Asay is the supervising editor of PLUGGED IN, which offers family-friendly reviews of movies, television, streamed programs, social media, music, video games, and other entertainment content. An outreach of Focus on the Family, PLUGGED IN provides short reviews (with an eye and ear toward Christian parents and their children), expanded conversations about media and culture, and blog posts to help mindful parents guide their children’s choices — and insightful household discussions about the media surrounding us.
PLUGGED IN also regularly features their recommendations on the best entertainment options for young audiences.
“Capital Connection” on Family Life
Abortion Politics Reign in Albany and Harrisburg
Another Pro-Life Issue: Is this the year for Assisted Suicide?
School Choice Debate
Christian watchdogs and political activists Jason McGuire and Michael Geer take a deep dive into the issues you care about each Friday on “Capital Connection”. Listen to this analysis of this week’s biggest cultural and governmental issues in Pennsylvania and New York.
For follow-up on stories discussed in this edition:
- Pennsylvania Family Institute: PAFamily.org
- New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms: AlbanyUpdate.com
As the abortion industry and many politicians look to put abortion into state constitutions, many in the pro-life movement seek to redefine the debate.
Christina Fadden is president of Syracuse Right to Life. The day after the National March for Life in DC, that group and its partners held a local rally and March for the Onandaga County region. The Syracuse March (held Saturday, January 20) is the longest-running march in New York State.
In this Family Life interview leading up to that event, Fadden talks about the “right” to have an abortion, and how that belief system has become embedded in many people’s thoughts and much of the media coverage. Local groups are working to clarify and correct the terms, so that people go beyond a “right to choose” and more toward “human rights” for everyone, including unborn children.
Additional information:
- Video of the 2024 Syracuse March
- Syracuse Right to Life on Facebook
Living your faith, from the “Inside Out”
If you’re having trouble helping your kids negotiate their emotions, you’re not alone.
“We always fall into kind of two ends of a spectrum,” says writer and Bible teacher Courtney Reissig. “We either want to protect them too much from experiencing hard things, or we don’t want them to feel or express those hard things when life happens. And we all probably know which one we fall into.”
Reissig recommends parents turn to the Psalms for help. She’s the author of the recent Gospel Coalition article “Use the Psalms to Teach Kids About Feelings.”
“Psalms speak to very real feelings and very real emotions,” she says, “and that’s helpful to us because God created us to feel things, and then He’s given us a whole book of the Bible that teaches us how to navigate those feelings and to express those feeling back to God. Many of them are prayers or songs that we sing back to God. And so we take all of our feelings and all of our emotions and then we move them towards the only one who can do anything with what we’re feeling.”
Learn more about how the Psalms can help children express and understand their emotions by listening to our 14-minute podcast. Read what Courtney Reissig is writing here.
It’s “Hometown Heroes” on Family Life
Today’s guest on “Hometown Heroes” is Casey Jones of Allegany Hope, a Christian organization focused on building healthy communities through healthy families.
Allegany Hope has, for 15 years now, brought together local congregations and other Christian organizations to streamline and multiply their efforts to change lives. As you will hear in this podcast, Jones says the goal is to bring about holistic health to their neighbors — physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Jones has seen positive results in bringing church leaders together to move beyond discussion of community issues and needs into actions which bring these benefits to life.
One of the visible, ongoing projects is a Facebook page which publicizes what God is doing among the people of their town. They also have become a hub for posting community news, church events, a workshop on emergency preparedness for households (February 8), and other activities to connect with the local region. The Allegany Hope Community Calendar publicizes events such as Bible studies, Autism workshops and more.
Allegany Hope is centered in Friendship, New York. You can find out more online from their Facebook and website.
Family Life’s “Issues in Education”
Dr. Ralph Kerr, a longtime school administrator and the founder of the Teaching and Learning Institute talks about key issues happening now among classrooms, school boards, and communities. These conversations are important for parents, extended families and taxpayers.
Among the topics this week:
- Education Spending In NY Budget
- Financial Literacy Course in PA
- Changes to Bus-Driver Training
Ralph Kerr and other public school administrators founded the Teaching and Learning Institute in 2005. It serves families and communities as an advocacy organization to encourage people of faith to be actively involved in their local schools and school boards.
“Capital Connection” is the weekly roundtable about political and cultural issues in Pennsylvania and New York
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- “March for Life” in DC
- Hochul’s Budget Proposal
- Evangelism Efforts among governmental leaders in Harrisburg and Albany
Christian Watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer are fighting to preserve the values Christians and Christians voters hold near and dear at the state capitals in Albany and Harrisburg. Listen for what’s making news this week on Capital Connection
For your follow-up:
New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms: AlbanyUpdate.org
Pennsylvania Family Institute: PaFamily.org
National March for Life: MarchForLife.org (Links for live streams of the 12 noon (ET) Friday rally on YouTube and Facebook are on this site as well)
Robyn Chambers, vice president for children’s advocacy for Focus on the Family, gives our Family Life listeners and web visitors her perspective from the National March for Life in Washington, D.C.
Chambers talks about the mood and strategies of the prolife movement, a year and a half after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that there is no “right” to abortion in the Federal Constitution, but as the debate moves to each state deciding on abortion.
What lessons learned during the “Covid Era” will help congregations thrive into the new future?
We have a return visit from Allison Norton of the Covid Religion Research Project, which is in the third year of a five-year study of 15,000 American congregations. In this new conversation Norton addresses how congregations are poised to either return to pre-pandemic patterns or use their relatively recent discoveries as springboards into faithful ministries.
There are divergent contexts in particular congregations and faith communities. Some are finding exhaustion and frustration are nudging people back toward wanting former programs and patterns. Norton says, though, and churches’ challenges from pre-2020 continue to happen. Other churches are maintaining some of the innovation and experimentation which Covid lockdowns forced upon them. She gives an example of a congregation which has had success with the elimination of large weekly worship events.
The research has found one key factor which is determining congregational health and vitality for current times and moving forward from here: whether or not there is an attitude of optimism.
Allison Norton is a faculty research associate for Hartford International University, based in Connecticut. She also directs the Pastoral Innovation Network of New England (PINNE).
This Lilly-funded study continues through 2025, taking surveys across various denominational and non-denominational churches, and doing in-depth analysis of church change since 2020. Reports, research results and recommendations are on the project’s social media and website: CovidReligionResearch.org , Facebook , X/Twitter , Newsletter
Congregational leaders and denominational networks can use these resources to foster ongoing evaluation, discussion and planning.
In addition to this podcast, you also can listen to our first interview with Allison Norton. That topic centered on how churches have rebounded short-term after however many months or years of shutdown, change and trying new methods.
The “Real Answers” feature on Family Life tackles the tough topics facing Christians.
In this edition, Christian counselor Christopher Anderson talks about how loneliness happens, and how to address those dilemmas.
There are answers like simply reaching out to connect with other people. That does mean that a person will develop ways to “push through” perceived fears or social anxieties. The more often someone initiates those interactions, the easier and more comfortable that process becomes.
To have a daily reminder visible helps — be that a bedside Bible, a devotional book, or something like a poster or some symbol. Anderson says a mindset of worship and connection with the Lord woven into our daily practices helps to focus us more positively, whatever our circumstances may be.
“Hometown Heroes” on Family LifeThis week’s Hometown Hero is Sandy Lenahan of Shamokin, PA. She’s created as series of YouTube videos to get the Word of God into young children.
Lenahan tells us that these inspirational videos are geared especially for ages 2 to 6. “These are really foundational years for children, and there is no better foundation than God’s Word.”
The first video in this “Wee Steps with God” series — with songs, Scripture and stories — has been released, and others are on the way. Hear a sample of the music in this podcast.
Lenahan’s You Tube page is here.
Dr. Ralph Kerr at the “Teaching and Learning Institute” equips Christians to become engaged in their local public school. Here’s what he’s discussing this week on “Issues In Education”
- Reading proficiency
- The latest on Covid-era Learning Loss from Dr. Anthony Fauci
- Anticipation of the top “Issues in Education” for PA and NY for 2024
You can also listen to, share, or download archive editions of Family Life’s “Issues in Education“
Family Life’s “Capital Connection”
Capital Connection offers you insiders’ insight on social, cultural and political issues which affect the people of Pennsylvania, New Work, and the entire nation.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer “dig deep” on the issues that matter as the new year begins — and the new legislative seasons get underway. Among the topics covered on the first “Capital Connection” of 2024:
- What to expect from both governors
- With Democrat majorities in the NY legislature, what big issues will be pushed?
- As the PA House and Senate are split between the parties, what will move forward?
Jason McGuire leads New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms. Michael Geer is president of the Pennsylvania Family Institute.
This is our Friday news feature during the Family Life Noon Report. Previous interviews with these two veteran commentators and other NY and PA opinion leaders are available from the Family Life News Podcasts page. Search for “Capital Connection“.
“We have to understand that this is a SPIRITUAL battle, expressed in a MILITARY attack.”
— Susan Michael, on the October 7, 2023, attacks made against the nation of Israel
This week is the 13th week since Hamas militants poured across Israel’s southern border — killing, assaulting and kidnapping citizens of Israel and other nations.
This week, Greg Gillispie interview Susan Michael, the USA director of International Christian Embassy Jerusalem. That ministry is praying for and offering tangible forms of support and relief in the Middle East. Some 300,000 citizens and settlers there have fled their homes in these three months, to escape the violence and threats.
ICEJ is also active to address the growing anti-Jewish rhetoric and threats to Jews everywhere.
Michael says Christians — individually and through their churches — need to boldly and confidently speak out against antisemitic violence, demonstrations and hatred. In this “Faith Under Fire” feature, she offers three practical steps which people of faith can undertake, wherever they live.
This conversation referred to websites such as these:
- IsraelAnswers.com: Ways for Christians and non-Christians to respond to propaganda which fails to tell the truth about Jews or the nation of Israel
- Stop Antisemitism: Action steps to battle against demostrations, protests and threats against America’s Jewish communities
- Prayer Initiative: The call for the world to pray in these spiritual, cross-cultural, and military battles
- icejusa.org: The main website of ICEJ, including the 30-year history of this groups active support of Israel and Israelis
Little Girls, Adult Pressures Even the youngest girls feel the pressure to be sexy.
Adult pressures on girls begin early. Dr. Danny Huerta talks about ways parents can help their daughters know that their value is deeper than their appearance. Huerta is a father, a licensed clinical social worker, and the vice president of Parenting for Focus on the Family. “I’ve worked with a lot of young girls that have been in this culture that tells them that one of the most important things that they can do as a teen girl is to be sexy,” says Dr. Danny Huerta, licensed clinical social worker and the vice president of Parenting for Focus on the Family.
He is also the father of a teenaged daughter. “And what I’ve seen with my daughter is her wrestling match with what culture’s saying, what friends are saying in the way they dress and in the way they act and in what they’re talking about, and in what we’re talking about in the home and in what we’re talking about within the church,” he says.
Parents can help their daughters know that they do not need to be sexual to be loved. Their value is deeper than their appearance. “When you give them feedback on who they are, there’s a tendency for a lot of people to say, ‘Oh, man, you’re so beautiful. Look how beautiful you look.’ And that doesn’t mean you’re a bad person if you’ve done that or that you’ve damaged a young girl, but what you can do is expand that and say, ‘Man, I love that thought,’” he says. “Love a variety of things and show that excitement of what you’re discovering in who they are.”
Play our entire conversation (from the player above) to learn about helping girls see themselves not as commodities to be consumed, but as people valued by God with gifts and talents to contribute to the world.
Connect with Focus on the Family’s parenting articles and videos here.
Learn more about Dr. Danny Huerta here.
As another school year begins, parents cannot just "hand off" the education of their children to schools and teachers.
So says professional counselor Christopher Anderson, who offers practical advice on "Real Answers", the Family Life news feature which addresses big issues facing Christians and Christian families.Anderson emphasizes that parents are their children's primary educator, especially on faith training and values awareness. In this conversation:
Developing confidence, when a parent is uncertain whether they are "up to the job" Christopher Anderson's take on parental roles, amid changing social and cultural standards Why many are switching to home schooling, and considerations if you might be pondering that The vital role of parents and families for students who are in public schools How to guide teens in ethical behavior, even if a parent faltered on sinful behavior when they were growing up
Family Life's "Hometown Heroes" Chad Kurtz of Brookville, Pennsylvania, saw the challenges boys face in childhood and their teen years, when a father or father figure is not prominent in their lives. He directs the local chapter of "Truth in Nature", a ministry which matches responsible Christian men with young people who need that kind of positive male influence.
Family Life's "Issues in Education" News Feature is back for the start of the new school year.
Dr. Ralph Kerr, a longtime school administrator and the founder of the Teaching and Learning Institute talks about key issues happening now among classrooms, school boards, and communities. These conversations are important for parents, extended families and taxpayers.
This week:
Migrant crisis in the classroom, Shortages of school bus drivers: The latest update Are the masks coming back at school?
Bob Price is your host. Ralph Kerr and TLI are based in Houghton, New York.
Family Life’s “Capital Connection”
This week marks the “season premiere” of Capital Connection, our Friday noon News Feature with a roundtable of experts on social, cultural and political issues which affect the people of Pennsylvania, New Work, and the entire nation.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer are back from a well-deserved summer break and they “dig deep” on the issues that matter from the state capitals of Harrisburg and Albany. Among the topics happening this week on “Capital Connection”:
- Migrant crisis
- Marijuana Inc.
- How Pro-Lifers can win again at the ballot box
Jason McGuire leads New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms. Michael Geer heads the Pennsylvania Family Institute.
Previous roundtables with these two veteran commentators and other NY and PA opinion leaders are available from the Family Life News Podcasts page. Search for “Capital Connection“.
"Faith Under Fire" Reaction continues to the Pennsylvania governor's decision to cut off state money from Real Alternatives, a network of pregnancy resource centers across the Commonwealth. Alexis Sneller, a policy analyst with the Pennsylvania Family Institute says previous governors -- Democrats and Republicans -- have been okay with those funds going to Planned Parenthood and to pro-life organizations.
Sneller says Planned Parenthood of Pennsylvania has extensive and expensive lobbying efforts to shut down pro-baby options and to emphasize the only option Planned Parenthood favors for women and couples who come to them: abortion.
In this interview, Sneller gives her take on why Planned Parenthood has been so active in befriending the new governor and Pennsylvania's lawmakers. She also talks about what Pregnancy Resource Centers offer to women, babies and families, during pregnancy and afterwards. She also talks about current trends among the general population in the state about support for and opposition to abortion.
Parents can be tempted to make the children the family’s highest priority. But giving our children the best of our time and attention is not actually what’s best for them, according to Dr. Greg Smalley.
Smalley is an author and speaker who serves as vice president of Marriage at Focus on the Family. He says that your children benefit when you make your marriage the priority.
“When our marriage is healthy, everybody wins,” Smalley says.
Giving the marriage priority status means taking the time to stay up to date on your spouse’s hopes and feelings. “We have to continually be rediscovering our spouse,” he says.
It also means making a habit of talking through the times you hurt each other along the way. “We have to repair when we have arguments and when we have conflict and when we hurt each other,” Smalley says. “We’ve got to be willing to repair.”
Everyone in a family benefits when spouses commit to the work of deepening their marriage. “I think if couples are pursuing each other, keeping current and re-discovering each other and then repairing when those conflicts happen, man, those two things alone are going to take us so far as far as staying connected in our marriage,” he says.
Learn more about Dr. Greg Smalley here and here.
It’s “Staycation Destinations” on Family Life!
Each Friday afternoon, our Noon Report took you to a unique location in the Family Life listening area. Our goals were to find a variety of places which connect with a variety of interests, fairly close to home, and fairly affordable — whether for a day trip or a longer journey.
Click here {https://familyliferadio.blubrry.net/?s=staycation} to hear extended versions of these conversations, take a “radio tour” of other stops along our 2023 journeys, or scroll back into previous summers as Family Life took you to many, many other unique and intriguing places in New York and Pennsylvania.
(Use the older posts and newer posts links at the bottom of the page so you can scroll through more of these Staycation Destinations features across the years. You also can enter a specific item or location in the search bar.)
Comedian Jeff Allen has been on the stand-up comedy circuit -- with great success -- across four decades.
His struggles with addiction and his search for meaning found resolution, when a comedian friend asked about his faith. Allen went on a long process which eventually led to his conversion to Christianity. In an extended Family Life Interview -- and in a new book he authored -- Allen talks about how Jesus has brought peace and blessing to his life.
Click this link for a video of some of Jeff's comedy highlights.
(He is credited with coining the phrase "Happy wife...Happy life.")
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“Staycation Destinations” on Family Life
The Strong Museum of Play opened a generation ago (in 1982) and unites multiple generations with the delights– and the necessity! — of play. Rochester native Margaret Woodbury Strong (starting in her childhood) became a prolific collector of dolls, toys and many other household items. Her legacy now brings hundreds of thousands of guests to the Museum of Play, where people of all ages can see and interact with games, electronics, and playthings from across the decades.
This summer marked the opening of a major expansion of The Strong, with 90 thousand new square feet, expanding exhibit space and a welcome area, plus a new outdoor interactive play area. Shane Rhinewald gives us details about what is new. He also describes the history and development of the museum, offers suggestions of what do see, and tells about diverse range of guests. He also talks about why play is so important, plus how strongly people hold memories of their games and toys.
[ Greg Gillispie closes out this feature with a preview — and your invitation — for one last half-hour journey of the summer. On Labor Day, Family Life relieves many of our radio road trips from our summer Fridays. We will give you highlights from our 2023 Staycation Destinations, plus add in one brand new stop you haven’t heard yet. Join us for our Labor Day Staycation Special, online and on the air, Monday September 4 at 12 Noon. ]
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Side Trip Suggestion: The “Smallest Church in New York” … and quite possibly the World
Each weekend, we also add a note and a picture from another unique spot in the Family Life Listening area, for you to know about — and perhaps decide to visit.
It doesn’t matter which search engine you use, it won’t take long until the Internet tells you that dozens of various U.S. states claim to host “the smallest church building in the world”. However, one in Oneida, New York, might be more diminutive that a lot of others that advertise itself as such.Plus the World Record Academy does give this one the official status as “the world’s smallest (non-denominational) church.”
In addition to its comparative size Cross Island Chapel has a lot of uniqueness going for it. It sits on a platform in the middle of the lake. Even with only two seats, the chapel is put to use as a holy space fairly frequently. With internal dimensions of 51 inches by 81 inches, there is room for a groom and a bride and a clergyperson. If this ever becomes your “destination wedding” setting, your friends can join you there. They may have to watch and listen from a collection of boats floating outside.
"Faith Under Fire" A new academic year begins, and the president of a Christian university in the Family Life listening area offers insights into a trend he sees: some students are moving away from traditional colleges whose curricula, faculty and motivations differ from what some families see as their own academic and social priorities. Houghton University's President Wayne Lewis says the 24-hour news cycle and the reach of social media has given young people and their parents more information about how students are accepted and supported in their college experience. Dr. Lewis says students should not feel ostracized if they hold positions which differ from those of their professors. At his school, he says administrators strive to assure that students feel welcome at a Biblically-centered university, wherever that student may be on the conservative-moderate-liberal spectrum.
Also in this conversation with news producer Greg Gillispie, the president offers a bright and optimistic picture of today's college students -- and the energy and faith of young Christian adults.
You can hear (or download) our previous interview on similar topics with President Lewis last semester on our News Podcasts page.
Dr. Wayne Lewis became president of Houghton University two years ago and is a strong spokesperson for the gospel and for Christian higher education. You can read his blog and hear other conversations with him here and here.
A Christian law firm is suing the state of California for violating its own election laws. At issue is the inability to track whether mail-in ballots are actually cast by the voters who are legally allowed to cast a ballot.
Mariah Gondeiro is an attorney with Advocates for Faith and Freedom, which has already won one judgment from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. After a California judge ruled that the citizens group The Election Integrity Project was submitting simple "garden variety" voting irregularities, their lawyers have again appealed to the Ninth Circuit. The Election Integrity Project claims to have well over 1,000 signed affidavits proving violation of vote-counting laws over the past ten years in California alone.
Gondeiro gives Family Life News the concerns the Project has over ballot handling, an update on the lawsuit, and her take on why people in every state should be active in the push for election integrity.
The Election Integrity Project has now trained 20,000 Californians to be official poll watchers for 2024.
Comedian Jeff Allen's comedy videos have amassed 400 million views online. The humor on stage was accompanied by desperation and a search for meaning and value in the rest of his life.
In this second segment of our conversation, the 40-year veteran performer tells of the sadness and desperation which led to his Christian conversion.
Here are some of Jeff's comedy highlights:
Growing up in America... Happy Wife = Happy Life...
Listen for more from Jeff Allen this coming Tuesday, September 5, during the Family Life Noon Report, on our live stream and on the radio.
Part One of this conversation with Family Life's Mark Webster is here for listening, downloading or sharing.
"the Dark Side of social media" It goes without saying: parents would not intentionally toss their children into a swimming pool filled with sharks. The presenters at an upcoming seminar, though, say that is essentially what we are doing when we allow children and teens access to much of social media.
Lisa Hansen(from Power over Predators) and Joseph Sweeney (from the Asservo Project) invite families to their workshop this October. On our Monday Noon Report, Terese Main shares important insights from Lisa Hansen who delves into the dark side of social media, discussing the physical dangers and potential exploitation. The United States has 500,000 online sexual predators -- half a million people who are a potential danger to your children and their friends.
"Lisa believes our children are our most vulnerable and valuable treasure—begging to be cherished and protected. She is convinced that every life matters, and every story deserves the chance for a happy ending."
This is important information for parents, grandparents, teachers, church leaders and law enforcement personnel to have. It is important motivation for all of us to have.
Further resources :
A video library for parents One of several things you can share with your teens and preteens The scope of child trafficking in America, and proactive steps you can take Register now for this regional seminar which happens Saturday, October 21 (Tickets must be purchased in advance.)
https://www.familylife.org/events/the-dark-side-of-social-media-seminar/
"Staycation Destinations" on Family Life Presque Isle extends about five miles into Lake Erie, giving northwest Pennsylvanians -- and visitors from a wide range of the region -- a combination of lake front beaches, walking trails, natural settings and so much more.
Environmental Education Specialist Tom Laskos gives us a radio tour of Presque Isle State Park.
Presque Isle State Park is just west of Erie in Mill Creek Township, Pennsylvania.
Family Life's "Faith Under Fire" A new conversation with a parent-rights advocate Randy Thomasson, who is among a throng citizens who oppose proposed California legislation which would insert support tor transgender-transition advocacy into the state's child custody battle. The founder of SaveCalifornia.com expands that theme to the national level battles which are happening around gender and other social contentious social issues.
Thomasson says mainstream positions are gaining momentum in many places. That continues, as people with traditional values -- be they Democrats, Republicans, or Independents -- step forward, speak out and act. He offers advice specifically for Pennsylvania and New York parents.
Update on California Bill AB-957: Thomasson also spoke with Family Life earlier this summer as this bill was being debated in the California State Assembly. This week (August 21) the state Senate there approved moving the bill forward to a floor vote for final approval. You can listen to, share or download that earlier conversation from our News Podcasts page.
Bridging divides -- and loving as Jesus loved -- amid this era of conflict, in the church and in the culture: “Strive actively for peace” Conflict over presidential politics and pandemic precautions revealed the substantial divisions between Christians that we live with today. “The divisions that we’re seeing in the American church—the conversations—are not different than the ones that are happening in the world. Every institution is going through this,” says pastor and author Daniel Darling. “But as Christians we have an opportunity to model something different. That Jesus said that the world would know that we are His by the way we love each other.”
Darling writes about which things should divide us -- and which things should not -- in his new book Agents of Grace.
“I think part of that is understanding the things that we need to contend for, right?” he asks. “Paul says to Timothy ‘fight the good fight.’ And then there are other things that are important but not ultimate, right? He also tells Timothy, later in 2 Timothy, to avoid stupid and foolish questions.” We should be able to live in unity with believers who differ with us on the less important choices that are part of living as a Christian. If there’s going to be division, it should only be to defend what’s essential to the Gospel.
“I think we have that upside down a little bit,” Darling says, “and we’ve succumbed to the sort of divisiveness of the spirit of the age.”
So how do we learn to bridge divides and love as Jesus loved? One way, Darling suggests, is to choose not to assume bad motives on the part of believers we disagree with. Another way is to faithfully hold on to our friends, even when we disagree with them. “These are hard and tumultuous times, and the more that we hang on to our friendships, the more that we love our brothers and sisters, the more we can do together. I think the Enemy—Satan—really wants to divide Christians and get us distracted so that we can’t fulfill the mission of God,” Darling says.
That said, Darling sees many reasons to hold onto hope for the Church. “God is active and alive today. We should ask ourselves, ‘What is God up to? What is God doing? What is He about to do in the world? And how do we join Him?’”
Learn more about Daniel Darling here and here.
Comedian Jeff Allen has been honing his craft on the stand-up comedy circuit, on television, and in corporate and faith-based settings.
He works his funny business "clean", but in this exclusive Family Life interview, Allen acknowledges his life was messy, prior to his conversion to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
In this feature, he tells our Mark Webster about his Chicago upbriging, the work of creating comedy, and how faith reshaped his life.
Click this link for a video of some of Jeff's comedy highlights.
(He is credited with coining the phrase "Happy wife...Happy life.")
Listen for more from Jeff Allen this coming Tuesday, August 29, during the Family Life Noon Report, on our live stream and on the radio.
It's "Staycation Destinations" on Family Life A World War II soldier carried art supplies with him onto battlefields. When he could, he painted to find balance amid the violence around him. After his return home in western New York, Larry Griffis Jr. felt a tug between his budding career running a family business, and fulfilling his inner calling to be an artist. In this Family Life News Feature, you will hear how the choice he made led to an outdoor sculpture museum near East Otto, New York.
The Griffis Sculpture Park offers a unique collection of large steel sculptures, by Griffis and other nationally- and internationally-renown artists. As the founder's granddaughter Nila Griffis Lampman tells us, this is an incredibly opportune day trip for anyone, but especially for families with young children. Unlike many art museums where young children might be bored ("don't run...", "don't touch...") this sculpture park encourages young guests to climb on giant animal sculptures and more. It's all outdoors, with room to walk, play and picnic. Hiking trails connect the 250+ pieces throughout the 450-acre park.
Lampman tells the fascinating story of her grandfather's life journey, artistic discoveries, and his philosophy on making the results of creative endeavors accessible to children.
Griffis Sculpture Park is in Cattaraugus County, about halfway between Buffalo and Salamanca on Route 219. (The park's annual Summer Festival is Sunday afternoon, August 20, 2023. Night Lights happen selected weekends in September and October)
“Staycation Destinations” is our weekly summer series, broadcast each Friday at noon on the radio and online, then posted to our News Podcasts page. Each offers a radio tour of a unique site in Pennsylvania or New York, close to home, relatively inexpensive, and good for a potential day trip or longer visit.
Each weekend, we also give you a “Sidetrip Suggestion” another place in our two states which stands out in a unique, quirky, or enlivening way.
Eckley Miners' Village at Weatherly, Pennsylvania, offers a free walking tour (dawn to dusk) where you can stroll into the 19th Century at what was said to the largest concentration of anthracite coal in the world. Historic buildings show what a company town of the era looked like. A state commission oversees the attraction, and a museum and guided tours are scheduled. This is about 25 miles south of Wilkes-Barre, not far from the I-80 / I-81 interchange.
"Faith Under Fire" Joe Kennedy became a high school assistant football coach at Bremerton High School, as a part of a strengthening Christian faith and a deep sense of calling. After personal prayers on the field after games, later some students and fans would join him at the 50-yard-line.
After he was suspended and eventually fired because the school did not want him promoting religion, an eight-year legal battle followed. This spring, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that his First Amendment rights to "free exercise of religion" superceded the school's contention that a school employee could not promote a specific religion (the First Amendment's "establishment" clause).
This week as the fall football season begins, "Coach Joe" and his faith and his team are drawing new coverage from Seattle-area and national media, Family Life revisits an interview we had with Kennedy when he came to New York State on a speaking tour.
More about Joe Kennedy's life, faith, ministry and sense of calling is available here.
Family Life’s “Staycation Destinations” The Buffalo Transportation Pierce-Arrow Museum owns one million pieces of memorabilia, from small automotive mementos to classic cars, carriages, motorcycles and bicycles.
Co-founder Jim Sandoro talks not only about the current exhibits at the museum, but also how a prosperous city became home to the manufacturers of -- and consumers for -- the top of the line Pierce-Arrow vehicles built in Buffalo. In this Family Life news feature, you also will hear how Sandoro's love of Pierce-Arrows took him from childhood to become an expert collector of transportation memorability. (There is also an overlap between Sandoro, the company that makes Jello, and Robbie and Mike Wolfe of the American Pickers TV show.)
The museum in downtown Buffalo, New York, is open Thursdays through Sundays.
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“Staycation Destinations” is our weekly summer series, broadcast each Friday at noon on the radio and online, then posted to our News Podcasts page. Each offers a radio tour of a unique site in New York or Pennsylvania, close to home, relatively inexpensive, and good for a potential day trip or longer visit.
Each weekend, we also give you a “Sidetrip Suggestion” another place in our two states which stands out in a unique, quirky, or enlivening way.
“The
When the founding generation of the United States were developing the Bill of Rights, freedoms of religion and speech and press and assembly were written into the Constitution. One guarantee which did was discussed by James Madison -- but which did not make it into these amendments -- was freedom of conscience. The guest on today's "Faith Under Fire" feature tells us that the founders presumed that personal beliefs and conscience were covered by the freedom of religion.
Dr. Paul Kengor tells Family Life that -- amid a "cancel culture" -- there are dangers when certain speech and thoughts are considered off-limits. Kengor is the director of the Institute for Faith and Freedom at Grove City College in Pennsylvania gives us the history of free speech and free thought, then discusses the implications of a society which divides itself into ideological factions.
Kengor says individuals and religious groups must be allowed to stand up for their core values, even to those who oppose those positions. He challenges anyone who promotes "diversity and inclusion" to be inclusive in return to other people who have divergent views from theirs.
Paul Kengor is a professor of Political Science at GCC and is the editor of the American Spectator, a magazine and online journal of political and social thought. "Faith Under Fire" airs Thursdays on the Family Life Noon Report, exploring where Christ, Christians and Culture intersect, overlap, and hopefully seek truth.
Many Christians have less of a "handle" on Old Testament scripture as they do from the Gospels and New Testament letters. A church leader in Lancaster, New York, is preparing to address some of that lack of familiarity with the Hebrew portions of the Christian Bible.
Glenn Tanner will lead a four-month series of video-based Bible studies called the Genesis Academy. He tells us about the need to have the Creation story in minds and hearts, as a foundation for deepened understanding of the full message of the Bible. The Genesis Academy series will be offered starting after Labor Day (2023) at Lancaster Presbyterian Church.
A western Pennsylvania golf course has been open for 110 years, but in all that time, it hasn’t brought in a dime in green fees. The founder of Buhl Park in the Sharon/Hermitage area thought that the sport of golf taught so many life lessons, he wanted a place where the entire community could learn, play, and become better citizens. This is the only free nine-hole golf course in the nation. The park’s executive director Tom Roskos gives us a tour through the genesis of Frank Buhl’s dream, how many golfers arrive to shoot a round, and the other recreational and nature opportunities at Buhl Park.
Often, our “Faith Under Fire” features delve into cultural issues, government policies and Federal court rulings. Today though, our conversation looks at another frequent matter which puts our faith under fire: sorrow.
A Christian author whose son died years ago, before the baby had turned one year old, says wherever our griefs start, there is always a path forward, sometimes reliant on a new focus and new perspective. When people focus only on the past – or only on themselves – sorrow can be hard to shake. Grief is not erased, but has less power whenever a hurting person is able to help another hurting person. He says that we can move forward with reliance on the promises of the Bible, that God abides with the broken-hearted, and gives them a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).
Richard Battle faces his own battles as a grieving father. His journey led him to be an author, motivational speaker and advisor. In this interview with Greg Gillispie, he speaking about the significance of the title and theme of the latest of his books: The Unopened Present.
A first-person story, on the dangers of gender-transitioning medical treatments and surgery. A 19-year-old, Chloe Cole, spoke on Capitol Hill in the past week, and today's Family Life News-Feature includes her opening statement to Congress.The California teen was 12 years old when she was put on hormone blockers and testosterone. In the following five years, she went through numerous surgeries to become male, but would regret her transition, and became one of many thousands who "de-transitioned" back toward her original body. But, there are permanent scars --- physical and emotional. Here is her compelling, cautionary tale.
Agricultural interests across the nation are looking for ways to maintain product safety while streamlining the regulation processes involved throughout the industry. Some proponents say legislation now being debated in D.C. -- the "PRIME" Act -- would make it easier for smaller operations and family farms to sell pork, beef and other products, without overbearing and sometimes-arbitrary USDA inspections.
Family Life's Abigail Hofland compiles some of the testimony and commentary about the PRIME Act -- "Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption" Act. New York Representative Claudia Tenney was among those speaking at the recent congressional hearing. Others in agri-business also offered their experiences and recommendations. The proposed legislation has 33 Republican and 6 Democratic co-sponsors in the House.
Family Life's "Staycation Destinations" for Summer 2023 "Ska-Nonh" translates into English, roughly, as "peace and wellness" or "I am glad it is well with you.
That Native American vocabulary -- and philosophy -- gave the name to the Ska-nonh Great Law of Peace Center along the shore of Onandaga Lake in central New York. The Skanonh Center is a living museum which celebrates the culture, history and contributions of multiple nations which found unity they share as the Haudenosaunee People.
The Center is now a project of the Onandaga History Association. Executive Director Lisa Moore offers us an overview of the Haudenosaunee stories, and she provides details of what visitors can experience.
"The things we have a tendency to overlook take on a new level of importance. In Haudenosaunee tradition, being grateful and giving thanks is a regular practice in both everyday life and at special occasions. The Thanksgiving Address, or “The Words that Come Before All Else,” is delivered in Native Haudenosaunee languages at both the beginning and the end of social gatherings, celebrations, and council meetings; and it is recited each morning at the beginning of the school day."
The Ska-nonh Center is open Wednesdays through Saturdays, and is located on the Onondaga Lake Parkway at Liverpool, northwest of Syracuse. Details and schedules are here.
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"Faith Under Fire" When people of faith look at the realities of abuse, violence, addictions and so many more social issues, a lot of the analysis describes these as the culture's "problems". Craig DeRoche told a New York pro-family, pro-faith conference -- and now tells Family Life listeners -- that the vocabulary and perspective on "problems" and "solutions" need to change...if we are to bring a resolution and hope to all these circumstances around us.
DeRoche is the president of the Family Policy Alliance. He says we need to reverse the terms "problems" and "solutions". The troubles around us are less about problems to be solved, but can be better understood as inadequate and unhelpful solutions to the deeper problems people have. As a follower of Christ, he says lives of faith and discipleship are the only solutions that work. He tells his first-person story about how Jesus resolved his own inner problems, and thereby his marriage, family and vocation became better than they ever were before.
DeRoche, in his own work with the national organization, also advocates for this understanding of problems and solutions as he advocates for public policy in his interactions with lawmakers. He calls on people who have discovered the True Solution to be active in their households, local communities, regional and statewide groups, and other ways of faith-sharing and solution-solving.
The Family Policy Alliance has partnerships with organizations in 40 states, including New York and Pennsylvania. Craig DeRoche also spoke at the 2023 Legislative Day in Albany. He hosts a weekly podcast on with stories on culture and faith.
"Teaching the Names of Jesus" It’s helpful to use simple terms when we teach children about God. It also can be clarifying for adults, says pastor and author Jimmy Dodd.
“It’s really important to be able to just explain theology on a really, really basic level,” he says.
Jimmy Dodd and Sally Dodd are coauthors of the new children’s prayer guide The Magnificent Names of Jesus. “Just to think about the names of Jesus and just actually remember those can have an impact, I think, upon the family, upon the church, upon our community,” Dodd says. That’s because knowing Jesus’ names help us know His character.
“Jesus is, in lots of ways, He’s like a diamond. And there are just lots of facets,” he says. “As you turn that diamond you see these different facets. Being familiar with those facets can help us, as adults, remember what God has promised—and what He hasn’t promised.
“I think that sometimes as adults we hold God in contempt for promises that He never made,” he says. “And so let’s hold on to those promises that He has made.”
Learn more about Jimmy Dodd here.
Your world, your challenges, your faith. When the faith within engages the world without, there's power. It's living life from the Inside Out. Martha Manikas-Foster hosts the "Inside Out" feature on Family Life, on the air and online.
Family Life's "Hometown Heroes" gets the first-person story of the start of Matthew 25 Farm in Tully, New York, south of Syracuse. It was winter a decade and a half ago, and there was no farm, no property and no equipment -- just a spiritual calling.
Rick Rarick explains how the farm became a reality for the team of a brother, a husband and wife, and a son. The operation grows fresh produce which is distributed to shelters, food pantries and soup kitchens throughout central New York. The team's motivation is Christ's calling that "you give them something to eat." (Matthew 25)
Volunteers help run the farm -- and in the process are taught how to farm. More farms means more fresh food which can have a huge impact on communities in need. A diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables helps improve individual health and eventually cuts health care costs in the local community and around the nation.
Listen now as Mark Webster has this faith-filled conversation with Rarick. about how this farm is providing for human needs in the area, inspiration for refugees who have arrived here, and motivates faith through their actions
We find your home, your town, your hero -- each Tuesday during the Noon Report on air and online. These News Features also are posted online. Our News Podcasts page also has a link where you can subscribe to be notified each time your favorite feature posts a new episode.
Family Life "Missions Pulse" How can various parts of the Christian Church interact with others, particularly those who were in an Amish community, but left not only their home but their religious background?
Joe Keim, himself formerly Amish, has launched a ministry to welcome and support others who decided to give up their identities as participants in the Amish lifestyle, and therefore often feel disconnected from their pasts -- and their families.
Keim says one of the best ways to share our faith, especially with people whose backgrounds are different than ours, is to ask good questions about Jesus.
Family Life's "Staycation Destinations" for Summer 2023 Tucked into the Finger Lakes region of New York is the Women's Rights National Historical Park. It's so appropriate that this launching point of a major movement in American culture is this week's "Staycation Destination", because this week is the 175th anniversary which made Seneca Falls a historic site.
On July 19-20, 1848, more than 300 people gathered at the Weslyan Methodist Chapel for a first-of-its-kind Women's Rights Convention. The event resulted in a "Declaration of Sentiments", a document which paralleled the Declaration of Independence of 72 years earlier and which now is recognized as the founding statement of the women's rights movement which eventually would spread through the nation and the world. The declaration was signed by 100 women and men.
Park Ranger Rebecca Weaver gives us the inspiring stories of that Convention which predates the Civil War, details of the 175th anniversary celebration there and throughout the Seneca Falls community (July 21-23, 2023), and an inviting glimpse into what the Park offers for its visitors year-round.
During scheduled programs, reenactors portray Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Mary Ann M'Clintock and other leaders of the movement. As part of the National Park Service, the Women's Rights Park charges no admission fees, and it is open 362 days a year.
Seneca Falls is in the Finger Lakes region, near a midpoint between Syracuse and Rochester.
This week's Side Trip Suggestion:
Sculptures made of old metal highway signs.
Go a mile or so east of the Meadville exit off I-79 in western Pennsylvania, and you will see a wide-ranging quarter mile of unique art. Sculptures and panoramas at the PENNDOT facility along the north side of Highway 322 have been made from out-of-service reflective metal road signs. See if you (and your travel companions) can find anything from hot air balloons, to a Ferris Wheel, to a singing cowboy, to 3-D flower gardens. (Park at a safe place nearby, and walk along the display called "Read Between the Signs".)
[New this summer, each of our "Staycation Destinations" podcast posts will also describe one additional tourist site in the Family Life listening area. It could be a quirky attraction, a new activity, or something else that you may discover is worth seeking out.]
"Faith Under Fire" A parents-rights advocate says proposed laws are putting children and teen at risk. Randy Thomasson of SaveCalifornia.com updates us on a proposed California law now up for amendments and a vote this month (July 2023) in their state senate. This, he says, opens dangers for underage children in every state.
The legislation seeks to place a parent's affirmation of of their child's preferred gender identity among the criteria considered in child custody cases. That would mean in a case of a divorce or when a child or teen runs away (even from outside of California), judges would consider a parent who disagrees with the child's announced gender role, the health and safety of the child could be considered "at risk" with that parent.
Thomasson tells Family Life's Greg Gillispie that hundreds of California parents (from both sides of the aisle) showed up in the capitol building during hearings, strongly opposed to the proposed change in the law. He predicts it will pass and get the governor's signature.
There have been similar pushes for such laws in New York and other states. Thomasson offers advice for families everywhere, in how to protect their own children and teens amid the current culture wars.
More on the California legislation, and its potential effects elsewhere:
Many lawmakers in Sacramento support Assembly Bill AB-957, Lobbying by SaveCalifornia.com. Multiple thousands who had body-altering procedures, while they were underage, are now regretting that choice. Some want to reverse the surgery or hormone treatments.
Therapists and mental health counselors can guide people through some significant challenges in life. Physicians and psychiatrists can also be of help, sometimes with recommendations on medications which can provide benefits for individuals with mental health challenges or illnesses.
On this edition of "Real Answers", licensed Christian counselor Christopher Anderson offers his professional observations on how medicines and mental health can intertwine and provide a context where counseling can become even more effective. He cautions though that some people who stop taking prescribed medication without a doctor's advice might see anxiety or depression recur.
Anderson also offers his advice for those Christians who lean against -- or who are strongly opposed -- to mental health medications. He offers his take on how use of these prescriptions is not contradictory to a faithful Christian lifestyle.
(Important note: All use of such medications are subject to the supervision of a prescribing medical doctor. Be sure to talk with your own personal physician or nurse practitioner regarding limits, recommendations, and appropriate care for you or your family member, especially geared for you unique situation.)
(Therapeutic or pastoral counseling can also be a productive aspect of a person's process toward recovery or growth.)
Family Life "Missions Pulse"
While Russian and Ukrainian fighters are on the front lines of what has become a 500-day war in Europe, Christian mission workers are on the "front lines" of helping those civilians caught up in the crossfire. It is not only the deaths and destruction of infrastructure directly related to weapons and bombs, this war created a huge flood disaster when a major dam was breached.
Mission Eurasia is among the ministries seeing to resolve human needs, restore communities, and renew hope. Coordinator Barry Gardner tells us about what is happening as Christians are at work in a war zone. Often, Mission Eurasia emphasizes support and empowerment for local congregations. Hear about the hundreds of thousands of people who are receiving practical help and spiritual witness, even from just one ministry group.
"Missions Pulse" with Abigail Hofland explores the heartbeat of missions through conversations with those at the center of Christ-centered service. Listen alternating Mondays during the Family Life Noon Report, and find our podcasts on FamilyLife.org.
Staycation Destinations for Summer 2023 Untold hundreds of battles littered the nation when the American Civil War decimated this nation. Yet one which happened July 1-3, 1863, has become etched in U.S. history, in part because of of the two-minute, 272-word address President Abraham Lincoln would deliver to commemorate the war dead at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. A new tourist site opened there this spring (April 2023) to not only commemorate the battle, but life in that part of southern Pennsylvania.
The Gettysburg Beyond the Battle Museum certainly looks at that battle, the war, and the Gettysburg Address. Yet, the Adams County Historical Society developed its expanded museum with an expanded role -- to tell the story of the local area before, during, and after the 1860s.
Michaela Shaffer, our guest for this week's Family Life "Staycation Destinations", offers insights into the museums artifacts, displays and interactive experiences at Beyond the Battle. Find out about Native American cultures who lived in the area. Hear how the museum as recreated for visitors a full sensory experience of what it was like to be trapped in your farmhouse when a major battle breaks out all around you. Shaffer also provides a few stories about another president -- in retirement Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower returned to the Gettysburg area to buy a local farm, decades after his military career included training and service in the area. This museum features a number of areas where it is OK to touch and hold history, so it has something of interest to all ages.
Gettysburg is in the south-central section of Pennsylvania.
This week's Side Trip Suggestion:
What color is the light on top of a traffic signal? There is one in the Family Life listening area which defies the most common response.
The Tippery Hill traffic signal in Syracuse, New York is the only one in the world which is described as upside-down. The statue of a family looking at the sight might describe it that way, but the 1920s' residents of the mostly-Irish neighborhood were fine with the Irish green above what was seen as the British red. City leaders eventually gave in, but the state insisted the colors be put in the traditional order. However, each time it was "fixed", the traffic signal "somehow" stopped working. Once the green-on-top was allowed to stay, no further "troubles" were reported.
[New this summer, each of our "Staycation Destinations" podcast posts will also describe one additional tourist site in the Family Life listening area. It could be a quirky attraction, a new activity, or something else that you may discover is worth seeking out.]
During our one-day "Project REACH" on Family Life, there are adjustments to some of our regularly-scheduled programming.
Here is what is happening today in New York, Pennsylvania, and around the world.
Gary Woodruff and his family provide the "Photos For Souls" website. It offers photos, internet memes and thought-starter writings to help encourage Christians and to share the faith with others. They also run the Traveling Chapel, collecting bibles and other Christian literature for those in need.
Hear this conversation about the evangelistic website, plus the genesis of the Traveling Chapel. "Photos For Souls" also offers free-to-use images for worship video presentations and church bulletins. It is an outreach sponsored by the Wellsville (NY) Bible Church.
You may even be inspired to share this podcast link with others -- or talk about this project with people in your local congregation.
Among many other highlights, Hammondsport, New York, is home to the Glenn Curtis Museum. Curtis was an engineer and an inventor who is credited with "teaching the world to fly". His work with bicycles, motorcycles and aircraft pushed all of those industries into faster futures. His innovations led to advancement in the Navy's aviation programs.
Hammondsport also is a destination for tourists and return visitors, with its lakeside opportunities and a vibrant village square.
Take a trip to this village in the FingerLakes region. Family Life's Mark Webster is your tour guide through its history and its modern-day attractions, this week on "Family Life Hometowns".
Staycation Destinations for Summer 2023 It's 47 miles long, carved 1,000 to 1,400 feet deep, and it's found in north central Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, also known as the Pine Creek Gorge, is our first tour stop for our 2023 "Staycation Destinations" on Family Life. Each Friday for the summer, we take you to a unique destination that is fairly close to home and relatively inexpensive. Greg Gillispie will map out these attractions and adventures in varied areas of Pennsylvania and New York.
Colleen Hanson, who has four years experience at the executive director of Visit Potter-Tioga based in Wellsboro, guides us through the hiking and biking and kayaking in the region, the natural beauty, a summer mountain music concert series, and theater productions. The area is also famous as one of the best places on the continent -- if not the whole planet! -- for stargazing, as a "dark sky" park far from Earth-based light which distracts your view.
After a tenuous debate and weeks of negotiation, the Pennsylvania legislature agreed to a budget bill which would allow "the money to follow the student". State Representative Clint Owlett authored the "Life-Line Scholarship" program which would have given families school-choice options.
Gov. Josh Shapiro announced this week that he would use his executive authority to strike that element out of the new law.
Family Life aired an extended interview with Owlett to get more background, plus his reaction to these latest developments.
“Ramifications of Recent Supreme Court Rulings” The U.S. Supreme Court majority announced major rulings in the past week, deciding cases related to religious freedoms, affirmative action, and the write-offs of some students' college loans.
Family Life News aired an extended conversation to get beyond the quick headlines -- and past the partisan "spin" -- and gather analysis on some of these major rulings from the the final days of the Court's current term. Our guest is Jeremy Samek of the Independence Law Center. He was active in the lawsuits brought by a Christian postal worker in Pennsylvania and a website designer who was sued for discrimination, pushing against First Amendment rights of freedom of religious expression.
The Dobbs decision at the U.S. Supreme Court last June transformed the models used by the pro-life movement, abortion providers, and those who favor access to abortion.
We have reached out to numerous entities affected in this first full year since Roe v. Wade was overturned and remanded back to state legislatures to set laws, restrictions and funding for each state and D.C.
Jim Harden, director of Compass-Care in western and central New York joined Family Life this week on the radio and online for "Faith Under Fire".
Harden offers his reflections on the past year, as well as with the very first-hand experience of having one Comfort-Care facility set on fire before the Dobbs decision was officially announced. He expresses frustration that federal law enforcement to date has not arrested any suspects, even the government agents have numerous interactions with few pro-life advocates across the country.
Dobbs case overturns Roe v. Wade -- One-Year Later This past Saturday marked the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. By a 6-3 majority, the Court remanded decisions on abortion law back the state courts and state legislatures. The determination that any "right to abortion" is not a Constitutionally-mandated requirement related to privacy rights.
In the year since, about half of the states have enacted some restrictions and oversight of the abortion industry, while the other half are enacting ways to help doctors end pregnancies via surgical or pharmaceutical means.
For local Pennsylvania and New York perspectives on the pro-life movement a year after Dobbs, Family Life interviewed Alexis Sneller (a pro-life advocate with the Pennsylvania Family Institute in Harrisburg) and John Gramlich (board president at Caring Choices Pregnancy Centers of Rochester and Webster).
(Family Life News has also reached out to Planned Parenthood clinics in both states, for their perspectives on the anniversary of the end of Roe v. Wade.)
President Biden's actions to write-off some of the college loans for some college students has been controversial. Some who would benefit from Executive Branch forgiveness of student debt wonder how they would add loan payments to their current personal budgets. Others though say it is unfair to force those loan costs onto people who paid up front for their education, didn't take Federal loans, went to a Christian university which doesn't get entangled with government funds -- and anyone who never went to college.
A decision from the U.S. Supreme Court is expected any day.
A New York-based financial adviser predicts that the Court will rule that Mr. Biden had no legislative authority to simply write off some debts for some students. The wrangling has cost the government billions every month, and a ruling could through young people who haven't begun paying off the loans they signed into financial crisis.
College loan expert Paul Celuch was a special guest on the June 23 Family Life Noon Report to discuss student loans, college costs, and options for every student and family who wrestles with debt. He talks about how higher education has relatively little reason to hold down costs, especially after the student loan program was taken away from private lenders a decade ago, and solely rests with the government.
This podcast version of that interview also has some Bonus Content in addition to what was heard during this Noon Report.
Faith Under Fire: First Amendment protections for students and their parents Parents are increasingly being ignored, targeted and attacked – for protecting the rights of their children in school settings. Family Life talked with a Christian attorney who says what is happening to the young people is even worse.
A 15-year-old student in a Clark County school district in Nevada was forced to perform a profanity-laced, sexually explicit, and obscene monologue before the entire class as a graded assignment. School officials then lied to the parents. Although the teen girl had been forced to say those words in front of her class the school board prevented the student's mother from reading aloud those same words in a public meeting of adults.
Abigail Southerland of the American Center for Law and Justice explains the case for us, as well as the multiple efforts which the parents made to complain to the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts. (The girl's father had to do so virtually, as he was on a military deployment.)
A decision from the Federal Court is expected soon. Because of the First Amendment issues raised, there could be an appeal of the verdict, to address what the plaintiffs call compelled speech for the student and restricted speech for the parents.
Bonus content:
A written summary of the experiences of this family and the case before the Nevada Court ACLJ's one-page guide on the Free Speech rights of all students in schools nationwide.
Christian agencies and Christian households have been, for centuries, leaders in providing care, love and nurture for children who do not have another safe home.
Where do people of faith get motivated to do so? Often, from their congregations.
Lifeway Research surveyed American Christians about how often they hear about adoption and foster care from their churches' leaders and programs. Executive Director Scott McConnell joins Greg Gillispie to talk about what their researchers found, plus how that promotion of unique ministry to children and teens has changed in recent years. McConnell also offers analysis of how pastors and other church leaders can use these trends to encourage more support for the next generation, whether it is a family exploring whether and how to be adoptive parents and siblings, or a foster family -- or for those who need a different opportunity, options to support the young people and their new families in other ways.
This conversation is a timely companion to this week's Family Life "Hometown Heroes". Listen for that feature here, about a local angle on supporting foster kids and foster families. Foster Hope New York offers that kind of advocacy and encouragement in the Syracuse region and central New York.
Issues in Education Controversial new guidance on gender-identities from the NYS Education Department --- plus how to mitigate Summer “Learning Loss”
Dr. Ralph Kerr, founder of the “Teaching and Learning Institute” has the latest education issues in the news, in this conversation with Family Life's Bob Price.
This week's edition of "Issues in Education" is our 2022-23 "season finale", as this program takes a “summer break” - but don’t worry, Kerr will be back with the start of the upcoming school year, to help you analyze issues and actions in school districts where you live, and throughout New York and Pennsylvania.
"Capital Connection" It's our Friday exploration of weighty issues in the news from the state capitals of Albany and Harrisburg. This week's discussion includes Christian watchdogs are Jason McGuire (executive director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms) and Dan Bartkowiak (communications director at the Pennsylvania Family Institute).
Among the topics you will hear:
Budget blues in Albany and Harrisburg Slave reparations study in NY Why PA taxpayers are funding sex change operations on underage kids
The high school football coach fired for praying in public is back on the job this summer, after winning his First-Amendment lawsuit at the U.S. Supreme Court.
Joe Kennedy started his coaching career, after sensing a personal calling in response to watching the Christian sports movie, "Facing the Giants". In gratitude to God for this privilege, Kennedy began praying at the 50-yard-line by himself, but some students later joined him. He would be reprimanded, then fired, and lost several court cases before winning in the Supreme Court.
Kennedy was a featured speaker at the recent 2023 Legislative Day sponsored by New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms. Greg Gillispie interviewed “Coach Joe” during his time at Albany, New York.
Bonus content:
Coach Joe Kennedy's website Details about the legal processes which led to his successful Supreme Court ruling A video of his story, struggles and successes
Rural Churches Face Post-Pandemic Challenges ... with Resilience and an Encouraged Theology
Although resilient, small rural churches are contending with fallout from the pandemic. “There were some differing opinions and strongly held, so I think that we need to reconnect and move beyond that,” says author, pastor, and professor Glenn Daman. His 2018 book focusing on rural churches, The Forgotten Church, received Christianity Today's Award of Merit for The Church/Pastoral Leadership.
Daman points out that the pandemic also revealed the impact of media content and the internet on how people think--even within rural churches. The internet guides users to perspectives similar to what they’ve already sought out, so people often are not hearing opinions that challenge what they’ve been exposed to. “So, in some ways, the greatest threat to the distorting of truth is ourselves,” he says.
How can church leaders respond to the changed cultural landscape after COVID? “I think we continually have to challenge people to think biblically,” he says. “The politician is not the person we’re to turn to for truth. We need to be turning to Scripture and to the foundation of what the Scripture teaches as we form our perspective on our world and on our culture.”
Daman assures us that there’s reason for pastors and leaders to feel encouraged. “The biggest thing we need to remember in all this is God’s the one who builds the church. He didn’t say, ‘You go out and build the Church.’ He says, ‘Upon this rock I will build my Church.’ ‘Some plant, some water, but I will build the Church.’ God is still building His Church. And nothing can stop that,” Daman says. “Our job is to be faithful. Preach His Word. Love the people. And if we do that, we’re being effective regardless of what the outward results are. Because God is at work.”
Listen to our 18-minute conversation to hear about Glenn Daman’s newest book, The Lighthouse.
For further insights and inspiration on these matters:
Learn more about Glenn Daman here. RuralMinistry.net has reflections on congregational vitality, resources for training and equipping leadership from the membership, and practical encouragement from Glenn Daman and others on how to sustain faithful ministry in rural churches (and small churches in other locations too).
The Shape of Campus Ministry Today Steve Cheyney tells us about the current priorities of most campus ministries, because of changes in the priorities of most college students of the current generation, often referred to as Generation Z.
Cheyney calls the mental health circumstances of many of these young adults a current "crisis". The causes, he says, are related to the ways students relate to each other and to other people, mostly via their devices. They want to impact society, improve the world, and find themselves often unable to connect.
That shapes ministry to college students, with a focus on counseling and pastoral care. That also means that campus ministries --- and local congregations near a university campus --- will miss the boat if they focus on traditional Bible studies, Sunday morning worship, or other "religious" events. The veteran of more than two decades of campus ministry says there are many great ways that churches and organizations can provide positive Jesus-centered influence particularly for this generation.
Listen to this podcast with leaders of your congregation.
The Rev. Dr. Steve Cheyney is university pastor at UNC-Charlotte and leads the Niner United ministry there. He also is on the faculty of the Honors College at Charlotte.
Christian watchdogs Michael Geer and Jason McGuire highlight the issues in the news each Friday at Noon during our Capital Connection program. Here’s what’s happening this week:
A look back at the 2023 legislative session in Albany A unique budget crunch in Harrisburg Why Pro-Lifers can still win at the ballot box
Websites mentioned in this broadcast:
Article on women & sports pafamily.org albanyupdate.com
Christians & Artificial Intelligence Today on "Faith Under Fire": We’ll hear more from James Spencer about the role Christians can play in the development of new technologies. Author James Spencer says Artificial Intelligence may increase efficiency, but it can’t replace our God-given desire to work. Spencer, president of the D.L. Moody Institute, says Christians need to put AI in its proper place, and we have the unique opportunity to do that from a Biblical perspective.
You also can listen to our previous conversation with James Spencer here.
"Faith Under Fire" airs most Thursdays on the radio (and online) during the Noon Report, and segments are included in other newscasts during the day. These conversations are also archived on FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts for you to hear, subscribe or download.
Procrastination ... not just "getting around to it" ... getting through it The reasons we procrastinate are numerous, but Christian counselor Christopher Anderson says our self-doubt often keeps us from making forward progress.
Any time a person feels over-scheduled or over-stressed, it's easy to get bogged down. The tasks might be boring or less important or unstructured. We also might need to develop a better system of rewarding or affirming yourself.
Anderson, a New-York-based Christian counselor, says we can push through our procrastination, by accomplishing one thing, rather than letting a decision-making process leave you spinning your wheels. Each item you can check off your list helps you to get ahead of future to-do lists.
Anderson also says, if you are procrastinating on "getting around to" Bible reading and personal devotional time, that could be why you feel out of balance or anxious. He offers advice -- including perspectives from his own life -- on how and when to make time with the Lord be fruitful and beneficial.
"Real Answers" helps you tackle the tough topics facing today's Christians and families. It is one of our Wednesday features heard on the air and online during the Family Life Noon Report. These conversations are always available for listening or downloading from FamilyLife.org/NewsPodcasts.
This week’s Family Life "Hometown Hero" is Lydia Sujkowski. Lydia is a Cortland College senior organizing a September 5K race to raise funds to better train area counselors on treating eating disorders, which she herself began suffering in high school.
Hear her inspiring story, and discover how she is reaching out to encourage others, plus how family and faith helped her on her road to recovery.
For personal assistance: Cortland County Mental Health
National Hotline for immediate mental health matters: call or text 988.
“Issues in Education”
High Schoolers are ditching College for Blue-Collar Jobs…
Going Woke in the Classroom in NY and PA…
Dr. Ralph Kerr of the “Teaching and Learning Institute” equips Christians on how to engage with their local public schools. Listen for more about what trends and issues are happening in YOUR local school.
It's "Capital Connection", our weekly radio roundtable to analyze current government actions and proposals, "hot button" faith and values topics, and cultural trends in Pennsylvania and New York. Michael Geer with the Pennsylvania Family Institute and Jason McGuire with New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms discuss the weighty issues in the news from the seats of power in Albany and Harrisburg.
A key topic as June begins: A Christian Response to Gay Pride Month. That and more, on this week's "Capital Connection", hosted by Family Life's Bob Price.
A popular Abortion Pill on trial
The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is considering a case regarding FDA approval of Mifepristone two decades ago.
Texas OB/GYN Dr. Ingrid Skop has provided expert testimony in trials involving Mifepristone, based on her medical research. On the June 1 Family Life Noon Report, Bob Price had an extended interview with Dr. Skop, about what she sees as dangers of the abortion-inducing drug, not only (obviously) to the fetus, but also for a significant number of the women who have taken the pill. There is question about how the FDA studied and reported on Mifepristone’s side effects, as well as how much of the national discussion misnames abortions as a women’s health issue.
Whichever way the appeals court ruling in New Orleans comes out, likely during June, the case is expected to return to the U.S. Supreme Court.
For further information:
- Details on the original court case, which resulted in a temporary restraining order from a Texas judge in early 2023.
- Dr. Skop writes about her research for Feminists for Life and the Charlotte Lozier Institute.
- Dr. Skop, on media bias in reporting on pro-life and pro-abortion positions.
Your Child’s Addiction to Toxic Screens
Research supports what many parents already know: toxic screens are hurting their children’s mental health.
Melanie Hempe, a retired RN and founder of the not-for-profit ScreenStrong, works with families to eliminate childhood screen dependency.
Video games, social media, and pornography are the most problematic. “They structurally will change the brain and increase the dopamine in your kid’s brain,” Hempe says, “and this sets your child up for addiction now and in the future.”
They also displace time children need for developing social and life skills. “Screens, and especially video games, will detach our kids from their family,” she adds. “So it’s the saddest, most lasting part of the story: the game becomes their family and you lose your kids, and that’s what a lot of families are struggling with today.”
Part of the solution is to limit the temptation. No child needs a smartphone, she asserts. It’s not a rite of passage. A laptop for homework and a talk-and-text phone for communication will cover their needs.
“You are not denying or taking away anything. You are giving them a much bigger life and the freedom to love childhood again. You get your kids back and they love you for loving them so much to choose this counter-cultural path. The bonus is that you are not setting them up for addiction down the road, either.”
Further information on this significant topic:
- “What to Do When Your Child Is Addicted to Video Games,” the Gospel Coalition article that inspired this conversation.
- Connect with Melanie Hempe and ScreenStrong.
“Operation Good Neighbor” serves the Southtowns area around Buffalo, New York. This provides a food pantry, clothing closet and much more for it’s neighbors.
Listen as Family Life’s Mark Webster gets the good news about “Operation Good Neighbor” from Claudette Abshire and Bill Bateman, Sr.
More about this program can be found here.
Join Family Life for special coverage of
“Memorial Day in Pennsylvania and New York”
Our Noon Report on the national holiday includes stories from military veterans, how the armed services support gold star families, and first-person stories from a bugler who sounds “Taps” at military grave sites and from the National Cemetery in Bath, New York.
This special 30-minute Memorial Day Tribute is also available for listening and downloading from the News Podcasts page at FamilyLife.org.
Leading the conversations with local people from our listening area are Greg Gillispie and Abigail Hofland.
“Memorial Day in New York and Pennsylvania”
Originally called Decoration Day, the occasion was first marked three years after the end of the Civil War. On May 5, 1868, John Logan, head of the major Union Army veterans association, issued a proclamation from his Washington, D.C., office inviting Americans to celebrate “Decoration Day” on May 30. He urged them to decorate Civil War graves with the “choicest flowers of springtime.” He spoke at the first official commemoration at Arlington National Cemetery that year.
Congress and Presidents ever since have made proclamations which urged remembrance and tributes of those who sacrificed themselves to serve the causes of their nation. Memorial Day is now observed on the last Monday of May.
This year, Family Life News has gathered stories from current soldiers and veterans from our listening area. Hear about “Taps”, volleys, Gold-Star Families, and memorable services at Bath National Cemetery. A pastor offers encouragement, whether you visit a cemetery to decorate the grave of a civilian, or as you memorialize a service person who has died, be that at war or in peacetime.
This newscast includes Leonard Cohen’s dramatic reading of the 1915 poem In Flanders Fields.
It’s “Capital Connection”, our weekly roundtable which explores political and cultural issues making news in PA and NY.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire with New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms and Michael Geer with the Pennsylvania Family Institute have the latest “wheelin’ and dealin’” on policy issues you care about on this week’s edition of “Capital Connection”, including:
- Pros and cons of a “Snitch” Bill in the Pennsylvania legislature
- New York State eventually will end its Vax Mandate for health care professionals
- Are SUNY campuses a solution to the Migrant Crisis ?
- “AI” … Artificial Intelligence
- Social pressures to conform
- Inaccurate stereotypes of people of faith
The development of thinking machines that can learn even more on their own might be the biggest news of this decade.
As the technological innovations mushroom and societal trends veer away from tradition, how are people to respond?
James Spencer, president of the D.L. Moody Center, contends that these times bring yet more opportunities for Christ’s followers to defy the world and choose discipleship.
Spencer says there is an incorrect assumption about how to “fix” problems in the world. While “AI” can process information faster, he tells Family Life’s Abigail Hofland that the core of our human circumstance cannot be resolved simply with data, no matter whether that data is manipulated by brainpower or computer power. Even in the midst of great advances, “AI” cannot take the place of our God-given reasoning ability.
“Faith Under Fire” tackles issues which face Christian citizens in a challenging culture. “Faith Under Fire” airs on Family Life during the Noon Report on Thursdays. Current and archived episodes are always available at FamilyLife.org.
A growing trend is the number of post-high-school adults who live with their parents.
It’s described, somewhat imprecisely, as a “failure to launch.”
The reasons are numerous: financial, medical, convenience — or fear of “adulting”.
Christian counselor Christopher Anderson says there are practical ways families can help their young adult children be more comfortable and confident, ready to enter the next chapter of their lives. Young adults living at home, he says, showed share in the cost of living and share in household tasks. He also says there are significant steps which can help younger teens and
Anderson says the cultural emphasis toward entitlements – and away from personal responsibility — has hampered this generation’s development.
The licensed therapist says teens and preteens can learn be more ready for successful adulthood if they are involved in a church.
Bonus content:* Family Life also asked our frequent News Feature guest for local reaction about this week’s updated news that the U.S. Surgeon General has issued a warning about the social, emotional and physical effects which come from young people being on social media. In his private practice, Christoper Anderson says the device addiction is real. He offers this guidance* to parents and families in the Family Life listening area.
Bonus content: Family Life also asked our frequent News Feature guest for local reaction about this week’s updated news that the U.S. Surgeon General has issued a warning about the social, emotional and physical effects which come from young people being on social media. In his private practice, Christoper Anderson says the device addiction is real. He offers this guidance to parents and families in the Family Life listening area.
“The Impact Project” sprang from a simple act of kindness:
A group of church members banding together to assist a woman whose dilapidated home was in dire need of repair. The extensive work a band of volunteers completed in less than 48 hours proved to be a powerful witness to her neighborhood, and the genesis of “The Impact Project” which has since helped hundreds of people in need in Chenango County, New York and beyond.
On this edition of “Hometown Heroes”, founder Jim Willard recounts those early days and the moving stories that have happened since then.
Here’s what’s happening this week on Capital Connection:
- Migrant Crisis
- Primary Day Recap
- Are School Boards the New Battleground in America’s Culture Wars?
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer discuss the local impact of weighty issues in the news from Harrisburg, Albany, and beyond.
Dr. Paul Kengor returns to Family Life to offer insights on public discourse, especially with a faith and values perspective. On this edition of our “Faith Under Fire” Feature, Kengor says Christians need to be boldly involved in the culture around them. Those who sit by silently, afraid to speak up, are worried about human judgment and getting a bad reputation on social media. He contrasts those who decide to “stay under the radar” to avoid controversy with martyrs throughout church history to did not water down truth, just to stay popular or avoid showdowns.
At the same time, he points to Scriptural guidance — and common sense practicality — that anyone with a vantage point need to offer charitable respect to others whose positions have taken them in a different direction.
Paul Kengor is on the faculty at Grove City College in western Pennsylvania, directs the Institute for Faith and Freedom there, and is senior editor of The American Spectator.
Over 70 percent of Americans say they would like to grow spiritually, according to the Barna research group. That includes Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z.
“When over seven in ten people say they want to grow spiritually, they are not necessarily saying, ‘Hey, I want to meet Jesus,’ ‘Hey I want to become a Christian,’” says Savannah Kimberlin, an Associate Vice President for Church Engagement at Barna.
The people who are open spiritually, she says, are looking for purpose or inner peace and are willing to consider a spiritual answer. Reaching them with the answer in Jesus will look different from how Christians spread the news of Jesus in previous decades.
“They care very deeply about knowing and seeing and being taught that Christianity is not only true, but that it is also good,” she says. Christians are the most attractive to spiritually hungry people when their beliefs show through in the way they live even more than in the words they say.
“If we want to step into these kinds of relationships where we are being salt and light, and where we are facilitating spiritual conversations, we have to make sure that our actions speak louder than our words,” Kimberlin says.
The Barna Group has been researching faith in America for over three decades. Learn more about Barna here, and Barna’s Rising Spiritual Openness in America research here.
Mother’s Day was Sunday.
We talked with family counselor — and mom of four preteens — Jenny Coffey about what most moms might really like for Mother’s Day. Her answer for the weekend was “rest” and balance.
Those are still gifts which can bless mothers the other 364 days of the year.
Coffey gives us advice for families, including stories from what is working for her own household. She also has encouragement for moms themselves — how to avoid the internal and external pressures and stereotypes can improperly focus women on unattainable accomplishments and unrealistic status.
Also in this extended version of the feature we aired at noon, she shares additional insights for women who are parenting alone (either as single moms or without good support from others), as well as ways congregations can adapt their families to be better supportive of mothers (and fathers). Coffey sees this as an important evangelistic tool too, because older church leaders may not realize how parenting styles and family patterns have changed for today’s young adult generations.
There’s lots going on in the education arena these days.
- Financial Literacy Classes at School
- Previewing Tuesday’s Big School Budget Vote in NY
- PA voters shape their local schools
Dr. Ralph Kerr gets us caught up with everything you need to know in the classroom, next on this week’s edition of “Issues in Education”.
Budget Battle Brewing in Harrisburg.
and What Happens Now in Albany ?
Legislative budgets are being debated for Pennsylvania, as the New York State government is funded for the year. Still, lawmakers in both states continue to debate issues beyond dollars-and-cents matters. Some of the topics “making waves” here this week: Charter Schools & School Choice, Assisted Suicide, Abortion Expansion, Social Media Regulations
Our Capital Connection crew discusses governmental and social issues which impact Pennsylvania and New York.
Information on upcoming events
- Vision 2023 — Legislative Day in Albany, Tuesday, May 23
- “The Gosnell Effect” Forum in Philadelphia, Saturday, May 13
Half a century ago, Title IX (pronounced “Title 9”) became federal law, opening new educational and athletic opportunities for girls and women. Now, the Biden Administration is changing Title IX to mandate that male-at-birth transgender athletes must be given equal rights to join female teams, use locker room facilities and be able to compete against biological women.
Contending that the executive branch cannot arbitrarily change they the call the “clear wording” of Title IX, 20 U.S. states have filed suit, an action joined by an association of Christian schools. Matt Sharp of the Alliance Defending Freedom speaks this week with Abigail Hofland about the legal issues and questions of fairness. He tells of two Connecticut athletes who have affected 100 sports records, tournament advancements, trophies and scholarship offers of traditional female student-athletes.
The case is being heard in a Federal Appeals Court.
Dave Dravecky, a former Major League Baseball star, famously lost his pitching arm to cancer more than 30 years ago.
Nowadays, Dravecky uses his life story to inspire others throughout the country. He will be the keynote speaker at Clark’s Summit Pennsylvania May 19-20 for the “Man Up” men’s conference. His ministry is called “Endurance: with Jan and Dave Dravecky”.
In this extended Family Life conversation, Dravecky talks baseball history, the current game, cancer, depression — and how his Christian faith sustained him and his family through life’s ups and downs. The former pitcher’s story of what he’s learned can inspire people to find encouragement and hope, no matter what life throws at them.
Bonus content:
- A video about Dave Dravecky
- Details and registration information about the Men’s Conference at Clark’s Summit
Watsontown, Pennsylvania’s Craig Wheeland has demonstrated the Gospel of Jesus Christ in small towns and large cities in Pennsylvania — plus many villages in many countries. His work encourages children to learn to read, so they can read the Scriptures and talk about faith with their parents. When he and a U.S. team go on a mission trip, his priority is to deepen connnections, knowing the people even more than doing projects.
Wheeland’s ministry goes by the name Aim4Christ, which stands for “Actions In Mission For Christ“. They are active in food programs in their local community of 2,300 in the West Branch Susquehanna River valley of central Pennsylvania.
In his conversation with Mark Webster, Wheeland also tells how his international evangelistic work put him a momentarily life-threatening situation, even as the Lord’s work multiplied.
Less than 10 percent of eligible voters will cast ballots on School Budget Day and that’s too bad. Find out why from education advocate Ralph Kerr on this edition of Family Life’s “Issues in Education” feature.
Dr. Kerr is founder of the Teaching and Learning Institute based in Houghton, New York. The former school administrator joins us on alternating Mondays during the Noon Report on the radio and online. The “Issues in Education” podcast is available 24/7 from FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts.
What Can 229 Billion Dollars Buy & What’s Not to like about House Bill 300
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer fight to promote Christian values in Albany and Harrisburg. Here’s what’s happening this week at the state capitals.
Events mentioned in this week’s News Feature:
- “The Gosnell Effect” Forum in Philadelphia, Saturday, May 13
- Vision 2023 — Legislative Day in Albany, Tuesday, May 23
For the annual National Day of Prayer, Faith Under Fire talks with Mark Burrell, a Pennsylvania native who draws direct connections between Biblical mandates of America’s Declaration of Independence.
He has written Rediscovering the American Covenant : Roadmap to Restore America. Listen as he talks about the Biblical and spiritual calling which guides a national to renewal, peace and justice. Burrell has recommendations for individual Christians and groups of citizens. Not only should elected and appointed government officials call forth the uniqueness of America’s founding identity, he says congregations have a unique opportunity to encourage faithful citizenship.
Marriage is a signpost pointing to God’s unconditional love.
Marriage is so much more than compatible people with romantic feelings for each other, and we want children to know this. “Marriage is based on a promise. And it’s based on a promise because it’s trying to be a mirror to the love God has shown us in Jesus, which is covenantal love,” he says. “It’s promise-making love.”
To help parents and caregivers teach this, pastor and author Sam Allberry has written the picture book God’s Signpost: How Marriage Points Us to God’s Love. The story revolves around siblings Ethan and Lila, who learn about marriage as they celebrate their grandparents’ 50th anniversary.
“What we want a child to know about God’s love is that it is unconditional,” Allberry says in our Family Life conversation. “God loves us because of what He’s like. He doesn’t love us because of what we’re like. And so we can’t perform our way into it, and we can’t sin our way out of it. He loves us because it’s His nature to love.”
Which is a good thing, Allberry assures us, as even solid marriages don’t always point to God’s love. “Ultimately, our faith is not on whether we get this right, but on whether God Himself is able to love us in this way,” Allberry says. “And He so beautifully is.”
Learn about Sam Allberry’s book God’s Signpost: How Marriage Points Us to God’s Love here.
This week on “Hometown Heroes”, meet Kevin Keeley of Spring Creek Lavender Farm in the Oneida County village of Remsen, New York.
They will host a Thrive Marriage Weekend August 11-12, 2023. Keeley says the wonderful dreams which people take into their marriages often are followed by couples’ harder times. There are always ways in which each couple — and each individual in a marriage can “tune in” to one another and live into joy and commitment
Facilitated by marriage experts Chris Bruno and Tracy Johnson, this two-day retreat will take you through four curated experiences that are key to developing marital belonging. Far more than learning tips and techniques, you will walk through the ReStory® marriage process and leave with more understanding, empathy, and a vision for how your marriage can flourish the way God intended.
Spring Creek Lavender has graciously decided to offer a special $25 discount for the weekend for Family Life listeners and website users. Use the coupon code “Family Life” when you go to thrivemarriageweekend.com
Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania has an interesting history, with its role as a war crossroads, a coal industry hotbed, and the legend of the Molly Maguires.
The community is also the hometown of an invention which revolutionized how multiple generations had access to entertainment and information.
Join Mark Webster as our twice-a-month Monday tours of the towns, burgs and communities which make up the Family Life listening area brings you the story of Mahanoy City and its 4,600 residents in east-central Pennsylvania.
“PA House Bill 300 & an Update on the Late NY State Budget”
There’s been lots of “wheelin’ and dealin’” in Harrisburg and Albany this week.
There’s progress as Democratic legislators and the governor finalize a proposed NY government budget, which is full of policy changes as well. Jason McGuire of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms analyzes this week’s news.
Michael Geer of the Pennsylvania Family Institute explains the implications on HB300, which he calls dangerous legislation now advancing in the PA House.
Find out more about governmental actions and current issues on “Capital Connection”, airing on the radio Fridays at noon and available 24/7 on Family Life’s News-Podcasts page.
A public school district ended its 11-year partnership with Arizona Christian University in February 2023, after a school board member felt threatened by the hatred of an organization which centers itself on its faith identity. The university says the actions of the Washington Elementary School District violate ACU’s constitutionally protected freedoms.
The Alliance Defending Freedom brought a First-Amendment lawsuit on behalf of the University.
Alliance attorney Jake Reed gives Family Life’s listeners and web visitors an update on the case, and insights into the issues which have impact far beyond Arizona.
Family Life’s Abigail Hofland leads this conversation.
The move to at-home work has opened new opportunities but also created new challenges to workplace cohesion and accountability.
Our specialist on Christ-centered priorities in various aspects of our lives, counselor Christopher Anderson, offers insights on how employees have responsibilities to maintain productivity standards, even if their job has them “out of the office” part or all of the workweek. He describes it as a spiritual issue.
Also on this edition of “Real Answers“, Anderson speaks to the challenges employers have in recruiting a full staff, and how today’s realities and intentional behaviors can help young adults thrive and advance more quickly, as they launch their careers.
- This feature is matched with a parallel conversation on how employers can demonstrate affirmation to their staff.
- Listen to the March 29 edition of Real Answers from Family Life.
The drug Mifepristone was the subject of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, temporarily allowing distribution of that abortifacient which has been the subject of varied rulings in multiple states.
Dr. Ingrid Skop‘s work as an OB-GYN was at the center of a Texas judge’s ruling which triggered the Supreme Court review. Dr. Skop tells Family Life that she personally has had to save the lives of more than a dozen women who suffered life-threatening side effects after taking Mifepristone. She says the harm to pregnant women has been vastly underreported and ignored by many in the medical community and among Women’s Rights proponents. Dr. Skop contends that, even despite the documented harm shown, Mifepristone has been under less FDA review than Tylenol is. Her testimony is likely to be included as the legal disputes continue in upcoming hearings in Federal and state courts.
Dr. Skop joined Family Life for an extended conversation on our April 25 Noon Report.
More from Dr. Skop:
- Dr. Skop’s biography, and links to articles and interviews
- Capitol Hill testimony
- 12 reasons that abortions threaten women’s health more than abortion limitations do
3 Questions to Ask Prospective School Board Members
Next month, New York voters must decide the make-up of their local school board. Dr. Ralph Kerr at the “Teaching and Learning Institute” says there are 3 questions that need to be asked of those who are seeking a seat. Find out what those 3 questions on this week’s edition of “Issues in Education”.
These same questions are appropriate to ask when local districts in Pennsylvania hold elections, and when boards in either state select new members to fill vacancies.
It’s our weekly conversation with two Christian commentators on what has been in the news. This week:
- Stockpiling Abortion Pills
- Transgenderism in the Public Square
- Still no NY State Budget
Jason McGuire (in Albany) and Michael Geer (from Harrisburg) keep us “in the know” on vital issues happening in the governments and in the culture. Bob Price hosts the conversation.
Girls and Social Media
With more girls than ever reporting that they feel sad or hopeless, The Gospel Coalition’s Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra talks with Martha Manikas-Foster about social media’s impact on girls. They also talk about the precautions adults might put in place before approaching social media as a mission field.
More girls than ever feel sad or hopeless. Social media may be the reason why.
“In 2009, we know about a third of American high school girls had persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness,” reports Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra, senior writer and faith-and-work editor for The Gospel Coalition. “But by last year, so this is about 10 years later, it was up to 57 percent. Which is the highest recorded level of teenage sadness ever.”
Zylstra observes that the increase in sadness tracks with the rise of smartphones and social media. Smartphones make it possible to check on your internet friends more often than when you had to wait until you opened your laptop to get connected.
How we spend our time makes its mark on us, and girls are averaging five hours a day on social media. During those hours girls are comparing themselves with others–often people they don’t know in person—and they repeatedly feel that they fall short.
Disembodied online relationships impact us differently from in-person friendships, Zylstra says, in part because when you walk alongside a friend, you see them on both their good days and bad days. Online you see only the best snapshots of a person’s day. “And if you have 500 friends,” Zylstra says, “every day somebody’s having a good day somewhere. But you’re constantly feeling like, ‘My day never measures up.’”
Listen in on our 18-minute conversation about the impact this is having. You’ll also hear Zylstra’s suggestions for how adults who feel called to on-line ministry might wisely approach social media as a mission field.
Listen to the podcast that inspired this conversation here and read some of her other writings here.
Church camps are now registering their campers and recruiting for their summer staff.
What are the new trends for Summer Church Camp heading into the 2023 season?
After the “strangeness” of the pandemic restrictions of the past three years — plus the social and cultural changes of the past three decades — what is happening these days in the outdoor ministry programs of our region? Greg Gillispie talks with two local camp directors about trends coming out of Covid, why church camp has such a life-changing spiritual impact on teens and children, and how retreat centers are adapting to have more opportunities to influence faith. You will also hear results of a survey of Christian adults who identify the #1 memory of what shaped their Christian faith from their younger lives. (Today’s parents and grandparents — and congregational leaders — may want to consider that poll result, as they make family plans for this summer.)
Our guests:
- Sam Richbart, executive director of Camp Hickory Hill
- Steve Clark, executive director of Delta Lake Camp and Bible Conference Center
A Pennsylvania Christian had worked for the U.S. Postal Service until he faced multiple employment repercussions for refusing to work on Sundays due to his religious convictions.
This case regarding First Amendment claims goes to the U.S. Supreme Court, with the justices hearing oral arguments this Tuesday (April 18).
Gerald Groff of Lancaster County had sought work with USPS because it would be an employer where he would not be asked to work Sundays. That changed when USPS launched a new contract with a private corporation that wanted Sunday deliveries.
In 2019, Groff resigned from his position as a rural mail carrier after years of — he says — being harassed, targeted and disciplined for refusing to work Sundays so that he could abide by the Third Commandment, to “keep holy the Sabbath day.” Groff then sued USPS for violating his religious rights. After his claims were denied by both a Pennsylvania district court and the 3rd Circuit Court, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) agreed to take up his appeal on Jan. 13. He is being represented by the First Liberty Institute.
First Liberty attorney Jeremy Dys gave Family Life’s Abigail Hofland a preview of the arguments to be made in the nation’s capitol.
Groff’s first-person story is here. Other coverage of the issues in this case: FNN. ABC. CNA.
How does Christ’s Good News intersect when Bad News happens … in the nation, in the world, in a community, in the lives of individuals and families and congregations?
A unique perspective today, from an elected government official who spoke words of compassion and honesty and hope, following a tragedy on Easter Monday 2023.
A shooter entered a bank in the heart of Louisville, Kentucky, causing death and injuries and fear, shooting 13 people. At a news conference just a few hours later, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear spoke plainly and boldly about the message of Easter and his own Christian faith.
Family Life’s Greg Gillispie narrates this timely Special Feature.
How to combat “Swatting”, guns in schools, and Native American mascots
Swatting is intentionally calling in fake threats of violence against schools, hoping to create a SWAT Team response. It’s been a recent epidemic seen in Pennsylvania, New York and many other areas of the nation.
A March 27 school shooting in Nashville brings to the forefront again questions about safety and security — and the emotional responses — for students, school staff, and families.
A New York Education Department edict for school districts to eliminate certain mascots and nicknames is causing decisions and budget implications for school boards and administrators.
Education watchdog Ralph Kerr weighs in on the weighty issues of the day as they pertain to our public school families and taxpayers. Here’s our update on what’s happening in early April. Dr. Kerr is the founder the Teaching and Learning Institute, headquartered in Houghton, New York.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Dan Bartkowiak weigh in on important issues happening now in New York and Pennsylvania:
Among this week’s topics on our weekly “Capital Connection” roundtable:
- Stalemate at the Statehouse
- Pumping the Breaks on Renewal Energy
- Transgenderism on parade in Albany and Harrisburg
“It’s come from the universities.”
That is the evaluation of how Cancel Culture gets spread and becomes the de-facto reality for many in today’s American culture from Professor Paul Kengor of the Institute for Faith and Freedom. As college professors and curricula at most schools promote political and social stances in one direction, people are silenced if their conscience and core values have them arriving at differing viewpoints.
In this conversation with Family Life’s Greg Gillispie, Kengor also offers what he says is heartfelt advice to parents and families of today’s high school and college students.
In addition to being the Senior Director and Chief Academic Fellow of the Institute on the Grove City College campus in Pennsylvania, Dr. Kengor is also the senior editor of The American Spectator and a frequent commentator on social, cultural and faith issues.
Scams come at us from every direction—postal mail, email, text, and telephone—and they’re getting harder to identify.
“It all comes down to you never know who you’re talking to on the other end of the phone or other end of the computer,” says New York State Trooper Officer Mark O’Donnell.
By knowing the characteristics of most scams and thinking things through, we’re more likely to keep our money and personal information out of the hands of con artists.
“It can be confusing,” O’Donnell says, “and again, these people are professionals, and that’s what they do. They prey on people, and they try to get them confused and scared and nervous for them to open up their bank accounts.”
Learn what to look for in this Inside Out conversation, and then pass the word along, especially to members of older generations. “Talk to your parents. It’s like talking to your kids about stuff in school when they’re growing up. You’ve got to talk to your parents about this and your grandparents. It’s kind of a full circle of life,” says O’Donnell, the Barracks E Public Information Officer.
This week’s Family Life Hometown Hero is Jeff Roeters, co-founder of the Rochester nonprofit ‘Guitars for Glory” (www.guitarsforglory.com) . Hear how he brings the healing gift of music throughout the world by providing guitars to those who cannot afford them.
Music is an amazing blessing that we often take for granted. There are many communities around the world who do not have access to the instruments we can so easily get our hands on. Guitars for Glory’s sole desire is to put guitars and instruments in the hands of churches, schools, missionaries, and orphanages. Our hope is to enhance their musical experience and build up worship leaders within the community; through the giving guitars and musical training.
Mount Morris, New York, is famed for its dam, a park , and a pledge.
- The dam across the Genesee is the largest of its kind east of the Mississippi.
- Letchworth State Park and its waterfalls often appear in lists of top travel destinations
- Mount Morris is Francis Bellamy’s hometown.
Listen along, as Mark Webster takes you on a radio tour of this western New York community of more than 4,000 population.
A timely Special Feature from Family Life.
In this week when transgenderism has filled our headlines due to an individual who shot and killed six at a Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee, we explore whether gender may have been an issue.
Garry Ingraham is founder of the Love and Truth Network. His ministry provides counseling and encouragement to individuals with heterosexual and same-sex sexual addictions, gender dysphoria, and similar issues. Ingraham is a native of New York State, who now serves in Glendale Arizona. In addition to reacting to the Nashville tragedy, he offers his perspective on wider cultural trends.
Ingraham and the Love and Truth Network says there is a higher position which Christians should have, rather than leaning to one side or the other of today’s transgender debates:
Most churches struggle to function well within the tension of two realities. Many tend to practice a permissive, affirming attitude toward sexual behavior; others take a harsh, legalistic approach that condemns people seen as undoubtably sinful.
But Jesus shows us a better way.
Their website offers resources for congregations and church leaders to foster a Biblical search for how to interact with others, away from hatred, suspicion and judgment.
Craig Wheeland, founder of “Aim 4 Christ” Ministries in Pennsylvania tells his story on this week’s “Hometown Heroes”.
Wheeland’s outreach ranges from the streets of Philadelphia to the poorest regions of Pakistan. His work encourages children to learn to read, so they can read the Scriptures and talk about faith with their parents. Hear how he knows mission work has as much influence on the workers who “get out of the church building” and meet the people they serve (Matthew 25:44). That aspect of deepening connnections, to know the people is much more important than carrying out other tasks. Wheeland also talks about his international evangelistic work put him a momentarily life-threatening sitaution, but the Lord’s work continued to blossom.
Aim4Christ (“Actions In Mission For Christ”) is based in Watsontown, Pennsylvania.
On Family Life’s “Issues in Education” Dr. Ralph Kerr with the Teaching and Learning Institute does a deep dive into the issues you care about that impact our public schools. Here’s what’s going on this week:
- Parents’ “Bill of Rights” – is it needed at school
- What should you to do – and not do – if your child is bullied at school?
- “Buzzwords” at Public Schools: mindfulness, emotional and social learning, restorative practices
In our weekly Friday Roundtable, our “Capital Connection” guests analyze cultural news and governmental issues of note in our two states.
This week, timely topics for Michael Gear (Pennsylvania Family Institute) and Jason McGuire (New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms) include:
- Gun rights legislation
- Fossil fuels — economics and/or the environment
- Big growth in a “Northern Invasion”
One of the CompassCare facilities in western New York has been violently attacked — twice in nine months. The most recent incident was the spray painting of graffiti on a sign at their Buffalo clinic a week ago, on March 16. That location also was set ablaze by arsonists in June 2022. Surveillance video showed two individuals smashing windows and setting fires inside the building. Damage was estimated at $400,000. To date, no arrests have been made.
CompassCare officials have claimed solving the arson case is a low priority for local police and the FBI. Both agencies deny that, and the FBI has offered a reward for public tips which assist in their investigation. CompassCare’s leaders also say that state officials have been one-sided in denouncing violence and threats, depending the positions held by those who are being threatened.
Jim Harden, the CEO of CompassCare, gives us a closer, first-person account of these two Buffalo attacks, as well as the surrounding and overarching issues of violence directed at pro-life centers across the nation
If your prayers seem unanswered, or you feel the wait for God to act has been long, author and speaker Dena Dyer encourages confidence that God uses the barren seasons for His purposes. Dyer is the author of the recent blog post “Confidence in Barren Seasons: What Elizabeth Can Teach Us.”
Have you prayed for healing, a new job, a spouse–or children–but you’re still waiting? If so, you join the people of the Bible, like Elizabeth and Zechariah, who lived through barren seasons. Their lives, says author Dena Dyer, show us that we can be confident that God uses these times for His purposes.
“A barren season is one in which our prayers don’t seem to be answered,”? Dyer says. “Maybe our dreams are deferred, or we’re just—impatiently—waiting on something that’s important to us.”
Dyer wrote a recent Christianity Today/Better Samaritan blog post titled “Confidence in Barren Seasons” and is the author of the book Wounded Women of the Bible. She says not only does the Bible introduce us to people who know the ache of waiting, even God knows that ache.
“Isaiah 30:18 is one of my favorite verses. And it says, ‘So the Lord must wait for you to come to Him so He can show you His love and compassion. For He is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for His help.’”
Barren seasons can tempt us to drift from God. But Dyer urges us to remain confident that God is using these seasons for His purposes. “Be honest with God,” she says. “He already knows how we feel. And He’s merciful and kind. And I’ve learned over the years that He wants a relationship with us all day, every day, no matter what our mental state, our spiritual state, our physical state.”
And even when we’re weary of waiting, or disappointed in God, He wants us to reach for Him. “Even in the midst of barrenness, even in the midst of our lack of faith, He’s not going to condemn us in the moment, but embrace us,” she says.
Read Dyer’s blog on this topic here.
Rebecca Ellis and Nancy Hurst are founders of “Raise of Hope”, a new community center in Cattaraugus, NY.
On this week’s Hometown Heroes on Family Life, you will hear how the Lord placed a vision before our guests, which then blossomed into a community center for artists, a farm-to-table market, and a transitional residence for teens moving from foster care into the early stages of their adulthood.
The Raise of Hope community center also can host entrepreneurs, county services, church events, and a private professional counseling practice.
Dr. Ralph Kerr with the Teaching and Learning Institute takes a closer look at issues in the news which pertain to our public schools. Here’s what’s happening this week …
- Are Teachers Paid Enough?
- Test Scores Tank in NY
- Why school boards need the influence of Christians and other parent
It’s our weekly update on governmental and social issues making news in Pennsylvania and New York, including:
- Free Speech on College Campuses
- Abortion Drugs in NY
- The Move to make Marijuana Legal in PA
Christian watchdogs Michael Geer and Jason McGuire dive deep into the issues that matter at the state capitals in Harrisburg and Albany. Stay informed with the latest offering of “Capital Connection”.
Constitutional rights on religious freedom earned a court victory for a Syracuse Christian adoption ministry
New Hope Family Services last week reached its final legal settlement with New York’s state government, after state officials tried to revoke the organization’s certification because its religious priorities limit adoptions to married couples with one man and one woman. The Syracuse-based Christian adoption agency has already won one of its two lawsuits on First Amendment protections.
New Hope is represented by legal network Alliance Defending Freedom. ADF Senior Counsel Mark Lippelmann tells Family Life about the core issues of the case, plus what it means moving forward for Constitutional protections for businesses and organizations which conduct themselves guided by Biblical and theological guidance.
Lippelmann also has encouragement for Christians — in organizations and individually — on standing strong in faith, regardless of opposition from the government or objections from the surrounding culture.
“Apathy: (noun) lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting.”
Apathy has spread across the American culture. While this is not true everywhere, such disinterest and lack of motivation seeps into the church in many places.
Digital postings have replaced face-to-face communication, many settle into contentment with a status quo, and Biblical truths are sidelined from public awareness.
Our “Real Answers” expert, Christian counselor Christopher Anderson, offers his perspective on how this passivity developed, and what Christians and church leaders can do to bounce back when that trend pops up. He says there are ways that people of faith can be “in the world, but not of the world.”
This week’s Family Life Hometown Hero is Joe DeMarco, founder of Wings Flights of Hope, based out of Orchard Park, New York.
Wings Flights is a free volunteer service which flies seriously ill patients and their families to out-of-town medical appointments. Transplant recipients and injured military members are key recipients of this ministry. This service is especially crucial when timing provides only a short window of opportunity to begin the medical treatment to receive organ transplants.
Come with Mark Webster, on a radio tour of Oneida County, New York, from the influences of the Oneida Nation to the transportation opportunities opened up by the Erie Canal.
Rebecca McLain, executive director of the Oneida History Center, fills us in on the people and geography that shaped the area’s history, and the benefits now available for residents and guests.
The divergent positions on medical treatments and procedures related to a person’s physical gender expression continue to bring debate and legislative battles. While some conservative-led states have restricted such gender-related procedures for minor children, a bill (SB-107) in the California State Senate wants to make California a place where surgeries, puberty blockers, hormone treatments, and other gender-changing medical procedures can be provided for children and teens– all without permission from those minors’ parents.
A California Christian ministry filed a preemptive lawsuit to stop the state from offering such treatments to children from other states, while blocking those parents from access to their own children’s medical information.
Mariah Gendeiro, an attorney from Advocates for Faith and Freedom, talks about the case, how to honor parents’ rights across state lines, and her take on why transgender issues have grown to such public prominence so quickly.
Good news!
America’s 13- to 17-year-olds are, by and large, hopeful about the future. …And there are ways the adults in their lives can help them hold onto their optimism.
“Despite the current social climate and current challenges, teens are optimistic and they’re open. They long to see change in our world,” says Ashley Ekmay, a Barna Group research specialist and the author of a blog post on Barna’s “Open Generation” study.
These youngest members of Gen Z, the subject of the Barna study, have navigated some of their formative years during a pandemic and could feel discouraged.
“They’ve lived through a unique experience that no other generation before them has faced,” she acknowledges.
The teens will encounter difficulties that could dampen their optimism. Listen to our eight-minute conversation to hear ways adults can help them remain optimistic, curious, and engaged. “The more teens are invested in and in community with adults in their lives, the more engaged they are with the Bible,” Ekmay says. “Also, the more engaged they are with the Bible, the more likely they are to report they are hopeful and optimistic about the world’s future and that they can make a positive impact on the world.”
Read the Christianity Today’s “The Better Samaritan” blog post that inspired this conversation here: “3 ways to help today’s young people stay Optimistic, Curious and Engaged”
An New York-based nurse received a prestigious national award for his attention care of patients’ emotional needs, while they were hospitalized to care for their physical needs during the Covid-19 lockdowns.
Patrick Perl, RN, was honored as National Front Line Clinical Nurse of the Year by Press Ganey, a national provider of services to the healthcare industry. The judging panel unanimously chose Perl for the award among all the nominees from across the country. He is a Cardiovascular Clinical Nurse Specialist at Elmira’s Arnot Ogden Medical Center.
Patrick was nominated by Arnot Ogden’s managers for his commitment to care innovation, transformation, and collaboration. The nurse led the “Share the Light – Shine the Light” program, an initiative to decorate the rooms of COVID patients with holiday lights, providing warmth and beauty in otherwise isolating spaces. The community rallied together, donating hundreds and hundreds of strands of lights, all attached with thank you cards for staff. In his own words, the goal of this initiative was to “band together and show our community hospital, our healthcare workers, and our patients that we care.”
He tells Family Life the story of his simple idea that spread from one hospital window — across the facility and into the Elmira community. Listen to this week’s edition of our “Hometown Heroes” feature.
“Why Christians Need to Get Involved in their Local Public School”
Dr. Ralph Kerr with the Teaching and Learning Institute takes a closer look at why it matter so much that Christians stay involved in their local public school.
“Hochul’s War on Gas, Shapiro’s Budget Address and America’s Falling Marriage Rate”
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer “sound off” on the issues in the news this week from the state capitals of Albany and Harrisburg.
Legalism can show up at times in churches, but not only is it harmful to our faith, it’s also detrimental to our mental health. Christian counselor Christopher Anderson discusses how our personal undercurrents of fears or inadequacy can be release and transformed by grace and reliance on God.
Meet Dr. Myron Glick, whose Buffalo-based Jericho Road Health Center lives out the Biblical mandate to provide care to sick and wounded travelers.
Dr. Glick was born in Pennsyvlania, moved to New York, and as a child lived in the Central American country of Belize, where is parents were church-planting missionaries. On that mission field, he sensed is calling to go to medical school.
Now he operates the clinic which provides health care for Buffalo’s growing refugee community, asylum seekers, and many others who could not otherwise afford medical services.
Our tour of intriguing Hometowns in the Family Life region takes us to Hermitage, Pennsylvania.
Delve into its history, from early settlements in the 1700s to the rebuilding after 20th-century tornadoes.
From the movable school buildings to the free-for-everyone golf course (the only free nine-hole course in America), enjoy our radio visit to Hermitage on the western edge of the Keystone State.
“Capital Connection” is our weekly Friday Roundtable to explore public issues and governmental actions, in Pennsylvania and New York.
Hear faith-based commentary from Jason McGuire and Michael Geer.
On this week’s menu:
- Spiritual fervor among young people — and not only at Asbury University
- Death penalty considerations in NY and PA, including Josh Shapiro’s revised position on capital punishment
- School districts must choose “all” or “none” as outside groups ask to promote new clubs
- A returning proposal to force all NY health care into government-operated programs
February’s Black History Month gives additional emphasis to ponder the state of racial tensions in America. Yet, the president of a Christian university in New York says a study of American history points to a lot of progress, despite what he calls “the colorful lessons” we all have learned – or need to learn. These lessons still can put into practice, as we speak our own stories, and listen attentively to others’ personal stories..
Doctor Wayne Lewis of Houghton University returns to Family Life to offer his perspectives on racism in America, plus the ways God has been at work – through, because of, and despite past and current problems.
President Lewis also offers a very personal perspective, remember his grandparents’ generation, and how he talks with his young daughter about African-American history and progress that has vastly improved race relations.
Before heading off to university, Daniela Angulo was sure that her on-campus conversations about faith would require all the apologetics knowledge she’d ever learned.
“We saw secular college as a battlefield. That was what we expected,” she says. “We were expecting to go in with our weapons in hand.”
What she found instead surprised her. Angulo, a student at Miami’s Florida International University, has written for The Gospel Coalition about the receptivity of her professors and classmates to learning what she, as a Christian, believes. “I had classmates who, upon finding out I was a Christian, were more curious than anything else, and would ask me to have lunch with them,” she says.
She spends more time sharing her faith and less time defending it than she expected.
“While I still made sure to hold onto that foundation of apologetics that I needed, because I knew it would come in handy and there have been times where I have needed them, I also started approaching each class with a renewed excitement for the opportunity that God might give me to share the Gospel.”
Her perspective today is quite different from her expectations. “At the end of the day it’s not a battlefield as much as it is an evangelistic ground of mission work,” she says.
If your college search includes secular universities, Angulo recommends three ways to prepare. “Know the Bible,” she says. “Whether it be a conversation, or defending your faith, you need to know what you believe. And so that foundation of just understanding what it is we believe and why is so important.”
She also counsels that we view professors and fellow students as people God longs to be in relationship with. “Don’t view your secular classmates, your atheistic classmates, your agnostic classmates, your liberal classmates—don’t view them as your enemies. View them as people who are lost and who we pray that God will reveal Himself to, and that you will be able to be a tool for Him.” And lastly, pray for opportunities to talk about Jesus. God will give them. “I started praying for that opportunity and it came,” she says. “The opportunity came.”
Read Daniela Angulo’s The Gospel Coalition article that inspired this podcast here.
It started small, with a simple chapel message to a smallish handful of students about love.
It grew to one of the biggest spiritual revivals in America in a generation.
As Asbury University in Kentucky makes plans to wind down the revival there, we wondered what it was like to be an established congregation, within walking distance of an event which made national news, as many experienced a powerful awareness of how God’s Spirit was moving. The pastor of the nearby Wilmore United Methodist congregation was at Asbury for the early days as a prayer counselor. That congregation, and others in the neighborhood, became overflow gathering places as people all ages converged on the “Asbury Awakening”.
Listen to Greg Gillispie’s conversation this week with the Rev. D. Merricks about his personal experiences, and how the university and the community can use this revival event as a springboard toward connections with a generation with a great spiritual hunger and curiosity.
Dr. Ralph Kerr with the “Teaching and Learning Institute” gives us a front row seat to what’s happening in our public schools with “Issues in Education”.
This week includes:
- A “Satan Club” is coming to Southern Tier school
- Balancing learning loss and students’ mental health as the biggest issue(s) facing Pennsylvania schools
- Making up for the mandates that chased many teachers out of public education
- Hochul Control of Housing
- Back to Business in the Pennsylvania House
- The Power Move in Heastie’s House
Michael Geer (Pennsylvania Family Institute) and Jason McGuire (New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms) are our weekly watchdogs on issues which intersect with faith. Get the inside insights on what is making news in Harrisburg and Albany.
Academic freedom and the Christian college experience
We explore higher education and how recent cultural movements shape the college experience for today’s students. Pennsylvania and New York have a number of universities founded as Christian outreaches, and those Christian colleges are facing those pressures as are secular schools.
To get a snapshot of what is happening now, “Faith Under Fire” spoke with Dr. Wayne Lewis, president of Houghton University in New York’s Southern Tier. Dr. Lewis speaks about the uniqueness of being a Christ-centered institution, how schools can assure all voices are heard, and why it is important to assure that all students — from all sectors of the political/theological/social spectrum — feel at home on their campus and in their classrooms.
Tap here for further information: Dr. Lewis… Houghton University…
The current generation of America’s Christian leaders are aging — and now is the time to prepare for the upcoming (and necessary) transition to those who will follow.
That is the advice from Warren Smith, president of MinistryWatch.com. His ministry surveyed the 1,000 largest Christian organizations in the nation about leadership issues. Smith tells Family Life that many ministries have addressed how to continue the work after a popular leader retires or steps down, but more organizations need to prayerfully think through what their future holds.
Smith talks about how to communicate with mid-level personnel and call up the gifts of young candidates. Boards of directors of ministries (of all sizes) should develop succession plans, even if current leaders seem likely to stay in their positions for a decade or more. This conversation includes recommendations for key aspects to include in those succession plans.
Lydia Rizkallah, a student at Corning-Painted Post High School, chose to be a Christian only about 4 months ago. Despite being new as a disciple of Jesus, she is already spreading her faith. Lydia has already formed a Jesus Club there and is coordinating a large youth rally in her town at the end of February.
On this “Hometown Heroes”, hear about she found that there are many teenagers have a eagerness to find out more about Jesus. School administrators appreciated her enthusiasm for launching an in-school club and encouraged her efforts. She emailed 300 churches, inviting their congregations and their young people to the February 26 rally.
Lydia also tells how Jesus’ claim on her life transformed her life “in a crazy and exponential way.” Her awareness of this salvation motivates her to act and tell others about her Lord.
The fentanyl crisis.
A shocking statistic: Enough fentanyl was seized by law enforcement in 2022 to kill every American, of every age.
That is 50 million pills, plus 10 thousand pounds of Fentanyl powder. The DEA says that is over 379 million potentially deadly doses.
And that is only what law enforcement was able to confiscate.
The hundreds of thousands of deaths from the synthetic and illegal Fentanyl, plus hundreds of thousands more who became addicted to other (legal) opioid painkillers, this crisis calls out for a cure.
David Streem is medical director for Cleveland Clinic’s alcohol and drug treatment center. He tells Family Life, in addition to the toll this epidemic has on victims, families, and law enforcement, the opioid crisis takes a toll on the medical community.
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If you or someone you know needs help, you can talk with someone today: SAMHSA National Helpline
Confidential free help, from public health agencies, to find substance use treatment and information. 1-800-662-4357 (662-HELP)
For basic information about addictions to legal or illegal substances: Medical research from Cleveland Clinic and a related conversation with Dr. Streem
Guns in Church, Pot in Pennsylvania, and whether Black History Month had its focus stolen.
Dan Barkowiak with the Pennsylvania Family Institute and Steven Hayford with New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms discuss governmental and social issues in the news. Capital Connection host Bob Price takes us to Albany and Harrisburg each Friday.
Our Super Bowl week focus continues as we preview the campaign behind two Super Bowl TV ads which will invite nearly hundred million viewers to consider who Jesus is.
“He Gets Us” offers subtle messages about how Jesus connects with people in their everyday lives. With these TV spots, social media presence, and big-city billboards, “He Gets Us” is especially aimed toward the one-quarter of Americas who are not involved in faith or have chosen to drop away because of poor treatment by churches.
Spokesperson Jordan Carson talks about how “He Gets Us” got started in early 2022, why sports sponsorship helps them reach out to their target audience, and how local congregations and Christian groups can be available to follow up with seekers who respond.
Parents can be tempted to make the children the family’s highest priority. But giving our children the best of our time and attention is not actually what’s best for them, according to Dr. Greg Smalley.
Smalley is an author and speaker who serves as vice president of Marriage at Focus on the Family. He says that your children benefit when you make your marriage the priority.
“When our marriage is healthy, everybody wins,” Smalley says.
Giving the marriage priority status means taking the time to stay up to date on your spouse’s hopes and feelings. “We have to continually be rediscovering our spouse,” he says.
It also means making a habit of talking through the times you hurt each other along the way. “We have to repair when we have arguments and when we have conflict and when we hurt each other,” Smalley says. “We’ve got to be willing to repair.”
Everyone in a family benefits when spouses commit to the work of deepening their marriage. “I think if couples are pursuing each other, keeping current and re-discovering each other and then repairing when those conflicts happen, man, those two things alone are going to take us so far as far as staying connected in our marriage,” he says.
Learn more about Dr. Greg Smalley here.
Football kicks off renewed public prayer
Dr. Jeff Myers, founder of Summit Ministries returns to Family Life to discuss Summit’s recent public poll that proved two out of three Americans believe public prayer has value and is effective. The poll was triggered by the outpouring of prayer and faith conversations when Buffalo Bills defender Damar Hamlin had a nationally-broadcast cardiac arrest in early January.
Now this week, Myers tells us how an awareness that people of faith are in a large majority should given Christians the confidence and boldness to speak about and live out their faith, unintimidated by the 5-8% of people who want to shut down truth.
More about Summit Ministries’ outreach to the younger generation — and details about this helpful survey — can be found here.
“Racial Equity in the Classroom & Rethinking School Suspensions”
Dr. Ralph Kerr with the “Teaching and Learning Institute” in Houghton, NY, keeps us up to date with all that’s happening in Pennsylvania and New York classrooms and school districts.
On Family Life’s first “Capital Connection” roundtable of February:
- PA: Lessons learned from the federal trial of pro-life activist Mark Houck
- PA: What the House power struggle means for citizens
- NY: What can 227 Billion Dollars buy?
- NY A required “Woke” course for every first-year SUNY student?
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire (New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms) and Michael Geer (Pennsylvania Family Institute) discuss these and other weighty topics in the news each week. They hold our two states’ elected leaders accountable as each digs deep on the issues impacting faith and families.
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“Marriage is worth it!”
That is the message of National Marriage Week, which happens annually February 7-14.
Arlene Pellicane gives you a preview of the week, a take on the state of marriage today, and practical advice for couples. The 2023 emphasis for Marriage Week is “The Value of Date Nights”. Pellicane says if couples aren’t scheduling a date or specific couple time regularly, the benefits of adding at least one date a month can pay off big in contentment and connections. She offers ideas and options.
Get tips on enhancing your relationship, how churches and other entities can foster strong marriages, and how to communicate the value and benefit of marriage for the upcoming generation on National Marriage Week USA website.
While marriage is upheld for its purposes, and marriage upholds the culture….not everyone has a calling to be married.
Arlene Pellicane has ideas for how people who are divorced, separated or single can find way to develop other good relationships and find fulfillment in their personal lives.
Some people also are dealing with real troubles or imbalance or challenges in their own marriage. The spokesperson for National Marriage Week also has encouragement for them, both in our original conversation and in this bonus content. Take the initiative to find the support you need.
Whatever your relationship status, there are resources and people with whom you can talk, share your story, and reach out for helpful perspectives.
Finances are often cited as the number-one stressor in marriages. How can money decisions instead become a source of strength for couples?
Christian counselor Christopher Anderson offers Biblical advice on how to keep the “love of money” from interfering with the love in marriage. Rather than trusting one’s own knowledge and viewpoints which feed into our spiritual battles, there are better perspectives through which spouses can honor God, honor each other, and put their household on a more-helpful financial footing.
When Julie Chapus answered her phone, she was unaware that the distraught young woman on the other end would be her first contact with a pervasive human rights issue happening in Rochester — human trafficking.
“Miss Julie’s School of Beauty” is a new outreach for victims of human trafficking. The innovative program provides cosmetology training to empower survivors. The training helps those in the Rochester area and also draws survivors from many other areas.
Meet Julie Chapus, this week’s Family Life Hometown Hero. The founder says Miss Julie’s School of Beauty is an outreach of Christ for Kids Ministries of Rush, New York.
When a trafficking victim has spent time on the street, they will likely be arrested for the very situation they have been forced into. Even if escape becomes possible, afterward – left with a criminal record – they experience extreme difficulty finding a job that pays a living wage. The school helps one’s past not prevent a beautiful future. Acting on that conviction, we provide survivors and those at risk with an opportunity to earn a cosmetology license and enter into a rewarding career, at no cost to them. Because an state-granted cosmetology license removes the necessity of a background check, graduates are free to pursue an independent living without the necessity of explaining a traumatic history.
Once was the capital of American steel-making and a major source the barbed wire that shaped the westward expansion, Johnstown, New York, has a hardy history and current population. Soon after its founding by Swiss-German settlers, Johnstown developed as an canal and then railroad hub. The community is famed for floods, rebuilding after the water damage, Clara Barton and the Red Cross.
Mark Webster brings you his conversation with Executive Director Richard Burkert of the Johnstown Area Heritage Association, who shares some Johnstown’s unique story.
- What’s not to like about the “Equality Amendment”?
- A prominent Pro-Lifer on trial in Philadelphia.
- More key public issues in Pennsylvania and New York.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer discuss the weighty issues in the news from Albany and Harrisburg. Let’s take a 10-minute, “deep dive” into state politics.
A pro-life legal battle is underway — this one at the end of lives.
A new state law in New Mexico not only permits physician-assisted suicide, it requires all doctors to share information about physician-assisted suicide. If they do not, doctors opposed to promoting ending lives early can face civil and criminal penalties and risk the loss of their medical licenses. This interferes with their professional judgment for the doctor-patient relationship. The law provides no exceptions for ethical, medical or religious reasons.
The Alliance Defending Freedom brought a First-Amendment lawsuit on behalf of a Christian physicians association and a Christian dentists group. Lathan Watts, vice president for public affairs at A.D.F., tells us how this case addresses sanctity of life, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech.
The essential message of Christmas—deeper than the sparkle and lights—
is the very hope that can sustain us in a broken and often painful world.
The Christmas trees went to the curb—or into their boxes–weeks ago. So is there any reason to think about Christmas now? Ben Mandrell, president and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources, would say there is.
“What I’ve found in just being a pastor over the years is that Christmas stirs up a lot of emotions that then have to be processed into January and February, particularly if you’ve had great loss,” he said.
We have good reasons to celebrate Christmas. But God did not eliminate suffering and grief all those years ago in that cattle stall. Part of the joy of Christmas is that the essential message—deeper than the sparkle and lights—is that God, who wrapped Himself in flesh in Bethlehem, provides the hope we need to face the pain in our daily lives.
“I think what I love about Christmas,” Mandrell said, “is it gives us hope that this broken and dark planet that we live on will not always be in this condition. That He has shown us through a real, historical event that God is not only there, but He is here to redeem and save and rescue us from the pain that we experience.”
What can complicate the weeks after Christmas is that many who are working through their holiday sadness are now also negotiating the often-gloomy weather of January and February. “Whether I like to admit it or not, it’s during these months that I feel most weak,” Mandrell said. “And also where I need His strength.” And that dependence on God’s strength, Mandrell acknowledges, brings us back all these weeks later to One who wrapped up hope as the gift of Christmas. “As much as we love the ornaments and festivities of Christmas and all the external things that give us cheer, those things are temporary. And they’re not a safe place for us to put our foundation,” he said.
Read Ben Mandrell’s article that inspired this conversation here.
Hometown Heroes this week features Jeff Winton, founder and head of Rural Minds, a Chautauqua County, NY-based organization dedicated to advocating for improved mental health services for rural America.
Winton was motivated by a tragedy in his own family to start Rural Minds, which urges action because mental illness is a growing epidemic, and the suicide rate is 65% higher in rural areas. Covid lockdowns and lack of good broadband internet service adds to feelings of isolation. There is hope and practical ways to encourage each other.
VA’s National Merit Award Scandal, Regents exam week in NY, and PA proposes “teaching” January 6th in the classroom.
Dr. Ralph Kerr at the “Teaching and Learning Institute” discusses the “weighty issues” in the news as it pertains to our public schools.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer take a deep dive each Friday on the issues and events impacting people of faith all across New York and Pennsylvania. Here’s what’s happening this week ….
- The national March for Life rallies pro-life adovcates in the nation’s capital.
- “Judging” a Judge — Chief Justice nominee Hector LaSalle faces senators in New York’s capital.
- What kind of Governor will Josh Shapiro be, as he becomes governor in the capital of Pennsylvania?
Two members of the “Feminists Choosing Life” delegation from New York speak to us from Washington, the day before the 2023 March For Life at the National Mall (Friday, January 20).
Executive Director Michele Sterlace and Media Outreach Director Emily Coppolla join Greg Gillispie for a conversation on where the Pro-Life Movement goes next, after 50 years of these rallies. This the first March since Roe vs. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court.
Our guests talk about how it is not at all a contradiction to be pro-woman and pro-life, their organization’s efforts to seek common ground with those on the other side of this debate, and how the root causes of abortion need to be addressed.
What do we do when doubt creeps in about our faith?
Christian counselor Christopher Anderson has some “Real Answers”.
This week’s local hero is Andrea Witmer with Mercy Run Ministry in Mifflinburg, PA. Her efforts focus on aiding prisoners and victims enslaved in the adult sex industry.
Tom Collister, curator of the Historical Association of Lewiston takes us on a tour of some fascinating history of Lewiston, New York. It is where the Niagara Falls actually first had been, the site of the shot heard around…the War of 1812, and a key depot for the Underground Railroad.
Life “Issues”
Government Dysfunction
The Power of Prayer
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer discuss the “thorny issues” ripped from the headlines that people of faith are paying attention to all over Pennsylvania and New York. Bob Price hosts our weekly roundtable.
A harsh and divided tone pervades our society. How can Christians, whatever their politics, be charitable and fearless and faithful in the public conversations in these times?
Dr. Paul Kengor is senior director of the Institute for Faith and Freedom at Grove City College in Pennsylvania. He discusses freedom of conscience, “cancel culture”, one-sided calls for tolerance and diversity, and the fear that has silenced many in the middle.
From the loss of school connections during the pandemic to the death of a grandparent, sometimes well-meaning adults misstep as they try to help grieving children.
“I think we can get a little clouded around making ourselves feel more comfortable rather than kind of accompanying the child where they are,” says Lacy Finn Borgo. Her 2022 children’s picture book “All Will Be Well: Learning to Trust God’s Love” is written to help children face loss and grief. “So we might say things that make us, as adults, feel better, but it might not meet the child where they actually are.”
Borgo emphasizes that, with God, we can know that all will be well even when someone we love dies. But how do we help children see that “all will be well” does not mean that “everything will be the same as it was”? “Children and even adults, we can’t sort of get our minds logically around that. We learn it and we live it a little bit every day.” Borgo says. “We can know it in our heads, but learning it in our souls and our bodies are something else.”
What we can do for children—and this helps with adults as well—is to help them feel secure right now as they express their emotions, long before it feels like “all will be well.”
“So making space for them to have a place to talk about how they feel, and accepting the emotions, and giving them a place and a way to process them, helps them to know that all will be well,” she says.
Learn more about Lacy Finn Borgo’s book “All Will Be Well: Learning to Trust God’s Love.”
Biggest Education Obstacles in the Classroom for 2023
With the New Year upon us, Dr. Ralph Kerr discusses the issues in education that parents and policy-makers alike will be watching in 2023. Kerr directs the “Teaching and Learning Institute“ in Houghton, NY, and is a frequent guest on Family Life.
The 2023 Legislative Sessions are underway in Albany and Harrisburg. Dan Bartkowiak of the Pennsylvania Family Institute and Jason McGuire with New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms discuss the legislative items “on the docket” at the state capitols this year, including abortion pills and the March for Life, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and school choice options.
The U-S Supreme Court will rule this spring on a religious freedom case, “303 Creative v. Elenis.” Lorie Smith, a Christian website designer who opposes same-sex marriage as contrary to her faith, sued over a Colorado state law which bars discrimination, which could require her to create wedding websites for same-sex couples.
Lorie Smith was represented at oral arguments in Washington D.C. in December 2022 by the Alliance Defending Freedom. Attorney Matt Sharp, senior counsel at ADF, spoke with Family Life about the issues underlying the case, and how the justices’ questions at oral arguments might give insight into the upcoming ruling.
New Year, New Habits.
New Year’s Resolutions can make someone either cringe or get excited. Licensed Mental Health Counselor Christopher Anderson offers practical advice on how to make personal improvements to enhance your life. There are techniques and attitudes with which can help you develop New Habits which you can maintain throughout the New Year.
Hometown Heroes features Bill Matteson, founder of Chautauqua County’s “CopeFoundation19”, dedicated to assisting children whose parents have died of opioid overdoses. Matteson’s adult son died four years ago this week, leaving behind three children.
Ambassador Advisors Financial Adviser Adrian Young offers practical tips and techniques for managing your personal and household finances for the new year ahead.
Set your goals, track your progress, and celebrate the “desserts” you develop. Traci Lynn asks Young how you can “kick-start” your money goals.
What were the stories that mattered the most in 2022? The Family Life news team takes a look back at the issues and events that shaped our lives the past 12 months.
Pastor Joshua Robertson with “The Rock” church in Harrisburg, PA shares how Christians can maintain the message of Christ and Christmas beyond December 25th.
This applies to anyone whose celebration of Jesus aligned with some of the cultural Christmas glitz and glamor, as well as for anyone whose own Christmas was not like the personal or social expectations that distract from the meaning of Christ’s birth.
What happens when’s God’s design is erased? Focus on the Family’s Jeff Johnston speaks about the Biden Administration’s expansion of Title IX.
Christian counselor Christopher Anderson touts ways parents can ready their children for adulthood.
This week’s Hometown Heroes features Bob Lecher of Painted Post NY, a facilitator with The Fatherhood Connection – a statewide organization dedicated to helping men find identity and purpose in being fathers.
Broome County Historian Roger Luther sheds light on Binghamton, New York in this segment of Family Life Hometowns.
TOP 5 IN NY & PA
What were the biggest news events of 2022 in Pennsylvania and New York? Jason McGuire with New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms and Michael Geer with the Pennsylvania Family Institute share their “top 5” stories of the year.
A federal court says the Biden Administration does not have the authority to force Christian doctors to perform gender transition surgeries. Attorney Joe Davis with Beckett Law shares a few case details, along with the wider impact of the ruling by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Are you dreading the big family Christmas get-together because of the potential for conflict?
“Our love for Christ makes a great difference,” Dr. Chet Weld says, “so we remember the Scripture that says: ‘love triumphs over judgment,’ and we want to be filled with the love of Christ and love everyone unconditionally as Jesus does.”
Weld draws from 42 years as a Christian therapist to suggest several strategies to keep our focus positive and our attitude encouraging.
“My first point is to be in prayer in the weeks and days before a family occasion,” he says.
There really is a lot on the line.
“Entire family dynamics revolve around these get-togethers such as weddings, or memorial services, or Christmas,” he says about big family gatherings. “These gatherings are so important because the effects of them can last for years and years and years.”
Because of that, it’s good to also include prayer on the day of celebration.
“This sort of sets the tone,” he says. “I think it’s very important.”
And how we engage in conversation that day can make a difference for good, too. Weld recommends focusing on others: on how they’ve overcome difficulties over the past year, what they’re thankful for, and how knowing what they have control over could make for a smoother new year.
Weld’s recommendations could make for a more joyful gathering and warmer connections moving forward.
“You’ll get to build the relationships if all goes well,” he says.
Dr. Chet Weld’s upcoming book is titled “God is in the Crazy.”
This week’s Hometown Hero is Polla Mulligan, founder of WNY’s “White Whiskers Senior Dog Sanctuary,” which is in the process of renovating an old VFW post in Akron, NY as a new home for senior dogs.
Dr. Ralph Kerr with the “Teaching and Learning Institute” talks about the important issues in the news as they pertain to our public schools.
Should New York pay Slave Reparations, and who “Rules the Roost” in the Pennsylvania House?
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer discuss the weighty issues in the news from Albany and Harrisburg.
Are nativity displays allowed by your local government? Liberty Counsel CEO Mat Staver shares about this year’s update and what public school teachers may do this season in their classrooms. We also learn about “pro-Christmas” retailers, along with a few that earned a spot on the “naughty” list this year.
Christmas Friend or Foe Retailer List for 2022
There’s a new term circulating in the media that represents the profile of many mass shooters: incel, or involuntary celibate. Christian counselor Christopher Anderson has more.
Steve Taybor of the Buffalo satellite of “Eight Days of Hope” in Buffalo is this week’s Hometown Hero.
Dr. Ralph Kerr with the “Teaching and Learning Institute” in Houghton, NY says the state ranks second to last in the country when it comes to it’s allocation of Covid Cash toward “learning loss” caused by the Pandemic. Listen in for more on this week’s edition of “Issues in Education.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer work every day in Albany and Harrisburg for faith and family values. In this edition, they share about the latest issues “in the news.”
What are pastors reporting about their own beliefs? Dr. George Barna heads up the research at the Cultural Research Center. He unveils recent data about the perspectives of pastors and how they line up with God’s Word.
American Worldview Inventory 2022 – Release #7
This week it’s Pastor Steve Bigner of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Eggertsville, NY, talking about their Daily Bread food truck ministry.
Crossroads Prison Ministries' Jose Pichardo tells us how his organization connects inmates with mentors from churches to develop Christ-centered relationships.
How can we focus on gratitude this Thanksgiving? Christian counselor Christopher Anderson answers.
Pastor Eric Johns with the Buffalo Dream Center lives homeless for a week in Buffalo each year at Thanksgiving.
Dr. Ralph Kerr discusses the latest controversy in the classroom – Indian mascots. Are they offensive or is this “cancel culture” at its worst?
This week, the Capital Connection crew weigh in on the so-called “Respect for Marriage Act.”
The legal back and forth continues in New York’s concealed carry restrictions for churches. First Liberty Institute’s Jordan Pratt discusses the unconstitutionality of measures passed by the state, despite a ruling by the Supreme Court.
People with cancer are already in a club nobody wants to be a member of. Add holidays to the mix and it gets even more complicated. “As far as the holiday season, because of the emotion, and the community and the family gatherings, it’s a tough time to be dealing with a cancer diagnosis. But God likely, very likely, is at work,” says author Deborah Barr, who interviewed people fighting cancer for her latest book, Strength for the Cancer Journey. How can we help our friends with cancer, especially this time of year? First of all, we can pray. “Prayer is the one thing that Christians can do that unbelievers can’t do for someone with cancer,” Barr says. “But, of course, support takes many forms beyond that. And this is just where we just become the Lord’s extension to that person.” Do offer to help, she recommends, but resist placing the burden on your friend to come up with the way to help. “Especially during the holiday season, a lot of people with cancer are reluctant to ask for help because they don’t want to inconvenience us,” she says. So it’s on us to think about our friend’s day-to-day life, and then offer to do something specific. “Sometimes it’s just practical help. It’s can I pick up a prescription for you? Or babysit so they can take a nap. Sometimes the best support is just listening, sincerely, with real interest.” As we think of friends with cancer, it’s good to keep in contact with those who are nearing the end of their treatments. Some handle chemo and radiation well enough but crash emotionally after it’s all over. “It’s because sometimes, when the treatments end, so does the support,” Barr says. “The need for support doesn’t go away when the treatments are finished. For many people, that may be when your support means the most.” In other words, it’s never too late to begin supporting a friend who’s fighting cancer.
“I believe God can make us sensitive to that so we can step in when others are stepping away,” Barr says. Hear our full conversation in this 13-minute podcast. Learn more about Deborah Barr. Read about her book Strength for the Cancer Journey.
From “The Big Runaway” to the Pennsylvania Canal System and Piper Aircraft, Lock Haven, Pennsylvania has a rich and diverse history. We take closer look on this edition of Family Life Hometowns!
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer “take stock” of the election results on Tuesday from the state capitals of Albany and Harrisburg.
Pastor Tim LeCroy with New Life Presbyterian Church recently chaired the PCA General Assembly Committee on Abuse. He helps us notice potential child and adult victims, along with patterns of abusers. LeCroy urges churches to seek outside help when dealing with domestic or sexual abuse.
The Report
How to Use the Report
The election cycle can be stressful, especially if our candidates don't win. How do we navigate that as Christians? Christian counselor Christopher Anderson answers.
Dr. Ralph Kerr heads up the “Teaching & Learning Institute” in Houghton, New York. His goal is to get more people of faith involved in public education.
We start this week by discussing how “issues in education” may impact the vote in tomorrow’s mid-terms.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer are keeping a close eye on the races and issues you care about in advance of next week’s mid-term elections.
How can we know what God wants us to value as we head to the polls during the midterm election? Focus on the Family’s Nicole Hunt talks about the privilege and responsibility of voting according to Biblical values.
Jesus calls us to humility, and that’s what’s needed to mend divisions in our churches and communities.
“There’s a really kind of twisted pressure in Christianity in this day and age to sort of make a name for yourself. And that can blatantly happen as we’re seeing people professionalize their brand, like try to build a name for themselves instead of God’s Kingdom,” says author, broadcaster, and podcaster Aubrey Sampson.
Jesus calls us instead to choose the place of least honor and leave it to God to raise us up to honor, Sampson points out. That means exercising humility in every interaction, whether on social media, in the neighborhood, or with family. Even when we think we’re right.
“Even if we don’t mean this, we say it in our minds: ‘We don’t agree on this thing. My way is right. Therefore I’m better than them.’ And suddenly we are no longer humble servants that Jesus called us to be, we’re putting ourselves in that place of honor, even if in our own minds. And that posture is just not the way of Jesus,” she says.
God’s people are called to unity, which is not the same as uniformity.
“We are called, by God Himself, we are called by Jesus: ‘Love one another. Build each other up. Serve one another,’” she says. “It doesn’t mean agreeing on everything, but somehow we have to begin asking the Lord to help us be humble, even with people we think are blatantly wrong. And I think that maybe shows us the plank in our own eyes, too, right?”
None of it is easy. But Jesus, who humbled Himself and gave His life for us, never intended for us to do this on our own.
“Truly, it’s the Holy Spirit transforming you to help you become more and more like Jesus and put the other person first,” she says.
Hear our entire conversation during this 14-minute Inside Out podcast.
Read Aubrey Sampson’s article that inspired the conversation here.
Read more about Aubrey Sampson here.
Today's Hometown Hero is youth pastor Tim Swan of Binghamton’s East Side Learning Center. It's an afterschool program run by Grace Baptist Church – bringing fun – and the gospel – to kids on the city’s east side.
Jason McGuire and Michael Geer are Christian lobbyists at the state capitals in Albany and Harrisburg. They fight for Christian rights in the public square. Here’s what’s happening this week on “Capital Connection.”
What are the basic roots of Halloween? Vern Saile, senior pastor of Northgate Free Methodist Church, shares the Celtic roots of the day. He also notes how we can take advantage of the opportunity to connect with community members.
How can parents help their children overcome the learning loss suffered during remote learning? Christian counselor Christopher Anderson answers.
Dr. Ralph Kerr at the “Teaching & Learning Institute,” in Houghton, New York, is fighting for Christian families in the public schools.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer are “honed in” on the “hot topics” that permeate each week from Harrisburg and Albany.
Common challenges and "taking on too much" can weigh down the effective ministry of pastors and other spiritual caregivers. Larry Jennings, Jr. serves as chaplain at Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital. He shares tips to stay healthy, be effective long-term, and avoid burnout.
Learning to negotiate anger is key if we’re going to have good relationships. Dr. Josh Straub and his wife Christy Straub want to help children learn that early. The Straubs are family and leadership coaches who head up the organization Famous at Home, and their newest book for children is What Do I Do with Anger? “I think it’s our God-given emotion that helps protect us from something that could potentially harm us,” says Josh Straub, my guest on this Inside Out podcast. Though it’s God-given, it’s important to know that anger is a secondary emotion, Straub points out. There’s always something behind it. If recognizing that we’re angry is going to be beneficial, we need to look for what’s fueling it. “If you think about what’s in the seat behind, driving the bus, it’s another emotion,” he says. It’s important to teach children to go looking for what that is. To help them, the Straubs use a repeated phrase in the book: “Anger can show you what’s deep in your heart. Naming that feeling can bring a fresh start.” Listening, Straub says, will be key to discovering and naming that feeling. “James, chapter one, says to be ‘quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.’ And then in verse 20 it says, ‘because human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness,’” Straub says. “And I think it’s so important for us not just to look at the verse to go, ‘Hey, we have to listen to others,’ but we also have to listen to what’s going on with ourselves.” It’s a skill that will help children throughout their lives. “Feelings can teach us a lot about situations, so we know how to set boundaries and enter into healthy relationships, and then manage those relationships well,” he says. Learn more about Dr. Josh Straub and Christy Straub and their books here.
This week's Hometown Hero is Kim Reynolds. She heads up the Resurrection Life Food Pantry in Cheektowaga, New York.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer are “glued” to the issues you care about in Albany, Harrisburg and Washington D.C.
You may recall the name Jack Phillips. It’s the name of the Masterpiece Cake Shop owner who gained national attention for refusing to design a wedding cake for a same-sex couple.
Alliance Defending Freedom’s Jonathan Scruggs tells us about the latest court visit over a gender transition cake and the free-speech rights of all Americans.
Pollster George Barna speaks on the America Values Study, conducted by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University and commissioned by "Americas Ane" founder Marc Nutttle. It evaluated four dozen different values to determine what a majority of Americans say defines them and their life.
Barna tells Family Life's Mark Webster results suggest Americans may not be as divided as is widely believed - at least not when it comes to the values they cherish most and believe define them.
It won't be too much longer before the fall foliage will be in "full bloom." We get a fall foliage forecast from Taryn Bauerle, a plant specialist at Cornell University.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire with New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms and Michael Geer with the Pennsylvania Family Institute discuss the weighty issues in the news that impact our listeners where they live.
Should we tear down America's foundations? That's the Marxist/Critical Race Theory position. Author and Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary Douglas Groothuis talks about the riots of 2020 and sheds perspective on America's racial history, along with equity and diversity hiring quotas.
How do we engage the political process in a Godly manner? Christian counselor Christopher Anderson tells us.
Todd Gallagher is a Parker, PA native who has spent nearly 20 years as a missionary to Ukraine and Romania. He talks about his unexpected path to that ministry, as well as the current turmoil in Ukraine.
Dr. Ralph Kerr at the “Teaching and Learning Institute” has more on the issues in the news when it comes to our public schools.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer are watching out for you at the state capitals of Albany and Harrisburg.
Around the country, Christians are exiting the Church or adapting the faith to accommodate their preferences. Dennis Allen believes the way to grow resilient, mature disciples is to return to the way Jesus did it.
“Until leaders, leaders in Christ, until we start changing the culture, to realize what relationship means, and true biblical discipleship means, we’re going to keep Xeroxing brittle Christians,” says Allen, a corporate CEO and the author of the new book The Disciple Dilemma.
“We need to walk alongside each other,” he says. “And we don’t know how to do that well in the church. We know how to go to church, but we don’t know how to walk alongside each other well.”
We can return to building disciples relationally, the way Jesus did, helping believers see the importance and cost of commitment. But making the change to labor-intensive disciple-building will take time.
“We like to think in our culture—the American culture—everything’s a microwave pizza. The reality of this is it’s more of a greenhouse model. Leadership needs to make that richer, fuller soil, to raise up disciples. So if you were raising up plants, bushes, and trees, that’s not an overnight moment, that’s not one sermon, not one program.”
This isn’t a church culture change that rests on the shoulders of leadership alone. The people in the pews are key to helping to grow Jesus-dedicated disciples.
“We owe these wonderful followers of Christ who are leading us great respect, love, and support,” Allen says. “And what we do not owe them is a spectator in the pew. We owe them coming up and saying, “Put me in, Coach.”
Hear my conversation with Dennis Allen by listening to this 8.5-minute podcast.
Learn more about Dennis Allen and his book The Disciple Dilemma here.
This week's Hometown Heroes is Jessica Shirey, a media relations volunteer for the West Central PA Area team of Operation Christmas Child.
This edition of ‘Family Life Hometowns’ looks at the rich history of Franklin, Pennsylvania – a key player in the Keystone State’s pre-Revolutionary War history, as well as the development of its petroleum industry. Today, it offers a mix of well-preserved historic architecture and modern recreational activities.
New Hope Family Services in Syracuse is celebrating a big win. Last week, a federal judge ruled that New York cannot deny the agency its First Amendment right to abide by its Christian beliefs when placing children with adoptive parents. We get the update from Alliance Defending Freedom's Mark Lippelmann and New Hope's Executive Director Kathy Jerman.
Many of the rising cases of depression and anxiety today have roots in discontentment. Christian counselor Christopher Anderson tells us how to be content when life doesn't work out the way we had hoped.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer focus on the issues impacting faith and family at the state capitals in Albany and Harrisburg.
New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms
Pennsylvania Family Institute
Each year more than 10 million people worldwide are newly diagnosed with dementia. And that means more and more adult children are faced with decisions about their parents’ care.
“It is very hard to watch a competent loved one lose his or her ability to bathe and dress, to make a grocery list or fix meals,” says author and seminary graduate Cynthia Fischer. Fischer wrote about caring for her mother in the 2021 Gospel Coalition article “Even Dementia Is Not Dark to God.”
When a stroke deepened her mother’s dementia, Fischer wished she’d known more of her mother’s preferences. That’s why Fischer recommends proactive conversations, as hard as those might be, to learn a parent’s priorities.
“I think some parents will not want to talk about this,” she says. “But over time, gently, revisit that question. And it will not help to get in a fight about it, which is so easy for us to do.”
It’s the kind of conversation that could help with the decisions ahead.
“I wanted my Mom to consider what she would want, rather than me telling her what she would need, which is really, really hard to do.”
Knowing a parent’s wishes is only one part of a difficult job. If you are caring for a parent with dementia right now, Fischer hopes that your church is preparing people to offer support and physical help.
“Scripture reminds us to care for our brothers and sisters in Christ, especially the widows, and I’d include the widowers, and to honor our parents.”
And while asking for help can be difficult, it’s essential for a care-giver’s wellbeing.
“We’re not so good at asking for help. But at least if you start out and say, ‘This is what’s going on,’ some people will come forward and help,” she says.
And some of that help from friends and church family can be as simple as stopping by for a visit, something we might think won’t have any impact.
“I think for those few minutes, or an hour, when you’re with them, they are experiencing your touch, your voice, your presence, and it absolutely makes a difference.”
Listen to the podcast to hear more of Cynthia Fischer’s wisdom for adult children of parents with dementia.
Read the article that inspired this conversation here.
Read Cynthia Fischer’s blog on Childhood Ministry here.
This week's Hometown Hero is a couple who runs Williamsport Bicycle Recycle in Williamsport, P.A. It's a bike shop that gives back to the community by making bicycles and cycling more accessible.
A Christian counselor is concerned with the culture's growing acceptance of the transgender lifestyle. Garry Ingraham with Love and Truth Network in Glendale, Arizona, who will be hosting a conference next month on God's design for sex at the Family Life headquarters in Bath, New York, discusses.
In the United States, surveys show that women outnumber men in churches 61% to 39%. Why is that, and what can we do to get more men in church? Christian counselor Chris Anderson discusses.
This weeks' Hometown Hero is Casey Jones of Belmont, NY. His group, "Alleghany Hope" is helping build stronger communities by connecting people in need with government and church-based services
With so many Bible translations out there, how do you know which one is best for you? What are some helpful tips for reading God's Word? Mike Sherrard with Summit Ministries in Colorado fills us in.
Step aboard an Erie Canal Cruise in Lockport, New York. Just as the water fills up a lock, Mike Wrona with Lockport Locks fills us in on the history of the town that grew up due to the Erie Canal.
Businessman and author Bob Hasson talks about the pandemic’s impact on the workplace, passion in our work, and our identity beyond the job.
Abortion is not just an issue in the U.S. It's also a major problem in Mongolia. Missionary Mitch Tillman of Harbor Evangelism tells us of the efforts to "turn the tide" toward valuing life in the country in East Asia.
How do we, as Christians, handle hot topics such as abortion and gay marriage? Mike Sherrard with Summit Ministries in Colorado tells us.
The catastrophic Johnstown Flood occurred on Friday, May 31, 1889. Park Ranger Elizabeth Shope relays background of the club that owned the earthen dam that gave way and tells about Clara Barton’s rescue efforts following the torrent of destruction on the Conemaugh Valley. The Johnstown Flood National Memorial’s visitor center is located at the site of the dam.
Inflation is adding to the financial stress on couples, yet Focus on the Family Counselor George Stahnke shares tips to help marriages thrive when it comes to money and faith.
Small groups can be challenging for people that struggle with social anxiety. Christian counselor Chris Anderson discusses how churches and individuals can overcome the anxiety hurdle.
This week’s Hometown Hero is Eileen Chapman of Bloomsburg, Pa. Her not-for-profit is meeting needs by filling gaps the government can’t reach.
Are you frustrated with God or feel like you don't understand His will for your life? Dr. Richard Blackaby with Blackaby Ministries International in Georgia fills us in on how to navigate the rollercoaster ride of faith.
Maybe you’ve heard about Kodak film. Well, visitors to the George Eastman Museum get to learn about the pioneer of popular photography and motion picture film. Eliza Kozlowski also underscores more on Eastman’s love of music and appreciation for nature.
The Biden Administration is now linking lunch money funding to LGBTQ protections. ADF's Erica Steinmiller-Perdomo says schools will be required to enforce non-discrimination policies. She unpacks what the USDA initiative means for public and Christian schools.
The Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade promises to save lives. But women continue to face the circumstances that motivated them to choose abortion in the past. “In every state we will have women who--married and unmarried--face an unwanted pregnancy, face fear, anxiety, and real challenges for bringing that baby into the world,” says Jen Pollock Michel in today’s Inside Out conversation. Michel is an award-winning author whose recent Christianity Today article is titled, “I Was Pro-Life In Theory. It Took Much More to Actually Help.” To be pro-life in America after Roe, Michel believes, means that for many the work--and sacrifice--is just beginning. “A pro-life position means that we’re helping to reimagine a world where every baby is not only brought into the world, but able to flourish,” she says. Many who choose abortion are poor or alone, overwhelmed, unsupported, or in fragile health. Bringing a baby to term can make any of those circumstances more difficult. “I don’t think the majority of women want to give up their children--want to abort their children. I think they just can’t imagine raising them well,” she says. “How could we change that equation for women is what I’d love to think about.” If many of the babies and their mothers are going to be surrounded by a supportive community, and have healthy food and good medical care, it’s going to mean sacrifice by those who’ve wanted Roe v. Wade overturned. “What I think Christians could really start to think about, and what I’d like to challenge myself to think about, is: how do I care about children who don’t have the resources that my own children have, so that we can help women consider wanting to bring a child in to the world, and feeling like she might have the resources available to her.” Learn more about Jen Pollock Michel here. Read her article “I Was Pro-Life In Theory. It Took Much More to Actually Help” here. “I would love for us to imagine all the ways that we could create the kind of world where not only is abortion illegal, but is actually undesirable,” Michel says.
This week’s Hometown Hero is Buffalo, NY’s Aaron Moore. He’s offering young adults paid internships to serve the Kingdom of God in the “Queen City.”
BUMP
What happens to our bodies and souls when we die? Jason Jimenez with Stand Strong Ministries in North Carolina tells us.
Who was Milton S. Hershey, the man known for creating a chocolate empire? Curt Sisco with Hershey Trolley Works unfolds details of his life, chocolate-making, and school. Join us we learn more about what Hershey, Pennsylvania has to offer.
You know murder is bad, but what does God say about cowardice when it comes to faith? Author and Promise Keepers CEO Ken Harrison unpacks what daring faith looks like. It may be different from what you image.
College kids are getting ready to head back to campus, but before they do, parents need to know about the alarming number of students turning from their faith. Christian counselor Christopher Anderson explains why, and how parents can combat that.
This week’s Hometown Hero is Roger Woodruff of Hartsville, NY. He’s started a “traveling chapel” to collect Christian literature to send to the mission field, all over the world.
What is the Holy Trinity and how do we interact with each part of the Godhead? Tripp Almon with Summit Ministries tells us.
What were the original four flavors of Jell-O flavors? Sydney Harvey with the Jell-O Gallery Museum in LeRoy, New York gives us the scoop, along with what’s “not” found in Jell-O gelatin. Learn about the history of the dessert, the factory, and what museum visitors can experience today.
What’s behind Critical Race Theory? How do these thoughts stack up against the plumb line of truth? Author and Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary Douglas Groothuis tells us about the Frankfurt School and ideas that oppose Biblical teachings.
What are churches to do about the alarming percentage of pastors thinking of leaving ministry? One option is to grant weary pastors a sabbatical--or preempt the weariness with intentional time away. Relieving pastors of church responsibilities for a short time can give them time to refocus, recharge, and tap into their relationship with Jesus.
“It is really to reestablish that rhythm of rest,” says Big Flats, NY pastor Alex Ruffer, who believes all believers benefit from regular times of rest. “But it’s also to break some cycles and influences that maybe have been creeping in without our knowledge--both for us, but also for our congregations.”
Ruffer’s been lead pastor at The Bridge Wesleyan Church since 2013, serving the church as its Children’s and Youth pastor for eight years prior to that. Ruffer is taking his first pastoral sabbatical this summer.
“When we encourage leaders: ‘Please take the space you need to get before the Father and hear His voice, and let His voice drive you beyond any other voice,’ then we say, ‘You can now be an instrument that can be set aside for holy purposes,’ because the voice that is most important is being listened to,” he says.
Having a pastor spend time away may seem like it could stagnate the church, but Ruffer believes it has the potential to do just the opposite.
“If we encourage our people and our pastors to take that space on a regular basis,” he says, “they’re going to be hearing from God, they’re going to be hearing revelation and understanding that’s timely, and that’s going to give us a level of fruitfulness that maybe we’ve never experienced before because we’ve just been doing things according to our own understanding and according to our own power.”
This week’s “Hometown Hero” is Corning, NY’s Deborah Chucoski. She’s a world-class triathlete despite being nearly blind.
What is the Biblical Meta-narrative and why is it so important for Christians? Summit Ministries Dustin Jizmejian tells us.
Do you like the sight and sound of cascading water? Environmental education specialist Rhiannon Summers says 94-foot Ganoga Falls is the highest of 22 named waterfalls at Ricketts Glen State Park. Some folks come to camp for a few days, while others enjoy a day trip to check out the wildlife and beauty.
Dr. Tara Sander Lee, director of life sciences at the Charlotte Lozier Institute addresses more of the common false impressions put forth by abortion supporters.
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Why are we seeing such a rise in mass shootings? Christian counselor Chris Anderson says part of the problem is the state of our country spiritually.
This week’s Hometown Hero is Chris Carpenter of Canastota, NY. She’s started Rahab Refuge Ministries, central New York’s first-ever safe house for sex trafficking victims.
Jason Jimenez with Stand Strong Ministries helps us unpack the purpose and power of prayer within God’s sovereign plan.
Jimmy Stewart made more than 80 films and is most known for his role as George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life. Indiana, Pennsylvania is home to the Jimmy Stewart Museum. Executive Director Janie McKirgan says visitors get to learn more about the actor, family man and World War II pilot while exploring the spot in his hometown.
Dr. Tara Sander Lee, director of life sciences at the Charlotte Lozier Institute addresses some of the common false impressions put forth by abortion supporters.
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This week’s Hometown Hero is Jim Harden of Rochester, NY. His group CompassCare is helping to eliminate the need for abortion in the “Empire State.”
We've all asked the question. Mike Sherrod with Summit Ministries discusses why God allows difficult situations in our lives.
Heritage Village of the Southern Finger Lakes lets visitors glimpse what life was like as an inn keeper or traveler in the late 1700s. Sean Lukasic says a blacksmith shop, one-room school house and log cabin are also set up on the property. This summer, a special exhibit highlights the devastation and cleanup efforts 50 years ago following Tropical Storm Agnes.
Author Dennis Allen says Biblical discipleship has been hijacked. He explains what that means for Christians, including millennials. Allen unpacks what the original version of discipleship looks like.
Reading the Bible in public school? It's legal. Kori Pennypacker with Bible2School in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, tells us how her organization is seeking to get the Bible, and good Christian teaching, back into public schools.
Today’s Hometown Hero is Elmira, NY mayor Dan Mandell, a world champion power lifter who’s putting the “muscle” back in public service.
National Park Service Rangers Adam Duncan and Matt Ifill help us learn more about several of the signers of the Declaration Of Independence from New York and Pennsylvania. They outline some of the struggles these men, their families, and others faced in the pursuit of freedom from Britain.
On the north side of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Science Center offers guests a wide variety of exhibits ranging from a WWII submarine, a guitar exhibition, miniature railroad village showcasing the region before 1945, and a Robot Hall of Fame. Connie George walks us through a few of the displays.
The U-S Supreme Court wrapped up a momentous session this week with another blockbuster ruling. This one protects the 1st amendment rights of a high school coach who was fired for praying on the 50 yard line after games. Family Life’s Bob Price spoke with John Bursh of Alliance Defending Freedom about the case.
The war in Ukraine continues to rage.
“I know that the war has gone down the list of headlines in North America,” Don Parsons told me right before leaving the US to head back to Poland. “But the war is just as intense as it was. There is heavy fighting. There are people who are losing their lives at great numbers on a daily basis.”
Don Parsons is a former church planter in Ukraine who now directs Mission Eurasia’s Unreached People Groups Initiative. He notes that as the war continues, so do the needs of Ukrainian refugees.
“In Poland, in the city of Warsaw, where I’m based right now, the population’s increased by 15 percent in the last three months,” he says. “Fifteen percent. Four hundred thousand plus Ukrainian refugees.”
Parsons suggests three specific ways we can keep praying for God’s intervention in the war in Ukraine.
“I think the first prayer would be just to pray that this war--these atrocities--this evil--would end. And to not cease to pray,” he says. “One of the pastors in Kiev in the early going said that ‘the prayers of the global church is the iron dome of Ukraine.’ So we need to keep standing with Ukraine and praying for Ukraine.”
Parsons notes that the evangelical Ukrainian church is the largest evangelical church in all of Europe. With so many Ukrainian believers now scattered across Europe, Parsons asks us to pray that God will use the dispersion of Ukrainian Christians to spread God’s Good News.
“Pray for a spiritual harvest in the midst of these horrors,” he asks. “The church that we helped plant in Kiev--the pastor was evacuated to Switzerland. He’s helped establish a little church with the Ukrainian community there, and 22 people have come to Christ in the last two and a half months since he’s been evacuated there.”
In addition, Parsons asks us to pray for healing from the personal effects of the war.
“Pray for those that have experienced or are experiencing trauma. Which almost every Ukrainian has at some level.”
My conversation with Don in the podcast lasts just over 16 minutes.
Learn about Mission Eurasia’s work in Ukraine here.
This week’s Hometown Hero is Rae Goodman with One Little Meal. Her group is providing free housing to vets in need.
Midway State Park on the shores of Chautauqua Lake is rooted in history, first opening as a picnic area. Generations have since enjoyed classic Herschel rides made in western New York, a vintage carousel, mini golf, go-karts, and more. Marla Connelley with New York State Parks gives us a preview.
The high court's decision on Roe v. Wade is expected any day. Paul Marshall with CareNet Pregnancy Centers of Central New York shares about misconceptions and the spike in violence toward pro-life pregnancy centers. He also explains the latest move by New York State to scrutinize the centers that offer ultrasound technology.
Mental health has been a hot topic in light of recent mass shootings. Christian counselor Christopher Anderson continues our conversation on anxiety and, specifically, what thinking patterns trigger it.
With the “rainbow flag” everywhere these days, how are people of faith to respond when confronted or asked to celebrate? Pastor Dave Bretch with the Beartown Road Alliance Church in Painted Post, NY offers insight and analysis.
President of the C.S. Lewis Society, Mike Sherrod, kicks off our new summer feature called Faith Foundations. He helps us unpack how to discern God's will.
One of the nation’s most famous lawmen came to Coudersport, Pennsylvania after nabbing gangster Al Capone and cleaning up the crime in Cleveland, Ohio. Eliot Ness Museum Director Steve Green tells us why.
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Being pro-life might mean fostering or adopting a child. Once a foster kid herself, Focus on the Family's Helen Richardson now raises foster children with her husband. She walks us through contributing factors and proactive ways you can support others in your community.
Looking for silver linings in the pandemic? Photographer and author Dorothy Littell Greco believes we can mine helpful marriage lessons from the disruptions of the past two years. “COVID made it impossible to ignore or dismiss the fact that we are all limited people and that we don’t have much control over the world, even though we like to think that--or live like we do,” says the author of Marriage in the Middle and Making Marriage Beautiful. In today’s podcast, Greco reminds us that while we may not control the world, we can control our reactions to it. “I think we all need to be asking: are we moving towards becoming more kind, more generous, and more empathetic--especially to our spouse--or do we tend to go in the opposite direction? Do we become more controlling, more irritable, more impatient, and more distant?” These past two years have also shown us that feeling broken is normal. And so is asking for help. “When we get to that space and we can ask for help rather than give up, or blame the other person, or look outside the marriage for what we need, that’s a game changer, right? That’s a sign of maturity and strength. It’s not a sign of failure.” Many of us are battling discouragement, or the loss of a job or someone we loved. So another lesson is that over the course of the pandemic our vulnerabilities and strengths may have changed. “What we need from each other as spouses today probably is very different from what we needed three years ago,” she points out.
“In the middle of these kind of major shifts, it’s wise to ask our spouse directly something along the lines of, ‘What do you need from me in this season?’” Greco’s final lesson from the pandemic echoes something our mothers taught us: it’s always good to say “thank you.” “When we look for things to be grateful about, we’ll find them,” she says. “And ‘thank you’ is just such a powerful phrase that helps us not feel like we’re being overlooked or taken for granted. And it can really, I think, help us to connect with each other and just feel more positive regard for each other.” Listen to our 15-minute conversation, and then learn more about Dorothy Littell Greco, her writing, and her photography here.
Dr. Greg Smalley, Focus on the Family's Vice President of Marriage, discusses why marriage counseling can be seen in a negative light, and how to move past that to strengthen your marriage.
Dr. Ralph Kerr at the Teaching and Learning Institute takes us “inside the classroom” one more time before we break for summer.
Safe Haven Refugee Museum on New York’s Lake Ontario keeps the stories of 982 refugees during World War II alive. Paul Lear details how the old Administration Building became a refugee shelter at Fort Ontario. Now the museum serves as a memorial to both suffering and triumph.
We value our faith and relationship with the Lord. So why is it such a hurdle for many of us to start sharing Christ with our friends? Aaron Pierce with Steiger International outlines steps for relational evangelism.
Conversation Ideas
Mental health has been a hot topic in light of recent mass shootings. Christian counselor Christopher Anderson discusses the stigma over mental illness, anxiety, and how we address it.
Brian Eshenaur is an “insect expert” at Cornell Cooperative Extension. He’s talking about how to keep those creepy, crawly, critters from destroying your property.
Dr. Ralph Kerr at the Teaching and Learning Institute discusses the latest on the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that left 19 elementary students and 2 teachers dead.
Have you ever wanted to catch a rattlesnake? Amos Osborn with the Morris Fire Company says next weekend's event is your chance. An array of food vendors, a one-pitch softball tournament, and Saturday night fireworks are also part of the weekend event.
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A recent independent report found leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention mishandled allegations of sexual abuse for two decades. Abuse survivor and advocate Dee Ann Miller addresses how we can help victims from being re-traumatized. She also offers steps we can take in our homes and churches to decrease the risk of sexual abuse.
The pandemic has taken a toll on the Church. “Churches initially lost 50 percent of their congregations,” says pastor, author, and podcaster Dr. Desmond Barrett. “Since that time, 75 percent of it has come back, but there is a quarter of the population that has not come back to the church.” Barrett serves as the lead pastor at Summit Church of the Nazarene in Ashland, Kentucky and writes and podcasts on the topic of church revitalization. “It’s an opportunity to become the Acts-driven church. We cannot go back to two years ago. We cannot go back to the ‘glory days,’ whenever they were in the local church,” he says. “We have to focus on the season that we’re in here, today.” For churches that once focused primarily on programming for the people in the pews, Barrett sees this as an opportunity to look outward to those who live in the shadow of our steeples. “God has called us to minister to those people,” he says. In order to do that, “we have to become a praying people.” And if you’re a church leader discouraged by empty chairs, Barrett assures us that God is not surprised by the pandemic and its effects. He can use it all to revitalize His church. “Stop focusing on what you did yesterday or even what you’re going to do tomorrow. Because when you do that you realize that God is in the midst.” Listen to our 15-minute conversation to hear Desmond Barrett’s strategies for emerging from the pandemic and hear how many congregations are returning to a focus on prayer. Dr. Desmond Barrett is the author of Revitalizing the Declining Church: From Death’s Door to Community Growth, and Addition Through Subtraction: Revitalizing the Established Church.
You can find the article that inspired this conversation here.
Today’s “Hometown Hero” is Kim Paul from Sayre, Pennsylvania. She's helping bridge the gaps of life in the name of Jesus Christ.
Will More Gun Control Stop Mass Shootings?, The Rush to Expand Abortion Rights & Recount Pennsylvania !
Dr. Charles Ware serves as the Director of Grace Relations at The College of Biblical Studies. He shares about how the message of the Gospel breaks down walls, including those erected by prejudice and hate.
Drug overdoses from Fentanyl are now the leading cause of death among young adults across the country. What's leading to this rise in addiction and overdoses? Christian counselor Chris Anderson explores.
Dr. Ralph Kerr with the Teaching & Learning Institute in Houghton, NY is committed to seeing more Christians get involved in their local public school. He shares about the latest on the “education” front in America.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire with New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms and Michael Geer with the Pennsylvania Family Institute discuss the issues in the news emanating from the state capitals of Albany and Harrisburg.
Author Jay Payleitner points out the opportunities for good that come from conflict. He helps you consider what really matters (even for hot button topics) and how to relate to others when you don’t see eye to eye.
New research finds that 42 percent are thinking about leaving full-time ministry, according to Joe Jensen, Vice President of Church Engagement for The Barna Group.
The percentage of pastors thinking of stepping down from the pulpit had already risen from 29 to 38 percent in the course of 2021.
Jensen says doesn’t believe that in modern times so many stressors have converged upon pastors at the same time.
“The immense stress of the job, feeling lonely and isolated, and then navigating current political divisions within their church and their community were the top three reasons they gave for why they were considering quitting full-time ministry,” he said.
Jensen believes congregations can turn the trend around. They can do it by assuring pastors that the church is a place for them to be served as well as to serve, and is an environment where they can be transparent with their own needs.
“I always say it’s not enough just to do the right things,” Jensen says. “You have to do the right things consistently over time. And that’s where trends actually start to reverse themselves. Start to change. Go into the different direction.”
Learn more about The Barna Group research here.
“Let’s help our pastors turn some of these trends around,” Jensen says. “I think we can do it.”
Today’s “Hometown Hero” is Andrew Bennett from Clarence, New York. He’s changing lives by placing “at-risk” kids on farms.
It’s “Election Eve” in New York. Tomorrow, voters head to the polls to decide their local school spending plan and the make-up of their school board. We get a preview from Dr. Ralph Kerr at the “Teaching and Learning Institute” in Houghton, New York.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire with New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms and Michael Geer with the Pennsylvania Family Institute discuss the issues in the news emanating from the state capitals of Albany and Harrisburg.
The leaked Supreme Court opinion about overturning Roe V. Wade has stirred tensions over abortion. Latrice Booker with HOPE Pregnancy Center in Philly tells us how that move might prompt changes at local pregnancy care centers.
Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself. Christian counselor Chris Anderson explains why that is and how to overcome it.
Jim Harden with Rochester-based CompassCare responds to the effort in New York State to expand access to abortions as the Supreme Court decides the future of Roe v. Wade. Attorney General Tish James supports legislation that would create a $50 million fund to pay for abortion services, even for patients from out of state.
A lot is happening in our public schools these days. Dr. Ralph Kerr with the “Teaching and Learning Institute” in Houghton, New York will help us make sense of it all.
Family Life News sits down with attorney Bobbie Anne Cox to talk about her lawsuit against New York Governor Kathy Hochul over "quarantine-camps."
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer are fighting for faith and family values at the state capitals in Albany and Harrisburg. Here's what's going on this week ...
Biblical worldview is abysmally low among American parents. But, researcher George Barna strongly suggests that a focus on correcting key errant views of born-again Christian parents could significantly improve their worldview, help them to become more godly parents, and might even spark a revival in the next generation of children.
More people have begun researching their family history during the pandemic--and family research was already the second-most popular hobby in the US.
“I think the people who are starting to search, who are doing Ancestry DNA tests, are looking for connection,” says speaker and author Michelle Van Loon, whose newest book is Translating Your Past: Finding Meaning in Family Ancestry, Genetic Clues, and Generational Trauma. She believes we will get more out of family research if we focus on the stories and relationships.
“We know that who we are is created from the stories of all of those who’ve come before,” she says.
If we can learn to interpret those family stories, we might understand ourselves better and find a deeper connection to God.
“The more that you understand yourself, and who you are--what makes you, you--you’re in a position to give God glory with your life.”
Family stories won’t always be comfortable ones. But Van Loon points out that when God created each of us, He used all of our past as raw material.
“We’re fearfully and wonderfully made out of those ingredients. This is what we bring into our churches, into our communities, and certainly into our families.”
Van Loon points out that a family’s history doesn’t have to be its destiny.
“The patterns of the past are there,” she says. “But so is the power of Christ to create and form a new identity. But part of it is understanding exactly what it is that we are carrying with us and into this world and into this life.”
Learn more about Michelle Van Loon here.
Learn about Michelle Van Loon’s books here.
This weeks "Hometown Hero" is Pat Vaccaro from Scranton. She's using therapy dogs to help college kids cope with COVID and with life.
Biology vs. preferred pronouns. More than four years ago Shawnee State University Philosophy Professor Nicholas Meriwether refused to use the “preferred pronouns” of a student who identifies as female. ADF's Logan Spena unpacks the importance of free speech amid this case and recent settlement.
Jesus tells us to love our enemies, but how do we do that practically, when we've been really hurt by someone? Christian counselor Christopher Anderson answers.
Today’s “Hometown Hero” is Karl Hoyer from Syracuse, NY. He’s using a personal tragedy as an opportunity to reach others for Christ.
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Dr. Ralph Kerr at the Teaching and Learning Institute is keeping an eye on all that’s happening in our public schools. This former teacher and school official says Christians need to be engaged if they want to influence the culture and the classroom for Christ!
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire with New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms and Michael Geer with the Pennsylvania Family Institute discuss the issues in the news emanating from the state capitals of Albany and Harrisburg.
What's really involved in the refugee re-settlement process? Beth Broadway with InterFaith Works of Central New York outlines the steps resettlement agencies take ready housing as refugees begin a new chapter in a new land.
We spend our teen years figuring out where we belong. Pandemic isolation and an uptick in social media use has made this more difficult for today's teenagers, according to Anna Meade Harris. Harris is the editor-in-chief of the Rooted Ministry blog, and author of a February 2022 Gospel Coalition article “Breaking Social Media’s Grip on Teens.” “I think what happens,” Harris says in this Inside Out podcast, “is that teenagers think that they know people through their social media posts, but the actual fact is that we can’t know people until we have spent time in their presence.” Adults in a teen’s life can help break the grip of social media and guide teens toward richer, in-person relationships. It starts with putting down our own phones and talking, face-to-face. “I think we start in our homes, prioritizing face-to-face, personal interaction, doing things together,” Harris says. And while we’re engaging in attentive, in-person relationships, we can assure them that disagreements are normal, even as we model for them how to manage conflict. “We can talk about apologies, we can walk through forgiveness, we can approach the hard topics in our homes openly,” she says. Harris talks about practical ways to do this in our 17-minute Inside Out podcast. We hope you’ll listen. Read the article that inspired the conversation here. Learn about Anna Meade Harris and read more of her writing here. Harris will be part of a panel discussion on this topic for the 2022 Gospel Coalition Women’s Conference in June 2022.
A lot is happening in our public schools these days. Dr. Ralph Kerr with the “Teaching and Learning Institute” in Houghton, New York will help us make sense of it all.
While most Christians know of Jesus' crucifixion on Good Friday and resurrection on Easter Sunday, what happened to Jesus in between those two monumental moments? Pastor Tim Maybray of Titusville Free Methodist Church in Titusville, Pennsylvania answers that.
Are attorneys in PA entitled to free speech outside the courtroom? Zach Greenberg, First Amendment attorney at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education outlines what’s at stake for religious liberty and free speech as some states try to adopt codes conduct measures modeled by the American Bar Association.
It’s that time of year again…spring cleaning…and we’re not just talking about our houses and yards. Christian counselor Chris Anderson explains.
Today’s “Hometown Hero” is Bob Barnes from Syracuse, New York. He’s on a little bike ride to every state capital across America!
Family Life News spotlights the issues impacting our public schools with Dr. Ralph Kerr at the “Teaching and Learning Institute” in Houghton, New York.
Major League Baseball returns this week and Family Life's Bob Price talks with former first-round draft pick, college "Hall-of-Famer" and former manager for the Elmira Pioneers Matt Burch.
Dr. Ralph Kerr at the Teaching and Learning Institute in Houghton, NY is committed to getting people of faith to serve on their local school board.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire with New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms and Michael Geer with the Pennsylvania Family Institute discuss the issues in the news emanating from the state capitals of Albany and Harrisburg.
International Justice Mission is serving Ukrainians who've made their way to Romania. Jenn Petersen tells us how the group and NGO partners are meeting needs while raising awareness of human trafficking.
How do we have healthy boundaries in relationships? Christian counselor Chris Anderson discusses.
Today’s “Hometown Hero” is Hannah Burke from Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. This high school senior is feeding the hungry in her community.
Dr. Ralph Kerr with the “Teaching and Learning Institute” talks about the hot-button topics impacting our public schools.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire with New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms and Michael Geer with the Pennsylvania Family Institute discuss the issues in the news emanating from the state capitals of Albany and Harrisburg.
Do you sometimes feel you’re on the defensive when it comes to spiritual warfare? Beth Guckenberger reminds us of God’s power and the weaponry of Christians in the battle against Satan.
Beth’s Blog
We spend weeks getting ready for Christmas, but have we built a tradition around getting our families ready to celebrate the Resurrection?
“Christmas kind of steals the spotlight,” says Birmingham, Alabama pastor, father of four, and pediatric physician Scott James. “But Christmas points to Easter. Without Easter, Christmas loses its glimmer.”
James has written the new Easter family devotional book The Risen One. It’s meant to help families spend time connecting the baby of Christmas with the Savior who conquered death.
“Easter really is the linchpin of the whole story,” he says.
Taking time to help our families understand Easter not only builds a love for Jesus, James believes, but it can also open up conversation about the turbulent times we are living through. “We watch the news and we see trouble and turmoil and war and pandemic, and the list goes on,” he says. “We see a lot of things that don’t look like they’re going well. And I think this Resurrection story is one that we need to hear over and over and over again.” God defeated death, and it is good news that we will someday live with Him. Eternally. “We’ve got that light shining in our hearts and we then get to take that light into a dark world,” he says. “We get to shine that light for everyone, and be messengers of that hope. The whole world is dealing with the turmoil that’s going on right now and we get to bring a message of hope into it.” Listen in on our conversation about Easter and how to begin a regular time of Bible study with your family. The conversation lasts just shy of 13 minutes. Learn more about Scott James’s book The Risen One here.
The conflict in Ukraine has caused plenty of disruptions to ministries there, including Mennonite Central Committee. Ken Sensenig with MCC in Akron, PA gives us an update on operations there, and how Christians can seek peace and justice during war.
Dr. Ralph Kerr with the Teaching and Learning Institute talks about the critical shortage of teachers in our public schools and what it will take to save this profession for the next generation of students.
Jason McGuire with New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms and Michael Geer with the Pennsylvania Family Institute join Family Life News every Friday to talk about the issues emanating from Albany and Harrisburg that impact you and your family.
What’s being done to aid the vulnerable children who’ve been displaced by Russia’s war against Ukraine? Rick Morton with Lifeline Children's Services outlines humanitarian operations based on Romania. They include refugee housing, including a transitional and long-term center. The group is also partnering with other agencies to get supplies where they’re most needed.
Author Carol McCormick, of Dunkirk, New York, explores how today’s “ripped from the headlines” news stories relate to the End Times.
This week Dr. Ralph Kerr at the “Teaching & Learning Institute” responds issues, including the teacher shortage in New York and the school funding formula in Pa.
Jason McGuire with New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms and Michael Geer with the Pennsylvania Family Institute discuss the issues in the news emanating from the state capitals of Albany and Harrisburg.
Faith-based, nonprofit disaster relief group Mercy Chefs has expanded to Europe amid the Russian attack on Ukraine. Strategic relationships manager Nick Beckman says the team is bolstering supply lines to provide groceries and emergency items with the aim to provide “hot” meals soon.
Christians have the best reasons to hope, but we don’t always feel hopeful. “People find the pandemic a mystery,” says author Jack Countryman. “It’s a scary time. We see that thousands of people are dying and you wonder whether or not you’re going to be next.”
Countryman is the author of 35 books, including the God’s Promises series of devotionals. His newest devotional, The Power of Hope, points out that God’s people faced situations throughout history that could make them feel anxious or hopeless.
“We’re all human and we have human emotions,” he reminds us. “And therefore, as we find ourselves going through difficult times, we need to turn to the Lord, first, not last.”
God welcomes our very human concerns. He has a history of welcoming His peoples’ concerns and standing by those who turn to Him.
“When you discover all the people in the Bible that God has chosen to bless, you cannot help but be encouraged,” he says.
Learn about Jack Countryman and his book The Power of Hope here.
Dr. Ralph Kerr with the “Teaching and Learning Institute” has made it his goal to get more Christians involved in their local public school. This week he updates us in what's going on in a classroom near you.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire with New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms and Michael Geer with the Pennsylvania Family Institute spend 10 minutes every Friday discussing the important issues in the news that impact you and your family.
How do parents and their adult children stay connected in spite of opposing beliefs? Focus on the Family Counselor Brenda Huerta shares tips to help, even if a family member has completely cut ties.
Resource for Parents
How do we discuss the Ukraine crisis with our kids? What do we need to take away from what we're seeing there? Christian counselor Chris Anderson discusses.
Today’s “Hometown Hero” is Yvonne McCaslin from Bellefonte, PA. Her “Rising Hope” therapeutic horse riding center is connecting “hearts” and “hooves.”
Dr. Ralph Kerr talks with Family Life's Bob Price about how much longer the mask rule will remain for New York schools and and the Pa. study that looks at the impact of COVID-caused learning loss.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer are lobbying for Biblical values at the state capitals of Albany and Harrisburg. This week they discuss district maps in PA, the upcoming GOP Convention in NY & praying for Ukraine.
First, school officials at University of Houston-Clear Lake told student group Ratio Christ, it could not require its leaders to adhere to Christian principles. After a federal lawsuit filed by Alliance Defending Freedom, the school changed course.
ADF’s Caleb Dalton fills us in on what this means for other student groups on campus and what all Christians can do when faced with similar hurdles.
No question, our teachers are heroes. During two years of pandemic disruption they’ve cycled through teaching remotely, teaching in person, and teaching both ways simultaneously.
“Over the last two years, one of the biggest changes has been how often we have an update that changes things,” says Ann Collins, who serves as the principal of the Hugh Gregg Elementary School in the Corning-Painted Post, NY Area School District.
National studies indicate that teachers are feeling the stress.
“I do believe, that behind the scenes, it takes a huge toll. I think that there is a level of--I don’t know--exhaustion, I suppose. But I don’t believe it’s detrimental to the work that they do with children because they continue to find their joy in teaching children,” she says.
We don’t have to have children in school to show appreciation for what teachers have been doing. And there’s no reason to wait until the PTA-sponsored Teacher Appreciation Week in May.
“We don’t need a parade. We don’t need those,” Principal Collins says. “But certainly some acknowledgment that they serve a very big role in our community, and that it has been challenging.”
It turns out that a simple note of thanks now could encourage a teacher for years to come. That’s because many teachers save those notes.
“We pull them out. There are days that you need to remember you made a difference in somebody’s life,” she says. “You have them, and you have a career’s worth of them, but right now they are incredibly valuable, and they keep us going. I feel like they bridge us to what hopefully will be like a ‘normal’ that will come again someday.”
Listen to my full conversation with Principal Ann Collins in this 10-minute Inside Out podcast.
Today’s “Hometown Hero” is Deborah Tangelder from Clarence Center, New York. She runs a business where the goal isn’t to make money, it’s to give it away.
Dr. Ralph Kerr at the “Teaching & Learning Institute” is committed to upholding Christian values in the public school setting. This week’s he’s reacting to graduation rates, school mergers, and mask mandates.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer are fighting to preserve the rights of Christians in the public square. There were several important issues in the news this week emanating from Albany and Harrisburg.
Former high school principal Chris Parker lost both his feet, and one of his hands after a 78 day battle with COVID. He also suffered a stroke, heart attack and kidney failure. He shares his survival story.
Losing a loved one is tough, but it can also complicate the dynamic within families. Christian counselor Chris Anderson discusses how to walk through processing grief, while balancing family relationships.
Today’s “Hometown Hero” is Mark Henery from Towanda, Pennsylvania. He’s helping change lives, one home at a time.
Hezekiah's Hands
Dr. Ralph Kerr at the Teaching & Learning Institute is committed to upholding Christian values in the public school setting. This week’s he’s reacting to a recent school shooting in Buffalo, a controversial Valentine’s Day policy in Providence, Rhode Island, and Ralph shares ways you can get involved in your local public school.
This was an extremely consequential week at the state capitals of Albany and Harrisburg. The Wolf budget went public in Pa. and the face-masks can come off in NY (in most cases). Here to talk about it: Jason McGuire with New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms and Michael Geer with the Pennsylvania Family Institute.
Our concept of human trafficking may be different from reality. Amy Fleischauer with the International Institute of Buffalo sheds light on who is being used, warning signs of both sex and job-related trafficking, motives behind it, and ways we can help.
National Human Trafficking Hotline
The Inside Out podcast is checking in with parents of young children to learn what they’re facing as they raise children in extraordinary times.
“It’s really been like a blur of survival mode for nearly two years,” says Addison, NY-area Janet Mourhess. She and her husband are the parents of four children, ranging in age from pre-school through elementary school.
“We just did the best that we could.” she says. “And we are continuing to just do the best that we can--and leaving it all in God’s hands. Because really, He’s the one that’s in control.”
Kelly Smith and her husband are raising three preschoolers just outside of Syracuse, NY. “I pray for strength, every day, and a whole lot of patience,” she says.
Both Mourhess and Smith have now been raising their children without a playbook for a large percentage of their children’s lives. As pandemic parents they’ve learned to explain disease and social distancing in simple words and have worked to maintain routines even as the landscape of school schedules, playdates, lessons, and activities shift--sometimes hourly.
Through the challenges, both encourage other pandemic-weary parents that the God who made them and their children is both real and present.
“Just know everyone’s struggling in one way or another,” says Mourhess. “But God’s right there with you. Whether it feels like He is or not right now, He is.”
“I would tell any discouraged parent to give yourself grace and forgiveness,” Smith says, “because Jesus already did that for you.”
Hear what Janet Mourhess and Kelly Smith have to say by listening to this 9-minute podcast.
It’s Super Bowl week and that means millions of Americans will be placing their bets. Christian counselor and addiction expert Rob Jackson of Colorado Springs talks to Family Life’s Bob Price about the “pitfalls” of gambling and what the Bible has to say about it.
Dr. Ralph Kerr at the “Teaching & Learning Institute” in Houghton, NY talks about effective ways to recruit and retain quality teachers in our public schools.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer discuss the weighty issues in the news emanating from the state capitals of Albany and Harrisburg.
When the government orders actions that violate God’s instruction, how are you to respond?
"Truth for Life" Bible teacher Alistair Begg says we’re not the only culture to face opposition or hostility toward God and His values.
Begg offers insights from Daniel about how we are to stand firm, yet not seek to pick fights.
Part of the fallout of the COVID pandemic is that more Americans are battling depression. But before we try to help a friend in the middle of the struggle, there are some things we need to know.
“I think some of the common misunderstandings are that everyone experiences depression the same way or looks the same way when they have depression. Or that every person finds help in the same way,” says Dena Dyer, author of Wounded Women of the Bible and the recent Christianity Today blog post “Depression-Sufferers in Your Church Wish You Knew These Three Things.”
Giving suggestions or remedies--or telling people to have more faith--isn’t helpful.
“It creates some more shame and distance--that you’re not really trying to be empathetic, although you might be trying to give an answer,” she says. “What we really need is just empathy and understanding.”
Instead take time to connect and listen.
“Just reach out. Sometimes I think depressed people, we fall off of the--we fall off the grid, so to speak. We fall out of contact because we’re overwhelmed with depression. So, text us, reach out, offer to pray with us, or for us, not just, ‘Hey I’m going to pray for you,’ But ask, ‘How can I pray for you?’”
And we can reach out even when following pandemic precautions.
“Letters, cards, texts, a Zoom call. Have a real phone call--those are more rare now--anything like that just to say ‘I’m thinking of you. I care.’ Drop off a care package,” she suggests. “It means so much just to know someone is thinking of you in those specific ways.”
Learn more about Dena Dyer and her writing here.
Read her Christianity Today blog post “Depression-Sufferers in Your Church Wish You Knew These Three Things” here.
Today’s “Hometown Hero” is Maureen Hackett from Gorham, New York. She runs a food pantry that’s helping the less fortunate in Ontario County.
Dr. Ralph Kerr at the Teaching and Learning Institute discusses a plethora of policy issues impacting our public schools this week.
This week on “Capital Connection,” Dan Bartkowiak with the Pennsylvania Family Institute and Jason McGuire with New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms talk about constitutional amendments, mask mandates and the redistricting process in NY and PA.
Did dinosaurs live alongside humans? Bryan Young with the Creation Instruction Association fills us in on evidence from the Bible, history & art; early words for the creatures; and the influence of evolution on the church. In the podcast, Young also addresses his approach to the “climate change” discussion and faith and science working hand-in-hand.
The lack of a father figure is having a major impact on American households. Reggie Cox with the Fatherhood Connection tells us what happens when fathers are not active in their children's lives, and how his initiative trains dads to be involved in their families.
Today’s “Hometown Hero” is Dave Budz from Buffalo. His “OpOverwatch” ministry is helping police officers deal with the stresses of their job.
How do you balance faith in God and believing in a miracle when you're diagnosed with an incurable disease? Jimmer Szatkowski, a Chick-Fil-A owner in the Syracuse area that's been diagnosed with ALS, shares his story.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer discuss the issues in the news from the state capitals of Albany and Harrisburg every Friday on Family Life.
This year, there’s a stunning shakeup in the annual ranking of the world's most dangerous places to practice faith. David Curry with Open Doors USA also urges folks to boycott the 2022 Beijing Olympics to send a message to China that it needs to stop its human rights abuses.
Toni McFadden is an outspoken advocate for life, and openly regrets having an abortion in her younger years.
This Pennsylvania mom speaks about how our culture devalues sex and how each of us can learn from mistakes, move past shame, and make wise decisions.
McFadden will be one of the speakers at this year’s National March for Life on January 21st.
Today’s “Hometown Hero” is Sheryl Bruni from Pulaski, New York. This former homeless woman is now helping those in need with food, clothes, and medical supplies.
Dr. Ralph Kerr at the “Teaching and Learning Institute” takes us back to school with the fundamentals of learning on this week’s edition of “Issues in Education.”
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire with New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms and Michael Geer with the Pennsylvania Family Institute keep us “in the know” each and every Friday with what’s happening in the state capitals of Albany and Harrisburg.
Former school counselor Kerry McMillan outlines National Sex Education Standards that have been proposed in the New York State Legislature. The effort devalues God’s design of male and female as early as kindergarten. By sixth grade, kids are taught about sex toys and trained to be LGBTQ activists.
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Source 1 Linked to National Sex Ed. Standards
Source 2 Linked to National Sex Ed. Standards
Source 3 Linked to National Sex Ed. Standards
Source 4 Linked to National Sex Ed. Standards
With January being National Sanctity of Human Life Month, Family Life News wanted to know: Is the nation increasingly becoming pro-life? Our guest is Jim Harden, CEO of the pregnancy help center CompassCare in Rochester, NY.
Today’s “Hometown Hero” is Peggy Austin from Yorkshire, New York. She runs “The Trading Post.” It’s a one-stop-shop for those in need.
Dr. Ralph Kerr at the “Teaching & Learning Institute” in Houghton, NY offers his “take” on the pressing issues facing our schools and what he thinks is the single, biggest challenge to public education in 2022.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire with New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms and Dan Bartkowiak with the Pennsylvania Family Institute discuss the issues in the news from the state capitals of Albany and Harrisburg.
What’s the difference between nationalism and the biblical concept of patriotism? Mississippi Pastor Adam Wyatt discusses that along with a proper respect for the flag. He also shares when our loyalties cross the line into idolatry. Wyatt recently authored Biblical Patriotism.
When someone we know loses a loved one, most of us are quick to offer help. But, what about in the weeks and months following a death? Christian counselor Chris Anderson explores.
Today’s “Hometown Hero” is Josh Beers from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He’s helping kids make sense of the world, “One Life” at a time.
Author Elaine Parke says we don’t need to be helpless bystanders when it comes to polarization and dissension in our nation. She shares practical ways each of us can grow internally and “change the atmosphere.” Focus ideas include: help others, be grateful, and resolve conflict.
From Covid to Crime, the Economy to Afghanistan, there was a lot to talk about in 2021. Here are the stories and news events that shaped our lives this year.
The headlines have been filled with Christian leaders who’ve abused power. In this Inside Out podcast, counselor, pastor, chaplain, and author Michael MacKenzie talks about developing a Christian culture that discourages church leadership from misusing their position and influence. “We as a culture are enamored--have been enamored--with power, with charisma, and not in the biblical form of charisma--a charismatic, intense personality,” MacKenzie says. MacKenzie is executive director of Colorado’s Marble Retreat, which specializes in helping church leaders in crisis. He’s also the author of the Christianity Today Better Samaritan post “Abuse Keeps Flourishing in the Church. Here are Four Reasons Why,” and the December 2021 book Don't Blow Up Your Ministry. He says that encouraging a “get it done” drive in a pastor can lead to increasing stress--and the possibility that the pastor will one day deal with the pressure in unwise ways. This kind of emphasis also overlooks the most valuable characteristics of a Christian leader. “Our goal should be Christlikeness, should be living well in community, loving well, yet we can set up our pastor even for that not to be a value,” he says. We talk about this and more in this 14-minute podcast. Listen in to hear the questions MacKenzie suggests pastors ask themselves to help them steer clear of issues that lead to abuses of power. Read Michael MacKenzie’s Christianity Today post “Abuse Keeps Flourishing in the Church. Here are Four Reasons Why” here. Read about his book Don't Blow Up Your Ministry here.
Today’s “Hometown Hero” is Michael Nixon from Jamestown, New York. He’s spending the new year in Nepal to reach others for Christ.
Author, speaker and former Playboy bunny, Robyn Dykstra escaped a life of drugs and promiscuity for a fresh start with Jesus. She reminds us that our past or efforts to “be better” don’t diminish or increase His love for us.
2021 was a year like none other. From Covid to crime, the economy to Afghanistan...there was plenty to talk about this year. This is the Family Life "Year in Review" special report
As we near two years since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, COVID fatigue has set in for many. How do we continue to stay resilient during difficult times? Christian counselor Chris Anderson explores.
Today’s “Hometown Hero” is Randy LeBaron from Albion, New York. His Go Scatter ministry is meeting folks where they are: in the middle of a pandemic and right before Christmas.
In our last “Issues in Education” of 2021, Dr. Ralph Kerr at the Teaching & Learning Institute chimes in on the important policy issues impacting our public schools.
Special Year in Review: Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire (NY) and Michael Geer (Pa.) tell us what they think were the biggest news events of 2021 from the state capitals of Albany and Harrisburg.
Do babies feel pain inside the womb? Researcher Dr. David Prentice with the Charlotte Lozier Institute says, "yes." He notes there's much data to back that up as improvements are made in medicine and "active care." Prentice addresses comments made this month by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor during oral argument for Dobbs v. Jackson, and speaks to the idea of viability, the gestation time when a baby can survive outside its mother's womb.
Even as we’re tightening our belts and scrambling for gifts this Christmas, author, editor, and speaker Kristen Wetherell joins me to talk about creative ways to be generous this season.
“I think one of the ways that we can give in a creative and kind of unconventional manner that’s still deeply, deeply biblical is the gift of our time,” she says, pointing out that it’s always been true that how we invest our time reveals our priorities.
But generosity with our time is only one of the ways Wetherell suggests we can be creative with our generosity. We can also exercise generosity through the way we serve, the way we apply ourselves to work, and the way we share possessions.
One of the possessions we might not think of immediately is the gift God has given us of words. One of His great gifts to us is His Word–the Bible. In an often lonely and unkind world, Wetherell suggests we can be generous with our words, as well.
“Encouragement and affirmation mean so much, so can you write to someone this Christmas? It doesn’t have to be elaborate, but can you encourage them with your words?”
She adds, “I even think about the use of social media in our day and age, and how words are slung around and misused. Can we build up, rather than tearing down this Christmas? Can we give the gift of good, excellent, true, and praise-worthy words?
Learn more about author, editor, and speaker Kristen Wetherell here.
Read the Gospel Coalition article that inspired this conversation here.
Dr. Ralph Kerr with the Teaching & Learning Institute is looking out for people of faith in the public school setting.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer sound off on the stories making news this week from Albany and Harrisburg.
How can you offer generous help to a caregiver? Peter Rosenberger with Hope for the Caregiver has been the primary caregiver to his wife Gracie through decades. He offers ways to lend a practical and emotional hand.
How we can maintain marital health during the stressful holiday season? Christian counselor Chris Anderson discusses.
All this week protests over mask and vaccine mandates are taking place in the “Queen City” and beyond. Family Life News caught-up with Orchard Park gym owner Robby Dinero. He’s the man leading the protests.
Dr. Ralph Kerr at the “Teaching & Learning Institute” discusses the latest issues in education.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer were both at the U.S. Supreme Court this week to hear oral arguments on the most momentous abortion case in a generation: Dobbs v. Jackson. What does it mean for NY and Pa.?
Do young people have legal speech protections at school? Attorney Ian Huyett with Cornerstone says, “yes.” He fills us in on First Amendment Rights and a recent New Hampshire case over “pronouns” used outside the classroom.
Do you expect an uncomfortable family gathering this Christmas?
“I think that the Enemy and the World are in overdrive right now, seeking to divide people. Dividing families, dividing communities, dividing nations,” says Pastor Rob Rienow, co-founder of Visionary Family Ministries and author of the 2020 book Healing Family Relationships.
“It’s political, it’s COVID, it’s spiritual, but it’s really not new.”
But we can do our part to be at peace with everyone.
“All of us need to go into these holiday gatherings with a spirit of humility and a spirit of neediness,” he says, “asking God to bring some peace and reconciliation that’s not really natural to any of us.”
In our 11-minute podcast, Rienow offers practical ways to contribute to peace at the family Christmas gathering.
“I think especially, with the last 24 months that the world has gone through, such fear and anxiety and division and anger, I think God wants to do something pretty special this Christmas in our families.”
Learn more about Rob Rienow and Visionary Family Ministries here: https://visionaryfam.com/
The fallout continues from the vaccine mandate for healthcare workers who oppose the shots on religious grounds in the Empire State.
Special Counsel Michael McHale tells Family Life, the Thomas More Society expected the Supreme Court to intervene, but it’s now been a week since religious exemptions were taken away for New York’s healthcare workers.
McHale also spoke about the case involving the Biden Administration, OSHA, and those that oppose mandatory vaccines for companies employing 100 or more people. That case, following a stay on the mandate by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals was assigned to the Sixth Circuit Court.
Just last week, the Biden Administration asked the Sixth Circuit to revive the vaccine mandate.
The supply chain crisis, inflation, and staffing shortages are common right now. How we can respond by budgeting, shopping local, giving to others, and simplifying our Christmas celebrations?
When an adult child is struggling to transition into independence, what can parents do? Christian counselor Christopher Anderson explores in the latest “Real Answers.”
Today’s “Hometown Hero” is Eric Johns from Buffalo. He’s living homeless on purpose all this week to help those in need in the “Queen City.”
Dr. Ralph Kerr with the Teaching & Learning Institute in Houghton, NY discusses a recent ruling to end mandatory masks in schools in December. This comes as some schools have returned to remote learning.
Christian Watchdogs Jason McGuire and Dan Bartkowiak discuss the latest issues in the news from Albany and Harrisburg.
Dr. Ralph Kerr at the Teaching & Learning Institute talks mask rules in school, the substitute teacher shortage and why Christians need to get involved in public education.
Mayflower descendant Lea Filson with See Plymouth highlights the 2021 Thanksgiving Parade, details on the first Thanksgiving with Wompanoag Indians and colonists, a recent archeological dig, and reason for each of us to be thankful.
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In the US, Evangelical Christians are the most resistant to the pandemic vaccines, with a number applying to be exempt for religious reasons. As Americans, we have the right. But as followers of Jesus, is it the right thing to do?
“It really depends on the individual and the moral witness that they’re called to make on earth. And I have a lot of respect for the people I’ve spoken to,” says Attorney Christine Pratt, who focuses on the vaccine mandate for the First Liberty Institute, a Christian religious liberty non-profit.
But Christian theologian, author, and Christians and the Vaccinefounder Curtis Chang believes Christians are called to take the vaccine because of their faith. He says it comes down to what Jesus said was the second greatest commandment: to love others as ourselves.
“And that, I think,” he says, “is the fundamental reason why every Christian, unless there are some very, very severe medical complications, should be taking the vaccine, because we take the vaccine for others.”
If you oppose COVID-19 vaccines, this eight-minute podcast includes suggestions from both Christine Pratt and Curtis Chang to help you discover if your objections are rooted in your faith in Jesus Christ.
Learn more about First Liberty here.
Learn more about Christians and the COVID vaccine here.
Today’s “Hometown Hero” is Marissa Conrad from Buffalo. This sophomore at Cedarville University is touching hearts and souls, without any hands.
The UN’s climate conference wrapped up over the weekend in Scotland, but where does the climate research really come from? We hear from Kyle Meyaard-Schaap with Evangelical Environmental Network and NYU Professor Steve Koonin, the former undersecretary for science under the Obama Department of Energy.
What does God’s “cultural mandate” mean? Are there credible climate databases from trustworthy sources? Kyle Meyaard-Schaap and Steve Koonin also point us to pro-active steps at the local level.
Possible Sources (mentioned by guests):
The Carbon Brief
Blog: Climate, etc. (Run by Judy Curry)
Katharine Hayhoe
Government Resources:
NASA
NOAA
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer are fighting for the preservation of faith and family values in the state capitals of Albany and Harrisburg.
Dozens of Navy SEALs are suing the Biden administration over the COVID vaccine mandate. First Liberty‘s Mike Berry outlines the importance of religious exemptions for our military personnel and the aim of the lawsuit.
Senator Roger Marshall also unpacks some of the serious punishments aimed at service members who do not get the vaccine.
Case Document
What do you do when you have a prodigal son or daughter that has distanced themselves from you? Christian counselor Christopher Anderson explores.
Dr. Ralph Kerr with the Teaching & Learning Institute in Houghton, NY says schools should NOT be used as vax sites for kids.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer are fighting for your freedoms in the state capitals of Albany and Harrisburg. This week, they’re taking stock of Tuesday’s election results.
Sunday, November 7th is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs fills us in on the annual event.
Thanksgiving and Christmas—just ahead on the calendar—are happy times for many of us, but difficult times for those who grieve empty arms or an unwelcome diagnosis, or the death of a parent, a spouse, a child, a dream, or a job.
“One of the most important things to do when you are navigating a loss–and there are several kinds of losses, it’s not just the death of a loved one–is to acknowledge that these holidays will be different,” says teacher, widow, and author Marilyn Nutter.
Nutter and co-author April White have just released the book Destination Hope: A Travel Companion When Life Falls Apart.
If it’s someone we love who is grieving this Thanksgiving and Christmas, White says the best way to know how to help is to ask.
“Just point-blank ask them, ‘You know, I recognize this is going to be a difficult season for you, but I want to know: what can I do? What’s going to be the most beneficial to you?’ And let that person answer for themselves,” she says.
White also recommends offering specific, practical help to relieve some of your friend’s burden, like offering to wrap or mail gifts, or pick up items at the grocery store.
“Now they are grieving, and they have the extra burden of all these other tasks,” she reminds us. “And sometimes, with having to make so many decisions now, you almost have ‘decision paralysis,’ like ‘I can’t even make a basic decision because I’m so overwhelmed.’”
The hope of the book’s title—the encouragement the authors want to share– is that even when what we’ve lost threatens to topple our world, God remains constant.
“When we talk about hope we’re talking about hope in the person of who God is,” Nutter says. “And His character doesn’t change, and He keeps His promises. And one of His promises is He will give us grace for every moment.”
Learn more about Marilyn Nutter here.
Learn more about April White here.
Today’s “Hometown Hero” is Jeffrey Radt from Buffalo. He’s created a website for folks who don’t want the “jab” to find a job.
Dr. Ralph Kerr at the “Teaching & Learning Institute” in Houghton, NY is imploring people of faith to step up and serve on their local school board.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer tells us what’s on the ballot this for this “off year” election and why it matters so much that you show up and vote.
On November 1, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a pair of cases that oppose the Texas Law that bans abortion following the discovery of a fetal heartbeat. Dr. Kathi Aultman, a retired, board certified OB-GYN, tells us about her journey from abortionist to pro-life advocate.
2015 House Testimony by Dr. Anthony Levatino
(Part 2) Dr. George Barna sifts through research on how Marxist ideas are creeping into America. What value is placed on life, God, and personal property? How do Marxists tend to view hardships? Barna urges us to rediscover the guiding principles that birthed the U.S., know God’s Word, and why it’s “rational and true.” He also urges parents to impart these truths to their children, since Marxists “elites” aim their philosophies at young people.
Being a biblically masculine “man” is a challenge in the current culture. Jim Ramos with Men in the Arena unpacks what it means and reminds you, you are not alone.
November 2021 Iron Sharpens Iron Conference
Dr. Ralph Kerr at the Teaching & Learning Institute is discussing the Virginia Governor’s race and why education is such a “hot button” issue for voters there and across the country.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer are fighting to preserve faith and freedom in the public square. In the latest news from the state capitals of Albany and Harrisburg, they discuss drug testing in New York, transplant surgeries in Pa. & what’s on the ballot November 2nd.
(Part 1) Dr. George Barna is known for his research. Now he unpacks who Karl Marx was and how Marxist ideas are growing in America. Barna says more than 15 million Americans regularly draw from Marxist ideas for daily decision making.
High-profile Christians are “deconstructing” their faith. So are some of our family and friends. What are they doing, how might we love them through the process, and is there hope that after this deconstruction that they’ll reconstruct a faith that glorifies God?
“I think, to be honest with you, some deconstruction is absolutely necessary and healthy,” says pastor, professor, and author the Dr. Rev. A J Swoboda. “And some of it is also very dark and demonic. So it’s a mixed bag.”
Dr. Swoboda’s newest book is titled After Doubt: How to Question Your Faith Without Losing It. Swoboda leads a Doctor of Ministry program at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is also an assistant professor of biblical studies & world Christianity at Bushnell University in Eugene.
Addressing those who love someone deconstructing their faith, Dr. Swoboda says: “I think the most important thing we can do is create space for people who are asking really big questions, and don’t marginalize or ostracize or shame people that are in the midst of these experiences. People can download podcasts, but they can’t download friends. And the truth is we need people who make space for others in the midst of their struggles.”
And if you are the one deconstructing the faith: “I want to say to the person who is going through the deconstruction: keep drawing yourself back to the community, the Resurrection community. . . All of us are going to go through bouts and experiences of having a hard time believing. Keep showing up. And we all have the promise of hope, that Christ will reveal Himself fully to each of us. But we play a role of not giving up. Keep coming back. There is hope. Keep coming back.”
You can learn about Dr. A J Swoboda and his books here. But if you want to know if Dr. Swoboda is related to former professional baseball player and sports commentator Ron Swoboda, you’ll have to listen to the podcast.
Today’s “Hometown Hero” is Timothy Payne from Buffalo. He’s an Afghan war vet who lost both his legs on the battlefield. His fight now is for the souls of men.
October is Pastor Appreciation Month. We talk with Dr. Richard Blackaby, co-author of Experiencing God, to offer some encouragement for our faith leaders during this pandemic.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer are fighting to protect and preserve faith and family values at the state capitals of Albany and Harrisburg.
Two federal courts have already found that NY state likely violates the First Amendment rights of New Hope Family Services by attempting to force it to place children in a manner inconsistent with its religious beliefs.
Now, Mark Lippelmann with Alliance Defending Freedom tells us about the second case (against New York’s Division of Human Rights).
How do we reconcile Scripture that tells us to be “anxious about nothing” when we feel anxious or depressed in our daily lives? Christian counselor Christopher Anderson discusses.
Today’s “Hometown Hero” is Del Reid from Buffalo. He runs a t-shirt company where giving back is the name of the game.
Family Life News recently caught-up with Dr. Jeffrey Haymond, an economics professor at Cedarville University, to talk about the fiscal crisis facing the country.
This week on “Issues in Education,” Dr. Ralph Kerr discusses NYC’s vax rule” for teachers, the drop in SUNY enrollment and efforts in Pa. to make schools more transparent.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer are fighting for people of faith in the public square. Hear the latest on legislation and policy matters from the seats of power in Albany and Harrisburg. Topics include the vaccination “gospel” in New York and the recent Pa. March for Life.
Children develop best with ongoing healthy interactions from both a mom and dad. Separated or divorced parents may struggle to raise their children well amid the pain, yet parenting expert Dr. Danny Huerta with Focus on the Family offers tips for each parent on bringing up healthy kids. He serves Vice President of Parenting and Youth at Focus on the Family.
Parenting Traits Assessment
In performance-driven careers, such as preaching, media, etc., how do you balance being “on” for your audience while dealing with personal issues? Former Christian radio host, Craig West, joins the Real Answers crew to discuss his own battle with this and how he overcame it.
Today’s “Hometown Hero” is Bradford Bason from Danville, Pennsylvania. He’s helping people smile, one cup of coffee at a time.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire and Michael Geer are fighting for people of faith in the public square. Hear the latest on legislation and policy matters from the seats of power in Albany and Harrisburg. Discussion includes a pro-life rally in Pa. & vaccine rules in New York.
Federal Judge David Hurd issued a temporary reprieve from the state’s mandate that requires healthcare workers to be vaccinated by September 27. Now the temporary restraining order has been extended through October 12. Special Counsel Christopher Ferrara with the Thomas More Society unpacks the case involving plaintiffs that object to the vaccines on religious grounds. He offers tips on what other healthcare workers can do if they also oppose the mandate for religious reasons.
By the most recent count, 35 million Americans are caring for their parents. As baby boomers continue to age, more adult children will join their ranks.
Author Linda Winn used to be one of those caregivers. Here on Inside Out she talks about negotiating both the changing parent-child dynamic and the elder care system, and how she leaned on God for grace and strength.
Winn’s new book is The Road to Glory: Walking Mama Home, the story of managing her mother’s care. Woven throughout are practical tips for negotiating the elder care system and devotional thoughts to guide the reader to find strength in Jesus Christ.
“He showed me how to set myself aside for the benefit of my mother,” Winn says of Jesus, “to put her needs before my own, and how to smooth the path before us. Without Him we would have been lost.”
Learn about Linda Winn and her book The Road to Glory: Walking Mama Home here.
Christian Central Academy in Williamsville, New York is fighting the state’s “mask-mandate.” Bill Price caught up with the school’s Director of Development, Michael O’Hara.
Dr. Ralph Kerr at the “Teaching & Learning” Institute in Houghton, NY is watching out for Christians in the public school.
Christian watchdogs Jason McGuire with New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms and Michael Geer with the Pennsylvania Family Institute talk about the issues in the news impacting you and your family at the state capitals in Albany and Harrisburg.
Fear often holds us back from sharing Jesus with others. Yet, God invites us into what He’s doing! Heather Holleman says we can take joy in our identity as “sent” people. She breaks down the steps of genuinely taking an interest in others and leaving the results to the Holy Spirit!
Are there new threats on the internet that parents aren’t aware of? What can moms and dads do to reduce the possibility of inappropriate activity or contact by strangers online? Christian counselor Christopher Anderson has answers.
This week, Dr. Ralph Kerr discusses whether “Zoom school” will replace in-person learning this fall as COVID cases rise.
This week on Capital Connection, Jason McGuire with New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms and Michael Geer with the Pennsylvania Family Institute discuss face-masks in school, vaccine mandates, NY’s new governor and a huge pro-life rally set for later this month in Harrisburg.
Disagreeable, hard-headed, and stubborn. Does that describe one of your children? Parent and pastor’s wife Lucille Williams notes the importance of one-on-one time with each child, along with a sense of humor. She also addresses the challenge for parents when kids identify as transgender or profess interest in same-sex romantic relationships.
We’re not surprised that God’s Church and the surrounding culture are not in synch—but there was a time when the relationship felt friendlier. So what kind of challenge is this for Christians spreading the great news of Jesus?
“We think, as Christians, that the more ‘Christian-y’ we can make the culture, the more Christianity—as in the real deal, the Jesus-following, disciple-making stuff—will flourish,” says missiologist Jeff Christopherson. “Actually, it seems to do better when Christians are forced to make a choice where their highest allegiance is going to be.”
Christopherson is a pastor and author, the Executive Director of Church Planting Canada, and Co-Founder and Missiologist for the Send Institute.
“What a world needs–that has maybe just a jaundiced look at us–is to see what an honest-to-goodness Jesus-follower looks like,” he says.
No matter how unfriendly the culture, relationships like that have an impact.
“People haven’t changed,” he says. “They desire that authentic community. They desire an authentic spirituality. They want that sort of connectedness.”
Join us for this 20-minute podcast conversation.
Learn about Jeff Christopherson and The Send Institute here.
Learn more about Church Planting Canada here.