{"id":303820,"date":"2016-01-07T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-01-07T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/preparing-your-children\/"},"modified":"2016-01-07T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2016-01-07T17:00:00","slug":"preparing-your-children","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/preparing-your-children\/","title":{"rendered":"Preparing Your Children"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Russell Moore explains that we live in a culture that is largely in opposition to the Christian community. Russell encourages parents to teach their children who they are in Christ, even if it means being seen as different.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2016-01-07.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"23.01M","filesize_raw":"24122650","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2848,2821],"tags":[5940,5937,5935,5936,5941,5942,2209,5939,5938],"podcast_series":[8120],"cwp_profile":[9177],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-303820","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cultural-issues","category-reaching-out","tag-christian-parenting","tag-cultural-christianity","tag-faith-in-the-bible","tag-how-to-share-the-gospel","tag-identity","tag-identity-crisis","tag-parenting","tag-salt-and-light","tag-what-is-christianity","podcast_series-engaging-the-culture","cwp_profile-russell-moore","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/303820\/preparing-your-children","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/303820\/preparing-your-children","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"v5jRgwHPsO\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/preparing-your-children\/\">Preparing Your Children<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/preparing-your-children\/embed\/#?secret=v5jRgwHPsO\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Preparing Your Children&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"v5jRgwHPsO\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Russell Moore explains that we live in a culture that is largely in opposition to the Christian community. Russell encourages parents to teach their children who they are in Christ, even if it means being seen as different.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2016-01-07.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Your children are going to hear things at school or from their peer group\u2014things that are different than what you\u2019ve been teaching them about right and wrong about how the world should be. Russell Moore says: \u201cWhen they come to you with questions, be careful how you answer them.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Make sure that you know <em>what<\/em> the child is asking because, sometimes, you\u2019re tempted to answer far more than what the child wants to know. He or she just wants a simple answer to something; and you want to come in and prepare that child, apologetically, for every possible thing that will have to do with that issue. That\u2019s burdensome because the child is like, \u201cYou know, I kind of am curious about this thing that I overheard on the playground; but if I go and ask Dad, he\u2019s going to give me a 30-minute lecture.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Thursday, January 7<sup>th<\/sup>. Our host is the President of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine. How do we train our children to hold fast to truth, and to stand for truth, in a culture where truth is being challenged? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>1:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe\u2019ll explore that today. Stay tuned.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us. You know, the topic we\u2019ve been trying to unpack this week is, I think, the topic that\u2019s on the heart of a lot of moms and dads. I think about my grandchildren \/ I think about kids, who are being born today, and the world they\u2019re going to grow up in. It\u2019s not that I\u2019m\u2014I was about to say\u2014it\u2019s not that I\u2019m scared, but I\u2019m <em>concerned<\/em> about the erosion of faith in our culture and what that\u2019s going to mean for their lives and the kind of courage they\u2019re going to have to have if they\u2019re going to stand for Christ.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>2:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And if faith is going to have a starting point, I think the ideal is that it starts at home. It, obviously, is built upon by the church and other Christians, as children grow up; but God didn\u2019t give children to the church\u2014He gave children to families.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I think families need to assume their God-given responsibility. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe\u2019ve got a dad, here, of five boys. What are the ages of your sons, Russell? And, by the way, welcome back. Russell Moore joins us again.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> It\u2019s good to be with you. Thank you for having me. They\u2019re 14, 14, 10, 8, and \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t3 \u00bd.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Oh, wow! You have got\u2014you\u2019re on the cusp! You\u2019re in the game, right now\u2014with 14 year-olds, the game does change a bit; doesn\u2019t it?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> It <em>definitely<\/em> changes; yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Well, and hang on\u2014because some people are thinking, \u201c14\/14\u201d\u2014they\u2019re not twins. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> No, we adopted our first two children from a Russian orphanage; and they\u2019re three weeks apart. Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> [Laughing] That is a tag team, right there!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Yes, it is; yes, it is.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> He and his wife are part of the tag team, there\u2019s no doubt about it. Russell is the President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>3:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe has written a book called <em>Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel.<\/em> \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI wanted to ask you about this, Russell, because you have to have given this some thought. There are a bunch of our young people, who are growing up in the church, and they\u2019re being confronted by the culture. The bottom line is\u2014they\u2019re being seduced by it, and they\u2019re leaving the church by the <em>thousands<\/em>. Explain what you think is happening there.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Well, I think we\u2019ve had that going on for a long time. The difference is\u2014people would leave--and often, we expected them to leave after high school \/ sometime in college. We almost had this implicit expectation that people would go off and just run wild until they got married, and started settling down, and having their own kids. Then we expected that they would come back into the church because they wanted programs for their kids.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, what we\u2019re seeing is\u2014a situation where we have a mission field around us. Often, that mission field is children\u2014some of whom are prodigals \/ some of whom, though, are children we have not discipled. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>4:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s not just that they have rejected the answers\u2014they\u2019ve never even asked the questions because they\u2019ve not been rightly nurtured.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And one of the things that a parent has to do is to think about, \u201cWhat are my children going to face?\u201d and \u201cHow do I best equip them to deal with issues?\u201d\u2014issues that are not going to be objective issues \/ they\u2019ll be very subjective because they\u2019re going to have a face to it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> In fact, as I\u2019ve been chewing on this, I\u2019ve been thinking: \u201cCulture, by definition, is the shared convictions of a group of people \/ of a community\u201d; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Well, now we are raising children in an era where the shared convictions of the community\u2014of the culture, broadly\u2014are in opposition to what have been the shared convictions of the Christian community. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Your kids are growing up in a day when it will be unpopular for them\u2014they will be marginalized, ostracized, and persecuted, perhaps, for holding anti-cultural views.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>5:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Yes, and I think part of the problem, though, is that we haven\u2019t trained children to think through who \u201cwe\u201d are. When we think of \u201cwe,\u201d what is the answer to that pronoun? Who are \u201cwe?\u201d I think if we don\u2019t do that, then we\u2019re all going to implicitly assume that \u201cwe\u201d is my peer group rather than seeing \u201cwe\u201d as being, first and foremost, the church of Jesus Christ all around the world. That takes intentional discipleship to come in and say, \u201cThis is who you are; and this is what you have come into, as a follower of Christ.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> So how do you do that with a six-year-old or a seven-year-old?\u2014because that seems like a pretty abstract concept to be dealing with\u2014with a six-year-old\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Well, I think the way you do it is\u2014first of all, by the sort of patterns and practices that you have in your home\u2014so that you are praying, intentionally, for the rest of the body of Christ \/ you\u2019re talking about, at an early age\u2014not just when they\u2019re facing particular cultural temptations\u2014but: \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>6:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cThis is why we, as Christians, see things in a particular way. This is part of our story. We\u2019re the children of Abraham \/ we\u2019re the people who follow Jesus.\u201d You\u2019re intentionally inculcating those practices. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou don\u2019t count on the culture around you to do pre-evangelism, where we expect the culture to teach you how to become a well-behaved person and, then, Jesus will show you how to do that even more effectively.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> No, you\u2019re intentionally training them: \u201cYou are going to be <em>different<\/em>. Here is how you are going to be different than the world around you.\u201d You know, in our home, one practical way that that manifests itself is with technology. My kids are the <em>only <\/em>kids in our neighborhood, or in their school, or anywhere else\u2014they don\u2019t have iPhones or iPads.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Your 14-year-olds\u2014you\u2019re 14-year-olds don\u2019t have them?!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> My 14-year-olds do not.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And the reason you know that is\u2014who told you that you were the only parents?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Because they\u2019re with the other kids.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> They come back and they tell you, \u201cWe\u2019re the <em>only ones<\/em>!\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>7:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> My problem is the opposite problem that I have to deal with. It\u2019s not that they\u2019re complaining, \u201cWe\u2019re the only kids here,\u201d\u2014I have to work against a kind of Phariseeism.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> The self-righteous-older-brother kind of thing?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Yes, yes. I even had one of my children say to the neighbor kids, \u201cYou know, it\u2019s really sad that your dad is just such an ineffective leader\u2014that here you are\u2014with this iPhone that you have unrestricted access to.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Oh, my!!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> \u201cOkay; NO! That\u2019s not the way we\u2019re going to handle this,\u201d but to come in and to say, \u201cWhy are you different in that sense? It\u2019s because we have a different understanding of temptation \/ a different understanding of what it means to prepare you to deal with temptation. Here are the things that you\u2019re going to have to deal with...\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat\u2019s no promise that they\u2019re not going to hit 18 and go out and buy 40 iPads with unrestricted access to the internet; but it does mean that we\u2019re teaching them now: \u201cEverything that you want is not necessarily what you ought to have.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> You\u2019ve taken a couple of your sons through <em>Passport2Purity<\/em><sup>\u00ae<\/sup>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Yes, yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>8:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And you know that FamilyLife <em>loves<\/em> to help you, as a father, <em>win<\/em> in being the chief instructor, along with your wife, of your sons to know what it means to be a believer: \u201cWho are we?\u201d\u2014as you said, spiritually-speaking.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think you\u2019ll be encouraged, Russell\u2014we are about to release, in a couple of months, a brand-new passport experience called <em>Passport2Identity<\/em><sup>\u2122<\/sup>\u2014It is spiritual identity, gender identity \/ it\u2019s all about who you are, as a young man or a young lady, and what you\u2019re going to encounter in this world. It\u2019s setting you up, as a father, to know how to pass on the truth of God\u2019s Word about who they are because they will be tempted.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> That\u2019s wonderful! Yes, that\u2019s exactly right. That\u2019s really what all of these questions come down to: \u201cWho am I?\u201d and \u201cWho are we?\u201d The devil came to Jesus and said, \u201cIf you are the Son of God, then\u2026\u201d So that question of identity is <em>key<\/em>; and it is key from very, very early ages on.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>9:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> So carve out a weekend this summer and plan to take the 14-year-olds for a getaway\u2014we\u2019ll ship you one of the new passport sets, right when it comes out.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> That sounds great \/ sounds great. They already think Dennis is a psychic [Laughter] because, when we went through <em>Passport2Purity<\/em>, he [Dennis] would say, \u201cYour dad is probably nodding his head right now.\u201d [Laughter] They would look and, sure enough, I would. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Well, as a matter of fact, we\u2019ve included in <em>Passport2Identity<\/em> some interaction that we did with you in preparing the material to help boys, in particular, understand what it means to be a boy, at a young age. So they\u2019ll, not only think Dennis is a psychic, they\u2019ll think: \u201cDad! Now you\u2019re talking through the radio!\u201d [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I can\u2019t wait to hear the story\u2014with you not telling them they\u2019re going to hear your voice\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> That\u2019s right!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u2014and then you show up on the CD!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Here\u2019s the thing that concerns me\u2014the pressure of the peer culture is so strong in junior high and high school. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>10:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI was talking to a parent\u2014a mom and a dad. They\u2019re involved in evangelism and missions. When the Supreme Court ruled on gay marriage, their daughter came and said, \u201cCan I change my Facebook<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> picture to a rainbow like everybody else in my class is doing?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> These parents were like: \u201cWhat? Why?!\u201d But it was just, \u201cEverybody in my class is doing this.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I talked to some other parents who said their daughter had kind of become friends with this other girl. The parents said, \u201cWhy did you become friends with this girl?\u201d She said, \u201cWell, because we\u2019re the only two in our class who aren\u2019t gay.\u201d The parents were like, \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d \u201cOh, all the other kids are gay.\u201d Well, you and I both know that all the other kids aren\u2019t gay.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Right; right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> But there\u2019s such a cultural pressure that a 14-year-old, being brought up in a good Christian home, being instructed, at the dinner table, \u201cThis is who we are,\u201d is going to face an onslaught, out in the neighborhood or down at the school.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>11:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Yes, and I think one of the mistakes parents tend to make, sometimes, is to think, \u201cWell, if I don\u2019t address these issues, and if I keep my kids siloed off from that, then I will prevent that.\u201d That is not the case. I mean, my\u2014at the time, he was six years old. He\u2019s my\u2014most well-behaved \/ sweetest-natured child\u2014he came in one day and said, \u201cDad, how does a boy turn into a girl?\u201d I said, \u201cWhat do you mean, Jonah?\u201d He said, \u201cThere was this boy on television who had surgery, and he turned into a girl.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tMy immediate thought was: \u201cMaria! What are you letting him watch when I\u2019m not here?!\u201d [Laughter] I said, \u201cWhen did you see this?\u201d He said, \u201cI was in the dentist\u2019s office, and they had it on the news.\u201d Well, my response could have been, \u201cI don\u2019t want him to have this conversation at six.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Well, that ship has sailed\u2014he\u2019s six years old. I\u2019ve got to maintain confidence, and I can\u2019t give to him the impression that somehow this question is something that Christianity is not able to address.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> You can\u2019t freak out either.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> I can\u2019t freak out\u2014that\u2019s exactly right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>12:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> So what does a dad do when a six-year-old says, \u201cHow does a boy turn into a girl?\u201d How did you address it?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Well, what I did was to say: \u201cDo you remember what we talk about? How did God create humanity?\u201d He said, \u201cAdam and Eve.\u201d I said: \u201cThat\u2019s right\u2014male and female. That\u2019s how God created us.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI said, \u201cBut, we\u2019re sinners, which means that, often, we don\u2019t <em>feel<\/em> the way that God made us to be; and we become very confused. Some people are really confused about who God created them to be, as men and women \/ as boys and girls. There are a lot of people really confused about that. They have the idea that if you just fix it with surgery or with hormones\u2014that somehow is going to turn you into the other person.\u201d I said, \u201cBut we know, from what the Bible teaches us, the only way we can ever be back to where we\u2019re supposed to be is by being reconciled to God.\u201d We talked about that, but I wanted to kind of make sure that I didn\u2019t freak out in front of him\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> \u2014even though I kind of was, inside, \u201cI don\u2019t want to have this conversation now,\u201d but you don\u2019t want to give him the sense that: \u201cI can\u2019t talk about that with Dad. If I say that, Dad\u2019s going to become alarmed.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>13:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou want to give the impression that this is the place where we ought to have these conversations.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> And maybe the lesson for moms and dads here is\u2014there should be very little that your kids bring up that you freak out about at all.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Right\u2014at all. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> And sometimes you just need to say, \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d It\u2019s not that you have to have an answer to that. It\u2019s perfectly fine to say: \u201cHuh! You know, that\u2019s a really good question. Let me think about that and what I think about it.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And what I would encourage that parent to do is\u2014what I did when I wasn\u2019t ready to answer a question\u2014I said: \u201cYou know, that is really a good question. In order to give you a thoughtful answer that will be helpful to you, let\u2019s reschedule this conversation for the day after tomorrow (or this weekend).\u201d Then, I would go make a phone call\u2014I would call another dad that I respected.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u201cCall Russell Moore,\u201d is what you need to do.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes. I\u2019d call Russell and say, \u201cRussell, how have you handled this?\u201d But the point is\u2014go get your powder dry and think through what the issues are.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>14:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> It will keep you from freaking out.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> But also, to be thoughtful about how you\u2019re going to explain it because one of the things you talk about in your book is how we have to be respectful, and kind, and nice, and compassionate\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u2014to the boy who wants to turn into a girl.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> That\u2019s right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> You\u2019re training your son or your daughter, not just in how to respond to sin, but also in how to respond to people who are not like them, and don\u2019t think like them, and have been raised in families that maybe don\u2019t have a biblical worldview.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Well, that\u2019s exactly right. And that means, also, making sure that you know what the child is asking\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> \u2014because, sometimes, you\u2019re tempted to answer far more than what the child wants to know. He or she just wants a simple answer to something. You want to come in and prepare that child, apologetically, for every possible thing that will have to do with that issue. That then becomes burdensome because the child is like, \u201cYou know, I kind of am curious about this thing that I overheard on the playground; but if I go and ask Dad, he\u2019s going to give me a 30-minute lecture.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>15:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes, or a 45-minute sermon.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> We\u2019re talking with Dr. Russell Moore, who is the author of the book, <em>Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel, <\/em>on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLet me ask you: \u201cHow would you answer this?\u201d Let\u2019s say your son, who was asking about how a boy becomes a girl, is now a high school senior and says: \u201cOkay, Dad, I\u2019ve always believed God made them male and female. I just learned about intersex people today.\u201d So what do I do with that?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> I mean, you just explain intersex is a different issue than the transgendered person, who wants to change genders. What\u2019s happening with intersex is\u2014it\u2019s not that God didn\u2019t design this person as male or female\u2014it\u2019s that we don\u2019t know whether this person is male or female. That\u2019s the tragic issue involved here. It\u2019s an entirely different question. Sometimes doctors, as they\u2019re trying to deal with this, make the wrong call.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes; right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> But that doesn\u2019t mean that gender isn\u2019t part of our created identity. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>16:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s kind of the exception that proves the rule.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Ultimately, you\u2019re challenging parents, first of all, to know what they believe the Bible teaches about some of these matters. In Genesis 1, 2, and 3, God didn\u2019t stutter.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> He made them two sexes, male and female. I\u2019ll never forget the day my son came home from college; and he said, \u201cWell, Dad, today I learned in college that there are five sexes.\u201d Now, that was then\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Yes, yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u2014that was in 19\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> That\u2019s way outdated!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u2014that was 20 years ago; okay?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Today, he may come home\u2014a young lad, from having been on Facebook\u2014and say, \u201cToday on Facebook, I found out that there are over 60 different sexes.\u201d So what you\u2019re doing \/ what I\u2019m doing, as a dad, is attempting to be a shock absorber, first of all, for the child\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u2014and not freak out, as you\u2019ve said before\u2014but also to bring them back to the Book and to know how to think <em>from<\/em> the Bible, not to the Bible \/ to make the Bible prove some kind of point that somebody else is making.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>17:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> And also, to train them to be evangelists. I mean, they\u2019re going to be dealing with kids their own age who are going to be really confused on a whole host of issues. I mean, one of the primary questions that I get these days is from youth pastors, who are saying, \u201cWhat do we do with non-Christian kids, who are coming to our church youth events, but who identify as the opposite sex, and they want to be referred to with female pronouns (if they\u2019re male) or a girl\u2019s name, and so forth?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat\u2019s a genuine question because these youth pastors are saying: \u201cOn the one hand, we don\u2019t want to confuse them and confuse the other kids in the youth group. On the other hand, we don\u2019t want to communicate, \u201cGet yourself cleaned up\/fixed up before you come and hear the gospel.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And your answer to that youth pastor is?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Well, my answer to that is going to really depend, contextually, on the situation. I say: \u201cYou have to make it really clear <em>that<\/em> you don\u2019t buy into this notion, but you also have to make it really clear that that\u2019s not your primary concern with this kid. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>18:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cYour primary concern is to see this kid come to faith in Christ.\u201d That\u2019s going to have different manifestations, at different points.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And your book is really pointing people to making sure we don\u2019t sacrifice the gospel on secondary issues.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Yes\u2014well, either direction. There are some people who sacrifice the gospel because all they care about are the issues. They\u2019d rather win an argument than see people won to Christ. Other people sacrifice the gospel because they think, in order to reach people, we ought to reach them without addressing those issues that really are defined as sin and need to be taken to the cross. So we have to be the people who speak with both truth and grace.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> So let me just give you one more scenario. Let\u2019s say your son says: \u201cI want to have a group of guys over for a birthday party \/ a sleepover party. And there\u2019s this one guy in my class\u2014he says he\u2019s gay. I\u2019m trying to reach out to him \/ trying to share the gospel with him. Is it okay if he comes to the sleepover at our house?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>19:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Well, I don\u2019t think sleepovers are a good idea, really, regardless. But in terms of an activity\u2014a birthday party\u2014coming over to the house to hang out and play video games or whatever\u2014\u201cYes!\u201d I mean, I want to communicate to my sons that we eat with \u201ctax collectors and sinners,\u201d\u2014to use the charge that Jesus had to navigate around. To say, somehow, that your friend, who is not a Christian, is somehow off-limits\u2014I think is a very, very negative message to send to kids.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I do think there may be a situation, though\u2014and I want you to speak into this that we faced, raising our kids\u2014where they had a child who was not a good influence.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Yes, sure.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> We never made a personal issue out of that child, but we did let our children know\u2014by making it, not impossible, but by making it very difficult\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Right, right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u2014for him to go to his place or for him to come to ours for any extended period of time because it was real clear that he, not only didn\u2019t hold to our values\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>20:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014in some ways, he was undermining our values. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Sure.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Comment on that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Russell:<\/strong> Well, you have to look at the particular vulnerabilities that you have with your child. For instance, there are families who have children, who are very easily provoked. There are other friends who come in, who kind of provoke them to anger; and they can\u2019t handle it. Well, yes, you have a responsibility to say: \u201cThis is your particular point of vulnerability. We\u2019re going to protect you from that.\u201d But I think that, as you\u2019re doing that, you\u2019re not saying to your kids, \u201cThis particular kind of sinner is the kind of person we don\u2019t hang out with.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> What I hear us saying, repeatedly\u2014number one is: \u201cLet\u2019s be evangelistic in our thinking, as families. Let\u2019s think about how we take the gospel to our friends.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe did that through a party, where we bought pizza for kids. At one point, we had one-fourth of the entire student body coming out to this pizza party, where we\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> That\u2019s a lot of pizza!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> That was a lot of pizza! [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>21:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe started charging, at that point\u2014one buck for a slice of pizza. [Laughter] But the point was\u2014we were training our children to think about their friends needing the person of Jesus Christ, and His redemption, and forgiveness of sins. In the process, we loved on those kids \/ we listened to those kids\u2014we were not judgmental of those kids. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think a lot of families today are not treating their assignment with the kind of respect that they need to be. It\u2019s why a book like yours, Russell, is so important\u2014because I think what <em>Onward <\/em>does is\u2014it forces a follower of Christ to look at his assignment and go: \u201cI\u2019m not just here to raise a family. I\u2019m here to be an ambassador for Jesus Christ and to raise little ambassadors, who end up knowing how to relate to their generation with the same truth about Jesus Christ that, hopefully, we\u2019re sharing with our friends as well.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>22:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Well, I think what we\u2019re talking about here is that this is going to demand a new level of intentionality on the part of moms and dads. That\u2019s where having resources like the book that Russell Moore has written, <em>Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel<\/em>, can help you determine how you\u2019re going to be intentional about this. In fact, this is a book that, especially if you\u2019ve got teenagers\u2014this is a book you could read a few pages each night, at the dinner table, and just talk about it \/ read a couple paragraphs and talk about what you\u2019ve read.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou can order the book from us online at FamilyLifeToday.com. We also have copies of Larry Osborne\u2019s book\u2014called <em>Thriving in Babylon<\/em>\u2014that we\u2019ve talked about this week as well. Order either or both books when you go to FamilyLifeToday.com; or call 1-800-FL-TODAY to request either book\u20141-800-358-6329\u2014that\u2019s 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>23:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, as we begin a brand-new year, I want to take just a minute and say, \u201cThank you,\u201d to those of you who, at the end of 2015, called us \/ got in touch with us and let us know that you believe that what we\u2019re doing, here at FamilyLife, really is important\u2014that it really does matter. Our goal is to provide practical biblical help and hope for your marriage and your family, day in and day out, on this radio program, on our website, through our events and our resources. We can\u2019t do that unless we\u2019re joined by people, like you, who say, \u201cThis really does matter.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe\u2019ve not seen the final numbers for 2015 yet, but we did hear from many of our listeners during December. We\u2019re grateful for those of you who got in touch with us. Of course, the need continues, month in and month out. But, again, we just want to pause and say, \u201cThank you for being a part of what God is doing through this ministry.\u201d Of course, anytime God would lead you to make a donation, it\u2019s easy to do. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>24:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou can go to FamilyLifeToday.com\u2014make a donation online; or you can call 1-800-FL-TODAY and donate; or you can mail your donation to <em>FamilyLife Today <\/em>at PO \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBox 7111, Little Rock, AR; and our zip code is 72223.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd we hope you can be back with us tomorrow. We\u2019re going to continue talking with Dr. Russell Moore about standing firm for the faith in a changing culture. That comes up tomorrow. I hope you can be here.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, and our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine. We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\tHelp for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2016 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/303820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=303820"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=303820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=303820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=303820"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=303820"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=303820"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=303820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}