Dr. Jessica Peck prescribes hope for healthy families on American Family Radio

Hello and welcome to the Dr. Nurse Mama show, prescribing hope for healthy families here on American Family Radio. Here's your host, professor, pediatric nurse practitioner, and mom of four, Dr. Jessica Peck.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, hey there, friends, and welcome to my favorite time of day. It's my favorite time of year. Merry Christmas, everyone. I know that we are just continuing to live at the speed of, of a smartphone. Things are just going, like, so fast. I don't know if you feel like that, but it is absolutely so, so incredibly fast. And whatever you are doing, I pray that you would continue to have a spirit of Advent. And we've been talking about that on the show. We've been talked about finding hope in a world that seems hopeless. We've talked about finding peace in a world that just seems like it is not peaceful at all. We have also will talk this week about love and joy on Friday.

We have a choice about how we approach the Christmas season

And no matter how fast things are going, we have a choice about our attitude in approaching the season. And I was really convicted on the show yesterday about just feeling convicted about being overwhelmed. And sometimes I can feel overwhelmed. I'm, I'm reacting to a behavior of my children or someone else around me. Maybe it's someone driving anybody else can relate instead of responding, responding to an issue that I see. And so that was convicting for me. And as we enter the season of Advent, we're really. The church didn't start the Christmas season with sentiment or nostalgia. It begins with hope born in the darkness. And so before we get to my guest today, I want to share with you some hope that you may need yourself or that you can share with someone else. American Family Radio is hosting a conference for Hannah's Heart. Now Hannah's Heart is a Half that airs on the weekends here at American Family Radio. We have had the guest, the guest, the host on as our guest many times before, Anne Cockrell and Kendra White. And it's a half hour program to encourage families who are walking through infertility, miscarriage, and some of those harder things that happen when couples are trying to start a family, to grow a family. And it's really about clinging to Christ and the ultimate hope and finding peace and joy in the middle of the journey. All of those things are themes of Advent. Having their very first inaugural conference in Tupelo, Mississippi. That is the birthplace of Elvis Presley, by the way, if you're wondering. Charming, beautiful little town with lots of great places to eat. But there may be someone that you know in your life who would be so encouraged to know that they are not alone that they are seen and known and deeply loved by God. So if you go to afr.net you'll be able to find that Hannah's Heart Conference. And, you can look at that for 2026. And they're offering a special this week, a 50% off of registration. So I want to encourage you to share that hope with someone else. And as we think about the origins of the hope at Christmas, we know that hope was born in darkness. Hope did not come to a world that had prepared a magical Christmas celebration and then received the Savior like it was a made for TV movie. No, Advent is a declaration that God moves toward broken humanity, not away from it. Advent is a season of waiting. We are waiting on Jesus to return and make all things right. Now, if you're like me, I've been following so many tragic stories in the news, and it can be really disheartening. But we have to remember that hope is not a feeling of happiness. It's not a feeling of optimism. It's not even a feeling of denial. Like I'm just going to ignore that all of those horrible things that are happening, hope, our hope, a hope that doesn't disappoint, is rooted in the character of a God who keeps his promises even when the world looks unstable. And today that instability is all around us. And we know that youth suicide rates in the United States have increased dramatically over the past decade. And praise God for something that's good. Actually, that came across my desk from researchers saying that they're starting to see potentially a glimmer of hope. And this year is the first year in several years that that youth suicide rate has actually gone down. Now, is it associated with more and more kids who are reaching for their Bible, who are seeking church, who are looking for hope? I don't know, but it certainly seems like there is, there is something to think about there. But we know that there are, is there are historic levels of anxiety and depression among teens. We know that research shows fewer than one in 10 young adults have a biblical world. And they're trying to interpret all of this suffering that we're seeing, all of this tragedy, their identity, who they are and their purpose in life without a constant moral or spiritual compass. And we've got a generation surrounded by information like never before. I mean, the, the amount, of content that is uploaded, I think if I can remember correctly, and I may have to correct myself, but I think it's something like 300,000 hours of content uploaded to YouTube every minute. I mean, it is insane amount of content, but they don't have interpretation of that content. Meaning and pillars of truth. They're told that truth is subjective, that identity is what you make it, what you manifest for yourselves. And then we wonder why so many feel hopeless because I've said many times, I do not believe that we can manufacture the kind of help and hope that we need to give our life's purpose and meaning. We're simply not that powerful. And Advent confronts this moment head on. It declares God is not distant, he is not passive. He willingly, intentionally, by planned, entered human history as a child. He came into poverty, he came into political oppression, he came into family complexity. All of those things we're seeing in the news this week. But ah, he came to bring light to those walking in the darkness. And my guest today has done the same. He has been, has spent years ministering, bringing light to the darkness. His name is Carl Barrett. He spent many years ministering in prisons, walking alongside men whose lives will testify to what happens when hope is never formed or they lose that hope early in life. And in his book we'll be discussing today, God's generation of hope. He argues we are not suffering from a lack of solutions, but a lack of spiritual foundations. And the best part is he insists this is not a message of despair and it's ah, a call to responsibility and to repentance and most hopefully to renewal. Carl, thank you so much for joining us today.

Carl Barrett: Oh, Jessica is so, so glad to be on your program. Thank you so much.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, thank you so much for joining us, Carl. I'd love for you just to introduce yourself to our listeners, tell them a little bit about your, your testimony, your story of faith, and how God gave you this message to give to us today. Of hope.

Carl Barrett: My name is Carl Barrett. I am the executive, director and founder of Monday Blues, the Sunday Pews ministry. I've authored now six books, Going to My Life Testimony. Jessica. I grew up in a very dysfunctional family, at the early stages of my life, back when I was probably about 8 or 9 years of age. I, mean, I talk about the darkness. I was molested when I was young. I grew up in a family that was surrounded by drug addiction, alcohol, addiction, sexual abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse, you know, I gotta tell you, when I was in my teenage years, teenage years, I was a very confused teenager. And I didn't see that glimmer of hope. I didn't see that glimmer of help. And I was going to Church. I was very involved with the community. I was in Ras, if most of your listening audience is familiar with that, Royal ambassadors, I, you know, I was very involved and connected with the youth at our church, but the enemy had me in a snare and I was a very confused individual for years. And going back to what you said, it comes back to us being accountable, being responsible, and say, you know what? I've had enough. I'm going to choose. I'm a firm believer in this, Jessica, that if our biblical priorities in everyday life are in check, our spiritual choices are easier to make. In other words, God's word is our guiding compass. And if we fix our thoughts on the realities of heaven and not the things of this earth, which we can easily to do with everything that you said, we're so bombarded with all the stress with society and, and all the cultural pressures and the swaying against God's guiding principles. It's easy to get fixed and focused on the things of this earth and what's taking place in the world. And that's what the enemy does. He distracts us, he disturbs us, and he wants to deviate us away from the promises of God's word. So I just made an intentional choice that, you know what? I'm going to meditate on scripture, I'm going to pray, and I am going to completely surrender to self and submit to someone who has a lot more authority, control and power than I do to help me get through all this.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Darkness in my life and praise the Lord for that. And you know, Carl, I think about your story and so much of what happened to you was not your fault. You know, it was not your fault that you experienced abuse and trauma. But, you know, we talk a lot, you know, in the clinical world about agency and having some degree of power, but really our power is so limited. But the one power that we do have is the power to choose how to respond in a healing journey. And that is something that we can choose and doesn't mean it'll be perfect. It doesn't mean that, you know, all of that stuff will just be erased and like, it never happened. But you clearly have walked both paths, Carl, trying to heal it yourself and then submitting to the sovereignty of God, which is a really tough thing for people to accept and do. So what was that moment for you? When did that come where you started that transformation and living differently?

Carl Barrett: Yeah, and here's the, here's the, here's the thing about it, Jessica, is, ah, that, you know, I, I accepted Christ as my savior. At the age of eight, a year before I was sexually abused. And, like I said, I grew up in a. Even though my dad did not, was not a believer right away, my mom took us, the three of us, to church in Sunday school every, every Sunday. And, I gotta tell you that for years I was just like I was telling you earlier, so confused. But even when, when I got married in 1980, and my wife and I've been married now for 45 years, thank good Lord, and, you know, I was still making some bad choices in the, in the earlier stages of our marriage life, and I can remember to this day. This just goes to show your listening audience that once you give your life to Christ and he becomes Lord of your life, that indwelling Holy Spirit never leaves you. He will always be there to give you that hope. Hope to anchor your soul, as the author in Hebrews tells us. But I'll never forget the day on May 15, 1991, 7:01am, in front of an ATM, by Red Lobster on San Pedro and Montgomery, looking at the San Diego Mountains. That's pretty specific right there, Jesse. That's something that I get for the rest of, my life. I looked up at the mountains there in Albuquerque, NewSong Mexico, out east, and the Holy Spirit just wrung me out and, and that was a transformation. Even though I gave my life to Christ, we all know that once we become Christians, it doesn't stop there. We, we go through a sanctification process. I mean, we're never going to reach that state of perfection on this side of heaven, Jessica. But here's what I used to tell the inmates in the prison ministry. Our process through that sanctification should be leading to spiritual progress. In other words, we should take it, we should be taking like three steps forward and maybe one step back. But don't take two steps forward and three steps back. In other words, it goes back to what I said earlier. It's all about making sure that our priorities aligned up with the will and plans of God to where we can make sure we're making solid choices that will be meaningful, purposeful in our life. That gives us that hope. It motivates us to want to serve him in those glorious ways.

Dr. Jessica Peck: You know what's amazing to me, Carl, is you describing that so vividly. That moment. It wasn't like, you know, a bargain that you made with God, like you got a diagnosis or you were in a car accident or something tragic happened. It was, that is amazing to me. And I'VE heard so many testimonies like yours where it's really kind of a Paul, a moment, a Saul on the road to Damascus, right, Where you just encounter. Where you encounter God. And so to have that, that big of a moment just at. So that big of a transformation, it's so benign of a seeming moment that is absolutely amazing.

Preborn provides women with practical and spiritual resources to make motherhood possible

And, Carl, we're already coming up on our first break, but when we come back, I want to continue our conversation because you have, as I said in the introduction, you've spent a long time in prison ministries. And, you know, I will share that. I actually, I've sung in prisons before and given sung Christmas at Christmas time. And I remember being so nervous about going into the prison and thinking really just so, so many things that you would think, you know, going in. And when I walked in, I realized, oh, Lord, it's not about me. Oh, this is not about me. So convicted and seeing the kind of hope that they had and the way that they could sing words in a completely different way than I could, it's such a meaning that meant something totally different to them, that it meant to me is one of the most spiritually impactful moments of my life. I want to hear more about yours. The book is called God's Generation of Hope, A Guide Through Deuteronomy by Carl Barrett. We'll be right back with more help and hope after this break. I want you to picture this. Her name is Kayla. She is 17, alone, terrified and pregnant, sitting in a clinic, tears blurring, thinking abortion is her only option until she was offered a free ultrasound, paid for by a hero just like you. The moment Kayla heard her baby's heartbeat, the decision was made. And today, her little baby boy Gabrielle, is thriving because preborn walked with Kayla every step of the way. Now multiply that by 38,000. That's how many babies preborn has helped save just this year. How many mothers preborn has come alongside with practical and spiritual resources to make motherhood possible. But here's the most important thing you will hear today. Their goal is to save 70,000 by the end of the year. And they can't do it without us. every $28 provides that ultrasound. The moment everything changes, will you be the reason the next Kayla chooses life? The reason Gabrielle fulfills his destiny. To donate, dial pound 250 and say the keyword baby. That's pound 250 baby. Or donate securely at preborn.com/AFR, that's preborn.com/AFR. Hope of Israel by Chris Tomlin  In Bethlehem one holy night, a host of Angels fill the sky. They sing to tell the world who waits. Our Savior comes this Christmas day. God is with us. Christ our Savior, Jesus, Emmanuel He shall reign our king forever. The hope of Israel. Welcome back friends. That is Hope of Israel by Chris Tomlin. And I hope that you are finding hope in the and this Advent season, this Christmas season, the season of waiting.

Nearly one in four children in America grow up without a biological father

That's what we're talking about today. How do we find hope in a world that looks so hopeless? Everywhere we look, the news headlines are just heart gripping, they are heart wrenching. And we think, how can we have hope in a world today? And I'm convinced that we cannot self manufacture our own hope. Hope is not a product. Hope is a person. And it is found. Hope is found in the person of Jesus Christ. And while we see culture looking outward, they're blaming politics or technology or institutions or public narratives. Scripture consistently looks inward, and a lot of that begins with the family. It begins with our own hearts. And research increasingly confirms what the Bible has long taught, that the stability of the home profoundly shapes the future of children. And According to the U.S. census Bureau, nearly one in four children in America grow up without a biological father present in their home. And studies from many initiatives and institutions show that father absence is strongly correlated with higher rates of incarceration, of substance abuse, of academic failure, of emotional instability. And Carl Barrett has seen this reality not from a distance, but very up close and personal, inside the walls of prison. And over and over, he encountered, he encounters, whose stories share a common thread. Broken families, absent fathers, no framework for godly identity or responsibility. And at the same time, our culture diminishes the role of father and even tries to change the definition of family itself. But Scripture presents the family as God's primary discipleship, the place where faith is formed, where truth is told and truth, meaning the truth of Jesus Christ and character is, is made. And Carl doesn't speak about this. Theoretically, he's right. He writes openly and has shared openly in his introduction about growing up in a dysfunctional family, growing up experiencing abuse and trauma. But his unshakable hope and his faith and the grace of God that redeems what feels like is irreparably broken. He's written a book called God's Generation of Hope, and it's a guide through Deuteronomy. And Carl, let's.

Let's talk about your ministry in prisons, which has been transformational

Let's talk about your ministry in prisons, because as I was saying before the break, that is one of the most transformational experiences I've ever had to look in the faces of Those men who were so broken and these were men who had life sentences so they had no hope of getting out. Their only hope of life here on earth was what was going to happen in those prison walls. And to see. See tears pouring down their faces, singing the lyrics of Christmas carols that we sing, thinking, oh, that's nice. They're thinking, this is my only lifeline of salvation. What is your experience? Been like that. Giving out hope in a world that definitely seems hopeless.

Carl Barrett: Yeah. You know, Jessica, I served in a. One of the most heinous, penal institutions in the United States in NewSong Mexico, as far as the, NewSong Mexico State Penitentiary maximum security. And I've done, facilities in Louisiana and also juvenile detention, which is a major, major challenge and eye opener in Fort Worth, Texas. But to your point, you know, I'll never forget the first time that I was assisting the chaplain at the NewSong Mexico State Penitentiary. I went to a pot. A pot exists of six cells above, six cells below. And hearing, those steel doors shut and this permeate the walls all the way down to your soul. And you're in there all by yourself and you're going up against to talk to guys and witness to them across all different beliefs. Muslims, atheists, agnostics, Satanist, Satan worshipers. I mean there was. There were certain guys that were Satan worshippers in there that probably wanted me killed. I mean they were staring through me like the stare of death. But you know what, to your point earlier, that when you are serving the Lord and he was using my upbringing from. And the one thing I didn't share with your audience earlier is that, you know, I heard you mentioned that the outside of your program introduction about suicide. You know, I was there when my dad committed suicide and hearing those gunshots. And I got to tell you that for all those years I was trying to figure out why, Lord, did you put me through all these trials and tribulations and storms of life? And then it all happened to Albuquerque, NewSong Mexico, when my wife sitting next to me in church said, think this may be for you. And it was Prison Fellowship Ministry. And that's where it all started, right there in 2001. And I could tell you a myriad of stories. And I'll tell you this one. There's this one gentleman who was on death row at the NewSong, Mexico State Penitentiary at that time. He was the only one on death row. And until it was abolished, through all of the mentoring that he received from being part of Prison Fellowship Ministry, this is A man that committed one of the most heinous murdering acts in Albuquerque, NewSong Mexico, up in the Sandia Mountains. And over time, through all the mentoring he went through from men, part of prison fellowship ministry, this man gave his life to the Lord and now is teaching Sunday school in the state penitentiary. So it just goes to show you that when we see people that are incarcerated who feel like they have no hope, there's no help and there's no care, no one is really concerned about them. Because most people, unfortunately, Jessica, and I've heard this so many times, people say, oh, I don't see how you do that. Because if it was me, I would just lock them up and throw away the key. This, this is God's creation. And the two key components that I learned from the prison ministry is humility and love. And along with that being real, because I'll tell you this, in all of my years in prison ministry, Jessica, they can read a phony person probably better than anybody else. So they're looking for the real deal, I used to call it. They're looking for someone who's authentic, who's genuine, who's going to be honest with them, and share their life changing story to where you're not just talking down to them, you're talking with them. And that's a difference right there. When you're talking with someone, it's like you're alongside them, you're making eye contact, your heart's going sync together. You're talking about things that you both have experienced and you can help each other. And I can count the times in, a facility in Louisiana, I can't count the times that I went in and I was just like, you know, lord, I don't feel like doing this tonight. And I walk in, I was just discouraged and I just was this, I was ready to go back home. But they lifted me up more than I ever could lift them up. And I just go to show you the body of Christ. When you have brothers and sisters in Christ, that no matter if you're on the inside of those walls or on the outside of those walls, when you come together, Christ is at the center of all that life can change. And it happened with me. And I want to share this real, real quick testimony that I think your listening audience would really love is. I'll never forget this one time on a Wednesday night, I walked into a facility in Louisiana. And they have what they call a multi purpose area and the multipurpose areas where we had our times of Worship on Wednesday nights and Thursday nights and also times where the inmates m would get books to read from the library and so forth. But he sort of overlooked. He was like the manager over the multi purpose area. And we became good friends. Now granted, he was a Muslim. And so I walked in one night. His name was Marion. And I walked in one night, Jessica. and in about 30 minutes before services started, and I could tell he just looked defeated. He just looked completely depressed. I mean, I mean you can see the darkness in his face. And I walked over to him, I said, Miriam said, are you okay? he looked at me, Jessica. He said, no, I'm not okay. And this is, this is coming from a Muslim. He actually led the Islamic belief, the body there at that facility. He looked at me, Jessica, in the eye. He said, I want what you guys have. I want that peace, I want that hope. I need something more my life, because this is not doing it. He was looking for something to fulfill that void in his life. And here's the thing. He made the choice to give his life to the Lord. He completely surrendered to self and he submitted to the power of God. And his life changed from that point forward. What a testimony. I mean, I could, I could share many other life changing stories, but. But those two right there, I just wanted your listening audience to hear because it goes to show you that if you utilize your gifts and talents for the glory of God no matter where you are, it could be on the streets, it could be in that darkest person's life by planting a seed or water. You see, you just have no clue what you could be doing as far as changing their life story. That could also change your life story.

Dr. Jessica Peck: You know what I love, Carl, is that we serve a God who's in the business of doing miracles. Christmas in itself is a miracle, a literal miracle of the greatest story that was ever told. And hearing some of those miracles, when you're following the Lord, when you are walking with him every day, you are walking in obedience. You are going to see miracles if you are looking for them. And I think about so many people who are listening, Carl, who do not have hope. We have listeners who are in prison, who are incarcerated, have many families who have a family member who's incarcerated. And even more than that, more than that, physical incarceration. Carl, there's a lot of people who put themselves in prison, who live in the prison. Maybe they're prisoners to their own sin, they're prisoners to their past. They're prisoners to whatever it is that they choose to let hold them hostage. And you have written in this book that God is not a passive observer, but an active seeker. And I'm thinking about you, you know, even going into those prisons and seeking out those men who have hopeless faces. What would you say to the person who is in whatever kind of prison they feel like they're in? They're stuck, they can't get out, they can't change. What does the, the thought of God being an active seeker, not just sitting watching, saying, well, yep, there you are. How would that change their perspective, do you think?

Carl Barrett: Well, first of all, let me say this. every facility that I know of has, some type of Bible study or worship service. So I would, I would challenge for those men or even women listening to get involved. Don't just stay isolated, don't, don't stay complacent. Don't stay in that, in your, in your cell or in your, your bunk without finding that meaning and purpose in your life that God has intended for you. Because we were created his image and in that creation of humans, we share many of this divine characteristics. So don't let the enemy think that he cannot use you, that the Lord cannot use you in powerful ways, because he can't. So get involved with, with a group of men or women in your institution, in your facility, and get connected and good Bible study in the services there and then and branch off and start using your life changing story. it comes down to being, to what you said earlier. It comes down to being intentional. Do you want to serve the Lord or do you want to continue to fall into the traps of the enemy? Because if we continue to allow the enemy to get the best of us, we will not, grow and we will always feel hopeless and helpless in our everyday life. So you know, go, go to God's Word. I mean, in all of our books, Jessica, we have building blocks at the beginning because Monday blues and Sunday pews is actually a daily journey that leads to growth and it should be leading to spiritual growth. And in all of our books from the very beginning, we have building blocks on Monday all the way up until Sunday. That shows you what you should be doing as far as meditating on scripture, talking to someone about the scripture, walking with someone, and then all the way up until Sunday where you're serving, I mean, find ways to stay connected with the word of God. But we could easily, you, know, get connected with people in our church and then right there in any kind of institution, Jessica. But you've got to get in God's word. God's word is full of living power. It is sharper than any two edges sword. It will cut to the innermost thoughts and desires of who you really are. And God can change you if you'll do two things. I call these my why words. Jessica, if you will yearn for more of God's word in your life and yield to the power of his spirit, you will not go wrong. Now listen, I'm not saying that things going to be peaches, and cream. There will always be setbacks. But when you allow God to take you through that course of Christ likeness to where you endure, you persevere, you become more like his Son, not perfection. But you are steadily progressing. You will see a change in your life to where all of a sudden you'll start doing the things that Paul talked about in his letter in Colossians where you will lose the desire of those simple things in your life. You will want to nail them to the cross and not go back and get them. I used to tell the inmates this. When you repent, don't repeat, don't go back to the cross and get it. Don't repeat. Because it is not doing anybody any good, especially the Lord when you continue to do the same habitual, sin. Because what it means is, is that are you really repenting if you continue to act in the same sin. So I just, I want to challenge the listening audience to get in God's word, get connected with a good strong group and body and then meditate on God's word. And do what Peter, James and Paul.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Yes, absolutely right, Carl, you're right. I'm going to hold you right there. We're already at our second break and it, it really reminds me of a verse in Ephesians, but God, my two favorite words together in the history of ether. But God being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. More help and hope with Carl Barrett on the way after this break. Mom is a face washer, a coupon clipper and a listening ear. She's a diaper changer, a laundry folder and a mender of hearts. She's a master juggler of the jobs of the day. She's simply incredible and incredibly busy at 1,000,000 moms. We understand the hurried pace of the average mom. That's why we've made it so easy for you to take a stand against the trash that's in today's media visit onemillionmoms.com the loss of a child through abortion, miscarriage or stillbirth affects the emotional health of families. Feelings of anger, sadness and regret can be overwhelming. There is hope and healing in the aftermath of a reproductive loss. Call the International Helpline at 866-482-LIFE. To talk with someone who has been where you are and healed. To help others. Your call is confidential. 866-482-LIFE. The Moment The Whole World Changed by Danny Gokey Every December, I stop to remember the humble entrance, of our, king. An infant so precious makes men bow in reference. I'm still in one. When I think. That in one night the whole world changed. As the heavenly host proclaimed, glory to God and peace.

Dr. Jessica Peck: In a manger, our Savior. It was the moment the whole world changed Welcome back, friends. That is the moment the whole world changed by Danny Gokey. That's exactly what we're talking about today. The moment. Ah, the whole world changed. And hope was born for me and for you. And a hope that would not disappoint. A hope that will change the world. And I know many of you can find it hard to find hope in a world that is hopeless. I know. I see that in my primary work as a professor. I mainly work in the arena of human trafficking. And let me tell you, that is a place where spiritual warfare is on full disclosure display. And you see such just egregious tragedies and, and many of you may experience something like that. Those of you who are first responders, those of you who work in, in professions that are particularly difficult. Some of you have personal circumstances that seems. Makes hope seem absolutely impossible. Well, listen, we cannot talk about hope unless we acknowledge the reality of our own hopelessness. The world is hopelessly broken. And it is because of that very reason that we need hope. We know the world feels heavy. We know we can be tempted towards cynicism or just to stop expecting good things, to think this is the best that there is and. Or just to deny it. But hope is not optimism. It's not denial. It's not escapism. Hope is confidence anchored in God's character and who God is. Hope is not what happens to you, but who God is and always will be. Not wishful thinking, but expectant trust. And this darkness that we face makes hope more necessary, not less necessary. But remember that the light is most visible in contrast in the darkness. And God consistently works through dark moments. And we have dangers ahead if we have a comfort. Only faith, if everything was always perfect. When our faith is built on our circumstances, that kind of faith will collapse when you face suffering. But a faith that's formed in hardship is resilient. It's rooted. And I'm telling you, over the last couple of years I've been hosting this program. I've sat across the microphone from so many people who have told me the same story. Jessica. I've lived it both ways. I have encountered something that just would seem to anybody looking that it would be justified in stealing my hope. I've lived without hope, and I've lived with hope in an everlasting God. And I choose hope each and every time. Right before the break, I was reading Ephesians, from Ephesians chapter 2, verses 4 and 6. And I want to say it again for you. But God. But God being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace. You have been saved and raised up with him and seated with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. And our God is merciful and slow to anger and, abounding in. Abounding in love. And I am so grateful for the message of Carl Barrett today. He's written a book called God's Generation of Hope, and that's what we're talking about today.

Jessica: Carl, sometimes Christians feel like they're going around in circles

And Carl, I want you to speak to those Christians who just feel like they're going around in circles. They're just, they're trying. What does that mean to you? They're trying, I think, to do it on their own. What message do you have for them?

Carl Barrett: Well, it goes back to what we were talking about earlier. public in the first segment is that the enemy is really good at, distracting us and, and putting all types of disturb disturbances in our life and to deviate us from the word of God and from the promises of God. And when, and when we get distracted and disturbed with all of the, the crave of social media today and with a culture that is so off course of God's guiding principles, what you see is, is that you see people, like I was saying in the book this. It's like they just like don't know which way to go. I mean, they just realize that, that they get focused more on things of this earth and this world than they do on the realities of heaven. Like we talked about earlier with Paul talking, about that in Colossians chapter three. And, and when we start going in circles, we, we just get almost like the, the wandering Israelites, the first generation from the Exodus, they just wandered around. And why did they wander around because they completely defied and disobeyed and did not believe in the ways of God. And when we fall into that same trap, we're seeing evidence of that today. And sadly to your point earlier, Jessica, is happening in the churches today, and it's happening with the parents and the leaders of the homes, is that we have got to build the foundation on Christ likeness, on the principles of God's word in our homes. I mean, first Timothy five, eight, Paul gives us a huge spiritual gut punch for any, any parent, whether you're, whether you're a dual parent or single parent, any leader in the home. He, he completely tells us that we're held accountable by Almighty God on what, how we're supposed to raise people, children, teenagers in our homes. And what Paul talks about, First Timothy five, eight, if you read that scripture, what he clearly says is that if we do not take care of our family members, if we do not take care of our relatives, it's almost as if we're denying the faith and we are worse off than unbelievers. Now I don't know about you, Jessica, but that coming from my, my Almighty God, that's a gut punch. And, and that's where it goes back to where, the two A words that I hang my hat on for all of our books is application and accountability. Get into the word of God. Apply the truth of his scriptures into your life. Going back to the last segment when you started, when something led you to Ephesians chapter two, you know, many of the underscores of what Peter and what James and what Paul were talking about in the NewSong Testament is that take what you've learned and put it into practice daily, not once a week, not twice a week. And that's part of the problem right there is that a lot of people in churches, they feel like they can just go to church one or two days a week and they can live in the ways of the world the other days of the week. You know what Crike we know what Christ said, Jessica, is that we know that we're in the world, but we're not supposed to be of the world. And so, we can't serve two masters. It comes down to what Deuteronomy chapter 30 says, is that we need to make spiritual choices that align with the will of God and that that's the heart of it right there. So I just challenge everybody to make sure that, like I said at the very first segment, is that if your biblical priorities are in check, I'm here to tell you that it will make you more apt to make good, solid spiritual choices in your everyday life as a parent, as a leader. And this is also for, for teenagers that may be listening.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Carl, that, that is a gut punch. And when we think about it, you know, there's so often, and especially if we're professing to be Christians and Christian families and we want to lead our families in a way that honors the Lord. And yet like what you said earlier, our intentionality, our actions do not reflect that. And one of the biggest gut punches to me is seeing my screen time because so often, you know, that's been the excuse for all of modern American life. Like we just don't have time to read our Bibles, but we have time to watch two hours of, you know, cat videos or sports bloopers or whatever it else it is. You know, you may be scrolling on your smartphone and you know, Carl, I think this message that you're giving is so countercultural because we want instant gratification. We can order any food we want off any app, we want exactly the way that we want it. You know, everything has if you go on a website, there's a little helper down in the right hand corner, a little automated assistant that will fix all of your problems. We just want everything to be easy. And God is, you know, Christ told us, Jesus said, in this world you will have trouble, but take heart, be a good cheer. I have overcome the world and we've got to get back down to basics. I think kids need that more than anything. And what I see is Gen Z and Gen Alpha. They are looking for those, those elements that are different from the world. They're looking for things that they don't see out in the world that are reading your Bible every day, praying and asking God for wisdom. And we just don't realize the impact that we had. Not too long ago, I was cleaning out one of my kids rooms and this notebook, a piece of paper fell out of a notebook and it was from a devotional journal saying, who is a big spiritual impact on you? And my child had written my mom and I thought, oh my goodness, you know, that, that didn't make me swell up with pride. That made me feel fear because I thought, oh my goodness, you know, what, what a responsibility they are looking and, and we have got to die to ourselves and come back to some of those spiritual disciplines. But at the same time, Carl, all of this can sound like, okay, you know, we're almost talking like ball and Chain kind of language, you know, you gotta do this and this and this.

Carl Barrett: Yeah.

Dr. Jessica Peck: But paradoxically, this is the path to freedom. So what do you say about finding freedom in that and freedom and hope?

Carl Barrett: Right? I, I would, I would like to end it with this right here. I, I really think that, when you hear about, well, how can you have freedom, hope. Let's think about what God's word tells us in Hebrews 11, the very first verse in Hebrews 11. Now, we all know that the theme of Hebrews 11 is the hall of faith, if you want to call it that, is the hall of faith. And so what that very first verse says is that faith is the evidence of things that we hope for, things that we cannot see. Well, what is that hope? This is where you have to really dive into what, what the word of God is telling you. What is that hope? That hope is what you said earlier, earlier, Jessica, is our, living hope to what Peter talks about in his very first epistle. Our living hope is a eternal life in Jesus Christ. And then if you want to have that hope to give you, help give you through the trials and tribulations, go to, go to Romans 5 and Romans 15, where it talks about Romans 15, the God of hope. But when we think about freedom, you're right. We think about. Let's look at, from a spiritual perspective. We're not in balls and chains, but we also know that the enemy is constantly attacking and intensifying his warfare in our everyday life. And he's not going to give up on this side of heaven. Our freedom is. This is. Once we have genuine saving faith in Christ, and we live out that faith. And I'm a firm believer that you can't defend your faith, Jessica, unless you live out your faith. If you live out your faith genuinely, authentically, for the purpose of glorifying God, all of a sudden you will start to see that hope come alive in your life. And when you connect that faith, and I hope you have so much love for the Word of God to where you'll want to obey it. And going back to what I said, I, know it sounds like. It sounds like a broken record. There will be setbacks. You need to understand that the enemy is going to try to get you off course. But once he starts seeing you, when you start feeling that the enemy is attacking you and trying to bring spiritual warfare in your life, that should tell you that you're doing something right. When you start weeding out those areas of unrighteousness and you start, you want to get on that path of righteousness to where you are doing things according to God's will, according to his word. And you feel the enemy attack. You just think there's a reason why that's happening. It's because he knows that you're trying to draw closer to God, as James tells us in chapter four. But you know what? Don't give up. Don't let the enemy snare you in his trap, because that's what he's going to try to do. There's that hope, that living hope in Jesus Christ that has freed us from the bondage of what Satan wants to hold us in in our everyday life.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Carl, I couldn't agree more. And really, for me, memorizing scripture was an absolutely transformational thing, both in my own personal faith journey, but also as a mom. And there's so many scriptures that I hold on to, and. And I've said this many times before, but, you know, if my kids, if they're facing spiritual warfare, if they're walking out what they believe and living true to their conviction, and then, you know, something happens like, and they get attacked, I can tell them things like, oh, I'm sorry that happened. And, you know, don't be afraid. I'm here with you, and we'll get through this together. And those messages aren't bad, Carl, but it's certainly way more powerful for me to say what is written, you know, on the wall of this home, like, and to start quoting scripture. God has not given you a spirit of fear, but a power and love and a sand m sound mind. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. We are more than conquerors. If God is for you, who can be against you? And when you, Oh, I get goosebumps even saying it. When you start speaking those words of life aloud over your family, I'm telling you something very hopeful happens. And you remember you mentioned earlier, Carl, Romans 15, Romans 15, 13. One of my favorite verses. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace and believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may, abound in hope. And I pray that wherever you are in the advent of this Christmas season, that you won't miss out on the greatest message of the greatest story of all time. A hope that doesn't disappoint. A hope that God sent his son for you to die for your sins, and he took the penalty on the cross and was raised again to new life, conquered sin and death in the grave forever. And he will come back one day. And I pray, as you're waiting, the Lord will bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you. Hey, I'll see you right back here tomorrow for a big Christmas party. Lots of giveaways. Don't miss it.

Jeff Chamblee: The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.

Carl Barrett, Chaplain and Founder of Monday Blues to Sunday Pews Ministries, talks with Jessica about his book "God's Generation of Hope"

Rx for Hope: Be a Portrait of Living Hope

https://mondaybluestosundaypews.com/