Dr. Jessica Peck hosts the Nurse Mama show 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 part of the afternoon, getting to spend time with you, prescribing Hope for Healthy Families. And guess what, friends? Today is not friyay. It is not. We are one day away from Friday, my favorite day of the week. But this week, and this week only, Thursday is going to be even more of my favorite day than Friday. Now, if you are watching online, you have thought. Jessica, have you lost your mind? If you cannot see, you will see that I am welcoming you to a very merry, slightly sun soaked edition of our show with we are having. I know this is going to be one of the most controversial shows that we have had in the almost two years that I've been on the air. We're having Christmas in July. Friends, I know some of you are celebrating. You're saying I am here for it. Yes, Jessica, anytime we have Christmas, I am down for that. And some of you are saying, I am turning off the radio right now. Well, don't, because we have a massive giveaway and you will miss out. We have been collecting some things from our friends, from our publishers, from our authors. We have some amazing, amazing things to give away to you. So don't go away. And I know there are some of you who think we cannot celebrate Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving. There may or may not be someone who is on my team who was helping me run this show, who feels that way. But that's okay because we know how to pray for each other. I love you. I forgive you. No, I'm kidding. But really, today, I know the temperatures are sizzling. I, I know the ice cream is melting faster than a snowman in Texas, which really is very, very fast. But we are turning up the Christmas spirit in a big way. So if you're watching online, you'll see I did drag out one of my Christmas trees for this show. I do have my nativity, some of my nativities up. And I do have a sign that says Merry Christmas. Am I sorry? No. No. I'm really not sorry at all. Because I'm inviting you to just take a pause on the summer hustle. Grab a cold lemonade, grab a dream of twinkle lights, grab some cozy traditions and come and sit at our massive Christmas giveaway that is going to bless your heart. Because we, you might wonder, why are we celebrating Christmas right now? Well, Aside from the fun, it's actually a perfect mid year reminder to prepare our hearts and our homes not just for December 25th, but for the daily arrival of Jesus in our lives. See how I did that? That is not a bad transition. We are going to share some just favorite Christmas traditions, maybe some surprising holiday facts that might leave you humming Joy to the World before the hours up. And yes, we're going to have some Christmas music. So if you're that person who's walking into the hobby lobby now and you're seeing all the fall decorations go up in the Christmas and you just turn around right back and walk out, well, I hope that you can just give us one hour. That's all we're asking for is just one hour. We're inviting you to unwrap, your heart, slow your scroll for just a minute and just come along with us. We're going to have a sleigh ride right in the middle of July. And Christmas in July, again, it's not just fun, it is fun. I think it's fun. It's intentional. And guess what? It starts right now with our giveaway. So you are going to want to call in. We actually have two 24 giveaways that we are going to do on this show. And we have a lot of things to give away. And we have from our friends at, Moody Publishers, a set of books. Let me count. There's five books that you will get for free in this set. Is that not amazing? And I'll be telling you about some of those books that our friends at Moody Publishers gave us. And right now we're going to open the lines. I'm going to take the first eight callers at 888-589-8840. That's 888-589-8840. And guess what? Our phone lines are starting to light up like a Christmas tree. Oh, yep, I said it. I see it. My producer's nodding. Yep, y' all are calling in. I love it. And we will tell you, we hopefully you will win. You will know when you get your package in the mail, what books you got. It will be like a Christmas surprise. It will be a Christmas PAC in July. So again, that number is 888-589-8840. We're going to take the first eight callers right now. And but if you don't get in, don't despair because we're going to reset all of the phone lines when we get those eight callers and we will have more so let me tell you a little bit about Moody Publishers and what they gave us. Thank you so much to Moody. We have this seat saved by Heather Holloman for middle school girls. It's the first book in the Alita Brown series. And this first story is about how she manage trials and struggles of being in middle school. I'm sure there are none of us out there who can relate at all to having any struggles in middle. Middle school. For me, honestly, I think it was probably the most peaceful time in my life. No. Now I'm just lying right here on the middle of the Christmas show. But we need that. And if you get this book and you think, okay, I'm not gonna read a fiction book about a middle school girl, then you can pray about who God is and what have you give that book to. I think that's really amazing. God orchestrates everything, so nothing is a mistake. And you may have that book to give someone else the other. We have a book called Ben Washington is the Newbie on the Block. This is by Jasmine Mullen. For middle school boys. This would also be a great gift for a teacher to have who may be a middle school teacher. Ben has moved to a new town. He's wondering if it's possible to ever have friends again. He. He learns the story of friendship, faith, and finding God in the hard spaces of life. So if you're looking for school, for fiction for middle school aged kids. I was about to say middle aged kids, but that didn't sound right. Middle school aged kids. We're giving away this seat Saved by Heather Holloman. And we're giving away. Ben Washington is the Newbie on the Block. They also gave us Chronicles of Wonder. That's the story formed life of C.S. lewis. Tales of Boldness & Faith by Leah Boden. Now here's a fun fact. Leah actually lives in the uk. She is a Charlotte Mason, homeschooling mom. And she wrote these stories about real people. They're historical fiction, but very carefully sourced. And one of those books. She has several books in this series in the Chronicles of Wonder, but one of those is the story Formed Life of CS Lewis. And any CS Lewis fans out there know that his life is just fascinating. My husband and I love to read his books. My husband's even more so than me, but he always says I have to read two or three sentences and then let that simmer for about six months before I get it. And she was our guest on May 27th. So if you want to go back and listen to that show. If you get the book or if you don't get the book even, and you're interested about that, about those series that she wrote for historical fiction for kids, you can go back and listen to that on May 27, the Chronicles of Wonder by Leah Boden. And it was such a great opportunity to talk with her and really a great reminder that we not only have listeners all over the country, we have listeners all over the world. And that is really encouraging, inspiring. No matter where you go in the world, you will find believers who have the same heart, the same faith that you do. And that is encouraging. That's three if you're keeping count in this book, in the set of five that Moody Publishers gave us. And the next one, the next book in this set is the King's Cadets and Little Joe A, little Pilgrim's Progress adventure. Now I know we have a lot of Pilgrim's Progress fans out there. I read that book when I was in high school for the first time. This particular book is by Kevan Chandler and Joe Sut Finn for early readers. And it is a collection of five short stories following the characters from the land of Little Pilgrim. and it says early readers will be absorbed in the delightful tales and captivated by the enchanting woodland illustrations as they adventure with three brothers. There's Matthew, James and you think I'm going to say John, but it's not John. It's Little Joe. Matthew, James and Little Joe. That's the King's cadet and Little Joe. And the last book in this is another book for middle school readers. The Unlikely Intrusion of Adams Klein by John Greco. This is for middle school readers. 14 year old Adams Klein lives by one simple rule. And I didn't say Adam by the way, it's Adams. Like plural. Adams Klein lives by one simple rule. Don't do anything that might change the course of history. This is an action packed sci fi adventure that tells of the heartwarming journey of one boy from loner to true friend.

Every Friday we talk about a habit for healthy families

Now if you've been listening along since January, you know, every Friday we talk about a habit for healthy families. And by the end of the year if you've gone on this journey with us, you will have 52 of those habits. And this week I talked with Dr. Fizzlebop. We talked about the importance of reading with your kids. I've talked about that multiple, multiple times, especially in today's digital age where there are some great resources that will that, there's some great digital readers and some great e readers and I Am not knocking any of those. But I'm also saying that especially for kids, we still need to teach them to love to read. Kids, younger kids, especially, having the texture of board books and pop ups and color and the way that that builds their brain and especially that interaction sitting one on, snuggled up with somebody who loves you, reading you a story, there is something also that's very comforting and familiar and builds resilience. When kids read the same story over and over again, that's really helpful to them. So that's important. But it's also important for middle school kids to read, high school kids to read, because social media is literally retraining our brains, not only theirs. It's more dangerous for kids, quite honestly, because their brains are still forming and, but they're really being trained to only receive in 30 or 45 seconds of content at one time. And that's just not how God designed us to have content. Because that's not how we have conversations. It's not how we can really live and flourish and thrive in relationship with each other. So I encourage you, as you're thinking already, we are in July, but there will be sales that you will see. You can put things away. Start thinking intentionally. Maybe you could incorporate reading or books into this Christmas. Maybe you could have a book club at Christmas or a book club this fall. There are all kinds of ways to think about that. And so once again, just want to thank our friends at Moody Publishers for donating those books. And again, those callers, those lucky callers who are on the line right now, we're working through the list. If you're holding, hang on. If you get a busy signal, it means we're already full, but there will be more giveaways for sure. But those winners will get all five of those books in one. Isn't that amazing? Look, we're already taking care of some of your Christmas shopping. And for those of you who may be salty about having Christmas in July, who can be mad at that, really? No, I know I'm, I'm really trying hard here, but this is really, like I said, just more than a feel good summer gimmick. It's an intentional pause. Prepare your heart, your homes, your habits. And we really can decide right now to shift from material chaos to meaningful connection this Christmas. Because it doesn't matter the gifts. I doubt that you could recall every Christmas gift you've ever been given for your whole life. But I bet you have a few really good stories. And I bet some of those stories even revolve around a really bad gift or a really big mess up. And you know, those things, those memories, those shared memories are so much more important. And gifts that are given from the heart are always going to be so much better than those gifts that are given from the wallet. Because Christmas is more than just a date. It's not just December 25th, it's a doorway. And I'm just inviting you to open it early today because you have time to check your heart. Because healthy families, they don't wait for the season of peace to start. Peace, they grow it. Now it's not. And Christmas isn't just something we do. It's not a tradition. It is someone. Christmas is someone. And that is the birth of Jesus Christ. In Luke the 3:4, it says, prepare the way for the Lord. And that is something that we can do when we think now because I know with my family being busy and we talked about that yesterday with Eryn Lynam, I've talked with several other guests about that. We, we think this Christmas is going to be different. I am going to slow down. I'm really going to enjoy the moment. I'm going to get ahead in all of my preparations and best intentions usually lose out to the realities of our compressed schedules. But it is now that we can start thinking about what do we want this holiday season to look like. We're just starting to see the horizon of, back to school. And that will usher in all of the things that come with the fall, with all of the, the pumpkin stuff. And by the way, for those of you after Christmas people, after Thanksgiving, Christmas people, I do have some bad news for you because I did see that the pumpkin spice latte is coming back to Starbucks in August. I know, isn't that crazy? August, it's coming now. Some of you are already ready to go put on your cozy sweater and your sweater boots even though it's still 98 degrees outside. But it's coming. But listen, Proverbs 4. 23 says, Guard your heart, for everything flows from it. Guard your heart. We can guard our hearts now to prepare. Prepare for the way of the Lord. And it may be flip flop season, but in our hearts. We're lighting candles in Advent today and we are going to have more giveaways when we come back, so don't miss it. We'll see you on the other side of this break with some Christmas music. Because of listeners like you, preborn helped to rescue over 67,000 babies. Your $28 to sponsor one ultrasound doubled a baby's chance at life. Your tax- deductible gift saves lives. Please join us in this life saving mission. To donate, go to preborn.com/AFR. this June 24 marks three years since Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Preborn Network rescues babies from abortion and leads families to Christ

But here's what you may not know. Abortion numbers have surged to a 10 year high. The battleground has shifted from the courtroom to our homes. Today, over 60% of abortions happen through the abortion pill. Taken in silence, often alone. PreBorn Network clinics are standing in the gap, meeting women in their most desperate hour. And here's what they're seeing. Young mothers, terrified, misled, are delivering their babies, tiny, perfectly formed onto bathroom floors. These precious babies, ones called just tissue, now lie lifeless. 11% of these women who take the abortion pill will suffer serious health complications. Countless others carry emotional, emotional scars for a lifetime. When you give to PreBorn, you're not just saving a baby, you're saving a mother too. You're giving her hope, financial support and the truth. Preborn has already rescued over 350,000 babies. But there are so many more who need our help. Your tax- deductible gift makes this mission possible. To donate now, dial pound 250 and say the keyword baby. That's pound 250, baby. Or go to preborn.com/AFR. that's preborn.com/AFR. Preborn's whole mission is to rescue babies from abortion and lead their families to Christ. Last year, Preborn's network of clinics saw 8,900 mothers m come to Christ. Please join us in this life saving mission. To donate go to preborn.com/AFR. away.

>> It's Christmas by Chris Tomlin : In a manger no crib for a bed the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head the stars in the sky look down where he lay the little Lord Jesus asleep on the Hay. The cattle are lowing the baby awakes the little Lord Jesus no crying he makes I love thee Lord Jesus Look down from the sky and stay by my cradle till morning is night It's Christmas the angels are sing. That. I know the reason the Savior is. Home. It's Christmas the bells are ring and I feel I shouting

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: M welcome back, friends. Listen, that's a little hard to come back and take. Turn off the music. Merry Christmas in July friends. No, I have not lost my mind. No, it is not a mistake. No, you are not wondering if you were suddenly transported into a winter wonderland. We have a show for you today that is one big gift wrapped package of joy. It's generosity is Jesus. How can you be upset about that? Just like the season we love so much. And we are throwing snowflakes over our sunscreen. We're having hot cocoa over iced coffee. And we're bringing you a refreshing reminder of the greatest gift that was ever given. And today we are having a really big giveaway. Listen, you guys have not disappointed. I think you like the Christmas in July giveaway. We have a massive giveaway. Thanks again to our friends at Moody Publishers, who gave us, bundles of five books together. So callers from. You're going. You might be one of those winners that you get one of those five books. Now, you won't know which one you got until you get it. So that's part of the fun because it will be like a Christmas gift. We have gotten calls from Mississippi, from Oklahoma, from Ohio, from Virginia, and from my home state of Texas, which is really exciting. And listen, friends, we're about to do it all again. We are going to have another set of giveaways. So if you're ready, here's that number, 888-589-8840. That's 888-589-8840. Call in. We're going to take the first eight callers because we have 24 giveaways. But some of those giveaways are multiple books, which is really exciting. Again, you won't know what you get until you get it, but that's part of the fun. So let me tell you some more about some of these books we're going to give away. We want to you thank. Thank our friends at Tyndale, if you're familiar with Tyndale Publishing. Now, Tyndale here. How is this fun? They're joining in our fun because they are having Christmas in July and tomorrow. That is tomorrow on Friday, July 25, they are giving you 50% off of your order with the Code Christmas. So if you want to stock up on some books, you can go over there and have some Christmas shopping. Go to Tyndale.com and use that promo Code Christmas, and you can get 50 off your order tomorrow. Don't do it today because it's tomorrow. They're having Christmas in July tomorrow. But some of the books that we have from our friends at Tyndale are great. Let me start with this one. This is kind. This is interesting. We're actually going to have this author on the show later on in the year. This is a fiction book called Last Light Over Galveston. It's by Jennifer Wright, and I live near Galveston, actually went to school there for a really long time. And this is a book about the 1900 storm. If you're not familiar with that, the 1900 hurricane that came through Galveston island was one of the most deadly weather tragedies that we have ever had. And this is a fictional account of that. But it will be really fun to talk with her about what was her inspiration for that book and so many stories to come out of that. So that is one of the giveaways that Tyndale has given us, which is really exciting. Another giveaway that we have is this book called Steps by John Ortberg. John Ortberg. Sorry, that's kind of hard to say. And this book says, is there any hope for a spiritual way of living that actually works? Well, we're in the business here on the Doctor Nurse, Mama show prescribing hope for healthy families. We believe that there is. And John Ortberg is a best selling author and speaker who's been in ministry for over 40 years. And he teaches about spiritual formation. So he talks about admiration, comfort, love, power, success, pleasure, escape, control. We're all addicted to something, whether we realize it or not. And in this deeply heartfelt book, author John Ortberg offers a guide for transformation. When we know something needs to change, but we can't do it on our own. Rooted in the teachings of Jesus and using the framework of the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous as a guide, Ortberg offers all of us a freeing road map for living authentically, joyfully, and in connection with God and others. I have learned a lot about addiction over the last 20 years and seeing what we're addicted to. And sometimes it's really hard because we might be addicted to something and we cut that off and then we transfer that addiction to something else. Sometimes that addiction can be something that's celebrated by the world, like success or perfectionism or power or power in our bodies or whatever that might be. And so we have to learn to transfer that dependence on the Lord. That can be really hard. The other thing I've learned about addiction is that sometimes you think just, removing that addicting whatever it is, fill in the blank. It's gambling, it's substances, it's drinking, it's unhealthy relationships, it's electronics, it's movies, it's, whatever it is. When you start to become addicted to those things, you develop unhealthy patterns in your relationships. And it's not enough just to get rid of that offending whatever it is, fill in the blank. You have to unlearn and relearn Ways of relationship. We talk about those a lot on the show. So somebody is going to get that. And you know, the amazing thing to me is that as I hold this very book in my hands, this is the book that will come to you. We are going to send it to you. This is the book. I know that God already knows who needs this book. And I know that God will orchestrate circumstances that will be a story that we may not know the ending to this side of heaven. And so that is one of the things that makes me really excited about Christmas in July and giving things away. Another book from Tyndale Publishers. Let me just check my list here as I'm going on. Yep, we've got Mikella Van Dyke. This is a book called Chasing Sacred. It's actually the book and there is a Bible study guide that goes along with this. Now, Mikella was on our show on October 28, so if you want to hear from her or especially if you win this book or if you go out and get it yourself, then she was on October 28th and we had a really great conversation. Let me read to you a little bit from the back of her book and tell you about her message and. And a culture full of chaos, stress and confusion. We can find firm grounding in the Bible when we truly take the time to understand and experience what it says. And chasing Sacred Bible teacher Mikella Van Dyke breaks down the misconceptions and reservations so many of us have about what it means to study the Bible. Using her story alongside the inductive Bible study method to teach a systematic, empowering approach. She helps you to learn a practical step by step method to understand God's word, gain a fresh perspective on, what it means to study the Bible for a new generation, engage in a healthy habit of Bible study that encourages confidence and eliminates shame, and feel equipped to lead a small group or ministry in your community. This is one of the things I love about our show is that we do equip you as listeners to how do we learn about the Bible? I know for me, I am not a trained theologian, I'm a nurse. But I want to follow Christ. I want to grow in my faith. And there are God has gifted a lot of Bible teachers to share with me different ways to do that and we are sharing those ways with you. And I learned a lot about inductive Bible study. What is that? How do you start to study your Bible? Because maybe if you're not someone who regularly reads your Bible, you pick it up and you think, where Do I even start? Well, by the way, if you're asking that question, what I would recommend is start in the book of John. John is a great place to start as the of Jesus. And if you're looking for daily encouragement, you can start in the psalms and the pro and proverbs. Proverbs. There's 31 proverbs. You could read one a day. You, could read five Psalms a day. But whatever you are doing, I encourage you to get into the Word of God and use whatever resource God brings to you to daily, regularly get in the Word of God. Now here's the great thing about this Christmas show. You can make that your goal for next year. Now, I hope you start now, but you could start now to plan for your family. Your. Is your family going to intentionally study the Word of God together? Maybe that's you and your spouse. Maybe that's you and your extended family. Maybe it's you and your kids. Maybe it's you and your family. As I like to say, that's your friend family, the people that God has gifted in your life. I encourage you to think about that. And Chasing Sacred is the book Mikella Van Dyke. And again, she was in on. She was on the show on October 28th. All right, we have another one called. I'm just making sure that I am doing this in order. Yes. Okay, we have. Is this Tyndale okay? Yes, it is. Loved to Life by Anne Voskamp. Now this is a beautiful book. It's a real, it's a hardcover book and it's white and gold. And it's a 40 day pilgrimage with Love himself that will change your life. I know Ann Voskamp is a New York Times best selling author and I'm sure she is familiar to many of you, but 40 days in the Bible is a time that God used for preparation and testing. There are so many stories you can read up in the Bible about 40 days. And here's the great news again about today. Guess what? You have more than 40 days until Christmas. You have more than 40 days until even Thanksgiving starts, the start of, Christmas season. So you can decide now to prepare your heart. Maybe that would be something you could do to prepare for the Christmas season. Find a 40 day guide like Ann Voskamp's Loved to Life. And from the back, her message is, you aren't alone. God knows how hard this broken planet is. He's walked where you've walked. But out of those hard, dusty roads emerges a way into the exhilarating life that you have longed to fully experience. And this is a 40 day spiritual pilgrimage following the entire life of Jesus through the gospel of John. There you go to revive you and guide you deeper into the fulfilling heart of love himself. And she encourages you to turn and gaze on the one who gave you his whole life and you'll find the love you've been looking for your whole life. So again, thank you to Tyndale and one of our blessed listeners is going to win that. And I can still see the phone lines lit up like a Christmas tree, which is really, really exciting. All right, another one we have is Elle Cardel Now we have Elle Cardel Like it rhymes. Yes, it does. She was on the show on April 15th and we had a great talk about her book, she delights. How do you cultivate a life of joy for the one who reigns and sustains so often in today's day and age, it's easy to lose our joy. Sometimes. I lose my joy every five minutes and I have to ask the Lord to help me find it as a mom, as a wife, as a human being. But Elle really spoke specifically to Christian women. As Christian women, we've been given a beautiful charge to delight in God and his word. But if we're honest, that is easier said than done. And we find ourselves bombarded by busy schedules, overwhelmed with unexpected grief, carrying financial burdens, feeling an emptiness in our heart and souls. And that list goes on and on. These are things we talk about on the show every single day. And we genuinely want to find delight in the Lord, but we have no idea where to even start. And so Elle Cardel the founder of the Daughter of Delight ministry, really gives her personal story and helps us to learn. What does it look like for God to delight in you? How do you discover what it means to have a heart of delight for God? How do you explain. Explore how God's delight in you transforms your delight in him. And reflecting on a life focused on delighting and God certainly looks different than a life focused on the world. And friends, that is something, again, that I just really love about being able to spend time with you every single day. Because these are, these are the real issues of life. And we are here to prescribe hope for that. We live in a broken world. We know that in this world we will have trouble. But we can take heart. We can be of good cheer, literally of good cheer, because we know that God has overcome the world. We also have in the giveaway from Tyndale, this book social media reset. It's by Allie Marie Smith she was on, on May 13 if you want to go and listen to it. A lot of you really resonated with this. This is a 30 day journey to unplug, reconnect with God and reclaim your joy. And Allie really shared her struggle with social media, thinking that her digital life could really use a reset. And so she we talked about things like taking inventory of social media's effect on your health and your relationships, restoring hope that you can be peaceful and content. And that was a great conversation that we had and something we talk about all the time because it's, it just seems like we can't not talk about that. In the 52 Habits for Healthy Families, 10 of those I've spent 10 weeks, I'll finish tomorrow on the Ask Doctor Nursemama Friday show, wrapping up 10 weeks talking about tech habits to be healthy. And we also have this book right here by Vicki Courtney. Motherhood is not your highest calling. The grace of being a good enough mom. I know Vicki has written a lot of different books, books and we're really appreciative of including books for moms because motherhood is a high calling but it is not our only calling. And so how do we balance those things? How do we let go perfectionism? How do we recognize our identity in Christ? And that book is part of the giveaway. This Chasing sacred book is the Bible study book that goes along with the Chasing sacred book, which is exciting. And wrapping it up, we've got live beyond your label by Eryn Carrie and she shares her own journey with bipolar disorder. So listen, we've got a lot going on. I am so excited about all the things that we have been able to give you you today. And here's a fun fact for you. In the southern hemisphere, like you know, in the land down under in Australia, do you know they're in mid winter and so many Australians celebrate a yule fest now with full roast and decorations whereas Christmas, they have Christmas on the barbie. I know I shouldn't have said that. That was really cringy. I've got no Australian accent. I didn't even try. But when we come back we are going to have more Christmas fun and fellowship and we've got a whole nother round of giveaways. So don't go away. We'll be right back with more Christmas help and hope.

Dr. Ligon Duncan says the Bible accurately diagnoses our sin

Here's Dr. Ligon Duncan from the American Family Studios documentary the God who Speaks.

>> Dr. Ligon Duncan: I think the most striking thing to me about the Bible is that it not only reveals God to me, it is God speaking to us, revealing himself to us. But in the process of teaching us about Himself, he reveals so much about who we are. I often tell people that one of the ways that I know that the Bible is true is the way that it diagnoses my sin. I'm often reading through a passage and I'm thinking, this was written 3,000 years ago, and yet it perfectly diagnoses the state of the sin of my heart. The only way that can happen is if my creator is actually the author of the book.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Visit thegodwhospeaks.org

>> Born In Bethlehem by Third Day: Baby Jesus born in a stable A humble Savior's birth you left your throne in heaven above to live here on the earth Baby Jesus lying in a manger crying for the world. The angels told the shepherds of the good news for us all Hallelujah, the king is here. Given for all men for today the holy Son of God is born in Bethlehem.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back, friends. That is born in Bethlehem by third day. No, do not adjust your dial. Do not think that all of a sudden. Did I go asleep for five months. We're in July, right? Yes. Yes, we are in July. It's Christmas in July today here on the Dr. Nurse Mama Show. I'm so glad you're here, and I'm really not sorry at all for bringing out my Christmas tree, even though my husband, I'm sure, is very much like. We're not putting that out yet. No, that's not until October. So that's a whole nother story. You'll have to tune in if you haven't heard that one before. But we are doing a really big giveaway today. We've got Jingle Bells playing in the background. Well, in our minds, anyway. We've got some real Christmas music and some incredible giveaways lined up. Listen, for those of you who have called in, we've had people from nine states already calling in Mississippi, Oklahoma, Ohio, Virginia, Texas. And newly added is Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, and Indiana. So if you have called from those states, if that's you, thank you so much for doing that. And some of you are thinking, hey, I can just call in both segments. Well, I have some bad news for you. We're only giving away one gift per caller. You can't win two. But I really applaud you trying because I would be trying to do that, too. We're about to have our third giveaway. So keep listening because in just a minute, I'm going to give the number and tell you about the other things that we're going to Give. You won't know what you're getting until you get that Christmas mailer in the mail. How fun will that be? You're going to really give your postal delivery person like a, what is this? And maybe that'll be a fun conversation. I don't know. I love Christmas. Actually, I did pull out this sign, that I got at some craft fair. I don't know know. But this tells my story. Once upon a time, there was a girl who really loved Christmas. It was me. The end. That's it. And this sign is there. I really love Christmas. And mainly I love Christmas because of my granny. She always made Christmas so special. She made pecan brittle every year. The best. And she just always made it special. Not expensive, extravagant in love, not extravagant in money. We each got the same gift. All the granddaughters got a gift. All the grandsons got one gift. And we'd have a little Kohl's gift card on top of that gift. And it was so precious because she would really just make it so special. And I see a lot of great Christmas traditions that people have. People. Maybe you're one of those people who gives gifts to the people who come. Your garbage delivery, your garbage pickup guys, or whatever it is you're. You leave stuff for the delivery people that are bringing your packages. It's so fun. But there's also some really great holiday stories and traditions. And did you know that in 1914, soldiers in World War I laid down arms on Christmas to sing carols together? So it's told. Now, my great, great grandfather, who was born in the 1800s. okay, I'm trying to look here. I can't see with my glasses. There we go. Okay. we, My great great grandfather was there at Bellaud. Okay, that number is 8885-8988-4088-8589, 8840. Does anybody else have this glasses issue? It's like I can't see up close, but then I can't see far away. And so I'm trying to do that. That's okay. It's all going to be fine. We are taking callers now at 888-589-8840. So we are doing. And we, have some incredible giveaways. We have. We are dedicating this whole hour to Christmas giveaways. And whether you're a total and you're like me, you could have it year round, or you're someone who finds the holiday season just overwhelming. And I just need it to be that after Thanksgiving and the day after Christmas, everything is going back up. This is just a moment to breathe and reimagine what your celebration might look like this year and to think about the true meaning of Christmas. How do we even now think about redirecting our focus from material, chaos to meaningful memories? How do we ensure now that our homes will be infused with love, love and light? So I am just giving you this gift that mid year take a mid year manger moment. That's what we'll call it. Just let go of the hustle and lean into hope. Because Jesus is Emmanuel God with us. And he's not only with us on December 25th. He's with us all year, all day, every day. So let me tell you about the last things that we're going to give away. These are not from a specific publisher. These are gifted. On behalf of me and my team, these are from the doctor Nurse Mama show. We want to gift these books and especially because we love children. I am a pediatric nurse. my producer is actually a longtime children's minister. We wanted to give away some children's books. So that is what we will be giving away. Let me tell you about them. The first one is the Heart who Wanted to Find a Way. Now these are from Beth Guckenberger. Talk about a hard last name to say, but Beth Guckenberger, she wrote this series of book, they're called the Strong Heart series. They're published by David C. Cooke and great colorful stories just that are encouraging. She also, we talked about her book the Heart who Wanted to Sing. But we are giving away a copy of, the Heart who Wanted to Find a Way. She is a great storyteller. When she's been on the show before, she's just told about miracles that she's experienced while serving all different kinds of ways and in different places around the world. She's a great storyteller. So we're giving that away. We're also giving away a cop a, copy of let's Go Bible Adventures by Valerie Ellis. If you are watching on the video stream. This is an adorable, adorable book. It is all about real Bible stories for kids who love trains, tractors, ice cream trucks and more. And I interviewed Valerie. We had had such a great time. It was back on January 29th. So if you want to hear her story, you can go back and listen to her story about writing this. But it's just such a cute rhyming word and it is great for kids who might love those big trucks. And I, I know kids, love Those kinds of things, but it's just. It asks questions in a silly and fun way. Like, did garbage trucks talking about. Here, let me just open one up and talk about God sending Joseph to Nineveh. Jonah heard. Jonah. God sending Jonah. Sorry, I was about to have some real theological problems there. He didn't send Joseph. If you're listening, he sent Jonah to Nineveh. Jonah heard God, but he did not obey. He sailed for Tarshish the opposite way. A storm threatened Jonah. Huge wave after wave. But did God send a submarine diving to save. No, he sent a fish. And it is big fish to the rescue was God's command. And it's a great developmental way for kids to learn Bible stories in a fun way. And so we are giving that away. Oh, I don't know if I'm going to live that down. He did not send Joseph to Nineveh. I've been talking for an hour, so hopefully y' all can give me the gift of grace. It's hard to do this. All right, another one we're giving is Bob Smiley's Adventures of Average Boy. this is Average Boys Above Average Years. These are by Focus on the Family. Great books, kind of like, if, you know, if you're familiar with the Diary of a Wimpy Kid genre, this is kind of like that, but faith informed and really funny. These are honestly really funny books. And so we'll be giving that away, too. Another book we're giving away is this book Biblical Worldview. What. What it is, why it matters, and how to shape the worldview of the next generation. This One is by Dr. Josh Mulvihill Hill. You'll know, if you're a regular listener, that on one Wednesday a month, we have dedicated that to being Worldview Wednesday. Now, I was inspired to do that after speaking at a children's ministry conference with Dr. George Barna. And many of you are familiar with Dr. Barna's research. And I've, I tell this all the time that I absolutely appreciate Dr. Barna's heart. He and I do have one big philosophical difference. And he told me that my beliefs are disgusting because I might believe that the Astros are the greatest baseball team I know. Cue the haters. For all of the baseball fans, he loves the Yankees. But we have agreed to put aside our differences, and we both have a heart to see kids develop a biblical worldview. And so I decided that this year we would have a series called Worldview Wednesday where we talk all about biblical worldview. And how do we do that? And Dr. Mulvihill has laid that out in his book. And each show, there's 12 chapters in this book and each show we are just going through one chapter and having an in depth conversation about biblical worldview, what it is, why it matters, and how to shape the worldview of the next generation. And these conversations have been really encouraging to me. So you can just look for one of those with Dr. Mulvihill and worldview Wednesday. Another one that we are giving away to you is this beautiful family Advent devotional book. It's a hardcover book. It's called the Way to the Manger and it's by Jeff and Abby Land. Jeff is a children's minister. He and his wife have a beautiful story of adoption and they've created this incredible keepsake book that if you look inside, it's got just such beautiful bright pictures and places to document your family memories. It has questions for kids to ask you as parents and questions for parents to ask the kids. And then again, a memory maker here. So this would be a great thing to get ahead of time because this isn't something that you would use for Christmas, but that you would start. And when Christmas comes around, we'll be giving you more resources for having Advent and that would be, That is something I really encourage you to think about doing with your family. All right. And this book was gifted to us and we are gifting it to you. We actually have three copies of this book that we are giving away. This is Max Lucado. Many of you, I'm sure, have read some of his work. He is also a New York Times best selling author. But his book that we are giving away is called Never Give Up. God is good when life isn't. And isn't that the truth? God is good when life isn't. Because so often we can really think about the things that, the ways that the world is not good. And I've shared this as well before. But even in listening to the song, the worship song that is fairly popular right now, the Goodness of God, I remember singing that song and singing the lines specifically, all my life you have been faithful. All my life you have been so, so good. And I remember just stopping in that moment and thinking, thinking, do I really believe that? Do I really believe that God has been good even in the times that were certainly not good? And I have come, I've wrestled with that and come to the understanding that yes, even when life is not good, God is so, so good. And so when we think about approaching Christmas, we think so much about Decking the halls. But we don't think about decking or checking our hearts. Hearts. That is something that we really have to do because we have got to think before it comes. How do we time our hearts to peace? Because Jesus didn't come into a picture perfect home. He didn't have Christmas because they didn't celebrate it like that. But really looking at what do we want our home to be like? And so I encourage you to think about the ways that you might want this Christmas season to be different. Is there something on your list that you think? I've really wanted to do that for a long time now, but it just never has seemed to happen. What can you do right now here in the middle of July when you can fry an egg on the sidewalk? What can you do to think about making that happen this year? I know a lot of families tell me that they really want to do some sort of Advent. And I know I've done that with my family, especially when my kids are. They're smaller. It's actually even more difficult as they get older because their schedules are different and they may be working, which is a great thing. And it's difficult to engage in those more and those deeper conversations. But sometimes we think, oh, it has to be perfect. And we have to light the candle, we have to play the music. Everyone has to say, this was the best time of my day. But sometimes we come in grumpy, we come in tired, we come in where we are just not at our best. But that's kind of the whole point. Advent is to reset your heart. It's not to reflect your heart as it is. It's to grow our hearts. And so I encourage you to think about what is that thing that you want to do, because you really want to have less material things and more meaningful memories. The best gift you could give your family, even right now, and you don't have to wait for for Christmas, is to put your phone down and open your heart. Close your phone, close your browser tabs, close your laptop, close your office door, close your email, close whatever it is, and spend time with those people who love you. That is one of the best things you can do. Matthew 6:21 tells us where your treasure is. There your heart will be also. So when we're thinking about Christmas treasures, how can we make those memories? That is really important to do because your home is where Christ dwells. We don't have perfect families, but we have a perfect and present Savior. And that is really encouraging. And so wherever your family is, whenever you're going to decorate for Christmas. I hope that you will think now about what you want your holiday holiday to be like and I hope that you've been encouraged. Thanks to all of you who called in. We are going to have so much fun wrapping up those gifts and sending them to you right in the middle of July. For those of you who were here for every second of this, I appreciate it. For those who you said okay, we'll let it pass. I appreciate you too. And wherever you are on the Christmas celebration spectrum, I pray that the Lord will bless you and keep you and make his face shine upon you, be gracious to you and give you peace. Don't miss tomorrow. Ask Dr. Nursemama Friday. I'll talk about that last week of tech habits to make your family healthy.

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

It's our second annual Christmas in July special! Jessica discusses the various topics and guests we've featured in the first half of 2025 and gives a sneak peek at what's coming up for the rest of the year. 

Rx for Hope: Celebrate the Birth of the Savior All Year Long