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

Hello and welcome to the Dr. Nursemama 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. In a world full of bad news, we are proud to be good news deliverers here. We are proud to be encouragers. We are proud to be, just hope bearers. And I hope that whatever you're doing today, that you will be encouraged by today's show. I know that you will.

Hunter Beless writes a children's book about Jesus' love for children

Today we are talking of parents. We are having a lot of shows about parenting, which is great because that is one of the hallmarks of what we do. And I think every parent at some point has whispered words of love to their kids. Maybe you've even said, I love you to the moon and back. My granny said that to me pretty much every day of my life until she went to be with Jesus. She would always, always, always say that, and I love that she said that. But as author, Bible teacher, and founder of journeywomen Women, we have Hunter Beless today to remind us even our deepest human love, which even the love of my granny, which seemed to know no bounds, and it pales in comparison to the immeasurable love of God. That is a message that everyone needs to hear. And we're talking today about her new children's book, Jesus loves you more, and it's adorable. Hunter weaves playful rhymes. She has vivid illustrations. But most importantly, there is timeless gospel truth. And kids today who are being raised in a world on a very shaky foundation, they need to hear from the earliest days, from even their days in the womb, they need to hear about God's love for them. Now, she doesn't just write for children. Hunter writes for families who. Those who are longing for both parents and kids to just grasp at the incredible reality of God's love. And we are seeing more and more that people have a curiosity about God's love for them. And so Hunter today is going to join us to share her inspiration behind the book and how God has been shaping her through this journeywomen So, Hunter, we are so glad to have you here. Thank you for joining us.

Hunter Beless: Thank you so much for having me. It's a joy to get to be with you and your listeners today.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, Hunter, why don't you just tell us a little bit about yourself, about your journeywomen how you came to know the Lord and how he called you to have a Platform to share God's love with so many.

Hunter Beless: Well, my name is Hunter, as you said, and I am married to Brooks. We're quite the pair. Mr. Hunter B list gets just about as much mail as Mr. Brooks does, which is pretty funny. but he and I met 14, 15 years ago. We've been married for 14 years this December, and together we have four wonderful children ranging from age 3 to 11. We love them so much. And we have been, formerly doing life together as a military family. And so when we were stationed at, I believe it was Fort Campbell, I found myself listening to Christian podcasts and yearning, just to hear them go a little bit deeper. I would listen to sermons, and then I would turn around and listen to podcasts. And I thought, why can't we just kind of marry the two of these things and have deep, rich conversation that would encourage women to know and love God more through His Word? And I couldn't find that podcast at the time. That was eight years ago. So a lot of development has happened in the podcast space since then, by God's grace. But, my husband kindly bought me a yeti mic, and he said, well, since it's not out there, why don't you go ahead and create it? And by God's grace, we are reaching, thousands of women all over the world. We've been doing that for eight years. And our mission is to equip women for local church ministry. we want to do that by helping them know and love God through His word, find their hope in the gospel, and invest deeply in their local context as they go out on mission for the glory of God. So, so I get to have conversations just like you do with other believers all over the world to encourage women to that end. And that's such a joy. but that's very much a fringe hour ministry. And my primary work is within the four walls of my home, discipling and loving on our four kiddos. So it's such a joy to get to do that.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Hunter. I agree, you know, as someone who also has a ministry platform, my primary ministry, my testing ground, my combat experience, you know, to, to use, some of the militaries, because sometimes it feels like, you know, I'm for my family every day. But that, I agree with you, that is the greatest ministry that I will ever do. And they hold me accountable, they keep me authentic, they make sure that. And they call me out, and I love that about them. And it's, I think that's what we are yearning for, is that Christian companionship, those other souls who are. I, love the name journeywomen Women who are journeying because we think about, you know, this world is not our home, and we're living within eternal perspective. And where are those other people who have that same sort of longing, who have the same calling and sense of mission for their families? I love that. So tell us a little bit more about how people can connect with that platform, because I know there's women out here listening, thinking, I want something deeper than that. I want something that's not so superficial. How would they connect and find that?

Hunter Beless: Well, you can find us wherever you listen to podcasts. It's journeywomen all one word. Like you said, it's because, Lisa, journeywomen we were never meant to walk alone. And we hope to come alongside women in their earbuds as they're washing dishes or walking their dog, driving, you know, around town, running errands, just to encourage them to know and love God more through his words. So I hope that it's an encouragement, and I do hope that any women out there will tune in.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, you've just. You're written a children's book that's just about to come out. It's called Jesus Loves you More. What inspired you to write a children's book, and what do you hope to accomplish with it?

Hunter Beless: You know, you and I were just talking about just the wonderful work of motherhood and how humbling it can be. And one of the questions that I ask my kids regularly, just to see, you know, how I might need to reorient as a mom, is, what would you like mommy to do differently? And sometimes my kids will respond in funny ways, like, well, you need to brush your teeth because it smells like you drank your coffee this morning. but one of my children, without fail, she always responded with this. She said, I. I want you to say I love you to the moon and back even more. And so I was. First couple of months, I laughed. I tried to say I love you to the moon and back more. but then I started to think about how there's a deeper, lasting truth that I want her to walk away with. And it's that, yes, I do. I love you to the moon and back. I love you to the mountaintop. I love you to the ocean floor. But there is one who loves you even more than I ever could, and his name is Jesus. And so I started to pin this little rhyme. And, I think it starts something like this. do you know how much I love you? Have I shared this news before. I love you more than words can say, But Jesus loves you more. I love you into outer space where astronauts explore. I love you to the moon and back, But Jesus loves you more because that's really the message that I want all of my kids to hear. Yes, Mommy loves you more than you could ever imagine, but there is one who loves you even more than me. And that's the lasting truth that I want them to walk out of this home with. And so that's how the book was born.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Oh, Hunter, that. That's absolutely precious. And I think kids need to hear that. And as much as we say it, they need to hear it more and more and more. But even in a trusting, loving home, that's how God designed it, that they see our love for them. And then to give them that powerful message that, yes, you are safe here, you are loved, you are cherished, you are adored in some ways, but Jesus loves you more. And I'm looking at the COVID of this book even right now, Hunter, as we're talking. It's so charming. It is so charming. And I talk a lot on this show. I actually talked during the summer. We're going through a series of 52 habits for healthy families. And one of those habits, early in the summer, when we were talking about tech habits and media habits, is the power of physical media, the power of physical books for children. Seeing those vivid colors and turning the page and snuggling in beside their parent, feeling the warmth of their heartbeat and feeling that emotional, physical closeness there, and having that rhythm and that routine that it's just so grounding for children. And I'm looking at this book, and it is just so charming. Can you tell us a little bit about the illustrations?

Hunter Beless: Yes. I absolutely love my illustrator. Her name is Amy Grimes. She has a very vintage look to her illustrations. And one of the things I love the most about it is her use of light. She told me that she actually uses acrylic paint, but she has a watercolor style. But because she uses acrylic paint, she's able to get these little glimpses of light that watercolor artists actually are not able to accomplish. And, of course, I love how that just makes us think about Christ, the light of the world. And if you look on every page, there's just these wonderful little glimpses of light. And I feel like the illustrations really encapsulate what I was hoping to communicate through the truths that I was penning in the book. So she just did such a wonderful job. she describes, you know, the experience of drawing the book, like, taking it beyond her imagination. And you'll see that even in the illustrations. For instance, when we're talking about I love you to the moon and back, she said, I thought about the first thing that came to my mind. And for me, you know, as we were doing the art direction, I was thinking, oh, we could do a rocket ship and a moon. But she has drawn this beautiful illustration of a little boy swinging, and all of the planets are in view. You see the use of light that she does so beautifully, and it's just so winsome and imaginative. It's beyond what I could have ever imagined myself. And every single page is like that. So it's really fun, just to. To have worked with someone who is also a follower of Christ that's seeking to glorify God with the gifts that he's given her and to try and bring, the truths that we penned in the book to bear through the illustrations.

Dr. Jessica Peck: You know, Hunter, what I really appreciate about this is that as I'm looking at your book here, even as we're talking, and it does, it makes me smile because it's so charming, it's so vintage, it's so nostalgic. But again, the most important thing is that timeless truth that is woven through there. It's amazing to me, I think of something as simple as a children's book that you're putting out into the world somewhere, Hunter. This book and a lot of somewheres and a lot of homes. This book is going to be a staple on a shelf somewhere. It is going to be something that you're going to see little toddler fingers going to pull and give to their parent and say, read it again. Read it again. Reading it, at night. And just the other night, I was having a conversation with my daughter who's graduated from college, and. And she can still recite so many of the words from the book. She had just come home from college. We were looking at some of those books that she had read, just these timeless truths. And so I want to thank you, Hunter, for the work that you're doing, because this is such ministry, this is such legacy. And as parents, sometimes I think we feel frustrated because we feel like we're scared about the world that our children are growing up in. We're scared about the things that they're going to face. We're scared about being enough discipling them well enough that they don't walk away from their faith. I think that's a lot of fears that, Christian parents who have that fear and just something as simple as a rhythm of reading over and over God's truth, saying, I love you, but Jesus loves you more. That is really powerful. So how, how have you seen that play out in your ministry and impact families?

Hunter Beless: Well, you're making me cry right now, Dr. Jessica, because you really encapsulated, translated what I have seen, just the way in which I've seen the book ministered to parents in all different phases. I have so many mentors this year who are sending their children off to college and they have asked me to share. You know, I have an audiobook that if you pre order, you can like get the download and stuff. They're like, will you share it with me? Because they're listening to it over and over to remember that Jesus loves their child more than they ever could when they feel out of control of the whole situation. And really, as I was thinking about the message of the book, I realized that the beginnings of these truths started to kind of work their way into my heart. Even as a brand new parent, when I had that tiny newborn baby and she was ready to transition from the bassinet into the crib, and I remember being filled with so much anxiety because I thought I couldn't hear her breathing. I couldn't open up my eyes and make sure that she was okay. Because even though she would be in the room next to me, she wouldn't be just there as she'd been in the past. And so I remember sitting and rocking her in the rocker and just thinking, okay, God, I know that you know all things, that you are all powerful, that you, are with her even when I'm not, that you're omniscient, that you're omnipotent, that you love her more than I ever could. And so it was really those lasting truths that enabled me then to place her in her crib and entrust her to the Lord. And so it's so interesting how, you know, the message of the book is communicating gospel truths to the child. Yes. But it's also helping us as parents as, we love our kids so much, to entrust them again to the Lord as an act of faith, knowing that he loves them more than we ever could.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Amen. And Amen. I had a similar experience, Hunter, when my son was six weeks old and I had some concerns about his health. And I remember just being overwhelmed with worry, but knowing that truth, that as much as I loved him, as much as I was worried for him, that God loved him even more, than that. And I could trust God with him because of that. Listen, we have a lot more to talk about. This is hope, this is exciting because we think what can we do positive in the world?

Preborn has helped save 38,000 babies this year

Well, something really important that you could do is read to your child, to your grandchild, your niece, your nephew, much more with Hunter Beless When we come back, Jesus loves you more. 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.

Jesus Does by We The Kingdom: Who holds the orphan, comforts the widow, cries for injustice, feels every sorrow, carries the pain of his children. Jesus does. So we sing praise to the father who gave us the son. Praise to the spirit who's living in us. When I was a sinner he saved me from who I was. 'Cause that's what Jesus does.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back, friends. That is Jesus does by we the kingdom. And we're talking about what Jesus does today and that he loves our children even more than we do. I know as a parent today I have a lot of fear for my children. A lot of times we look at the world and we think, what in the world has the world come to? But I am here to assure you that God is not pacing the throne room of heaven saying, oh my goodness, what's going to happen next? Oh, I can't believe that happened. Didn't see that coming. God knows. He sees. He cares. And as much as we love our children, we have to know that Jesus loves them more. And as parents, as grandparents, as anybody who is invested in the lives of new Generations that God has brought into the world, we often wonder, how do we help our children? Know and loving God. Know and love God in the middle of this chaos that is the world. Well, today I'm talking to Hunter Beless and she's not only an author, but she's a wife. She's a mom of four. She's a ministry leader. She's in a military family who understands both the beauty and the challenges of pointing little hearts toward Christ. And her heartbeat is to equip families with practical rhythms to keep scripture at the center of home life. I could not endorse this anymore if I tried, and if you've been following along on 52 Habits for Healthy Families. In week two, we talked about scripture. Week one was prayer. Week two was scripture. Scripture was a game changer for my parenting because I found that I was trying to reassure my children. I was trying to instruct my children, to guide them, to give them everything that they needed out of my own wisdom, my own strength, my own experience. And those things are important, and they really are helpful. But scripture was a game changer. So if my child feels like maybe something hasn't gone well, maybe they didn't get something that they wanted, that they felt like they needed, they felt like they deserved, maybe something bad happened to them, I can give them a scripture. I can tell them, you know, God loves you. He cares about you. I'm here for you. We'll get through this together. And I can also tell them, the Lord God is your son and your shield. He gives grace and glory. No good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly. You just concentrate on walking uprightly. If they tell me I really am not sure what to do, I'll say, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will direct your path. If they tell me they're afraid, I say, I'm here with you. It's okay to be scared. But I want you to know that God has not given you a spirit of fear, but, a power and love and a sound mind. And if God is for you, then who can be against you? I am telling you, scripture is an absolute game changer in parenting, speaking those words of life. And it might feel awkward at first if you haven't done it before, but it will soon become a rhythm. And just as Hunter was talking before the break, not only does that encourage the hearts of our children, guide the hearts of our children, it encourages and instructs our own hearts. It is our reminder. And I'm telling you so often, we want a life hack. We want on some psychological, you know, just a, magic trick almost, that is going to be able to minister to our kids. But really nothing replaces those simple rhythms of faith. Reading your Bible together and reading together, reading stories about God's love, whether that is a bedtime story, whether that's a story or just a conversation that you're having at mealtime, a homeschool lesson. Hunter's work is showing us that we don't have to overcomplicate discipleship. It just begins with ordinary moments that are filled with extraordinary love.

Jessica: I encourage you to begin the habit of reading with your kids

Now, I talked about this earlier in the summer about the power of physical media. And I just want to encourage you to begin the habit of reading with your kids. Read out loud to them. I started this when my kids were not even born. When they were still in the womb, we were reading to them. My husband was reading to them. And that has lasted all the way through. Now, even as adults, I might read a Christmas story out loud. And it is just a really special time of bonding where we're all together talking about the same story. And Hunter, I'm just so grateful that you are here. And I know that in your own home, you've done the same thing. You have intentionally helped your children know and love God through scripture. So how. What role does scripture play in your worldview, in your parenting, in your ministry? What role does God's Word play in your life?

Hunter Beless: Well, we know that God's Word has the power to work effectively in our hearts. Right? The Word works in the hearts of God's people. So like you said, Dr. Jessica, so many of our rhythms involve Bible intake, scripture, memory. That's one of my favorite ways to instruct the kids and, to parent them and to encourage them to walk in godliness, and then prioritizing, sitting under the Word preach just week in and week out as we go to church together as a family. I actually have another kid's book. It's called Read It, See it, say It, Sing It. And that book is all about helping kids know and love God through His Word. And really the primary focus of that is just to encourage kids to delight in God's Word. So one of the ways that we do that in our family is just to model what it looks like as parents to delight in God's Word, to try and come together around God's Word, and to enjoy God's Word together. Some of that happens over the breakfast table as we gather and remember Matthew 4. 4. That man doesn't live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from God's mouth. So as we break bread together or eat breakfast, we, also go to God's Word and read, the scriptures together. We do our little scripture memory time, which is actually really quite simple. We usually just are working together on one verse at a time. And, we just kind of have that liturgy of as we come together around the table, just remember that we don't live just by the bread that we're eating, but by God's very words. And so, that's what it looks like for us. It's been such a joy to get to, realize that my time in the Word doesn't have to look like a quiet time, but that we can come together and really delight in God's word as a family.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Hunter, I think this is a message that every family needs to hear, because I think in our Pinterest world and our social media world, we do think that everything needs to look like a quiet time, as we approach the Christmas season and the holidays. I. I used to struggle with this with Advent. I had these dreams of having this Advent with my family, where we would all sit around, you know, the dining room table, and maybe the lights would be dimmed and the Christmas tree is on, and I've got the candles and everyone's paying attention, and it's just going to be this beautiful moment. And Hunter, you know as well as I do, every mom listening to us knows that is not how it goes. And we know that intuitively. We know that in our minds. And yet somehow we discount the moments of discipleship that don't look like that. And I. I look back to Scripture, where we're commanded to talk about these things as we walk along the road, as we get up, as we lie down, the. The Scripture is very clear and instructing us. That is very organic. And yes, there are formal times of worship, and there are formal rhythms that are associated with going to ch and, you know, taking the Lord's Supper and all of those spiritual rhythms and, you know, things that we have, those rituals that we have that are associated with worship, but when it comes to our own home, why do you think that we're so hard on ourselves as moms about that kind of discipleship? And where can we find encouragement?

Hunter Beless: Yes, I think that so often we feel like we need to be the perfect mom. Right. And it's hard for us to accept the reality that we are not the Perfect mom, that we will never be the perfect mom. That even in our imperfect moments as mothers, we have the opportunity to point them to the perfect one, to Christ himself. That all of those opportunities for Gospel application in our own lives as mothers, they also offer opportunities to present the gospel to our kids and to share the hope that we have in Christ with even the littlest ones in our home. So I've tried to flip the script and just to remind, myself, like, I don't have to show up perfectly today as a mother, because Christ showed up perfectly for me. And so I'm going to lean into the hope that I have in him. And actually, in doing so, I get to show my kids what it looks like to hope in the gospel. And that's the very thing we want as moms, isn't it?

Dr. Jessica Peck: It is, absolutely. That's exactly what we want. But I think again, you know, we just. We try to make it too complicated. And I know there are moms out there listening who are thinking, okay, yeah, yes, I want to do this. But I don't really know. I feel insecure. Am I doing this well? Am I doing it enough? Or where can I start? Where would I go? What words would you give to them to start that journeywomen or to strengthen that journeywomen or to feel assurance that they got it, they're doing it.

Hunter Beless: Well? I really would just start to prioritize.

Delighting in God's Word. Psalm 1 says we do so by day and night

Delighting in God's Word. We see that in Psalm 1 that there are really two paths. There's the path of the wicked and there's the path of the righteous. And how do we set our feet on the path of the righteous? Well, Psalm 1 tells us that we do so by delighting in the law of the Lord day and night. And so, too often, I think, as mothers, we are looking for delight in the wrong places. And our little kids, they are going to know what we delight in. In fact, another question that I love to ask my kids is, what does Mommy love? And that really helps me, as a mother, be able to discern whether or not I am delighting in the right things, in the good things that God has given us. I will tell you that one time my kids told me that coffee was on the list. But I want so desperately for God's Word to be at the top of that list. because I want to welcome the children to delight in the law of the Lord, to delight in God's word with me, because that is what sets us on the path to the blessed life that we all want. And so for me, Just asking myself, okay, where am I finding my delight? Am I going to God's word in the morning so that I can get my quiet time done, quote unquote, and move on to social media? Am I finding my delight in my phone or in other distractions that, you know, we might have as moms? Or am I rightly finding my delight in God's word and if I'm not, then ask God for his help? Psalm 119 is one of my favorite things to listen to repetitively, just to continue to whet my appetite for God's word. Because I really don't think that there's anything more compelling for our kids than seeing a mom or a dad or a grandparent or a caregiver of any kind finding their delight in God's word. And that I think is more compelling than anything, when we're seeking to impart that same love for the scriptures to our children.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Those are great words of advice, Hunter. I had a guest on yesterday who was talking about the average mom will spend about four hours a day on her phone. And that is a lot of time. And then we feel overwhelmed and we wonder why we feel overwhelmed. Well, it's try because we're trying to manage this part time job that's called our phone, 20 hours a week. You know where we're looking at it. And I think, honestly, Hunter, I really think as moms, we, and as parents, as grandparents, as humans, of course everyone struggles with this. We really need to take a good hard look and take that conviction of where we are spending our time because we know that the enemy comes to steal and to kill and destroy. And I'm convinced, Hunter, that he is stealing time from families through technology and we are missing opportunities to invest. And you know, my husband said it to me best once. He said, you know, you're more invested in everyone else's life, the life. And you're missing the life that's happening right in front of you. You're missing that. And it was in a different time, in a different context. But the, but this, the principle remains the same. I think we really need to be present in the moment and recognize that time is so fleeting. I mean, I look back, my kids are now, you know, entering those young adult years and I remember those young days of toddler days that seemed like they were so long and I just could not, I thought it would be forever till 5 o' clock when my husband walked through the door and he would give me some relief and, you know, help me and have a moment to myself if I needed that. And now I've blinked and they're grown. It really does happen so fast. I think that we need to be really cognizant of that. And you know, before the break, Hunter, you and I were talking about how having these messages, imparting them to our children, not only strengthens their faith, it strengthens our own. And you talked a little bit about parents and grandparents, who who really are investing. It's seeing their, their legacy of faith. That's really good. What encouragement would you give them? The, the grandparents, the niece, the aunts, the uncles, all of the, the extended family, the, the people who are investing in kids lives. What encouragement would you give them? And sharing scripture with the kids around them. Okay, all right, hang on. We're having just a problem. Welcome to the joys of live radio. I think this is so important for grandparents. Hunter was talking about the importance, and the impact that grandparents can have on their children's faith. And I have, have definitely seen this in my in my own children's lives. I know that my children know when my, when their grandfather's prayer time is and they know not to interrupt him. They know that they're going to see him kneeling on the side of his bed. They know that they're going to see him open his prayer journal and they know that their name is in that journal. And when he says he's going to pray for them, he absolutely means that it. And so when he reads scripture with them, when he shares stories with them, it is so impactful. So I just really want to encourage the grandparents out there to engage your children in discussion, your grandchildren in discussions about scripture. Share God's love with them. Say I love you, but God loves you so much more. Share with them that simple truth. I just really encourage you to do that. And whatever child is in your life reading a book to a child, God designed them to have such a power that, to have such a powerful impact, not only does it help their brain development and their language and their literacy skills, it literally helps them emotionally regulate, it reduces their stress and anxiety, it gives them more empathy and perspective taking and it improves their relational and social health and even their physical health. Because when you, when you read a book to a kid before they go to sleep, they're going to sleep better and they're not looking at a screen before they go to sleep and it's going to make their heart respond in a more healthy way. And most importantly, you are profoundly impacting their spiritual growth. And you are sharing with them values that will stand the test of time. We'll be right back with more. Jesus loves you more and he does when See you on the other side of this break.

Dr. Al Mohler: Here's Dr. Al Mohler from the American Family Studios documentary the God who Speaks. If you believe that the Bible is inerrant, then you begin with the understanding that if there is a problem with our understanding of scripture, the problem is in us, not in the text. If you start out with any other assumption about scripture, then you're going to put yourself in the position where you're going to have to say, I believe this is where the scripture is true. I believe this is where the scripture is mixed with some error. I believe this is where the text is absolutely wrong. Inerrancy makes all the difference in the world. That's one of the hardest lessons evangelical Christians had to learn in the last half of the 20th century. It was a question as old as the Garden of Eden. With that question, hath God, said? And that's where we're left today. If God has spoken, then he has given us an inerrant and infallible scripture. If he hasn't spoken, we are in very big trouble. Visit thegodwhospeaks.org your word is a lamp unto my feet.

Take You At Your Word:Benjamin William Hastings and Cody Carn: Your way is the only way for me. It's a narrow road that leads to life but I wanna be on it. It's a narrow road and the mercy's wide. Cause you're good on your promise. I'll take you at your word. If you said it, I Believe it. I've seen how good it works. If you start it, you'll complete it I'll take you at your word.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back, friends. That is Take you at your word by Cody Carnes. And we are taking God at his word about the love that he has for us. This is a message that cannot be overstated. You cannot not speak it to your family enough that the love of God far surpasses anything that we could ever ask or imagine. And the love of God is far too big to be contained in just one generation. It is meant to be passed down, to be shared, to be celebrated as a heritage of faith across families, across churches, across communities. And my guest today, Hunter Beless She believes deeply in intergenerational ministry, and I do, too, where the older elders encourage the youngers and the whole church invest in helping kids grow to love scripture. She's a busy mom and a ministry leader herself, and she's experienced both the joys and challenges of keeping her own heart refreshed in God's word. She has a new children's book coming out. I'm telling you, this book is beautiful. It is so charming and whimsical. Whimsical. And most importantly, it has a really strong gospel truth. It's called Jesus loves you More. It would make a great baby shower gift or a holiday gift or a gift for someone who's expecting. It would just be a beautiful keepsake. And it's not just about teaching children. It is a call for us to share the love of God, to pass it along from generation to generation.

The local church can play a role in encouraging kids to love scripture

So Hunter, we've been talking about this intergenerational role. What do you see as the role of the local church to play a role in encouraging kids to love scripture? I know that there have been been so many older volunteers in my own kids journeywomen who have really, really made an impact sharing that God loves them. So we want them to hear at home, but we want them to hear it at church too. How do you see the intergenerational impact of sharing that message?

Hunter Beless: Well, I just had the privilege of writing a Bible study, co authoring it with Courtney doctor on the book of Titus. And I think we see one of the clearest instructions for this in Titus 2:1 10, where we really intergenerational ministry happening for the glory of God. You see in verse three, specifically that older women are to teach the younger women what is good. Which ultimately how do we know what is good? Well, we know that God alone is good and so his good word is good. And so I think that's just such clear instruction for us. Like even as a, kind of middle aged woman myself, I'm always encouraging women like you are always the older woman in someone's life life. In fact, I have an older woman who's mentoring me in my local church. And then I turn around and I'm mentoring a young woman who's 17 in my local church. And she's turning around and she's mentoring a young girl that's 12. And guess what? My daughter is 10, almost 11. And this young girl has expressed an interest in turning around and investing, in my daughter. And so I think that's just such a wonderful picture of what the body of Christ looks like. I mean we have sisters and mothers and aunties and uncles, all of us, wanting to display the gospel through our very lives together. And we do that by coming together around God's word. So it's so important. I mean myself, I remember my own grandmother reciting the Truths from Habakkuk 3:17, 19. In the wake of my own grandfather's death and seeing her cling so tightly to the truths of Scripture in a moment where she needed the most, that was really a, moment in which I realized, wow, I really need to begin storing up scripture for those times that I need them most. And so I just don't think it can be overstated, the value of seeing older saints hold fast to God's word and delight in God's word and the impact that that has on the next generation.

Dr. Jessica Peck: I totally agree. And I know we've both talked about our grandmothers. I could talk about my grandmother, like, all day, every day. She made such an impact on my life. And one of the things I remember, Hunter, she, She read books to me, and she read scripture to me. She spoke scripture over me. But I remember riding in her car, and she was in the choir at her church, and she always had a little cassette tape that she was learning, you know, whatever the choir anthem was going to be that week. And so she'd have her little practice tape with the alto track on it, and she'd be listening it, and I. And I'd just be sitting there with her. You know, she had a. A little, A little thing of peppermints in the middle, you know, like, as. As grandmothers do. Or butterscotch, which is even better. Like, she'd have both of those. And we'd be sitting there, and I'd listen to this. Now, I mean, we weren't listening to, We weren't listening to contemporary music. This was, like, choir music. And the alto track. Okay, so there was nothing, like, particularly special about it. But she would tell me about the words, and I remember very clearly one day, one of the practice tracks was a hymn. The song was based on a hymn, and it was the Love of God. And that has still become one of my favorite favorite hymns. And she read these lyrics to me. She spoke these lyrics to me. The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell. It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell. The guilty pair bow down with care God gave his son to win his erring child. He reconciled and pardoned from his sin. And then she. She went on, you know, when we were listening to the rest of the, The words, I mean, just. They're so vivid. Like, could we with ink the ocean fill where the skies of parchment made where every stalk on earth a quill and every man ascribed by trade it still wouldn't be enough to write the love of God. And I remember her telling me as I knew she loved me, and she told me that God loved me more than anyone ever would. And I think sometimes, you know, I just think, like, I don't think that she thought, when she was telling me that, oh, one day I'd like a crown in heaven for this. And I'm doing this, you know, out of obligation or because I'm going to leave a legacy and I'm going to be remembered as a saint. She was just being faithful in the moment. And I think about how much that moment stuck with me and how that is the m. Potential impact that we have. That is encouraging.

Hunter Beless: Yes. It's so encouraging to me to think that as we are just reflecting upon the love of God to us in Christ, that we actually are encouraging those around us to look to him in faith. And so it's just such a wonderful thing that we get to delight in the good news of the gospel, that God demonstrates his love for us in this. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We can simply, like, reflect upon that truth. And then as we're doing that, we're encouraging others with the good news of the gospel, too. It's such an encouragement to me.

Hunter says writing children's book has challenged her to reflect upon gospel

Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, you know, Hunter, I know that when God calls you to write a book, he always teaches you a lesson alongside it. It's never like, oh, this is so easy. I feel like he always gives you an insight or uses it to walk alongside, you know, some, part of your journeywomen that you're having. What did you learn about God? What did he teach you as you were penning the words to this children's book?

Hunter Beless: You know, I think it's really challenged me to reflect upon the gospel. Just as we were talking about. I've been reflecting upon that beautiful gospel hymn in Titus 3, where it talks about how the kindness of God, our savior, and his love for mankind appeared. He saved us, you know, not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy. And so just thinking upon the love of Christ and really realizing, wow, now my whole life is different because God loved me so much that he sent his son to die for me. And realizing that, like, I know that to be true, but I often am not treasuring that as I ought. And in fact, the ministry that I want to have with my children, where I am sharing the good news of the love of God to us in Christ with my own kids, sometimes there's a void there because I Just am not reflecting upon God's love to me in Christ. And so. So it's really challenged me to think upon the love of Christ, to dwell upon the fact that I was so undeserving of his love. And yet, while I, was yet a sinner, Christ died for me. And that has really transformed my days. I mean, all of a sudden, some of the things that led me to despair no longer seem that great in life of God's just never ending, unstopping love for us in Christ.

Dr. Jessica Peck: I think it is. It's so hard to live out our faith in front of our kids. And I think about the scripture, about work out your faith with fear and trembling and doing that in front of our kids and just sharing with them, what God is doing. You know, you mentioned Hunter asking your kids for accountability earlier and asking them for feedback about what you love, which is so true, because this is. This is one of the reasons why I love being a pediatric nurse. Because kids are just inherently so honest. And anytime they're dishonest, it's so painfully obvious. So it's very easy to read them. But I'll often ask my kids, what do you think we're doing well spiritually as a family? And what do you think we can do better? And they will tell me, and it's amazing to me some of the things that they notice that I don't even think that they're noticing. And sometimes they're noticing the good things that I'm doing just, you know, out of obedience and just out of routine. And sometimes they notice when I drift away, just like you were describing, when I just kind of drift away from that truth, from that discipline, from that passion, when, you know. And you can tell too, because my attitude declines with my lack of spiritual discipline. You know, it really does. And we think, oh, I'm stressed. I don't have time to read my Bible today. I don't have time to do my devotional. But then it. It's just like a snowball effect. Like, then it just makes our day worse. It makes our attitude worse. We don't have. We're not inviting the presence of the Holy Spirit to walk with us so closely. And, man, I have found that they are good at calling that out. And so how do you. But how do you walk the line? There's a lot of parents who feel like, oh, I don't want to ask my kids to hold me accountable. They need to be respectful. How do they do it? How do you see them doing it in a respectful Way.

Hunter Beless: Oh, the children or the parents?

Dr. Jessica Peck: Both.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Both.

Hunter Beless: Well, I do think it requires a lot of humility. And again, I think that's where the good news of the gospel comes into play. Just to know that there are going to be so many times in which our kids offer us really challenging feedback. But we have so much hope because we're not, m. Meant to be the perfect parent. And in fact, we get to point them to Christ, the only one who is perfect, whenever we recognize our failures. And so, yeah, I think teaching them, though, to offer that feedback in humility is super helpful. And the only way that they can learn that is by giving it a try. And so I just want to encourage parents to just try and. And to have those hard conversations together and then to again reorient and come together around God's word. And even as you were talking, Dr. Jessica, I was thinking about how it really can just be as simple as one verse. I know it can be really overwhelming thinking about, you know, having a whole quiet time or devotional. And some days, I'll be honest, we just don't make it to that. But it's never too late to turn around and to cling to even the truths of just one verse. Verse in the moment.

Hunter: Psalm 23 reminds us that Christ provides all that we need

for me, Psalm 23 has been such a wonderful, passage to apply again and again. In fact, the very first verse. The Lord is my shepherd. I have what I need. So in those moments where I'm feeling my own lack, just remembering that Christ provides all that we need. And it's a great opportunity, when we're recognizing that, to remind our children of that, too.

Dr. Jessica Peck: I think sometimes as parents, too, we want that immediate feedback loop. Like, we want to share those verses. We want to. To read a book to them that shares the truth of God's love. We want to have a devotional. We want to have an Advent. And then we want our kids to immediately be like, oh, thank you, Mother. That was wonderful. It's really adjusted my attitude. And all of the. Those things I was struggling with, I'm not struggling with anymore. And I think that that that's something that we have to release our children from. Because sometimes when you initiate these spiritual disciplines, when you start sharing scripture, you're gonna get eye rolls, you're going to get size, you're going to get skepticism, especially as your kids get older, you're going to get frustration. You're going to get, you know, why do we have to read a book? Why can't we watch a show? Give me the iPad. You know, I think sometimes disrupting those rhythms, maybe if you're in a rhythm, in a rut, it can be really hard to do. And I. I think, Hunter, of this. I was teaching a parenting class not. Not too long, actually, right before COVID before the world changed. And, a mom came in, and she was not in the habit of all, at all of doing any spiritual reading, like reading any Bible or devotional or anything with her kids. And she said that, you know, I challenged her, read them a story at night, either a Bible story or read them a scripture. And she said, I feel so intimidated. Like, I don't think I can do that. And her kids were like 4 and 6, so they were pretty little. And it's amazing how I think we could be intimidated by our own kids. But she did it the first night, and she said, I. I just, you know, I don't know. I don't know how it went. Like, I did it. They were just kind of like, what are we reading? What is this? And she said, I just, I don't know how it went. And I said, just be faithful. Just keep on doing it. And she came back the next week, and she said every night since that class that they had come to her and said, it's story time. It's story time. And they adopted it just like that. And I believe that that's where God says, if we have the faith of a mustard seed, we just need. Need a little effort, and he blesses it.

Hunter Beless: Jesus loves you more than you could ever imagine

Well, Hunter, it's been so great to talk to you. What last words of encouragement would you like to share?

Hunter Beless: Oh, just remember, Jesus loves you more, too, parents. He loves you more than you could ever imagine. And so look to his word, and ask him just to reveal the depths and the heights of his love to you in Christ as you open. And I believe that he will.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Amen. I believe that he will. The book is Jesus loves you More by Hunter Beless That's B E L E S S. And I pray that wherever you are that you know that Jesus loves you more. I pray that you know the love of God. And I pray that the Lord will bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. And I'll see you right back here tomorrow.

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

Hunter Beless talks with Jessica about her new children's book empowering families to share God's immeasurable love with children and grandchildren.

Rx for Hope: Share God's Immeasurable Love

 https://www.hunterbeless.com/