Preborn needs your help to provide ultrasounds for pregnant women
Dr. Jessica Peck: We would like to take a moment to thank our sponsor, PreBorn. When a mother meets her baby on ultrasound and hears their heartbeat, it's a divine connection. And the majority of the time she will choose life. But they can't do it without our help. Preborn needs us, the pro life community, to come alongside them. One ultrasound is just $28. To donate, dial pound 250 and say the keyword BABY or visit preborn.com/AFR hello.
Dr. Jessica Peck talks about prescribing Hope for Healthy Families on American Family Radio
And welcome to the Dr. Nurse Mama show prescribing Hope for healthy families here on American Family Radio. Here's your host, professor, pediatric nurse practitioner and mom of four, Dr. Jessica Peck.
Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, hey there friends and welcome to my favorite time of day with my favorite people talking about prescribing Hope for Healthy Families. And listen, I don't know about you, but I feel like when we started 2026 and it has started with a bang, I mean, I feel like the news is still just very, very, intriguing. It is very alarming. It is disturbing in some ways. There are just things that are going on all in the world and it feels like we are just continuing to roll at the speed of a smartphone. And as we are doing that, listen, I've got some good news to share with you and I think that we should be more intentional good news with other people. When I see my friends, when I see my family so often, we start our conversations with did you hear about? And then we proceed to tell them the sad, tragic, horrible, scary thing that we've heard in the community on the news. We need to be better about spreading joy and about spreading hope. That is an important thing to have. And I have some hope that I can share with you today if you've been listening along on all of the shows. We have been talking about preborn, which of course is a ministry ministry to rescue babies and moms through the life changing truth of the gospel. And we are making progress on our goal to help save 5,000 babies. We have made a lot of progress, but we still have a lot to go. We have, we're about, I'd say about a fifth of the way through. I'm almost hesitant to say because I don't want to discourage you if you think, well, that's making some progress. Listen, we need some help and we'll be talking about this at length on the program tomorrow. I'll be talking about sanctity of life and we'll what that means across the lifespan. I'll also be sharing with you some of my work about human trafficking. But if you want to contribute to PreBorn, call in at 877-616-2396. That's 877-616-2396. Or you can donate online at afr.net Just a gift of $28 provides one woman with an ultrasound. And in other good news, I'm so happy to continue to remind you that the Hannah's heart conference will be next weekend in Tupelo. Mississippi know a woman who could use some encouragement at any age or stage of life for any reason share this information about Hannah's heart conference, but they're offering a 50% discount with the discount code HOPE50. You can go to afr.net you can find it from there or you can just go to afr.net/hhc2026 that's Hannah's Heart Conference 2026. That is good news. The other good news that I have to share with you is that today, even though it's Wednesday, my team was saying, should we say yay, we're going to have a Friday on a Wednesday. If you've been watching the news, you know we're preparing for winter storms and I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to give you my Friday message or not, depending on power and people keeping people safe. So we're gonna have a Friday on a Wednesday. And, I'm going to talk about our third healthy habit. If you've been listening along every Friday, which today we're pretending is Friday, don't you really wish it was Friday? We are just getting started. These are the building blocks of healthy families. I promise you they are research supported, they are science supported, and most importantly, they are Bible backed. That is important. And I know that as you're looking across the year, who doesn't say, who doesn't want long to have closer, stronger, healthier relationships with the people you love, this is the way to do it. We just started, so we have started with week one, started with prayer. You can listen to that Friday show in January. Week two, last week we talked about reading and memorizing scripture. And today we're talking about healthy habit number three, and that is going to church.
Attending church together as a family can strengthen not just faith, but also your biblical worldview
Now, this sounds simple, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how complicated it is. Have you ever thought about how attending church together as a family can strengthen not just your faith, but also your biblical worldview? When you go to church regularly, it helps anchor your family in God's truth. It provides, a clear lens to view the world around you and the Health benefits are not just spiritual. This is incredible to think about. Being a part of a church community offers emotional support, it reduces stress, it builds resilience. And Hebrew, Hebrews 10:25 tells us in scripture, do not neglect meeting together as some people do, but encourage one another. Isn't that just what I was talking about? Especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Church is the place where your family can grow in wisdom, understanding and unity, aligning your hearts and minds with God's plan for your life and your family's life in the presence of the mighty, mighty testimony of older generations and the hope of younger ones. That's one of the greatest things about going to church, is when you go, you see people who have walked with the Lord through for decades. And don't you love it when you see these people? You see these people who have been through some stuff and yet there they are. There they are still saying God is good. There they are singing lyrics about God's faithfulness. That is definitely encouraging to me. And then you look at the hope of the younger generations. You look at younger generations who are just worshiping with abandon. They do not have the cynicism or a lot of times the self consciousness that we do. They are just pursuing God. And I have talked to so many guests from all over the world who have shared so many ways that they are so encouraged about this generation seeking the Lord. And we know that that is there.
Going to church sounds pretty simple until you try to live it out faithfully
So with that, dive in. And again, like I said, going to church sounds pretty simple until you try to live it out faithfully. And, before we go any further, I want to say this very clearly for some of you who are listening. I understand and appreciate, I certainly do, that church isn't even a neutral word to you. Maybe it is a word that brings up some emotions, maybe some sweet ones, maybe some good ones of good childhood memories, but also maybe some painful ones. If you have experienced hurt. For some families, church represents joy and belonging and the best, most favorite place on earth. For others, it could represent disappointment or rejection or spiritual hurt. Maybe you trusted a leader who failed you. Maybe you watched hypocrisy up close. Maybe you went and you just felt unseen or unheard or unloved. And then came Covid when the church doors closed, routines were all disrupted and many of us kind of got out of the habit of going. You didn't stop believing necessarily. You just stopped caring about belonging. And yet somewhere deep inside, we all still long to be known. We all still want to be reminded of the truth. We Want to sing together like I was describing. You want to sit next to someone who knows your name, and you want to sit next to someone who notices when you're missing and who's going to reach out and call you and text you and say, hey, where are you at? What's going on? We missed you. You. Christianity was never meant to be lived in isolation. And we have talked about this quite a bit in the last week. There is no biblical example exhorting this, just saying, hey, it's just you and Jesus till the end. Forget everybody else. Faith is designed to be formed in community. It is messy, it is imperfect, but it is grace filled. And going to church isn't about showing up polished, it's just about showing up. That is 90% of the battle. And sometimes that can be hard. I know, I've been there with the four little kids. I've been there arguing in the car about, let's get there. I've walked in late, almost at the end of the service sometimes. I know those challenges that are there. But today we're not talking about guilt or obligation. We are talking about faith formation. What happens to our hearts, our kids, our families, when we choose to practice faith together, even when it's hard. And this is important because we are living in a world of cultural fragmentation, kids today especially, and, we do as adults, we get very different messages in culture and the media that we consume than we get in churches. We have digital overload. We have an algorithm driven spirituality. This is one thing that's concerning me probably more than any other when it comes to discipleship. We also have chronic loneliness. We have distrust of institutions. We have fear of going to church because we see churches that are overrun by angry protester or even armed by gunmen. These are serious things. But church still remains one of the few intergenerational spaces left in our culture where adults are worshiping, where teenagers are asking questions, where people are admitting they don't have all the answers. And they're seeking together. They are seeking the presence of the Holy Spirit. They are. Elders are passing down wisdom. Strangers are becoming family. Church is not perfect, but it is a hospital for the hurting. It is not a museum for the saints. You've probably heard that said before, but it is very true. And so let's say this slowly and honestly first. Church leaders are human. They fail, they fall, they sin. Sometimes privately, sometimes publicly, sometimes catastrophically, sometimes just unimaginably, painfully. And acknowledging this doesn't weaken our faith and say, yeah, this is just something we just throw the baby out with the bath water. It strengthens our integrity when we call that out and when we respond in a godly way. Church hurt. It hurts deep. Because you're talking about issues of spiritual authority that are abused. You're talking about trust that is violated. You're talking about being vulnerable in a way that leaves you open to be hurt. You're talking about God's name that is attached to human failure and walking away for a season. That sometimes that is an act of obedience, sometimes that's an act of survival. But it is never intended to be forever. That is the gentle, hopeful truth that I hope that I'm giving you today. Healing doesn't happen in isolation forever. And the goal is not to just return to that church or any church. The goal is to find a healthier expression of the church, to learn, to grow. And the answer to broken community is not to reject community altogether. It's to redeem community. Find a community that is redeemed. Find a community that has wise boundaries. Find a community that is pursuing accountability, that is pursuing spirit led discernment. So let me give you a top 10 list. A, top 10 reasons to go to church. We'll go through these pretty quickly here. But as I was looking at the reasons that people give not to go. I'm too busy. We are involved in sports. I have been hurt. I can't find, find a good church in my area. There are all kinds of reasons not to go or that the reasons that you're not going. But there are reasons to go. So here's the top 10 reasons. First, God designed our faith to be exercised in community. From the earliest church in Acts to today, faith grows best when it's shared. We cannot live the gospel in isolation. God designed our faith to be lived out in community. Number two, worship reorders your heart. When we sing, when we pray, when we read scripture, when we make that act of going to a worship service, it realigns us every single week and it doesn't allow us to drift too far. Number three. Children learn faith through practice. They are not just going to learn through teaching. What we do consistently speaks louder than what we say occasionally. So what we're saying at home about our faith, we're not living that out in obedience and having that rhythm of going to church. It's harder for our children to learn that faith is authentic. Number four, discipleship requires relationship. And I'm going to go deep into this here after the first break because growth happens where we are known and we cannot be Fully known, following an influencer online. And so many of us are outsourcing our discipleship to an algorithm. That is not how God designed it to be. We are growth happens when we are known, when we are encouraged, we are, we are challenged. Number five, the church responds to loneliness. The church is a cure for loneliness. Belonging heals what isolation is breaking. And when we are walking with others who have walked that same path, when you see people who are also going through the same trial, the same trauma, the same tragedy that you're going through and they are there, that can really help us not to feel so alone. Number six, your presence encourages others. You may be the answer to someone else's prayer. You don't know who is looking at you in church, who is so encouraged by the way you're faithfully showing up, by the way you're faithfully just opening the door as a greeter every day and saying, hello, I'm glad to see you here. You don't know what side of this side of heaven, what encouragement that might provide. Number seven, faith is strengthened through rhythms. Our spiritual habits stabilize families during cultural chaos. When the weakness is insane, it's crazy, it's discouraging, it's chaotic. When we go to church together, that helps us to feel strength. And number eight, suffering is meant to be shared. When we eat together, we pray together, we just live together. We're living life together. That helps. Number nine, church moves us from consumption to contribution. We are formed when we serve, when we give, not just when we say what. What's in it for me? And number 10, your children will remember the rhythm as a legacy. Long after sermons fade, those habits remain. God's word does not return. Void. And when we come back, I'm going to talk about the importance of taking your children to church in particular, and what opportunity we have to form their faith. We'll be right back on this. We're doing Wednesday on. We're doing a Friday on a Wednesday. I'll see you after this break.
Preborn Network helps women choose life through a free ultrasound
We're living in a time when truth is under attack. Lies are easy to tell, easy to spread and easy to believe. But truth, truth is costly. And nowhere is the cost greater than for mothers in crisis. When a woman is told abortion is her only option, silence and lies surround her. But when she walks into a PreBorn Network clinic, she's met with compassion, support, and the truth about the life growing inside her. That moment of truth happens through a free ultrasound, and it's a game changer. When a mother sees her baby and hears that heartbeat. It literally doubles the chance she'll choose life. Preborn network clinics are on the front lines, meeting women in their darkest hour, loving them, helping them choose life, and sharing truth. Friend, this is not the time to be silent. It's a time for courage, for truth, for life. Just $28 provides one ultrasound and the opportunity for a mother to see her baby to help her choose truth and life. Donate today. Call pound 250 and say Baby That's pound 250, baby. Or give online at preborn.com/AFR that's preborn.com/AFR.
Impossible Things by Chris Tomlin: You heal the brokenhearted? You set the captive free? You lift the heavy burden? And even now you are lifting me? There is no healer like the Lord our maker? There is no equal to the king of kings? Oh, our God is with us? We will fear no evil? Cause you do impossible things? Cause you do impossible things.
Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back, friends. That is impossible things by Chris Tomlin. And you know what? That's exactly the kind of message that we need today, that God is still a, God who does things that are impossible. Because there's so many things that we look at in this world and we think God, this problem seems impossible. But with God, nothing is impossible. Absolutely nothing. Even having a Friday show on a Wednesday, which is what we're doing today in preparation for maybe some winter weather that's coming across large portion of the United States. We're praying for those people who are going to be impacted, and I would encourage you to pray for that weather situation as well. But today we're talking about healthy habit number three. We're just starting out. We're going to go all the way to 52. We've talked about prayer, memorizing, reading scripture, and today we're talking about going to church. And again, I know this sounds like something that is so simple, but there it isn't. It isn't that simple. Before we dive in, one thing that is really simple to do is pick up the phone and call 877-616-2396. What's that you say? That is the number to donate $28 or more as you are able. $140 provides five free ultrasounds. $28 is one ultrasound. And we are participating in a campaign to help support preborn ministries. And we would love to get to 5,000 ultrasounds. You can call at 877-616-2396 or go online at afr.net now.
The thing that maybe seems impossible to some of you is going to church
The thing that maybe seems impossible to some of you is going to church. Let Me talk for a minute, specifically about taking kids to church. Now, you may have kids in your house that you can take. You may have nieces and nephews. You may have grandchildren. You may have neighbor children. There are children all around you. And my husband and I always joke that we have an, informal sort of bus ministry because we made it a practice to tell our kids, you never have to ask us permission to invite someone to church. If you, you can invite anybody, anytime, anywhere. We'll talk to their parents and try to figure out way to pick them up if we need to. We will figure that out. But you're always welcome to invite someone because church is such a, an important, consistent, safe environment for kids. It can be in a world that feels very inconsistent and very unsafe. And kids do not need church to have flashy programming. They don't need to go to the biggest place with the biggest screen, although sometimes God can use those kinds of resources that churches have. I'm not hating on those, but those. The more important thing they need more than programming is people. They need connection to people. They need a faithful person in a safe place with a consistent program. that's what they need. Church gives children a predictable rhythm. No matter what happens during the week. On Sunday we're going to church. We're going to see Ms. So and so. Mr. So and so. Who's going to smile? Who's going to offer you a piece of candy, maybe to their parents chagrin, who's going to open the door? Who's going to play a game, who's going to smile and ask you how you're doing? These are trusted adults outside the home. And of course, I'm speaking in ideal situations. You need to make sure that that church is safe. I'll talk about how to do that in a minute. But these are trusted adults outside the home who are living out those messages that you are speaking when you're discipling your kids in the home and telling them, hey, we are going to walk with Jesus. To have faithful adults saying, yep, I'm doing that at my house too. So powerful. It helps children to learn language for their faith. It gives them a sacred space where they know that they're going to go to meet God. It gives them a sense of belonging. And that does not go away, especially for children. They may go away for a little bit, but they will remember a place that is safe. I remember a mom telling me as her son had grown up and gone off to college and made some choices that he was not happy with and and one night it all kind of came to a head. And he shared with his mom, you know where I found myself? I found myself back in the church parking lot. That's where I went, where we went when we were kids. I just went and parked in that church parking lot and I just had some time with the Lord. You never know what kind of anchor that can be. Church also gives children a model of repentance and grace. In cancel culture where any little mistake feels like can ruin their life forever. We learn that, hey, we're human. We mess up, we sin. All people sin, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But the gift of God is eternal life. But God's mercies are new every morning. But God, but God, that is the message that kids get and they need to hear that consistency in attending communicates to your kids, hey, this is important to us because God matters. This faith discipline is worth our time. We show up up even when it's inconvenient, even when it's cold and rainy and we feel like sleeping in, even when it feels tempting just to say, oh, we'll just stay home this week and go later. And we can. It is really important to do now. When you take your kids to church, think about what are ways that you can have conversation at lunch, Sunday lunch, we'll talk about meals together as we go through habits. Such a powerful way to connect with your family. And my producer, who was in children's ministry for I won't say how many decades, but quite a while, she is quite excited, experienced. She said she would always hear parents ask when they pick them up or when they're talking about what happened at church. Ask the question, hey, did you have fun? Which is not a bad question in and of itself, but it communicates that the priority for the parent is, I'm dropping you off here to have fun. Did you have fun? So whatever. So that's not a bad question to ask. But what about, hey, how were you encouraged today? What did you learn about God? What made you think, who did you connect with? Who spoke words of life over you? That is the connection that we're telling them. This is why we're going. We're going to find community. We're going to find God. Because fun is fun, but fun is fleeting. Formation is forever. And that's what we're looking for now.
For older kids and for adults, I'm increasingly concerned about discipleship
For older kids and for us as adults, I'm increasingly concerned about discipleship. In the age of influencers, we see Bible sales soaring. We see online engagement with faith Platforms soaring. And if you think that there aren't people who recognize the potential and monetizing that, well, then you need to think again because that is what happens sometimes. And the motivation for those faith based platforms may not be for your good. And we need to be in a place where we know people who have accountability because we're increasingly outsourcing our spiritual formation and feeling like we're engaging with church when we listen to a podcast or a live stream or social media teachers. And those are not bad. I certainly want you to listen to American Family Radio. I certainly hear from people who play it all day long. That is not a bad thing. But if it is in place of walking in, in person discipleship as an active member of a church, then you're missing out. That's the, the main message. You're missing out. Because algorithms reinforce preference, not truth. They want to give you what you prefer, not what you need. And isn't it the case that so many times in a life group, in a church sermon that you hear that truth that steps on your toes and you think, whoo, that hurt. But I needed that. I needed to hear that. Algorithms aren't going to feed you that they're going to say, oh, you are going to engage longest when we're telling you what you want to hear. So these tools are supplements and they are wonderful supplements, but they cannot replace real disciples discipleship that happens in a church. An influencer cannot notice when your child is struggling, notice when they're quiet and not participating, when they usually do. influencer is not going to come to your house and step over your dirty laundry and figuratively or literally, and sit on the couch with you with their arm around you when they're in the middle of unimaginable grief, when you're struggling with depression, when you're struggling with anxiety. An influencer is not going to see the trouble you're having in your marriage, come to your house and sit in your car with you and sit in the church, be with you and pray for your marriage. They are not going to hold you accountable in love. An algorithm can inform you, it can encourage you, it can equip you, but it really cannot shepherd you, it cannot disciple you. So I encourage you. If you are not regularly engaged in a healthy church, look for one. Pray about it. Pray that God would help you to find one. Here's some things to look for. Look for scripture centered teaching. Make sure that it is a Bible believing church. And there are lots of resources through American Family Radio, through exploring the Word, which happens right after us, that can give you more guidance on that. But look at their doctrine on their website. Look and see what do they believe? Do they have scripture centered teaching? The second thing I tell you to look for is look for accountable leadership. Do you have leadership that invites accountability? What is the accountability structure in that church? How are, leaders held accountable? That is so important. How are members held accountable? Where is the truth in all of that? Another thing I would tell you to look for is clear child safety practices. Ask the simple question, what do you do to keep kids safe here? How do you keep kids safe? And the children's minister, the children's ministry staff, they should be able to answer that question and tell you their exact policy, policies, protocols, procedures. You should be able to look these up and access these for how do you keep my kids safe? And they should be sharing those with you transparently.
I think there is a value in intergenerational community in churches
I think another thing to look for in a church, this is my perspective, although I know there are differing perspectives, but I think there is such a value in intergenerational community. You know, it's interesting, one of my daughters had when she moved to college and went to a college town, she recently moved to another town where she was attending an intergenerational church. And she told me how much she missed seeing kids at church and just seeing older people who would invest in them. It was great to go to church with college kids. But there is something really valuable about the wisdom, the steady faithfulness of older generations and the unbridled enthusiasm and hope that is in younger generations. And then look for opportunities for discipleship and service. Because church is not just about what it's going to give you. If you go and you think, I didn't like the music, it didn't serve me. I don't like the pastor, he didn't serve me. I don't like the parking lot, the parking situation, it doesn't serve me well. Those things can be important. Those things are things to think about. But you need to look for opportunities to serve as well as to be served. It is not just a consumer mindset where we go thinking, okay, what is in this for me? But what is in this for me to give? That's what you do. So if you're going to visit, the first thing you do, go to the website, start looking up churches. And if you're a church leader, this is a great time to look at your website and see is it easy for people to find you ask other people to look at your website and to pretend to be a Visitor and could I find when and where to go and how to get there and what to do and that, that is important to do. Get there a little early, stay a little late. That is important. And you know, ask questions, ask questions when you're there. How long have you been a member here? What do you like about going to church here? Attend the small group, but most importantly, give it time. Because especially if you're coming from another place where you had deep ties, it can take time to build that. If you're coming from a place where you experienced hurt, that trust rebuilds slowly. And that is okay. That is okay to do. And, one of our favorite family practices that we've done since our kids were small, because my job did require me to travel. I love traveling with my family and I love bringing them along and having them find a church wherever we go. I. As they got older, I'd help them look on the website to look for, at the doctrine, to look at the service times, to look at what they were teaching. And it was so powerful because we have gone to little tiny mountain churches where there's no sound system. We've gone to one of the oldest churches in the United States. We have gone to college churches on college campuses. so many great experiences. And it teaches children that God's people are everywhere. And it teaches them, how do you find a church? When you move and you find yourself having to do that, it sees the global body of Christ and it creates memories that are anchored in worship. And church isn't something, someplace that we go, it's someone who we are. That's it. A, church is a living, breathing body of people. And the big C church is the people, is the, the people, the. The people, the believers in Jesus Christ. And you can find them anywhere. Another great thing that I loved about this practice, that it taught me because we went to the same church for a very long time and I was comfortable, my kids were comfortable. It teaches you what it feels like to be a guest. So that might be something. If you've gone to the same church for a really long time, you might try to just visit someplace else on Sunday just to put yourself in those shoes. It will help you to be a good host at your church. So if you are one of those people who think, I love church, I go every Sunday. I love my church. I love my pastor. By the way, if you love your pastor, tell your pastor that encouragement. They need that encouragement so much. Send them a text, send them an email, send them a card, send them A gift card. Tell them how much you appreciate them. But when you're trying to be a good host, look for new faces and, and take it upon yourself to introduce yourself and say, hey, I see that you're new here. Introduce yourself. Sit with the guest. Explain what is going to happen. Say, okay, here's what's going to happen, and this is what we do after this. And follow up with kindness. That hospitality is holy work. I remember one time visiting a church where we actually were interested in hiring their worship pastor. And there was a couple after church who was so incredibly kind, who owned a restaurant, wanted so much to take me and my four kids. That's a lot to ask kids to go out to eat. They wanted to treat us to lunch and we felt so bad because we didn't want to say no. We're here to look at your worship minister because we're, we're looking for a worship minister. But those lunches are so great. I've talked to so many college students who, that's the highlight of their week. People who open their home to college students afterwards. It's the only place they go where it's not a dorm, it's not a cafeteria meal. You, you have so many opportunities for that. But there's also health and relationship benefits. Regular church participation is associated with reduced loneliness, increased resilience, stronger family bonds, a greater sense of purpose. Those things strengthen your family. So listen, church is not about perfection. Healing is possible. Your kids need consistency. You need consistency. Discipleship requires community. Faith grows through shared practice. But your presence matters. So if church has been painful for you, just take one small step. Just look for someplace to visit. Stay curious. Stay discerning. Stay open. Don't go to church because you have it together. Go because God has commanded us not to walk alone. And you're missing out on the blessings, the messy, beautiful bride of Christ. Listen, when we come back, I'm going to have some Homefront headlines for you and talk about the news, what it means for your family and what you can do about it. I'll see you on the other side of this break.
Listen to AFR wherever you go with the AFR app
The AFR app is a powerful tool, but it does have limitations. You can't use it to change the oil in your vehicle or get rid of carpet stains. It won't walk the dog, won't pick up the dry cleaning or take the kids to practice. But while you're doing those things, you can listen to your favorite AFR content through the app on your phone, smart device or Roku. Just go to your app store or visit afr.net Listen to AFR wherever you go with the AFR app. Thoughts of the child you were carrying keep pouring over in your mind. A deep, unrelenting sadness overshadows your days and you wonder if you will ever feel whole again. There is hope and healing from a reproductive loss. Call The International Helpline 866482 Life and Talk with someone who has been where you are. Your call is confidential and we will help you find healing. 866-482-Life Women going through the ordeal of. Infertility or miscarriage experience pain and loneliness that are too much for words The Hannah's Heart Conference, January 30th and 31st, 2026 at Hope Church in Tupelo, Mississippi can help bring hope and encouragement with biblical teaching from Jane Johnson and worship led by Phil King. For more information or to register, visit afr.net/hhc2026 afr.net/hhc2026 Hi, I'm. Barbara from Kentucky and I've been involved with PreBorn for a number of years. I love their heart for the unborn and the women they serve, and mostly their devotion to our Lord and Savior. I will be forever grateful to one woman who chose life because of her decision. I have the best baby brother ever. I'm sorry. Grateful to preborn for all they do and sorry about the tears. Have a blessed day. Bye.
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. The When I was a sinner, he saved me from who I was. That's what Jesus does.
Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back friends. That is Jesus does by we the kingdom. and that is what Jesus does. Jesus does all of those things. I have experienced that. And we're talking today. I know it's Wednesday. We're pretending to like it's a Friday. Are you good with that? I wish it was Friday. We are anticipating winter storms and we wanted to make sure that we talked about our healthy habit this week of going to church. And I did that in the first two segments. I encourage you to jump in on 52 habits for healthy families. We are just getting started, friends, praying, reading your Bible and going to church. It is just that simple.
I'm starting to talk about Homefront Headlines on Fridays
And on Fridays this year, I'm starting to talk about Homefront Headlines. That's what I'm calling them. These are headlines that have caught my eye. Reading them and worrying about them so you don't have to. And telling you what's catching my attention, what, why it matters for your family and what you can do about it. And we talked about some things last week. A lot of these home front headlines are to do with tech. We will talk about the impacts of technology, which I anticipate will only increase this year with the rollout of AI, the rollout of artificial intelligence. And a lot of these things that we're talking about child safety is in the balance. We're talking about adult privacy versus child safety, we're talking about financial stability of companies versus child safety. And anytime child safety is in the balance, that is going to catch my attention. And I believe that we have people in this country who are innovative enough, who are wise enough, who are resourced enough that we can have technological advances without sacrificing the safety of our children. And that is something I will be continuing to follow and continue to report to you on and continuing to talk about as 2026 unfolds.
Mattel reportedly paused AI powered toys after warnings from child safety advocates
Now, one of the things I talked about at the end of last year is the introduction of AI artificial intelligence into toys. Now the scary thing about this is that this is happening without us even realizing it. Most of us don't even know fully what AI is, much less where it is. And it is in everything. If there is a screen or a computer, then it very likely has AI integrated into it. And that's concerning me because we're using it really without even knowing. We are very desensitized to terms of use. When you get on to download an app or on a website and you see all of that legalese, you tend just to scroll down to the bottom as fast as you can and just click and just say, yeah, that's a nuisance. But we don't realize the kind of privacy things that we are giving away, the kind of compromises we're making potentially on information that is shared and this is happening in toys. And so the headline that caught my attention is that Mattel and some other companies, but Mattel in particular, which of course is a toy powerhouse, is reported to have paused AI powered toys after warnings from child safety advocates. They said, okay, we're not even going to do them. So they delayed the release of AI powered toys after advocacies from groups like Enough is Enough, is one organization that I follow because testing revealed alarming behavior from AI toys. Now you have to keep in mind whatever is presented to the public there, there's much more information behind that. So if these are the things that we're getting my Sense is that likely? There's a lot more to be concerned because if they're saying we're going to pause this whole line of toys, which is extremely financially lucrative potentially, then that should make us as parents, as grandparents, as caring adults, pay attention. So some of the, at, the, the instructions that they're giving to AI toys, here's just a little warning here to protect sensitive ears. If you have little ears around, turn this down, listen to it later. Distract your little ones. But they give instructions on how to find knives, how to find pills, how to light mass, matches, how to engage in explicit conversations. And it's tough because the toys are often marketed as educational or safe for children as young as two. But the truth is that AI technology is experimental. It is. And many technology companies use the same AI chatbot technology that is already linked to harm and minors, the chats that are happening online. And this embedded AI is designed to mimic human emotions. It doesn't have human emotions. I actually was having a meeting, meeting with an AI expert about teaching and how do we integrate teaching. Because AI is here and kids are using it. We've got to use it wisely. That train has left the station. We can't not use it because it's already here. We don't have that. But one of the things that the designer said to me that really stuck with me is they said one of the advantages of AI is that it doesn't have human emotions, so it doesn't feel embarrassed. Now this sounds really interesting, but in, in explaining it, what they were talking about is in brainstorming, sometimes in human groups, you may not want to throw your out idea out there because maybe it just sounds a little too out of the box. It sounds a little too, maybe not what this group will have. Maybe I'm worried about what people will think. Well, AI is not embarrassed because it is not human. And so it will throw out a bunch of ideas, which accelerates potential for innovation. But because it is not embarrassed, because it does not have a soul, because it does not have judgment, discernment, wisdom, it also says things that could be potentially harmful because its purpose is not for the good of, the user, it acts like a trusted friend. It seems like it cares. It encourages extended conversation because the longer you're using it, the longer you're on the platform, the more financially lucrative it is for the company that's producing it. Now why does this matter to families? Well, children are uniquely vulnerable to emotional manipulation. They feel like it's real. If it seems like it's real. They, their brains are wired by God to think about things in very concrete terms. So they are very prone to emotional manipulation. And all of a sudden it feels like this AI Teddy bear cares about me more than my mom does. That is the truth of what's happening. There is exposure potentially to inappropriate content and false authority cues. This AI can take on a voice of parental authority and feel like you have to do what it says, even if it tells you to do something that's wrong. So that's where children are, have, have been reported to be exploited in adult users. Connecting with them through AI or through, through, through. Through AI that's just using whatever they're producing to tell them to do things that are harmful or inappropriate. And AI toys can blur the line between play and persuasion, between imagination and influencing their worldview. That's what's happening. Young children cannot discern unsafe advice. They cannot discern boundaries that are appropriate or inappropriate. They cannot discern relationships that are real or artificial. So what can you do about it? Because I'm not going to leave you without any hope. I want you to be really cautious of smart or AI enabled toys. They are experimental. Use them as an informed consumer. Read the safety reviews beyond just what the marketing claims are and prioritize toys that encourage imagination, human interaction and creativity without connectivity. I'm going to say that again because this is important. You need to look for toys that encourage imaginative play, human interaction and creativity without connectivity. Yes, I'm talking about things like blocks. I'm talking about things like puzzles and coloring and all of those old fashioned things. Yes, those things are still great. AI has its place. But we cannot just be so thoughtless about how we're integrating and using it. Teach kids early that devices do not replace real relationships. And ask toy companies about what are your safety guardrails for this support legislation that is demanding transparency and protection for kids. As I said, I know that's a deeply contentious issue. But I believe that we have people who are smart and creative enough that we can come up with solutions that will protect children. And I'm very grateful, by the way, to the American Family Association. Recently we had an event where we were able to speak with the vice presidents. And one of the vice presidents who has been on the show, who has his own show, Walker Wildmon, was sharing about a victory that American Family association had with Apple in asking for child protections. And I want you to know that there are people out there like Walker, like Wesley, like the Wildmon family, like American Family association. Who are asking and advocating for families on your behalf even before you even know that threat exists. That is really important. One of the threats that you may not know that exists, that is headline number two I'm bringing to you today is something called the hello, cloning scam. This is targeting families. Now we see with AI, AI actually only needs about three seconds of your voice to clone an entire vocabulary. Now this is great because we have uses of AI where people can read in their own voice and, and there are some good uses of it, but there are some scary uses too. And scammers are starting to use use silent calls to clone voices with AI. So how, how does this work? police have warned about this, especially in other countries, but it's a new scam. Basically you get a call from someone you don't know and nobody says anything. When you pick up the phone and you say hello, hello, hello, hello, and you continue to say hello, and that, that scammer can use seconds of audio to create an AI voice clone. Now if you have open information on your social media, all of a sudden they've got Aunt Betsy's phone number and they' her using your voice to say, I'm in jail, you need to bail me out. I, I am in trouble, I need help. And they will call your relatives, they'll fake emergencies, they'll pressure loved ones into sending money. It requires very little audio, very little technology. These are just apps that are easily accessible and no personal relationship. So why this matters? Because we rely on voice for trust. You, when you want to hear from somebody, put it to them on the phone. I want to talk to them, my, myself. And now this is a whole new world thinking, maybe that's not them. So AI removes that safeguard, thinking, I know their voice well. So does AI. And panic driven scams target parents and grandparents and caregivers. So what can you do about this? Well, change how you answer unknown calls. Don't answer them. There is technology in place where you can scan, you can screen your calls before you answer them. You can require a caller to say why they're calling, calling. You can block unknown numbers, you can wait for it to go to voicemail. And I know that's hard because that is something that generations never did in the past. But stay silent, let the caller speak first. The other thing that you can really do, a, ah, really helpful thing, is to create a family safe word, create that safe word for emergencies. You can call it a safe word, you can call it a code word, whatever you want to call it. And don't tell anybody else that word. And when you feel like you're talking to someone, asking them what is our safe word, what is our code word? And you can teach kids and teens to never respond to unknown numbers with personal information and talk to parents and grandparents especially because they can be so well intentioned. And this technology is overwhelming and it can fool anybody. It is becoming more and more savvy. And so just remember that urgency is a red flag. And so that's something to be aware of, of and, and to know about and to talk to your families about how you will handle that.
13% of teens show noise related hearing damage by age 18 and 6% have permanent damage
Headline number three is also tech related that I'm bringing to you today. It is about teen hearing loss. Yes, you heard me say that, right? I hope you heard me say that right. I'm talking about teenagers, I'm talking about adolescents. We are seeing alarming concerning numbers of rising hearing loss in teenagers. And the most concerning part about this is it's actually often permanent. There are some new studies and one in particular that just was released talking about early damage from everyday noise exposure. New research in a medical journal this week found that 13% of teens show noise related hearing damage by age 18 and 6% already have permanent hearing loss. And this study followed about 3,000 3,300 teenagers from ages 13 to 18. And that damage worsened over time. This is from earbuds, from headphones, from loud concerts, from fireworks, from motorcycles. And once it's damaged, those inner ear hair cells do not regenerate so you can cause permanent damage. This matters because hearing loss affects learning and social interaction and mental health. And even mild hearing loss can affect your teen's academic performance, make them feel isolated and accelerated age related hearing decline later in life. So what can you do do? Here's a few practical advice a few pieces of practical advice. I encourage you to talk to your primary care provider about this as well. Teach your kids and yourself the 6060 rule. No more than 60% volume for 60 minutes at a time. Use noise limiting headphones. Use ear protection at concerts or events. Normalize getting your hearing check and model good habits adults. We can turn down the volume too. Even if you're jamming two favorite songs from your childhood. But talk about it. A hearing is a lifelong asset that is really important. So listen. Technology is moving fast but children are still developing slowly. I encourage you what is one boundary you can strengthen this week to better protect your kids safety, their health or their trust. And as you're doing that and tuning into this Friday on Wednesday I pray the Lord will bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you. And we'll be right back here tomorrow with our PreBorn Special. See you then. We'd like to thank our sponsors, including PreBorn. PreBorn has rescued over 400,000 babies from abortion. And every day their network clinics rescue 200 babies lives. Will you join PreBorn in loving and supporting young moms in crisis? Save a life today. Go to preborn.com/AFR
Jeff Chamblee: The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
Preborn needs your help to provide ultrasounds for pregnant women
Dr. Jessica Peck: We would like to take a moment to thank our sponsor, PreBorn. When a mother meets her baby on ultrasound and hears their heartbeat, it's a divine connection. And the majority of the time she will choose life. But they can't do it without our help. Preborn needs us, the pro life community, to come alongside them. One ultrasound is just $28. To donate, dial pound 250 and say the keyword BABY or visit preborn.com/AFR hello.
Dr. Jessica Peck talks about prescribing Hope for Healthy Families on American Family Radio
And welcome to the Dr. Nurse Mama show prescribing Hope for healthy families here on American Family Radio. Here's your host, professor, pediatric nurse practitioner and mom of four, Dr. Jessica Peck.
Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, hey there friends and welcome to my favorite time of day with my favorite people talking about prescribing Hope for Healthy Families. And listen, I don't know about you, but I feel like when we started 2026 and it has started with a bang, I mean, I feel like the news is still just very, very, intriguing. It is very alarming. It is disturbing in some ways. There are just things that are going on all in the world and it feels like we are just continuing to roll at the speed of a smartphone. And as we are doing that, listen, I've got some good news to share with you and I think that we should be more intentional good news with other people. When I see my friends, when I see my family so often, we start our conversations with did you hear about? And then we proceed to tell them the sad, tragic, horrible, scary thing that we've heard in the community on the news. We need to be better about spreading joy and about spreading hope. That is an important thing to have. And I have some hope that I can share with you today if you've been listening along on all of the shows. We have been talking about preborn, which of course is a ministry ministry to rescue babies and moms through the life changing truth of the gospel. And we are making progress on our goal to help save 5,000 babies. We have made a lot of progress, but we still have a lot to go. We have, we're about, I'd say about a fifth of the way through. I'm almost hesitant to say because I don't want to discourage you if you think, well, that's making some progress. Listen, we need some help and we'll be talking about this at length on the program tomorrow. I'll be talking about sanctity of life and we'll what that means across the lifespan. I'll also be sharing with you some of my work about human trafficking. But if you want to contribute to PreBorn, call in at 877-616-2396. That's 877-616-2396. Or you can donate online at afr.net Just a gift of $28 provides one woman with an ultrasound. And in other good news, I'm so happy to continue to remind you that the Hannah's heart conference will be next weekend in Tupelo. Mississippi know a woman who could use some encouragement at any age or stage of life for any reason share this information about Hannah's heart conference, but they're offering a 50% discount with the discount code HOPE50. You can go to afr.net you can find it from there or you can just go to afr.net/hhc2026 that's Hannah's Heart Conference 2026. That is good news. The other good news that I have to share with you is that today, even though it's Wednesday, my team was saying, should we say yay, we're going to have a Friday on a Wednesday. If you've been watching the news, you know we're preparing for winter storms and I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to give you my Friday message or not, depending on power and people keeping people safe. So we're gonna have a Friday on a Wednesday. And, I'm going to talk about our third healthy habit. If you've been listening along every Friday, which today we're pretending is Friday, don't you really wish it was Friday? We are just getting started. These are the building blocks of healthy families. I promise you they are research supported, they are science supported, and most importantly, they are Bible backed. That is important. And I know that as you're looking across the year, who doesn't say, who doesn't want long to have closer, stronger, healthier relationships with the people you love, this is the way to do it. We just started, so we have started with week one, started with prayer. You can listen to that Friday show in January. Week two, last week we talked about reading and memorizing scripture. And today we're talking about healthy habit number three, and that is going to church.
Attending church together as a family can strengthen not just faith, but also your biblical worldview
Now, this sounds simple, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how complicated it is. Have you ever thought about how attending church together as a family can strengthen not just your faith, but also your biblical worldview? When you go to church regularly, it helps anchor your family in God's truth. It provides, a clear lens to view the world around you and the Health benefits are not just spiritual. This is incredible to think about. Being a part of a church community offers emotional support, it reduces stress, it builds resilience. And Hebrew, Hebrews 10:25 tells us in scripture, do not neglect meeting together as some people do, but encourage one another. Isn't that just what I was talking about? Especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Church is the place where your family can grow in wisdom, understanding and unity, aligning your hearts and minds with God's plan for your life and your family's life in the presence of the mighty, mighty testimony of older generations and the hope of younger ones. That's one of the greatest things about going to church, is when you go, you see people who have walked with the Lord through for decades. And don't you love it when you see these people? You see these people who have been through some stuff and yet there they are. There they are still saying God is good. There they are singing lyrics about God's faithfulness. That is definitely encouraging to me. And then you look at the hope of the younger generations. You look at younger generations who are just worshiping with abandon. They do not have the cynicism or a lot of times the self consciousness that we do. They are just pursuing God. And I have talked to so many guests from all over the world who have shared so many ways that they are so encouraged about this generation seeking the Lord. And we know that that is there.
Going to church sounds pretty simple until you try to live it out faithfully
So with that, dive in. And again, like I said, going to church sounds pretty simple until you try to live it out faithfully. And, before we go any further, I want to say this very clearly for some of you who are listening. I understand and appreciate, I certainly do, that church isn't even a neutral word to you. Maybe it is a word that brings up some emotions, maybe some sweet ones, maybe some good ones of good childhood memories, but also maybe some painful ones. If you have experienced hurt. For some families, church represents joy and belonging and the best, most favorite place on earth. For others, it could represent disappointment or rejection or spiritual hurt. Maybe you trusted a leader who failed you. Maybe you watched hypocrisy up close. Maybe you went and you just felt unseen or unheard or unloved. And then came Covid when the church doors closed, routines were all disrupted and many of us kind of got out of the habit of going. You didn't stop believing necessarily. You just stopped caring about belonging. And yet somewhere deep inside, we all still long to be known. We all still want to be reminded of the truth. We Want to sing together like I was describing. You want to sit next to someone who knows your name, and you want to sit next to someone who notices when you're missing and who's going to reach out and call you and text you and say, hey, where are you at? What's going on? We missed you. You. Christianity was never meant to be lived in isolation. And we have talked about this quite a bit in the last week. There is no biblical example exhorting this, just saying, hey, it's just you and Jesus till the end. Forget everybody else. Faith is designed to be formed in community. It is messy, it is imperfect, but it is grace filled. And going to church isn't about showing up polished, it's just about showing up. That is 90% of the battle. And sometimes that can be hard. I know, I've been there with the four little kids. I've been there arguing in the car about, let's get there. I've walked in late, almost at the end of the service sometimes. I know those challenges that are there. But today we're not talking about guilt or obligation. We are talking about faith formation. What happens to our hearts, our kids, our families, when we choose to practice faith together, even when it's hard. And this is important because we are living in a world of cultural fragmentation, kids today especially, and, we do as adults, we get very different messages in culture and the media that we consume than we get in churches. We have digital overload. We have an algorithm driven spirituality. This is one thing that's concerning me probably more than any other when it comes to discipleship. We also have chronic loneliness. We have distrust of institutions. We have fear of going to church because we see churches that are overrun by angry protester or even armed by gunmen. These are serious things. But church still remains one of the few intergenerational spaces left in our culture where adults are worshiping, where teenagers are asking questions, where people are admitting they don't have all the answers. And they're seeking together. They are seeking the presence of the Holy Spirit. They are. Elders are passing down wisdom. Strangers are becoming family. Church is not perfect, but it is a hospital for the hurting. It is not a museum for the saints. You've probably heard that said before, but it is very true. And so let's say this slowly and honestly first. Church leaders are human. They fail, they fall, they sin. Sometimes privately, sometimes publicly, sometimes catastrophically, sometimes just unimaginably, painfully. And acknowledging this doesn't weaken our faith and say, yeah, this is just something we just throw the baby out with the bath water. It strengthens our integrity when we call that out and when we respond in a godly way. Church hurt. It hurts deep. Because you're talking about issues of spiritual authority that are abused. You're talking about trust that is violated. You're talking about being vulnerable in a way that leaves you open to be hurt. You're talking about God's name that is attached to human failure and walking away for a season. That sometimes that is an act of obedience, sometimes that's an act of survival. But it is never intended to be forever. That is the gentle, hopeful truth that I hope that I'm giving you today. Healing doesn't happen in isolation forever. And the goal is not to just return to that church or any church. The goal is to find a healthier expression of the church, to learn, to grow. And the answer to broken community is not to reject community altogether. It's to redeem community. Find a community that is redeemed. Find a community that has wise boundaries. Find a community that is pursuing accountability, that is pursuing spirit led discernment. So let me give you a top 10 list. A, top 10 reasons to go to church. We'll go through these pretty quickly here. But as I was looking at the reasons that people give not to go. I'm too busy. We are involved in sports. I have been hurt. I can't find, find a good church in my area. There are all kinds of reasons not to go or that the reasons that you're not going. But there are reasons to go. So here's the top 10 reasons. First, God designed our faith to be exercised in community. From the earliest church in Acts to today, faith grows best when it's shared. We cannot live the gospel in isolation. God designed our faith to be lived out in community. Number two, worship reorders your heart. When we sing, when we pray, when we read scripture, when we make that act of going to a worship service, it realigns us every single week and it doesn't allow us to drift too far. Number three. Children learn faith through practice. They are not just going to learn through teaching. What we do consistently speaks louder than what we say occasionally. So what we're saying at home about our faith, we're not living that out in obedience and having that rhythm of going to church. It's harder for our children to learn that faith is authentic. Number four, discipleship requires relationship. And I'm going to go deep into this here after the first break because growth happens where we are known and we cannot be Fully known, following an influencer online. And so many of us are outsourcing our discipleship to an algorithm. That is not how God designed it to be. We are growth happens when we are known, when we are encouraged, we are, we are challenged. Number five, the church responds to loneliness. The church is a cure for loneliness. Belonging heals what isolation is breaking. And when we are walking with others who have walked that same path, when you see people who are also going through the same trial, the same trauma, the same tragedy that you're going through and they are there, that can really help us not to feel so alone. Number six, your presence encourages others. You may be the answer to someone else's prayer. You don't know who is looking at you in church, who is so encouraged by the way you're faithfully showing up, by the way you're faithfully just opening the door as a greeter every day and saying, hello, I'm glad to see you here. You don't know what side of this side of heaven, what encouragement that might provide. Number seven, faith is strengthened through rhythms. Our spiritual habits stabilize families during cultural chaos. When the weakness is insane, it's crazy, it's discouraging, it's chaotic. When we go to church together, that helps us to feel strength. And number eight, suffering is meant to be shared. When we eat together, we pray together, we just live together. We're living life together. That helps. Number nine, church moves us from consumption to contribution. We are formed when we serve, when we give, not just when we say what. What's in it for me? And number 10, your children will remember the rhythm as a legacy. Long after sermons fade, those habits remain. God's word does not return. Void. And when we come back, I'm going to talk about the importance of taking your children to church in particular, and what opportunity we have to form their faith. We'll be right back on this. We're doing Wednesday on. We're doing a Friday on a Wednesday. I'll see you after this break.
Preborn Network helps women choose life through a free ultrasound
We're living in a time when truth is under attack. Lies are easy to tell, easy to spread and easy to believe. But truth, truth is costly. And nowhere is the cost greater than for mothers in crisis. When a woman is told abortion is her only option, silence and lies surround her. But when she walks into a PreBorn Network clinic, she's met with compassion, support, and the truth about the life growing inside her. That moment of truth happens through a free ultrasound, and it's a game changer. When a mother sees her baby and hears that heartbeat. It literally doubles the chance she'll choose life. Preborn network clinics are on the front lines, meeting women in their darkest hour, loving them, helping them choose life, and sharing truth. Friend, this is not the time to be silent. It's a time for courage, for truth, for life. Just $28 provides one ultrasound and the opportunity for a mother to see her baby to help her choose truth and life. Donate today. Call pound 250 and say Baby That's pound 250, baby. Or give online at preborn.com/AFR that's preborn.com/AFR.
Impossible Things by Chris Tomlin: You heal the brokenhearted? You set the captive free? You lift the heavy burden? And even now you are lifting me? There is no healer like the Lord our maker? There is no equal to the king of kings? Oh, our God is with us? We will fear no evil? Cause you do impossible things? Cause you do impossible things.
Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back, friends. That is impossible things by Chris Tomlin. And you know what? That's exactly the kind of message that we need today, that God is still a, God who does things that are impossible. Because there's so many things that we look at in this world and we think God, this problem seems impossible. But with God, nothing is impossible. Absolutely nothing. Even having a Friday show on a Wednesday, which is what we're doing today in preparation for maybe some winter weather that's coming across large portion of the United States. We're praying for those people who are going to be impacted, and I would encourage you to pray for that weather situation as well. But today we're talking about healthy habit number three. We're just starting out. We're going to go all the way to 52. We've talked about prayer, memorizing, reading scripture, and today we're talking about going to church. And again, I know this sounds like something that is so simple, but there it isn't. It isn't that simple. Before we dive in, one thing that is really simple to do is pick up the phone and call 877-616-2396. What's that you say? That is the number to donate $28 or more as you are able. $140 provides five free ultrasounds. $28 is one ultrasound. And we are participating in a campaign to help support preborn ministries. And we would love to get to 5,000 ultrasounds. You can call at 877-616-2396 or go online at afr.net now.
The thing that maybe seems impossible to some of you is going to church
The thing that maybe seems impossible to some of you is going to church. Let Me talk for a minute, specifically about taking kids to church. Now, you may have kids in your house that you can take. You may have nieces and nephews. You may have grandchildren. You may have neighbor children. There are children all around you. And my husband and I always joke that we have an, informal sort of bus ministry because we made it a practice to tell our kids, you never have to ask us permission to invite someone to church. If you, you can invite anybody, anytime, anywhere. We'll talk to their parents and try to figure out way to pick them up if we need to. We will figure that out. But you're always welcome to invite someone because church is such a, an important, consistent, safe environment for kids. It can be in a world that feels very inconsistent and very unsafe. And kids do not need church to have flashy programming. They don't need to go to the biggest place with the biggest screen, although sometimes God can use those kinds of resources that churches have. I'm not hating on those, but those. The more important thing they need more than programming is people. They need connection to people. They need a faithful person in a safe place with a consistent program. that's what they need. Church gives children a predictable rhythm. No matter what happens during the week. On Sunday we're going to church. We're going to see Ms. So and so. Mr. So and so. Who's going to smile? Who's going to offer you a piece of candy, maybe to their parents chagrin, who's going to open the door? Who's going to play a game, who's going to smile and ask you how you're doing? These are trusted adults outside the home. And of course, I'm speaking in ideal situations. You need to make sure that that church is safe. I'll talk about how to do that in a minute. But these are trusted adults outside the home who are living out those messages that you are speaking when you're discipling your kids in the home and telling them, hey, we are going to walk with Jesus. To have faithful adults saying, yep, I'm doing that at my house too. So powerful. It helps children to learn language for their faith. It gives them a sacred space where they know that they're going to go to meet God. It gives them a sense of belonging. And that does not go away, especially for children. They may go away for a little bit, but they will remember a place that is safe. I remember a mom telling me as her son had grown up and gone off to college and made some choices that he was not happy with and and one night it all kind of came to a head. And he shared with his mom, you know where I found myself? I found myself back in the church parking lot. That's where I went, where we went when we were kids. I just went and parked in that church parking lot and I just had some time with the Lord. You never know what kind of anchor that can be. Church also gives children a model of repentance and grace. In cancel culture where any little mistake feels like can ruin their life forever. We learn that, hey, we're human. We mess up, we sin. All people sin, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But the gift of God is eternal life. But God's mercies are new every morning. But God, but God, that is the message that kids get and they need to hear that consistency in attending communicates to your kids, hey, this is important to us because God matters. This faith discipline is worth our time. We show up up even when it's inconvenient, even when it's cold and rainy and we feel like sleeping in, even when it feels tempting just to say, oh, we'll just stay home this week and go later. And we can. It is really important to do now. When you take your kids to church, think about what are ways that you can have conversation at lunch, Sunday lunch, we'll talk about meals together as we go through habits. Such a powerful way to connect with your family. And my producer, who was in children's ministry for I won't say how many decades, but quite a while, she is quite excited, experienced. She said she would always hear parents ask when they pick them up or when they're talking about what happened at church. Ask the question, hey, did you have fun? Which is not a bad question in and of itself, but it communicates that the priority for the parent is, I'm dropping you off here to have fun. Did you have fun? So whatever. So that's not a bad question to ask. But what about, hey, how were you encouraged today? What did you learn about God? What made you think, who did you connect with? Who spoke words of life over you? That is the connection that we're telling them. This is why we're going. We're going to find community. We're going to find God. Because fun is fun, but fun is fleeting. Formation is forever. And that's what we're looking for now.
For older kids and for adults, I'm increasingly concerned about discipleship
For older kids and for us as adults, I'm increasingly concerned about discipleship. In the age of influencers, we see Bible sales soaring. We see online engagement with faith Platforms soaring. And if you think that there aren't people who recognize the potential and monetizing that, well, then you need to think again because that is what happens sometimes. And the motivation for those faith based platforms may not be for your good. And we need to be in a place where we know people who have accountability because we're increasingly outsourcing our spiritual formation and feeling like we're engaging with church when we listen to a podcast or a live stream or social media teachers. And those are not bad. I certainly want you to listen to American Family Radio. I certainly hear from people who play it all day long. That is not a bad thing. But if it is in place of walking in, in person discipleship as an active member of a church, then you're missing out. That's the, the main message. You're missing out. Because algorithms reinforce preference, not truth. They want to give you what you prefer, not what you need. And isn't it the case that so many times in a life group, in a church sermon that you hear that truth that steps on your toes and you think, whoo, that hurt. But I needed that. I needed to hear that. Algorithms aren't going to feed you that they're going to say, oh, you are going to engage longest when we're telling you what you want to hear. So these tools are supplements and they are wonderful supplements, but they cannot replace real disciples discipleship that happens in a church. An influencer cannot notice when your child is struggling, notice when they're quiet and not participating, when they usually do. influencer is not going to come to your house and step over your dirty laundry and figuratively or literally, and sit on the couch with you with their arm around you when they're in the middle of unimaginable grief, when you're struggling with depression, when you're struggling with anxiety. An influencer is not going to see the trouble you're having in your marriage, come to your house and sit in your car with you and sit in the church, be with you and pray for your marriage. They are not going to hold you accountable in love. An algorithm can inform you, it can encourage you, it can equip you, but it really cannot shepherd you, it cannot disciple you. So I encourage you. If you are not regularly engaged in a healthy church, look for one. Pray about it. Pray that God would help you to find one. Here's some things to look for. Look for scripture centered teaching. Make sure that it is a Bible believing church. And there are lots of resources through American Family Radio, through exploring the Word, which happens right after us, that can give you more guidance on that. But look at their doctrine on their website. Look and see what do they believe? Do they have scripture centered teaching? The second thing I tell you to look for is look for accountable leadership. Do you have leadership that invites accountability? What is the accountability structure in that church? How are, leaders held accountable? That is so important. How are members held accountable? Where is the truth in all of that? Another thing I would tell you to look for is clear child safety practices. Ask the simple question, what do you do to keep kids safe here? How do you keep kids safe? And the children's minister, the children's ministry staff, they should be able to answer that question and tell you their exact policy, policies, protocols, procedures. You should be able to look these up and access these for how do you keep my kids safe? And they should be sharing those with you transparently.
I think there is a value in intergenerational community in churches
I think another thing to look for in a church, this is my perspective, although I know there are differing perspectives, but I think there is such a value in intergenerational community. You know, it's interesting, one of my daughters had when she moved to college and went to a college town, she recently moved to another town where she was attending an intergenerational church. And she told me how much she missed seeing kids at church and just seeing older people who would invest in them. It was great to go to church with college kids. But there is something really valuable about the wisdom, the steady faithfulness of older generations and the unbridled enthusiasm and hope that is in younger generations. And then look for opportunities for discipleship and service. Because church is not just about what it's going to give you. If you go and you think, I didn't like the music, it didn't serve me. I don't like the pastor, he didn't serve me. I don't like the parking lot, the parking situation, it doesn't serve me well. Those things can be important. Those things are things to think about. But you need to look for opportunities to serve as well as to be served. It is not just a consumer mindset where we go thinking, okay, what is in this for me? But what is in this for me to give? That's what you do. So if you're going to visit, the first thing you do, go to the website, start looking up churches. And if you're a church leader, this is a great time to look at your website and see is it easy for people to find you ask other people to look at your website and to pretend to be a Visitor and could I find when and where to go and how to get there and what to do and that, that is important to do. Get there a little early, stay a little late. That is important. And you know, ask questions, ask questions when you're there. How long have you been a member here? What do you like about going to church here? Attend the small group, but most importantly, give it time. Because especially if you're coming from another place where you had deep ties, it can take time to build that. If you're coming from a place where you experienced hurt, that trust rebuilds slowly. And that is okay. That is okay to do. And, one of our favorite family practices that we've done since our kids were small, because my job did require me to travel. I love traveling with my family and I love bringing them along and having them find a church wherever we go. I. As they got older, I'd help them look on the website to look for, at the doctrine, to look at the service times, to look at what they were teaching. And it was so powerful because we have gone to little tiny mountain churches where there's no sound system. We've gone to one of the oldest churches in the United States. We have gone to college churches on college campuses. so many great experiences. And it teaches children that God's people are everywhere. And it teaches them, how do you find a church? When you move and you find yourself having to do that, it sees the global body of Christ and it creates memories that are anchored in worship. And church isn't something, someplace that we go, it's someone who we are. That's it. A, church is a living, breathing body of people. And the big C church is the people, is the, the people, the. The people, the believers in Jesus Christ. And you can find them anywhere. Another great thing that I loved about this practice, that it taught me because we went to the same church for a very long time and I was comfortable, my kids were comfortable. It teaches you what it feels like to be a guest. So that might be something. If you've gone to the same church for a really long time, you might try to just visit someplace else on Sunday just to put yourself in those shoes. It will help you to be a good host at your church. So if you are one of those people who think, I love church, I go every Sunday. I love my church. I love my pastor. By the way, if you love your pastor, tell your pastor that encouragement. They need that encouragement so much. Send them a text, send them an email, send them a card, send them A gift card. Tell them how much you appreciate them. But when you're trying to be a good host, look for new faces and, and take it upon yourself to introduce yourself and say, hey, I see that you're new here. Introduce yourself. Sit with the guest. Explain what is going to happen. Say, okay, here's what's going to happen, and this is what we do after this. And follow up with kindness. That hospitality is holy work. I remember one time visiting a church where we actually were interested in hiring their worship pastor. And there was a couple after church who was so incredibly kind, who owned a restaurant, wanted so much to take me and my four kids. That's a lot to ask kids to go out to eat. They wanted to treat us to lunch and we felt so bad because we didn't want to say no. We're here to look at your worship minister because we're, we're looking for a worship minister. But those lunches are so great. I've talked to so many college students who, that's the highlight of their week. People who open their home to college students afterwards. It's the only place they go where it's not a dorm, it's not a cafeteria meal. You, you have so many opportunities for that. But there's also health and relationship benefits. Regular church participation is associated with reduced loneliness, increased resilience, stronger family bonds, a greater sense of purpose. Those things strengthen your family. So listen, church is not about perfection. Healing is possible. Your kids need consistency. You need consistency. Discipleship requires community. Faith grows through shared practice. But your presence matters. So if church has been painful for you, just take one small step. Just look for someplace to visit. Stay curious. Stay discerning. Stay open. Don't go to church because you have it together. Go because God has commanded us not to walk alone. And you're missing out on the blessings, the messy, beautiful bride of Christ. Listen, when we come back, I'm going to have some Homefront headlines for you and talk about the news, what it means for your family and what you can do about it. I'll see you on the other side of this break.
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The AFR app is a powerful tool, but it does have limitations. You can't use it to change the oil in your vehicle or get rid of carpet stains. It won't walk the dog, won't pick up the dry cleaning or take the kids to practice. But while you're doing those things, you can listen to your favorite AFR content through the app on your phone, smart device or Roku. Just go to your app store or visit afr.net Listen to AFR wherever you go with the AFR app. Thoughts of the child you were carrying keep pouring over in your mind. A deep, unrelenting sadness overshadows your days and you wonder if you will ever feel whole again. There is hope and healing from a reproductive loss. Call The International Helpline 866482 Life and Talk with someone who has been where you are. Your call is confidential and we will help you find healing. 866-482-Life Women going through the ordeal of. Infertility or miscarriage experience pain and loneliness that are too much for words The Hannah's Heart Conference, January 30th and 31st, 2026 at Hope Church in Tupelo, Mississippi can help bring hope and encouragement with biblical teaching from Jane Johnson and worship led by Phil King. For more information or to register, visit afr.net/hhc2026 afr.net/hhc2026 Hi, I'm. Barbara from Kentucky and I've been involved with PreBorn for a number of years. I love their heart for the unborn and the women they serve, and mostly their devotion to our Lord and Savior. I will be forever grateful to one woman who chose life because of her decision. I have the best baby brother ever. I'm sorry. Grateful to preborn for all they do and sorry about the tears. Have a blessed day. Bye.
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. The When I was a sinner, he saved me from who I was. That's what Jesus does.
Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back friends. That is Jesus does by we the kingdom. and that is what Jesus does. Jesus does all of those things. I have experienced that. And we're talking today. I know it's Wednesday. We're pretending to like it's a Friday. Are you good with that? I wish it was Friday. We are anticipating winter storms and we wanted to make sure that we talked about our healthy habit this week of going to church. And I did that in the first two segments. I encourage you to jump in on 52 habits for healthy families. We are just getting started, friends, praying, reading your Bible and going to church. It is just that simple.
I'm starting to talk about Homefront Headlines on Fridays
And on Fridays this year, I'm starting to talk about Homefront Headlines. That's what I'm calling them. These are headlines that have caught my eye. Reading them and worrying about them so you don't have to. And telling you what's catching my attention, what, why it matters for your family and what you can do about it. And we talked about some things last week. A lot of these home front headlines are to do with tech. We will talk about the impacts of technology, which I anticipate will only increase this year with the rollout of AI, the rollout of artificial intelligence. And a lot of these things that we're talking about child safety is in the balance. We're talking about adult privacy versus child safety, we're talking about financial stability of companies versus child safety. And anytime child safety is in the balance, that is going to catch my attention. And I believe that we have people in this country who are innovative enough, who are wise enough, who are resourced enough that we can have technological advances without sacrificing the safety of our children. And that is something I will be continuing to follow and continue to report to you on and continuing to talk about as 2026 unfolds.
Mattel reportedly paused AI powered toys after warnings from child safety advocates
Now, one of the things I talked about at the end of last year is the introduction of AI artificial intelligence into toys. Now the scary thing about this is that this is happening without us even realizing it. Most of us don't even know fully what AI is, much less where it is. And it is in everything. If there is a screen or a computer, then it very likely has AI integrated into it. And that's concerning me because we're using it really without even knowing. We are very desensitized to terms of use. When you get on to download an app or on a website and you see all of that legalese, you tend just to scroll down to the bottom as fast as you can and just click and just say, yeah, that's a nuisance. But we don't realize the kind of privacy things that we are giving away, the kind of compromises we're making potentially on information that is shared and this is happening in toys. And so the headline that caught my attention is that Mattel and some other companies, but Mattel in particular, which of course is a toy powerhouse, is reported to have paused AI powered toys after warnings from child safety advocates. They said, okay, we're not even going to do them. So they delayed the release of AI powered toys after advocacies from groups like Enough is Enough, is one organization that I follow because testing revealed alarming behavior from AI toys. Now you have to keep in mind whatever is presented to the public there, there's much more information behind that. So if these are the things that we're getting my Sense is that likely? There's a lot more to be concerned because if they're saying we're going to pause this whole line of toys, which is extremely financially lucrative potentially, then that should make us as parents, as grandparents, as caring adults, pay attention. So some of the, at, the, the instructions that they're giving to AI toys, here's just a little warning here to protect sensitive ears. If you have little ears around, turn this down, listen to it later. Distract your little ones. But they give instructions on how to find knives, how to find pills, how to light mass, matches, how to engage in explicit conversations. And it's tough because the toys are often marketed as educational or safe for children as young as two. But the truth is that AI technology is experimental. It is. And many technology companies use the same AI chatbot technology that is already linked to harm and minors, the chats that are happening online. And this embedded AI is designed to mimic human emotions. It doesn't have human emotions. I actually was having a meeting, meeting with an AI expert about teaching and how do we integrate teaching. Because AI is here and kids are using it. We've got to use it wisely. That train has left the station. We can't not use it because it's already here. We don't have that. But one of the things that the designer said to me that really stuck with me is they said one of the advantages of AI is that it doesn't have human emotions, so it doesn't feel embarrassed. Now this sounds really interesting, but in, in explaining it, what they were talking about is in brainstorming, sometimes in human groups, you may not want to throw your out idea out there because maybe it just sounds a little too out of the box. It sounds a little too, maybe not what this group will have. Maybe I'm worried about what people will think. Well, AI is not embarrassed because it is not human. And so it will throw out a bunch of ideas, which accelerates potential for innovation. But because it is not embarrassed, because it does not have a soul, because it does not have judgment, discernment, wisdom, it also says things that could be potentially harmful because its purpose is not for the good of, the user, it acts like a trusted friend. It seems like it cares. It encourages extended conversation because the longer you're using it, the longer you're on the platform, the more financially lucrative it is for the company that's producing it. Now why does this matter to families? Well, children are uniquely vulnerable to emotional manipulation. They feel like it's real. If it seems like it's real. They, their brains are wired by God to think about things in very concrete terms. So they are very prone to emotional manipulation. And all of a sudden it feels like this AI Teddy bear cares about me more than my mom does. That is the truth of what's happening. There is exposure potentially to inappropriate content and false authority cues. This AI can take on a voice of parental authority and feel like you have to do what it says, even if it tells you to do something that's wrong. So that's where children are, have, have been reported to be exploited in adult users. Connecting with them through AI or through, through, through. Through AI that's just using whatever they're producing to tell them to do things that are harmful or inappropriate. And AI toys can blur the line between play and persuasion, between imagination and influencing their worldview. That's what's happening. Young children cannot discern unsafe advice. They cannot discern boundaries that are appropriate or inappropriate. They cannot discern relationships that are real or artificial. So what can you do about it? Because I'm not going to leave you without any hope. I want you to be really cautious of smart or AI enabled toys. They are experimental. Use them as an informed consumer. Read the safety reviews beyond just what the marketing claims are and prioritize toys that encourage imagination, human interaction and creativity without connectivity. I'm going to say that again because this is important. You need to look for toys that encourage imaginative play, human interaction and creativity without connectivity. Yes, I'm talking about things like blocks. I'm talking about things like puzzles and coloring and all of those old fashioned things. Yes, those things are still great. AI has its place. But we cannot just be so thoughtless about how we're integrating and using it. Teach kids early that devices do not replace real relationships. And ask toy companies about what are your safety guardrails for this support legislation that is demanding transparency and protection for kids. As I said, I know that's a deeply contentious issue. But I believe that we have people who are smart and creative enough that we can come up with solutions that will protect children. And I'm very grateful, by the way, to the American Family Association. Recently we had an event where we were able to speak with the vice presidents. And one of the vice presidents who has been on the show, who has his own show, Walker Wildmon, was sharing about a victory that American Family association had with Apple in asking for child protections. And I want you to know that there are people out there like Walker, like Wesley, like the Wildmon family, like American Family association. Who are asking and advocating for families on your behalf even before you even know that threat exists. That is really important. One of the threats that you may not know that exists, that is headline number two I'm bringing to you today is something called the hello, cloning scam. This is targeting families. Now we see with AI, AI actually only needs about three seconds of your voice to clone an entire vocabulary. Now this is great because we have uses of AI where people can read in their own voice and, and there are some good uses of it, but there are some scary uses too. And scammers are starting to use use silent calls to clone voices with AI. So how, how does this work? police have warned about this, especially in other countries, but it's a new scam. Basically you get a call from someone you don't know and nobody says anything. When you pick up the phone and you say hello, hello, hello, hello, and you continue to say hello, and that, that scammer can use seconds of audio to create an AI voice clone. Now if you have open information on your social media, all of a sudden they've got Aunt Betsy's phone number and they' her using your voice to say, I'm in jail, you need to bail me out. I, I am in trouble, I need help. And they will call your relatives, they'll fake emergencies, they'll pressure loved ones into sending money. It requires very little audio, very little technology. These are just apps that are easily accessible and no personal relationship. So why this matters? Because we rely on voice for trust. You, when you want to hear from somebody, put it to them on the phone. I want to talk to them, my, myself. And now this is a whole new world thinking, maybe that's not them. So AI removes that safeguard, thinking, I know their voice well. So does AI. And panic driven scams target parents and grandparents and caregivers. So what can you do about this? Well, change how you answer unknown calls. Don't answer them. There is technology in place where you can scan, you can screen your calls before you answer them. You can require a caller to say why they're calling, calling. You can block unknown numbers, you can wait for it to go to voicemail. And I know that's hard because that is something that generations never did in the past. But stay silent, let the caller speak first. The other thing that you can really do, a, ah, really helpful thing, is to create a family safe word, create that safe word for emergencies. You can call it a safe word, you can call it a code word, whatever you want to call it. And don't tell anybody else that word. And when you feel like you're talking to someone, asking them what is our safe word, what is our code word? And you can teach kids and teens to never respond to unknown numbers with personal information and talk to parents and grandparents especially because they can be so well intentioned. And this technology is overwhelming and it can fool anybody. It is becoming more and more savvy. And so just remember that urgency is a red flag. And so that's something to be aware of, of and, and to know about and to talk to your families about how you will handle that.
13% of teens show noise related hearing damage by age 18 and 6% have permanent damage
Headline number three is also tech related that I'm bringing to you today. It is about teen hearing loss. Yes, you heard me say that, right? I hope you heard me say that right. I'm talking about teenagers, I'm talking about adolescents. We are seeing alarming concerning numbers of rising hearing loss in teenagers. And the most concerning part about this is it's actually often permanent. There are some new studies and one in particular that just was released talking about early damage from everyday noise exposure. New research in a medical journal this week found that 13% of teens show noise related hearing damage by age 18 and 6% already have permanent hearing loss. And this study followed about 3,000 3,300 teenagers from ages 13 to 18. And that damage worsened over time. This is from earbuds, from headphones, from loud concerts, from fireworks, from motorcycles. And once it's damaged, those inner ear hair cells do not regenerate so you can cause permanent damage. This matters because hearing loss affects learning and social interaction and mental health. And even mild hearing loss can affect your teen's academic performance, make them feel isolated and accelerated age related hearing decline later in life. So what can you do do? Here's a few practical advice a few pieces of practical advice. I encourage you to talk to your primary care provider about this as well. Teach your kids and yourself the 6060 rule. No more than 60% volume for 60 minutes at a time. Use noise limiting headphones. Use ear protection at concerts or events. Normalize getting your hearing check and model good habits adults. We can turn down the volume too. Even if you're jamming two favorite songs from your childhood. But talk about it. A hearing is a lifelong asset that is really important. So listen. Technology is moving fast but children are still developing slowly. I encourage you what is one boundary you can strengthen this week to better protect your kids safety, their health or their trust. And as you're doing that and tuning into this Friday on Wednesday I pray the Lord will bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you. And we'll be right back here tomorrow with our PreBorn Special. See you then. We'd like to thank our sponsors, including PreBorn. PreBorn has rescued over 400,000 babies from abortion. And every day their network clinics rescue 200 babies lives. Will you join PreBorn in loving and supporting young moms in crisis? Save a life today. Go to preborn.com/AFR
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 Ask Dr. Nurse Mama Friday (Wednesday Edition). Jessica talks about this week's healthy habit of plugging into a local church. She also talks about this week's Homefront Headlines.
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