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 pound250 and say the keyword baby or visit preborn.com/AFR
Candace talks about finding out she was pregnant. Thankfully, an ultrasound provided allowed her to hear her baby's heartbeat. The sonogram sealed the deal for me. My baby was like this tiny little spectrum of hope and I saw his heart beating on the screen and knowing that there's life growing inside. I mean, that sonogram changed my life. I went from just Candace to mom. Thank you. To everybody that has given these gifts. You guys are giving more than money. You guys are giving, love.
Preborn currently has clinics that do not have ultrasound machines. Would you consider a leadership gift and sponsor a machine today? These life Saving machines cost $15,000 more than most centers can afford. Your donation will save countless lives for years to come. Dial pound250 and say the keyword baby or go to preborn.com/AFR
hello and welcome to the Doctor Nursemama Show Prescribing hope for healthy families here on American Family Radio Here's your host, professor, pediatric nurse practitioner and mom of four, Dr. Jessica Peck.
Dr. Jessica Peck Well, hey there friends and welcome to my favorite time of day. And listen, if you hear a little excitement in my voice, you would not be wrong if you are a regular listener of this show. You know I am a huge fan of Christian music and every Friday we talk about a healthy habit, for healthy families. We start in January, go all the way through the end of the year and in January we talk about four core spiritual disciplines for your family. That is reading your bible, praying, getting plugged into a church and listening to Christian music and using it as a tool for part of your discipleship. And so today that's what we're to talk about, but not in the way that you would think. But let me tell you give you a little teaser to begin with. We're talking to somebody who has three consecutive number one Christian radio singles, a platinum certified breakout song, a K-LOVE fan award. We are talking to none other than Seph Schlueter Today he his song I know you've heard it. Counting my blessings has traveled across languages and continents with more than 329last minute I checked million global streams for the song, 730 million career streams overall, billions of short plays on social media. These are remarkable numbers for an artist whose major label debut started in 2023. And there's more ahead because the next year, in 2027, he's joining TobyMac's hits Deep tour alongside Jeremy Camp. Katy Nicole, with the tour running this spring. Get your tickets. I know I'm going to get my tickets for February when he comes to Houston. But today, really, what I'm going to ask is, will the real Seph Schlueter please stand up? Because today we get them around. He's laughing already. We get the remarkable privilege to meet the person behind the songs that we sing in our cars, that we sing in our showers, that we sing with all the joy in our heart, and that we sing to reflect not feeling alone, in the pain that we feel. We're going to talk about the boy who grew up in a house with five siblings. Young musician practicing in a basement, son watching his parents live their faith. This young man learning to serve when there was not this big global audience watching because long before millions of people heard his voice, there was a family and a community who helped to shape his heart. And that matters for us today, raising kids. Because sometimes we can become so focused on what our children might accomplish, we overlook those mundane, ordinary moments shaping who they are becoming. The hard work of discipleship, the way that we speak about them, the way that we speak about how God has gifted them, how we respond to our disappointment, whether they hear us thanking God as much as they hear us asking for something. And today, what we'll talk about, too, is Seph Schlueter has brought that message of that song that is beloved by millions and millions and hundreds of millions of people all over the globe into this really beautiful, beautiful children's picture book. If you have a child you're shopping for for Christmas, you should get this book. It is so beautiful. It's friendship, kindness, a, mother's embrace, and the wonder of creation. A young boy learns to recognize gifts that he might otherwise miss. It's called counting my blessings, as you can imagine by Seph Schlueter Schleider. So today we're going to look at the childhood that made the man and how we can cultivate homes where gratitude becomes something that children experience every day. Seph Schlueter big giant, welcome. I am so excited to have you here.
Seph Schlueter Hey, thank you. Honestly, that was probably like a top three intro I've ever heard in my whole, whole career of doing this. So way to go. Props to you. Fantastic job. Even more Excited to join that.
Dr. Jessica Peck You just said that on live radio. I'm going to record it. The first place I'm going to send it is to my kids to give me street cred. And then I'm going to play that on repeat when I have a tough day. But, Seph Schlueter I mean, I've sung your song in my car. I have sung your song the top of my lungs. I love your songs. And you have a lot of really, really beautiful music. I can't wait to come to your, to your concert. But you. Let's start at the beginning, because you did. You grew up as one of six children. I think you were the second, but the oldest boy. And you just get this beautiful story. Take us inside to your childhood home. Tell us about the ordinary moments that help you understand who God was and, and who you were as God made you to be.
Seph Schlueter Yeah, I mean, my. I really look back at my family life and with a lot of gratitude. It really was a blessing. Like you said, one of six second oldest, three boys, three girls, had an older sister. And then I, was the oldest boy. And our family was just really unique in the sense that, my parents were really very, faithful, like, really taught us scripture, taught us our faith, taught us all those things from a young age, and just incorporated it into our daily lives. It wasn't just something that happened on Sundays, but praying regularly as a family through the day, talking about our faith, inviting, you know, people to our house, like, that were like, good role models and examples of that. And also similarly, like, we didn't really. My parents were very big on, like, no devices, very minimal, like tv, things like that. And so we just, like, we played a lot, we imagined things, we read a lot, we created a lot. It was just kind of an environment where there's like, a lot of creativity, fun, allowing ourselves to be bored and then figure out what to do with that boredom, which I just look back with a lot of great, appreciation for my parents. And, yeah, like I said, faith was just like a really big part of that and was, just a really cool environment to kind of grow up in and experience, something that was like, real and lived out and, was also fun at the same time.
Dr. Jessica Peck You know, Seph I don't know if you realize how powerful your words are because there's so many parents in the trenches and you're a new dad now. And as you're parenting, man, I'm telling you, kids are really good at gaslighting us and telling us no, we need the devices. You're ruining our life. Like, this is so terrible. But when you provide a compelling alternative, to hear, you look back with that reflection on your childhood and say, yeah, my parents didn't have devices. They created space for play, for creativity. And I'm glad they did. It benefited me. That is something that parents are just going to hold on to and really tuck in their heart.
Prayer And Scripture Awakened Seph’s Personal Relationship With God
And. And you talked about, you know, you're growing faith and making that faith your own. You really differentiate that a little. Like there was a difference between what your parents taught you and when you really embraced that, your own personal, living, walking, breathing relationship with Christ. Can you tell me a little bit about how that transformation happened?
Seph Schlueter Totally, yeah. Like I said, I grew up in this environment where faith is like a real thing. But I think like anybody, you know, it, it's the parents. Faith isn't just going to be your own. Like, you have to kind of come to that, is this my thing or not? and that really, for me kind of was around right before and around high school. Whereas, you know, eighth grade, you kind of start to ask the questions and, you know, have the considerations. God really real? Is this really like legit? Is, Is Jesus actually, like, for me, like, what is this? What does all this mean? It can't just be like my parents thing. And so I kind of. I went down that road. I kind of explored it in my own little ways as an eighth grader who, you know, the opportunity to read and study and whatever and kind of came to the conclusion that God was real. and so I didn't want to go to hell. I wanted to do all the right things. But he was far off and impersonal. Like, he was kind of, The way I phrased it was like he was like a watchmaker who created the watch, set it into motion and then just kind of let it run. And every now and then he'd come in and. And, you know, fix things up a little bit and, you know, adjust the watch and whatever. But for the most part was far off and unmoved because that's kind of how I felt God was to me. I was like, okay, I believe he's real. It makes sense in my mind that he's real. But m. I don't know if I can have that real personal relationship with him where he's going to be like a friend to me. Like, I can talk to him like I'm talking to you right now, or, he is involved in my day to day life and So I kind of just went through, like, the motions a little bit. It was kind of like, all right. I'm like, I don't want to go to hell. I want to be a good boy. So I'm going to try to do as much as I can, but, you know, still struggle with sin here and there, and I'm gonna hide that and not bring it to the light. but, like, God isn't gonna be my everything, because I don't feel like I'm his everything, you know? And when you don't feel like you have the attention of God or, like, he's, like, there in your life, then you search for that in other people. And so I just wanted, like, I was. Went through a season just wanting to get the attention, the approval, the admiration of all these other people. And, you know, the crazy thing about that is, is the more you get, the more you actually need. It doesn't actually fill you up. And so I remember just kind of being. Feeling empty at that space. Like, man, I'm getting people like me. I'm, you know, doing really well in school and sports and music and all these things, but, like, I still kind of feel empty. M. And I remember just kind of reading about, you know, and hearing all the time about this abundant life that Jesus promised and that. I'm like, I don't feel like my life is abundant. I feel kind of empty. Kind of like I'm just going through the motions, and I feel, like, burnt out a little bit. And I remember just kind of coming to the Lord in prayer one day and just opening my Bible and, like, sitting. I feel like for the first time, just being really, really open, like God. I feel like I can't do this on my own. I feel worn. I feel tired. I know you're there. I see that. I'm reading about this abundant life. I'm hearing from people that you want a personal relationship with me. I want that. So, like, would you just, like, help me find it? And I remember just kind of feeling like a little glimmer in that moment of just this. This peace and this joy that I've been missing. And so I kept coming back to it. I kept coming back to times of prayer and just opening my Bible, spending time with the Lord, and gradually through that, through other people, through, you know, times of, worship and experience. Like, I just. My faith began to come alive, and I began to experience that abundant life. And it went from just being something my parents talked about to something that I was actually really living and felt Was my own thing. And I'm the kind of person that when I'm all in for something, like, I want to be all in. So I'm experiencing this, like, abundant life. And I'm like, man, like, do my friends know about this? And they, like, had no idea what I was talking about. So I'm like, okay, we got. I gotta show you. And so just started gathering people at my house on a weekly basis. And I mean, again, I was like, probably 15, 16 at this point. How, like, we get, like 50 kids in my basement and we would like all like, pray together, worship together, read the Word together, have like, small group times together for like, hours and hours on Saturday nights. It was like, really, really special. And I look back to it with just like, man, like this. So cool what the Lord did in that time. And they really all just came from that decision, to really make him my everything, which came m from that. Encountering this reality of him not just being far off and distant, but close and personal and wanting that deep relationship with me.
Choosing Humble Service Over A Scholarship Shaped Seph’s Formation
Dr. Jessica Peck Well, you know, I said in the intro, Seph Schlueter well, the real Seph Schlueter please stand up. And you have not disappointed at all. That was incredibly authentic, you know, and. And so relatable. I think that's a really great example. I wrote down something that you said. You said when you were talking about the affirmation of men, you said, the more you get, the more you need. And I see that to be true in getting into the Word of God. Once you hear the word of. Once you read the Word of God, you hear the voice of God, the more that you get of that, the more that you need. And that is what leads you to the life abundantly. And one of the things that you've talked about in growing your faith that was really instrumental was your years at Damascus that you spent. I've heard you describe that as a time of spiritual formation. And I think about it, you know, of course, when we think of Damascus, we think Paul on the road to Damascus, encountering Jesus and having a radical transformation. And most people don't realize that it was about a decade before he went on his first missionary journey. It was a time of preparation, of ministry. And you talked about that, that making sure that your character growth was in pace with your platform growth. Because that all that kind of rapid exposure that you can have if you don't have the character, I would imagine that would be really difficult to do. What do you see as your time at damasc? How did that service prepare you for the Kind of global explosion that happened with your song Counting My Blessings.
Seph Schlueter Yeah, there is. So Damascus is a ministry in Ohio that really is all about bringing revival to the church. And they run retreat. They have like 500 acres of land, run retreats, conferences, big, summer camp with like 6,000 kids coming. Like, it's like a really big thing. So I went as a summer camper for two years and it was really instrumental in my high school years of just actually learning how to live out my faith, seeing young adults not that much older than me on fire for the Lord and just encountering Jesus there. And so when I was thinking about what to do post high school, I was kind of between serving there, they have a two year missionary program where you live in a community, doing formation, going out on the streets and playing with strangers, running retreats for these high school, middle school kids to bring them into, encounter with Jesus. All these things which I really love. Or going to college and in sunny Florida and having. I got a full ride there and you know, I was like, I still want to do the ministry because it was just part of my heart. I'm like, oh, I can do it and there and be awesome and whatever. And I thought I was going to go there. I was like, all right, I'm going to do this, accept, to the full ride, all these things. And then just one, like, for a period of prayer, like the Lord just revealed to me one day, like, hey, you can go there and I'll bless it because I, like, I love you, I'm for you on Friday, or you can go to Damascus and it's going to be a lot less glamorous. You know, you're running retreats from middle schoolers. It's like summer campy. You're cleaning toilets. Your schedule's not your own, your time's not your own, but I want to grow you there. I have things for you there that, that you're not going to get here. And so turned on the full ride. My parents were not exactly excited about that. But at the time, you know, but just turned on and you
Dr. Jessica Peck know what, Seph? I'm actually, I'm going to hold you right there. We are already at our first break, but listen, I have a million more questions. And we are going to play a little clip of that song, Counting My Blessings. If you're thinking, oh, I know that song, I know it by heart, or do I know that song, you'll probably hear it and think, yeah, you know it. God is doing a mighty work through Christian artist Seph Schlueter We're talking about his book Counting My Blessings. Get a copy of it and make sure you come back right after the break. Break. We'll play some music and we'll have more of our interview. See you on the other side. Hello, I'm Jessica peck, host of Dr. Nurse Mama. Did you know that this content is listener supported? Without people like you, this podcast would not exist. And that's why we need you. A generous monthly gift of any amount will help sustain American Family Radio and specifically this podcast. Please consider becoming a monthly financial partner today by visiting afr.net/give that's afr.net/give
Counting My Blessings by Seph Schlueter it's like it was yesterday. I was praying for a miracle, scared to have a little hope. And now looking back today, seeing all the things you've done, I can't even out them up. 1, 2, 2, 3. Up to infinity. I'd run out of numbers before I could. Thank you for everything, God. I'm still counting my blessings. All that you've done in my life. The more that I look in the details, the more of your goodness. I Father on this side of heaven. I know that I run out of time, but I will keep counting my blessings knowing I can't count that high.
Dr. Jessica Peck welcome back, friends. That is Counting My Blessings by Seph Schlueter And. And we have him in the studio today. Joining us, we are talking to Seph Schlueter You may recognize that song that is a global sensation. But we're talking today about his children's book. His artistry has continued from music into writing. He has the most exquisite children's book. It's called Counting My Blessings. I've got it here on video if you want to see what it looks like, if you're looking for it online or in the store. And it is just a beautiful reminder and a, continuation really of that song and a great tool for families to demonstrate how there's just always something to be grateful for. No matter what you're facing, you can be facing some of the darkest, hardest, most difficult times in your life. And God is always giving us something to be grateful for. We talked to Seph Schlueter about his growing up, his. His heritage of faith, his parents who raised him to know God, to love his word. We talked about his. His transition to his own personal faith, making that faith his own. And right before the break, we were talk his days at Damascus. He turned down a full scholarship to a college in Florida and went to a camp in Ohio instead. And Seph Schlueter you were just talking about how, you know I, I think we left it somewhere between scrubbing toilets and meeting the Lord. So I'm going to give it back to you there and let you finish telling us about your, your formative time there.
Seph Schlueter Yeah, I love. There's a scripture passage where Jesus says, you know, if you want to those, if you want to find your life, you have to lose it kind of thing. You know, those who lose your life will find it. And I, it was funny because during that season, so many people are telling me, like, you're throwing your life away. Like, what are you doing? You have full ride. Just do that first. And then, you know, if you want to do ministry afterwards, then, yeah, do that. But like, why don't you have this safety net kind of thing? And I'm like, man, like Jesus literally says, like, you have to lose your life. You have to, you have to lose it all. And I think there's something so beautiful about just surrendering and just saying, lord, not my will, but yours be done. And yeah, this might not make sense, but the wisdom of man is foolishness that God's scripture tells us. And so, it felt like one of those moments for me where I'm like, I just felt the Holy Spirit really telling me to do this and I had to be obedient to it. And so I went to Damascus. And you know, it's, it's not glamorous. I mean, it was a great community of people. Incredible. And again, so formative for me, but really it was about learning how to die to myself, learning how to lose my life, learning to surrender my preferences, my comfort hurt, my dreams, my desires, and I really know aspirations of doing anything crazy. I was like, I wasn't like, man, this is my strategy to become a, recording artist. And yeah, no, it's like, man, I just want to show up and serve because that's, that's what I believe God asks us to do. And it's like he's building that foundation, in your life and he's allowing it to, to happen. I remember someone, sharing this, this image, ah, that stuck with me for a while about like, how old school photos, when they would take them, they had to develop them and they had to be developed in a, in a dark room. Literally, like this dark room they had to be developed in. And if a light got in too early, it would ruin the picture. And I think it's such a good analogy for seasons of formation in our lives where we're not really exposed to the light. We're not. Don't have a stage, don't have a platform, don't. Whatever. It's like God develops you in those moments. David was a shepherd boy for years. He was. He was told he was going to be king and still was a shepherd for years and years and years before. Jesus didn't start public ministry until 30. There was years and years of even Jesus just being in the dark room, being in that space of nobody really knowing. And that was like Damascus for me. It was just the Lord, uncovering and, revealing and healing and building things in my heart that needed work. And, it was a beautiful season. I mean, just really instilled in me the necessity for daily prayer for, like, spending time with the Lord, how to hear his voice, how to, you know, evangelize and speaking to other people. And right around that time, I'd been worship leading beforehand, but really dove into worship leading and started really songwriting for the first time. And really what it would be is we'd help. We have these kids coming on retreats, and we always pray like, lord, what do you want to speak to this group of kids specifically?
Parents Modeled Faith And Supported Seph’s Gifts And Calling
Because there's something, a message you have for them that's different than the last group that came and the next group, like, they, you know, what these kids need to hear based off of their life, their environment, their school, whatever. And, you know, we would just feel like the Lord would share things with us. And I remember as a worship leader, you know, then kind of trying to build a set around that, and we had no idea what we were doing. Worship, like, we're, like, so young and whatever, like, didn't have any, like, systems. It was just like an acoustic guitar and a piano maybe. and. But we were like, man, like, what is the Lord want to speak? And I remember kind of trying to create a set list, and sometimes it felt like there weren't any songs that really specifically spoke to the needs of those kids. So I was like, whoa, well, I'm gonna just try to write one, you know? And that's kind of really where the songwriting started happening, was really just kind of like, what do these kids need to hear? What do they need to sing? What do they need to declare over their life? Who does the Lord need to be for them right now and writing for that? And most of those will never see the light of day. They were one and done. And I
Dr. Jessica Peck don't know. You never know. Maybe it'll come out, like, 20 years from now. You never know. You might go back to that,
Seph Schlueter right? But there was. There was one in particular during, our winter camp that we had, that really, like, stood out and became just, like, this anthem for the community. And they caught on so fast. And I'm like, man, this is, like, really sweet. I should. I should record this. Like, so many people are telling me, you gotta, like, record this because it can't be found anywhere because you just made it. So I, like, got it. I called an old friend who I knew worked in that a little bit, and I got this song recorded and, put it out there. And, shortly afterwards, did another one that was really impactful for our community. And that one I kind of crowdfunded for so I could get a little bigger production on. And, just kind of send it on Instagram to a number of different people and. Right. and a couple. There was two people that responded. One was a guy who's working at this big label in Nashville, and the other was a guy named Phil Wickham, who many of you all probably have heard of.
Dr. Jessica Peck I'm a big fan of Phil Wickham. I love that guy.
Seph Schlueter He's the best. He's really, really the best. And so, yeah, so that kind of just ended up opening. Opening doors. It was like, after this season, just growing and stretching in the Lord, just doing a lot. And then I felt like I kind of got permission to start, you know, opening the door a little bit to get some light in. And, the Lord just started opening these doors, which is just really, really special.
Dr. Jessica Peck I think it's ironic, Seph Schlueter because when. When. From what I understand, from what I read now, I'm sounding like I've stalked you online, you know, but I kind of have. And when I. When I. You went to Florida, Is that right? To. To be with Phil Wickham? I mean, so you did end up in Florida, but just not at college there. And I want to know now, how do your parents feel about you declining that scholarship? Are they okay with it now?
Seph Schlueter I think they're pretty okay with it. They
Dr. Jessica Peck recognize that
Seph Schlueter and. And it was a cool thing. I think there was a grace given to me even, that time, because they were. They were. It was hard for them. It was really difficult for them to kind of, like, see me, you know, throw that away and whatever. But I think there's a grace in my heart to be like, man, they're. They're just doing this because they love me. Like, they're. They're struggling with this because they genuinely love me, and they think that this is what's going to be Best for me. And I feel differently, but I understand where they're coming from. I think there's a lot of just like compassion and empathy, but they just really feel like this is the best way. And I love them that they love me so much that they feel this way, you know, but now I think they're like, yeah, this, this, this kind of all worked out for you. Like, and that's great. I'm like, if I would have gone to Florida, none of that I don't think would have happened. I mean, who knows? You know, you can't, you can't put God in the box. But, I think that it happened the way he wanted it to, with me going to the mastiff.
Dr. Jessica Peck But ultimately it sounds like they trusted the Holy Spirit in you and they did nurture those gifts when you were young, those musical gifts that you had. And what do you see as their investment in you then that paid off now when your ability to really minister to so many people, because I know, Seph Schlueter your music has just met people at such a point of need and God has just, I feel like your music is so just blessed by the Holy Spirit, you know, to really do that. How do you see that legacy that your parents had, nurturing those gifts that you had as a musician or an artist?
Seph Schlueter I mean, obviously I started taking piano lessons when I was five, so they invested in me then and you know, paying for lessons and my dad would just kind of pick up a guitar. Lead worship just for our family really. So like even kind of that being a part of our lives and I mean even like, yeah, when I was running these like, youth group type things in my house, like my mom would make a home cooked meal for, you know, 50 people every week, that they could come and we have this meal together and gather around it and they just like totally supported that happening and us being just present for that and, and I think just so many things where they just like supported me. And obviously, most importantly, I think having the example of two people who I, I knew that Jesus was actually their number one priority. Like, I think it's like a, it's a hard thing to find, but like, I can generally look back and see like, man, y' all really loved Jesus and y' all really wanted our lives to be built around him. Even when it was uncomfortable, even when it was imperfectly died. Like you genuinely wanted Jesus to be everything and that's something special. There's a grace in that that, you really can't even put words to I think there's a reason. I mean, I'm, like I said, one of six. All of us are adults out of the house, and all of us are still very involved in our faith. You know, all of us really kind of pursuing careers and doing like, really incredible things in different spheres. And I think so much of it just came from seeing my parents be all in and, and just allowing us to dream and allowing us to kind of have that space to find, our passions and just pursue them.
Unexpected Success Inspired A Children’s Book From The Hit Song
Dr. Jessica Peck Well, Seph Schlueter did you ever dream that the. Your song Counting My Blessings would be so big? Would it be a, a global sensation like it is. What. What has been. What has it been like to put that out into the world and to watch it be so beloved by so many?
Seph Schlueter It's been nuts. I mean. I mean, when we wrote the song, we felt it was really special. I like to tell the story, shortly after we wrote it, I was the guy who initially I connected with, sent my song to, responded. He was at a label at the time, ended up leaving the label, becoming a manager. And then we were getting all these asks from all these labels wanting to sign us. And so we would basically kind of. What will happen is they'll do showcases where you will go to the label, they'll introduce you to people, and you kind of play some songs live for them just to kind of. They get a feel for who you are, how you sound, live with what your heart is for the music, etc. And I was talking with our manager about which songs I wanted to play. And I'd just written Counting My Blessings pretty recently, but we didn't have the demo back for it yet, so he hadn't heard it. And I was like, there's a song I wrote. It's called Kyle My Blessings. I think it's a really good one. But you haven't heard it. I think I want to play it for this song. He's like, great. Do you feel like it's a great one and go for it? So we played it, and it's like every room we played it in, everyone's like, man, like, that's. That's really special. And that's kind of how we felt. but you never know what that means. Like, you know, you just never. Songs are so unpredictable. Audiences are so unpredictable. You just never really know what's going to work, or how. How the world is going to use it. So I think we knew it was special. We felt like there was something really sweet about It. But especially as like a brand new artist debuting his first single with a label, like, I don't think any of us really expected it to do what it did. I mean, on radio, on socials, across globe, on streaming, like, all the different things, it kind of blew our mind to be like, man, this feels like something totally just, like just God doing something crazy here. Because we couldn't have planned this
Dr. Jessica Peck anointed is what it seems like. And then, I mean, you could have done a lot of different things, Seph Schlueter You could have gone a lot of different directions. I would just be so bold as to say children's book is kind of a left turn that's kind of. That. That's not something that I would see coming. But it's. It's so beautiful. I mean, honestly, I look at a lot of children's books and we talk a lot about. About, a lot of children's books on this show, but this is just so beautiful. How did you decide to translate the song into this book for families?
Seph Schlueter Yeah, there was at some point a couple years back, someone reached out and was like, hey, have you ever thought about making Count My Blessings into a kids book? And it kind of was like a. Well, duh. That feels like so good. Like, I had thought about it, but I feel like. Like it just makes so much sense. I mean, it's a counting song. There's 1, 2, 3 in it. and even just like seeing the impact that the song was having on families in particular, like people sending videos of their kids singing in talent shows or parents telling us that, you know, it was the first song, that first and only song the kids request when they like, get in the car. Just like the impact of it, like, being out on the road and kids coming out telling me to. It was just like, man, this feels like just kind of the natural next step. And so, we found an awesome partner to kind of go with us and. And make it happen. Because there's a lot of similarities but a lot of differences when it comes to releasing a song and releasing a book. And so, it was just really cool to have like a great team, and make it just come out and really, like, like you've said, like, just making it an extension of the song. Like, man, what this song kind of does in three minutes, to your. To your ears, you know, like, how do we. We. How do we put that in a book that can be reread and visualized and a, new angle to it that kind of helps expand on the song a little bit, but for kids and hopefully also for the parents reading it to the kids as well. So it was really cool to kind of have that.
Writing, Gratitude, And The Book’s Everyday Blessings
And people always ask me m like, so are you going to write more books? You know, is this the first of many? And I don't know. I would like. I actually love writing. I love, I think it's really, really fun. And my dad would. This is just also another funny childhood thing. My dad would, would take the kids. We were all homeschooled and so we had like our, we did like online school, laptops, whatever. So my dad would take, the kids to like coffee shops and we'd just write, like, we would just write on
Dr. Jessica Peck a
Seph Schlueter Word document and we'd be like. He'd be like, all right, write a book. And we all were like, all right, great. We're gonna write a book. And we come through ideas and we just write. And none of them actually really went far, but it was like something I think we always enjoyed doing. And I'm a big reader and so, I would always love to, to write. So I'm like, it was just doing. Starting with a kids book kept. Felt kind of fun. And, who knows what will come next? But it's fun that it opened the door to kind of that being a possibility in my life.
Dr. Jessica Peck Well, you know, Seph Schlueter you just said that I can picture like, I don't know, 8, 10 year old Seph Schlueter in a coffee shop. Like even before that was cool. So your dad's automatically cool in my book. And you just said, you know, you're writing a book and it didn't go far. sir, I'd beg to differ. I think it went very, very, very far. Just not in the way that you have. And that's where I just come back to. God's ways are higher than our ways, and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts. And your life, Seph Schlueter is such a beautiful testimony of what submission to the Lord does. Learning to know his voice and to follow him. Whether that's through mountaintops, which we've talked about, or through valleys. We know that we can count our blessings. And I am so enthusiastic about that because I know the health benefits of gratitude. I know that God has given us that command and in his Word for our good and, for his glory. Ultimately, there's so many verses that tell us that the antidote to anxiety is gratitude. And you have helped us do that in such a beautiful way. Through story and song. We'll have much more with Seph Schlueter when we come back, do not go away. You won't want to miss it.
Mark Oss When you hear the letters afr, there are a lot of things that could come to mind. Automotive Finders Resource, Alligator Frying Research or the association of Flying Rednecks. All great organizations, no doubt. But we hope the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear AFR is American Family Radio, a, listener supported network dedicated to sharing the gospel and promoting godly values. God expects maturity in us. We should not be comfortable living with habitual sins.
So that's a news cycle item. Is it the top news
story to God? No, because he warned us about all of this. Now, I don't care how nice you think you are, if you're not telling someone the truth, you're not being loving to them.
Make no mistake, we're not anglers from Red Bay, but we are AFR American Family Radio And we're happy you're listening.
Counting My Blessings by Seph Schlueter before I could. Thank you for everything, God, I'm still counting my blessings. All that you've done in my life the more that I look in the detail, the more of your goodness I'll find Father on the inside of heaven I know that I run out of time But I will keep counting my blessings m Knowing I can count that high I will keep counting my blessings knowing I can't count that high
Dr. Jessica Peck welcome back, friends. That is Counting My Blessings by Seph Schlueter No doubt many of you have heard that song and God has used it to minister to in some way. And I'm so excited to tell you that we have none other than Seph Schlueter himself here today with us talking about his beautiful new children's book. It's called Counting My Blessings. It's an extension of that song. It is such a beautiful story about a little boy who feels a little down and he's encouraged to count his blessings. And you know, Seph Schlueter as a mom, I'm a mom of four and my kids are older now. I think that, you know, as parents, sometimes we just don't do a great job of modeling what gratitude looks like. Now we're quick to point out what a lack of gratitude is. I mean, especially around the holidays, right? Like, cue all the moms saying there are children in other parts of the country who don't have what you have. And you're so ungrateful. You should be so grateful that I'm your mom. That's one of the things I love about this book, is that it's not just calling out that lack of gratitude and, and you know, and really kind of shaming it. It's showing what gratitude looks like. And the blessings in this book are really wonderfully ordinary. It great, blessings that are a hug, a friendship, a kind of funny stray cat in here and the beauty of the world. Why do you think it's so important for us to count our blessings and to look at the blessings of those simple gifts God gives us every day, like a sunrise and a sunset and a relationship next to us. How do you think we can model that for children?
Seph Schlueter Yeah, I think, you know, I love when, when science finally catches up to scripture. And you know, scripture just tells us all the time, like, give thanks to the Lord, give thanks, praise him like so many times, give thanks. And all of a sudden like, you know, science is like, hey, gratitude is really good for you mentally, you know, physically, like all these things. Like, it's really helpful because even it's interesting. There's like I remember seeing there's two parts of your brain and they. That can't be on at the same time for gratitude and anxiety. So like when you actually give start to give thanks, it starts to shut down the part of your brain that's like anxious about things. So like, even like little things like that, you're like, man, this is so cool. Just the way God designed us to do this. But it's even funny. Like the other day I was reading, in the story in the Gospel of Luke, I believe, where Jesus, heals the 10 lepers. The 10 lepers come to him, they're like, cry out for healing. He's like, go present yourself to the priests. And they leave. And on the way they're all healed, but only one comes back and gives thanks. And Jesus tells him, like, your faith has saved you. Like, they all got healed. But he got, there was a saving that happened to him from coming back and being thankful. And the reality is God is going to give so many blessings in our life. And we can be like the other nine that just keep on the way and be like, you know, all right, cool, blessing, whatever, awesome. Or we can be to that one that comes back to the Lord and says, man, thank you God for this. I want to actually. It took him effort. It took him effort to turn around, then come back to Jesus and say thank you. But in that effort, he actually discovers an even deeper healing by coming to Jesus. And I think there's something about that as parents is we're so busy. We're way too busy. Most of us, us. And it's just thing to thing the thing to think the thing. And we forget to pause, turn around, go to the Lord. Thank you, God, for this. Thank you for the things in my life that are making me busy, that I once prayed for and now I, I complain about. I once prayed that like, well, Lord, give me a beautiful family. And also it's like, oh, gosh, it's so busy. It's like, yeah, that's kind of part of it. Well, give me healthy kids. It's like, oh, they're doing sports. I can't, like, whatever it might be. I think it's like, man, we prayed for these things also. We get them. And it's so easy for us to just complain. But I remember hearing someone say once too that like, complaining is to the devil, it praises to God. And I think it's just that like, reality of when we, like what, what has our attention, what has our focus, and letting gratitude be what comes from us. Because again, not only is it good for our mentally spirit, physically, but like, spiritually, it allows us to enter into the world with deeper wonder and awe and fulfillment because we get to encounter Jesus in those moments. As we thank him, we all begin to see his presence even more. And so I think as parents just being able to model that for our kids, like, yeah, it's easy complain that our kids aren't being, aren't, thanking to things. But how often do we thank God for things out loud? You know, man, God, thank you so much for this. Like, my wife and I try to do that. We'll just have a random like, gratitude checks throughout the day. Hey, what's, what are three things you're grateful for right now? And we're just like saying, I'm grateful for this, I'm grateful for this, I'm grateful for this. And all of a sudden it's like, man, life is good. Life is beautiful. There's so many great things. And I'm just so grateful. And so I think modeling it and letting it be, be a regular part of your rhythm of life of just like out loud saying, saying things like, hey, what are you grateful for? giving thanks for things even randomly, like, oh man, like I tried out, like, if I'm like on the walk with my family. And man, God, I'm so grateful for these, these changing leaves. This is so beautiful. I'm so grateful for this weather or, oh man, this coffee. Just, oh, thank you Jesus for this coffee. Oh, yeah, Amen. But, but saying out loud, you make it a habit that just becomes part of what your normal thing is. And my hope is that, that my little girl will see that and realize that, and. And she'll start imitating it too, and just thanking God for those things as well.
Children Learn Gratitude When Parents Model It Consistently
Dr. Jessica Peck I promise you, Seph she will. Because my kids did it. And then, you know, when they would see me have a heart of ungratitude, my youngest son especially, he's really. I want to say he's really bad about this, but he's really good about this, actually. He'll come up to me and he'll say, okay, Mom, I want you to take three deep breaths and start telling me things that you're grateful for. And I feel like a child because I'm like, well, you know, I'm grateful for you and I'm grateful for this, but, you know, once you let down your sin and your pride and you lay that down, it is such a beautiful thing. You said it best. When science catches up to scripture, and that's where, you know, I can look at verses like, in everything, give thanks not for everything, but in everything. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. That's just not like our proverbial little cartoon heart, you know, like we see, on the Grinch or something like that. That's our literal blood vessel. It actually makes our heart healthier, decreases the risk of cancer and stroke and heart attack. God is for our good, even when our version of good doesn't seem like it aligns with God.
Seph Praises God Amid Grief After Losing His First Daughter
And I know, Seph Schlueter that you have experienced, that you have shared very openly about some of the trials that you've walked through. You've shared about the loss of your first daughter, Charlotte Davy, at, ah, 20 weeks, and, and how hard that is. And it's easy to be thankful when things are good, you know, when the, when your song is just going all over the globe. But there are also valleys in your life, too. And sometimes that can be the hardest place to give thanks to, count your blessings, but the most meaningful. Can you share a little bit about how those experiences change the way that you sing and write songs?
Seph Schlueter Yeah, absolutely. There's our, I remember hearing once this idea that there is a praise that we can only give God on this side of heaven, that we won't be able to on that side of heaven, because when we get to heaven, we're going to be able to. We praise him with no tears, no pain, no fear, no doubt. Any of that. It's going to Be beautiful. But we're at the days are numbered, then that means where we can give him a praise that comes from a place of maybe a little bit of doubt or fear or pain or tears or whatever it might be like. We're not always going to have that as a gift we can offer, so I don't want to waste that while I have it. And I actually ended up writing a song. Song about that called this side of Heaven. Probably a year before we lost our daughter, I was talking with some friends about this idea. One of them was going through some hard things. And, yeah, we just wrote this idea of, like, man, we're gonna praise anointing of he's. Who knows how much longer we have to give that gift to God. So I want to give it while I can. I don't want to waste it. and then it was just funny. The song hadn't come out, but the demo was just kind of living on my phone. And it became kind of a lifeline for me when, like I said, almost a year later, we lost our first little girl at 20 weeks. And, all the questions, all the feelings, all the hurt, all the confusion, and why God would allow something like that to happen. But I don't always get answers, but I get his presence. And he's with us in those moments. And he's no less worthy of praise in those moments than he is, when everything goes according to my plan. And that's really hard for us to learn because we like to be in control, and we like to kind of be like, well, if it goes this way, then I'm happy. And if it doesn't go this way, then I'm not happy. but he is bigger than all of that. And the crazy thing is he doesn't owe me anything. He doesn't owe me answered, prayers. He hasn't owe me amazing gifts or blessings. He doesn't owe me any of it. Now, the wild things he still does. Like, he still gives because he's a good giver of gifts. And he does that. That. But if he never gave me anything else in my life, I would still have countless reasons to thank him and bless him and praise his name because he is the Lord and He's worthy of it. And so I think just learning to still offer that gift of praise in those moments, I mean, it's a special gift that you can only give him on this side of heaven. And there's a reward for it on that side of heaven, of being able to still lift it up to him. And we're going to see the beauty of it even more on that side of heaven. So I don't have to understand it to give it. I don't have to feel it to give it it. I don't have to. It doesn't have to make sense for me to give it. But he is still the Lord and He's still worthy of praise. And I still have so many reasons to praise him. And I can't discount all the, all the amazing, beautiful ways that he's shown up and saved and healed and delivered because it didn't turn out like just one time I wanted it to. And so I think, yeah, in those moments, learning to praise God in the midst of the pain, in the midst of the heartbreak, knowing that he's still no less worthy of worship and that he somehow is going to take that horrible experience and make it good, come from it, and I can just trust that his wisdom is greater than my own.
Parenthood Helps Seph Trust God Through Pain And Uncertainty
I know I have. We, we do have a one year old now, like I mentioned before, which is the best. But it's so funny, like, learning how God sees me through the way that I see her. And there's obviously so many ways for that. But we're on vacation, back in May, we're in Florida. And it was her first time, you know, being out in the sun, so putting sunscreen on her. And she's, I don't know, four or five months old. And, she was just furious about it. She just, you know, cry and screaming and struggling and she did not want us to put sunscreen on her at all. And I'm just like, oh my gosh, like, I'm trying to help you. I'm trying to, like, do something that, yeah, right now it's painful, but like, it's promises could be way worse if this didn't happen, you know, and just being like, hit, being hit in that moment, man, like, if I can so easily see that for my daughter that she can't, she can't see, see how this is going to work out for her good, but I can so easily see it. I'm like, ah, you just have to trust me. I'm like, man, the difference between me and my daughter and intellect is actually infinitely smaller than the difference between me and God and intellect. He is infinitely smarter than me and more wise and sees infinitely more than I see with my daughter. And so if it's so easy for me to be like, oh, I just need you to trust me on this, I'm taking care of you then, like, I shouldn't have any fear to trusting in God to take care of me. Even when in the moment it hurts, even when in the moment I don't understand, I can't see why. All I feel is the sunscreen coming on and I don't like it. But God has a bigger plan. And so that's why we can thank him in every circumstance. That's why we can praise him in the midst of all that. Because like, you are going to make good come from this. Your plan is greater and there's a reward waiting on the other side of all of it.
Dr. Jessica Peck You just said my two favorite words together in the history of ever. But God. But God, who is rich in mercy, I mean, that is, that is, that's the crux of the whole good news. And I heard a quote when I was in high school, Seph Schlueter that that has stuck with me. And it said if God was small enough to be understood, he wouldn't be big enough to be worshiped. And there's just some things, as you said this side of heaven that we're not going to understand. And, and Seph Schlueter I think it is one thing for you to say that in your personal life, but to have the platform that you do and to say that so publicly on stages like you do and, and just in front of so many people like you are right now, that, that's, that's really meaningful and I'm very grateful for your authenticity there. And, and one of the things that, you know, I look at and just God, his ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. And one of my favorite verses is Psalm, 84:11. The Lord God is a son and a shield. He gives grace and glory. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. And we can see loss and grief and pain as. How are those things good, but just as you described it. And a simple analogy is sunscreen. God sees things that are for our good. And although he grieves with us, we have a Savior who's not acquainted, who's not unacquainted with suffering. You know, Seph Schlueter I see the life of your first daughter Charlotte, just m. Just magnified through so many because she changed your life forever and she strengthened your faith. And you carry her with you wherever you go through whatever song that you write, through ever, whatever message that you give. And we serve a, God who can use the life of a 20 week old baby like that. That is amazing. And that is beautiful, Seph Schlueter We've come to the end of our time together. I'm really pretty sad about that. But I would love to give you just one minute to tell people where to find you, where to find you on tour, your music, and then, of course, getting your beautiful book.
Seph Schlueter Hey, yeah, the. If you go to my website, sephschlueter.com you can kind of find everything there on my socials or, just look up Seph It's probably the easiest if you don't want to have to try to spell the last name. That's. You can, you know, look at my music on Spotify or YouTube or whatever, find the book there. I mean, the book's also sold pretty much everywhere you can buy books, so Amazon, Barnes and Noble, all those places. but, yeah, it's been great to be with you. So thank you so much for having me. And, yeah, thanks just for the conversation and for all you do just to bring Jesus, and, his kingdom to the world. So, so grateful for that.
Dr. Jessica Peck It. I am grateful for that, too. It has been such a blessing to talk with you, honestly, today. Seph Schlueter thank you so much. I really am just loving every second of this partnership, and I know it's encouraged so many out there there. I am grateful and definitely will be counting my blessings a lot. And as we head into the Thanksgiving season, really look for opportunities to model gratitude rather than just calling out ungratitude. Be grateful for all of the little blessings. Start writing them down. It really does change your heart and your mind. And as you do, I pray, as I always do, that the Lord will bless you and keep you and make make his face to shine upon you as you count all your blessings. I'll see you right back here tomorrow. We'd like to thank our sponsors, including PreBorn. PreBorn has rescued over 400,000 babies from abortion and has seen over 100,000 commitments to Christ. Will you join PreBorn in continuing this good work? 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.
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 pound250 and say the keyword baby or visit preborn.com/AFR
Candace talks about finding out she was pregnant. Thankfully, an ultrasound provided allowed her to hear her baby's heartbeat. The sonogram sealed the deal for me. My baby was like this tiny little spectrum of hope and I saw his heart beating on the screen and knowing that there's life growing inside. I mean, that sonogram changed my life. I went from just Candace to mom. Thank you. To everybody that has given these gifts. You guys are giving more than money. You guys are giving, love.
Preborn currently has clinics that do not have ultrasound machines. Would you consider a leadership gift and sponsor a machine today? These life Saving machines cost $15,000 more than most centers can afford. Your donation will save countless lives for years to come. Dial pound250 and say the keyword baby or go to preborn.com/AFR
hello and welcome to the Doctor Nursemama Show Prescribing hope for healthy families here on American Family Radio Here's your host, professor, pediatric nurse practitioner and mom of four, Dr. Jessica Peck.
Dr. Jessica Peck Well, hey there friends and welcome to my favorite time of day. And listen, if you hear a little excitement in my voice, you would not be wrong if you are a regular listener of this show. You know I am a huge fan of Christian music and every Friday we talk about a healthy habit, for healthy families. We start in January, go all the way through the end of the year and in January we talk about four core spiritual disciplines for your family. That is reading your bible, praying, getting plugged into a church and listening to Christian music and using it as a tool for part of your discipleship. And so today that's what we're to talk about, but not in the way that you would think. But let me tell you give you a little teaser to begin with. We're talking to somebody who has three consecutive number one Christian radio singles, a platinum certified breakout song, a K-LOVE fan award. We are talking to none other than Seph Schlueter Today he his song I know you've heard it. Counting my blessings has traveled across languages and continents with more than 329last minute I checked million global streams for the song, 730 million career streams overall, billions of short plays on social media. These are remarkable numbers for an artist whose major label debut started in 2023. And there's more ahead because the next year, in 2027, he's joining TobyMac's hits Deep tour alongside Jeremy Camp. Katy Nicole, with the tour running this spring. Get your tickets. I know I'm going to get my tickets for February when he comes to Houston. But today, really, what I'm going to ask is, will the real Seph Schlueter please stand up? Because today we get them around. He's laughing already. We get the remarkable privilege to meet the person behind the songs that we sing in our cars, that we sing in our showers, that we sing with all the joy in our heart, and that we sing to reflect not feeling alone, in the pain that we feel. We're going to talk about the boy who grew up in a house with five siblings. Young musician practicing in a basement, son watching his parents live their faith. This young man learning to serve when there was not this big global audience watching because long before millions of people heard his voice, there was a family and a community who helped to shape his heart. And that matters for us today, raising kids. Because sometimes we can become so focused on what our children might accomplish, we overlook those mundane, ordinary moments shaping who they are becoming. The hard work of discipleship, the way that we speak about them, the way that we speak about how God has gifted them, how we respond to our disappointment, whether they hear us thanking God as much as they hear us asking for something. And today, what we'll talk about, too, is Seph Schlueter has brought that message of that song that is beloved by millions and millions and hundreds of millions of people all over the globe into this really beautiful, beautiful children's picture book. If you have a child you're shopping for for Christmas, you should get this book. It is so beautiful. It's friendship, kindness, a, mother's embrace, and the wonder of creation. A young boy learns to recognize gifts that he might otherwise miss. It's called counting my blessings, as you can imagine by Seph Schlueter Schleider. So today we're going to look at the childhood that made the man and how we can cultivate homes where gratitude becomes something that children experience every day. Seph Schlueter big giant, welcome. I am so excited to have you here.
Seph Schlueter Hey, thank you. Honestly, that was probably like a top three intro I've ever heard in my whole, whole career of doing this. So way to go. Props to you. Fantastic job. Even more Excited to join that.
Dr. Jessica Peck You just said that on live radio. I'm going to record it. The first place I'm going to send it is to my kids to give me street cred. And then I'm going to play that on repeat when I have a tough day. But, Seph Schlueter I mean, I've sung your song in my car. I have sung your song the top of my lungs. I love your songs. And you have a lot of really, really beautiful music. I can't wait to come to your, to your concert. But you. Let's start at the beginning, because you did. You grew up as one of six children. I think you were the second, but the oldest boy. And you just get this beautiful story. Take us inside to your childhood home. Tell us about the ordinary moments that help you understand who God was and, and who you were as God made you to be.
Seph Schlueter Yeah, I mean, my. I really look back at my family life and with a lot of gratitude. It really was a blessing. Like you said, one of six second oldest, three boys, three girls, had an older sister. And then I, was the oldest boy. And our family was just really unique in the sense that, my parents were really very, faithful, like, really taught us scripture, taught us our faith, taught us all those things from a young age, and just incorporated it into our daily lives. It wasn't just something that happened on Sundays, but praying regularly as a family through the day, talking about our faith, inviting, you know, people to our house, like, that were like, good role models and examples of that. And also similarly, like, we didn't really. My parents were very big on, like, no devices, very minimal, like tv, things like that. And so we just, like, we played a lot, we imagined things, we read a lot, we created a lot. It was just kind of an environment where there's like, a lot of creativity, fun, allowing ourselves to be bored and then figure out what to do with that boredom, which I just look back with a lot of great, appreciation for my parents. And, yeah, like I said, faith was just like a really big part of that and was, just a really cool environment to kind of grow up in and experience, something that was like, real and lived out and, was also fun at the same time.
Dr. Jessica Peck You know, Seph I don't know if you realize how powerful your words are because there's so many parents in the trenches and you're a new dad now. And as you're parenting, man, I'm telling you, kids are really good at gaslighting us and telling us no, we need the devices. You're ruining our life. Like, this is so terrible. But when you provide a compelling alternative, to hear, you look back with that reflection on your childhood and say, yeah, my parents didn't have devices. They created space for play, for creativity. And I'm glad they did. It benefited me. That is something that parents are just going to hold on to and really tuck in their heart.
Prayer And Scripture Awakened Seph’s Personal Relationship With God
And. And you talked about, you know, you're growing faith and making that faith your own. You really differentiate that a little. Like there was a difference between what your parents taught you and when you really embraced that, your own personal, living, walking, breathing relationship with Christ. Can you tell me a little bit about how that transformation happened?
Seph Schlueter Totally, yeah. Like I said, I grew up in this environment where faith is like a real thing. But I think like anybody, you know, it, it's the parents. Faith isn't just going to be your own. Like, you have to kind of come to that, is this my thing or not? and that really, for me kind of was around right before and around high school. Whereas, you know, eighth grade, you kind of start to ask the questions and, you know, have the considerations. God really real? Is this really like legit? Is, Is Jesus actually, like, for me, like, what is this? What does all this mean? It can't just be like my parents thing. And so I kind of. I went down that road. I kind of explored it in my own little ways as an eighth grader who, you know, the opportunity to read and study and whatever and kind of came to the conclusion that God was real. and so I didn't want to go to hell. I wanted to do all the right things. But he was far off and impersonal. Like, he was kind of, The way I phrased it was like he was like a watchmaker who created the watch, set it into motion and then just kind of let it run. And every now and then he'd come in and. And, you know, fix things up a little bit and, you know, adjust the watch and whatever. But for the most part was far off and unmoved because that's kind of how I felt God was to me. I was like, okay, I believe he's real. It makes sense in my mind that he's real. But m. I don't know if I can have that real personal relationship with him where he's going to be like a friend to me. Like, I can talk to him like I'm talking to you right now, or, he is involved in my day to day life and So I kind of just went through, like, the motions a little bit. It was kind of like, all right. I'm like, I don't want to go to hell. I want to be a good boy. So I'm going to try to do as much as I can, but, you know, still struggle with sin here and there, and I'm gonna hide that and not bring it to the light. but, like, God isn't gonna be my everything, because I don't feel like I'm his everything, you know? And when you don't feel like you have the attention of God or, like, he's, like, there in your life, then you search for that in other people. And so I just wanted, like, I was. Went through a season just wanting to get the attention, the approval, the admiration of all these other people. And, you know, the crazy thing about that is, is the more you get, the more you actually need. It doesn't actually fill you up. And so I remember just kind of being. Feeling empty at that space. Like, man, I'm getting people like me. I'm, you know, doing really well in school and sports and music and all these things, but, like, I still kind of feel empty. M. And I remember just kind of reading about, you know, and hearing all the time about this abundant life that Jesus promised and that. I'm like, I don't feel like my life is abundant. I feel kind of empty. Kind of like I'm just going through the motions, and I feel, like, burnt out a little bit. And I remember just kind of coming to the Lord in prayer one day and just opening my Bible and, like, sitting. I feel like for the first time, just being really, really open, like God. I feel like I can't do this on my own. I feel worn. I feel tired. I know you're there. I see that. I'm reading about this abundant life. I'm hearing from people that you want a personal relationship with me. I want that. So, like, would you just, like, help me find it? And I remember just kind of feeling like a little glimmer in that moment of just this. This peace and this joy that I've been missing. And so I kept coming back to it. I kept coming back to times of prayer and just opening my Bible, spending time with the Lord, and gradually through that, through other people, through, you know, times of, worship and experience. Like, I just. My faith began to come alive, and I began to experience that abundant life. And it went from just being something my parents talked about to something that I was actually really living and felt Was my own thing. And I'm the kind of person that when I'm all in for something, like, I want to be all in. So I'm experiencing this, like, abundant life. And I'm like, man, like, do my friends know about this? And they, like, had no idea what I was talking about. So I'm like, okay, we got. I gotta show you. And so just started gathering people at my house on a weekly basis. And I mean, again, I was like, probably 15, 16 at this point. How, like, we get, like 50 kids in my basement and we would like all like, pray together, worship together, read the Word together, have like, small group times together for like, hours and hours on Saturday nights. It was like, really, really special. And I look back to it with just like, man, like this. So cool what the Lord did in that time. And they really all just came from that decision, to really make him my everything, which came m from that. Encountering this reality of him not just being far off and distant, but close and personal and wanting that deep relationship with me.
Choosing Humble Service Over A Scholarship Shaped Seph’s Formation
Dr. Jessica Peck Well, you know, I said in the intro, Seph Schlueter well, the real Seph Schlueter please stand up. And you have not disappointed at all. That was incredibly authentic, you know, and. And so relatable. I think that's a really great example. I wrote down something that you said. You said when you were talking about the affirmation of men, you said, the more you get, the more you need. And I see that to be true in getting into the Word of God. Once you hear the word of. Once you read the Word of God, you hear the voice of God, the more that you get of that, the more that you need. And that is what leads you to the life abundantly. And one of the things that you've talked about in growing your faith that was really instrumental was your years at Damascus that you spent. I've heard you describe that as a time of spiritual formation. And I think about it, you know, of course, when we think of Damascus, we think Paul on the road to Damascus, encountering Jesus and having a radical transformation. And most people don't realize that it was about a decade before he went on his first missionary journey. It was a time of preparation, of ministry. And you talked about that, that making sure that your character growth was in pace with your platform growth. Because that all that kind of rapid exposure that you can have if you don't have the character, I would imagine that would be really difficult to do. What do you see as your time at damasc? How did that service prepare you for the Kind of global explosion that happened with your song Counting My Blessings.
Seph Schlueter Yeah, there is. So Damascus is a ministry in Ohio that really is all about bringing revival to the church. And they run retreat. They have like 500 acres of land, run retreats, conferences, big, summer camp with like 6,000 kids coming. Like, it's like a really big thing. So I went as a summer camper for two years and it was really instrumental in my high school years of just actually learning how to live out my faith, seeing young adults not that much older than me on fire for the Lord and just encountering Jesus there. And so when I was thinking about what to do post high school, I was kind of between serving there, they have a two year missionary program where you live in a community, doing formation, going out on the streets and playing with strangers, running retreats for these high school, middle school kids to bring them into, encounter with Jesus. All these things which I really love. Or going to college and in sunny Florida and having. I got a full ride there and you know, I was like, I still want to do the ministry because it was just part of my heart. I'm like, oh, I can do it and there and be awesome and whatever. And I thought I was going to go there. I was like, all right, I'm going to do this, accept, to the full ride, all these things. And then just one, like, for a period of prayer, like the Lord just revealed to me one day, like, hey, you can go there and I'll bless it because I, like, I love you, I'm for you on Friday, or you can go to Damascus and it's going to be a lot less glamorous. You know, you're running retreats from middle schoolers. It's like summer campy. You're cleaning toilets. Your schedule's not your own, your time's not your own, but I want to grow you there. I have things for you there that, that you're not going to get here. And so turned on the full ride. My parents were not exactly excited about that. But at the time, you know, but just turned on and you
Dr. Jessica Peck know what, Seph? I'm actually, I'm going to hold you right there. We are already at our first break, but listen, I have a million more questions. And we are going to play a little clip of that song, Counting My Blessings. If you're thinking, oh, I know that song, I know it by heart, or do I know that song, you'll probably hear it and think, yeah, you know it. God is doing a mighty work through Christian artist Seph Schlueter We're talking about his book Counting My Blessings. Get a copy of it and make sure you come back right after the break. Break. We'll play some music and we'll have more of our interview. See you on the other side. Hello, I'm Jessica peck, host of Dr. Nurse Mama. Did you know that this content is listener supported? Without people like you, this podcast would not exist. And that's why we need you. A generous monthly gift of any amount will help sustain American Family Radio and specifically this podcast. Please consider becoming a monthly financial partner today by visiting afr.net/give that's afr.net/give
Counting My Blessings by Seph Schlueter it's like it was yesterday. I was praying for a miracle, scared to have a little hope. And now looking back today, seeing all the things you've done, I can't even out them up. 1, 2, 2, 3. Up to infinity. I'd run out of numbers before I could. Thank you for everything, God. I'm still counting my blessings. All that you've done in my life. The more that I look in the details, the more of your goodness. I Father on this side of heaven. I know that I run out of time, but I will keep counting my blessings knowing I can't count that high.
Dr. Jessica Peck welcome back, friends. That is Counting My Blessings by Seph Schlueter And. And we have him in the studio today. Joining us, we are talking to Seph Schlueter You may recognize that song that is a global sensation. But we're talking today about his children's book. His artistry has continued from music into writing. He has the most exquisite children's book. It's called Counting My Blessings. I've got it here on video if you want to see what it looks like, if you're looking for it online or in the store. And it is just a beautiful reminder and a, continuation really of that song and a great tool for families to demonstrate how there's just always something to be grateful for. No matter what you're facing, you can be facing some of the darkest, hardest, most difficult times in your life. And God is always giving us something to be grateful for. We talked to Seph Schlueter about his growing up, his. His heritage of faith, his parents who raised him to know God, to love his word. We talked about his. His transition to his own personal faith, making that faith his own. And right before the break, we were talk his days at Damascus. He turned down a full scholarship to a college in Florida and went to a camp in Ohio instead. And Seph Schlueter you were just talking about how, you know I, I think we left it somewhere between scrubbing toilets and meeting the Lord. So I'm going to give it back to you there and let you finish telling us about your, your formative time there.
Seph Schlueter Yeah, I love. There's a scripture passage where Jesus says, you know, if you want to those, if you want to find your life, you have to lose it kind of thing. You know, those who lose your life will find it. And I, it was funny because during that season, so many people are telling me, like, you're throwing your life away. Like, what are you doing? You have full ride. Just do that first. And then, you know, if you want to do ministry afterwards, then, yeah, do that. But like, why don't you have this safety net kind of thing? And I'm like, man, like Jesus literally says, like, you have to lose your life. You have to, you have to lose it all. And I think there's something so beautiful about just surrendering and just saying, lord, not my will, but yours be done. And yeah, this might not make sense, but the wisdom of man is foolishness that God's scripture tells us. And so, it felt like one of those moments for me where I'm like, I just felt the Holy Spirit really telling me to do this and I had to be obedient to it. And so I went to Damascus. And you know, it's, it's not glamorous. I mean, it was a great community of people. Incredible. And again, so formative for me, but really it was about learning how to die to myself, learning how to lose my life, learning to surrender my preferences, my comfort hurt, my dreams, my desires, and I really know aspirations of doing anything crazy. I was like, I wasn't like, man, this is my strategy to become a, recording artist. And yeah, no, it's like, man, I just want to show up and serve because that's, that's what I believe God asks us to do. And it's like he's building that foundation, in your life and he's allowing it to, to happen. I remember someone, sharing this, this image, ah, that stuck with me for a while about like, how old school photos, when they would take them, they had to develop them and they had to be developed in a, in a dark room. Literally, like this dark room they had to be developed in. And if a light got in too early, it would ruin the picture. And I think it's such a good analogy for seasons of formation in our lives where we're not really exposed to the light. We're not. Don't have a stage, don't have a platform, don't. Whatever. It's like God develops you in those moments. David was a shepherd boy for years. He was. He was told he was going to be king and still was a shepherd for years and years and years before. Jesus didn't start public ministry until 30. There was years and years of even Jesus just being in the dark room, being in that space of nobody really knowing. And that was like Damascus for me. It was just the Lord, uncovering and, revealing and healing and building things in my heart that needed work. And, it was a beautiful season. I mean, just really instilled in me the necessity for daily prayer for, like, spending time with the Lord, how to hear his voice, how to, you know, evangelize and speaking to other people. And right around that time, I'd been worship leading beforehand, but really dove into worship leading and started really songwriting for the first time. And really what it would be is we'd help. We have these kids coming on retreats, and we always pray like, lord, what do you want to speak to this group of kids specifically?
Parents Modeled Faith And Supported Seph’s Gifts And Calling
Because there's something, a message you have for them that's different than the last group that came and the next group, like, they, you know, what these kids need to hear based off of their life, their environment, their school, whatever. And, you know, we would just feel like the Lord would share things with us. And I remember as a worship leader, you know, then kind of trying to build a set around that, and we had no idea what we were doing. Worship, like, we're, like, so young and whatever, like, didn't have any, like, systems. It was just like an acoustic guitar and a piano maybe. and. But we were like, man, like, what is the Lord want to speak? And I remember kind of trying to create a set list, and sometimes it felt like there weren't any songs that really specifically spoke to the needs of those kids. So I was like, whoa, well, I'm gonna just try to write one, you know? And that's kind of really where the songwriting started happening, was really just kind of like, what do these kids need to hear? What do they need to sing? What do they need to declare over their life? Who does the Lord need to be for them right now and writing for that? And most of those will never see the light of day. They were one and done. And I
Dr. Jessica Peck don't know. You never know. Maybe it'll come out, like, 20 years from now. You never know. You might go back to that,
Seph Schlueter right? But there was. There was one in particular during, our winter camp that we had, that really, like, stood out and became just, like, this anthem for the community. And they caught on so fast. And I'm like, man, this is, like, really sweet. I should. I should record this. Like, so many people are telling me, you gotta, like, record this because it can't be found anywhere because you just made it. So I, like, got it. I called an old friend who I knew worked in that a little bit, and I got this song recorded and, put it out there. And, shortly afterwards, did another one that was really impactful for our community. And that one I kind of crowdfunded for so I could get a little bigger production on. And, just kind of send it on Instagram to a number of different people and. Right. and a couple. There was two people that responded. One was a guy who's working at this big label in Nashville, and the other was a guy named Phil Wickham, who many of you all probably have heard of.
Dr. Jessica Peck I'm a big fan of Phil Wickham. I love that guy.
Seph Schlueter He's the best. He's really, really the best. And so, yeah, so that kind of just ended up opening. Opening doors. It was like, after this season, just growing and stretching in the Lord, just doing a lot. And then I felt like I kind of got permission to start, you know, opening the door a little bit to get some light in. And, the Lord just started opening these doors, which is just really, really special.
Dr. Jessica Peck I think it's ironic, Seph Schlueter because when. When. From what I understand, from what I read now, I'm sounding like I've stalked you online, you know, but I kind of have. And when I. When I. You went to Florida, Is that right? To. To be with Phil Wickham? I mean, so you did end up in Florida, but just not at college there. And I want to know now, how do your parents feel about you declining that scholarship? Are they okay with it now?
Seph Schlueter I think they're pretty okay with it. They
Dr. Jessica Peck recognize that
Seph Schlueter and. And it was a cool thing. I think there was a grace given to me even, that time, because they were. They were. It was hard for them. It was really difficult for them to kind of, like, see me, you know, throw that away and whatever. But I think there's a grace in my heart to be like, man, they're. They're just doing this because they love me. Like, they're. They're struggling with this because they genuinely love me, and they think that this is what's going to be Best for me. And I feel differently, but I understand where they're coming from. I think there's a lot of just like compassion and empathy, but they just really feel like this is the best way. And I love them that they love me so much that they feel this way, you know, but now I think they're like, yeah, this, this, this kind of all worked out for you. Like, and that's great. I'm like, if I would have gone to Florida, none of that I don't think would have happened. I mean, who knows? You know, you can't, you can't put God in the box. But, I think that it happened the way he wanted it to, with me going to the mastiff.
Dr. Jessica Peck But ultimately it sounds like they trusted the Holy Spirit in you and they did nurture those gifts when you were young, those musical gifts that you had. And what do you see as their investment in you then that paid off now when your ability to really minister to so many people, because I know, Seph Schlueter your music has just met people at such a point of need and God has just, I feel like your music is so just blessed by the Holy Spirit, you know, to really do that. How do you see that legacy that your parents had, nurturing those gifts that you had as a musician or an artist?
Seph Schlueter I mean, obviously I started taking piano lessons when I was five, so they invested in me then and you know, paying for lessons and my dad would just kind of pick up a guitar. Lead worship just for our family really. So like even kind of that being a part of our lives and I mean even like, yeah, when I was running these like, youth group type things in my house, like my mom would make a home cooked meal for, you know, 50 people every week, that they could come and we have this meal together and gather around it and they just like totally supported that happening and us being just present for that and, and I think just so many things where they just like supported me. And obviously, most importantly, I think having the example of two people who I, I knew that Jesus was actually their number one priority. Like, I think it's like a, it's a hard thing to find, but like, I can generally look back and see like, man, y' all really loved Jesus and y' all really wanted our lives to be built around him. Even when it was uncomfortable, even when it was imperfectly died. Like you genuinely wanted Jesus to be everything and that's something special. There's a grace in that that, you really can't even put words to I think there's a reason. I mean, I'm, like I said, one of six. All of us are adults out of the house, and all of us are still very involved in our faith. You know, all of us really kind of pursuing careers and doing like, really incredible things in different spheres. And I think so much of it just came from seeing my parents be all in and, and just allowing us to dream and allowing us to kind of have that space to find, our passions and just pursue them.
Unexpected Success Inspired A Children’s Book From The Hit Song
Dr. Jessica Peck Well, Seph Schlueter did you ever dream that the. Your song Counting My Blessings would be so big? Would it be a, a global sensation like it is. What. What has been. What has it been like to put that out into the world and to watch it be so beloved by so many?
Seph Schlueter It's been nuts. I mean. I mean, when we wrote the song, we felt it was really special. I like to tell the story, shortly after we wrote it, I was the guy who initially I connected with, sent my song to, responded. He was at a label at the time, ended up leaving the label, becoming a manager. And then we were getting all these asks from all these labels wanting to sign us. And so we would basically kind of. What will happen is they'll do showcases where you will go to the label, they'll introduce you to people, and you kind of play some songs live for them just to kind of. They get a feel for who you are, how you sound, live with what your heart is for the music, etc. And I was talking with our manager about which songs I wanted to play. And I'd just written Counting My Blessings pretty recently, but we didn't have the demo back for it yet, so he hadn't heard it. And I was like, there's a song I wrote. It's called Kyle My Blessings. I think it's a really good one. But you haven't heard it. I think I want to play it for this song. He's like, great. Do you feel like it's a great one and go for it? So we played it, and it's like every room we played it in, everyone's like, man, like, that's. That's really special. And that's kind of how we felt. but you never know what that means. Like, you know, you just never. Songs are so unpredictable. Audiences are so unpredictable. You just never really know what's going to work, or how. How the world is going to use it. So I think we knew it was special. We felt like there was something really sweet about It. But especially as like a brand new artist debuting his first single with a label, like, I don't think any of us really expected it to do what it did. I mean, on radio, on socials, across globe, on streaming, like, all the different things, it kind of blew our mind to be like, man, this feels like something totally just, like just God doing something crazy here. Because we couldn't have planned this
Dr. Jessica Peck anointed is what it seems like. And then, I mean, you could have done a lot of different things, Seph Schlueter You could have gone a lot of different directions. I would just be so bold as to say children's book is kind of a left turn that's kind of. That. That's not something that I would see coming. But it's. It's so beautiful. I mean, honestly, I look at a lot of children's books and we talk a lot about. About, a lot of children's books on this show, but this is just so beautiful. How did you decide to translate the song into this book for families?
Seph Schlueter Yeah, there was at some point a couple years back, someone reached out and was like, hey, have you ever thought about making Count My Blessings into a kids book? And it kind of was like a. Well, duh. That feels like so good. Like, I had thought about it, but I feel like. Like it just makes so much sense. I mean, it's a counting song. There's 1, 2, 3 in it. and even just like seeing the impact that the song was having on families in particular, like people sending videos of their kids singing in talent shows or parents telling us that, you know, it was the first song, that first and only song the kids request when they like, get in the car. Just like the impact of it, like, being out on the road and kids coming out telling me to. It was just like, man, this feels like just kind of the natural next step. And so, we found an awesome partner to kind of go with us and. And make it happen. Because there's a lot of similarities but a lot of differences when it comes to releasing a song and releasing a book. And so, it was just really cool to have like a great team, and make it just come out and really, like, like you've said, like, just making it an extension of the song. Like, man, what this song kind of does in three minutes, to your. To your ears, you know, like, how do we. We. How do we put that in a book that can be reread and visualized and a, new angle to it that kind of helps expand on the song a little bit, but for kids and hopefully also for the parents reading it to the kids as well. So it was really cool to kind of have that.
Writing, Gratitude, And The Book’s Everyday Blessings
And people always ask me m like, so are you going to write more books? You know, is this the first of many? And I don't know. I would like. I actually love writing. I love, I think it's really, really fun. And my dad would. This is just also another funny childhood thing. My dad would, would take the kids. We were all homeschooled and so we had like our, we did like online school, laptops, whatever. So my dad would take, the kids to like coffee shops and we'd just write, like, we would just write on
Dr. Jessica Peck a
Seph Schlueter Word document and we'd be like. He'd be like, all right, write a book. And we all were like, all right, great. We're gonna write a book. And we come through ideas and we just write. And none of them actually really went far, but it was like something I think we always enjoyed doing. And I'm a big reader and so, I would always love to, to write. So I'm like, it was just doing. Starting with a kids book kept. Felt kind of fun. And, who knows what will come next? But it's fun that it opened the door to kind of that being a possibility in my life.
Dr. Jessica Peck Well, you know, Seph Schlueter you just said that I can picture like, I don't know, 8, 10 year old Seph Schlueter in a coffee shop. Like even before that was cool. So your dad's automatically cool in my book. And you just said, you know, you're writing a book and it didn't go far. sir, I'd beg to differ. I think it went very, very, very far. Just not in the way that you have. And that's where I just come back to. God's ways are higher than our ways, and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts. And your life, Seph Schlueter is such a beautiful testimony of what submission to the Lord does. Learning to know his voice and to follow him. Whether that's through mountaintops, which we've talked about, or through valleys. We know that we can count our blessings. And I am so enthusiastic about that because I know the health benefits of gratitude. I know that God has given us that command and in his Word for our good and, for his glory. Ultimately, there's so many verses that tell us that the antidote to anxiety is gratitude. And you have helped us do that in such a beautiful way. Through story and song. We'll have much more with Seph Schlueter when we come back, do not go away. You won't want to miss it.
Mark Oss When you hear the letters afr, there are a lot of things that could come to mind. Automotive Finders Resource, Alligator Frying Research or the association of Flying Rednecks. All great organizations, no doubt. But we hope the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear AFR is American Family Radio, a, listener supported network dedicated to sharing the gospel and promoting godly values. God expects maturity in us. We should not be comfortable living with habitual sins.
So that's a news cycle item. Is it the top news
story to God? No, because he warned us about all of this. Now, I don't care how nice you think you are, if you're not telling someone the truth, you're not being loving to them.
Make no mistake, we're not anglers from Red Bay, but we are AFR American Family Radio And we're happy you're listening.
Counting My Blessings by Seph Schlueter before I could. Thank you for everything, God, I'm still counting my blessings. All that you've done in my life the more that I look in the detail, the more of your goodness I'll find Father on the inside of heaven I know that I run out of time But I will keep counting my blessings m Knowing I can count that high I will keep counting my blessings knowing I can't count that high
Dr. Jessica Peck welcome back, friends. That is Counting My Blessings by Seph Schlueter No doubt many of you have heard that song and God has used it to minister to in some way. And I'm so excited to tell you that we have none other than Seph Schlueter himself here today with us talking about his beautiful new children's book. It's called Counting My Blessings. It's an extension of that song. It is such a beautiful story about a little boy who feels a little down and he's encouraged to count his blessings. And you know, Seph Schlueter as a mom, I'm a mom of four and my kids are older now. I think that, you know, as parents, sometimes we just don't do a great job of modeling what gratitude looks like. Now we're quick to point out what a lack of gratitude is. I mean, especially around the holidays, right? Like, cue all the moms saying there are children in other parts of the country who don't have what you have. And you're so ungrateful. You should be so grateful that I'm your mom. That's one of the things I love about this book, is that it's not just calling out that lack of gratitude and, and you know, and really kind of shaming it. It's showing what gratitude looks like. And the blessings in this book are really wonderfully ordinary. It great, blessings that are a hug, a friendship, a kind of funny stray cat in here and the beauty of the world. Why do you think it's so important for us to count our blessings and to look at the blessings of those simple gifts God gives us every day, like a sunrise and a sunset and a relationship next to us. How do you think we can model that for children?
Seph Schlueter Yeah, I think, you know, I love when, when science finally catches up to scripture. And you know, scripture just tells us all the time, like, give thanks to the Lord, give thanks, praise him like so many times, give thanks. And all of a sudden like, you know, science is like, hey, gratitude is really good for you mentally, you know, physically, like all these things. Like, it's really helpful because even it's interesting. There's like I remember seeing there's two parts of your brain and they. That can't be on at the same time for gratitude and anxiety. So like when you actually give start to give thanks, it starts to shut down the part of your brain that's like anxious about things. So like, even like little things like that, you're like, man, this is so cool. Just the way God designed us to do this. But it's even funny. Like the other day I was reading, in the story in the Gospel of Luke, I believe, where Jesus, heals the 10 lepers. The 10 lepers come to him, they're like, cry out for healing. He's like, go present yourself to the priests. And they leave. And on the way they're all healed, but only one comes back and gives thanks. And Jesus tells him, like, your faith has saved you. Like, they all got healed. But he got, there was a saving that happened to him from coming back and being thankful. And the reality is God is going to give so many blessings in our life. And we can be like the other nine that just keep on the way and be like, you know, all right, cool, blessing, whatever, awesome. Or we can be to that one that comes back to the Lord and says, man, thank you God for this. I want to actually. It took him effort. It took him effort to turn around, then come back to Jesus and say thank you. But in that effort, he actually discovers an even deeper healing by coming to Jesus. And I think there's something about that as parents is we're so busy. We're way too busy. Most of us, us. And it's just thing to thing the thing to think the thing. And we forget to pause, turn around, go to the Lord. Thank you, God, for this. Thank you for the things in my life that are making me busy, that I once prayed for and now I, I complain about. I once prayed that like, well, Lord, give me a beautiful family. And also it's like, oh, gosh, it's so busy. It's like, yeah, that's kind of part of it. Well, give me healthy kids. It's like, oh, they're doing sports. I can't, like, whatever it might be. I think it's like, man, we prayed for these things also. We get them. And it's so easy for us to just complain. But I remember hearing someone say once too that like, complaining is to the devil, it praises to God. And I think it's just that like, reality of when we, like what, what has our attention, what has our focus, and letting gratitude be what comes from us. Because again, not only is it good for our mentally spirit, physically, but like, spiritually, it allows us to enter into the world with deeper wonder and awe and fulfillment because we get to encounter Jesus in those moments. As we thank him, we all begin to see his presence even more. And so I think as parents just being able to model that for our kids, like, yeah, it's easy complain that our kids aren't being, aren't, thanking to things. But how often do we thank God for things out loud? You know, man, God, thank you so much for this. Like, my wife and I try to do that. We'll just have a random like, gratitude checks throughout the day. Hey, what's, what are three things you're grateful for right now? And we're just like saying, I'm grateful for this, I'm grateful for this, I'm grateful for this. And all of a sudden it's like, man, life is good. Life is beautiful. There's so many great things. And I'm just so grateful. And so I think modeling it and letting it be, be a regular part of your rhythm of life of just like out loud saying, saying things like, hey, what are you grateful for? giving thanks for things even randomly, like, oh man, like I tried out, like, if I'm like on the walk with my family. And man, God, I'm so grateful for these, these changing leaves. This is so beautiful. I'm so grateful for this weather or, oh man, this coffee. Just, oh, thank you Jesus for this coffee. Oh, yeah, Amen. But, but saying out loud, you make it a habit that just becomes part of what your normal thing is. And my hope is that, that my little girl will see that and realize that, and. And she'll start imitating it too, and just thanking God for those things as well.
Children Learn Gratitude When Parents Model It Consistently
Dr. Jessica Peck I promise you, Seph she will. Because my kids did it. And then, you know, when they would see me have a heart of ungratitude, my youngest son especially, he's really. I want to say he's really bad about this, but he's really good about this, actually. He'll come up to me and he'll say, okay, Mom, I want you to take three deep breaths and start telling me things that you're grateful for. And I feel like a child because I'm like, well, you know, I'm grateful for you and I'm grateful for this, but, you know, once you let down your sin and your pride and you lay that down, it is such a beautiful thing. You said it best. When science catches up to scripture, and that's where, you know, I can look at verses like, in everything, give thanks not for everything, but in everything. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. That's just not like our proverbial little cartoon heart, you know, like we see, on the Grinch or something like that. That's our literal blood vessel. It actually makes our heart healthier, decreases the risk of cancer and stroke and heart attack. God is for our good, even when our version of good doesn't seem like it aligns with God.
Seph Praises God Amid Grief After Losing His First Daughter
And I know, Seph Schlueter that you have experienced, that you have shared very openly about some of the trials that you've walked through. You've shared about the loss of your first daughter, Charlotte Davy, at, ah, 20 weeks, and, and how hard that is. And it's easy to be thankful when things are good, you know, when the, when your song is just going all over the globe. But there are also valleys in your life, too. And sometimes that can be the hardest place to give thanks to, count your blessings, but the most meaningful. Can you share a little bit about how those experiences change the way that you sing and write songs?
Seph Schlueter Yeah, absolutely. There's our, I remember hearing once this idea that there is a praise that we can only give God on this side of heaven, that we won't be able to on that side of heaven, because when we get to heaven, we're going to be able to. We praise him with no tears, no pain, no fear, no doubt. Any of that. It's going to Be beautiful. But we're at the days are numbered, then that means where we can give him a praise that comes from a place of maybe a little bit of doubt or fear or pain or tears or whatever it might be like. We're not always going to have that as a gift we can offer, so I don't want to waste that while I have it. And I actually ended up writing a song. Song about that called this side of Heaven. Probably a year before we lost our daughter, I was talking with some friends about this idea. One of them was going through some hard things. And, yeah, we just wrote this idea of, like, man, we're gonna praise anointing of he's. Who knows how much longer we have to give that gift to God. So I want to give it while I can. I don't want to waste it. and then it was just funny. The song hadn't come out, but the demo was just kind of living on my phone. And it became kind of a lifeline for me when, like I said, almost a year later, we lost our first little girl at 20 weeks. And, all the questions, all the feelings, all the hurt, all the confusion, and why God would allow something like that to happen. But I don't always get answers, but I get his presence. And he's with us in those moments. And he's no less worthy of praise in those moments than he is, when everything goes according to my plan. And that's really hard for us to learn because we like to be in control, and we like to kind of be like, well, if it goes this way, then I'm happy. And if it doesn't go this way, then I'm not happy. but he is bigger than all of that. And the crazy thing is he doesn't owe me anything. He doesn't owe me answered, prayers. He hasn't owe me amazing gifts or blessings. He doesn't owe me any of it. Now, the wild things he still does. Like, he still gives because he's a good giver of gifts. And he does that. That. But if he never gave me anything else in my life, I would still have countless reasons to thank him and bless him and praise his name because he is the Lord and He's worthy of it. And so I think just learning to still offer that gift of praise in those moments, I mean, it's a special gift that you can only give him on this side of heaven. And there's a reward for it on that side of heaven, of being able to still lift it up to him. And we're going to see the beauty of it even more on that side of heaven. So I don't have to understand it to give it. I don't have to feel it to give it it. I don't have to. It doesn't have to make sense for me to give it. But he is still the Lord and He's still worthy of praise. And I still have so many reasons to praise him. And I can't discount all the, all the amazing, beautiful ways that he's shown up and saved and healed and delivered because it didn't turn out like just one time I wanted it to. And so I think, yeah, in those moments, learning to praise God in the midst of the pain, in the midst of the heartbreak, knowing that he's still no less worthy of worship and that he somehow is going to take that horrible experience and make it good, come from it, and I can just trust that his wisdom is greater than my own.
Parenthood Helps Seph Trust God Through Pain And Uncertainty
I know I have. We, we do have a one year old now, like I mentioned before, which is the best. But it's so funny, like, learning how God sees me through the way that I see her. And there's obviously so many ways for that. But we're on vacation, back in May, we're in Florida. And it was her first time, you know, being out in the sun, so putting sunscreen on her. And she's, I don't know, four or five months old. And, she was just furious about it. She just, you know, cry and screaming and struggling and she did not want us to put sunscreen on her at all. And I'm just like, oh my gosh, like, I'm trying to help you. I'm trying to, like, do something that, yeah, right now it's painful, but like, it's promises could be way worse if this didn't happen, you know, and just being like, hit, being hit in that moment, man, like, if I can so easily see that for my daughter that she can't, she can't see, see how this is going to work out for her good, but I can so easily see it. I'm like, ah, you just have to trust me. I'm like, man, the difference between me and my daughter and intellect is actually infinitely smaller than the difference between me and God and intellect. He is infinitely smarter than me and more wise and sees infinitely more than I see with my daughter. And so if it's so easy for me to be like, oh, I just need you to trust me on this, I'm taking care of you then, like, I shouldn't have any fear to trusting in God to take care of me. Even when in the moment it hurts, even when in the moment I don't understand, I can't see why. All I feel is the sunscreen coming on and I don't like it. But God has a bigger plan. And so that's why we can thank him in every circumstance. That's why we can praise him in the midst of all that. Because like, you are going to make good come from this. Your plan is greater and there's a reward waiting on the other side of all of it.
Dr. Jessica Peck You just said my two favorite words together in the history of ever. But God. But God, who is rich in mercy, I mean, that is, that is, that's the crux of the whole good news. And I heard a quote when I was in high school, Seph Schlueter that that has stuck with me. And it said if God was small enough to be understood, he wouldn't be big enough to be worshiped. And there's just some things, as you said this side of heaven that we're not going to understand. And, and Seph Schlueter I think it is one thing for you to say that in your personal life, but to have the platform that you do and to say that so publicly on stages like you do and, and just in front of so many people like you are right now, that, that's, that's really meaningful and I'm very grateful for your authenticity there. And, and one of the things that, you know, I look at and just God, his ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. And one of my favorite verses is Psalm, 84:11. The Lord God is a son and a shield. He gives grace and glory. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. And we can see loss and grief and pain as. How are those things good, but just as you described it. And a simple analogy is sunscreen. God sees things that are for our good. And although he grieves with us, we have a Savior who's not acquainted, who's not unacquainted with suffering. You know, Seph Schlueter I see the life of your first daughter Charlotte, just m. Just magnified through so many because she changed your life forever and she strengthened your faith. And you carry her with you wherever you go through whatever song that you write, through ever, whatever message that you give. And we serve a, God who can use the life of a 20 week old baby like that. That is amazing. And that is beautiful, Seph Schlueter We've come to the end of our time together. I'm really pretty sad about that. But I would love to give you just one minute to tell people where to find you, where to find you on tour, your music, and then, of course, getting your beautiful book.
Seph Schlueter Hey, yeah, the. If you go to my website, sephschlueter.com you can kind of find everything there on my socials or, just look up Seph It's probably the easiest if you don't want to have to try to spell the last name. That's. You can, you know, look at my music on Spotify or YouTube or whatever, find the book there. I mean, the book's also sold pretty much everywhere you can buy books, so Amazon, Barnes and Noble, all those places. but, yeah, it's been great to be with you. So thank you so much for having me. And, yeah, thanks just for the conversation and for all you do just to bring Jesus, and, his kingdom to the world. So, so grateful for that.
Dr. Jessica Peck It. I am grateful for that, too. It has been such a blessing to talk with you, honestly, today. Seph Schlueter thank you so much. I really am just loving every second of this partnership, and I know it's encouraged so many out there there. I am grateful and definitely will be counting my blessings a lot. And as we head into the Thanksgiving season, really look for opportunities to model gratitude rather than just calling out ungratitude. Be grateful for all of the little blessings. Start writing them down. It really does change your heart and your mind. And as you do, I pray, as I always do, that the Lord will bless you and keep you and make make his face to shine upon you as you count all your blessings. I'll see you right back here tomorrow. We'd like to thank our sponsors, including PreBorn. PreBorn has rescued over 400,000 babies from abortion and has seen over 100,000 commitments to Christ. Will you join PreBorn in continuing this good work? 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.
Singer-songwriter Seph Schlueter joins Jessica to discuss recognizing God's goodness in everyday moments. They also explore his children's book, Counting My Blessings, inspired by his song of the same name.
Live
Did you know American Family Radio is listener-supported? Your monthly financial support will allow us to continue upholding Godly values through our numerous channels, like American Family Radio, One Million Moms, The Stand magazine, and many more.
Become a Great Commission Partner TODAY to help AFR transform culture by rebuilding the family. When you donate today, you’ll get access to:
