American Family Radio thanks sponsor, PreBorn for supporting pro life initiatives

Dr. Jessica Peck: We would like to take a moment to thank our sponsor, PreBorn. When a mother meets her baby on ultrasound and hears their heartbeat, it's a divine connection and the majority of the time she will choose life. But they can't do it without our help. PreBorn needs us, the pro life community, to come alongside them. One ultrasound is just $28. To donate, dial pound 250 and say the keyword BABY or visit preborn.com/AFR hello

Jeff Chamblee: and welcome to the Dr. Nurse Mama show prescribing Hope for Healthy Families here on American Family Radio. Here's your host, professor, pediatric nurse practitioner and mom of four, Dr. Jessica Peck.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Well hey there friends and welcome to my favorite time of day getting to spend time with you prescribing Hope for Healthy Families. And if you have been watching anything on the local news, if you have been on on social media, if you have been anywhere not living under a rock, you know that the world is abuzz with one conversation and that has to do with football, not American football. We're talking soccer. But even more important than that is a message for all of us as we look at soccer. Capturing the world's attention we know that the world has gotten very good at capturing the attention of children and more importantly, capturing the affections of their heart. Whether it is sports or social media or gaming or entertainment, our culture understands very, very well that whoever reaches children first is going to shape the adults that they become, shape their preferences, their buying patterns, what is going to garner their affection. And that's why billions and billions of dollars are invested every year, every month, every day, in fact, every minute to compete for the attention, the affection and the loyalty of the next generation. Gen Z we have Gen Alpha who are starting to become older teenagers and as of right now, what is called Gen Beta growing up right behind them. Now the world's attention again seems to be fixed on one event that is the FIFA World Cup. And families are Catherine around televisions which I love to see that co viewing of something that is uplifting. We see neighborhoods wearing team colors. We see children dream of becoming the next soccer stoop superstar. One of the fun things about the World cup has been to see people traveling from all over the world discovering some of the blessings and abundances we have here in America. That has been some good wholesome social media content for sure. But what if one of the world's biggest sporting events could also become one of the greatest gospel opportunities of our generation? Now today we're going to talk about how God can use something as universal as soccer to point children to something infinitely greater than that championship or even a participation trophy, the hope that they find in Jesus Christ.

Jeff Nichols is vice president of USA Ministries for Child Evangelism Fellowship

Now joining us today is Jeff Nichols. He is vice president of USA Ministries for Child Evangelism Fellowship. And Jeff has served in ministry for nearly four decades and now helps lead one of the largest children's evangelism organizations in the world, Child Evangelism Fellowship. Cef, some of you may know it as it serves children in all 50 states and around the globe with a pretty bold vision. Every child, every nation, every day. And their prayer is to reach. Now I want you to listen to this their prayer. I want to know if you're praying this big. Their prayer is to reach 100 million children annually with the gospel by 2032 through partnerships with churches, volunteers and families. Jeff, I'm so glad to have you here. Thank you so much for joining us today.

Jeff Nichols: Thank you, Jessica, for the opportunity to talk about what God's doing around the world.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, Jeff, before we go around the world, let's go straight to your life, your story, your testimony. How did you come to know the Lord? And how did he bring you to work with Child Evangelism Fellowship sitting before us today, telling us about all the exciting things that are going on.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Sure.

Jeff Nichols: I actually grew up in Tupelo, Mississippi, which I know, everybody that's on this network knows. American Family Radio started there. Grew up as, going to school with some of the Wildmon kids. And so I remember when American Family Radio started back in the day. I've been a big fan all of these years, but God called me into, into his kingdom when I was 5 or 6 years old at a little church there in Tupelo called Tupelo Freehold Baptist Church. And and then when I was in high school, my, my best friend in high school was my youth pastor and he mentored me, he discipled me, and I entered the call to ministry when I was 16 years old. And it took me years for, to finally articulate why, because later as I was realized, I wanted to do for other people what he had done for me and mentoring me and discipling me. And so I went into ministry and married a girl from Tupelo, my high school sweetheart from Tupelo High School. And Debbie and I married and we served churches in Oklahoma and then in Missouri and then in Tennessee. And after I'd been serving a church there in Nashville, Tennessee for a few years as children's pastor, the pastor said we should Do a good news club. I said, what is a good news club? He said, it's an after school Bible club. I'd never heard of it before, even though I'd been in ministry a long time. And so we started doing a good news club at a local elementary school, which is an after school Bible club through child Evangelism Fellowship. And honestly, Jessica, it was just one of the best things our church ever did. We were seeing kids that we had never seen before. We were meeting families, we were able to connect with them and invite them to our church. And it was just one of the best things I was ever a part of. And then God opened up a door for me to be, the State Director of CF of Tennessee for four years and then moved into this role with USA Ministries in 2024. I can't believe I get to do what I get to do every day. And it's just, it's just amazing to see what God is doing around the United States and around the world through this ministry. It's mind bl boggling really.

Dr. Jessica Peck: It really is. Even when I talked about your vision. And Jeff, in a world that is filled with doom scrolling and perpetual bad news and anxiety and depression, I think your life and your testimony is one of the greatest examples of why our listeners love American Family Radio so much. Because how wholesome, how encouraging, how heartwarming. I love hearing stories like that, that God is at work and there is good news to be told. And you're telling that through your own life, through your, and through good news clubs. And Jeff, I've seen a real transition in parenting and even, you know, it's interesting because I've got Gen Z kids, but my youngest is really, you know, more kind of Gen Alpha. And the world really even changed as I was parenting. Even though my kids are close together and Brandice we used to worry about what our kids were exposed to and we could be gatekeepers pretty well shut the gates, you know, make sure, let's not expose them to any negative media, any negative friend associations. And screens have just totally obliterated that. And I feel like we worry too much about being the screen Beless and we're all about limits and screen time and what platforms they can't be on and trying so hard to keep those gates shut. We're not spending enough time intentionally investing in that discipleship journey, giving them a compelling alternative. Okay, you take away the phone. What are you going to do instead? How do you give them healthy discipleship outside of just sitting on the screen, which we know that Covid really, really accelerated and you are doing that. This is one of the examples of what you're doing, for example, with the Good News Club.

CEF reached 31 million children around the world last year

But let's talk a little bit. We said we're going to make sure everybody is familiar with cef. I want to make sure we're all on the same page. Can you tell us a little bit about the ministry and the vision where you're stepping in at this cultural moment to implement your vision? Every child, every nation, every day.

Jeff Nichols: Yeah, that's a, that's a great question. Because for next year will be the 90th anniversary celebration of child evangelism fellowship for us. So for 90 years, CEF, has stayed laser focused on doing three things. Evangelizing boys and girls with the gospel, discipling them in His Word, and getting them established in local churches for Christian living. Therefore, we really partner with the local church. we're not  the local church. We partner with the local church to do all three of those things. And so we come alongside the churches to help them find children around The Core than just the children that are coming to their Tricia, we help them go find locations where they're going to see children who aren't hearing about Jesus every week and maybe have never even heard the name of Jesus spoken except in a profane way. we're doing that with churches. And Jessica, I think the culture has changed in such a way that, you know, 20, 30 years ago, you can invite a family to come to church and they probably knew they should come to church, and they may even show up at church with a Bible under their arm. That is not true anymore. We are seeing so many churches, that are reaching out to kids and telling kids about Jesus for the very first time. My church that I served there in Nashville, started doing that Good News Club and saw that and I was involved, involved in that club. And I mean, we're sitting there in a public school gym after church, after school, telling these kids the Bible stories about Jesus and how much Jesus loves them. Giving, them an opportunity to respond to that invitation, you know, to respond to Jesus, ask questions about God and Jesus. And, little boy comes to the back and he said, I wanna, I should have known where he was, Jessica, when he. I said, why did you come back here today? And he said, I want to do that Christian thing. Like, I would love to show you how to do that Christian thing. So we opened up the Bible and, and he prayed this little third grade boy prayer. I love third grade boy prayers. There are no flowers in third grade boy prayers. He just sang it like he meant it. And he became a child of God in that school gym that day. And I said, where does your family go to church? And he said, I think, I think what he said next is the reason I'm doing this, this ministry today. He Stier never been to church. And he was 8, you know, 8 years old, living in Nashville, Tennessee, church on every corner in Nashville, never been to church. And I think there are a lot more of those Bradens out there than churches realize today. And that's what our ministry does, here and around the world last year. Jessica our ministry reached 31 million children around the world last year in over 200 countries. We, we tra. Take the training part of we do as being very, very important. And we trained over 600,000 volunteers and staff members around the world last year to evangelize boys and girls, the gospel, disciple them in his word and establish them in Christian churches for Christian living. And we've just not. The ministry is really not Stier or varied off of that mission for almost 90 years now.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, you know, the vision doesn't change. The strategy sometimes does. And those numbers that you're giving are just mind boggling. And we have seen things change so much. And I really do believe, I've talked about it a lot, Jeff, that I think Covid was a significant social, emotional, psychological injury to children that will be years in the unmaking because so many children, they were removed from their social support systems and now we've got this emergence of social anxiety, which in a clinical sense I hear a lot of talk about, because kids don't know how to interact with each other. The Core comfortable just sitting beside each other, texting and not even using words, Jeff. They're using emojis. And we see, you know, this generation and I. One of the things that I hear a lot, just when I'm talking, just even in my own circle of influences, I hear a lot of pessimism, a lot of negativity about this generation, a lot of negative adjectives about this, these children. And when I hear all of this talk, I think, okay, number one, the kids can hear you like they hear adults speaking these messages of doom and gloom over them, basically telling them, hey, when we grow up, when we grew up, the world was much better. This is a terrible time to be alive. And we really don't have a lot of hope in you because you're kind of weak and, you know, not resilient. And Snowflakes or whatever adjective we want to have.

What gives you hope, Jeff, in this next generation of kids?

I want to know, as somebody who's working with kids on this massive global scale that you have just said, what gives you hope, Jeff, in this next generation? What makes you excited about investing in kids? And what can you tell people about having hope and communicating those messages of hope?

Jeff Nichols: That's a great question. The eight year old that is alive today has never been eight before. They have never experienced another generation. They've never experienced the world in a different way than what they're experiencing right now. I think God knew that back in Deuteronomy 6 when he was instructing Moses what to tell the Brandice of the people who were going into the promised land to live a life that they had never lived before, never even seen or heard of before. And the very first thing that God said to those Brandice to prepare them to be Brandice in that promised land was number one, you need to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. First, no parenting advice. It was about you. And I think you make a great point, Jessica. when you say if, if, if kids are sensing Brandice freaking out, they're going to freak out.

Jeff Nichols: But love of God is contagious and love spills, over. And when you, when the kids are noticing a calm assurance in a parent's life that is built on their love for God and God's love for them. I have a good friend, his, his name's Matt Markins. He's the president of Awana International. I love what Matt says. Matt says Brandice job is not to protect their children, is to prepare their children. And that's what God was doing in Deuteronomy 6. God was preparing them for what is ahead. What was ahead in the promised land. Because God was already living in those days, just like he's already living in the days that are ahead of us already. He knows what is ahead.

Dr. Jessica Peck: He knows what ahead. What is ahead. And what is right ahead of us is a break. But don't go away because when we come back, we're going to tell you more about the work of Child Evangelism Fellowship, known as cef. And we're going to talk about what they're doing on the world stage at the World Cup. Soccer fan or not, you don't want to miss it. We'll be right back.

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See Me Through It by Brandon Heath : Things are getting real Jesus, take the wheel Only way I'm getting to the other side. Days are getting dark life's a little hard blinded but I'm trying not to lose sight I don't got this. I know you got this. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I'll believe it, before I see it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know you're gonna see me through it. If anybody can, you can do it. Gotta know in the tr. In the pain, fire in the rain. You gonna see me through it? You're gonna see me through it. If anybody can, you can do it. And whenever my heart burns away you say the see me through it.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back, friends. That is See Me through it by Brandon Heath. And no matter what you're going through today, I have absolute confidence that God is going to see you through it. You know, when I was in Kenya just recently at the beginning of the summer, we arrived right as transportation protests erupted in Nairobi. And we were in a very sensitive situation and that we really didn't know what was going to Hoppen And one of the college students who was with us said when we were having a debriefing, praying, worshiping and just seeking The Lord's wisdom and guidance on what we should do. She said, you know, I think we are just experiencing what God already knew. And that has become the theme of my summer thinking, okay, when something comes that is. That is unexpected, we know that we're experiencing what God already know. He knows the hearts and minds of every person. He created everyone with a purpose. And today we're talking specifically about children.

Child Evangelism Fellowship is using soccer to reach children across the world

Now, we know the attention of the world for much of the summer has been on the World cup, and that has dominated the news. And. And we wanted to tell you about something that's going on behind the scenes that you may not have known about, but you can connect with now. We are talking today to somebody from Child Evangelism Fellowship. Have you ever heard of this, of cef? I know many of you are thinking, yes, I'm a big fan. Well, we're talking to Jeff Nichols. He's vice president of USA Ministries, Child Evangelism fellowship otherwise known as CEF right from here. And we've been talking about the work of what they're doing in the United States and all over the world, just as we've been watching so much the World cup bring people together. And many sporting events have a unique way of doing that. We see that in the Olympics, for the most part. We just see a, uniting across cultures and languages and nations. And the world is celebrating athletic excellence. Of course, believers, Christians have an opportunity to celebrate something even greater. And that is the gospel that brings lasting hope. Not just temporary victory, but eternal victory over death in the grave forever now. Jeff, the World cup drew billions of viewers worldwide. I. I know that Houston was a host city, Dallas was a host city a Texas girl. We were prepared well in advance to expect traffic and crowds. And it has been so wholesome. It's been so fun. I'll tell you. I went to a baseball game in Texas, and I saw a lot of people from around the world. They had never been to a baseball game, had no idea what to expect, but they were having a ball, like it was so much fun. But beyond that, CEF saw this as a ministry opportunity. And you acted. So what did you see? What did you do, and what happened as a result of that?

Jeff Nichols: We always want to take advantage of cultural opportunities that being presented to us and, and latch onto those instead of trying to create an opportunity out of. Out of thin air. We want to. We want to partner along these lines. When an opportunity comes like this. This is the. The largest sporting event in the world, and that's what the World cup is. So we wanted to take advantage of that. All through the year we offer ah, to partner with churches to do Bible clubs that we may call during the school year they're called good news clubs. That may be a once a week club. During the summer they may be called five day clubs, like five days of club, like a VBS on wheels. but we also have opportunities for like a one off club, a one day club called a soccer party club. and so we designed this party club, the soccer party Club, with a great story of a young man who's in a, young boy who's on a soccer team and he's, he's really thinks the competition is the main thing and his coach is trying to let him know soccer is good, that it's not the main thing in life, it's not the most important thing in life. Having a relationship with Jesus Christ is the main thing in life. And so we made this soccer club available, to all of our local chapters around the country. We have 349 CEF chapters around the country in every state in the country. And we made this available and we're already getting great reports of these soccer clubs that are reaching kids. We had a goal in North America of reaching 1 million children in Mexico, the United States and Canada in those Stacey mainly concentrating on those Stacey that the games are being played in and doing soccer party clubs there. And it's just amazing what God is doing already through these soccer party clubs.

Dr. Jessica Peck: It is absolutely amazing because looking at my notes from what you said earlier, I wrote it down because I couldn't believe it. CEF has reached 31 million children in 200 countries and trained 600,000 volunteers. And to have a goal to reach 1 million children in North America with soccer, it's amazing. And you know Jeff, on Sunday my pastor was preaching and he was talking about how, you know, the world is really not so different and ancient people really aren't so different from modern day people. And he talked about Green and Roman culture and how typically they would worship three different entities, philosophers, political leaders and athletes. And that has remained true. You know, when we see our modern day culture, this is of the philosophers and the political leaders. I think those are a little, I think everyone would agree those are a little less appealing, especially to kids. Right. But athletes is something that someone that the kids can get around. How do we. You're talking about using this cultural moment sports, which soccer is great, I am all for it. I think kids should get outside they should get active. It's a perfect opportunity to give them an alternative rather than just say, get off your phone, get off your phone, get your face out of your phone, get off your screen. No screen time. Say, hey, come outside and play soccer with me. Play soccer with this club. How are you seeing that cultural moment leveraged really to influence them for the, with the good news of the gospel?

Jeff Nichols: the, the great opportunity that we have is to use soccer as kind of the hook of, you draw the kids in and get their attention with the soccer game and you playing the soccer stuff and playing the soccer drills and everything. But really The Core behind it is we want to share the gospel. And that's what CF does. You know, better than, better than ever is we're going to have the gospel woven into every single lesson that we teach everywhere in the world. You know, every year, every week, they're going to hear a story. Maybe the story of Jacob or maybe the story of Jesus or Paul. Well, that they're going to hear who God is, what sin is, and what Jesus has done for them and what their response needs to be and give them an opportunity to respond to that. And the good thing about this soccer party club is just using that hookup of a soccer story.

CF works with local churches to bring the gospel to children through soccer club

I just got, this story today, Jessica, of a lady who is doing this soccer party club in Denver, Colorado. And she said, my club is mostly English, Spanish, English speaking, Hispanic students, including children who are immigrants from Venezuela, learning English. As I got to the middle of the story, I realized that every student was listening intently and watching the visuals with characters who looked just like them. When I finished the story, after weaving in the gospel as written and giving the invitation, the children applauded. She Stacey, they applauded. She said, obviously it was not my teaching that had excited them. It was hearing about characters who looked like them with names for a mirror, with their friends and family involved in the story about soccer, a sport that they play. So it's just a great opportunity to share the gospel with these children. Some may have never heard the gospel put on a child's level. We have to take advantage of the opportunity we have with children when they're, when their hearts are open, their, their, their, their minds are Krissy sin hasn't set up barriers in their life yet. To think, you know, God can't forgive me for everything I've done. And studies show that the majority of people who are Christians today came to know Christ between the time they were 4 and 14 years old. We need to take advantage of that opportunity. And that's what CF does.

Dr. Jessica Peck: You know, one of the things I appreciate about this soccer club is the biblical worldview. Because, Jeff, for me, as a pediatric nurse practitioner in primary care for going on through almost three decades now, I've seen a change even in. In sports, especially in kids sports. It's become more competitive here in the United States. We've had the new name, imaging and licensing, the nil changes that have really expanded the potential for making money in college for sports. And that is. I've seen that competitiveness trickle all the way down to, to. To young kids. I mean, we're talking about like, pre. Starting at preschool age. Like, every parent thinks, you know, my kid's gonna be the next soccer star. And, and, and to quote my pastor again, he said that he had said, your kid's not gonna be the next professional athlete. And he said a professional athlete came up to him and said, hey, my kid's the next professional athlete. So for some kids, it does Hoppen But I think, you know, when we're looking at the contrast, I mean, community club soccer, not a bad thing. It can be a great thing. Teaches teamwork, teaches character, teaches resilience. But also we have this very humanistic narrative that's over it, like saying you're the hero of your own story. You know, you. This is the ultimate goal for you to play professional soccer. And if that ends, I mean, I've sat by the hospital beds, Jeff, of kids who have had knee ending career, knee career injuries. Like I'm talking at 14, 15 years old, and their whole identity is lost. Kids need discipleship. They need a biblical worldview. They need a proper view of who they are, who God created them to be, and that just one element, like athleticism is not the whole, the totality of their story. Can you talk a little bit more, Jeff, about how CEF partners with local churches to, to bring that lens of discipleship for kids and to bring those messages of hope and a greater story than just themselves?

Jeff Nichols: Yeah, I think what you're talking about, Jessica, is their identity in Christ.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Yes.

Jeff Nichols: And so many kids today are looking for their identity and other things. And those other things change every few years, and then they're. They're changing every few years and, and, and don't. And they have a shaky foundation on, which to build their life. But if their life is built on understanding, they are made and created in the image of God, and God knew them before they were born. He saw every day of their life. Again, it's a theme of what you're saying. God is already in those days. He knows what is ahead for them. And their identity is in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ Alena And he has given them gifts and abilities. They may be an artist, they may be a doctor like you, they may be a soccer player. And God has gifted them in special ways. We try to, base all of that in the hope that they have in Jesus Christ. First and foremost, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. is helping them understand that that is The Core identity of who we are as a person. And then out of that, it's interesting, Jessica, as we see those kids come to know Christ and then start to learn about Christ and grow in Christ over time, we're an aid in that discipleship process, but that's why we partner with churches, that the church is really the main discipleship mechanism that they're setting up. The Brandice to be the primary disciplers. The Brandice should be the primary, spiritual champions of any children. And the church is the one coming alongside them to do that. And true discipleship happens in that way when they're being fed and led in a way that honors God. And those kids are looking at not just what the Brandice say, but how the Brandice react and, what the Brandice value. And they know that their Brandice love the Lord your God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength.

Dr. Jessica Peck: I'm so glad that you brought that up because I agree Brandice need to be the primary disciplers. Now, realistically, we realize that not every child has that. Just as you said at the beginning of the program, Jeff, you're talking to more and more kids who say they've never been to church and their parents have never been to church as far as the kids know, in their lifetime. But as far as we can, we want the Brandice to be involved. We want the grandparents to be involved. And that's something we've moved away from a little bit in American culture. And I think kids, now more than ever, they need people around them, investing in them. One of the trends that I've seen, Jeff, is that I think we're teaching our kids really to be consumers and to seek entertainment. And that's what a lot of after school clubs do, a lot of after school activities do. They're really seeking to entertain the kids. And then kids, they consume it, and yet it's gone. It like burns up instantly and they feel empty inside still. And I think that's because we haven't taught them to Contribute to something, to be contributors rather than just consumers, and that their story, again, is bigger than them. And to have people alongside The Core alongside them, disciple them, invest in them, say, hey, I'm here, I'm not on my phone, because let's be real, Jeff. One of the biggest problems is that Brandice and grandparents, I'm going to call them out, are hypocrites on their phone. And I'm including me in that because my kids call me out all the time. Mom, hang up and hang out. That's, that's their respectful way of telling me, hey, get off your phone.

Dr. Jessica Peck: How do you engage kids during summertime?

So tell, tell us a little bit more about how you engage kids when The Core to a good news club or in other ways through cef. How are you engaging them, discipling them, equipping Brandice and grandparents to really invest in their children rather than just entertain them.

Jeff Nichols: Yeah, I love that. You are going to love this, Jessica, because our summer ministries, we have so many summer ministry opportunities. We have CF chapters that are doing ministry and, and, and county fairs and they're doing, you know, gospel face painting and different things like that. We've got so many great opportunities. But those, those Bible clubs that are done during the summertime, do you know who is teaching those Bible clubs? You don't. Do you know who we've trained to teach Bible clubs in the summertime?

Dr. Jessica Peck: I'm gonna Gazzaway, middle school kids.

Jeff Nichols: Middle school and high school students.

Dr. Jessica Peck: No.

Jeff Nichols: Or who are teaching. We probably have, right now, I'm looking at them out of the United States. We probably have about 2,000 middle school and high school students right now who are teaching kids in these five day clubs and soccer party clubs this summer. And I've been to those clubs, Jessica. When I Stand up and teach the club, they're paying attention. But when I, when a high school student stands up in front of those kids and they look at them like, oh, they're so cool. They're so cool. And you're not at home. I'm saying these, these students, they're not craft helpers. They're teaching the entire club. They're teaching the Bible lesson, the missionary story, the, the memory verse, the scripture songs, the review games. They're doing the entire club because that's part of our training. We, we train them to do this and we train them hard. How, to do this. And so we have so many students when, when people talk, oh, this young generation, they're not committed to Christ. You're not seeing the students that I'm

Dr. Jessica Peck: seeing because I'm seeing I have more questions about that. We're already at our second break. This is going way too fast, but you're absolutely right. I love, love that. And by the way, if anybody's wondering, what does she mean when she said unk? this is what my nieces and nephews have taught me. It's a polite way of saying you're old. It's short for uncle, but it means like, old uncle. There's your new word for the day. Hey, we're going to give you a lot more new and exciting information about Child Evangelism Fellowship when we come back. See you after this break. The American Family Association's mission is to inform, equip, and activate individuals to strengthen the moral foundations of our culture. Our goal is to be a leading organization in biblical worldview training for cultural transformation. We Stand on the biblical truth that all human beings, including the unborn, are created in the image of God and are endowed by him with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness Thank you for standing with the American Family Association. When you hear this, this is American Family News. You know, what follows is the truth. Your news from a Christian perspective. Hundreds of teachers are going to have to walk into that school building and they are Forrest to swallow political ideology that in many cases violates their very faith and conscience. If you miss it at the top of the hour, American Family News podcasts are available at afn.net and sign up for our daily news brief at afn.net

Somebody Prayed by Crowder: Every night there by your bed, you fold your hands and bow your head, throwing out another prayer in faith. When you're wondering if he's hearing you look at me, I'm living proof I'm only right where I am today because somebody pray. So I hit my knees cause I see. These hands have no power but there ain't an eye he don't come through. That's why when mountains move, I, say, looks like somebody pray.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back, friends. That is somebody prayed by Crowder. And somebody is praying. Somebody's praying for kids today. And that somebody is Jeff Nichols. He's president, vice president of USA Ministries with Child Evangelism Fellowship. And he has been sharing some really jaw dropping statistics about CEF. And they have been in existence for about 90 years, impacting 31 million children in more than 200 countries, training more than 600,000 volunteers. And as we see, the world's attention, ah, this summer has been on a soccer tournament. God's attention is and always will be on the hearts of his people. Children made in his Image who need hope. And Jeff, before the break, you reminded me in what you were saying about the clubs is that don't let anyone look, look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers. And you talked about how middle schoolers and high schoolers are standing to lead their younger Brice in discipleship. That is a beautiful thing. And I, you're right. I absolutely love it because that's a way to help middle schoolers and high schoolers not just be consumers of everything and try to find the best experiences for them, which I think a lot of Brandice are focused on. It's not bad in and of itself. We all, as Brandice want our kids to have good experiences, but if that's the only thing and we don't teach them to give, then what are we really doing? Tell us more ways that CEF is impacting families both here in America and all around the world. Jeff, I cannot wait to hear more good news.

Jeff Nichols: Yeah, that, that. That summer ministry program we call Christian Youth in Action, and it trains all middle schoolers and high schooler students to do that. I remember when I was state director of CF of Tennessee, I went to see, a team of, two girls who had gone to a community center in Chattanooga. There were a hundred kids in this gym that they were teaching. The community center staff was in there with them. But these two girls were teaching the whole thing. They're 13 years old and 15 years old. They taught the whole thing, did such a great job, kept the kids attention. We counseled children afterward, for salvation and questions about God. And I said to them, I asked them afterwards, I said, how many clubs have y' all taught this summer? It was toward the end of the summer and they're like, like figuring it up on their hands. They're like, oh, we've taught about 50. 50, 50 Bible clubs in one summer.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Wow, 50.

Jeff Nichols: And I just thought, I don't. I just, just. I know there, there are so many great ministries out there that are, that are training and reaching young people. but the CF gives them an opportunity to become ministers, not wait on them to be ministered. Let to, you know, and just minister to them. Now we, we give them an opportunity to do that. And we see so many of our staff, we about 950 staff here in the United States. We see so many of those staff. When I ask them, you know, how did you get started in CEO? if it was that summer ministry program, Christian Youth in Action, that got them started, that they saw that God could use them right then and they actually have an ability to do it. And, they want to do it and be used in that way. And I remember Tony Campalo saying, years, you know, decades ago, he said, you know, why students don't serve, you don't give them an opportunity to serve. And so we, we want to give them an opportunity to serve and to reach those children. Two billion children in the world today, estimates are 40% of them, have not heard the, the good news of Jesus Christ. There's a huge mission field out there, Jessica, that we need to reach and we need to be praying for God to open up Tricia, I can't tell you stories about some of the countries that we're in today. I will just say God is doing some unbelievable things in very, very dark places in the world that we can't talk about today.

 All experts agree that childhood mental health crisis is real

Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, Jeff, I have to say you are fanning the fires of conviction in my heart, really, truly, because I think so much of what you offer is what intuitively parents and grandparents know, but we just don't do. And we see this push towards. I know that I'm really harping on this, but it's something that's been really convicting me. All of the push toward entertainment for kids, edutainment, infotainment. I mean, pretty much any, anything that we've done with kids, we've marketed it and changed it to entertainment. And we're just filling them with empty, you know, just passing their hours and wondering why we're having epidemics of, of anxiety and depression and self harm and just every other Mintle health crisis that you can imagine. And all experts agree the crisis is real. Even experts who can't necessarily agree on what exactly the cause is. I think, regardless, this is such a healthy first step. And so, Jeff, I want you to tell the listeners are my listeners. How can they get involved if they're thinking, yeah, you know, I've been meaning to, to, to step into that, or hey, I'm hearing about this for the first time. What are ways that they can either get their kids plugged in or to serve, to receive? Whether they can volunteer Brandice grandparents, any adult who's invested in the next generation. What can they do?

Jeff Nichols: Yeah, that's, that's a great question.

Child Evangelism Fellowship helps parents reach children through online training

I want to talk about one little thing that you, that you just mentioned about the parents just saying. Screen time. Screen time. Screen time. Yeah, I took, my grandkids to see Toy Story 5 the other day. Have you seen that?

Dr. Jessica Peck: Yeah, I talked about it last week. It was fantastic.

Jeff Nichols: It is. That's such an incredible message.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Gut punch. It was a gut punch that was

Jeff Nichols: so good of saying tech doesn't let you play, doesn't help you make friends. Ayanna I love that. Ayanna they can get connected to CF at, through cefonline.com All of our expectation agents of our ministry are there and all the, great descriptions of what God is doing around the world is [email protected]. they also have connections there to our training, that is available online through what we call Children's Ministry Institute. And they can take free training, from Child Evangelism Fellowship, how to lead a child to Christ, how to, how to explain the gospel to children. They can do all of that through CF Online. And no matter where you are in the United States, you're close to a local chapter. So we have a chapter finder there that you just enter your zip code and we'll connect you to the CEF chapter which is near you, which is trying to evangelize boys and girls with the gospel, disciple them in his word and partner and establish them in local churches for Christian living. You can find those CF chapters near you at that [email protected]

Dr. Jessica Peck: You know, Jeff, I'm really glad you brought up Toy Story. Actually, every Friday I talk about healthy habits for healthy families. And the Friday before last I spent the whole show reviewing that because I went and Stier. I really was interested in seeing how they were going to handle that cultural moment. And I came out of there like it was a gut punch. Just really, they were surprisingly honest. And that movie has way exceeded Ayanna, box office record predictions. And I think it's just another encouraging reminder that Brandice Brandice and grandparents are looking for wholesome ways to interact with their kids and not just be entertained. That was a good conversation starter.

Jeff Nichols says being a grandfather has changed his perspective on life

And Jeff, you mentioned taking your grandkids and you know, as you've worked as a, in the ministry, as a, as a father and now as a grandfather, what do you see changing in the world? what do you think? How do you think your perspective has changed from being a father to a grandfather? What lessons could you give us and encouragement could you give to other grandparents especially who are worried about this generation of kids and want to invest and want to help? What have you learned through your professional work, through your personal journey that might be encouraging and edifying and equipping for them?

Jeff Nichols: I, I've learned, Jessica, that kids Jon Wriley change. I, I, I see my granddaughter And I see my daughter in her eyes, and I see the way that she behaves and the way that she responds to the love that my wife and I have for her. And I. I realize it's the same way that her mom responded to that love that we have for her mom. And, no matter what is going on, I mean, I've been. Had the opportunity to travel around the world and see kids in Africa and Asia and Europe and everywhere. And no matter where you go, kids are kids. And sure, they're. They're on tablets and they're learning and they got AI and they got all of these things.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Things.

Jeff Nichols: But God has placed something in their heart that is a hunger for a loving father censuring that. That. That he decided to call himself a father instead of a deity. He's a loving father. There's a desire in their heart for that loving father. And that loving father that comes. That is ex. That is exhibited through a father or a grandfather's love, mother or grandmother's love. It's a little bit of God showing through in that. And is that love that. That's coming from the God that works able to extend to them? I think they're still the same, Jessica. they're. They're changing all the time, and we're living in crazy times. But kids are the same way kids have always been. They want to be loved, they want to be heard. They want to be valued. And, There's nothing like being a grandparent, I'll tell you. There's nothing like being a grandparent. Someone has called it the. The least complicated relationship you have in your whole life. This is the grandparent grandchild relationship. That's why it's so good for the most part. Patti, think of that. That. Like, that. That's not my love coming through to Braden, you know, Bailey and Riley. That's God's love coming through to them. And it's just. He's just pouring it through me. And that's what we want all children to experience. That. That. That heavenly. That love that comes from the heavenly father. Many of them in this world today don't know about, but they all desire, whether they can articulate it or not.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Jeff, you could not have given a better answer if you tried in my book, because I think a lot of grandparents feel a little anxious about the lies. Really, that culture says you're out of touch. You don't know that the world has changed. You know, life has moved on. We kind of see this animosity, you know, towards. Towards Negative jokes about boomers and all this kind of thing. But what I see is exactly what you said. The kids, the heart of kids, the way that God made kids has not changed. He is not like, he is not birthing them differently and creating their brains and hearts and minds, you know, differently now. And while grandparents, older generations may have trouble, and I. When I say older generations, Jeff, let's be real. I mean, me, I'm a Gen X. I don't understand. My kids have to help me use the remote, okay? Because I don't understand it, you know, like, help mama out. But I do know what it's like to be disappointed. I do know what it's like to be afraid. I know what it's like to be rejected. I know what it's like to wonder, where is God in all of this. I know what it's like to have my faith strengthened, to have my faith tested. And I know that God has given us truth in his word. That is sufficient. Solomon wrote, there's nothing new under the sun. And while technology may change and culture may change around it, the heart issues, the sin issues, and the good news of the hope of Jesus Christ are messages that are sufficient for any time in any generation. And I'm very grateful to you, Jeff, for the work that you're doing in CEF to equip families and equip children with the good news. They are desperate for good news and they need it. And so as we're coming to the end of our time together, Jeff, which I. You have just given me, us, such a. This has been such a feel good message. It really has. Just uplifting and inspiring and seeing God at work. What, what would you, what, what last things would you like to share with us about the work at CEF or a call, a challenge? I'll give the last word to you.

Jeff Nichols: Yeah, I think the main thing is keeping the main thing. The main thing and not getting so distracted in every and all the blur of the politics and the social and the media, everything. And taking advantage of those magical miracle moments that you have with your children or your grandchildren, your neighbor children, and, to understand, that you are speaking to them with more than just your words. You're speaking to them with your life. That's why God told Moses, be sure to tell the Brandice first of all, love the Lord your God with all your heart.

Jeff Chamblee: Heart.

Jeff Nichols: He didn't say, tell the kids to love their Lord your God with all your heart. He said, you love the Lord your God with all your heart. First and I would just say to the Brandice grandparents and those out there that it starts with us. It's gotta, it's got to start with us. God doesn't want what we do for him as much as he wants our heart. And he gave his son Jesus Christ for our heart. And and he wants our love more than he wants our service to Him. And that's what he's always wanted. And God's not changing today and kids are kids today and they need to ex, they need to see that love that we have for the Lord our God. and then they're going to want to experience in themselves when it's, when it's contagious like that. So that's what I would say.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Jeff, it's been so encouraging. Thank you again for giving us such an uplifting message. And I think about all of the effort that culture is investing, all of the forces that be online trying to capture our kids heart, attention, affection, their loyalty, their brand loyalty. And I just imagine what could Hoppen if the church invested with that same kind of intentionality and really leading hearts to Christ. Jeff, thank you again for joining us and just reminding us that every child matters to God and the opportunity, opportunities for the gospel are all around us even when they're on a soccer field. And I. If you want to learn more about child evangelism fellowship, go to cefonline.com and I pray as I always do, the Lord will bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you. And I'll see you right back here next time. We'd like to thank our sponsors including PreBorn. PreBorn has rescued over 400,000 babies from abortion. And every day their network clinics rescue 200 babies lives. Will you join PreBorn in loving and supporting young moms in crisis? Save a life today, Go to preborn.com/AFR the views and

Jeff Chamblee: opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family

Jeff Chamblee: association or American Family Radio.

As the US hosts the World Cup, Jeff Nichols talks with Jessica about how Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) is reaching kids through soccer themed "Kickoff! Club"

https://www.cefonline.com/

(00:00) American Family Radio thanks sponsor, PreBorn for supporting pro life initiatives

(03:05) Jeff Nichols is vice president of USA Ministries for Child Evangelism Fellowship

(08:02) CEF reached 31 million children around the world last year

(12:55) What gives you hope, Jeff, in this next generation of kids?

(15:26) Your partnership with PreBorn has saved over 50,000 babies and moms from abortion

(18:38) Child Evangelism Fellowship is using soccer to reach children across the world

(24:32) CF works with local churches to bring the gospel to children through soccer club

(31:24) Dr. Jessica Peck: How do you engage kids during summertime?

(40:10) All experts agree that childhood mental health crisis is real

(41:36) Child Evangelism Fellowship helps parents reach children through online training

(43:42) Jeff Nichols says being a grandfather has changed his perspective on life

Sponsors:

https://preborn.com