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Full Transcript:

Note: This is an automated transcript and misspells or grammar errors may be present.

Welcome to Courageous Parenting Podcast, a weekly show to equip parents with biblical truth on raising confident Christian kids in an uncertain world.

Hi, I’m Angie from Courageous.

Mom and Isaac from Resolute Man Together pursuing the mission to impact 10 million families and their legacies for the Kingdom of God.

We’ve been married for 23 years and are seeing the fruit from raising our nine children biblically. Based on the raw truth found in the Bible.

We can no longer let the culture win the hearts of children, as too many from Christian families are walking away from their faith by the age of 18. And it doesn’t have to be this way. It shouldn’t be this way.

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If you want access to all the episodes, show notes, and other biblically based resources, go to Be Courageous Ministry.

Org. Join us as we start another important conversation about effective parenting in a fallen world.

Hello and welcome to the Courageous Parenting Podcast. I am so excited to be joining you guys from the Texas Homeschool Conference. And I have a special guest interview today with my new friend Whitney Newby from Brighter Day Press, and we are going to be talking about some really, I think, important topics that are relevant to what parents are dealing with today. So welcome to the podcast. Thank you so.

Much. I am so excited to be here and to meet you today. I know, so that’s kind of special.

We literally met this morning at breakfast. Yes. And then just getting to know each other, um, we realized, wow, there’s a synergy here and there’s some things that you’ve been doing research on. Yes, that I believe are going to be really relevant, encouraging, but yet a call to action for parents who are willing to rise up and be courageous and make a difference in their kids generation. Yes. So we’re going to be talking about navigating the library with wisdom. That was your talk here at the Texas Homeschool Conference. One of the two, right? Yeah. And then I was speaking on raising resilient children for an Uncertain World, which this is. We’re living in this right now. Who would have guessed that ten years ago, 15 years ago, we would be dealing with the issues in the library, for example. Right. That’s just one example. Yes, that we’re dealing with today regarding the attack on our children and trying to indoctrinate them and influence their thinking when it comes to gender.

So true. I start my talk navigating the library with wisdom by saying, this is not a topic that would have been at a homeschool conference even ten years ago, because the issues that we’re seeing with drag queen story times and the agendas that are being pushed really hard in our libraries are a recent thing that we’re having to navigate as parents. Yeah, I.

Think in the last four years especially, we’ve all been really shocked by the things that we’ve seen that were accepted in society today, invited even, which is we’ve seen this even more. So I’d say the library is probably one of the front lines. Right. Because you do see these drag queens story times and they’re they’re dressed completely inappropriately. And in fact, you even see hundreds of kids sitting at their feet applauding them with celebrating? Yes, yes. It just makes me. It’s obviously sad, right? But I also feel sick. Yes. It turns my stomach.

It’s sickening what’s happening.

And so as parents, there’s a few different reactions that that different types of people depending on, on their beliefs, depending on where they’re at in their spiritual walk with the Lord and just the reality of this life. It can be triggering for people who have also experienced sexual trauma themselves. Okay. And I could understand the temptation to for that to trigger all of those fearful memories and just the struggles with that. Right? Right. Um, but there’s there’s one group of people that might get scared, overwhelmed. Fear fear based. Sure. And they’re going to react in a way of like, I just want to pull out completely. I’m not going to go to the library anymore. Um, I’m not my kids are not going to be participating in any field trips to the library. Sure. Um, isolation, in a sense, from that part of society.

Yeah. And that’s a temptation. That’s a real temptation. And for some, um, it makes sense, depending on where they live. Some rural libraries have not really felt this agenda. Like more urban ones, because it really depends on the librarian who’s really the gatekeeper of what’s coming in and out. And so for some, it’s still it makes sense to just reserve things online and not set foot in a library based on whatever is happening specifically right now. Um, in June, when we’re recording this, uh, which a lot of people celebrate as pride month, it they go all in for pride month. So just like you.

Would see it in target, right? You’d see it in certain stores. You see it in the malls where the woke agenda is prevalent and overt in its unapologetic stance. Right. And but this is the thing is that they’re they’re trying to do it in a way that is attractive to children, enticing them in totally. And as parents we see this. But our kids, they just see pretty colors. They see they see God’s rainbow. And God’s rainbow is beautiful, right? And it’s his. And so this counterfeit attack on what God created and only God can have. Yes it can. It can also stir up a different type of person. Right. That righteous anger of like, no, this is not happening. We’re going to reclaim this. We’re going to redeem this. We’re going to protest. We’re going to do all that we can. And so what do you what do you see out there as from those people.

Of what they can do.

What they have been doing, what.

They have been.

Doing? So the person that’s really got that righteous anger of like, I can’t believe that a drag queen storytime is happening in my town, in my library, since now’s the time to plan and we’re offering a special giveaway at Master Books.com forward slash courageous, I wanted to share with you. Each curriculum is easy to use with flexible lesson plans. It’s biblically grounded in meeting every subject need. As you can see, I love that they’ve made my job as a multi-level teacher even easier by offering their online academy for certain classes like science, because I’ll just be honest, it’s one of those subjects that’s intimidating, mainly because of the time and mess that goes along with the labs required for subjects like biology, chemistry and physics. But with Masterbox Academy, your kids can have a teacher take them through the labs from the comfort of your home without the mess. Um, sign me up. Speaking of science, Master Books is the largest publisher of creation based science curriculums with over 30 options while providing a full range of other subjects for every grade level. They also allow you to cater your child’s unique level, and I love that because sometimes you’ll have an eight year old thriving at fifth grade reading level, or a seventh grader struggling to grasp logic. Overall, we want to encourage parents to make sure that what their kids are learning is pro Bible Master Books puts every resource through a rigorous process to ensure that it is more info and a chance to win a curriculum giveaway. Check out Master Books.com forward slash courageous.

I mean, I felt that righteous indignation a few years ago when we first walked into a library that had a gay pride display in the children’s section, and I walked in and thought, okay, I’ve heard of this happening in other areas of the country, but I live in Fort Worth, Texas. I was kind of surprised for a more conservative area to have such a large display at my child’s eye level, and I was met with a choice at that moment because my my four year old at the time was asking me questions that I did not feel prepared to answer, like, why is that boy wearing a skirt? Why are there two men on a cake? There were the gay b C’s. I mean, it was. They had pulled out every LGBT book possible and put them on display display. Um, you know, to lure really is what it felt like. And so I was tempted to just pull out altogether, you know, I’ll build my own library. Home library. I will not be involved in this. But what I’ve since learned and we’ll talk about, is how important it is to not do that and for Christians to take action. Um, and yet there’s a, there’s a kind, winsome way to, to go about it that’s still effective without just destroying our relationships with our librarians and saying, let’s defund all the libraries. It’s important that Christians stay in libraries to make those changes. Um, even just checking out good books. Right.

So, so being the light of the world being the salt. Right? Yes. Um, but understanding. So, so on this topic, though, understanding that our children aren’t born salty. Yes. There there’s folly bound up in the heart of the child. Right. And it’s up to the parents to be pouring the salt in and to be equipping and training our children. And one of the analogies that Isaac and I often use in describing children that I think is appropriate for this is when they’re little. It’s kind of like when you’re planting seeds, right? And you’re certain kinds of seeds are okay to put in the soil right away. But most of them you want to plant before the frost and you have them in a protected environment, and then you pardon them off slowly. Right. And that’s kind of how it is with kids. It’s true in the perspective of what you allow them to be exposed to, what you allow them to learn about, as far as other worldviews and the other beliefs that other people have. And when they’re younger, you’re filling them with the salt. Yes, of the Word of God. And you are equipping them. You’re protecting them. You’re providing for them. Yes, you’re sheltering them. That’s not a word that we should be afraid of anymore today, right? Yes. And claim that boldly. But also part of that is starting to equip them the older and the older that they get. And developing a relationship where your kids do come to you and ask those questions about the boy and the skirt, absolutely.

You want them to come to you and not to someone else, or not even to another book to explain those things, but immediately. Because our kids have a foundation in God’s Word and the truth of Scripture, red flags are going off in their head when they see these things. And so keeping those open lines of communication is so important. To say. No question is a bad question like raise, come to me because I want to navigate this with you and use those as a teaching moment to say, you know what? God’s word is the only ultimate truth. And so anything that goes against it, we have to be so discerning. But we want to do that while you’re still under our roof. Yeah.

There’s an element to when you’re talking about preparing your children, right where sometimes parents today. And I feel like our generation, those of us who are parenting kids that are alpha generation, right, born 2015 and beyond, right. They’re the ones that really are experiencing more of this overt indoctrination or agenda coming at them from every angle, whether it’s the grocery store or the library or TV shows, cartoons, books, all the things. Right? Um, and I even know from raising my oldest kids who are in their 20s, those were not things that I had to worry about with them. Right. And so for the parents who are raising their kids, they might feel overwhelmed by like, I don’t even know what to say. I didn’t think I was going to ever have to have this conversation with a four year old or a five year old, right? Exactly. So a lot of them can feel lost, like there isn’t a lot of guidance as far as how to have those conversations. And so if you’re one of those parents, I would just encourage you guys to start reading the Bible more, because really, that’s really where the answers are going to come from. And be humble. Be willing to say, that’s a really good question. I know that this is not biblical. Let’s find out what God’s Word says together. If you don’t have that, like.

Ready made answer, yes.

Exactly. But don’t shy away from it. Don’t be scared. Don’t shut your kid down out of your embarrassment that they’re coming to you with a question about something that might seem really like wild. Mhm. Instead, go. That’s a really good question and I want to talk to you about it more. And you, you know you can always come to me. Yes. Like cultivating that kind of relationship because you want your kids to be able to talk to you throughout their life and be coming to you versus shutting them down. Yes. Um, so let’s see. So we’ve got the parents who are going to struggle with being overwhelmed. Yes, we’re going to have the parents and those ones might just go, I can’t deal with this. I’m I don’t know. I’ve got so much on my plate. Like I could even fall into this category myself. Yes. The the person on the Career Parenting podcast can fall into the category. I can go, I’ve got homesteading, I’ve got homeschooling. I don’t have time to be like trying to get activated and helping in the library. I have nine kids. I, you know, but there are some things that we can actually do that are going to be massively impactful. Yes. And so while we have this problem, right, we’ve got the gay pride displays. We’ve got funding of drag queen story time. Yes. Um, there are some practical things that anybody can do. What are those?

So what I learned the hard way, honestly, because my daughter had uncovered a book not even uncovered, it was on the shelf at her eye level and was wildly inappropriate for her age. She brought it to me. And that was when I really knew. I have got to do something. I’m not a confrontational person, but when the mama bear rises up, I’ll be confrontational, you know? And in the kindest way possible. I went to our librarian and I had actually seen on our library’s website, and maybe other libraries have this as well. It’s said that our library system as a whole neither promotes nor censors particular viewpoints. And so when I’m seeing a gay pride display in the children’s section, you know, promoting that’s promoting and I had seen other things like that, and there are plenty of books, especially children’s books like board books about trucks and puppies and whatever you want that don’t promote or censor a particular viewpoint. So I know it’s not for lack of choices, right? There is an agenda at work here. And so when I approached the librarian, I said, this is what our library says. And I’m I’m concerned about what was on the end cap that my daughter uncovered.

And the librarian just looked at me and said, um, I think you’re seeing what you want to see. So I knew that that wasn’t the right avenue, like there’s nothing going to happen from that. So I said, okay, what is the best way to be heard? And so she pointed me to our library’s website, where on most library websites, there’s a place that’s called Request to Reconsider. And it takes down your information, the information about the book, and then what you thought was troublesome in the book, and whether you would like it moved to a different section of the library, a different shelf, or removed from the library altogether. So when I requested to reconsider, that form goes straight to the top of the library system. So it’s not just to your local branch. And they got right back to me with an email, a very detailed email. And the problem was, and this goes into another thing that we can do, the problem was that this particular book had been checked out 93 times in six months.

So they’re keeping record of how many times a certain book is being checked out.

Every book has a tally because of, you know, they’re all online at this point. We’re not doing a card system anymore. And so, you know exactly how many times this book has been checked out. And every time you check one out, you are casting a vote because it’s a supply and demand situation. So the more it’s checked out, the more copies they’re going to get. And if something isn’t checked out for six months, then they sell it or get rid of it. So as believers, we can keep checking out wholesome books because we are casting a vote every time we do, and that truly makes a difference.

So on the flip side, you also mentioned something to me about people who they get. They get excited, they to make a change or, um, they, they have good heart intentions and they’ll go and they’ll pick out all of the bad books. Yes. And they’ll check them out and hang on to them so other people can’t check them out. Right. Tell me why this is a bad idea.

Well, it it’s great intentions, but you are, you know, and a lot of these people will keep checking them out, keep renewing. And every time you do, you are casting it out, checking it out again. And so they are probably purchasing more copies of that book because it’s getting so many votes.

Wow. So if a book is unavailable to someone that really does want the book. Yes. And you’ve got it checked out, then they’re going to go, oh, this is such a popular book, we need to buy more. Exactly. And then they do buy more. Exactly. So that’s actually doing the opposite.

Counterproductive, yes. So good to keep in mind. It’s a great intention but you don’t want to do that.

So most of these books from the American Library Association, most of these libraries have a website. And they just seem to look for the specific thing that says request a reconsideration regarding the books they don’t like. Exactly. And then there’s also a place on the website to be able to recommend books, a book to purchase.

So your library wants to know the books that you want them to carry, you know, as a public service. And for our library in particular, I’m able to request up to five books every month for them to purchase if they’re not already in the library system. And I have never been turned down. So I have requested, I mean, over 50 books and as soon as they come in. So these are not all Christian books, but they’re all fulsome. And some libraries do have a limit. They say it has to be published in the last two years. But still, if you’re seeing books that you want to see in your library, request that your library purchase it. And when they do, they will let you know that when it’s in stock. And then you go and you check it out, you tell your friends to check it out. You keep that, you start that tally. It makes such a difference.

Hey guys, it’s that time of year when we’re figuring out curriculums, and you might be looking for a Bible based apologetics curriculum. Have the confidence to teach your kids and students about a biblical worldview. Summit Ministries Homeschool curriculum helps kindergarten through 12th grade students understand more than individual verses or stories about the Bible. Your child will learn the overarching story of Scripture and how the same truths about God that guided David, Daniel, and Paul shaped their lives today. And as your children become older, they’ll learn how to defend their faith and respond to false ideas. Together, you’ll find answers to questions like why do we trust the Bible? What do other religions teach? How do I stand for truth when my friends are against it? Learn more at summit. Org forward slash courageous and use the code 15 at checkout for a discount on any summit curriculum. That’s summit org forward slash courageous. So we’ve got a few things that people can do, a few things that people should not do right. But I think that there’s there’s this need for, um, us to discuss the, the why behind actually not defunding the library, but taking it back, reclaiming it, if you will, and trying to redeem the situation that absolutely in. Absolutely. Because the libraries are owned by the government. Right. And so some people might view that as an uphill battle. That’s not going to win. Sure. What do you have to say.

To those people? So, you know, there are Christian librarians, public libraries who have reached out to me and said the whole movement of some Christians wanting to defund public libraries is really a disservice to the whole community, because a flourishing library can help a community flourish. And these, these people that send their kids to the library even while they’re working, and it’s a safe place for them. Um, we want great material to still be available. And if all Christians just pull out, um, I mean, that salt and light is not there. And so, um, you know, I learned in some research that even though, you know, we’re seeing in the news these librarians that are pushing agendas and are hosting drag queen story times and are, you know, going against our worldviews, there are a lot of librarians that don’t get any credit for the good that they’re doing. There are librarians. That’s true. Yes, that are trained to recognize signs of domestic abuse so that people that walk through their doors, they may be able to see, you know, things that no one else is reporting. There are, you know, libraries, host job training and provide internet, provide safe places for people who are, um, you know, kids after school. There’s so much good that libraries do that doesn’t make it on the news.

Yeah, that’s a good point. It’s interesting, though, because when you’re thinking about your child’s future and the generation that they’re in this, this is like the bottom line for me as far as the why, um, the truth is, is that we as parents have a jurisdiction and raising our own children, but we’re not raising the rest of their generation. Right? We can make impact in ways by getting involved with libraries and trying to get good, wholesome books on topics that will be wanting to be checked out by other kids that are going to the library. And if they’re kids, then they’re the same age as your children. Part of their generation. Yes. So this is really a call for Christians to recognize that we can actually make a difference. Yes. It’s, um, a charge really to empower people to say, okay, there is a problem here and I’m going to be part of the change. Um, and it doesn’t take a whole lot. It’s literally, you can be sitting in your home and get on the website and request a book and request a reconsideration of a book. Exactly. You can do that from the website.

Oh, in five minutes.

Right. And so if you have little children, even you don’t need to go in the library and have your kids exposed to to the pride display. Yes, you can actually check out good quality books online. Yes. Request reconsideration. Go and drive up and pick up books. Exactly. And take them home with you. Yes. Now, this is the thing I always have to put a disclaimer on things, because if you’re picking out a book that you haven’t read before, our recommendation is that the parents would read it first because you never know you came across a situation. Yes. Would you mind sharing that with parents?

Sure. Yeah. So the situation with my daughter, who, um, found this book on an end cap and was perusing it for a while before I realized and it was called sex is a Funny Word by Cory Silverberg. Um, and it’s actually quite popular, as I learned, this was the one that I requested to reconsider. Thankfully, they took my request serious enough to move it to a different section in the library. So it’s no longer, you know, on an end cap or in the children’s section at all, but still in the library because of all the votes. And, um, when I, I’m trying to think what I it’s okay.

We’ll edit this part out.

I’m trying to remember where the question was going.

Um, coming across a funny book in the library. And then how did you respond to that? To her? Yeah. And go ahead and share what it was showing. But yes. Yes. Inappropriate. Yes.

So when she came across this book and she brought it to me, she was a little bit disturbed by some of the illustrations that showed graphic sexual, um, information that was in cartoon form. So it looked animated. It was. Yeah. It was very enticing for a child and yet not appropriate for a child. And the thing she was very confused by and just, um, kind of shocked about, she said, this book says that sometimes babies are born and the doctor says they’re a boy, but they’re not actually a boy. And so I was praying that the Lord would just give me, okay, she’s already seen this, you know. Where do we go from here? Um, and I was remembering that, you know, the foundation were laying at home through reading the Bible together and talking about these things openly. I was so thankful that she came straight to me for one thing, and so thankful that there were clearly red flags going off in her head when she saw this thing that was not true. And we had actually been, We love this resource called the New City Catechism, which I think is, uh, originally based on the Heidelberg Catechism, but it’s a simplified version for kids. There’s actually a free app that you can download and get these questions and answers that form a framework for your faith, for our faith. And, um, and so one of the questions we had been doing over breakfast was how and why did God create us? And the answer is God created us, male and female, in his own image to glorify him. And so we had a conversation about that right there in the library to say, okay, this book clearly goes right against what we know to be true in God’s Word. And so instead of fearing it, you know, um, I mean, I do put limits now on what my children, you know, I don’t just let them peruse.

Be wise and have them with you in the library and see where they’re headed. And do buddy system. If you have older kids and you’ve talked to them and trained them, if you’re going to go in, you have to have a game plan. Yes. Really. Exactly.

But also seeing it as something that’s strengthening her faith. This isn’t a threat, you know, like God is using this moment in time to strengthen what she believes. And so I was thankful for that. You know, it redemptive in in a way. Yeah.

So it can be hard though, because that that specific encounter is probably what every parent fears. Absolutely. Right then and there. Yes. We don’t want our kids to because when they see something they can’t unsee it. It’s like pornography. Yes. Right. Exactly. Which is incredibly dangerous and addictive. And you know, as parents, we need to do our best. Yes. Right. But there is an element of recognizing that isolation from everything and hiding under a rock is also not a biblical perspective as well. Instead, we need to be teaching our kids to come to us, right? We need to be teaching our kids the truth about what God’s Word says regarding men and women and all of these topics. And the truth is, is you need to talk to your kids a lot younger than you think you do. Yes. It’s so I think that when it came to like the sex talk, people used to think, oh, I’m not going to have that conversation with my kids till they’re in high school, right. But now, oh.

They’re being confronted.

To be much, much younger and and not in the sense of like having to get into graphic detail. And this is why in the Parenting Mentor program, we talk about how warm up conversations. Yes. It’s not a one time event talk. Yes. Like they used to say, it was right. Instead, it’s that you’re building your relationship with your kids. You’re building trust where there’s communication on things, where you’re driving down the road and you see a billboard and you use that as an example to teach your kids that that’s not godly, right? That that goes against what God’s Word says. Yes. And that it’s an abomination to him. Right. And and being bold enough to like, say, I know that they’re seeing this. I’m not going to hide from it. I’m not going to pretend that it doesn’t exist as a parent, but instead, I’m on this journey with you, and I’m here to guide you. Yes. And you. There isn’t a bad question. Come to me. Let’s discuss.

This. You’re equipping them for their life outside your home. And what a gift you know to be the one to guide them. Yeah, yeah.

So you on your website, you have a bunch of resources you love to share, what good books there are out for moms and dads. Yes, to utilize with their kids when they’re homeschooling. Yes. And you have a free resource. Why don’t you tell people about that free resource?

Yeah. So on Brighter Day Press.com, you can go up to the top and there’s a book list tab. And there are two things in there. There’s one that just has a bunch of book lists that they’re all books that are, um, developmentally appropriate, uh, appropriate, and that my family has vetted and loved in all different genres, ages, things like that. We also have monthly picture book lists, and these have been so popular that actually there are waiting lists on libraries all over, because every day of the year, I’ve recommended a seasonal picture book that aligns with that day. So and most of them can be found in your local library. So you have no excuse to not be getting great books from your library that are wholesome. You’re casting your vote, and you can find all of those lists on our website. Okay.

And so there are a few books that you were sharing with me. Also, if for those of you who are watching the Courageous Parenting podcast on YouTube, um, you’re going to get a special treat because he’s going to just show you these books.

Yes. So I’ll show you these briefly. Um, give Your Child the World by Jamie C Martin. Uh, this is if you’re doing, like, geography studies or cultural studies, you can go through the world, their picture book and chapter book recommendations. Um, two more books Children Love by Elizabeth Wilson and the Read-aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease. Basically, these are books of books. They have all kinds of recommendations, age, recommendations, descriptions, so that you can go on your library’s website and go ahead and request however many books, and they’ll have them ready for you.

These have little reviews in them. They do.

Age.

Appropriate. So this is really like a guide. Yes. For the mom who hasn’t read a ton of books. Yes. Like I didn’t grow up reading a lot of books. Yeah, to be honest, I think there were maybe three books I read in public high school that I had to write papers on. Sure. And interestingly, there they were indoctrinating. Right. Like Fahrenheit 451.

Yes. Okay.

Yes. The typical nice. Yeah. Yeah. But these ones have better books.

They do, they They do. And actually, my favorite of all of them is honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt. I recommend the updated version because she has passed away, but her son has continued her ministry. So these you really only need one of them, but they are gold for parents. Um, to see. The research has already been done and these are a lot of places that you can trust.

Yeah, that makes it a lot easier. Um, you know, another thing that I think is important that we point out was we just did a recording with Trent Talbert, the the CEO of Brave Books, and we were talking about the, the, the issue that they had with Kirk Cameron wanting to read his book at one of the local libraries, and they denied them at first, and then they invited a drag queen in during for first story time. And and so obviously were they promoting. Yes. Were they discriminating? Yes, yes. And so Trent shares and we did this podcast recording with him, which, you know, you guys can go listen to that as well on the Courageous Parenting podcast. But in that conversation, he shared how they decided to open a lawsuit. And they they didn’t end up having to move forward with that because the library backed down, realizing that what they had done was an injustice and that they they weren’t being lawful. Mhm. Um, and in that there have been thousands of people showing up for these readings at libraries. Um, but they’re doing something interesting on August 24th, I think, is the date that they’re trying to do it for. Um, and this is something that can be be all hands on deck. Christian moms and dads, this is a this is an easy thing that you can do if you want to get activated and maybe a more special way than just being in your home on your computer saying, I want to request this book and I want to reconsider this one. I don’t want it in my library. But if you want to get more involved in a really God breathed, life giving kind of way, you can actually go to your librarian and ask them if you can host a story hour, okay? And you can bring a wholesome book.

It doesn’t have to be a brave book. That’s what you know. They’re just saying, hey, let’s get as many parents activated on August 24th to go to a library and host a story hour and read a good book. So I just envision imagine that happening with Christian parents rising up and inviting people to the library and having a Christian influence, having that like presence there. Right? Absolutely. Um, I just think that there could be something really special that happens with that. And if you guys want to find out more, keep your eyes peeled at Brave Books also, because they’re going to be doing something. Um, but, you know, I think that we talked about a book that your daughter saw and that probably touched some people in some ways. Like, you know, the fear. I don’t want my kids to be exposed to that. I think we’re just going to opt out and not do a library. I’ll confess. That’s that’s what my perspective has been. Um, we live in the mountains, so we’re like an hour, 45 minutes to an hour away. So it’s easy for us to be like, yeah, there’s lots of reasons why we don’t use the library. Sure. Um, but many years ago, Isaac and I really believed that we needed to be building our family library, a legacy library, as we like to call it, because we believe that good, wholesome books are eventually going to be harder to find at some point. Yes.

And so holding on to them and having them be a legacy that can be passed down to the next generations is good. And so we do want to encourage you guys in that it’s not about just checking out all of the books, right? When you find something recognizing the that we’re raising resilient kids for an uncertain world. We don’t know what’s going to happen in their lifetime, obviously, right? I’m 43 years older than my youngest child, so obviously I’m not going to be here as long as he is. So when I’m thinking about raising him for the world he’s going to live in, I don’t know what that’s going to fully look like. I do want to raise a godly man who’s willing to stand firm in the truth and be loving and be the light of Christ and a disciple maker, right? But I also know that there are going to be nuances like what we’re experiencing right now that he’s going to have to figure out from a biblical perspective. But what can I do? I can offer up books, yeah, that are going to be good for my kids. And so there is there is an element there of like, if you can afford it, like books are never a bad investment. Absolutely. They’re never a bad investment. And it’s something that you can pass on from generation to generation. Um, but when people were listening to your story with your daughter, I’m sure that that does scare some people. So you guys, we have some resources that we want to share with you that actually have a good biblical teaching. Yes. Do you want to share those with us?

I do so there are two picture books that, um, are really appropriate for any age. And like you said, it is important that we start this conversation early before they encounter these things. I was not prepared when we walked in to the gay pride display because we hadn’t had those conversations with our youngest, and now we have. So there are two books that I recommend. One is very straightforward. It’s God Made Boys and Girls, and it’s just it’s by Marty Makowski. It’s just a biblical, you know, exposition on gender. And then I love this one as well. This is by Janae Ortlund. It’s called a child’s first book about marriage, and it talks about God’s design for marriage, and even it touches on same sex marriage and also, um, on divorce, but in a child friendly way. That is from a biblical yes. It’s I love the tagline. Yes, God’s way is always best, I love it, and there’s scripture throughout. So you could make this a little study if you wanted to, if you want to dive deeper. But I love these two resources because gender identity and marriage are what are so under attack. And so, you know.

What’s interesting about these books? So the reason why I really wanted you to share these is because it’s part of, like you said, it’s part of equipping our kids so that if they are ever at a neighbor’s house for a playdate or something, and they pull out a board book like the one that you described your daughter saw on the end cap at the library. They can go, oh, no, that’s not a good book. This is a good book. Yes. Right. Totally. And for your kids to be prepared, we we can utilize tools, the best tools, the word of God. Yes, but it is helpful when you have books that are well done that are from a biblical worldview, that are safe, totally, that are going to maybe invite a conversation and questions to start cultivating that openness with your kids. Yes, this is just a hard thing. This is a hard topic. It is you guys, um, and there’s no like, clear path of like how to navigate it perfectly. Right? Because we’re all parenting through this confusion that is being, um, overtly pushed on our children for the first time ever, ever in America.

So mention as well. I actually did order both of these through our library. So our local library carries both of these. They said yes and they’re on our shelves. So do that. You know, if you don’t want to purchase them yourselves, recommend that your library purchase them.

Taxpayer dollars are going to fund the library. And so as a taxpayer, you have a say in what gets to be put in the library. You do. And what gets to be taken out right of the library. So I think this is interesting because it feels like, because there’s so many books that are against Christianity or God’s way, if you will. Yes. Seems almost like the enemy has equipped his people with the knowledge of how to get their books in. But Christians haven’t been equipped in how to get good, solid, wholesome Christian books in. Right. And so now you guys know those of you who are listening, you know, and we need to get busy.

Yes, we do, and we do.

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And from what I understand, it’s working because I’m hearing from people, even through the book lists on our website, which are all wholesome books that they have wait lists at their library that are ten, 15, 20 people long. And so casting those votes is making a difference in their ordering more copies. And so there’s only so much room on library shelves. Those are going to to crowd out the trash.

They are. So there’s there’s a few more things I want to make sure that we get as far as resources for people listening. So yes, you told me something powerful. There are committees that you can join. Tell us about that.

So I am on the waitlist for my committee. But there are local library at your local library. They have a public library committee that’s made up of citizens. You don’t have to be a teacher, a librarian, even a parent. But these people have a say on what goes in and out of the library and the programming. And so we need believers that are on these panels, on these committees.

And then you also mentioned something about public schools and how the two most influential people in the school are the principal. And then the second.

One is the librarian, because they are the gatekeeper that’s allowing these books in or keeping them out.

I’m just curious, as a taxpayer, and our taxes go to fund public schools, even if we’re homeschooling, right? That’s just the truth. We’re still paying taxes. Yes. Do we have a say on what books are in the school library?

That I don’t know? That’s a great question.

That’s just something that, I mean, that might be school to school.

It may be.

And I would even say if you’re a part of like a private school, Christian school or there are schools in your area, even if you’re homeschooling, this would be another thing to look into because it’s all about us recognizing, yes, we’re going to do our job with our children, yes, but how do we influence their generation, their culture? Because the Alpha generation is incredibly pivotal for where we are sitting right now in this world. Right. And if they are all indoctrinated with this, these lies and this counterfeit and this deceit, yes, it’s going to be reflected in how our grandkids are being raised. I mean, it’s literally a game changer. It’s true. So how can we be activated? So look into your schools, ask, look on the website, see if there’s a way that you can recommend a book for the school library. Even if your kids don’t go to that school, you’re paying taxes. If you have a right to be able to say something, we should be saying something. Definitely. You have three resources that you have recommended to parents in regards to reviews on books that they may not know about. Yes.

So that’s tricky. It’s really important because as much as you can flip through a picture book and get a pretty good idea, there’s no way you can flip through a chapter book and know what’s inside, know what worldview it’s coming from. And so for those I go to a few different websites and I plug in that title. So one of them is plugged in. Com another one is Common Sense Media and then the other one is redeemed reader. Com that’s one of my favorites from a Christian worldview. And it gives, you know, more insight about what the worldview is, what you should look out for in these books. And then you, as the parent, can decide if this is one that you’re willing for your child to have to read.

So what if the book that your child wants to check out is not on those three websites?

So another thing that I do, because I don’t have time to pre-read all these things. I mean.

As your kids get older and they’re reading longer books faster, it’s like.

Yeah, right. There’s no way. So one thing I do is I go to Amazon and to Goodreads and look at the one and two star reviews. A lot of times a mom has come and chimed in on something that they found and want other parents to know about, so that’s really helpful. Um, there are times when I just can’t find enough information, and I say there are plenty other books. We’re going to send this one back, I love that. So also, I think looking at the publishing date is really important because it seems like there was a shift somewhere after 2010 where publishers started weaving in this agenda way more than it ever has been. And so.

The older books are truly the safer books they.

Are.

They are our kids reading books.

Yes.

That’s something that’s been really obvious over the years, but it’s really good for you to label the actual dates. The years 2010 to 2015 is when it started being more introduced, and then it became more widely accepted. Totally. And now it seems like it’s everywhere. Right?

So I think another thing to keep an eye on graphic novels, I would just caution, um, Um, we actually, on our website, have a list of graphic novels that we recommend. So they’re not all off limits, but a lot of times, like the book that my daughter found, they are illustrated. They’re, you know, colorful, they look like cartoons. But the the subject matter can be very heavy and dark. Dark and meant for, for adults. I mean, there’s some that I wouldn’t even want to read.

I don’t know, I think that when it comes to what we’re looking at, understanding if there’s evil in something. Yeah, we shouldn’t be having that in our home.

Right? It’s inviting.

A foothold.

It is. It really is. Shape us.

God’s a jealous God.

Absolutely.

And so we we want to teach our kids that and have a standard for sure. I know that as a mom to one of the things that was I’ll just share transparently one of the things that was a friendship breaker, if you will, for me, was women who were sucked into their romance novels, because that’s a form of escapism, right? And it was just something I wasn’t willing to read that kind of a book at the book club. Yes. You know what I mean? So then it was like, oh, well, I’m not really interested in that. And then it was, oh, I’m not coming to book club anymore, you know what I mean? Right. And, you know, I think that there’s just so much more, better, more fruitful things we could be doing with our time. It’s a point. A foothold for the enemy. Yes. Um, and to create a discontentment in your marriage or whatever it is. And so I think that we as parents have to model responsible reading choices for our children if we want them to have responsible reading habits when they’re older. Amen. And even right now. Right. So it’s like, no, you’re not going to read that kind of a book. Mommy and daddy don’t read those kinds of books, do we? We need to be able to say, follow me. Yes. And if we can’t say follow me, then things. Some things need to change. Definitely. So I think that when it comes to, um, just the standards, we need to be real careful about that. But definitely been so fun.

So fun.

Thank you. Thank you for coming on the podcast. So where can people find you?

You can find me at Brighter Day Press.com. We have all kinds of curriculum and resources, but also our book lists, which are one of my favorite parts of what I do. Getting to recommend wholesome books and on Instagram at Brighter Day Press. Awesome.

Thank you so much and we’ll see you guys next time. Hey, thanks for listening and being a part of the 10 Million Legacies movement, go to be Courageous Ministry. Org for more biblically based resources, ways to switch where you spend your money that support the mission, and information about the incredible Be Courageous app community for believers.

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