CHRISTMAS IN JULY! It's the 3rd Annual Christmas in July Show! Jessica celebrates her favorite season and features great giveaways provided by the publishers who work with the show to provide great guests year-round.

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/AFR hello

: 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.

American Family Radio is celebrating Christmas with a massive giveaway today

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. Listen, we have got a really, really fun show for you today. This has become a tradition since I joined American Family Radio and it came from my days of having Christmas in August. Are there any other WMU people out there who had Christmas in August? Or maybe you did that for school supplies or some other charitable cause? And you know I love Christmas. Yes, I'm talking about Christmas in July. But guess what? I'm not even going to apologize for it. I know there's some of you saying, no, no, no, that's ridiculous. That's way too early. Don't turn the dial because we're coming to you live. And we're going to have a massive, massive giveaway today. And we have stacks and stacks of to give away from our publishing partners. So in just a minute, I'm going to give the phone number and we are going to start to take some callers and you will win some early Christmas presents.

July is a great time to start thinking about preparing for Christmas

Now in compromise, because I do want to meet all of you after Thanksgiving people halfway. We don't have any Christmas music today. I know all of the before Thanksgiving people, the 247 Thanksgiving, Christmas people. We, we are all a little sad, but we've got to meet in the middle. So that's the plan for today. I'm going to tell you a little bit about some of the guests that we have had. We're going to give away some of their book and we're, we're going to talk about preparing for Christmas because it really is, is the time right now to do that. Christmas is not usually ruined by one bad decision. It's just crowded by a thousand little distractions. And July is one of those few times that you have a little bit of margin yet. We're about to get back to the back to school into the rush of the fall. But July, the 4th of July, is over, and it's kind of those dog days of summer. It's a little dead, right? And you've got a little margin to kind of think about Christmas and think, what do you actually want to do before the calendar starts making those decisions for you? And so I'm going to give you three tips for what you can do in July. I'll give those to you throughout the hour.

Make a mission statement for this Christmas before you choose your wish list

But the first thing I want to encourage you to do is choose your why before you choose your wish list and think about the purpose, the intentionality. What do you want your Christmas to look like before the sales start, before the invitations for all of the holiday events or the expectations begin? Just think, what do you want your family to remember about this Christmas 20 years from now? Maybe that's a time when they're Green and they have their own families. Or maybe you have even graduated onto heaven and you want to leave a legacy What do you want the legacy of this Christmas to be? Christmas 2026. What do you want it to be? And what do you want your family to experience spiritually and those. And what are those family traditions that are going to point them to the reason for the season, which, of course, is jes. So think about it. Make a mission statement for this Christmas. This year, I want my family to have a Christmas that Lexie like whatever it is. And when you know your why, it's much easier to say no to things that don't fit that purpose, the purpose of Christmas. Because if you don't intentionally define your Christmas, culture's gonna crowd it out. So that's my first tip for you, is to think about your why and think about what kind of Christmas you want your family to have. I'll be doing the same. Now we have reached the time for G. We are going to take the first five callers. So if you don't get in right away, just hang on that line for just a little bit. The number is 888-589-8840. That one more time. That number is 888-589- 8840. We have our call screener, Ms. Patti who is on the line. She is ready to talk to you and ready to take your calls.

We have some great giveaways from B H Publishers. And this is twofold

And we're going to take the first five callers to tell you a little bit about what we are giving away. And this is twofold because we want you to know what we are giving away, but we also want you to know what we've been talking about. On the show, and there may have been some episode that you missed that would be really helpful to you. So our first group of giveaways comes from B H Publishers. It's B H Publishing Group. This is an imprint of Lifeway Christian Resources and a team that believes every word matters. They are seeking to provide intentional biblical content that positively impacts the hearts and minds of people, cultivates lifelong relationships with Jesus Christ. And so when we look at some of the things that they have, we have some great books from them. And first up, we have this toddler theology series. This is a beautiful group of hardback books. And I loved talking about this and really talking about even toddlers can have. Can we start teaching them theology? This was Lauren Groves, and she was on the show. And these are just Patti books. Like the first one's called who is God? Who has always existed? God. Who is God? God is creator of everything. Even you. Yes, God made me. Is there more than one God? There is only one God. He is three persons. Who are the three persons of God? This is simple theology that we can teach from a very early age. Some of these other books are where is church? We have this here, which again, just such an accessible way to be able to teach those, those theology concepts from an early age. We also talked on Fridays, every Friday, I talk about a habit for healthy families. And on, on Fridays and starting about the beginning of the summer, we started to talk about tech habits. And our first tech habit was something that was not tech at all. For the most part. We talked about reading out loud to your kids and your grandkids and any kids who come to visit you, any kids you're teaching. It is so, it is so helpful for them developmentally to hold the same book, to turn the same pages, to have repetition and consistency, to see the bright colors, to have that tactile interaction. These are things that are being replaced by screens. And there's nothing like sitting next to someone you love. So we talk this. The toddler theology book on, where is church? Says what is someone called who has faith in Jesus a Christian? Do Christians follow Jesus by themselves? No. Every Christian belongs to God's family, the church. Very simple toddler theology. And to be honest, some of us adults need it too. So that may be a great gift for kids that, you know, toddlers in your family. When is eternity? Why do we pray? This is toddler theology. Theology that is accessible. It's by Lauren Groves. So encourage you to take a look at that. And somebody's going to get that today. I'm really excited about that.

We talked with Daniel Aiken about evangelism and the Great Commission

We also talked Daniel Aiken and about his book, I Am Going, that's also coming to you from B H Publishers Publishing. And, this was great. This was a great conversation with Danny talking about evangelism and really the Great Commission, how God has command. We are commanded to go out and to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And that sharing of the good news starts at home. It was such an encouraging conversation where Danny shared his professional experience leading a seminary and also as a pastor, but also as a father and a grandfather. And what does that look like to say? I am going, whether that's into your home, into your community, or into the far corners of the world. So a great, great show with Danny. We also talked to Doug Hankins, a pastor out in Florida. He wrote this book, Still Single, still called a, Guide for Christian Singles and those who love him. We had a great conversation about what this means, is some practical tips, how we love people. Well, whether they're single or married or whatever their life situation may be. And looking at singleness is not a problem to fix. And that can be sometimes a lot of pressure for young people. So we talked about what to say and what not to say. We talked about some good questions that you can ask instead of, when are you going to meet someone? Do you want to get married? What is going, Can I fix you up with my cousin? Or whoever it may be. It was a great, encouraging conversation. Conversation.

Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman wrote Still Here, Life Together on Long Way Home

Another book from B H Publishing. And this was. This was. I. I guess I shouldn't say this, but it was one of my favorites. It really was. This is a book by Marybeth and Stephen Curtis Chapman. Now, if you grew up in the era I did, I'm Gen X, then Stephen Curtis Chapman provided the soundtrack for my faith. I saddled up my horses for the big adventure. I. I dove in like you. I loved, love, loved his music and always just found such encouragement in my faith. And it felt like he writes songs that really meet people where they are. Just whether it's Cinderella. I know. Kathi. The hanky. They're like, you. You gotta. You gotta cue the tears. Because you can't listen to that song if you have daughters and not feel like you're tearing up. And so to be able to interview them and talk with them was really, really special. Now they wrote a book called Still Here, Life Together on, the Long Way Home. And we had a really honest conversation about the ups and downs of their marriage. They have faced tremendous trials as Many Marri couples do and they've talked about the good, the bad and the ugly. And they were just so refreshingly candid and transparent and authentic. And one of the things that I really appreciate about them is that they have used their platform to start an organization called Show Hope. Now this is a sponsorship ministry for adoption and it's not just for that adoption that happens in just right after birth. They give wraparound support and multi year tiered levels of physical and emotional, spiritual, psychological, Mintle support for families who are on the adoption journey. And following the interview they had invited me to a house concert and I went out there and it was every bit as amazing as you would think that it would be. And then after that I was able to interview just recently their daughter Emily Chapman, who was served as the leader of Show Hope and now is an ambassador. And she talked about all of the amazing things that God is doing through that work. A lot of times children in the foster care system are, have experienced trauma and loss and grief and the beautiful ways that they are redeeming and restoring the journey of the lives of those children is really great. And if you follow Mary Beth and Stephen on, on social media, you'll see they, they've had some shenanigans like wherever they go they've been signing copies of the book for Barnes and Noble and fun things like that. But I encourage you to check that out if you want some encouragement in your marriage.

From B and H Publishing, we have David Pollack's new book

Another really thought provoking conversation we had. Jennifer Trafton. Now if you have somebody in your family who is really has an artistic kind of bent, who really Lexie poetry and art and history, you know exactly that kind of person that I'm talking about. This would be a book that they would really appreciate. It's called if only we could see reimagining creativity, compassion and calling through the extraordinary life of Lilias Trotter. And this was a really fascinating book because it talked about this woman who lived a long time ago and she was an aspiring artist. She was a really quite an accomplished artist and the and she shared, Jennifer shared with us about her journey that she was discovered by an art critic and given an incredible opportunity to travel the world and be world famous. But she made a different choice and ultimately she went, she forged her own path. She went and served in some of the roughest streets in London and then she ended up in the deserts of North Africa and she wrote something for a newspaper that inspired a reader to write the words of the beloved song turn your eyes upon Jesus. It was really really beautiful. So if you have somebody who really appreciates history and art and just the. The creativity is just really the creative type, this, this would encourage anybody. But that would be maybe a great Christmas gift to have. And last but not least, from B and H Publishing, we have David Pollack book. We're giving this away today, so are going to have Christmas gifts already done. Just wrap it up, put it in the closet, and when Christmas comes, you'll have this ready to go. David wrote, every day Candace Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. And he is a former NFL player, an ESPN college football analyst and hall of Fame inductee. He is highly accomplished in football. And I have to be really transparent here and say, I, I really do, like, love sports, but I only have limited time, and so baseball is my choice. And. Oh, let me tell you, the boys in my house had to really make sure that I was prepped, and they would have gladly taken the interview for me. But I was so glad to talk to David. He was so honest and gave great advice for what it Lexie like for him as a professional athlete to have made it. But to go back and say things that are really countercultural, like sports isn't everything. And make sure what you say in The Core on the way home is way more important than what you said on the practice field and how you even act when your kids get in The Core And prioritizing church over sports, I know, see, these things are countercultural. But he did not hold back in any of that. And he certainly accomplished enough to be able to speak those things. And he talked about some really difficult things that, that he experienced a horrific injury in his recovery from that. And it was just a great, entertaining conversation. That is our first round of, giveaways. Give you some ideas for maybe gifts that you can give to people in your life or maybe shows that you want to go back and, and catch. You can go and look. You can find us on any podcast platform. You can go to afr.net we'll post these on our Facebook page as The Core through. You can find us. We have much more to give away. We're gonna start again with. And we're gonna reset the calling line when we come back. We'll see you after this break.

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Celebration by Forrest Frank: You know what to do. It's time to put your phone down. Your attitude. The God who made the bird see sun and the moon Isn't somewhere far away he is standing in the room so let it scream, let it shout Let him know what you're about Keep it moving and grooving don't leave a single doubt that today is the day that the Lord has created. Why would I sit around just waiting? Let's have a celebration Time to clap our hands and stomp, our feet. Let's have a celebration.

Create a mission and a vision for your Christmas

Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back, friends. It is time to celebrate. That is our giveaway song for this year. So when you hear that song, you know we're having a giveaway. And today we're having a massive giveaway. A massive thanks to our publishing partners who sent us loads and loads of things to give away to our listeners. Many of the authors of the books they sent, we have featured on the show and we're talking about that so that you can go back and catch the show. It may be something that, you think, oh, I really need to hear that. Or maybe it's going to give you a gift idea already for Christmas. Yes, we're talking about that. We're having a massive Christmas giveaway, Christmas in July. And, I've told you that I'm going to give you three tips because July, this is the last time. Friends, friends, this is the last time that many of you are going to have time to catch a breath before December because we are about to go into fall and it just gets Busler and Busler every year. So the first thing I encourage you to do is to create a mission and a vision for your Christmas this year. What do you want your family to experience this year? What do you want them to remember about this Christmas in 20, 26, 20 years from now? What kind of Lexie do you want to leave? The second thing that I want to tell you is to prot your peace and do that before you protect your calendar. Because margin is a ministry to your family. And in July, decide already in advance. Think about the things that you might say no to. What are things that maybe you feel obligated to do? What is it that you're going. How are you going to create margin? One of the ways I do this with my family is I ask each of my family members, okay, what is the one non negotiable Christmas tradition that you want to make sure we prioritize above any other? And if I do those, then everything else is negotiable. So think about where you can have your margin. Because children rarely remember how many events they attended. They remember what their home felt like at Christmas and you remember that too. When you think back to your holidays, you don't think about every concert you went to or every place you went to eat or those kinds of things. You remember probably first and foremost the way that your home felt, kind of how your family decorated, the foods that you ate, how it felt when you walked inside. And you probably remember the places that you served. If you went and caroled to people who couldn't get out or you volunteered at a soup kitchen or whatever you did to serve, those are probably the things that you remember most. So don't resolve now to not to fall to the pressure of I've got to give my kids, my family, every possible experience that they can have. Think about what do you want your Christmas to look like and what can you say no to right now? Because every yes in December is starting with the decision in July. So you can think about that, what you want to prioritize.

Our phone lines are lighting up with winners of our giveaway

Now we are having a giveaway and it's time to open back up the phone lines. You can call in at 888-589-8840. That's 888-589-8840. Let me tell you, our phone lines are just absolutely lighting up and I want congratulate our winners. Congratulations out there to Scott from Mississippi, to Larry from North Carolina, to Melissa from the great state of Texas. Yes, I did just say that and give it a special call out. Am I Sower Nope. I'm really not. I'm an obnoxious Texan at heart. Congratulations. Melissa, thanks for representing our home state. Congratulations also to Dee Dee from Mississippi and Mikella from Virginia. We had people calling from all over the country and I'm so glad about that.

You will be getting some of the books that we Featured

So call in. We'll take our next set of winners. You will be getting some of the books that we Featured. Now for the books that I featured in the first segment, let me just review those really quick. I'll tell you where they are. So if you want to go back and find the, the show you can find that really Assell Still here by Mary Beth Chapman and Stephen Curtis Chapman was March 24th and that was that was really one of the things that was funny is Stephen wants to make sure you know that Mary Beth is the New York Times best selling author, not him. But that that's his words, not mine. Toddler Theology that by Lauren Groves. That was on May 14th. I am going by Danny Akin was June 18th every day Candace by David Pollack April 29th if only we could see by Jennifer Trafton. April 13th and still single, still called May 11th. So you don't have to scroll back too far to find those shows. They are there.

Our next giveaway comes from Baker Books and they are working to build up the body of Christ

And our next giveaway come from comes from Baker Books and they are working to build up the body of Christ through books that are relevant, intelligent and engaging. And we have not had this these guests on but these books look really encouraging. So one is called Gospel Education. Jesus is Lord of the Classical Christian Schools by Nate Walker. Lots of conversation going on about education in today's environment. And I know that Brandice are really looking for resources to make wise decisions about what is best for their family. And we really are hearing a lot about classical education, especially in the homeschool schooling movement. And that is a resource for you. Also from Baker Books we have a book called Keeping Kids Christian Recovering a Biblical Vision for Lifelong Discipleship. And this is by Cameron Schaefer and from, from the back, some from the description that he gives you, he talks about what we already know, the mass exodus of young people from the church. It is something that strikes fear in the heart of Christian Brandice We want to our kids to not walk away from their faith. We worry about what that means for them, the ways that they might hurt. And it's clear that despite our best efforts that we have room to grow in that especially through ministry. And so this is this is combining biblical and theological insights with sociological research to talk about what is what, what do we do and what is the parental involvement in our kids discipleship. What is that and how do we keep kids from walking away from their faith. So those two are from Baker Boys Books and we are grateful for their contribution.

Our next publisher is Revel, a division of Baker Books

All right. Our next publisher is Revel, a division of Baker Books that provides hope and help for everyday life. And they also gave us some a beautiful book. This one's called May the Road Rise. It's to meet you. It's inspired a 31 day devotional inspired by Krish blessings. So maybe you have some Krish family or maybe you don't and you just like that. It's a beautiful book, by Jennifer D. Barry, I think is how you say it. D E I B E L. Don't quote me on that, but that's how you spell her name. And she has written a lot of books. But this is a beautiful devotional, that is written in the, in the theme of Krish blessings and that would make a great gift book. We also have, let's see, let me do this one next. Turning conflict into connection with a single choice. And it's the Road less triggered by Dr. Kelly Flanagan. Again, those are authors that we have not had on the show for scheduling or other reason. But this is a book that is aiming to free your relationships from the patterns that imprison them. And so we are grateful for that. We do have Fully Nourished by Brandice Lardner. We had her on the show on February 3rd. This is a grace filled approach to ditch diets and find peace with food and your body. Now this would not be one that I recommend for a book. Okay, don't go out and for a gift, don't go out and buy this and give this to somebody. Get it for yourself. And you need to get a gift for yourself for sure. But it was a great conversation. We had a really honest conversation about this and how this is such a difficult thing because when we talk about our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and we talk about wanting to honor our bodies. Patti, also it's really difficult in today's culture and we have all of these changing cultural norms for what is beautiful. Now, I am a self professed nerd. I really love history. And when I go back and look at ancient portraits, I mean it used to be really fashionable for women to have a receding hairline and they would pluck their hair back to the middle of their head. I Jon Wriley particularly want to go back to that. And it's hard to say what is the ideal body Shane or the ideal beauty aesthetic. That is a culture that's constantly changing. But God made us and said it was good. It was, very good, in fact. And so we had a great honest conversation about that. From Bethany House Publishing, that is a division of Baker Books that Sikes to uplift readers, faith, their families and their free time and emphasizes living in alignment with God's word. Now, these were two again. I shouldn't say this because all of them are my favorite. I can't. I can't pick my favorite, like my favorite kids, but really Stand out. Memorable moments. We just recently had Lisa Appelo on the show. She was on on June 3rd 30th, and she wrote this book, God of Comfort, A Devotional Journey for the Grieving Heart. It's a really beautiful book. For one thing, it's a hardcover book. She had written a book before about her own personal journey. But let me tell you a little bit about Lisa, because she is so inspiring to me. She is a mom. she has six kids. And her husband died unexpectedly when they were. When he. They were young. He was not expected. He died very unexpectedly, basically in his sleep. And Lisa shares her journey of widowhood so beautifully and so transparently. And she shared that in her first book called Life Can Be Good Again, and talked about the ups and downs and what it Lexie like to go through grieving and. And that work is the ministry that the Lord has given her. And so she came back on the show on June 30 to talk about this, continued into this devotional journey.

How can you reach out to widows and widowers at Christmas time?

I think this would be a beautiful gift for anyone who is grieving the loss of someone who was precious to them and acknowledging that grief is a beautiful thing to do. So sometimes, especially as we're thinking about the holidays, that can be a way that you are intentional in July, thinking through to Christmas now, there may be people who have experienced some really tough losses already in this first half of 2026. And, you know, that person's first Christmas with. Without their person, without whoever that is who's precious to them is coming up this year. So think already to what you can do. How can you be intentional in reaching out, especially to widows and widowers at Christmas time? That can be really lonely. And I had shared with Lisa before that one of the most memorable interactions I had with a widow from our church. I remember her walking out after church, and she. She just. She looked so sad. She looked so sad leaving church. And I went to go catch up with her, and I Stier, I said, what? What's wrong? Are you okay? And she said, leaving church is the hardest part of my week because that is the time that I just feel so Alena walking in my car, walking to my car in the parking lot because I was always here with my husband. We would always go to lunch. We would always go out with friends, and it's just hard to leave church. And I have I hadn't thought about that, how that would be difficult. But there's so many things that you can do to minister to those who may be grieving this Christmas. It can be hard. And we've had lots of shows where we've talked about grief, walking children through grief, how every family member experiences grief in a different way. And you've got to give grace and space for everyone to have their own grieving journey. And Lisa did such a great job and just encouraging people who are in the middle of that, in the message, middle of grieving, whatever that may look like. And maybe as you're listening, that might even be you and you think, I can't even think ahead to the holidays. That's so overwhelming. And I encourage you to reach out to a friend and to and just to give yourself grace and space in that moment. And this again is a devotional journey for the grieving heart. God of Comfort by Lisa Appelo Also, from Bethany House we have have Jennifer Dukes Lee. And she was on the show on April 14th. Now I have to say this is actually my husband. I'll call him out. He said this was one of his very favorite shows. Now I think he has a bias a little bit. Yeah, honey, hey, I know you're listening, so I'm calling you out here. Guess what this book is called. This book is called how to love your morning Faith filled habits to build a life of joy and purpose one day at a time. And guess what kind of person my husband is. Oh, yeah, you guessed it. He is a morning person. You probably have guessed it. Not so much me, I'm more of the night out. Which works out great for parenting, by the way, especially when you have teens because one doesn't mind getting up early and one doesn't mind staying up late. But this was so interesting. It was really, it really helped reframe my perspective on morning. So what Jennifer did was she was actually inspired by a conversation with her daughter. Daughter. When she was just talking about her faith and talking about what she was reading in the Bible, doing what Deuteronomy 6 tells us, talking about these things as she walks along the road, as, ah, she lies down, as she gets up. She was talking about mornings with her daughter and her daughter said, hey, you should write a book about that. And she did. She took her daughter's advice and she researched all of the mornings that were mentioned in the Bible and it was really interesting. And she argued and I think it's a pretty bold claim. She said everybody, and I mean everybody is a morning person. I know some of you are thinking, no, no shot. No, I'm not a morning person. But she said everybody has a morning archetype. And so she looked at some of those, those archetypes. I know I had said on that show, my husband is the seeker. He's the social seeker. He wakes up and he's like, who's up? Who's ready to talk? Like, let's. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. And you know, I am more of the Proverbs verse of, greeting too cheerful in the morning will be counted as a curse. So there is wisdom across the Bible there. But there were some great things that she had in here. Talking about, you know, what is, what is really going to change if we start the day with Jesus? How it's your heart, your soul, your mind and your strength is how she organized it. And then she talked about, about some different. How do we design our mornings? What are the morning guides for different life stages? What you do when you're in college is really different than if you're a working professional or an office mom or a stay at home mom, m or an empty nester, a retiree or a widow. And the morning archetypes was probably one of the most interesting. to me, I was very much the reflective thinker. I think is is what it was called. I need a moment moment. And I know it's so cliche, but I really want to have my coffee before words come out of my mouth or into my ears. Yep, that's just how it goes. And that is okay. Well, I hope that you're enjoying this Christmas in July giveaway that we are doing. Don't worry, we have lots more to give away when we come back. We and think now, what is your Christmas going to look? What is your mission and vision for Christmas 2026? And what do you need to decide right now to say no to? It's going to take a whole lot of stress off your plate come November when that decision comes up. We'll have more giveaways when we come back.

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Celebration by Forrest Frank: You, you, you, you. You know what to do. it's time to put your phone down and raise your attitude. The God who made the bird see sun and the moon Isn't somewhere far away he is standing in the room so let it scream, let it shout Let him know what you're about out Keep it moving and grooving don't leave a single doubt that today is the day that the Lord has created why would I sit around just waiting? Let's have a celebration it's time to clap our hands and it's on, for feet let's have a celebration if you believe that Jesus said to free it's time to celebrate.

It is really important to start thinking about Christmas now

Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back, friends. That is Celebration by Forrest Frank. And we are having a big celebration. A massive giveaway. Thanks so much to our publishing partners who have sent us, beautiful books to gift to our listeners. And in the first segment, we saw Lynn from. Oh, no. Then the first segment. Oh, hold on. I'm getting my list mixed up. We saw Scott from Mississippi, Larry from North Carolina, Melissa from Texas, Dede from Mississippi, and Mikella from Virginia. Now the second segment. Listen, y' all are gonna think that I rigged this. I promise I didn't. But you Texas people showed out. I know. I can't help it. I'm a native Texan going back many generations. I'm just as, obnoxious as the stereotype is. But listen to our people from Texas, Doug from Texas, James from Texas, Ryan from Texas. Thanks so much for calling in. But we have people calling in from other places, too. We have Lynn from Arkansas and Ariberto from, Texas, and James from Kansas. So I am so. And I may have Kadin those mixed up. I'm so excited, I can't even read Stuart Bottom line, we got people calling in, and we are giving away stuff right and left for Christmas. We having a Christmas in July. Now, if you Care Net a Christmas in July person. Hey, I didn't play any Christmas music. We played our giveaway song. Celebration by Forrest Frank. And it is really important to start thinking about Christmas now. Right now. There's not too terribly much going on. I know the boys in my house have told me, that they were talking about the most exciting times for sports because I have a family who really loves to watch sports. Sports and the worst times. And they said right after the All Star Game, everything is dead. That is the most quiet time. So if you like sports, you've got some margin. If you have kids going back to school, not quite just yet, you have a little bit more time left, you have some margin in your schedule to think right now in July, what is your Christmas going to look like? And you, And so you can think about that as you're thinking about that. I'm going to give you the third tip. But before I do that, let me give the number. 888-858-9840. That's 888-589-8840. We're going to take the first five callers and we're going to give away one of these books that I've been talking about. You'll get an early Christmas gift in the mail, which is really exciting. And when we're thinking about Christmas, I, want you to think right now in July. What is the mission and vision of Christmas 2026 going to be for you? What is the Lexie that you want to leave? What is, is the theme for this year's Christmas? What is the character trait that you want to exude? Is it going to be a peaceful Christmas, a joyful Christmas? Maybe you're having a, Christmas where you have things to celebrate, and maybe you have a Christmas where you think, okay, Silent Night feels like more of the theme of the Lexie that I want to have. So think right now. What do you want your Christmas to look like? The second thing, what do you want to say no to right now? Because there's so many things that we put off and we have analysis paralysis, like, should we go or should we not? Like, should we stay home? Should we visit? Should we invite this person? Should we spend this? Should we not make some of those decisions that are stressful to you later on? Make them now pre decide so that you already have decided when the time comes. The third tip I have for you is to start your healthy habit journey now. Now, you know, every Friday we talk about a habit for healthy families. And the truth is, is that when you think about Christmas, a lot of Brandice especially with young kids at home, you have this dream of doing, this is going to be the year we're going to do Advent. We're going to do an Advent devotional this year or we're going to have, you know, this tradition. But December honestly is just too hectic to start new habits a lot of times. But if you have one simple weekly family devotional now that's going to be really easy to swap out the content. You already have the rhythm, but in Christmas time you can just swap out to do an Advent devotional. But you've already got the rhythm down and it doesn't feel like you're trying to add more into the holiday season. If you start serving together once a month as a family when Christmas comes, it's easier to do that you're already serving this month. We're just doing something holiday themed for serving. If you pray together before bedtime, those things are all going to be the those are all going to be ingrained by December. They feel natural rather than feeling like just another point of stress or to be honest, another point of failure. Like I wanted to do Advent, we failed again. Set yourself up for success now because Christmas can then become a celebration of what God has already been doing in your family. Not a frantic attempt to have the social media worthy version of spiritual practices in December. That is really important because the strongest Christmas traditions aren't big built in the month of December. They are ingrained and implanted months and years before that. And Christmas just brings different content but not a different rhythm. And so July may feel far away from Christmas, but intentional families know something that's really important. Those memories that you're going to make in December are shaped by the decisions that you're making right now in July. Even when we talked last week with Kathi Lipp's talking about what you're spending in July may impact what you are spending in Christmas. So don't wait until the busiest time of year to decide what matters most. Start now so when Christmas arrives, you and your family can experience The Core wonder like we all want for Christmas, less hurry and most importantly to keep Christ at the center of it all. So that is something that is there. We have, so that's something to consider.

We have more books to give away from Tyndale Publishing

We have more books to give away and to talk about. These are from Tyndale, Tyndale Publishing. Tyndale's purpose is to Ms. Minister to the spiritual needs of people primarily through the publication of literature consistent with biblical principles and through grants to other charitable entities. So we look at the partnership that we have many times with these publishers and to join them in that mission, we want to minister to the spiritual needs of people as well. And this, these are the books that Tyndale gifted to us. They gifted, Morning in the Barnyard. It's by Dandy Daily Mikella I think is, how you say it, really cute little board book. And I'm telling you, babies can't have enough board books. They just really can't. Really cute, cute board book that's there. We also have, for that tween kind of age, if you have kids who like, the Wimpy Kid. The Wimpy Kid. What is it? The Terri of a Wimpy Kid series, like that kind of genre. We present to you the Dead Sea Squirrel. Squirrels, not scrolls. I'm trying to say squirrels, but it's the Dead Sea Squirrels. It's cyber squirrel. Squirrels. And this is from Mike. Now Rocky. And so you can look there. This is a really cheerful comic style book. Lots of pictures in here to engage that kind of tween ager age. And also for that age, we have the Parable Port series. Now I interviewed Brock Eastman. You may know Brock Eastman also as Dr. Fizzlebop He's been on the show, and in both of those roles that he has, has. But these are co authored with Sean Stevenson. And I have to say for just a second, I'm a really big fan of these books. So this first one is called the Sower Secret, and they take parables from the Bible and they bring them to life in a children's story. So for, for example, this one, the Sower Secret, it says on the back of the book, the adventure begins when a flock of orange birds stalks Anthony and flowering vines everywhere, knocking people out cold with their pockets. Pollen. In the good old days, the living parables would help the town to flourish. But now something or someone is messing with the parable of the Sower and causing chaos. And, and Brock talked about all of the characters in here, how intentional they were, about making sure they stayed true to the biblical narrative, but also making these in a modern context that kids could understand biblical truths. And I, just thought they are so creative and so fun, funny. And this would be a great book to read out loud to your kids. Yes, I'm talking 9, 10, 11, 12 years old. That is there. And we did. We talked to Sean specifically about these books. And and we featured Brock before. But the show that we talked about, the Parable Port with Sean Stevenson and you can. That show was on May 12th, by the way. So if you're wanting to Go back and listen to more about these. These would be great to have in your children's ministry and just to read out loud because they're adventurous and I know when I read out loud, I can tell if it's a good book. If they, they, they don't say, oh, you read that so well and I enjoyed that so much. And thank you for investing in reading in me, and me by reading to me. Kids don't say that. You know what they say? They say one more chapter. That's what they say. And that's how you know when it's a good book.

We have arrived at our last set of giveaway for Christmas books

We also have this, this children's book, the Outsiders by Connor Schramm and Jared New Douche. It's Jesus and the Outsiders, A story of love and belonging. Jesus is for kids. And we are giving away this kids book as well. And we have arrived at our last set of giveaway. Isn't this so exciting? So think about those people out there who have won a book. You are going to get one of these in the mail. Lynn, Doug, James, Ariberto, Ryan, Scott, Larry, Melissa, Dee Dee, Mikella you're going to get one of these. And the five people who we are working on right now, we have, have, from this publisher, we have Moody publishers who also gifted us, some books. And Moody publishes books and resources that glorify God, serve the church's work of discipling all people, and make Jesus Christ known throughout the world. We have the Little Christmas Carol, based on the classic text by Charles Dickens and envisioned and illustrated by Joe Sutman. Really beautiful big book. I love reading big books to get kids. And there are some pictures in here when I'm looking at it. There's some really good pictures. There's also some pages with just words on there. But such a great Christmas tradition to sit and read out loud. One of the books I read out loud to my family even now is the best Christmas pageant ever. That if you, if you know imaging, if you know, you know the Herdman kids, right? All right. Another one that we have is an Advent devotional unwrapping the names of Jesus. Now again, then when you look at this, when you look at a devotional, if you're not doing a devotional now, you're not likely to do one at Christmas. But if you start one now, you can Assell swap it out and you can go ahead and get it if you want to and have it laying there and decide when you're going to do it. For some people, morning is best. For some people, night is best. We talked about a daily habit of a devotional in the rhythms. Ayanna, we talked earlier this year, we talked about four core spiritual disciplines. Disciplines and then six rhythms that your family needs. And daily devotion was one of those, rhythms. And so just again, I love these, these beautiful books that just encourage you to reset your heart, to remind you what is the reason for the season. That is really helpful. Another Advent. an Advent option will be by an author who is known to a lot of you, Nancy DeMoss Walgamuth. And this is called the First Songs of Christmas. And it's meditations on Luke 1 and 2. So that may be another great option for you. And I encourage you, if you are going to get a beautiful Advent devotional like that, get one for a friend and ask them to do it with you. Have a quick FaceTime call. Do it with your spouse, do it with your kids. Just five minutes. It doesn't have to be perfect or polished or anything. Just consider. And the other we have from Daniel Darling. These are all Christmas books. And let me tell you, I. I know it will surprise none of you who know how much I love Christmas. I have a whole shelf of Christmas books that I cannot wait to bring out and display. I love reading Christmas Backhus, and I am looking forward to adding some of these to my shelf there. This one is called the Characters of Christmas. The Unlikely People Caught up in the Story of Jesus. It's by Daniel Dark Darling. And for the back, I'm reading from the back and you can see reading about Joseph and Zechariah and Elizabeth and Mary, the angels, the innkeeper, the shepherds, the wise men, Herod, Simon and Anna and Jesus, Surprising ancestors. And so to look at, the most important character, of course, is Jesus Christ. But looking at all of these around there is really important. We have a new set of winners. And let me tell you, Texas, you came through. I love every state. I love my country, but I really appreciate that. So we have David from Texas and Randy from Texas. We also have a David from Tennessee and we have Whitney from Louisiana and Nan from Alabama. And I love all of those states, too. Thank you guys so much for listening today, for calling in. We cannot wait to send you these very books that I'm holding right now. These are going to be a jump start on your Christmas shopping or maybe your family's Christmas journey. The last one that we have from moody is called 12 Classic Christmas Stories. A Feast of Yuletide Tales, Wheels. This is by Timothy Larson. This also is a really beautiful book. I. I don't know. I know I am, maybe in a minority and loving beautiful books, but there's just something about opening a beautiful book. And so looking at some of these, we have authors like Louisa May Alcott, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Washington Irving and Alena Montgomery, which of course we know she wrote Anne of Green Gables, which is my favorite movie of all time. We have Charles Dickens all and the Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. I think it's so important to introduce our families to these classic Christmas tales, this classic literature, to read together stories that evoke character and that talk about the tough issues that we face and how do we face them. And of course, there is no more central code character to Christmas than Jesus. He is the reason for the season. So I encourage you to think about your Christmas. Think about what is your mission and vision going to be for your family Christmas in 2026? What do you need to say no to? And what habit do you need to start now so that it's going to be already there and easy to translate for Christmas? Congratulations again to our winners. Thanks to everybody who listens. I appreciate each and every one of you. You encourage me way more than you know to know that you care so much about your families. And I pray, as I always do, that the Lord will bless you and keep you and make his face to Shane upon you even on Christmas in July. See you next time.

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

CHRISTMAS IN JULY! It's the 3rd Annual Christmas in July Show! Jessica celebrates her favorite season and features great giveaways provided by the publishers who work with the show to provide great guests year-round.

CHRISTMAS IN JULY! It's the 3rd Annual Christmas in July Show! Jessica celebrates her favorite season and features great giveaways provided by the publishers who work with the show to provide great guests year-round.

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