License to Parent with Trace Embry

What can parents do when they find themselves at the wrong end of a crisis with their troubled teen? We continue the discussion we began last week to help parents find hope for their family’s crisis situation.

This week, we continue the conversation in an effort to raise awareness of how you can support Shepherds Hill Academy (SHA). Through your support we are able to provide a reduction in tuition for families in crisis.

How You can Help Families at Shepherds Hill Academy

In our last program we laid the groundwork for the growing need of therapeutic residential care in today’s society. You can listen to part one of this discussion here.

We discussed some of the many things now competing with parents for our kids’ worldview and allegiance by way of entertainment, social media and all the other things that digital technology has brought to the parenting landscape. We talked about how all these things have helped undermine parental influence by ushering in a multitude of new and complex emotional, behavioral and spiritual issues that have increased the need for places like SHA and its unplugged environment.

We dive further into our discussion to explain the operation expenses of Shepherds Hill Academy. In addition, we provide stories of teens that have had life-changing experiences during their stay at SHA. You can help support a family to reduce their tuition costs by giving to the Shepherds Hill Academy Student Scholarship Fund.

This week we discuss this and more:

Why is SHA so costly when there are other programs so cheap?

Why a single babysitter can be just as expensive as residential care.

Why SHA remains gender specific.

A father’s letter to his son.

Specific needs of SHA.

An example of a family crisis experienced by SHA.

HELP a Troubled Teen Today

What can parents do when they find themselves at the wrong end of a crisis with their troubled teen? We continue the discussion we began last week to help parents find hope for their family’s crisis situation. This week, we continue the conversation in an effort to raise awareness of how you can support Shepherds […]

Today, Rich and I take time to highlight the exceptional work that Shepherds Hill Academy (SHA) does to help families in need with a teen in crisis. Our focus is to raise awareness on how others can support a family with the high cost of residential care.

Today’s program is going to be noticeably different from most of the programs we produce on the License to Parent broadcast. It’s just Rich and me in the studio. We are going to be talking about some problems, some solutions and some needs today—particularly as they pertain to youth culture, the parent/child relationship, and what we do at Shepherds Hill Academy.

How You Can Support a Student at Shepherds Hill Academy

In today’s digital age we are seeing an upswing of behavioral problems in young people. But, not only that, we’re seeing an increase in the intensity and complexity of emotional, mental and spiritual problems among most of the American youth culture. Thus, the need for therapeutic residential care, such as what Shepherds Hill Academy provides, for troubled teens has never been greater.

I feel that because we’re actually in the trenches at Shepherds Hill Academy, and we see the trends and know what brings healing to these families, we can speak with authority on these issues here on the License to Parent broadcast. Because SHA is the proving-ground for everything we talk about on License to Parent; I want to dedicate today’s broadcast to provide our listeners with a better understanding of SHA and why it’s so important for the body of Christ.

In today’s program, we cover a variety of topics that help highlight the importance of therapeutic boarding schools and we establish how you can support a teen in crisis.

Highlights from today's broadcast include:

What it means to live in an unplugged environment.

Why removing teens from the toxic youth culture provides new clarity in their thought.

How to distinguish the spiritual and carnal nature of teens.

Why the cost of therapeutic boarding school is so expensive.

How you can actively help support the tuition for a teen in crisis.

HELP a Troubled Teen Today

Today, Rich and I take time to highlight the exceptional work that Shepherds Hill Academy (SHA) does to help families in need with a teen in crisis. Our focus is to raise awareness on how others can support a family with the high cost of residential care. Today’s program is going to be noticeably different from […]

This week we continue our interview with our wives, Beth Embry and Debbie Roszel. They provide practical advice on the details you need to consider if you are transitioning to become a stay-at-home parent.

If you missed last week’s episode you can start from the beginning here. My wife, Beth Embry, founded Shepherds Hill Academy with me. Rich’s wife, Debbie Roszel, is a tutor and author of the books: From Fortress to Freedom and The Mom’s Guide to Surviving West Point.

Practical Benefits of Being a Stay-at-Home Parent

We continue our conversation with Beth Embry and Debbie Roszel. This conversation provides practical guidance for wives and mothers questioning if they are to transition to the role as a stay-at-home parent. The truth is, in our culture, we have evaporated the margin in our lives to contemplate the deeper things of life. Staying focused on a career and remaining non-stop busy could be preventing your family from truly flourishing as God has intended. Some of the benefits of being a stay-at-home parent:

Positions your kids to be homeschooled.

Abolishes possible guilt for “not being” there for your child.

Establishes a value on family, as opposed to material possession.

Exposes the truth behind the pressure to “have it all.”

Prepares an example of how family is to sacrifice for one another.

How a stay-at-home parent navigates the digital age.

Picture provided by: pixabay.com.

This week we continue our interview with our wives, Beth Embry and Debbie Roszel. They provide practical advice on the details you need to consider if you are transitioning to become a stay-at-home parent. If you missed last week’s episode you can start from the beginning here. My wife, Beth Embry, founded Shepherds Hill Academy […]

We have a special opportunity to discuss the importance of being a stay-at-home mom in our weekly interview.

Our guests today; surprisingly, are our wives. My wife, Beth Embry, who is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of Shepherds Hill Academy. Also, Rich’s wife, Debbie Roszel, who is a Private Tutor and the Author of two books: From Fortress to Freedom and The Mom’s Guide to Surviving West Point. Both women are mothers of five children, and both chose to be stay-at-home moms for several years.

Overcoming the Financial Challenge of Being a Stay-at-Home Mom

It seems that the pace of life today has brought us all to a place where we don’t feel like we can do without or be without everything or every opportunity that comes our way. Smartphones have now allowed us to bring our offices and our work home with us. It’s also made us available to everyone, everywhere, and all the time; yet, without the same kind of responsibility or accountability. When it comes to raising our kids, how’s that really been working out for us?

With an increasingly "Me" oriented society, the result is like adult kids in an adult candy shop. We have so many options today. But, with all those options comes a drastically reduced down time. We have a myriad of business, pleasure and information options that we naturally want to grab on to—for our own benefit.

What happens when a baby enters the scene? We still want and need the money, but now we are going to have to sacrifice some of it to adequately take care our children. Regardless of all the opportunities and options life offers us today, I think we may have to seriously consider the reality that parenting is going to require a greater sacrifice. If we are truly going to do parenting as God intended, initially and on the surface we need to own that sacrifice. I know this may not be a popular thing to talk about in our politically correct age. But, like a root canal, sometimes it’s necessary. Our wives, and guests, help us make sense of:

Does it really take two incomes to provide for a family?

Why your job is not your provision.

Just because your family is busy does not mean your family is succeeding.

God can provide your financial needs.

The truth about paying for your child’s college.

Picture provided by: Images Money.

We have a special opportunity to discuss the importance of being a stay-at-home mom in our weekly interview. Our guests today; surprisingly, are our wives. My wife, Beth Embry, who is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of Shepherds Hill Academy. Also, Rich’s wife, Debbie Roszel, who is a Private Tutor and the Author of two books: […]

Our guest, Julie Woodley provides parents with practical guidance on how to recognize, respond and overcome childhood sexual abuse.

Julie is the founder and director of Restoring the Heart Ministries. She is also a speaker, author, and a counselor. Julie holds an M.A. in counseling and a certificate in Theological Studies from Bethel Seminary. Julie is a certified trauma counselor and was ordained in 2000. Julie is also the division chair of the American Association of Christian Counseling for Abortion, Sexual Trauma and Mental Health. She is the Ministry Outreach Representative of Timberline Knolls.

How to Recognize Sexual Abuse

I just talked to an 80 year old lady who told me about an issue from her childhood; and, it was the first time she’d ever mentioned it to anyone. Why people seem to be sharing these experiences more often these days—even into their twilight years—I think, is because our entire society has become a whole lot more comfortable with discussing sexual issues as a whole. You can’t even watch a G-rated TV show without the commercials referring to topics that virtually nobody discussed publicly a generation ago.

I suppose it could be argued that it’s evidence that all things really do work for the good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. Because, if the sexual revolution didn’t do anything else, it has allowed people—or should I say “forced” people in our society—and I’m thinking about Christians in particular—to have more open and regular discussions about sexual issues. It’s a subject that certainly the Bible doesn’t shy away from. But, I think it’s the kind of discussions we have about these issues that can either bring healing or hurt to individuals—particularly for young impressionable minds.

Sex can be beautiful or dirty—sacrificial or selfish; and, I think our society has acquired an appetite for dirty and selfish—unlike God intended it. So—considering the times we live in today—I think we need to have healthy discussions—and have them often—with our kids—and as early as possible too; so, that when perversion comes their way, they’ll sense it for what it really is.

Julie helps us to recognize the signs of sexual abuse by discussing:

Using her testimony and history with sexual abuse to help others.

Has sexual abuse gotten worst since the digital age?

What to do if the child claims to have been abused.

Is there hope for healing?

What do you do if your child is the abuser?

What if your teen is sexually involved with someone older than 18 years old.

Picture provided by NY - http://nyphotographic.com/

Our guest, Julie Woodley provides parents with practical guidance on how to recognize, respond and overcome childhood sexual abuse. Julie is the founder and director of Restoring the Heart Ministries. She is also a speaker, author, and a counselor. Julie holds an M.A. in counseling and a certificate in Theological Studies from Bethel Seminary. Julie […]