The conversation between Dr. Rita M. Hernandez and her daughter Victoria covers the joy and laughter Victoria brought to their lives, the surprise of her arrival, the impact of growing up in a Christian family, and the intentional approach to discipline and character building. The conversation covers Vic's upbringing in a Christian home, his faith journey, and the transfer of family traditions to his own home. It also delves into a significant health scare and the impact of these experiences on his faith and parenting style.

Takeaways

• Joy and laughter in the family
• The intentional approach to discipline and character building Family traditions and faith played a significant role in Vic's upbringing and continue to influence his parenting style.
• Vic's health scare and his encounter with God had a profound impact on his faith journey and relationship with God.

Chapters

• 00:00 The Joy and Laughter Victoria Brought
• 18:18 The Surprise of Victoria's Arrival
• 26:43 Growing Up in a Christian Family
• 32:39 Intentional Approach to Discipline and Character Building
• 36:21 Upbringing in a Christian Home
• 38:27 Journey Towards Surrender to Jesus
• 43:16 Encounter with God and Health Scare
• 57:36 Parenting and Family Traditions

Summary

In this episode, I interview my son Leon about his faith journey. He is a worship pastor at Saddleback Church, and he shares insights on growing up in a Christian home, overcoming doubts, and embracing God's call. Discover how intentional parenting, spiritual experiences, and God's faithfulness shaped his path.

Key topics

Leon’s childhood and growing up in a Christian home

His spiritual doubts and journey to faith

The role of parents and spiritual mentors

Experiences that deepened his faith, including international trips

The importance of intentional discipleship and prayer

His calling to ministry and becoming a worship pastor

The impact of spiritual experiences and community

Lessons learned about faith and character development

Sound bites

"God’s faithfulness through every season"

"My faith journey was a rollercoaster"

"God used community to shape my faith"

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Leon and his faith background

00:04 Growing up in a Christian home and early memories

00:31 Spiritual warfare and childhood experiences

02:55 Leon’s doubts and struggles with faith during adolescence

03:01 His journey to accepting Jesus and baptism

03:34 The role of family and church in his faith development

03:47 International trips and spiritual growth in Australia and London

03:51 His calling to ministry and the process of becoming a pastor

03:54 The importance of prayer and community influences

03:58 Overcoming pride and internal struggles

04:07 God’s faithfulness and the journey of character building

04:12 Passing faith to the next generation and discipling children

Science recently spent decades trying to prove something the Bible said all along: older women are not meant to fade into the background, they're essential. In this episode of Raising Children Who Love God, Dr. Rita explores the "Grandmother Hypothesis" and the deep, biblical treasure of accumulated years, and sets the stage for something she's never done on the show before.

You'll hear the fascinating research from anthropologist Kristen Hawkes and the Hadza people of Tanzania, where grandmothers proved vital to their families' survival, and why God designed this hand-off of wisdom from the older generation to the younger (Titus 2). Dr. Rita shares her own four-generation story: a grandmother who lived to 97, a mother who is 82, and the wisdom she's still gleaning today. And she offers real hope to the woman who never had a mother or grandmother, because our God is a family-maker who can send the very person you need.

In this episode:

• The Grandmother Hypothesis: how science confirms the value of accumulated years
• Why wisdom is accumulated, not downloaded, and why your mistakes are never wasted
• Learning first from the Word of God, unabridged, not the "itching ears" version (2 Timothy 4:3)
• God's design for older women to pour into younger ones (Titus 2)
• Hope for the mom who never had a mother or grandmother; God can fill that void
• A look ahead: a six-part series interviewing Dr. Rita's grown children, starting next week

Scriptures: 2 Timothy 4:3 • Titus 2:3–5 • Psalm 92:14

The treasure was never in having arrived, it's in the years, and a teachable heart. It's not simple, but it can be done.

Free gift: Download ROOTED: 7 Scriptures Your Child Needs to Know The Word-first foundation everything in this episode is built on. (Comment or text ROOTED, or visit 4thisgeneration.com.)

New episodes every Tuesday. Follow so you never miss one; the family interviews start next week.

Equipping moms. Discipling children. Impacting generations.

Discipling your children doesn't only happen in the scheduled family devotional; it happens in the car, at the sink, in the checkout line, and on vacation. In this episode of Raising Children Who Love God, Dr. Rita shares how to weave God into the ordinary moments of everyday family life, straight out of Deuteronomy 6.

From a grandmother who asks God where her keys are, to a little prayer framed on a childhood bedroom wall, to Scripture painted around the borders of her kids' rooms.

Dr. Rita shows how the smallest everyday habits plant faith that lasts a lifetime. And she tells the now-famous family story of her youngest son, Ariel, a terrified little boy talked into parasailing in Cabo, and the hilarious, heart-melting thing he said on the way back to shore that revealed a faith deeper than anyone knew.

In this episode:

• Why most discipleship happens in the unscheduled moment, not the planned one (Deuteronomy 6:6–9)
• How to make God a natural part of ordinary conversation, the good days and the hard ones
• "When you rise": the power of putting God's Word where your children can't help but see it
• "Write them on your doorposts": a simple idea for surrounding your kids with Scripture at home
• The Cabo parasailing story, and what it taught Dr. Rita about seizing everyday moments
• Why you don't need a curriculum to disciple your children, you need a conversation

Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:6–9

Put God in the everyday, and don't be surprised by what He lets you discover in your children's hearts. It's not simple, but it can be done.

🌱 Free gift: Download ROOTED: 7 Scriptures Your Child Needs to Know. A simple way to "write them on your doorposts" and put God's Word in front of your children every day.

visit 4thisgeneration.com

New episodes every Tuesday. Follow so you never miss one.
Equipping moms. Discipling children. Impacting generations.

No two children come to God the same way. If you have more than one child, you already know it in your gut — one talks your ear off while you coax three words from the other; one feels everything, the other shrugs and moves on. So why do we keep trying to disciple them all the same way?

In this episode of Raising Children Who Love God, Dr. Rita unpacks one of the most freeing truths in Christian parenting: God didn't make your children the same, so you're not meant to reach them the same. Rooted in Proverbs 22:6 — training a child according to his bent — she walks through the different ways children come to faith, the mother's real job (getting to know each one), and the three non-negotiables every child needs, no matter their design.

In this episode:

• Why one-size-fits-all discipleship isn't a failure — it's a mismatch with how God made your child
• The difference between a label you impose and a bent God wove in (Proverbs 22:6)
• Five ways children come to God: the reflector, the matter-of-fact believer, the questioner, the feeler, and the doer
• Your real job: getting to know each child — and why you must stop comparing
• The three non-negotiables every child needs: knowing God, anchoring on His Word, and building a prayer life
• Same destination, different roads: freedom in the how, firmness in the what
• Praying for wisdom for the specific child in front of you (James 1:5)

Scriptures: Psalm 139:13–14 • Proverbs 22:6 • James 1:5

Get to know the child God actually gave you. It's not simple, but it can be done.

🌱 Free gift: Download ROOTED: 7 Scriptures Your Child Needs to Know.

The same foundation for every child, and each one will make it their own. (Comment or text ROOTED, or visit 4thisgeneration.com.)

New episodes every Tuesday. Follow so you never miss one.
Equipping moms. Discipling children. Impacting generations.

One of the most common mistakes Christian moms make is turning a child's behavior into their identity: "you're such a liar," "you're so lazy," "why do you always...?" We don't mean to. It slips out in the hard moments. But children believe the names we give them, and they grow into whatever we keep speaking over them.

In this episode of Raising Children Who Love God, Dr. Rita shares a three-generation moment in the car, the day her young daughter called her a liar and her own grandmother gently taught a better way, and unpacks one of the most important shifts you'll ever make as a mother: learning to separate what your child does from who your child is. Because behavior is something we do, not something we are and that means it can change, mature, and grow wiser.

In this episode:

• Why labels, even the "nice" ones like the shy one or the smart one, become a script your child lives out
• The identity that belongs at the center: a child of God, deeply loved (1 John 3:1)
• How God Himself does this, calling Gideon a "mighty warrior" while he's hiding in fear
• The reframe to practice: "You told a lie" instead of "You are a liar" and the powerful "that is so not you"
• Why Proverbs 6:20–22 is first a call to the parent, not just the child
• The prayer to pray over your children: "Lord, remind them that they are Yours."

Scriptures: 1 John 3:1 • Judges 6:12 • Proverbs 6:20–22

Watch your words, my friend, you're writing a name your child will wear for life. Make it the name God gave them. It's not simple, but it can be done.

🌱 Free gift: Download ROOTED: 7 Scriptures Your Child Needs to Know every one speaks to who your child is in God. (Comment or text ROOTED, or visit 4thisgeneration.com.)

New episodes every Tuesday. Follow so you never miss one.
Equipping moms. Discipling children. Impacting generations.

"For a long time, I believed it was my job to control my children's lives." In this deeply honest episode of Raising Children Who Love God, Dr. Rita shares the hardest lesson God ever taught her as a mother, the day her children began listening to other voices, sometimes more than to her, and she had to learn to open her hands and let go.

If you're a Christian mom who struggles to release control, especially in the teenage years, this one is for you. Dr. Rita moves past discernment into surrender: how to stay vigilant without gripping, why the instinct to protect can quietly curdle into fear, and the surprising prayer that changed everything, not just "God, send godly people," but "God, soften my heart so I can receive them." It's a testimony of a mother who fought the answer to her own prayers… and looks back today with deep gratitude for the people God brought.

In this episode:

• Why the instinct to protect is holy and where it turns into control
• An honest confession: wanting control, and fighting God longer than she should have
• Staying vigilant on your knees instead of gripping with your fists
• The rarely-prayed prayer: asking God to change your heart, not just your circumstances
• What surrender really is and why God loves your children even more than you do

Open your hands, mama. It's not simple, but it can be done.

🌱 Free gift: Download ROOTED: 7 Scriptures Your Child Needs to Know. Visit 4thisgeneration.com to get your free copy.

New episodes every Tuesday. Follow so you never miss one.
Equipping moms. Discipling children. Impacting generations.

The moment you become a mother, everyone suddenly has an opinion about how you should raise your children — the relative at Thanksgiving, the mom in the pickup line, the account you follow who's never met your child. But here's the truth every Christian mom needs: everyone may have an opinion, but not everyone has earned a seat at the table.

In this episode of Raising Children Who Love God, Dr. Rita talks about one of the most overlooked skills in intentional motherhood — choosing who you allow to counsel you and speak into your children's lives. Drawing on Proverbs 13:20 and the "safe people" framework from Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend, she unpacks who shouldn't automatically get a voice, who you do want walking beside you, and why a wise mentor you have a real relationship with matters more than any expert in your feed.

In this episode:

• Why not everyone in your life belongs in your circle of counsel
• Two voices to be gentle about: people who've never raised children, and peers in your exact season
• The marks of a truly wise, "safe" counselor — and the one test that reveals them
• Why counsel is a relationship, not content you consume
• "You can't do this alone" — the biblical case for a wise village (Proverbs 15:22)

Scriptures: Proverbs 13:20 • Proverbs 15:22

Guard your table well, mama. It's not simple — but it can be done.

🌱 Free gift: Download ROOTED: 7 Scriptures Your Child Needs to Know. (Comment or text ROOTED, or visit 4thisgeneration.com.)

New episodes every Tuesday. Follow so you never miss one.
Equipping moms. Discipling children. Impacting generations.

*Every Christian mom knows the panic moment: the 2 a.m. worry, the pickup-line comment that stops you cold, the question from your child you have no idea how to answer. And your first instinct? Reach for your phone. Text a friend. Scroll for someone who's figured it out. In this episode of Raising Children Who Love God, Dr. Rita shares a moment she's not proud of, the day she called a friend before she called on God, and the quiet question that changed how she's parented ever since: Why did you come to the phone before you came to Me?

Going to God first isn't an instinct; it's a skill you build. Rooted in James 1:5, this episode is an honest, practical conversation about asking God for wisdom, giving yourself permission to wait for the answer instead of forcing one, and why your child watching you take your "I don't know" to God may be one of the most powerful things you'll ever teach them.

In this episode:

• Why we reach for everything but God when we're overwhelmed
• What James 1:5 promises every mom: God gives wisdom generously, to all, without reproach
• The three questions to ask God first: What do I do? What do I say? Who should I ask for counsel?
• Three in-the-moment practices: stop before you scroll, write it down, and give yourself permission to wait
• Permission to not have the answer, and why your uncertainty, handled with faith, is a lesson

Scripture: James 1:5

Whether you're in the toddler years, the teenage years, or somewhere in between, this episode will help you build the reflex of going to God first, one panic moment at a time. Because it's not simple, but it can be done.

🌱 Free gift: Download ROOTED: 7 Scriptures Your Child Needs to Know and start planting God's Word in your child's heart today. visit 4thisgeneration.com.

New episodes every Tuesday. Follow so you never miss one.

Equipping moms. Discipling children. Impacting generations

Episode 2: Grow Alongside Your Children: Why Raising Kids Who Love God Starts With You.

Last week my eight-year-old granddaughter looked up at me and asked, "Ima, how does God speak to you? How do you know it's really Him?" I didn't reach for a lesson plan; I just told her the truth. And right there, I realized something: I could only answer her because I never stopped growing.

Before we can disciple our children, we have to stay committed to growing ourselves. So in this episode, pull up a chair and grab your coffee. We're talking about why God rarely compares His people to things that stay the same. He calls us trees, vines, branches, living, growing things. He plants us in motherhood while we're still growing, and then He uses our children to grow us up in Him.

You'll hear the (slightly embarrassing) story of what the Holy Spirit said to me while I was scrubbing my refrigerator with a toothbrush, why the heat and the dry seasons don't disqualify you, and the freeing truth every Christian mom needs: your children don't need a perfect mother, they need one whose roots are growing deeper into Christ.

In this episode:

• Why God's favorite pictures of us are living, growing things
• What to do when the "heat" comes and your faith feels dry
• How being cleaned and pruned is part of growing
• The one small growth rhythm to start this week

Scriptures: Psalm 92:12–15 • Jeremiah 17:7–8

It's not simple, but it can be done. One ordinary moment at a time.

🌱 Free gift: Grab ROOTED: 7 Scriptures Your Child Needs to Know. (Insert your ManyChat trigger: text/comment ROOTED, or link.)

New episodes every Tuesday. Follow so you never miss one.

Chapters

• 00:00 The Conversation with God
• 03:03 Growing in Faith
• 06:03 The Promise of Growth
• 08:47 The Heat and the Drought
• 11:55 The Cleaning Process
• 15:01 Raising Children Rooted