December 21, 2025 — Episode #101

In this special Christmas episode, Jerry and Becky Drace depart from their regular teaching series to explore the meaning of Christmas through an acronym built from the word itself.

Working letter by letter, they unpack “C” for Christ (the anointed Messiah), “H” for Humanity (Jesus stepping from glory into human form), “R” for Redeemer (illustrated through a childhood memory of trading stamp books, paired with Isaiah 49 and 1 Peter 1), “I” for Immanuel (“God with us,” fulfilling centuries of Old Testament prophecy), and “S” for Star (the Star of Bethlehem and possible astronomical explanations). Along the way, Becky shares that Christmas was a difficult, memory-laden season for her own mother, acknowledging that the holiday can be a source of loneliness or grief for some listeners even as it remains a joyful season for others. Jerry recounts a story from a trip to Jerusalem, where a rabbi at the Western Wall prayed for the coming of a Messiah he did not yet recognize as Jesus. The couple encourages families to keep their Christmas traditions — nativity scenes, gatherings, gift-giving — centered on Christ’s birth rather than commercialism, framing it as the pivotal point that makes Easter’s resurrection possible. They close by inviting listeners to request a free family Bible or write in, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.

Topics discussed:

• “C” is for Christ — the Messiah prophesied in Matthew 1
• “H” is for Humanity — Jesus as the Son of Man
• “R” is for Redeemer — the price of Christ’s sacrifice
• “I” is for Immanuel — “God with us” prophecy fulfilled
• “S” is for Star — the Star of Bethlehem explained
• Christmas as a difficult season for those with painful memories
• Keeping focus on Christ’s birth amid holiday commercialism

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December 14, 2025 — Episode #100

Content note: this episode discusses the 1999 Columbine High School shooting and the 2025 assassination of a prominent conservative political commentator, including references to the perpetrators’ violent video game histories.

Jerry and Becky Drace continue their series on addictions affecting families, focusing this week on the dark side of internet gaming.

Building on the prior week’s discussion, they explore how gaming can escalate from an innocent, social pastime into genuine addiction, citing research on warning signs such as disrupted sleep, poor diet, and declining personal hygiene. They discuss “fused gamers” and “identity fusion” — concepts describing how players bond intensely around violent, combat-based games such as Call of Duty — and how both the Columbine shooters and the alleged assassin had extensive histories with violent gaming and showed signs of identity fusion with online subcultures. The Draces caution that addictive gaming behavior can mask itself behind superficial charm, making it hard for parents to detect, and they urge parents not to dismiss gaming as harmless simply because it isn’t drugs or alcohol. They stress active supervision — knowing children’s passwords, monitoring screen time, and having honest conversations about what children are playing — while noting that even good things, like reading Scripture, can become unhealthy if taken to an isolating extreme.

Topics discussed:

• Signs of gaming addiction: disrupted sleep, poor diet, declining hygiene
• “Fused gamers” and “identity fusion” among online gaming communities
• Columbine shooting’s connection to violent video game obsession
• The assassin’s gaming history and identity fusion with online groups
• Personality traits (narcissistic, psychopathic) linked to gaming addiction
• Why gaming shouldn’t be dismissed as a “safe” alternative to drugs/alcohol
• Practical parental monitoring: passwords, screen time, open conversation

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December 7, 2025 — Episode #99

Jerry and Becky Drace close out their series on internet addiction with a deep dive into gaming disorder, and take a brief detour into what artificial intelligence can and can’t do.

They recap the earlier categories of internet addiction — cyber-sex, net compulsions, and cyber relationships — with a story about a woman whose online shopping habit filled her house with unopened boxes, and use it to introduce a short Q&A on AI, noting that AI systems have no real concept of truth and can present wrong information as if it were fact. The back half of the show focuses on gaming disorder and what researchers call “the dark side of gaming”: how gamers sacrifice sleep for late-night sessions, how blue light from screens disrupts the body’s natural sleep cycle, and how compulsive gamers often develop poor eating habits, skipping meals in favor of extra playing time. They close with a warning that an unmanaged internet or gaming addiction in the teen years can follow a person into adulthood, affecting marriage and work life down the road.

Topics discussed:

• Recap of cyber-sex, net compulsions, and cyber-relationship addictions
• A hoarding-style online shopping addiction story
• What artificial intelligence can and can’t do, including its lack of a “concept of truth”
• Gaming disorder and its effect on sleep, diet, and relationships
• The science behind blue light and disrupted sleep
• How a teen internet or gaming addiction can carry into adulthood
• Encouraging a Christian worldview from an early age
• Setting device-free boundaries at home

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November 30, 2025 — Episode #98

Content note: this episode includes a discussion of a physical altercation between a parent and a teenager.

Fresh off Thanksgiving, Jerry and Becky Drace continue their series on internet addiction with a hard question: what should a parent do if a teenager becomes physically aggressive over a confiscated phone?

They talk through a real account of a mother who was injured in a struggle with her child over a cell phone, and stress the importance of having a plan in place before a confrontation turns physical. From there they return to cyber relationships, including online dating, and introduce two more categories of internet addiction: gaming disorder and compulsive information-seeking (the urge to constantly browse and refresh news and social feeds). Much of the episode covers eight warning signs drawn from one researcher’s framework for identifying internet addiction: preoccupation with being online, needing more time online to get the same satisfaction, losing track of time, using the internet as an escape, becoming moody or irritable when offline, and repeated failed attempts to cut back.

Topics discussed:

• A parent-teen physical altercation over a confiscated phone
• Cyber relationships and online dating
• Introducing gaming disorder as a type of internet addiction
• Compulsive information-seeking and constant news-checking
• Eight warning signs of internet addiction, from preoccupation to withdrawal
• Setting device boundaries without secrecy or apology
• Having a plan in place before a conflict escalates
• Comparing internet addiction to substance addiction

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November 23, 2025 — Episode #97

Content note: this episode includes references to pornography addiction and a story about a parent removing a teenager’s bedroom door as a form of discipline.

Jerry and Becky Drace spend a second week on internet addiction, recapping their full list of 14 signs of rebellion before digging deeper into how teens — and adults — can lose control online.

They revisit cyber-sex addiction, raising concerns about how AI-generated avatars could deepen the problem, and share a story about a young woman who was deeply shaken after discovering her father viewing pornography at home. They stress that parents should have full access to a teen’s phone, laptop, and passwords, illustrating the point with a story about a single mother who removed her son’s bedroom door — and eventually his furniture — until he apologized for his defiance. They also revisit net compulsions, touching on sports gambling, QR-code betting prompts during broadcasts, and compulsive online shopping, plus the added complications blended families face when parents don’t agree on screen-time boundaries.

Topics discussed:

• Recap of all 14 possible signs of teen rebellion
• Cyber-sex addiction and the emerging risk of AI-generated avatars
• Why parents should have access to a teen’s devices and passwords
• A discipline story involving a defiant teen and a removed bedroom door
• Online gambling, QR-code betting prompts, and compulsive shopping
• Blended families navigating different screen-time standards
• The importance of a nightly family devotion time
• Setting boundaries around devices without secrecy or apology

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November 16, 2025 — Episode #96

Content note: this episode includes a story about an online predator targeting a young teenage girl, along with references to teen suicide risk and pornography.

Having worked through 14 possible signs of teen rebellion over recent weeks, Jerry and Becky Drace add a 15th to the list: internet addiction — and spend the rest of the hour unpacking what that actually looks like in a home.

They first close out a few leftover “issues to consider,” including peer pressure around drugs and alcohol, a family history of mental illness, and unusual stress in a teen’s life, noting that stress and rejection are common precursors to depression and suicidal thinking. They then define internet addiction as an inability to control time spent online despite the strain it puts on relationships, school, or work, citing a statistic that 88.5 percent of Americans use the internet regularly. From there they walk through the first three recognized types of internet addiction: cyber-sex addiction (pornography, chat rooms, and webcam services), net compulsions (online gambling and shopping), and cyber relationships. The episode ends with a sobering story about a stalker who had been posing online as a young teen to a 12- or 13-year-old girl and showed up at her family’s front door after she mentioned her parents would be out for the evening.

Topics discussed:

• Recap of 14 possible signs of teen rebellion covered so far
• Peer pressure, family mental-health history, and stress as risk factors
• Defining internet addiction and how common internet use has become
• Cyber-sex addiction, including pornography and chat rooms
• Net compulsions: online gambling and compulsive shopping
• Cyber relationships and the danger of online predators
• A story about an online predator targeting a young teenage girl
• Suggestions for a family “media-free” day

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November 9, 2025 — Episode #95

Jerry and Becky Drace map out three distinct stages of adolescence — early, middle, and late teens — and explain what’s changing in a child during each one.

They describe the early teen years (roughly ages 9 to 13) as a time when kids begin testing who really holds authority in their lives, the middle teens (13 to 15) as a stretch marked by identity-seeking and learning to face real consequences for the first time, and the late teens (15 to 19) as a period where delayed rebellion can surface if a teen was raised either too strictly or too permissively. They spend time on blended-family dynamics, urging couples to agree on how discipline will work before they marry, and share a cautionary story about a young married man whose lack of any real upbringing eventually cost him his marriage. The episode closes with three questions parents can ask themselves if they suspect a teen is rebelling: does their behavior seem extreme compared to their peers, have they suddenly lost interest in an activity they used to love, and are they showing sudden flashes of anger.

Topics discussed:

• The three stages of adolescence: early, middle, and late teens
• Why blended families should agree on discipline before marriage
• Keeping consistency between rules and consequences
• A cautionary story about an undisciplined young adult
• Extreme behavior compared to peers as a warning sign
• Sudden loss of interest in a favorite activity
• Sudden anger or outbursts as a possible cry for help
• Building personal confidence in children to resist peer pressure

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November 2, 2025 — Episode #94

Content note: this episode discusses drug addiction, including a story about a family confronting a crack house, and briefly references a physical assault on a teacher.

Levi returns for a second week as Jerry and Becky continue building out their list of possible signs of rebellion in teenagers.

The show opens with disregard for family values — they suggest families write out their shared values and Scriptures together and turn it into a piece of art for the wall, a simple way to keep those commitments visible at home. They move into disregard for authority figures, including a story about a junior-high teacher who was physically attacked after trying to break up a fight, then cover general disrespect and drastic drops in school grades as signs parents should watch for. The second half of the show tackles drinking and drug use, including Jerry’s account of helping a family retrieve their son from a crack house years after his first exposure to marijuana as a young teenager, along with a caution about how easily accessible prescription medication in a home medicine cabinet can become a gateway to abuse. They close by previewing next week’s topic: eating disorders.

Topics discussed:

• Writing out a family’s shared values and Scriptures
• Disregard for authority figures, including a story of violence against a teacher
• Disrespect and drastic drops in school grades
• Peer pressure around drinking and preparing kids to say no
• A drug-addiction rescue story involving a family and a crack house
• Prescription medication in the home as a possible gateway to addiction
• Genetic risk factors for alcoholism
• Preview of next week’s topic: eating disorders

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October 26, 2025 — Episode #93

Content note: this episode includes a discussion of self-harm (cutting) among teenagers.

Jerry and Becky Drace kick off a new list of “possible signs of rebellion” in teenagers, and bring in an unusual expert to help define the term: their 11-year-old grandson, Levi.

Levi defines rebellion in his own words as “going against what your parents tell you,” and shares his thoughts on choosing good friends and standing up to bullies. From there, Jerry and Becky begin working through a list of warning signs gathered from parents at their conferences over the years: an absence of remorse after wrongdoing, body piercings, breaking curfew, a sudden change in fashion style (illustrated with a story about a teenage girl who came downstairs dressed head-to-toe in black overnight), a shift in friend groups, and cutting as a way some teens express emotional pain they can’t otherwise voice. They close the hour on two subtler signs — deep sighing and eye-rolling as forms of quiet disrespect — and a broader disregard for family values.

Topics discussed:

• An 11-year-old’s own definition of rebellion
• Choosing good friends versus dealing with bullies
• Absence of remorse as an early warning sign
• Body piercings and what they may (or may not) signal
• Breaking curfew and setting consequences
• A sudden change in fashion style as a possible red flag
• Cutting and self-harm in teenagers
• Deep sighing, eye-rolling, and quiet disrespect toward parents

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October 19, 2025 — Episode #92

Content note: this episode discusses teen suicide, fatal accidents, and the grief of losing a child.

Jerry and Becky Drace close out their long-running series on the characteristics of the teenage years with a sobering final thought: the choices made — and sometimes the accidents that happen — during adolescence can determine how long a life lasts.

They open with current statistics on teen suicide, noting that 16 to 17 percent of teenagers seriously consider taking their own lives, and connect the despair many teens feel to too much unsupervised time online and too little parental involvement. From there they share two contrasting stories: a family who lost both of their sons in one night to a drunk-driving crash, and the accidental death of one of their grandson’s friends in a single-car wreck, making the point that tragedy doesn’t always follow a bad decision. They also mention a young public figure who committed his life to his faith as a teenager and was later killed as a young adult, having still left a lasting impact in a short life. The back half of the show turns to grief: the value of a friend who simply sits with you, grief-recovery groups, journaling through hard emotions, and the danger of marriages fracturing after the loss of a child. Becky and Jerry close with a theological reflection on God’s foreknowledge and Job’s declaration, “I know that my Redeemer lives.”

Topics discussed:

• Teen suicide statistics and warning signs
• Why parents should limit unsupervised internet and cell-phone time
• A family’s grief after losing two sons in a drunk-driving accident
• Accidental death versus death from poor decisions
• The “long leash” approach to letting teens make some of their own choices
• Grief recovery resources and journaling as a coping tool
• How churches and grandparents can support grieving families
• Finding peace with unanswered “why” questions after a loss

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or directly via our podcast RSS feed. See the full episode archive for more.