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100 Rise Up: 100th Episode Celebration!

100 Rise Up: 100th Episode Celebration!

Every week, Steve, Terese and Tim chat about fun and faith on the Rise Up podcast. With this milestone, they each share a favorite moment from the past 100 episodes.

Then: Christmas makes us do weird things.

Rise Up is a morning radio show hosted by Steve, Terese & Tim, on Family Life, a network of stations across New York and Pennsylvania. Our podcast is a weekly conversation that will help you think and grow in your faith. If you haven’t already, subscribe today, so you don’t miss a single episode! Listen online and find out more about our show at familylife.org.   

PA & NY – Capital Connection – Year in Review 2023

PA & NY – Capital Connection – Year in Review 2023

The Year-End edition of Family Life’s “Capital Connection”

Family Life news anchor Bob Price brings together our primary political/cultural commentators for our annual year-end roundtable. The “Capital Connection” crew evaluates the top five news stories from 2023 in New York State and Pennsylvania.

Listen to their recap of the biggest news and the long-lasting issues which developed across the past 12 months.

 

Jason McGuire is executive director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedom, a grassroots organization which is active in influencing the state’s elected leaders. [Online: AlbanyUpdate.com]

Michael Geer is president of the Pennsylvania Family Institute, which holds a strong presence at the state capitol in Harrisburg and sponsors local pro-family events. [Online: PAFamily.org]

 

 

 

The History of the Nativity Scene – a Family Life Christmas Special – 12/21/23

The History of the Nativity Scene – a Family Life Christmas Special – 12/21/23

 

 

What we know as the traditional Christmas Nativity Scene turns 800 this year.

In December of the year 1223, Saint Francis of Assisi displayed the first creche in a cave in Italy.

 

Today on Family Life’s Noon Report, we hear some of the history of this display of the people — and animals — which were part of the original Christmas celebration a dozen centuries earlier. Reporter Lauren Guillen has studied the history of how the Nativity Scenes built upon some similar artwork of earlier years, but caught on to be a global aspect of how the birth of Jesus is commemorated — even with some localized varieties.

Guillen also authored the young-adult novel A Bellwether Christmas, set in medieval Italy, where her main character overlaps with Francis’ era. Her book speaks to the way the Christ Child’s arrival encourages love, honor and sacrifice.

Protecting your children from trafficking – 12/20/23

Protecting your children from trafficking – 12/20/23

Inside Out” — the Family Life news feature

Sex trafficking may be the farthest thing from your mind this Christmas. But during the coming school vacation, parents actually have a chance to stand in the way of human traffickers. How? By paying attention to the very same thing traffickers focus on: how your children use the internet. School vacations not only scramble our schedules and give children more time on social media,  the time away from friends can also leave kids feeling lonely for companionship.  

“Anytime there’s an increase in unsupervised time for kids and teens, the vulnerability to trafficking increases,” says Deb Kuehner, executive director of The Potter’s Hands Foundation, a Western New York residential treatment program helping exploited women. “Covid was a perfect example of this for adults and kids. Traffickers took advantage of the global crisis, capitalizing on people’s loss of income and the increased amount of time children and adults were spending online.”   

 “For many individuals, the holidays are a very stressful time and people are hungry for community,” she says. “Vulnerable individuals will often look online to fill relationship gaps—they’re so hungry for someone to pay attention to them and to love them, that they’ll open themselves up to strangers who may not be safe.” 

Parents can monitor how their children use the internet—but they need to know what to look for. They need to know what apps they have on their phones, and what those apps are used for.” Some messaging apps, called “secret” or “hidden” apps, are disguised to look like games or calculators to hide their function from anyone monitoring the way the child’s using the internet.   “I just encourage parents to Google information online on how to be educated about different apps, and what their kids are using. It’s so important that they do.”   

This is true even if you think of your children as good kids. “I also need to say that parents who think that their children would never do something like this, need to check anyway. Because I can’t tell you the number of parents that have come to me and said, ‘I never expected my child to do something like this,’” she says. “No parent expects it. Kids can get in over their heads so quickly that they don’t even know how it happens.” 

 

Hit the “play” icon above to hear from Deb Kuehner about the expansiveness of sex trafficking, and how you can help women who’ve been exploited. 

 Learn more about The Potter’s Hands Foundation here

 

 

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