You want to establish yourself as this authority and be credible. Go back to truth and you find out truth. How do you find truth in your life? You ask questions of yourself. So if you teach your child to start asking questions, then you can do it. Your child may reject a true answer not because the Bible failed, but because the conversation no longer felt safe. Today you will learn what makes your Christian witness believable and how to stand firmly on scripture without becoming defensive, controlling or argumentative. Sheila, welcome to the faith mom mentor. Sheila Christeld is a Bible teacher, researcher, author, wife, mother, and grandmother of six. Welcome. Thank you so much for having me, Ann. What a pleasure it is to be here. So glad you're here. If you've ever thought, "I believe this, but I do not know how to explain it," Sheila's book can help you with that. She can help you begin working through those beliefs before your child brings you a difficult question. In our first conversation, Sheila, you repeatedly use the phrase credible witness. What does it mean for a Christian mom to be a witness for Christ? And what makes that witness credible to her children? Well, thanks for having me and asking such a great question. When you think about being a credible witness, you have to come Yeah, I take a step back from that. Uh, so I've talked a lot recently about being confident in your faith, which was where we did. And I think it was really cool because you've taken that next step back. In order to be confident in your faith, you have to be a credible witness. And I think you're asking like, how do I get to that credible witness? You've got to take one step before that and say, am I a seeker of truth? That's that's the basic barebones uh foundation of being a credible witness. So, last time I checked, I haven't found anyone that has said when I got up this morning, I asked everyone to tell me a lie. Nobody wants to be told a lie. And we do it all the time. But if we and and we sometimes unknowingly, and you know, we have to repent of that. But being a credible witness has a base of knowing truth and being a truth bearer. So if in everything that we do, we go back to the original. Is this truthful? Now sometimes you may or may not know and you have to qualify your statement and say, "I'm not sure." And we do that a lot, too. I haven't really researched this or whatever. And it being great apologists or, you know, bearsers of or defending our faith, what we have to do is make sure that we are speakers of truth and qualify that statement. So credible witness is you're you're trying to work towards confidence and reliability, but you need to base it on truth. And that distinction is so important because many moms think that they must know everything before they can begin guiding their children. But a child may be looking for something deeper than just a perfect answer. So seeking that truth together um being a seeker of truth doesn't mean that you need to be like a Bible expert or that you have to have all the answers. It's just where are you looking for your truth? And you've taught, you know, college students, mentored women, raised children, worked at the middle school, and now you're a grandmother. So, drawing from all that experience, why is a mother's credibility especially important during these middle school years, like the 8 to 12 age range? I I was just talking to a friend last night about a middle schooler that's just just absolutely giving her a hard time. And I for me, it's important to establish our credibility at the middle school age because that's when friends start getting a little bit more important. And you want to establish allow them the freedom to have their friendships and the obviously and you want those friendships to be lifegiving to you and your family. But when you when you get to the point where you're starting to move to that point of high school, let's face it, we all give our kids cell phones. We can't. They They have access to more things than we ever did as children. And so there has to be a place to come home. Are they going to come home to that phone to look for their answers or are they going to come to you? And I think that's why it's so important for us these days to have that that that credible witness, that peace that they can come home and feel safe and know that you're going to tell them the truth. For instance, my oldest daughter one time she was having a sleepover and I remember um they were talking about uh physical body parts of women. And I walked into the room and I heard and they got real quiet and and I said, "Well, y'all can talk about that." Because they were talking about what kids were saying about it on the playground and and I was like, "You know what? But I've I've had the physicality of a woman all my life, so I got a lot more experience. So ask me any questions. And I established myself as that credible witness. Now, it's kind of a weird example that I'm using. Probably no one ever would use that example, but you know, I walked into the room and they're sleeping and bringing them snacks or whatever. And and I was kind of taken back and I'm like, where did I come up with that one? But you've got to establish yourself. And my daughter never felt embarrassed to ask about her her physicality because as a as a girl and growing breasts and different things like that, she trusted me because I set myself up as a credible witness. I said, "Well, nobody on the playground has them and has I've had them for 30 years, you know, let's talk about it, you know." So, it was kind of cool that you could establish that credibility and and it made sense. So sometimes we have to qualify ourselves to get to that truth factor. Yeah. I think it's I think you made yourself vulnerable. You opened yourself up for their question. So you took really that first step. And so when children are really evaluating whether they decide that their mom is a trustworthy spiritual guide, h how can they do that? How can a mom set herself up like you did for that physical qu those physical questions about your daughters and her friends bodies and and set yourself up? How could a mom just help her child decide that she is a credible, trustworthy spiritual guide? Right. Uh that's actually a really good question. Um I like to ask questions within questions. So even if your child comes home and and you're driving up the driveway and you know they repeat conversations and it starts actually in middle school I think I I don't know what about you Ann you think that's when it kind of starts yes they asking those crazy questions and I do listen to a comic and her daughter asked her about the solar system she was like and she's like honey it's been a long time since I've been think studying but I do know what's for dinner tonight you know it's cute and it's cute So to set ourselves up as a spiritual guide, we actually have to set ourselves up as credible witnesses in other areas. And you know, one of those areas is probably, hey, you're going to get dinner every night. But talk about things along the way um that that would set you up as that guide. So, one of the questions I know I came up with in middle school was, well, if I why is it important that Jesus came and was a um had to die for me. I understand because I grew up in the Christian school. I understood the whole tabernacle and the God set up the law and he wanted to live among his people and that whole thing. But then I go, well, why didn't God let us enjoy the color green instead? Like why couldn't the crazy question junior high school question well maybe we couldn't enjoy colors instead we could live in black and white and then someday when we get to heaven okay then it'll make sense or you know I'm I'm just was just inquiry you can bring those crazy questions that you come up with and how you came up with an answer and they may sound really trivial and stupid to us now but that's what the kids are doing they're asking silly questions amongst their friends and if you can establish yourself in the silly questions. You're bringing forth that spiritual guide guidance along the way. Um, get to their level and um I I have a lot of these apologetics books that where they say answers to 72 questions that kids ask or something. Get some of those books. You can get them on a used rack, you know, thrift books, a books, whatever. You can get some of those books and some of them are old like 80s or whatever, but it may bring you back and spark your interest back into your middle school mind to establish that spiritual guidance that you need to establish. What were the questions you struggled with when you were a kid or driving up the driveway? Um, so, uh, what'd you learn in school today? We were talking about evolution. What do you think about evolution? Get their answer and then, you know, mentally take notes. Okay, they said this. Well, they said, you know, Darwin. Okay, well, maybe I need to go into a a shallow dive on on on Darwin. And then, well, you they're not going to go into old creation and new creation. I mean, they're not they're not most kids are not unless you, you know, were William Lane Craig as a child. But, um, you're not going to ask those crazy questions. Uh, most of the time they're just going to talk superficial. And if you want to, here's a good place to to actually help you is gotquestions.org. That place that will help you um establish some of those truth milestones that you want to establish to become that critical witness so that you can become confident in sharing what your you know what your faith is. what you've said is really great and I think what you have recommended here just to summarize it maybe just give some grasp on what you said is you know be vulnerable ask questions recognize that you don't let the child recognize you don't know everything but are willing to help find out and then just be in the shoes of your middle schooler they are learning brand new information that is things that they hadn't thought about before. Their brains are developing so that they are grasping things in new ways and and so you are helping guide them through that process. And I love how when evolution was brought up rather than just you can't believe in evolution, what are you thinking? Ask the question, what do you think of it? And let that be a a jumping off point. But I have another question for you, Sheila. And what will happen when a child hears even biblical truth from a parent whose reactions or daily life seem to not be consistent with that truth or what they say is different than how they act. What might happen when that happens for a child or in a child's home? I'm gonna let you know first off like right out of the gate here. I did not have all the greatest answers and I have four children. My youngest is 22. I'll be 23 this fall. He he was probably my worst in that middle school. If I had a train wreck middle school one, it was my it was my oldest. But the youngest was my most challenging because he had these three siblings before him. And I I remember we would argue and yell and just get to and I I didn't I didn't yell and scream like that or maybe not scream but you know get worked up with any of my other kids because he just knew how to ri me. And he said, "I know why you went back to school so you could learn how to argue and all you want to do is argue with me." And it was he goes and then as he got older he'd say, "Well, I've learned not to argue with you because you've been trained to argue." So I I kind of won. But so so but our actions at home actually are the seedbed of what growth comes out of it. And as Christians, we know that sewing and reaping. If you sew anger and resentment and bitterness and all those other things and if you sew that, you're going to reap that type of a harvest. And imagine if let's say it's like corn, you know, you get these big stocks of, you know, here's anger, here's bitterness, here's, you know, um, fast answers and, you know, no answers. If that's the seedbed, imagine your kid trying to navigate through that type of a a harvest. And so that's kind of how I look at this. Now, we are going to have weeds. We're going to have stuff grow. I mean, we've got those bad things, but I we've got to sit back and just listen and ask good questions. And I think good questions are the biggest part of it. So, if someone if some your kid comes home and let's say evolution, and I don't even know how I came up with that, but let's say evolution. Um, like like you said, don't automatically go, you can't believe in that. Why why are you even talking about you know ask the question like well I wonder where I wonder where evolution came from like I wonder like they talk about this big bang theory and actually recently was reading about that um and the big bang theory that so that something comes out of nothing and so something comes out of nothing let's think of an any other instance in our life where something comes out of nothing and just sit with that have you ever thought about where does something come out of nothing? Like I mean no and and so if you can get them to start building logical arguments within their mind on issues like that and you know maybe logically then it won't make sense to them. Yeah. And you know I mean I have friends who believe in the creation evolution you that whatever that's where they logically talk let is this salvific you know we got to remember is salvation our our main point are we are we going to fight about all these little things um so I think if your home is not a home of of questions and asking and inquiry it it it makes it a little harder to establish that credible witness um that you're trying to to be to become in your child's life as a Christian. Yeah. And a lot of times, especially in the middle school years, these years matter because children are beginning to compare what they hear at home with what they hear from friends and teachers and social media and then surrounding cultures. And a lot of times even their friends are asking questions. And so they're asking questions to answer one another's questions because they don't have their minds made up yet. They're trying to make up their minds. They're trying to put in what they want to believe or what they think the right answer is. I don't think any kid, like you were saying earlier, I don't think any kid wakes up and says, "I want to only believe lies today." What they believe are is what they think is true. And so, a a child is not going to say, "Yeah, everything I believe is just lies, lies, lies. I can't do anything but believe lies." They're not. because in their mind it is truth. And so, um, I just want to say a mom's calm, consistent witness, just her ability, availability can help her child know where to return and that she is willing to work through this with them. Um, I think sometimes, especially in my generation, a lot of times parents told us what to think, what to feel, how to respond. And now kids are I guess maybe they're becoming wiser. I don't know. But they're like, I don't know that I want to feel or think or respond just like you. Let's say why. Why are we doing that? And I think even if you look up the in the Bible, the word became flesh and dwelt among us. That word is logos. Let's like Lego. you know, what are you building on? What are your building blocks? What are you building on? And so, I think what you're saying there is is so helpful in helping that child understand that foundation to be the credible witness and working that foundation with the child. And faith mom, if this conversation is helping you think more carefully about the witness you are building at home, please like this video. That simple action helps more Christian moms find this practical guidance for leading their children through these important years. And Sheila, a mom can give a technically correct answer and still communicate it with impatience, fear, pride, or even anger. From your study of scripture and your experience teaching and mentoring other others, what qualities strengthen a Christian mom's cred credibility and what common responses unintentionally damage it? If I could say I have a life verse, which you know people do that, it's actually a verse probably most people know. It's Philippians 4 4:8. Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is um admirable, if there's anything praiseworthy or anything excellent, think on these things. Who would not want to come home to somebody who speaks truth, is noble, is right, is pure, lovely, admirable, and looks at things in a praiseworthy and excellent way. Now, we live busy lives and and things are crazy, and I get it. But I can't tell you how many times I take a step back and I measure myself by those qualities. And if if we believe God's word is true personally and that it it's a double-edged sword and that it it it it refineses me and it and it makes me see who I am deeper um and helps me become more Christlike, then we have to have these measuring sticks within our life that we can say, am I true? Am I noble? Am I right? Pure, lovely, admirable, praiseworthy, and excellent. Those are those that is something that I've been told I need to emulate and that emulation comes obviously from a heart that seeks truth and that that is embedded in these truth statements obviously because whatever is true but I I think when you when you say what qualities strengthen your credibility I think those are the qualities that that do yeah okay so we're talking about truth today but are you noble in it have you nobly represented truth have you have you have you sought what is right and what is pure and what is lovely and nobody wants to like uh intercept a kid's uh innocence and sometimes when we have angry or bitter responses we affect kids' innocence and um in that old movie Staint Almost Fire there was a song called young and innocent and when I was a I lost I lost some in a in a situation it wasn't like you know sexual or anything like that but there was a situation in my life where I lost my innocence and I saw something that I shouldn't have and I played that song over and over because I'm like, "How dare that person expose me to that in that loss of my innocence? I wish I could go back." And I remember when my son, my I have two girls, two boys, the oldest of my two sons, he went through the talk at the Christian school and he came home and he said, "I wish you wouldn't have let me go to that. I wish I wish I wouldn't have learned that. And we laid on the bed and I said, "Well, what do you wish you wouldn't have known?" And we we walked we walked through it and I said, "Well, honey, that's a part of life and I'm sorry. Maybe I should have rethought that." And and I apologize. And I think that's something too when you say what what strengthens your credibility is being able to apologize for, yes, maybe things that okay, well, I didn't know that that was going to bother him. I had two girls that went through it and were just fine and were like, "Man, that was great." So it, you know, they had to know what their body was going to go through. He didn't appreciate that. So in his loss of innocence in that way, I I had to apologize and I was like, "Gosh, Nate, I'm so sorry. I I really I really wish it would have been different." Now, he was an easier child. you know, he'd come out of junior high school running out to the car and like giving me a kiss on the cheek and throwing his arms around me and like, "Aren't you a little embarrassed?" You know, and he'd be like, "No, I love my mom." But I had kids that said, "No, I would never do that." So, don't don't think I'm perfect. But to strengthen that credibility, the qualities, I would say find yourself a verse that really means something to you that actually works through some of these issues that you have. Um, and then uh put it on a on an index card, throw it in your pocket, and when it gets crinkly in your pocket and presses against your skin, pull it out and go, "Oh my gosh, I should have thought about that." I love your example because again, you you have to treat each child differently. You're like, "That child was easier than my other kids." They're unique individuals. And so what you can say to one and they believe or they accept and move on may not work for the other one. They may not be as accepting or as believing of you as others. So how can a mom tell whether she is defending biblical truth? And this changes this changes our conversation just a little bit. But how can a mom tell whether she is defending biblical truth or merely defending herself and what she thinks? And I go back to what you were just saying about that example that you know your kid came back, your child came back to you and said, "Mom, you made a bad decision right there." And instead of you defending your decision, you were like, "I'm sorry." And you apologized. And when it comes to a mom defending what is in the Bible, God is love for example, or Jesus died for our sins, for example, those truths. How can she tell whether she's defending biblical truth or merely just defending, well, that's what I think and you better believe it. There's a a big a big difference between those two. And sometimes we don't we don't we don't draw that line between the difference. we just think, well, I'm the authority and you listen to me. And there are situations like that. Um, don't walk in the street, you know. Well, you're you can't let your kid go in the street, you know. I mean, maybe you live on a rural road and you can, but you know, you've got but when you bib, you have to bathe yourself in truth and in scripture. And where do you find that truth? So sometimes in my life, I would see places where I just got personally got defiant. They get defiant, but guess what? So do I. We We all do that. You have to have measuring sticks in your life. And um it kind of goes back to the last question where you've got some key verses that actually keep you in line. Um again, mine is Philippians 4:8. And I just have to come back to that and say, is my response to this person um true, noble, ripe, you're a lovely, admirable, praiseworthy, or excellent, you know, and that doesn't mean you're pie in the sky either, you know, and you constantly go, "Oh, she's such a good person." No. And sometimes you have to debunk, you know, some of the the things that they say. But for me, I ask a lot of questions. Um, and I I just I want to know what's in their little head. And often you're tired. You don't want to You're coming home from work, maybe you pick your kid up from school, maybe you come home and they're already here, and then you're tired and you're just trying to get dinner on the table. Um, often I would say, "Well, come sit at the bar and work on your homework and let's talk about your homework." And, you know, whatever social studies thing they're working on. And I was terrible at science and social studies. And I would just say, "Well, why do you think Columbus did that?" Or, you know, what why would he even want to come to this to this to this foreign land? And he never he would never think that it was going to be like how it ended up. And you know, I mean, so it's a it's um you just have to learn to ask good questions. And as far as how do you know that you're defending truth and not just being a a you know, a dictator? Um giving yourself spiritual or scriptural um measuring sticks that you're you can put measure your responses by. Yeah, that's good. And and Sheila, this is one reason why I recommend your book. Sheila's book, What Makes You Say That? Can be so valuable. It helps you slow down, examine what you believe, journal through scripture, and understand why you believe it. So, you're not trying to construct your answer in the middle of an emotional conversation, but it's giving you those guard rails that you can already have in place. Preparing now can help you respond with greater clarity and calm when your child asks later. And the link to Sheila's book is in the description. So, be sure to check that out and get that book for yourself. Sheila, let's make this very practical. Suppose a child says, "I do not believe that the Bible is outdated." Or they might say something like, "My friend's family do my friend's family does not believe what we believe." Or, "Why should I listen to you?" What does it look like for a mom to stand firmly on biblical truth without becoming argumentative, dismissive, or even controlling? I think I think it is exactly what we just said in the last question was ask good questions. You can't ever flip. You can't ever go wrong. I I found I I don't go wrong when I ask good questions. I ju just flip it back on them. So why why do you think your friend doesn't believe what we believe? And they'll go, "Well, well, you know, they're they're Muslim, let's say." Okay, so now you've got a debunking problem. That's your problem now to debunk Islam. um in a middle school fashion. Just give them basics. Start start reading Nibil Keshi. Start reading um Shahik Khan. He debunks the Quran from the Torah. Um it educate yourself. It God didn't give you that child to put them in your home um for you not to be able to answer most of their questions. You should be able to. And some of the things you you have to say, "This isn't a hill I'm gonna die on, Nate. I'm just I'm sorry that they're there." You know, whatever that is. You've got sometimes you have to be the heavy and you have to speak truth and stand and be firm. I mean, Paul tells us that in the New Testament, but you also you you want you want to establish yourself as this authority and be credible. Go back to truth and you find out truth. How do you find truth in your life? You ask questions of yourself. So if you teach your child to start asking questions, then you can do it. Sit down. Sit down with AI with your kid. Sit down with AI and say, "Okay, well you said, "Okay, so my friends are Muslim and they believe Jesus is not the son of God." Let's say, go into AI, go into chap GPT, Grock, CLAD, whatever. Um, and and go in there and type the question in. Now, you also have to say, "I'm a Christian. Um, my child says their friends are Muslim. What are the main differences?" Or they say, "Jesus isn't the son of God." How can I how can I defend that as a Christian? Learn together with your child. Now, there are also times when you have to, you know, be firm like we said. So I would say just when you ask good questions, be prepared to sit down and answer them um through inquiry. The thing is is that it's ultimately the ch the child's decision what they will believe and what they won't believe. What would you comment about that? There's a shampoo out there. I think it's called this ain't your mama's shampoo. Um, I guess I look, this ain't your this ain't your mama's faith. Yeah. And if every middle schooler said, "Well, I get to have my own faith. I don't have to have yours." Um, I mean, that's that's a whole another whole another topic. But yeah, so the goal So the goal is not to make a child afraid to ask questions. The goal is to become the safe, truthful person your child continues to come to while learning how to search scripture and seek God. And so go ahead. I think you never you know people and you run into them in life um anywhere who who says well I'm I'm Methodist or I'm Lutheran or I'm Christian Reformed. I'm Baptist, I'm Catholic, whatever you are. Um, I go twice a year. I do I do my due diligence. I attend the funerals and the weddings there. I don't I don't miss the the the wedding and the funeral. I don't just come to the reception. I'm there for the God part. And yet, their lives do not emulate um Christ or um they're not truthful or you know that they're they're they're shady in their business doings. um you don't you know those people and you know that their faith hasn't become a part of their life because they don't live by truth and you can make that judgment as a Christian without being judgey. I mean, I'm sure there's some people in your there's some people in my life that I just I won't go to for help because they've given me they've given they they've let me down in the past and I I don't go around gossiping about them saying, "Well, do you know I told her to do this and she never did it on the last committee from the last committee meeting." I mean, maybe she got busy, but if they establish that that lifestyle of just not Yeah. that pattern of not being credible and faithful and and then then you don't want to ask them to do things. And again, that's also what your kid is doing too. Your child is having you establish that you've got to you've got to always be on the ready and always be on the the the front end of that. So, I would just you could give examples of K. Well, hey, you know, last time you asked Joe to help you do with whatever, you know, he didn't come through. You know, maybe he's not as good of a friend and you look need to look for someone else in your class that when you ask him to go out on Tuesday evening to play basketball, you know that he'll show up and you won't end up at the court by yourself down the street, you know, or whatever it is. You have to give other options. And again, as you do that, you're establishing authority. you're valuing um uh that you're valuing the positive qualities in that child. And you can steer kids away from the people that that you don't want them to end up with. Um I I did at times have to say, "No, that child's not coming over to our home. I'm sorry. I just can't I can't let that happen. It's not argumentative." Yeah, it it's not. It's just firm. And faith mom, in the comments, tell us which part of these conversations is hardest for you. Is staying calm or knowing what to say, listening without agreeing or admitting you do not know. What is that? Your answer may help another mom realize she is not the only one learning how to do this. Um Sheila, many moms listening may be thinking, I have already handled one of these conversations badly. Perhaps she may become angry, interrupt her child, demand agreement, or use scripture in a way that shut the conversation down. What should a mom do after she has responded poorly? First of all, let Christ wash you of of your your responses. You can't, you know, come to repentance there first. um really come you know it might take the next morning that you go back you know or later that day let's say it happened before school maybe when the kid gets out of school just say hey I bet my response to you was kind of wrecked your day I'm so sorry that you didn't deserve that I didn't wake up this morning to make you mad I didn't wake up this morning to make anybody mad but I did and I apologize and I think being able to say you're sorry there's two things two statements in middle school that I that as as a parent that I learned to say. One was I'm sorry. And the other one is I don't know. And um but you have to follow that up with I'm sorry. Let's let's talk about how we can make this better. And then I don't know. You have to follow up with um you know what? Let's find out together. Let's make this like a treasure hunt. You know, I mean, how would you find an answer? teach them how you would find an answer to a Christian question. Or, I got angry because I told you five times to get your backpack and your shoes on. You made me late for work and getting you to the bus stop. That makes me angry. What makes you angry about me when you yell and you get, you know, well, okay, but this is why I get angry. Let's let's work on that. Can we can we have a list of five things that we do before we leave the house and maybe three of them we can work on the night before? like your backpack is done. Get that, you know, in the car the night before then and we know everything is packed because we've had a sane mind. We've gone through this all the homework, you know, find out your five things. I remember I had an acronym. I don't remember what it is before I went to school in high school. Um, I would go one, two, three, four. Okay, my purse, my oh, here they come back. My purse, my gym bag, my books, and my lunch. You know, those were the four things I said. One, two, three, four. Do I have them? Do I have them? Do I have them? and then I could go and because I was forgetful and I mean let's say you've got a middle schooler like that teach them good practices that make the things that make you angry you know introspectively look at that throughout your day that you ruined their day because you were angry but they ruined your day because they didn't get ready for school fast enough. So I do be able to say that. Um, one thing I've I've recently learned, Jodie McConnley, um, she calls these clobber passages. I love it because don't we often use scripture like you're supposed to be obedient to your parent, says the Lord, and whatever it is, and you say these things and then afterward you say them, you go, "Oh, but in the back end it says," and then, you know, I was the kid that would say, "Yeah, but if you look at the end of the verse, it says parents are supposed to frustrate their children." And then, you know, had my mom going, "You're right, but we sat down with that passage and studied it." So, don't use scripture to clobber your children. You know, these are clobber passages. I loved how she said that because if we think about, well, I clobbering my kid. Am I using the bat and swinging and, you know, clobbering them with this? You know, it just I would watch out for that that you're using scripture properly, you know. Yeah, that is so good. And faith mom, go ahead and subscribe to the Faith Mom mentor for more conversations like this that help you know God deeply and guide your child faithfully. The middle school years bring difficult questions, but you do not have to prepare for them alone. And consider sharing this conversation with your spouse or a trusted mentor. Walking through these questions together can help the adults in your child's life respond with greater consistency, wisdom, and grace when your child begins wrestling with what they believe. Sheila, as we close, how can the Faith Mom community connect with you, get your book, and learn more from your teaching? I am available on Amazon. My book is there. What Makes You say that? just type that into the uh the the little search bar. What makes you say that book? And it will come up. Or if you search my name, uh Sheila Chrysel, my last name is kind of difficult. It's K R Y G S H E L D. Um I have a website www.shilael.com. You can look at that. I will be hopefully publishing a bunch of ebooks this fall in the winter. Uh that will be free to you. Let's say you don't know whether you want to grab my book or not. Um, I actually published on my website the first chapter of my book. So, they give you a teaser if if you like it, then purchase the book and you can get it. And I even found it on used already. It's only came out last November. So, you can find that. I am on all the socials, Facebook, Instagram, all that kind of stuff. So, you can catch me there, too. I'd love to see some new followers. I'm I'm gaining more every day. So, come be part. Sheila, thank you so much for being on the faith mom mentor. Is there any closing comment that you would like to share before we end today? I would like to encourage every Christian mom, the fact that they're here at Faith Mom just trying to glean wisdom. That that that just does my heart good. You as a Christian mom absolutely are are seeking truth if you're here. And I just want to say these type of podcasts and the fact that you're seeking um God's word doesn't return void and and hearing stuff like this is should encourage you um in your in your faith walk as well as becoming a parent. And um don't lose hope. They do grow up. they do grow up and you will you will see um that the hard work that you're putting in now will actually uh it will it will it won't return void as well. That is so true. Moms, your child's hardest question should not be the first time you examine why you believe what you believe. Sheila's book will help you begin that preparation now so you can replace uncertainty with biblical clarity. Replace defensiveness with humility and become a steadier witness when your child needs guidance. Sheila has been so gracious. She is going to give away one book to our faith mom community. So, if you will share this video to your social media and if you will tag Sheila Christ Shield and the Faith Mom mentor with on 30 days after this podcast airs, we will do one drawing for who has shared this episode on social media and tagged Faith Mom mentor and tagged Sheila Christ Shield and we will choose one drawing 30 days after this airs and one mom will get Sheila's book for free. You do not need every answer, but you do need a trustworthy process for seeking the truth. Use the link in the description to get what makes you say that and begin preparing before the difficult conversation arrives. If you get the book already and you get the free copy, it will just allow somebody else to read it with you and you can read it together. Your child does not need you to win every argument. Your child needs to see a mom who knows where truth is found, lives under the authority of scripture, listens with humility, repents when necessary, and continues pointing the way toward Christ. That is the heart of a credible witness. And as your confidence becomes grounded in God's word rather than your ability to control the conversation, you can help your child develop a faith that is thoughtful, tested, and personal. If you missed part one of our conversation with Sheila, watch it next. We have linked it here. We discuss in that part in part one why moms need to understand what they believe, why these conversation matters during the middle school years and how to begin studying one question at a time. And I will link that video here and in the description. Faith Mom. Until next time, keep knowing God deeply and teaching your tween faithfully.
