Summer is a great time for students to make a splash into activities that create family memories lasting a lifetime. Collecting seashells at the beach, spying a bear on a hike in the mountains, or riding a thrilling roller coaster may be part of the plan for kids, but for teachers, this time off is often spent thinking and planning for the next school year.

It is during these seemingly endless summer days that quality educators sift through the myriad of ways they can do a better job of making a positive and lasting impact on their students. And for those who don’t, there is hope.

Dr. Kevin Leman and Kristin Leman O'Reilly believe that becoming a tremendous educator is easier than you think. They contend that by following a few simple steps, you can inspire and energize your classroom for a lifetime of success.

In Be a Great Teacher by Friday: 5 Winning Ways to Spark World-Changing Potential, Dr. Leman and O'Reilly offer wisdom fueled guidance on how to best refine education basics and craft an intentional culture to match your teaching goals.

We recently sat down with this father/daughter duo to discuss the greatest challenges facing teachers these days, some positive developments currently happening in classrooms across the United States, and the most important thing educators need to know to be successful.

When you grow up in a rural part of New England your dreams of being anything in the media or the arts become practical, shaped by geography as much or more so than talent.

For someone who aspires to share their music with the masses, the thought of Hollywood or Nashville seems like a distant pinpoint on a map rather than a destination for the dream.

The sobering fact is, not too many musicians from the Northeastern reaches of the United States have broken through to national success. For every James Taylor or Ray LaMontagne, the musical landscape is littered by artists who dreamed big but didn’t quite make it past the county line.

Ben Fuller grew up on his family’s dairy farm in southern Vermont. He began singing when he was young on the farm but didn’t play his first show until 2017, when he was 30 years old, at a small local bar. But that was enough to fuel his passion for more. Soon thereafter, he packed up everything he had and headed to Nashville, determined to make his mark on the music industry.

Playing every live venue that would give him stage time, Fuller eventually caught the ear of Provident Entertainment, who signed him to a recording contract in 2022.

The rest as they say is history. In the last three years, Fuller has racked up two Dove Awards, a KLOVE Award, 53 million streams of his single “If I Got Jesus”, and performances at the Grand Ole Opry and the CMA Festival.

He has just released his second album, “Walk Through Fire”, that features a collaboration with multi-platinum selling artist Carrie Underwood on a song called “If It Was Up to Me”.

Fuller joins us to chat about growing up on a rural dairy farm in rural Vermont, what inspired him to take the big leap to start his music career in Nashville, and a fateful dinner with hometown friends that changed his life forever.

With a quiet stealth-like frequency, children’s television programming is becoming more and more woke. So much so that conservative parents are becoming increasingly concerned.

One doesn’t have to look far to see that gender ideology has made inroads on shows like Muppet Babies which features a transgender character, or Blues Clues and You that has trumpeted an animated “Pride Parade” hosted by a drag queen.

Even Sesame Street, considered to be the gold standard in children’s television programming, has celebrated LGBTQ Pride Month for many years.

Seeing this negative trend, Kirk Cameron has joined in partnership with Brave Books to create a new children’s television series to counter some of these progressive concepts that are increasingly permeating the children’s television programming landscape.

Currently streaming on Great American Pure Flix, Iggy and Mr. Kirk is a live action/animated series that is designed for children and families. The program follows a curious iguana and his friend, Mr. Kirk, as they explore engaging yet profound life lessons that are grounded in Scripture. Each episode demonstrates faith-based values like kindness, courage and compassion all seen through the lens of effective storytelling, humor, and music. Think Veggie Tales meets Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.

In addition to Cameron who plays the lead role of Mr. Kirk, the show also features Disney Channel alum Leigh-Allyn Baker and renowned American puppeteer John Kennedy.

Cameron joins me to chat about the role entertainment plays in the values our children develop and observe through the media they consume. Listen as he encourages parents to be more intentional about kids having positive entertainment to choose from.

It was sort of a strange ending for three-time Dove Award winner Tenth Avenue North. Set to disband after 20 years with a highly touted farewell tour in 2020, the celebrated quartet never got their chance. Cut short due to the global pandemic, the band was left sitting at home. And for lead singer Mike Donehey, he was wondering what his next move would be in Christian music.

The last five years have been a bit of a journey for Donehey and has included two EP solo records, a podcast hosting gig, writing and publishing a book, touring as a solo artist, and then in 2024, the decision to reform Tenth Avenue North but with a different set of backing musicians.

Donehey joins me to chat about what God has taught him through two decades in contemporary Christian music (CCM), and his excitement for Tenth Avenue North’s first studio album release in six years, “Learning to Trust”.

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It has been two years since it was announced that faith-based streaming platform Pure Flix would be merging with family-friendly television network, Great American Media.

On paper, the move made a lot of sense. Great American Media brought a portfolio filled with multi-faceted family programming juxtaposed with Pure Flix, a leading streaming service that provided faith and family-friendly movies and series.

This all sounds great but one couldn’t help but wonder how it would all shake out. Fortunately, it has been a fairly seamless transition that has left viewers satisfied and hopeful for the future.

Great American Pure Flix CEO Bill Abbott is a seasoned veteran of more than 30 years in the television industry, who has successfully blended these two respected media entities into a programming experience that honors faith, family, and provides fantastic entertainment on any given day of the week.

Abbott joins us to sift through what has transpired the last couple of years with Great American Pure Flix, shares what viewers can expect to see over the next few years on this streaming platform, and mentions some original programming that he is really excited about.

Through a comprehensive exploration into the word “herald” (ok, a simple Google search using AI tools), we find that this declarative moniker is a messenger, especially one announcing important news or proclamations, often for royalty.

Kim Gentry-Meyer, an Award-winning singer/songwriter, believes that the most important news or proclamation for royalty in the history of the world is delivering the Good News of the King of Kings, Jesus Christ. So much so that the former Mrs. Massachusetts has released a new book called Herald Reflections.

Essentially a companion devotional-type book to her 2023 musical release Herald, Herald Reflections takes a multimedia approach as it features songs, paintings, artwork, Scripture, and short devotionals that are designed to honor and glorify God while serving as an encouragement to others.

We recently sat down with Gentry-Meyer to discuss the significance of the word herald, why she chose an unorthodox approach to put this book together, and her hope that people will become heralds in their daily lives.

To have a calling on your life is sometimes difficult to explain. Beyond being a sense of purpose or direction in your life, a calling is the unexplainable belief that there is something you were meant to do. It’s a mission or a destiny that is unique to you. But what if your calling involves other people, specifically those who are related to you?

The Erwins, a Gospel quartet from Texas, believe they have a collective calling to serve God through the gift of music. And when that is combined with pure talent and a servant’s heart for people, you have an incomparable ministry.

These Grammy-nominated and Dove Award-winning siblings grew up singing in countless churches and events around the country as they traveled with their father, a full-time itinerant evangelist for more than 50 years.

Says Keith Erwin, “Singing is all we know and all we want to do. It’s our life and our joy to serve the Lord with the voices He has given us.”

The Erwins debut Southern Gospel recording, “What Really Matters, released in 2011. Since then, they have delivered eight albums including the Grammy-nominated “What Christmas Really Means” and the critically acclaimed “Life Story” in 2024. In addition, they have also landed two #1 Southern Gospel radio hits, “The God I Know” and “Red Words".

Keith, Kody, Kris, and Katie Erwin join us to share their family story of blazing new trails in Southern Gospel music. Listen as they take us through how prayer, focus, and determination charts the course for their music ministry and why living out their calling is a foundational value in their family.

We have all heard the well-worn statistic that one in every two marriages end in divorce. It’s hard. There is too much responsibility involved. The longer you are married the more boring life becomes. The excuses for ending a marriage seem endless. Yet research tells us the happiest people in the world are those in a healthy marriage.

For example:

A recent study from the National Center for Health indicates that marriage rates are increasing while divorce rates are declining.

In another positive development, Harvard University reports that regular churchgoers are 50 percent less likely to divorce.

A recent Gallup survey says that married people are 20 percent happier than those who are unmarried.

Obviously, it is quite easy to get lost in the minutiae of percentages, platitudes, and the possibilities these studies provide. However, there is the enduring thought that marriage can be enriching if we see it as a celebration and not a life sentence.

My guest today is a bestselling author and podcast host who has a new book out called ‘Making Marriage Easier: How to Love (and Like) Your Spouse for Life’. She believes there are four key decisions that will help you clarify your marital values and cultivate a marriage that is not only enduring but one that is exciting and filled with contentment.

My guest, who has been married 25 years herself, wants to address and hopefully eliminate common threats to our marriage – poor communication, tension over differences, lack of physical intimacy, parenting stress, and many more.

Pellicane, who also hosts "The Happy Home Podcast", joins us to talk about four key decisions that make marriage easier. Listen as she explains why it is vital to keep a marriage vibrant and how it prevents spouses from feeling like roommates, and the importance of prioritizing your life partner over your children.