Our intentions are often good, but horribly misaligned. We set out thinking we are doing the right thing, only to realize we had been aiming at the wrong target the entire time. Sadly, this is what many of us bring to the table as parents.
As parents, our kids are our disciples. Each day they are learning from us, whether we are consciously teaching them or not. Too often my parenting is puny in its vision. Its goal is way too easy. Its outcome is way off target. Continue Reading…
Does your job affect your parenting? It’s a question that all parents should ask on a regular basis. Not necessarily from the standpoint of providing financially or allowing for time with your kids but rather your attitude and character. The question could be asked this way. Do the skills, values, daily habits, and character qualities of your job make you more or less able to raise happy, healthy, respectful, successful children? Continue Reading…
Boys should be able to describe what a godly man looks like, having watched one from the time they were a little boy. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for most. For many boys, a godly man is something like Superman or Big Foot. It is not something that can be grasped. Continue Reading…
Jesus turned meadows into classrooms. He took the ordinary environments and experiences of the people around him, and used them to help communicate his message. What would it look like for us to do the same thing today? Continue Reading…
The number one cause for divorce in America is fighting over finances. I can understand why. When two people come together in marriage, they bring with them different views of handling money. The result of such a combination is frustration that leads to isolation. Continue Reading…
Do you have a specific plan for how you are going to connect with your child’s heart?
Every leader knows that there are things you plan for in your week and then there the things that are unplanned. I come to the end of some weeks and realize I have been gone from home (especially nights) more than I’ve been there. Meetings, counseling, unexpected hospital trips, kids’ activities, etc., can easily push out the time at home in the evenings. I have found that even when we are at home there is homework and stuff around the house that keeps us all busy until bedtime. Continue Reading…
I am a perfect parent, with perfect parenting ideas and perfectly behaved kids. And why shouldn’t I be? I mean, I’ve read all the “right” books, listened to all the “right” speakers and have implemented all the “right” strategies. As soon as my boys begin speaking they’re memorizing Scripture. We have family devotions every night. My husband and I are in full-time ministry for crying out loud.
Reality? My first-grader has been in the principal’s office twice this year and is the only kid in his class of 30 to have his own check mark system for disrupting the class. He’s hit a classmate (boy who tried to hug and kiss him), spit at a classmate (same one), written on the playground fence (brain fart), and missed numerous recesses due to behavior (usually weird noises). Continue Reading…
It’s been almost 20 years ago now. I still remember the name of the class: Psychology 2017 – Advanced Experimental Statistical Psychology. It was the final exam of the lab part of the lecture/lab class. Although I had pulled an all-nighter to prepare for the final, my mind went blank when I needed it the most. Little did I realize, the decisions I made next would impact my family forever. Continue Reading…
What if our goal, as parents, wasn’t to control our kids, but to set them free? What if an eventual goal for our parenting was to launch our kids into the world, not just let them go? What if we spent less time trying to mold our kids so that they impress our friends, and more time helping them unfold into the godly man or woman that God desires for them to be? Yeah, now that would be something.
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In marriage, a groove can quickly become a rut. What started out as such a nice, sweet relationship can often end up in confusion, frustration, isolation, and ultimately, separation. Sometimes we don’t even notice it until major damage has been done. Continue Reading…
