Are You an Owner-Parent?
In this brief article I want to challenge you to consider two words that may not seem to go together at face value. The words are ‘parent’ and ‘steward’. When we hear the term ‘steward’ our minds tend to go to thoughts of money and possessions. When we hear the word ‘parent’, we think of kids.…
3 Things Your Adolescent Son Needs to Hear
I never heard the words I needed to hear most as a young man. As a result, I turned to the world to give me the value and “wisdom” I craved. I don’t blame my parents— they did the best they could with what was available to them. My dad passed away when I was 6 and my stepdad passed away a few years…
5 Steps for Reading the Bible with Your Children
A few weeks back I was up early reading through the book of Hebrews. Our oldest daughter, Dela (6), happened to get up early too. She’s a professional snuggler, so her typical M.O. is to climb into my lap regardless of what I’m doing and just sink in. Except this morning was different.…
Relax, You Needn’t Be the Hero
The most liberating truth about gospel-centered parenting is that you don’t have to be the hero of your child’s story. Instead, you get to be the guide who introduces them to true Hero! Yes, in many ways they may come to regard us as their heroes (not a bad thing), but that’s not…
Parents Who are Becoming
Fathers have a special role to play in the lives of their children (as do mothers!). The ideas, character, habits, and attitudes our kids grow up with are less the result of the words we say to them and more the result of who we are—as parents, yes, but specifically as fathers. Here’s the…
Trusting in God’s Precise Sovereignty
Consider something with me for a moment. You are the exact parents God gave to your exact children for this exact moment in time. Do you believe that? The word "exact" means "not approximated in any way; precise." Whether you're considering the current global crisis or looking at your average day,…
The Truth About Our Roles As Parents
“The goal of parenting isn’t to create perfect kids. It is to point our kids to the perfect God.” I read that quote from Lindsey Bell and sighed a breath of relief. I had just been facing another tough day as a mom—feeling dejected, tired, and inadequate. This sweet reminder…
3 Ways to Trust God as Parents
We can so easily underestimate our ability to teach our kids the deep things of God. Or, we think it's our pastor's job (to an extent it is), or that they'll have to learn on their own. This is the very special reality that is the home: we are placed in our kids' lives for a short period of time to…
Your Greatest Contribution
The Bible calls children “arrows in the hand of a warrior.” (Ps 127:4) If you are the warrior (you are) and your kids are arrows, then what could that mean for today? Every day is an opportunity to fashion/mold them, sharpen them, prepare them, AIM them, and release them in some way.…
Society’s Forge
This idea has been stuck in my head for months: the home is society’s forge. What I mean is, the very societies we occupy and the changes that form them are the result of whatever happened (or didn’t happen) in the homes of that society in prior generations. Today’s heroes and…