The Profound Difference Between Training and Raising Our Children
We’re new to the raised-garden scene. Selena’s been wanting one for some time, but this is the first summer we’ve had the bandwidth (no book deadlines, no babies on the way, and we’re not moving). So, earlier this summer I bought some lumber and built her an above-ground…
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…
Tiny Mirrors and Stirred Hearts
This is a short post, but I wanted to encourage you with a profound reminder: our kids learn to love and cherish what we love and cherish. They learn to value what we value. In other words, much of the awe that rules our children’s hearts depends on the awe that rules our own hearts. Tiny…
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 the Gospel Transforms How We Parent
Author Jackie Bledsoe once said, “Your marriage is the gospel you are preaching to your kids.” As the gospel transforms your marriage it will inevitably transform the hearts of your children. How you love, serve, and reconcile to each other is a glimpse—a foreshadowing—of how Jesus…
Don’t Fix Yourself, Fix Your Eyes
Experiencing the truth and power of God has the uncanny effect of conforming us to His character. I’d even venture to say that the shortcomings we feel as parents and any area where we know we need to grow, can be traced to a place where we must experience God more fully and more often. For…
A Quick Reminder on Work, Life, Eternity, and the Home
I’m writing this quick post for all (including me) who need to remember: you don’t live in order to work, you work in order to live. Our society prizes accomplishment and material wealth above all. As a believer, you are called (and freed!) to live for a set of different priorities. You…
Coastlines Don’t Shift in a Day
The other day I had to once again sit down and teach our two oldest daughters about listening. They had flown off the rails and blown through every boundary we’ve set for them. Like a frog in a boiling vat of water, Selena suddenly realized just how bad things had gotten in a short time. So…