12 Bible Verses About Kids and Parenting
Every parent holds beliefs (tightly) about parenting that drive their behavior. The question is, what is driving your beliefs? What worldview or philosophy informs your conclusions about what is right (and what isn't right) about how to be a parent? What is the goal of parenting? While much can be…
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…
Short vs. Long-View Parenting
Everything good takes time, including molding the character of the next generation. As parents, we must have a long-term view of our roles in our children’s’ lives while also trusting in the long-term fruit of instructing them in God’s way. Two views compared It can be helpful to contrast the two…
The Power of Presence
Being present is truly a form of self-discipline… and one that is difficult to master! But every moment we’re present our children is a moment well invested. Does this mean your kids must have your complete attention every second of the day (or every second you’re home)? Does it mean that if you’re…
The Work that Happens in the Home
Somewhere along the way, as a society we began devaluing the work that happens in the home. Sure, home is the place where we unwind, spend time with family, cook good meals, and enjoy entertainment, but what of the work that happens there? Note, we're not talking about home improvement or chores.…
Gospel-Saturated Parenting
The term "gospel saturated" has a way of making us think a little differently. As parents who want to raise our kids to know God, we will readily admit that the gospel is important as we navigate the various questions and challenges inherent to parenting. But why is the gospel important? And what…
Seeing vs. *Seeing*
This is just a quick reminder. I needed to hear it, so I decided to jot down a few notes here. I recently read this thought: “Their differences matter, and their differences should shape and mould the the way we seek to introduce them to Jesus.” –Scott & Cathy Thompson Then…
Building Strong Children
The other day I came across this piercing quote: It’s easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. (Frederick Douglass) This quote speaks to two profound opportunities shared by parents: (1) to introduce our kids to Jesus, and (2) to raise our young men and women to be…
The Myth of Legacy
A friend once told me a freeing truth. He said, "Legacy is a myth." At first it grated on me. "What!? Of course legacy is real... and it's super important!" I thought. I was deflated and indignant. Then I considered the legacy of my own great grandparents. Sadly (and to my shame), I don't even know…
Welcome to Fierce Parenting!
About 7 years ago when we started Fierce Marriage, we didn't have any kids. We were into our 10th year of marriage and God led us to start sharing openly and transparently about our successes and failures. Well, we now feel like we have the go-ahead to the same type of thing for parenting—though we…