How & Why to Let Your Kids Suffer
We’re lying on the bed, all piled in together listening to the girls tell us about their trip. They giggle and gesture and talk lightning-fast in that way only tween girls can do. Our two daughters, London and Eve, have just returned to us after two days away— days spent with their best friend and…
5 Guiding Principles as You Shepherd Your Child’s Sexuality
In our previous post, we discussed four lies the current cultural narrative constantly feeds us about sex— and how God’s way is the only way to true life. In this post, we want to offer five principles that have helped us as we’ve navigated this tricky terrain. We hope they bless you as you…
What Does a Family of the Word Look Like?
In my previous post, I tackled three reasons why we need to be families of the Word. In this post, I want to explore how to be a family of the Word— or what a family of the Word looks like. I believe there are both attitudes and actions that characterize an individual, couple, or family that…
Why We Need to be Families of the Word
It’s funny what you remember from your childhood, isn’t it? I can almost feel the fabric of the sofa I sat on to read my Bible and pray every morning before leaving for school. It was what we did, because Mom and Dad said it was necessary. Every day. And they did it, too. Family devotions were…
“In the Moment” Discipleship
As parents, our most important— most basic— job is to disciple our children to Jesus. With three (soon-to-be four!) teenagers at home and 17 years of parenting behind me, I’ve grown in my understanding of what it means to disciple my kids. I came into parenthood with some very specific…
5 Tips for Helping Children Find Their Identity in Christ Through a Bedtime Routine
Whether it’s 15 minutes, half an hour, or an entire hour, most families settle into some sort of bedtime routine— bath time, brushing teeth, pajamas. It’s all part of getting ready for a good night’s rest whether you’ve got toddlers, preschoolers, or teens. But did you know that your family’s…
Parenting in a Pornified World
“Mommy, I don’t want to watch this stuff, but I can’t stop!” a ten-year-old girl told her mom recently after the mom discovered several very hardcore porn videos in the browsing history. “Dad, I’ve been addicted to porn for six years since I got my iPhone when I was 13,” a sophomore in college…
Protecting and Cultivating Our Kids’ Sense of Wonder
To delight in something means to find great pleasure in it. Children are wired to delight. Have you been around small children lately? Spend the day with my two-year-old, and you’ll quickly re-enter the realm of easy delight: This girl squeals at every single dog she sees, each time her Papa…
No Greater Joy
Confession: Anyone close to me knows how much I disliked “Dad Life” in the baby, toddler, and early elementary school days. Our sons cried too much. They drained our bank account. And they frustratingly wouldn’t comply with my every wish and command. Date nights went by the wayside. Fun vacations…
“Not Everyone Can Be a Foster Parent…”
“Not everyone can be a foster parent, but everyone can help foster kids…” It was our first night as foster parents. That well-known radio ad was playing overhead at midnight as I desperately wandered the baby section at WalMart. Picking up and putting down baby supplies like a zombie— I was trying…