How We Talk to Our Kids about Pornography
I looked at porn for the first time as a seven-year-old boy. While playing at a friend’s house, we went into his attic and found his dad’s stash of porn. I didn’t really know what I was looking at but I took a centerfold home with me and hid it in a drawer in my bedroom. A few years later I found a…
On Home Education: Don’t Lie to Yourself
“Modern education has been plagued by utilitarianism for a very long time, and both teachers and students have come to think that school should teach only what will be useful in the pursuit of a career.” —Karen Glass (Consider This) Two Questions to Always Ask I’m grateful to my parents for so many…
On Home Education: What If I Fail?
In my last post, I defined education as an extension of discipleship. The task of educating our children is not confined to merely math and literacy, but seeing those disciplines within the whole framework of life. Education ought to blur the lines that have been mistakenly drawn between “life” and…
3 Things NOT to Say to Grieving Parents
I wish I didn’t have any advice to offer you about what NOT to say to grieving parents. I wish I could stay in my naïve, blissful bubble where death remains an idea, not a reality. But here we are. Our firstborn son, Daniel, passed away eight years ago. These are things that I wish I did not…
The Value of Sport for Young Disciples
“To sport or not to sport” is a question for many Christian families. I believe our response should be a hearty, resounding “Yes!” The Things of Earth Does sport fit into the Christian life, and in particular, the Christian family life? I propose that those questions are part of a broader…
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.…
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…
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…