Insomnia
Our body is the last line of defense when it comes to stress. We’re so good at pushing through, we go into survival mode. But, at night, the burdens we carry during the day keep us lying awake. We hide our hearts. But, we were made to share our hearts. Notice how Jesus lovingly notices the stress…
An Excerpt from Jesus Followers: Managing Expectations
Hi friends! Zena here— I’m the editor behind-the-scenes at Fierce Parenting. The following is an excerpt from Jesus Followers by Anne Graham Lotz and Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright— when I read it, I knew I had to share it with you! As I look at my childhood, and as I consider the way I parent my own…
Making the Most of Time with Young Children
If you’re a parent, one of the greatest titles bestowed on you by God is that of “mom” or “dad.” We’re entrusted with the enormous task of raising these little arrows for the kingdom of heaven (Psalms 127:3-5). But, for most of us, “mom” or “dad” isn’t our only title. We have many titles,…
3 Ways My Kids Help Me Delight
It’s funny how the things that have the potential to frustrate me the most about my kids are also the things that remind me what really matters. Here are three ways my children help me delight in the simple things: 1. Literally stop and smell the roses. Many years ago, when my oldest daughter…
How is Partial Attention Impacting Your Disciple-Making?
As parents, our primary role is to disciple our children to Jesus. Our technology habits, however, can make it really difficult to be as present as we need to be if we intend to disciple our children well. If we aren’t prayerfully pursuing our children’s hearts, this season of soft soil will pass…
Trusting God Together
“I’m scared, Mom.” I saw the text message on my phone. It was 11:30 p.m. and my daughter was away on a school trip in Florida. We had just gotten a late-night phone call from a foster care worker asking if we could take in a sweet little 7-month-old boy who had medical complexities and needed to…
Fear vs. Faith-Based Parenting
Today our 10-year-old boys (twins) rode their bikes to school by themselves for the first time ever. That might sound insignificant to you, but in our house it was a huge milestone. We chose to trust our good God, our parenting, and our children. In short, we chose faith over fear. Fear vs.…
The Importance of Culture in Family Worship
When I first learned about family worship— the practice of reading the Word, praying, and singing with my family at home— I was eager to get into the habit. In chapter five of his great little book on family worship, Donald Whitney asks a compelling question— “Isn’t this what you…
Teaching Kids to Trust
“Mom and dad, I need to talk to you about something.” Beautiful words. They could also be frightening words for parents to hear. Yet they are priceless words because they communicate that our child trusts us enough to share what is on their heart. And such is parenting. Parenting consists of…