When What You’re Doing Isn’t Working
I see a lot of similarities between parenting and sports. If you’ve played sports on any serious level, you know how much practice and strategy goes into preparing for a game. You have to have strategies that your coach gives you and plays that are at the ready just in case you need them. At every…
3 Tips for Family Discipleship with Infants and Toddlers
When you first start telling people you’re going to have a baby, people start asking questions you’ll have to answer over and over again— “Do you know what you’re having?” and “Do you have a name picked out?” As for my wife and I, like many couples, we wanted to be “surprised” by the baby’s gender.…
3 Things Your Adolescent Son Needs to Hear
I never heard the words I needed to hear most as a young man. As a result, I turned to the world to give me the value and “wisdom” I craved. I don’t blame my parents— they did the best they could with what was available to them. My dad passed away when I was 6 and my stepdad passed away a few years…
Headache Now or Heartache Later?
The idea of rebuke grates against our flesh. I know that Selena and I neither like receiving it nor giving it… especially as parents! Still, if we are to live wisely in how we disciple our children (and each other), we must learn to not only accept the idea of rebuke, we must *embrace it* and…
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…
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…
Foregoing the Flesh, Walking in the Spirit
One of my ongoing struggles as a mom is to connect emotionally with my daughters. It's one thing to keep your kids fed and safe (both great things!), but it's another to be a joyful and patient parent. It's much easier to parent with low-grade irritation and angst, especially when you're tired from…