Mike Clear | 0 Comments I remember getting “the talk” from my stepdad when I was 12 years old. I could tell by his efforts and timing that it was thrown together at the last minute. He fumbled and stumbled his way through the 30-minute awkward conversation and in the end, we were both relieved…
This month marks the countdown to Easter. Many church leaders have already participated in staff meetings planning for the extra services, the decorations, volunteer recruitment, special events, and promotion to the community. Many of you have ordered our Easter Guide to walk that eight-day journey with your family from Palm Sunday to the Resurrection. While…
Doug Fields | 0 Comments Excerpted from Intentional Parenting, by Doug and Cathy Fields Whoever made up the saying “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me” was an idiot. Words are powerful and memorable. We remember words that are pointed and positive. We also remember words that are sharp…
Daniel Walters | 0 Comments Most parents know when they have kids that at some point they’ll have “the talk.” The one about the birds and the bees that incites awkwardness. Or some parents will leave a book with confusing anatomical drawings. (Thanks Mom.) Even still, there are some parents who just hope their kids…
Written by Dan Istvanik The classic parent response to almost anything is “because I said so….” Why do I have to eat my broccoli? Because I said so! Why do I have to go to bed early? Because I said so! Why should I stop kicking my sister? Ummm…because I SAID SO!!! It is the…
March 12, 2019 | Sarah Anderson | Before becoming a parent I thought I would do best with having a teenager right off the bat. If I could skip the sleep deprivation and toddler tantrum-ing and bedwetting, I’d be good. I wanted to get right to the place where I could have a conversation and…
March 6, 2019 | Robert Carnes | When we announced that my wife was pregnant, that opened the floodgates for unsolicited advice. Every parent I knew took it upon themselves to offer their version of childrearing wisdom—most of which I appreciated. Over time, we began hearing some of the same suggestions over and over again….
March 4, 2019 | Dr. Kara Powell | By Kara Powell and Steve Argue Adapted from Growing With: Every Parent’s Guide to Helping Teenagers and Young Adults Thrive in their Family, Faith, and Future (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2019). “But I don’t want to ride with you. I want to keep riding with my cousins.”…
December 13, 2018 | Carey Nieuwhof | I think it’s kind of fun that God puts families into a little box called a home—where they bump into each other daily for years on end—and tells them to love each other. Nice experiment. It’s always amazed me that many of us have a tendency to communicate least graciously…
By Jim Burns · March 1, 2019 For better or worse, media has a powerful influence in our kids’ lives! Today’s media sends nonstop communication, delivering its voice through television, movies, Internet, music, magazines, books, computers, smartphones, tablets, and more. Frankly, it is impossible for parents to have control over every message that is being…