What does it mean to faithfully lead our children and teens into a life of discipleship? And what does that mean in a world (and church?) filled with competing cultural voices which call them to “come and follow” on roads… Read More The post Youthworkers, Parents, and Contending For The Faith. . . appeared first…
I LOVE summer, but sometimes I think it can be the most selfish season for our family. The hustle and bustle of the school year and all that it entails finally winds down (only to pick back up again with back-to-school prep. Sheesh!), and we all get a chance to come up for air for…
Photo by Sandra Seitamaa on Unsplash Walking into a new and unfamiliar home, announcing her name, and leaving her biological mom behind without any tears, came a 5-year-old girl. She could not write her name, count to three or say the alphabet when she entered our daughter’s care. Within three days, her younger half-sister was…
Thanks to some very effective marketing, Amazon’s Prime Days are days when we really ramp up our thoughts and desires regarding stuff. I can’t point to any hard and fast data, but I can tell you about the seemingly endless… Read More The post Proverbs and Prime Day. . . appeared first on The Center…
It starts like an ordinary day. The morning routine is met with the usual resistance. (We do this Every Morning. Why are the kids always so surprised?) Milk is spilled on the counter. Somebody leaves something back at the house and we have to dash back to get it. Everyday chatter fills the air. You…
Relationships are central to making a spiritual impact on children. Children and teenagers tend to embrace their parents’ faith if parents have heart connections (relationships) with them. If a parent and teenager grow distant from each other, the parent will probably have little spiritual impact, even if the parent teaches biblical truth. Drawing from empirical…
A friend of mine started a Facebook group this summer to help parents find fun things to do for their kids. Almost every day different moms put up great ideas to keep children engaged and learning through the hot, stale months at hand. The trouble, of course, is that my children are too old for…
The chant was standard fare back when I was in high school, and it would reverberate through the gym several times a game as we cheered on our teammates running up and down the court. “WE DON’T MESS AROUND, HEY!… Read More The post A Youthworker’s Passionate Plea To Parents. . . appeared first on…
The day I was officially diagnosed with depression, I cried. I mean, I had been crying for weeks, but this was different. I was crying because my crying had a name. A name I feared. I was mourning my diagnosis. Being told I was depressed was just so… depressing. It took awhile to sink in,…
This is the final segment of a five-part series on empowering children with disabilities written by Jolene Philo. – Editor Empowering kids with disabilities isn’t always a serious business. The previous posts in this series about meeting our kids’ basic needs (Part 1: Survival, Part 2: Love and Belonging, Part 3: Power and Self-Worth, and Part 4: Freedom) may…