When it comes to their future after high school, young people have a dizzying array of choices and options made available to them, and with so many choices, anxiety levels can increase. One way to give young people the time and the space to understand their unique purpose and identity as they grow into...
Invite Your Kids into a Relationship with God
In this episode of the Parenting Pathway Podcast, Family Ministries Pastor Dave Carl and High School Ministry Pastor Nathan Kocurek dig into the topic of inviting our kids into a relationship with God. How do we inspire our kids to love God? It can’t be something we push, demand, or discipline to achieve. This is...
Letter to Parents of Teenagers – Resolving Conflict
In this letter to parents of teens, High School Pastor Nathan Kocurek discusses conflict as a part of life, and family life. When conflict at home goes unresolved, it can be very harmful. Modeling good conflict resolution requires courage and good communication. It takes courage to bring up the problem in the first place....
Parenting Through Bad Choices
No one ever said sinning wasn’t fun, for a while. That’s the trap! The bait looks good, but when you bite it, the good feelings are sooner or later replaced by disastrous consequences. People don’t make bad choices because it feels terrible. Let’s be honest, the pleasure of being bad is real, and that’s...
The Thing About Forgiveness
In this episode of the Parenting Pathway Podcast, pastors Dave Carl and Nathan Kocurek discuss the challenging nature of forgiveness. Listen as they ask questions and discuss what’s standing in the way of accepting forgiveness from God. As parents, we need to surrender and embrace God’s forgiveness before we can invite our kids to receive...
The Language Your Teen Speaks
Our Pastor for High School Ministry, Nathan Kocurek, writes the best monthly newsletters for families in his ministry. This is not a man who is new to this field of ministry; Nathan has years of experience ministering to teens, and there is very little he has not seen. So when he recently shared a...
Discussing Racial and Cultural Diversity with Your Children
Every February, the United States honors the contributions and sacrifices of African Americans who have helped shape our nation. Black History Month celebrates the rich cultural heritage, triumphs, and adversities that are part of our country's history. It is one thing to be aware of Black History Month, but it is another to...
Self-Harm and Our Teens
In the life of a parent, few moments can be as terrifying as a child undergoing a mental health crisis, and it’s been happening more and more these days. For some students, cutting or burning themselves is a dangerous way of coping when depression and anxiety lead to an avalanche of painful emotions. A student...
The Singular Purpose of Christianity
In this week’s episode of the Parenting Pathway podcast, Family Ministries Pastor Dave Carl and High School Ministry Associate Pastor Nathan Kocurek discuss a topic many have wrestled with but usually don't want to say out loud for fear of being judged: What is the purpose of Christianity? ...
Encouraging and Allowing Failure
This week on our Parenting Pathway Podcast, Pastors Dave Carl and Nathan Kocurek are stepping into the topic of failure in our kids’ lives. The very nature of children growing is a process of failing and learning from it. Whether they are a toddler learning to walk or a teen learning to drive, each...
The Power of One Man
As a parent raising boys in today’s America we struggle with helping them find their way to manhood and be the leaders and spiritual influences that God has called him to be. Dr. Ron Archer—pastor, speaker, and author join Pastors Dave Carl and Nathan Kocurek to talk about his new book The Power of...
Drowning In Screen Time
In the last year, screens have crept into every area of our lives. At first this seemed like the best solution, but now as the we start to expand life outside our pandemic bubble the pull to stay tethered to our screens seems unbreakable. Are you, or members of your family finding it hard...