Equipping Parents for The Journey
Why would we tackle such a subjective word? “Good” is a word open to opinion and discussion. “Good” can be defined very differently from person to person and situation to situation. And when you apply the word “Good” to parenting, you now find yourself on very shaky ground. What is a “Good” parent? Who...
Recently, at church on a Sunday morning, I saw a young elementary-age boy having a bad morning. He started to throw a fit because he didn’t want to go to class. I felt for him and was two seconds from stepping in when his mom bent over and calmly explained, “We talked about this...
Busy school days and fall activities are in full swing. Your days are busy working, running to and from school, carting kids to sports and music lessons, running errands, packing lunches, and maybe even a little house cleaning. Having dinner together as a family right now can seem like an overwhelming sense of obligation,...
In this episode of the Parenting Pathway podcast, Pastor Dave Carl introduces you to our new Associate Pastor of Junior High Ministries, Gary Steffes. Gary followed a unique path to ministry through professional hockey at the ECHL and AHL level. ...
When I think about praying for our kids as they go back to school, so many things pop into my mind. I can pray for: Good grades Good study habits Good behavior with teachers and friends Good friends But I wonder if this is really what I need to be praying for them. Is...
As a species, we humans are an optimistic group. We build for the future with vigor. When something goes terribly wrong, we usually brush ourselves off and rebuild because we tend to believe things will be better going forward. Occasionally, we experience a setback that we cannot brush off, a tragedy that we as...
We recently invited Julie Hornok, a friend of our church's special needs ministry, to sit with us and talk about her new book and the ministry she leads for parents of kids with autism. Julie shares her personal journey of watching her daughter Lizzie slip away from world at about 9 months, and the...
I think we can all agree that there are times when we LOVE our children, but maybe don’t LIKE our children. I won’t lie to you, it’s a bit weird to admit this in public, but I have caught myself on several occasions saying to my sons, “You are making it really hard for...
I have heard this conversation more than once in the last couple weeks… Mom A says, “Hi Mom B, I haven’t seen you in a few weeks, how’s your summer going?” Mom B replies, “We’re making it.” Mom A nods her head in complete understanding. I love summer. I start looking forward to it...
The summers of 2004 and 2005, God took me on an adventure that I would have never imagined, one that continues to this day. I grew up going to church but did not hear much about serving others, missions, or much activity outside the walls of the church. I am not being critical or...
Part 6 – The Challenge, Pursuit of a Godly Man Leading up to Father’s Day, we want to have an honest conversation about what it means to be a man in today’s world. Even more than that, we want to talk about what it means to be a godly man. Rather than feeling like...
Part 4 – The Challenge, Pursuit of a Godly Man Leading up to Father’s Day, we want to have an honest conversation about what it means to be a man in today’s world. Even more than that, we want to talk about what it means to be a godly man. Rather than feeling like...
