"My second child arrived after a miscarriage and was such a sweet answer to prayer. She never cried, never fussed, and was content wherever we put her. You guys, she was perfect. Except for one thing: my husband couldn’t hold her or speak to her without her bursting into tears. Try as he may,...
Helping Your Teen Overcome Social Isolation
What does social isolation in our teens look like? Our kids are always on their phones, they go to school, they go to church, so they are around people all the time. But are they really connecting with other teens? Social isolation is the lack of social contacts and having few people to interact...
Hope in the New Year
We are wrapping up this year and ready to take a few weeks break to rest and refresh before jumping into all that lies ahead. None of us know what 2021 will look like. After all, when 2020 kicked off we were full of optimism and hope for the new decade. None of us...
Find Routine in the Chaos
In an unpredictable world we live in, predictability can anchor our children's need to feel secure. I struggled with routine and schedules for my boys when they were young, going an entire day feeling like nothing was accomplished. Some days were great, and some days we struggled to get anything completed. If we focus...
How to Pray for Your Child
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...
How to Connect with Your Teen This Summer
The weird thing about teenagers… Let me start over—one of the weird things about teenagers is how self-contradictory they are. For example… Non-conformity conformity Knowing everything without knowing anything Never making food but always hungry Loving their dog while ignoring their dog Tons of clothes but nothing to wear Another way teenagers contradict themselves...
Launch Well With Purpose
Parenting Pathway Podcast with Family Ministry Pastor Dave Carl and Student Ministry Associate Pastor Nathan Kocurek. “So be sure when you step, step with care and great tact. And remember that life’s a Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed) Kid, you’ll move mountains.” Dr....
New Moms… Watch out for Identity Theft
One of the funniest conversations I’ve ever heard was a couple preparing to leave the hospital with their first newborn child… “These people are crazy… they are telling us to take this baby home, expecting us to ‘parent’ her when we have absolutely no experience being one… Seriously. Who does that?” It took me back to the...
Take the Anxiety Out of Teen Anxiety
Teen-anxiety . . . Is it a real thing? In short, yes. For many of us, the word “teen” evokes its own onset of anxiety, whether as a parent, a teacher, a counselor, or in our own self-reflecting and empathetic memories. Today, it seems it’s an ever-increasing trend that the words “teen” and “anxiety”...
Thirteen Ideas for Intentional Time
The start of a school year is a lot like the start of a new year. It is a great time to step back, take stock in your situation, and gather some fresh perspective on your life. I think the drawing factor for most moms is that you finally return to some normalcy and...
I’ll Have My Cake and Eat It Too, Please!
We see this in our ministry to teens and families more than you would think. We meet a family in crisis because the husband is having an affair, or the wife is emotionally disconnected. We meet teens who have watched hours and hours of porn to the extent that they are isolated, scared, and...
The Lessons My Dad Taught Me
Both of my parents passed away this time last year. Having my first Mother’s Day and Father’s Day without them this year, I have understandably been thinking a lot about their legacy to me and my family. With Father’s Day upon us, I want to focus on what I learned from my dad. My...