It turns out there are significant benefits of risk-taking for children. Child development research suggests that adventure, appropriate risk, and independent play including the elements of excitement and thrill can benefit kids in the long run. This kind of play introduces kids to the world they live in while helping them build skills and...
Teaching Your Children about Patriotism
In the media today, conservative values and patriotism go hand in hand. But do they? Much like we must teach our children to love God and to know that He loves them, we also must teach them about patriotism. This week we asked one of our Parenting Pathway dads to share his legacy of...
Please: Don’t Be the World’s Best Dad
As we approach Father's Day, Family Ministries Pastor Dave Carl challenges our view of the World's Best Dad and asks you to consider being "a Pretty Good Dad" instead. “If you were to come across The Best Father in the World, would you be able to identify him in the wild? I have never...
A Good Marriage and A Healthy Family
"On the path to a good marriage and a healthy family, I feel like a pioneer on a long wagon train journey to Oregon. As I look forward, I see good country ahead, and yet I know that there are hidden dangers." This week on the blog, Family Ministries Pastor Dave Carl shares some...
Help Your Kids Navigate Friend Drama
Do you remember middle school? You know, those years where your body was growing and changing almost every day—one day you wake up and your feet are two sizes too big for your body, and you suddenly have acne all over your face and hair in new places. Middle school is also a time...
8 Scriptures to Pray Over Your Children
As parents, there are so many things completely out of our control. Even if you plan and order your child’s day from beginning to end, you are not in every thought, breath, and step they take. And in truth, that is not how God wants you to parent. A good friend regularly reminds me...
Rest in This Moment
Has anyone ever encouraged you to rest? The house is quiet this morning. For the first time in months, everyone is gone. Kids are in school, husband or wife is at work, in-laws have returned home, and the neighbor kids have also returned to their families after a long summer. Your first response in...
Five Tips to Overcome Back-to-School Anxiety
It’s back to school season in North Texas. This time of year has always been filled with some level of fear and anxiety. How could it not be, with new schools, new teachers, new programs, new rules . . . So much "new" is hard for anyone. But the start of the 2021–2022 school...
A Story of Postpartum Depression
"In the middle of newborn snuggles and baby heaven with the birth of my second child, I found myself sinking into a pit. My symptoms weren’t what I expected, and it took awhile to realize what was happening to me . . . It was there that Jesus met me, weeping and vulnerable and...
These Kids are Fragile
I had the opportunity to attend high school camp this summer. I went with the expectation of late nights, kids who were going to slip off into the woods, some infighting between groups, some hurt feelings, a few bumps, and bruises, and the general camp stuff. I was completely unprepared for the number of...
Summer Joy: Lessons Learned at the Trampoline Park
Here we are again; another school year is complete, and we are thinking about the summer stretching out before us. Ah, yes, summer. Summer is a time just waiting to be filled with (hopefully) fun and relaxing family time. But, summer is often a struggle between over-scheduled, over-hyped, and over-stimulation, resulting in losing your...
Dear Foster and Adoptive Mom,
In recognition of National Foster Care Month, we asked Megan Adkin to share with us her family's story in an Open Letter to Adoptive and Foster Care Moms. "We have four children who came to us through the foster care system, and three that came the old-fashioned way. My story isn’t short, but I...