Equipping Parents for The Journey
January is tough on every family with kids still in school. Getting back into the routine of school, homework, sports, and activities can be overwhelming, especially if you feel like you hardly got a break during the holidays. This week, one of our favorite homeschooling moms, Katie Hayes, shares advice and encouragement as we...
I once had a young father tell me his story of past drug abuse, failure, and disaster. As he told me of the near misses he had with police and car wrecks, etc., all he could see were failures, shame, and total rejection by God because he had been so reckless with his life....
Drawing near to Christmas, I have decided Facebook has ruined Christmas! There’s so much pressure! Mark Zuckerberg owes all of us a huge apology . . . and maybe a refund. But seriously, besides social media, why do we obsess so much about having the perfect family Christmas? Wouldn’t that require us to have...
As director of the Stonebriar Preschool Pals program, I have the advantage of seeing the anticipation of Christmas build on the faces of our students. Their sweet voices of excitement echo down the halls as they share with their friends and teachers all they have experienced this holiday season. It is also not uncommon...
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32 I don’t manage stress well. In my mind, I have supernatural powers to overcome any mountain with grace and elegance, so I might have committed to a big holiday project at work, two volunteer...
Christmas is a mixed bag for our family. I love the lights, decorations, special events, and family activities, but I dread the busy-ness of the season. The hectic schedule, the long to-do lists, the mental obsession over our family budget vs. gift list all threaten to zap any pleasure from this season. I recently...
If you are around young children for any amount of time, you will know that they are born into the world with an egocentric nature. One of the first words they learn is “mine.” And “mine” is almost always followed by an exclamation mark. Selfishness and ingratitude are just two more things parents are tasked...
I grew up in the 1960s. Lots of good stuff back then. My dad only bought Pepsi in glass bottles, new and fancy cars were built with air conditioning, and we routinely watched 16mm movies in school. The teachers barely knew how to thread these complicated machines, so often some nerd in the A/V...
So my story goes something like this… I was a… pastor’s kid… missionary kid… The gold standard of what parents wanted their kids to be at church… A high school graduate at 16… Medical School Student at 19… I… Crashed and burned at 21… Worked hard to fix it all (ministry, career, marriage,...
October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month. President Reagan made it official in 1988, and I love what he says about parents who have lost children. “When a child loses his parent, they are called an orphan. When a spouse loses her or his partner, they are called a widow or widower. When...
In his recent blog post Exciting News: I’m Not Enough, and You Aren’t, Either!, Family Ministry Pastor Dave Carl said, “You are not okay, and you don’t need to pretend to be anymore!” Dave Carl I wish I could put that line on the marquee sign out in front of our church. It would...
When I was a kid, my dad had the cure for everything: Vicks VapoRub. Got a scrape there, buddy? Slap some Vicks on it. Coughin’ with a cold? Slather yer little-man chest with Vicks and get to bed. Got a sore throat? (you are not gonna guess the cure for this) Swallow a dab...
