Once upon a time, there was a family—a mom, dad and three precious children, who lived in a beautiful house in the suburbs of North Dallas. Life was fairly normal for this family of five, until one day during dinner, the father shared a passage from the Bible in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 with his...
This Is an Amazing Opportunity
It seems counter intuitive to look at this time in history as an opportunity. But why not take the challenge to change the view of all that is going on in the world under a different lens. What if you were to step back and instead of focusing on the limitation you and...
Advice to a New Mom
It seems the world has been turned upside down. But one thing we can count on is that your new baby will still need to be fed, changed, snuggled, and loved. Even if you have been a parent for a long time, and your baby is no longer a baby, there is good advice...
Raising Digital Natives
In our recent Straight Talk: Raising Digital Natives, we shared insights and recommendations to help you step into your iGeneration’s digital universe and parent in a world so different from the one you grew up in. Who is an iGeneration or Digital Native? The iGeneration was born after the year 2000 and is the...
Gratitude Treatment for Anxiety and Depression
Over Thanksgiving break, I read the following statistics in the weekly Culture Translator by AXIS.org. “According to the National Institutes of Health, nearly 1 out of every 3 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18 will experience an anxiety disorder. Whether the culprit is social media, lack of sleep, increased scholastic pressure, or...
What Makes a Good Parent?
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...
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...
Learning to Like Your Kids
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...
Pathway Through the Wilderness of Summer
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...
What Is the Miracle of Easter?
The television host leaned over to make sure the microphone was close to the precocious girl’s mouth. He’d just asked her, along with a panel of other school-aged children, about the real meaning of Easter. Her classmates’ answers ranged from getting candy and trinkets from the Easter Bunny to marking the official beginning of spring....
Can We Know Our Kids’ Spiritual Gifts?
When my four kids were little, my husband and I liked to try to figure out what their spiritual gifts might be. Two of them seemed to be really easy to discover. Melody was our outgoing, persuasive (bossy) child. By the end of elementary school, she was well-known in our neighborhood as a peddler...
Change Is Inevitable… Direction Is Optional
I attended high school in the late 70’s. There were many things that were uncertain. There were gasoline shortages. On even numbered days, you could only get gas if the last number on your license was an even number. Interest rates were through the roof. I got a car loan for my first used...