These are the radical words of our Savior. The one who came and gave His all for us so that we could be saved from sin and made right with God. What does He mean when He says such bold words as, “He that loves son or daughter ....

A few years ago, I was driving through a little town along the Ohio River, lecturing my daughter about her passion, (at the time,) for breaking things. It seemed like every time we bought her something new, she took pleasure in destroying it.

I hate lying because the Lord hates lying. Growing up I was exposed to it constantly. I hated how it made me question my own reality all of the time. Lying is a wicked act and unfortunately many pathological liars have been doing it for so long unchecked, that they ....

It had been a particularly long day. It seemed that everything was working against me: From three to four big spills, toys and books strewn about every inch of our home, a mountain of growing laundry overtaking the hallway, and a new crayon drawing added to my daughter’s ....

We are the number one example to our children of what a relationship with Christ should look like. Do we fail? Most likely more often than not. What does the Lord require of us, perfection? No, rather perseverance in His people is what he longs to

I was recently listening to a story about how sheep need still, calm water to drink from. A good shepherd would build a dam, in order to make a pool of still water for the sheep to drink safely. However, when the water was completely still, the sheep would bend down to ....

I just discovered we have unintentionally set a standard of accountability in our household. My daughters have been very diligent over the past years to not allow indecent TV shows or movies when my husband and I weren’t in the room watching with them. I thank God for the conviction of the Holy Spirit that leads ....

Fear, worry, anxiety, a million what-if's.... They chase each other round and around in my head. My mind feels clouded, a giant is pinning me to the ground, his foot on my chest. I struggle to breathe, gasping for air, and my mind spins. What's going to happen? What will they think? I must be a terrible mom. How could I have let this happen? I feel the darkness, the oppression, the despair swirling ....

God designed the family unit to have both a mother and father for a reason. It takes both of their input and abilities to raise healthy children. If most of the child rearing falls on either of the parents solely, the child lacks and the parent who is most involved can get burned out, no longer giving their best. It seems almost a common theme amongst our friends right now—a burnt out mother does the family no good ...

Of course! We all do! Are you on a search to find those people who will like you for who you are, without putting expectations on you? Does it seem they don't exist? Do you know that in order to be liked, you need to be likeable? You need to be loving and loveable! So often we don't realize that if we are not feeling liked or loved, that there may be something we don't like in ourselves.

Learning to be content is taught to our children by the people they are around. If we are ungrateful, complaining, and always wanting something bigger and better, our kids will learn to be the same. The Bible teaches us that contentment and godliness is great gain. Most likely you are content in some areas of your life, but not in others. Being discontent can be what initiates positive change in our lives....

Has anyone ever asked you that question? And did you struggle to know how to answer? Did you wonder why they asked what's on your heart instead of what's on your mind, or how you are doing? What does that even mean? The Heart... What is the heart? And what does this subject have to do with parenting? Proverbs 4:23 (NLT), says, "Guard your heart ....

​Motherhood is warfare, our very walk with God invites it. Are you engaged properly, staying connected to the source of all victory? Our spiritual bodies need daily care and attention just as our physical bodies do. We have very little to offer our children when we don’t stay connected to the vine. It is in the best interest of ourselves as well as our spouse and children that we would continually pursue God.

Do you KNOW who YOU are? Do you have a tendency to let others opinions define you? Do you wonder if you are loved, or even lovable? Do you think of yourself as being all alone? We are all flawed. We have all been hurt. But these things do not define us! In order to parent well, we need to see ourselves from God's perspective. He is a good good Father, whom we can always run to when we ....

Parenting our children never stops, they need our love and guidance in their teen years as much as they did when they were toddlers. They may act tough and try putting a wall up, but it is our job to gently tear that wall down and maintain strands of fellowship. Dear parent, are you actively involved in your child’s life, paying attention to who their friends are and what they enjoy doing in their free time? Does your child see your interest in them?

This morning, I was challenged by 1 Timothy 6:11-12,14 (NLT) which says, “Timothy, you are God's man... run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to eternal life which God has called you. Obey his command without wavering." Being a godly parent is not for the faint of heart.

Have you ever thought of motherhood as your salvation? Yet that is exactly what the scriptures tell us it is in 1 Timothy 2:15, “Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.” Before this statement Paul is teaching in his letter to Timothy that women should remain silent, and not teach or usurp man’s authority over her.

Do you ever feel like everything you thought you knew about parenting doesn't work? Do you wonder what the answer is, living in a world full of self-righteousness and everyone doing what is right in their own eyes? Last time we met here, I was hearing a word from the Lord to talk about how important it is to keep our children's hearts from the giant idol of ....

There are many different ways in which we can teach our children to be good stewards over their money. One of the most important habits we can teach them about is tithing. By teaching them to tithe, we are instilling in them the truth that God gives us all that we have, and that He desires us to give a portion of that blessing back to Him. This is a very powerful truth and those who are aware of it and do it are blessed.

Hello dear friends & fellow parents, I pray that Holy Spirit will come through and make sense out of my jumbled thoughts. I sense a battle like no other when it comes time to write for this parenting column. No wonder, right? Our children are the enemy’s favorite target. When I process "parenting" as the subject that I am to write about today, my mind goes all kinds of places. Being a parent to children of all ages....

Are you aware that the enemy disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14)? Do you teach your children this truth so that they might be fully equipped in this life to overcome the snares of the devil? The fight with your mother-in-law, those nagging emotions you have towards your husband, they have nothing to do with them and everything to do with the war that comes from ....

This verse is an incredibly beautiful picture of God's heart and how he as a father parents his children. As I look at the overwhelming job of parenting my children and my desire to see them love the Lord with all their heart and soul and mind and strength, and desire to see them change the world for His glory, this verse gives me a glimpse into how their heart will be turned toward Him. It gives me vision ....

It can be easy to take towards one child more easily then another. It may be because they have qualities that you admire in a person or their disposition is just one that is more agreeable with yours. But, it can be a terrible tragedy not to work on your relationship with a child you have difficulty with simply because it takes so much time and effort. May we be as patient in our parenting towards....

Children are subject very near and dear to my heart, and also to the heart of our Abba Father, our Father which is in heaven! We hallow (reverence) His name, we ask for His kingdom to come, and His will to be done here on earth as it is in heaven. But did you ever stop and wonder how does that happen?

Some of us yell, some of us throw things in our fits of rage, however your anger manifests itself, and it is not pretty and always ends in feelings of guilt and shame. You try to get a handle on it, but just as you do, something happens to throw your hormones out of whack! It can feel like a miserable, vicious cycle. Dear mother, you are not ​.....

“Children and Parents” is the title used in some translations for Ephesians 6:1-4 and this passage has also become one of the most discussed scriptures concerning children and parents. One of the centers of this discussion is the phrase, “Do not provoke your children”.

Raising older children can prove to be a challenge. Hormones, testosterone, and all the feelings and thoughts that pummel them at that age can be overwhelming, both to them and to us! Oh, how desperately we need the Lord’s grace in navigating this very precious and tender time with them—as we attempt to help usher them into the adult world.

Thank you God! By His grace, while I am fighting a battle for my children against the darkness, I am still able to serve Him by ministering to other couples and parents. Yet, I can still feel overwhelmed sometimes. However, I also recognize how God uses these situations in harmony and still teaches and leads me.

It is true that more often than not, we as parents are careful to instruct our children on how to drive a vehicle properly while neglecting to show as much importance in teaching them in regards to marriage or finances. Let us not neglect to do the latter! How important it is that our children receive instruction from us in these matters! My daughters love to dress up and pretend to get married.

Is our God almighty, our heavenly Father not good enough? Has He not shown His children loving kindness? Has He not been generous to them? Has He withheld His gifts and His blessings from them and instead spoken lies? Is He not righteous and firm in what He says? Or, is He a Father who is changing like shifting shadows without keeping His promises? Who is always angry and without grace?

A daughter requires special care and attention. There are potential snares they face which boys do not, and Scripture gives us clear instructions on how to avoid such snares. One of the main issues our young ladies deal with is their appearance. All societies tend to draw from our vulnerable, unsuspecting youth. They attempt to lure them with promises of lasting beauty ....

I have three kids, two of them are in or close to the age of a teenager. Because of that and also as a parent, my conversations with others often involve the topic of teenagers. No matter if we talk about their behavior, their life-style, their fashion style, their self-view, their self-esteem, their self-value, their hobbies, their dreams and expectations...

It is true that more often than not, we as parents are careful to instruct our children on how to drive a vehicle properly while neglecting to show as much importance in teaching them in regards to marriage or finances. Let us not neglect to do the latter! How important it is that our children receive instruction from us in these matters!

Every once in a while I have the great privilege of meeting someone who I believe to be leading the battle charge when it comes to kingdom parenting. One of those interactions happened for me a few years ago. My family and I had the great honor of sharing a meal with a family of missionaries in Haiti. Their oldest son had just gone off to a college across the ocean from them, and since they couldn’t be around to do it, they asked my husband to teach their son to drive.

You could imagine what our home might look like with six children, ages seven and under. As the proverb above states in regards to oxen—without any the crib is clean. It goes on to say, however, that much increase is had by the strength of the ox. So it is with children. Life certainly is not as clean with them, but when trained to pitch in—and especially clean up after themselves—there is great gain and increase.

As a heart response to James 1:27 (NIV), “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after widows and orphans in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world,” my husband and I were recently moved to begin the training process to become foster parents. This training is arduous, and although we have three healthy children, we were both surprised when many of the concepts taught were brand new to us....

To detest something means to intensely dislike it. The Lord teaches us in His word that He detests lying. To tell you the truth, I have always remembered hating it myself. I was around it a lot growing up, and it always made me feel uneasy. But oh the temptation to do it when we ourselves might avoid consequences—it is indeed tempting! I have watched marriages and friendships be destroyed by it. Chronic liars are often left feeling lonely, even after their greatest....

Why do I bring all this up? My husband used to joke that he wanted to teach a class called “The Bible After Dark” where he would bring up all the weird and dark parts of scripture that make us go, “Huh?” If you notice, every person I brought up had one thing in common: they were all parents just trying to bring up their kids the best way they knew how. Here’s the understatement of the year....

“Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” (Proverbs 22:15, KJV) Do you to train your children in righteousness? Are you careful to correct and guide them in areas of selfishness and foolishness? Our children will eventually become grown, and what we teach them now can truly impact the rest of their lives—how they handle everything, from their marriage to their conduct in the workplace. Conflict is inevitable in life...

I have seen a lot of talk on social media about how we shouldn’t despair because God knew what He was doing when He ordained that our children would be born during this time. They are metaphorical “Esthers,” being alive “for such a time as this.” It is true that the tumult we’re experiencing in our nation and world is no surprise to God, and for that we can rest in full confidence of His sovereignty. This does not, however, excuse parents from our responsibility to “train up our children....

For those of us who believe in God, we know that our bodies are much more than the mere flesh and blood we look at daily in the mirror. We also know that in order to maintain our physical bodies in a good condition, we must be deliberate and mindful of the things which we put into them. So it is with our spiritual bodies and the spiritual bodies of our children. With that in mind, I ask you today to genuinely assess yourself. Do you think that you spend enough time in the....

If there was ever a year to be thankful, it’s 2020. Yes, you read that correctly. I said we should be thankful for the year 2020. There’s no need for me to describe what events have unfolded over the year, as they have been blasted endlessly over all forms of media in all grim detail. You have undoubtedly experienced your own unique set of challenges brought on by the catalyst of 2020. This is precisely why this year, more than ever, we need to be thankful. Our thankfulness....

Sometimes as parents we get so busy that we plug our children into electronics or in front of the T.V. all day long. This is most unfortunate, and our children will quickly begin to feel void of purpose as they watch others have adventures on T.V. day in and day out or live in the unreality of video games. These forms of entertainment are not bad in and of themselves, but the over use of them can be.

The last time I had the privilege to sing on the worship team at my church I witnessed what may have been the most pure worship I have ever seen. As I stepped up to the microphone, I looked down and saw a little boy who couldn’t have been more than 2 years old standing at the edge of the stage. His little body swayed and bopped to the music as he stood there, just taking it all in. ​Yes, it seems all little kids love music and he could have been simply reacting to rhythms he heard.

I enjoy just sitting back in a chair and watching my children romp around. And I can only ever truly enjoy them when I don’t have a cell phone in my hand or paper work on my lap. I normally saunter over to this ridiculously large bean bag chair we have, fluff it up a bit and then fall backward into it. About two minutes into my rest my wife will ask sincerely if I hadn’t had work that I need to do this day. To which I reply, “Yeah”. I say it in such a tone as to imply that I know the....

Recently we hit a major milestone in our house: my oldest son became a teenager. After a few teary breakdowns and near-panic attacks, I pulled myself together (or rather, Jesus put me back together) and made peace with a new season of parenting. We have moved from the perception of unquestioned parental authority to questioning if mom and dad even have a clue what they’re doing. *GASP* He’s onto us.

When I was growing up, the topic of sex was never brought up to me by my mom. I was a rather private person anyway and the topic made me uncomfortable so that suited me just fine. I inevitably learned about the subject, but it was through my peers and a secular worldview at school in physical education class. Coming from my peers and the world, I learned unstable, backwards ways to a world God had intended to be pure, monogamous and pleasurable.​

This morning my daughter dragged her dejected little body into my bedroom and collapsed on the bed in front of me. “What’s wrong, princess?” I asked, stroking her head, which was buried face down in the comforter. “I don’t like school,” she finally sobbed. My heart sank with hers. It wasn’t hard to imagine why, but I asked anyway. “It’s too hard, and I don’t know what to do, and I don’t want to do it anymore.”

I hear continually from a wonderful ministry called No Greater Joy that, “more is caught then taught” in regards to our parenting. This could not be truer! What this means is that we can teach until we are blue in face, but in the end our children mimic our example more than our instruction. If we desire to raise up great, healthy children who contribute to the good of our society, we must ourselves rise to a most excellent standard. That standard is none other than Christ Himself.

At the end of January, Jack who is my older son, got a concussion. It was the most ridiculous thing… We had just finished up with a Bible study in our home that evening, and he somehow managed to fall in such a way that he forcefully landed right on his head. That night I took Jack to the local children’s ER and we waited for several hours to see a doctor. There were TVs mounted on two walls in the waiting room playing all sorts of kid-friendly programming, and it kept his attention for quite a while. Once we finally got back to see the doctor, I was thankful for ....