The telephone rang at 2:00 a.m. “This is the police department. We’ve picked up a mother and three children. The kids are in pretty bad shape.” Another call, another challenge for healing hurtful hearts and
Read moreHealing Hurtful Hearts and Homes
Tag: parenting
A Tuxedo for a Third Grader
My youngest son, Daniel, was named Mr. Third Grade. His excitement bubbled over as he told me about riding on a float in the parade. Then he said I had to buy him a tuxedo
Read moreHow to Lead Children in the Faith
I learned all I needed to know about how to lead children in the faith by watching animal documentaries. Okay, that is not entirely true. But watching Animal Planet and National Geographic will tell you
Read moreI Don’t Like Christmas!
“I don’t like Christmas.” When my seven-year-old son said those words, I was floored. I didn’t know how to answer him. Who doesn’t like Christmas? With family visits, fabulous food, and giving and receiving gifts,
Read moreWho Will Teach Them?
How can I teach them what’s right? The worship leader spoke, “Let us all stand and sing.” I had worked a fifty-five-hour week that week, and the soles of my feet cried to be let
Read moreWhen Is It Okay for Christians to Curse?
It was dinnertime, and Kasie had been fasting since morning. We arrived at the hospital as the doors opened. Nobody seemed to know which vials to use for the uncommon tests. It had been a
Read moreI’m Not Ready, Yet
I’m not ready, yet. Watching my boy walk down the gravel driveway and out the gate, I felt my heart clench in my chest. He isn’t ready. He isn’t old enough. I needed to keep
Read moreThe Spitting Image
“He is the spitting image of his mother (or father).” Image entails the physical characteristics found in a child that are also found in one or both parents. Most of the time, this involves body
Read moreFAmily – Parent first, Friend Second
I had a friend years ago whose relationship with her mother was strained. They talked regularly. And though they honestly loved each other, it was not uncommon for their conversations to end in utter frustration.
Read moreRaising the Next Generation of Faith-Filled Defenders
In today’s child-centered age, children and adolescents shine in the spotlight, and parents either play a minor role or act like idiots. On the surface, this is also true of the Old Testament book of
Read more