Category: Parenting

Production or Virtue?

We are fanatics for productivity. Some of us are like miniature corporations ticking off our project objectives and meeting our target points. And for many, productivity is the canon for self-evaluation. I started to realize this about myself early in my marriage when I would get...

Overcoming Over-gifting

Christian parents often struggle with ways to keep their children from becoming “spoiled” by material possessions. They recognize the danger of fostering a tendency toward greed, and are careful not to feed this dangerous appetite of the flesh. So, they carefully limit toys, clothes, and other...

Is Your Church Doctrinally Sound?

There’s a push in some circles these days to be doctrinally sound. Churches use terminology like, “that’s a pretty sound (or solid) church,” or “they’re not too sound, doctrinally.” Perhaps you have even found yourself at one point or another on a search for a “doctrinally...

When Ball Becomes Baal

It’s rare to see kids playing sports in the neighborhood anymore. We’re now organized and “professionalized”—including uniforms, state-of-the-art facilities, endless trips to the field, competitive coaches, equally competitive parents, and the after-season tournaments designed to give parents “bleacher bottom.” In addition, you’ve got to pay to...

When a Child Dies: Responses From Church History

What follows are the honest and courageous words of four well-known Christians from the past regarding the loss of a child—a much more common occurrence in previous centuries, but still a reality today. Ann Judson (missionary Adoniram Judson’s first wife), after the death of their second...

Who is Writing Your Child’s Story?

Would you like to write the script for your child’s future? Of course you would. Let’s face it, parents are concerned about their kids whether they’re 9 or 39. And they should be . . . in a certain way, and up to a certain point....

Why Parents Use the Rod of Correction

This is for the parent who already affirms the value and appropriateness of using the rod of correction, and who understands the word “rod” in certain places in the Bible to be a literal paddle of some sort. For parents in this category, in a typically...

The Truth About Children With Disabilities

Our third child was born with a rare genetic disorder called Williams Syndrome. She lacks about twenty genes on chromosome 7, causing physical and mental disabilities. Life is now different, as those of you who have a child (or children) with special needs know well. Hospital...

The Sleepover Question: What to Consider Before Saying Yes

“Mom, Billy asked me if I could spend the night. May I pleeeeease?” How would you answer that question from your excited 9-year-old? What kinds of criteria do you consider when evaluating the pluses or minuses of sending your child to spend the night at someone...

The Littlest Sinners

If you have ever been to the hospital to see a newborn baby, your first words to the mom were probably not, “What a beautiful little sinner you’ve given birth to!” However, those words are completely accurate. Not only is the baby a “beautiful” creation of...