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Parenting: Early Years

May 01
Love0

By Wisdom a House is Built

By Family Discipleship, Parenting: Childhood, Parenting: Early Years, Parenting: Teens and Beyond

By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. Proverbs 24:3-4 As a pastor, I have had the privilege of meeting with a number of couples to walk through some premarital counseling. More recently, it has been a joy to do this in partnership with my wife. In addition, we have had the honor of helping other couples struggling in their relationship. More and more I find myself coming back to the above verse as foundational to everyone’s thinking. By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by…

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Apr 17
Love0

The Godly Quality of Active Learning

By Christian Living, Parenting: Childhood, Parenting: Early Years, Parenting: Teens and Beyond

After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and asking them questions. Luke 2:46 Jesus is our perfect Savior and Sacrifice. He is perfect God and perfect man. There are many aspects of his life that are not meant to be repeated. However, there are some that serve as an example for us. In the verse above, Luke records a moment in Jesus’ life at 12 that should serve as an example for both adults and teens. In this well-known story, Jesus had been brought to Jerusalem for the Passover. But as his family left…

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Mar 20
Love0

Clearly Playing: Balancing Playtime and Proper Behavior

By Family Discipleship, Parenting: Childhood, Parenting: Early Years, Parenting: Teens and Beyond

Here’s a quick take article on two different real-life scenarios that I think illustrate a similar principle. Scenario 1: I was having dinner with a friend when he mentioned an issue he was having. (I have permission to share.)  My friend can be serious and sober about the things of God. But when he gets on a roll, he can be hilarious, sarcastic, and snarky. I love it.  Sauce served with a smile. The problem has come because, as he is playing around with his son, my friend has found himself relating to his young son in this way. It is fun and…

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Mar 13
Love0

Thoughts for the Strong-Willed Child

By Family Discipleship, Parenting: Childhood, Parenting: Early Years, Parenting: Teens and Beyond

When I am out speaking, the Q and A time can help bring up issues that I did not cover. And they’re great questions. The following is one from a recent conference. You will notice that much of the material comes from Parenting with Confidence. “I’ve got two young children. One is strong-willed, and the other is very sweet. I feel like I am correcting and disciplining the first one all the time. It feels out of proportion. Do you have any suggestions?” That’s a great question! Here are some things to keep in mind that apply to parents of younger children. I’m sure…

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Feb 20
Love0

Leading Well in the Storms

By Family Discipleship, Leadership, Parenting: Childhood, Parenting: Early Years, Parenting: Teens and Beyond

The following is a rough excerpt from a resource I am working on. In this chapter, I argue that “managing our household well” does not mean we will have no problems. It does not mean we have to appear as we have it together all the time. But it does mean that when the storms come, we will handle them in a godly manner. Understanding the storms will come, how does a leader respond in a godly manner? I would suggest there are at least three steps in the cycle. First, we seek to prevent problems. Rather than having a reactive leadership, a wise father…

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Feb 13
Love0

When You and Your Spouse Don’t Agree

By Family Discipleship, Marriage, Parenting: Childhood, Parenting: Early Years, Parenting: Teens and Beyond

What if my spouse and I disagree on child-rearing decisions or philosophy? The classic conflicts that newlyweds face–where to squeeze the toothpaste, which way the toilet paper rolls–have their equally classic counterparts in parenting: What activities do we choose and how many? Can the kids play before their chores are done? Do the kids even have chores? What’s the response to someone not finishing what’s on her plate?” Disagreement in child-rearing can be a common occurrence. After all, two well-intentioned Christian parents will have different approaches to child-rearing, child discipline, and the individual decisions we each have to make for our children. The…

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Jan 30
Love0

How Children’s Directors and Teachers Can Help Parents

By Church Life, Family Discipleship, Parenting: Childhood, Parenting: Early Years, Parenting: Teens and Beyond

What can I do as a children’s director or teacher to help parents disciple their children? I have been asked this question or a variation of it many times. A children’s director or children’s teacher loves working with kids. However, he or she knows the biggest influence happens in the home. So even as he or she is working with the children, there is a longing to help parents. Often he or she is worried about the influences in the home but doesn’t know what to do. There are a number of obstacles that children’s ministers have. Sometimes it is the…

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Jan 24
Love0

Recovering Proverbs 22:6 for a New Generation

By Christian Living, Family Discipleship, Parenting: Childhood, Parenting: Early Years, Parenting: Teens and Beyond
In a previous article, I had us reexamine Proverbs 22:6. In this proverb, God states, Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.  Clearing Up Misunderstandings Years ago, this verse was understood as a discipleship verse. Parents thought, “if I train up my child in the Christian faith, then when he is older, he will not depart from that faith.” It was understood as a promise. As a result of thinking this way, when young people walked away from the faith, these parents felt guilt. "What did I...
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Jan 17
Love0

Teaching Our Children to Forgive

By Family Discipleship, Parenting: Childhood, Parenting: Early Years, Parenting: Teens and Beyond

As a parent I have tried to keep short accounts with my children. When I have sinned by getting angry or not listening to them, I have sought their forgiveness. Included with that asking was sometimes a statement of working on correcting this area in my life. In addition to my asking them for forgiveness, they will need to ask forgiveness of me. Though God has forgiven all our sin on the cross, he still commands us to confess our sin to him (1 John 1:9). We confess our sin not to blot it out, but to restore our relationship…

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Dec 08
Love0

Helping Your Kids Know God Better: An Interview with Focus on the Family

By Parenting: Childhood, Parenting: Early Years, Parenting: Teens and Beyond
Over the summer, I had the opportunity to sit down with Jim Daly and John Fuller at Focus on the Family to discuss my book The Disciple-Making Parent. In this interview, we discussed the following: Why Christian parenting is counter-cultural.   Practical things that should alert you that you’re creating a child-centered family.   Defining Pharisee parenting where moms and dads need to be sure their walk with the Lord is solid before preaching to their kids.   Three common myths moms and dads have about discipling their children.   Encouragement to parents who feel like they have already failed...
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