There are many verses in Proverbs about the rod of discipline. Proverbs 22:15 says, “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.” All throughout my childhood I heard this phrase, “Spare the rod, spoil the child.” What this meant was that if you didn’t spank your children, you would ruin them. Many people focused on the rod specifically, instead of discipline…
Read MoreMy wife Lauren and I are passionate about the topic of loving discipline, and we believe it is empowering to both the parent and the child. Proverbs 6:24 says, “A refusal to correct is a refusal to love; love your children by disciplining them” (MSG). We do not believe that discipline has to be a disconnecting, frustrating, or shameful experience for you or your child, and we do not believe that is what God wants either…
Read MoreSometimes when God speaks to me, and I feel like it’s for our whole family, I begin to implement what He is saying into our everyday routine. He has been really speaking to me through Ephesians 4:26-27, “Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.” In the same thought Paul later says, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God…
Read MoreAre you feeling the emphasized importance right now to be consistently reading the Bible? A lot of times we commit to year-long reading plans that incorporate both the Old and New Testament each day. However, in this season, it’s a great time to ask God, “What stories should I be reading and focusing on?”…
Read MoreOftentimes, when we think of our “pain tolerance,” we think of physical pain. You fell and scraped your knee or broke an arm. But there are other types of pain as well. There is a certain degree of “pain” when your family life isn’t going well or doesn’t feel peaceful. Or when your life is upended and everything that the fall season usually looks like with school, sports, and other activities is anything but normal…
Read MoreWhat do you do if your children have been exposed to pornography? Our children spend a lot of time on their screens, and even our culture is changing to more remote work with the internet being the staple that keeps us connected to school, jobs, family and friends…
Read MorePornography has never been as easy to find as it is now. In fact, many of our children are walking around with the ability to instantly access every kind of porn there is. With only an internet connection, pornography is accessible every second of everyday, no matter where they are.
Read MoreAs a parent, there’s nothing that can make you worry as much as your kids, right? One morning I was up reading my Bible, and I saw something I hadn’t seen before of how Jesus handled a dad’s fearful situation…
Read MoreHave you ever prayed with someone else, and you realized their view of God was drastically different than yours? When we pay attention to how we pray, it can reveal what we truly believe about God and our relationship with Him. This was made so clear to me one day when my own daughter acted like an orphan; it made me realize asking God for things is vital to our relationship with Him as our Father…
Read MoreOne of my favorite things to teach kids is prayer. When it comes to prayer, it is SO much more important to have the right beliefs about prayer than it is to have the right words…
Read MoreOnce I was asked the question, “What do I do when my kids give too much attention to the devil?” It was written by a children’s pastor who has a child fascinated with destroying the devil. The Bible says in 1 John 3:8, “The son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.” Because of this, it is important to destroy the devil’s works - it’s our job.
But how we do it is just as important…
Read MoreIt’s incredible when you realize how much your mindsets affect your life. Psychologists study it, the Bible teaches on it, but how do you communicate the importance of choosing a healthy mindset to your children?
Read MoreOn Facebook a while back, I posted a question asking how families handle the issue of Santa Claus. Do they tell their children that Santa Claus exists? Do they sign his name on the gifts? Do they not mention Santa to their kids at all?
Read MoreMeditation has become a popular subject in our culture recently. It’s no surprise that the world wants to counterfeit what God originally designed! Meditating on scripture is not only biblical, but actually a huge key for us in encountering God through the Bible…
Read MoreHolidays are so fun for families! Traditions, fun food, crafts, visiting family and so much more. We are about to enter the season where there's a holiday every month! The first one that comes though is one I often get many questions about. Halloween is almost here and every Christian parent is probably wondering quite a few things...
Read MoreHow do we raise children with a kingdom culture who have an intimate relationship with God and partner with Him to bring heaven to earth? While I fully believe in the parent’s role in raising up their children in the way they should go, I also know so many parents and children rely on support from their local church. And that’s not a bad thing! Children’s pastors have an incredible role in helping shape children for the kingdom of God…
Read MoreIt’s amazing how much technology has progressed to predict what our behaviors will be and try to assist. The algorithms (or patterns) they use take our previous actions into account to try to predict future needs and desires. Algorithms come in handy for us to know what will cause people to see our posts on Instagram, Facebook, and other forms of social media. But I’ve also come to realize that my home has an algorithm as well! There are distinct actions I can take that set up my home to be a place consistently full of peace…
Read MoreI highly value having a healthy, thriving family. I don’t want to be doing well everywhere else in my life but not at home. My wife, Lauren, and I are very intentional in our parenting and in our home. I’m always looking for ways to grow as a husband and father, and one day a while back, a friend of mine gave me a radical idea to try…
Read MoreOne amazing privilege we have as parents is to partner with God in calling out our children’s destiny. All throughout the Bible, God partnered with parents in naming their children. Names were not taken lightly due to the belief in names ultimately influencing the children’s destiny. Children were given names based on both who they would be and what they were placed on earth to do. Many times, God told the parents what to name their child before they were born. In doing so, He set it up so every time a parent called their child’s name, they were declaring over them their identity and destiny…
Read MoreHave you ever noticed how your children pick up on your mannerisms and copy you in certain ways? Indeed, imitation is a crucial part of child development. What children see around them, they often mirror. My children pray a certain way because they’ve seen the way my wife and I pray. As parents, we have the incredibly important job of instilling culture into our kids…
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