It was not my finest moment. We were running behind on Tuesday evening. Kristen had one of the four boys and I had the other three. For whatever reason, the boys didn’t understand that we were late and we needed to be in the car 10 minutes ago. Kristen called my...
My daughter wasn’t crying because she lost the spelling bee. She was crying because she got knocked out in the second round. She’s smart. That’s her thing. So missing the word tofu embarrassed her. To make it worse, she knew every word after that. The tears started...
The other day I sat down and wrote out a list of all the things that “needed” to be done. The list felt immeasurably long and I quickly felt overwhelmed. I couldn’t even figure out where to start because the needs all felt pressing and demanding of my attention. I...
The packages have been opened, the treats have been enjoyed, trips have been taken, and a vague sense of normalcy is beginning to return to homes. Bedtimes start to be reinforced again. Twinkling lights disappear and houses “go dark.” Slowly but surely we leave the...
We need to disciple our kids, but effective discipleship is not going to happen from a stage or in a large group setting. Relationships are the key to discipling our kids and training them up to be godly men and women. Are we surrounding our kids with the right...
Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to connect with your kids while they're out from school! Here are four simple ways to do so. #1 Involve your kids in the planning and prepping for your Thanksgiving meal. Let them help with decorations Ask if they would like to...
“If you could eat dinner with anyone, who would you pick?” Before you keep reading, take a moment and answer the question. Where did your mind go? Someone famous? Someone from the Bible? A hero or a friend? I recently saw a commercial from Australia where this...
Pack shoebox gifts as a family and double your impact. Teach your children about caring for others as your family extends God’s love to a boy or girl in need. By Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse We often talk about the importance of parents...
When we adopted our son Luca from Russia in 2008, we had to take two separate trips in the fall of that year. The destination each time? A small orphanage, Konakova Children’s Home, located outside of the small town of Tver, about two hours north of Moscow. The first...
“This is the Worst. Day. EVER!” If you have children, I imagine you’ve heard them say this once or twice when things didn’t quite go their way. Like maybe when they have to clean their room or eat all their dinner. We smile, because we’ve all been there, but at...
If you are a parent of a young child, you probably have a plethora of plastic plates in your cupboards, with little compartments for each part of the meal, because if you are a parent, you KNOW that the food can’t touch! My 4 yr. old son is very clear that not only...
There are very few ways to serve others in this world that are more fun and impactful than working with children in your local church. Whether you’re a “professional” receiving a paycheck for your leadership in the children’s ministry, or a volunteer that is paid in...