Parenting

What THEY figured out, and WE need to know!

What THEY figured out, and WE need to know!

“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…

Seven Ideas to Involve Your Family in Operation Christmas Child

Seven Ideas to Involve Your Family in Operation Christmas Child

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…

The Promise

The Promise

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…

What Will They Do on Their “Worst Day Ever”?

What Will They Do on Their “Worst Day Ever”?

  “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…

Putting Faith in Its Place

Putting Faith in Its Place

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…

5 Ways to Help Parents Lead Their Kids to God

5 Ways to Help Parents Lead Their Kids to God

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…

20 Ways to Turn a Snow Day into Memories!

20 Ways to Turn a Snow Day into Memories!

Some people dread the cold snowy weather. The thought of being stuck in the house all day does not always seem fun. Even though the kids are excited that school is out, they will soon be asking, “What can we do?” Here’s a list of 20 fun and simple things that you can…

Daddy/Daughter Time!

Daddy/Daughter Time!

I’m sure I could have many more teenage followers from my daughter’s school had I entitled this article “How to Date MY Daughter,” but alas I have her convinced that at this age dating boys is not in her best interest right now. But that is another blog post for…

Five Strategies to Spiritually Connect with Your Grandchildren

Five Strategies to Spiritually Connect with Your Grandchildren

Being a grandparent may be one of the best roles God has given any adult. When grandchildren are born, something very special takes place inside the grandparent. At least, this was our experience. Grandchildren are very special. Interestingly, in our experience…

You’re Not a Horrible Parent

You’re Not a Horrible Parent

  And with the stroke of midnight and the turning back of the clocks…it happened. Somehow we magically moved into the mysterious time we call the “holiday season.”  In just three days my Facebook feed has lit up with posts about Christmas, posts against…

If Jesus Came to Church

If Jesus Came to Church

If Jesus were the guest preacher at your church, what would you do with your kids? Let that question sink in for a moment. This question was posed by Rob Rienow to a group of ministers and parents yesterday and I literally watched the reactions go from “Bring them of…

Planning Center Check-Ins: How it Can Help Your Ministry

Planning Center Check-Ins: How it Can Help Your Ministry

Planning Center loves churches. In fact, two thirds of our team have worked on staff at churches. We know what it’s like to be in the trenches, struggling with the complex problems a church faces. Sometimes, adding a complicated management system on top of the mess…

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