Get to Their Hearts

This is a short video by Pastor John Piper in which he addresses young pastors about their family. However, I felt this was applicable to all parents. Check it out and be ready to learn!

Being Honest

I can remember sitting down with my parents and hearing them share stories about their teenage years. What I appreciated was the fact that they were not always the hero or good one in every story they told. They shared their struggles and failures. As those stories resounded in my ears I found myself strangely drawn to them.

When we honestly share our struggles and failures with teens we open a pathway of communication. It allows them to not only hear your story, but also invites them to openly share what is going on in their life. You were a teen once, so please don’t act like you weren’t. Just like teens today, you possibly know the pain of having your heart broken, a friend betray you, getting in trouble at school, getting in trouble with the law, or making a mistake that you thought was going to be utterly devastating. What is your teen going through right now? What experience in your life relates to this moment? Share. 

5 Ways to Make Your Kids Hate Church

This is a really good article by Thomas Weaver on The Resurgence. It's not very long and I believe you'll benefit greatly from what he has written. Being a parent is difficult. We desire to be perfect parents but each day we end up falling short. With that, I want to share with you a quote I read from Paul Tripp on Twitter. He writes "God hasn't just called you to obey. He has also purchased the forgiveness you need when you don't." Keep that in mind as you read. Check out the article by clicking here.

Urgent Parent Blog: Dangers of Texting

This is a very troubling article of the dangers of text messaging. Parents, please take time to read through this. It will be worth your time. Click on the title for the article...Poisoned Web: A Girl’s Nude Photo, and Altered Lives. Below is the beginning of the article.

LACEY, Wash. — One day last winter Margarite posed naked before her bathroom mirror, held up her cellphone and took a picture. Then she sent the full-length frontal photo to Isaiah, her new boyfriend. 

Both were in eighth grade. 

They broke up soon after. A few weeks later, Isaiah forwarded the photo to another eighth-grade girl, once a friend of Margarite’s. Around 11 o’clock at night, that girl slapped a text message on it. 

“Ho Alert!” she typed. “If you think this girl is a whore, then text this to all your friends.” Then she clicked open the long list of contacts on her phone and pressed “send.” 

In less than 24 hours, the effect was as if Margarite, 14, had sauntered naked down the hallways of the four middle schools in this racially and economically diverse suburb of the state capital, Olympia. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of students had received her photo and forwarded it.

Loving God Above All

I recently sat down to start through Britt Merrick's book, Big God. To be honest, I wasn't prepared for the first chapter. In that chapter he shares a heart-wrenching story about his daughter's fight with cancer. What I appreciate are his blunt authenticity and his complete dependence upon God. Sitting in my office, I find myself sweetly convicted. Why? Well, he talked about loving God above all, even his child. He writes, "I can't tell you how many nights I've put Daisy to bed and said, "I love you, Daisy. Daddy loves you more than anything in the world." She always corrected me, "Nuh-uh, Daddy. Not more than God. You love God more than you love me. And I love God more than I love you." He goes on to write, “That’s the most wonderful thing you could ever hear as a Christian parent.” With that my heart cried out, “AMEN!” However, immediately I found myself repenting. Jesus says in Matthew 23:37-38 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment." Do your children know the greatest love of your heart? Do you know it? Is it rooted in the joy of loving God above all? These are the questions I find myself wrestling with now. Praying for you all.

How does the gospel conquer the sin of pornography?

The statistics with students and pornography are startling. This is a battle that many young men and young women will face. Below is a brief discussion from three very respected pastors and theologians on how the gospel can help one conquer this destructive sin. Check it out.

What is "Success" in Parenting Teens?

Let me be the first to say that I am not a perfect parent. Reading this article sweetly convicted and challenged me in some much needed areas. Rather than trying to summarize the article I have attached it for you to read on your own. Take it slowly and really focus in on what God is doing in your heart. It is a little long but please do not give up. It will be well worth your time. My goal is to post the best of what I read in regards to parenting and this is definitely one of them. Know that we are praying for you all. Click here to connect to the article.