Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” 1 Corinthians 15:33 NKJV In our home, when faced with making a decision or setting rules for our children, we tend to measure them by two categories: negotiable and non-negotiable. Here is an example of a negotiable: My middle son Jake, at thirteen, was a drummer in a worship band. As a band member the only garments he wanted to wear were hideous skinny jeans, a t-shirt and an equally hideous headband. As a mom who, in some ways, took pride in how our family presented ourselves, this was a hard …
There is No One Right Way
My belly bulged and my heart swelled. Excitement tingled in my every pore. I had everything mapped out in my head. Excitedly I typed out a birth plan – full of my ideals of natural birth and no needles in my back. My husband and I took a natural child-birthing class. I read parenting books and listened to seasoned friends. I knew what I would and wouldn’t do. I thought I was a prepared mommy. Then my stubborn first-born chose not to come. A week after my due date my doctor induced my labor and my labor did not follow …
10 Scripture Memory Tips
Have you’ve ever wanted to memorize Scripture but didn’t think you had the time? Have you ever wished you could come up with an easy way to help your kids memorize Scripture. Memorizing the Word doesn’t have to be hard. Using the ideas below, you and your family can make Scripture memory fun as hide God’s Word in your hearts together! 1. Take your weekly memory verse with you wherever you go. Review it at every stoplight. You’ll be surprised how much you retain! If the family is in the car together, take turns saying your memory verse at each …
Fostering in our Future
Over 500 children in Knox County are cared for by foster parents, but more await loving homes. One mom opened her heart and home to children in need of love and found that her own birth family received the blessing, too. With so many children worldwide in need of a home, maybe fostering will be part of God’s beautiful future for you. By Featured Guest: Tara Dovenbarger “I could never do that.” As a foster mom I hear these five words in my daily conversations. Doctors, friends and even perfect strangers are curious, and somewhat perplexed, about how I am …
No Rescue Needed: Necessary Pain and Disappointment
“But, Mom, this means I can’t go! It’s impossible!” wails Annemarie, tears coursing down her cheeks. Five minutes ago, she was all smiles as we sat at the kitchen table to “crunch numbers” for the school-sponsored 10-day trip to Italy. As we calculated the number of hours she’d have to work to earn enough money to pay for the trip, though, her face fell, her eyes reddened, and she reached for the Kleenex. Pain and disappointment can be effective teachers, I remind myself. Don’t cave. No matter how badly you want to bail her out–for your sake as well as …
Are You a Polite Parent?
By Featured Guest: Teri Lynne Underwood A couple of years ago I pondered the question … “What if submission begins with simply being polite?” I examined that idea in the context of marriage, parenting, and other relationships. As I considered how submission relates to parenting, I developed four principles of polite parenting. Maybe, as this new year begins, you could use some simple encouragement to make this a great year between you and your kids – even if they are all grown up. Principle 1: It’s not about you! We make parenting about us instead of about our kids. It’s the reason …
How to Mother When You Long for More
Sun filtered through the blinds as I blinked my eyes open. A new day loomed before me. Another day I knew I was not pregnant and I likely would never be again. My empty womb seemed to mock me and though it was empty it felt heavy with despair and longing. My soul felt heavy too. Burdened with a longing that would not be met, saddled with questions of why, and the pain of apparent injustice. As I shook my head to clear it, voices began to call to me from down the hall. Although I desperately wanted to stay …
Five Parenting Principles from The Prodigal Story
I’ve always loved reading the story of the Prodigal Son. There are so many lessons to learn from that power-packed passage of Scripture. Today, let’s look at what we can learn from the father : 1. The father loved his children equally. The one who stayed and did all the right things did not become his “favorite”. The prodigal was just as loved by the father as the one who remained by his side. Do you struggle with loving your difficult child as much as your easy child? Do your children know you love them equally? 2. The father met his boys where they …
Five Ways to Love Your Children Well
An excerpt from The Making of a Mom… “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach” These words may have dripped from the pen of Elizabeth Browning’s love sick heart, but counting the ways a mother loves her children is as endless as Elizabeth’s love for her man. Yet how do we love our children? What does that look like when it’s more than words on a page? We say we love our children, but do we understand what it actually means. Love is so much …
Say “Yes” to Pink Hair – Pick Your Battles Wisely
By Featured Guest: Kathy Howard Do you sometimes feel like “no” is the only word in your parenting vocabulary? If you have teens and preteens it certainly might be the word they hear most often. No, you can’t stay out until midnight on a school night. No, you can’t see that “R” rated movie with your friends. No, you can’t skip school to go to the mall for the big sale. No, you can’t jump off the bridge even though all your friends are doing it. Each phase of a child’s growing up presents unique challenges. Because …