Our women's ministry just recently completed a beautiful study in the book of Colossians. I have read through it’s four chapters now many times and continue to glean new, rich truths. However, there are three simple words the apostle Paul writes to the church in Colossae that penetrates my heart every time I read themContinue Reading »

Tags: motivation, beliefs, faith, family, godliness, guidance, spiritual leadership, prayer, intentionality, practical help, seasons of parenting, uncertainty, overwhelmed, advice, anxiety, encouragement

Over the years we’ve been called on by many exasperated parents who’ve hit critical mass in their homes and are in desperate need hoping to turn their circumstances around. Continue Reading »

Tags: motivation, beliefs, faith, family, godliness, guidance, spiritual leadership, prayer, intentionality, practical help, seasons of parenting, uncertainty, overwhelmed, advice, anxiety, encouragement

Isn’t it true that as parents we often find ourselves struggling to navigate our children through some of the very same challenges we face? One of those for us has been constraining worldliness Continue Reading »

Tags: worldliness, advice, godliness, identity, influence

It’s clear that scripture holds the discipline of self-control in high esteem.

Galatians 5: 22-24 lists it as one of the fruits of the spirit: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." Continue Reading »

Tags: advice, behavior, expectations, godliness, intentionality, whining, young children, training, older children

Discipleship as it relates to the stages of development

The Rhetoric Stage

In this series, we’ve taken a deeper look at discipleship in regard to the different stages of your child’s development. We have discussed what it looks like in the grammar stage (preschool-young elementary ages) and the logic stage (5th-9th grades). Now we will look at what discipleship looks like in the rhetoric stage (14 - 18+year olds).
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Tags: discipleship, intentionality, practical help, beliefs, church, expectations, faith, family, godliness, guidance, motivation, priorities, salvation, spiritual leadership, vision, wisdom, prayer, seasons of parenting, teens

Discipleship as it relates to stages of development

The Logic Stage

In our previous posts we discussed what discipleship is, and what it looks like in the early pre-school and elementary years.

Today, we are going to take a deeper look at discipleship in the tween years or the Logic Stage of discipleship (5th - 9th grades). We’ll discuss practical, effective ways you can help disciple your child in this stage. Continue Reading »

Tags: anxiety, discipleship, elementary school, fear, intentionality, beliefs, church, expectations, faith, family, godliness, guidance, motivation, prayer, middle school, older children, parent-child relationship, practical help, salvation, seasons of parenting, training

Discipleship as it relates to stages of development

The “Grammar” Stage

In Parts 2-4 of our discipleship series we will provide practical and helpful ways to equip you in the faithful discipleship of your children.

Having raised and educated our own eight children we have become believers in the trivium model of the classical approach to learning. Continue Reading »

Tags: discipleship, beliefs, church, expectations, faith, family, godliness, guidance, salvation, spiritual leadership, prayer, elementary school, intentionality, practical help, preschool, seasons of parenting, training, uncertainty, young children

Discipleship as it relates to stages of development

Rich and faithful discipleship should be the hallmark of every Christian home. For most parents it is something that is a genuine desire but often elusive and never fully integrated into family life.Continue Reading »

Tags: discipleship, godliness, guilt, home life, confidence, inadequacy, influence, parent-child relationship, prayer, intentionality, motivation, parental authority, priorities, spiritual leadership, wisdom

Over the years we've interacted with many Christian parents. They have been at all levels of spiritual maturity — some very young in their faith to the seasoned and deeply mature.

One thing, however, is pretty universal — and that is what they desire for their children.

So, Christian parent, let me ask you...
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Tags: behavior, discipleship, entitlement, godliness, motivation, salvation, worldliness, expectations, influence, spoiled kids

Raising 8 children was quite a journey for us, to say the least. Sitting in the middle of all our noise and activity, Mary’s grandmother, who lived with us for years, would often laughingly say, “There’s never a dull moment in your home!”. There was a lot of truth in that observation!
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Tags: exhaustion, mentoring, advice, guidance, beliefs, family, conflict, confidence, discipleship, spoiled kids, purpose, goals, discipleship, older children, godliness, training, vision, worldliness, disorder, hope

The rising tide of worldliness is swamping even the church, it seems. Frightening statistics tell a story of young adults from Christian homes entering college or the workforce then soon abandoning their parents’ values and turning their backs on their parents’ faith.
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Tags: beliefs, confidence, faith, grown children, home life, inadequacy, reassurance, salvation, vision, worldliness, encouragement, family, guidance, motivation, parental authority, peace, worry, godliness

The current state of the Christian home

In the course of time it seems that somewhere, somehow we have lost our way....especially as it relates to the state of our homes. While we would all agree that we desire our homes to be a haven, a shelter, and a place of peace, most of us would sadly have to concede that our family dwellings are a far cry from this description.Continue Reading »

Tags: blessing, chaos, conflict, disorder, dysfunction, confidence, marriage, family, goals, godliness, helicopter parent, home life, hope, oneness, parent-child relationship, peace, perseverance, purpose, spoiled kids, stress, trials, vision, worldliness, intentionality

What does it mean to love our children in a truly God-centered, selfless, biblical sort of way? What does that even look like? Continue Reading »

Tags: mentoring, advice, guidance, beliefs, family, purpose, goals, discipleship, godliness, vision, hope

In our previous post we discussed the first of 3 truths which distinctly characterizes a woman who loves her children.

Today, let’s examine the second:Continue Reading »

Tags: mentoring, advice, guidance, beliefs, family, purpose, goals, discipleship, godliness, vision, hope

In our last two blogposts (part 1 and part 2 of the series), we discussed ways we can fulfill our biblical mandate to “love our children”.

The first was to align our heartsContinue Reading »

Tags: mentoring, advice, guidance, beliefs, family, purpose, goals, discipleship, godliness, vision, hope

In our last three blogposts (part 1, part 2, and part 3 of the series), we discussed ways we can fulfill our biblical mandate to “love our children”.

The first was to align our hearts with what scripture says about children. The second, Continue Reading »

Tags: mentoring, advice, guidance, beliefs, family, purpose, goals, discipleship, godliness, vision, hope

What does our culture tend to think of parenting? Sadly, most see it as a costly, difficult, seemingly never-ending thankless job.

What about you, Christian parent? How do you feel about your parenting efforts? When you think of your parenting efforts, how often do you see it as a holy act of worship, a self-sacrificing service highly valued in the sight of God? Continue Reading »

Tags: mentoring, advice, guidance, purpose, goals, discipleship, seasons of parenting, godliness, vision, intentionality

Dear Mommy Blogger,

First, I want to thank you with all sincerity for your love and care for your fellow young moms. There is, no doubt, a great need in these daysContinue Reading »

Tags: mentoring, advice, guidance, beliefs, family, purpose, goals, discipleship, godliness, vision, worldliness, hope