I celebrated my 26th birthday this last Saturday. And, though I am a little freaked out by the fact that I am now officially closer to 30 than to 20, on the whole I can only feel a deep sense of thankfulness: I am thankful to be 26, to have lived another year in the beautiful sunshine of...

1. Women are Manly There is nothing like hearing a midwife say “push” at the beginning of a contraction, watching your wife scream like her leg is being cut off with a blunt saw and knowing that there is nothing you can do about it. Occasionally, I would hear my wife’s pain...

It’s Friday, 11:20 a.m. and I am so frustrated with my little charge, Giuliana. I just picked her up from school and we are driving back to the house when she asks me what we’re going to do when we get home. I tell her that she can play while I finish up a few chores. “Can I watch...

You will look in vain for a section of the Bible entitled “Guidelines to Christian Parenting.” There are a few texts and they are extremely important and they fall under the general heading “Families that serve the Lord and live for him do these things.” With regard to children,...

There has seeped into the church culture a “new normal” with regard to children “growing up Christian.” I say “new normal” because I can only imagine it has not been this way in past generations of believers. Nothing in Scripture seems to support the idea that children growing up...

In a recent staff meeting, the children’s ministries director told us that a family was “leaving our church for another place where their children could connect.” The presenting complaint was that the pre-teen and teenaged children could not understand the Sunday sermons. Therefore, they...

It’s time to make a significant difference in our homes; specifically with regard to the spiritual formation of our children. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, my wife and I are becoming expert empty-nesters. I believe we have a way to go before hitting the “veteran” level. But...

The older I’ve become, the more my interests have changed. Actually, let’s use a better word than changed. I’ll be a little audacious and say “matured.” Gone are the days where my thoughts and day-dreams were occupied pondering how to beat the boss of the Goron Mountain Dungeon in...