Is it just me, or do other adults find a full tank of gas to be an amazing feeling too? There's something about going from empty to full that brings a smile to my heart. Maybe it's because I can remember routine gas station stops with my mom as a kid, when she'd put...

Less than two weeks until Christmas! It’s that time for lots of shopping, parties, food, and of course, who can forget the in-laws (rhetorical question in case you were wondering)? It’s the most busiest, I mean, wonderful, time of the year. And sometimes it can seem...

I hope your family had an amazing Thanksgiving last week. Ours did, and it was a great reminder of just how blessed we are. All of our kids were home, including many more that we call family. This past weekend brought to mind an important but easily forgotten...

“Jesus? Jesus?”… said our two year old, as she pointed at her toothbrush on the bathroom counter. For the longest time, she struggled to let us brush her teeth at night. But for the last month, since I started singing “Jesus Loves Me” to her while brushing her teeth,...

“I’m going to count to three, and if you don’t obey, you’re going to be in big trouble.” “If you don’t stop teasing your sister, you’re not going to get dessert for the next year.” “Why can’t they listen to me the first time? They only obey once I raise my voice.” Is...

"Parenting forward" (focusing on training more than correction) is a huge win for Christian parents. Last week, we talked about one of the best ways to do this: train your kids when they're NOT in trouble. Use those small, everyday moments to speak truth and life into...

Teach them diligently unto thy children… when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way. -Deuteronomy 6:7 Many parents find themselves perpetually frustrated with their kids…  “Will they ever learn?”… “Why can’t they just listen?”… etc.  They're in...

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. -Proverbs 22:6 Last week, we talked about the importance of training over just correction. It's interesting that the verse above doesn't say to correct a child in the way he...

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. -Proverbs 22:6 I can remember a season when we had reached a point of parenting frustration… “This kid just won’t listen!” Ever feel completely stuck in your parenting? You’re...

Since my boys were young, they’ve all helped me mow lawns over the years. They’ve learned how to cut the grass, weed eat, clean out the mowers, and change the oil, etc. But when I asked my 15-year-old son to weed-eat recently, he said, “Sure, but I’ve never done that...