Family Helps

Young children are especially attentive to what we teach, not just with our words, but also with our lives. Most of a child’s character is developed before he is five years old.

Maybe you have heard about the wife who said, “My husband and I have fussed for fifty years. I’m praying that God will take one of us to Heaven. And when God answers my prayer, I’m going to move in with my sister!” There is no such thing as a perfect marriage, but God’s Word does command husbands and wives to love one another—in spite of our faults!

The picture above sits on my desk in a frame, representing a fond memory to me. It was one of those times Terrie agreed to spend time with me in the outdoors for a few days of hunting.

God wants His people to guard, guide, and give their hearts. When children give their hearts to their parents, they trust them to protect, provide, and prepare them to follow God’s will for their lives.

In part one of this post we looked at six spiritual responses for parents when their teen or young adult is rejecting. To recap: 1. Love Christ unconditionally; 2. Love your child unconditionally; 3. Pray for wisdom; 4. Be sure your own walk is real; 5. Realize it is the nature of young people to question authority; 6. Remember to be thankful for the good benefits of your pastor and church.

It’s a parent’s greatest fear—and if it actually happens, their greatest heartbreak—a wayward child. How do you respond during this crisis? Whether your child is a fifteen-year-old who is struggling or a twenty-two-year-old who is questioning their faith, it is vital that you navigate this season with wisdom and the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

I love reading to my grandson, TJ. His mom, Brandie, and I are frequent browsers at the nearby used bookstore. It even has Bible storybooks! I enjoy getting those for TJ and Ava, his younger sister. I also get them for the girls in our Bible college to use in their Sunday school classes and their Saturday Bible classes.

When sorely tried, stand still on the promises of God. When everyone but God is saying, “Move,” do not jump ship and wreck your family. Do not forsake in the dark what God has given you in the light.

Recently, on a Saturday morning, I went soulwinning with my three-year-old daughter, Annalene. As we knocked doors, she asked if her job could be to carry the tracts. After she managed carrying the tracts, she asked if she could ring the “ding bells” at each door.

This book has helped me so much. I have not only read it but have had the privilege of teaching through it. I appreciate the author’s honest, Biblical approach.

A couple of years ago I was reading an interesting article from Time Magazine about the demise of the nuclear family. One of the things they attributed this cultural phenomenon to was the loss of the family dinner table.

Using the word relationship, here is an acrostic of ideas to help prevent resentment and rebellion in your child’s heart.

Sermon outline: This is an abbreviated outline with the complete sermon downloadable at the bottom of the post. When God saw that man needed companionship, His original design for that need was to establish the institution of the home.

Last week, Terrie and I celebrated thirty years of marriage. It’s hard to believe that something that seemed too wonderful to be true on our wedding day is even better now!

One of the greatest modern myths is that there are no essential differences between men and women. This is unbiblical, unreasonable, and dangerous to your marriage.

Christian homes are becoming scarce. The once-common model of parenting—in which dad and mom stood and sacrificed together—has been cheaply improvised by a godless culture.

My prize possession as a boy was a Sting-Ray bicycle. Not only was my bike a source of pleasure and fun, but it was necessary equipment to my job as a paper carrier.

In the multivariable equation of raising good teenagers, one of the things that will create a bond of affection between teen and parent is good memories.

Child training is the most obviously neglected element in raising children today. To be more precise, intentional and purposeful training is the most neglected element. The truth is every day through every social interaction with our children, we are training them in ways good or bad. By what we allow and or do not allow, we are conditioning and building habits and character traits into the lives of our children. The question is not if we are training, but how we are training. Sometimes, the question may even be: Who is training who?

I believe it is the goal and desire of every Christian parent to raise children who will love the Lord, the church, and mom and dad. Certainly this is no easy task and requires much prayer, grace, and deliberate effort.