Parenting

My wife and I had been married about two years when her pastor who had married us asked me to come and preach an eight-day revival meeting. After the last service he pulled me aside and said some nice things about my preaching. His countenance became very serious however and I will never forget his challenge to me.

Fulfilling. Consuming. Exciting. Challenging. Parenting is all of this, and more. And it is one of the greatest privileges of my life.

The education of our children is a grave responsibility for every parent. For years, Anna and I have counseled Christian parents to either homeschool their children or to have them in a quality Christian school. I tell people that one of the primary reasons our children are serving the Lord today is because we kept them out of public school and gave them a Christian education.

One of the keys to maintaining a positive and influential relationship with your teenager (or any other person for that matter) is to be aware of and address a wounded spirit. The Bible tells us that a wounded spirit is hard to bear, that strife can separate friends, and that offenses bring with them a hardness of heart. If an offense in our home occurs, just imagine all the damage that can be done.

February is the month for expressing love. I am glad there is one day set aside on our calendar to let others know how much they mean to us; yet does expressing our love have to be a “one day” event? The quality of our relationships is certainly not defined by the events of a single day! Valentine’s Day should . . .

As parents, we have an awesome responsibility to raise our children for the Lord. Parenting is so much bigger than providing basic necessities of life; it requires nurturing young hearts in the ways of the Lord.

All children have moments or seasons when they struggle with obedience—just like their parents. But some young people, particularly in their teenage years, become defiant and overtly disrespectful. Why?

Parenting is not for the faint of heart. And I’m not just referring to the hazards of stepping on legos in the middle of the night. (Although legos do qualify as a parenting hazard.) But primarily I’m referring to the responsibility parents have to shepherd their children’s hearts toward God.

This is the time of year when we realize how fast time flies! We have so many good intentions that are never accomplished because we don’t “make” them happen. Making memories has to be intentional and purposeful. Life is about moments. Don’t wait for them, create them!

As a dad, there is simply no greater joy to me than that my children would love and follow the Lord. I’m grateful for God’s call on their life for the ministry, and I’m thrilled to see how He is using and blessing each of our four children and their spouses.

I remember as a young father hearing stories about pastors’ kids not turning out and being afraid that my children could be among the statistics. I wanted with everything in me to love and nurture my family while at the same time to be faithful to God’s calling on my life for the ministry.

To train means “to narrow,” conveying the thought of marking a clear path for our children by removing the unnecessary and focusing on that of lasting value—setting biblical boundaries (Proverbs 13:6). Many parents unwisely encourage their children to experiment with various philosophies of life.

The summer has flown by, and the beginning of a new school year is just around the corner. Although kids are still enjoying the summer moments, wise parents will make a few basic preparations that will ready their children for a profitable school year.

The typical American attitude about summer is that it is a great time to kick back and relax. But could there be more to it? As a parent, when our children were young, Terrie and I saw summer as a time to invest in their lives in ways that were not as possible during the school year.

Contrary to what most parents think, teens really do want boundaries. When a teenager isn’t given clear guidelines, he does what seems right in his own eyes.

A—Acknowledge your need for the Lord in the training of your children. B—Begin each school day with prayer before leaving your home.

Here are 15 tips drawn from biblical principles to improve your home that I have found helpful and trust will be a blessing to you.

One of the easy traps for parents to fall into is having shortsighted goals for their children.

Being a parent is a tough job. And in today’s broken society, it sometimes seems that there are 1,001 forces working against you. But parenting is not only tough—it’s vital. It’s the highest of callings, and it’s important that you succeed in raising your children to follow the Lord as adults. So how are you to win in this endeavor?