Parenting

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.

Not too long ago, I was in Phoenix to watch the Suns play the Lakers. Of course, I wore a Lakers jersey. They are my team, and I came to enjoy the game and show my support. A lot of other fans were wearing jerseys to the game, but hardly any of them were the purple and gold of the Lakers. I stood out, I was in enemy territory, but I was not about to hide my identity as a Lakers fan.

If repetition is the key to learning, then, when it comes to working with young people, keeping a big picture focus is the key to sanity. It’s so easy to get into a rut in which we tire of the repetition necessary to develop students.

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.

I am glad there is still a Sunday in May on our calendars designated as Mother’s Day. The Bible sadly announces in Proverbs 30:11, “There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.” While no mother is sinless or perfect, everyone ought to be thankful for the one who went through the travail of death to give us life!

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.

For those of you who have not had a chance to read Tedd Tripp’s excellent book on child rearing, I would encourage you to put it at the top of your list.

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.

Last year I was given the opportunity to assume the position of administrator at Pleasant Valley Baptist School. I enjoyed my first year and learned a lot.

It is wonderful to receive instruction about prayer from men of God; but in this passage, Luke 11, we have specific instruction about prayer—what to pray for and how to pray—from the Lord Jesus Himself.

I have always loved the story of Moses and his family. I love how God used this family to protect their son and save a nation!

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.

I am the proud father of four beautiful children. I am in the beginning stages of parenting and praying that God will give wisdom as my wife and I seek to rear our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We truly desire to build a household of faith!

Sermon Outline: This is an abbreviated outline with the complete sermon downloadable at the bottom of the post. Do you ever wonder about the kind of country your children or grandchildren will live in? Nehemiah knew the people of Jerusalem were building more than a wall. They were building a destiny for the future generation.