Yesterday, I wrote about our dilemma in choosing a birthday present for our son who will be 10 tomorrow. What did we decide?

After I posted my blog entry yesterday, the hubby read it. It convicted him, just as it convicted me in writing it. So, we decided to let things ride. Our local toy store had a huge clearance sale last week, and had hubby stocked up on a few things to hand out as rewards. Turns out he had quite a cache that will make for an exciting birthday for someone tomorrow!

He... more

"...There was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness " Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong (2... more

You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up (Deuteronomy 6:7).

Our statewide ad council sponsors messages on TV all the time encouraging everyone to get their five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. However, our children need spiritual food also! Here are some ways to get more Bible into your children this summer:

Summer Reading Programs: Many Christian book stores sponsor summer... more

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance (James 1:2-3)

I've mentioned previously that my daughter is a mermaid – part girl, part fish. She's been tenacious and fearless in the water – until today. She's been swimming so well that her teacher pushed her a little further than her comfort zone allowed for and she absolutely freaked. She was crying really hard and would not discuss... more

Chances are that churches all over the country, including yours, had the same topic today, Mother’s Day. Prior to a sermon about Mothers, the senior pastor called all of the children to the front of the church to have a talk with them. It was sort of an informal Bible lesson, where he explained to the children why they needed to obey their parents. He told the children that while they made many decisions everyday, some were not the right choices. He elaborated that while they were acquiring more knowledge everyday, they still lacked the experience required to make some... more

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:26, NKJV)

My oldest has had a rough couple of days. He's going through a growth spurt and every time he has, in his whole short life, there have always been emotional and behavioral “signs” that accompany that physical growth.

I've mentioned previously that he's scared of having another seizure.... more

I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. (John 10:11)

I’m confessing one of my little “guilty pleasures” – I’m a gamer. Not a hardcore Xbox/Nintendo/Whatever gamer. But I love games on my PDA and my desktop computer. I discovered a new one today, and it has me thinking about a parable of Jesus. Crazy, huh?

The game is Farm Frenzy. You basically buy farm equipment and have quotas for eggs, milk, wool and such. But, there are little surprises along the way – bears! Now, how bears got... more

After my post on Parental Love and Pride, a reader wrote to me and, though not the main point of her note, expressed a sentiment I think many parents can relate to – and really the flip side of Parental Love and Pride – Parental Guilt!

Oh man, do I relate! There are days when I feel like the most terrible mom ever! Days where the kids are restless; or I’ve not slept well. Days where it seems the chores are endless and we’ve still got homeschool to do, or somewhere to go, or something else that needs attention!

We've... more

Julia recently posed a dilemma she is facing with her daughter in this article. It’s a difficult issue, since as Christian parents our duty is to raise our children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). We began by addressing the role of belief and repentance, in Part One of our series. In Part... more

Julia recently posed a dilemma she is facing with her daughter in this article. It’s a difficult issue, since as Christian parents our duty is to raise our children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). We began by addressing the role of belief and repentance, in Part One of our series.

Next, let's look at the issues of confession and baptism:

One... more