Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. (Proverbs 16:24)

I have posted several times in past about my daughter’s tendency toward rudeness, but today had to be some sort of world record! She had three separate incidents of indescribable rudeness toward those she calls friends. After each incident, I told her what she did and why it was rude. After the second one, I specifically told her not to say anything unless it was something she would want said to her. I was explicit... 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

My oldest, for as long as I can remember, spontaneously bursts into prayer when he sees an ambulance or police car. He will invoke God and ask Him to watch over the person in the ambulance or ask that the person pulled over by the police car will make better and wiser choices.

Now, with our two newest children in tow, they will do whatever their “Big Bubbie” does, and now they break out in prayer whenever they see an ambulance or police car!

It’s uncanny how alike the children are. There is no way they could know that when my oldest was younger (around... more

"I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” (John 17:14-17).

Though I do not currently have teens living in my home, I have had them in the past. Maybe because of our affinity for this age group, they seek us out - I don’t know. Whatever the case may be, I had an opportunity tonight to help a foster child attend a Bible study at a neighboring congregation.

The topic dealt with raising... 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

Many adopted children arrive to your family without previous church or religious experience. Because your family embraces Christianity, you would naturally want your newly adopted child to embrace Christianity. Unfortunately, as parents we cannot make our newly adopted child embrace faith. Certainly, we are able to take a young child to our church. We are able to instruct our newly adopted child in Christian principles. We can pray daily for our child’s salvation. Ultimately, the child must make the decision.

In the new testament of the Bible, Jesus used parables... 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

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).

When our children reach an age in which they are able to be held accountable for their actions, they often begin to question whether or not to choose a relationship with God. If they seek our assistance in understanding the enormity of this commitment,... more

We belong to a non-denominational church that believes that a person cannot lose their salvation, once saved. I understand there are backsliders who fall away from the church, repent, and return. There are also those whom we wonder if they were ever truly saved. Yes, they expressed salvation, as my teenage daughters did, and we were there when they made the decision. But, did all of my daughters truly mean it in their hearts, or was it an act, put on either for attention, or to fit in to the family? Were they the seeds that fell on shallow ground, which grew quickly and withered... more