Teaching gratitude might be one of the hardest things for parents to teach their children. If you have kids, then you know how this goes. You do something amazing for your kids. You are so proud of yourself. You can’t wait to see the look on their face when they see what you have done. But their face says anything but gratitude. In fact, they dared to complain.  It could be as simple as the extra ten minutes of playtime with friends wasn’t enough. Actually, no amount of time would ever be enough. But it could also be as big as an expensive purchase they just had to have that’s now sitting ..read more

There are times in your world of parenting that your kids amaze you and you can’t believe how well they can take some initiative and how eager they are to do it. But there are also times when you feel like your head is going to explode as you try and figure out how they can be so blind to the world around them and so selfish. You know those moments. There are times one of the kids takes the initiative and does something really cool for another person? Holding a door, unloading the dishwasher or eagerly willing to learn how to cut the lawn. Or there’s that other moment—you ask for a favor and i ..read more

I sincerely believe that Easter Sunday is a better holiday than Christmas. Now before clicking on to something else because you think I am crazy, read on. If you asked your kids which holiday is better, we all know the answer. It’s Christmas ten times out of ten. After all, most of us don’t start counting down days until Easter the minute Easter is over. But, without fail I see no less than a dozen memes on social media on December 26, telling me I have only 364 shopping days left. Radio stations don’t dedicate their music to strictly Easter songs in February in anticipation of our favorite sp ..read more

If you have ever tried to help a young child understand faith, then you know how difficult of a task that is. It’s not a concept that is entirely concrete–it’s a bit abstract. So it’s hard for a young mind to fully comprehend and appreciate it. It requires us to explain faith as trusting in something or someone without having all the information simply because that person or thing is trustworthy. Like I said…hard. But what can help us is a short conversation between Jesus and two others being crucified with him that Luke records for us in his gospel. A story that contains incredible significan ..read more

You may have noticed that most of our youth—if not all—already know they should love others. In fact, that is one of the great things about GenZ. They have a great capacity to love others. Largely because they see people differently—better in fact. They live in a more diverse world and love it. Being so connected to the rest of the world has opened their eyes to injustice and they want desperately to right the wrongs of the world. They love the idea of being conduits of hope in the lives of others. Just imagine if we focused our energy into teaching our students to create change focused on the ..read more

Race dominated the news cycle for several weeks after the tragedy of George Floyd—stealing the headlines and changing the national conversation from Covid-19 to racism. A much-needed conversation, but a difficult one. We can’t avoid it. And we shouldn’t. No matter the news cycle, we need to be talking with our kids about racism, love, and the gospel. I remember growing up learning that racism was past tense. It was something that happened, something we overcame, and anyone who still focused on skin color as a measure of value existed only on the fringe—they didn’t have a voice, and we did ..read more

These are complicated times. And you know what we need? Simplicity.  There’s no question our lives have been a little out of sorts lately. We have seen the articles and heard the news. We have seen the hardship of so many around us and have watched the disappointment in our kids—first school, then activities, then an abnormal summer and now massive uncertainty with the fall approaching.  Are we going back to school?  When?  Are we wearing masks?  How do I make sure my kids are safe? Should I just homeschool?  What about activities, sports, parks, pools, clubs, etc ..read more

The effective discipleship of our kids means they have to listen to and trust us. Pastor or parent, relational equity is non-negotiable. Creating that relationship starts with understanding how current cultural trends affect our kids and how they affect our ability to disciple them. It sure seems like a lot is spiraling out of control these days, but I wanted to drill down to just five. These, I believe, are the most significant drivers and contain the most considerable amount of influence.  Deconstruction of History If you’re like me, you might be wondering why in the world are we sudden ..read more

I feel like we are on the cusp of a post-pandemic world. We are slowly discovering what the new normal is going to look like. Each state, city, and even families are working carefully and intentionally to seek the right balance of normalcy and safety. But the closer we get to normal, the more urgent is the question of discipleship at home after COVID-19. This is certainly not some kind of switch we flip, suddenly returning to how things once were.  A few months ago, I wrote a post about the opportunity to create a new normal, to lean into time with family, and to take advantage ..read more

The Apostle Paul once wrote, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of the gospel that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:19). This is one of those verses that when I read it, I heartily agree. Of course! Paul’s not ashamed, nor am I! After all, ashamed is a really—I mean really—strong word. If I believe in Jesus, why would I be ashamed? If my kids have professed faith in Christ, been baptized, are attending church and youth group, and developing a strong faith, then why would they be ashamed? What’s there to be ashamed about?  That is until we are conf ..read more