Why do we make sure our kids have their textbooks, notebooks, pencils, and supplies for school, but not for church? Which is more important: Your kids going to Heaven or college? Getting good grades or knowing more about Jesus? Improving test scores or overcoming life's hurdles?
Read MoreTo my fellow homeschool moms—are you overwhelmed with all the crying, whining, grumbling, and complaining? Do you have days when no one—not even you—wants to do schoolwork? Here's some encouragement: It's hard. Yes, that's right. Educating your kids at home is hard work. But even though it's hard, Jesus has some great advice: Take a break to rest.
Read MoreAs a father, you are going to confront contests of wills with your daughter many times. In those moments where your authority as a parent is challenged, it is extremely important for you to "win." Why? Because a child who behaves in ways that are disrespectful or harmful to herself or others often has a hidden motive. Whether she recognizes it or not, she is usually seeking to verify the ...
Read MoreHave you ever heard a husband, wife, dad, mom, or grandparent say, "Because that's what families do?" This comment usually precedes an act of sacrifice, unconditional love, or an outpouring of grace to another family member. It's stated without fanfare in a very matter-of-fact manner and speaks to the unwavering love and commitment that is hard-wired into the relationships of a family. While families don't always embrace the power of ...
Read MoreThe only true source of meaning in life is found in love for God and His son Jesus Christ, and love for mankind, beginning with our own families. Compared to this fundamental system of values, everything else is puny and insignificant. Certainly, there must be a valid reason for living than the mere pursuit of money and possessions!
Read MoreWhat are your New Year resolutions? We may have hopes of changing what we know we should, such as losing weight, exercising more, or eating healthier. Or have dreams for greater success, either at work, school, financially or with a project.
Read MoreI have some happy memories of Christmas as a child. Early in December we’d decorate our freshly cut tree with white lights and colorful ornaments and place a ceramic manger scene under the tree, complete with the Three Wise Men (whom we’d place away from the Nativity scene). After December 25, each child in our family would take turns moving the three kings closer and closer to the manger to ...
Read MoreWhat are the mysterious ingredients that almost all good marriages have in common? What accounts for the marvelous blending of personalities when two separate and distinct individuals establish a young family and then live together in love and in harmony for the next fifty or sixty years? Is anything of significance know about these long-term marriages that will help others achieve stability in a world of impermanence?
Read MoreNo matter how much positivity you have in your life these days, if you turn on the news, you're bound to feel stress and negative emotions rise. That's why it's more important than ever to cultivate positive emotion daily with simple choices that trigger happiness.
Read MoreIt would take perhaps 50 volumes to describe them all, and even then we would only scratch the surface. Any one of the following "dragons" can rip a relationship to shreds if given an opportunity to do so:
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