Next week, we’ll celebrate Easter, remembering Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection. Here are some ideas for focusing your week on Christ and making it fun and meaningful for your family. Act out the crucifixion and resurrection story, or stage a play with toys, felt figures, or stuffed animals. Make your own grace garden or resurrection garden. Try these “Get a Sense of the Resurrection” object lessons. Make your own […]
Read More →Archive for March, 2012
What I Would Do Differently, Part 2
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph 2:8-9). If we are saved by grace alone and not by our works, we can rest in the truth that our children are saved by grace alone and not by their works – or ours. We can quit worrying about whether we’re […]
Read More →Hope for the Liar
Lying comes naturally. We shouldn’t be shocked when our children lie. They’re born with old sin natures, and that’s what old sin natures do. Man has been lying ever since Adam and Eve believed the lies of Satan, the father of lies. Because it is sin, lying should be taken seriously. But we must resist our own temptation to sinfully over-react when our children lie. At best, sinful anger, scolding, […]
Read More →What I Would Do Differently, Part 1
“. . . I began to speak less to the kids and more to God. It was actually quite relaxing.” Wow. That statement stopped me in my tracks. The words are from Paul Miller’s book, A Praying Life. They are quoted in a book I’ve been working my way through over the last few weeks, Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus, by Elyse Fitzpatrick and […]
Read More →Our One Year Anniversary! Time for a Giveaway!
It’s been a year since we launched this blog! It’s been fun getting to “know” some of you a bit, and our prayer is that God will use what you read here to encourage and equip you. I know I’ve grown and have been encouraged as I wrestle through one post after the other, and as I read some of your stories. The blog world certainly helps us connect more […]
Read More →Get Ready for a Wedding!
When our children start to marry, we enter an entirely new season of parenting. It’s a season of great joy and a season of letting go in a new and emotion-packed way. It’s also a season of much preparation and decision-making, as the couple and their families work to prepare a joy-filled wedding celebration. We’ve had four children marry in the last five years. Our daughter, Johanna, was the first […]
Read More →Twelve Ways to Minister to the Elderly
Many residents living in retirement centers and nursing homes are lonely and have little contact with their families. By investing a few hours of your time, you will not only bless the residents but also provide a great growing and teaching opportunity for your children. Even more importantly, caring for widows and the elderly is pleasing to God (Leviticus 19:32, 1 Timothy 5:3, James 1:27). If a relative lives in […]
Read More →How Do We Know What God Wants Us to Do?
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2, ESV). “So, how do you determine which things God wants you to do each day?” This was a question asked in response to a recent post about doing the things God has called […]
Read More →Clearing Our View
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8) I’ve been studying the Sermon on the Mount with the aid of Kay Arthur’s study, Lord, Only You Can Change Me, and Sinclair Ferguson’s book, The Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom Life in a Fallen World. These words from Mr. Ferguson on Matthew 5: 8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Emphases […]
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