Category: Fatherhood

Continue in What You Have Learned…

My phone alarm wakes me up each morning. After I turn off the alarm, I usually read something to help me wake up. For some reason, it’s way easier to check Instagram or Facebook or my email than it is to start reading the Bible :-/. But I can’t handle what’s going on in the world (or in my own life, for that matter) without the perspective that God’s Word offers. My […]

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Enough

Daughter hugging father

by Bethany Forster Many lucky grownups like me can look back to a time of childhood bliss (blighted as it may be by pet deaths and mathematics). I imagine you would like your child to look back on the current days with similar fondness. Is that thought discouraging? After all, you had to harass them for the fifth time today about doing their piano practice or you lost your temper […]

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Parenting in 3-D

We go to movie theaters once or twice a year, for the special experience of watching a new movie with friends and family. My wife and I wanted to see the new Star Trek movie, so one night after the kids were all asleep my parents took up the watch and we snuck out the door. The local theater was only showing 3-D at $13 a ticket, so we made […]

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30 Days in Ephesians 6, Day 9: Obey

Now that we have looked in a general way at Paul’s instructions to children, fathers, servants, and masters, let’s take a closer look at each of those commands. Word studies, cross-references, commentaries, and looking at other translations can all help us gain a better understanding of a verse or passage of Scripture, and free Bible study websites help us do this kind of studying in a fraction of the time […]

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Ingredients of Godly Discipline, Part 4: Consequences

Ingredients of Godly Discipline, Part 4: Consequences

As we seek to provide godly discipline for our children, there are times where it’s appropriate for us to devise consequences or allow them to experience the natural consequences of their sin. Why are consequences part of godly discipline? 1. Consequences prove that we love our children. “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.” (Proverbs 13:24) 2. Consequences drive out folly. […]

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Ingredients of Godly Discipline, Part 2: Instruction

Ingredients of Godly Discipline, Part 2: Instruction

  Why do we discipline? What is the point of our child-training efforts? It’s not ultimately about good behavior. It’s not about the convenience of having well-behaved children. It’s certainly not about giving out just deserts when children make mistakes. Our first goal as parents should be shepherding our children into their own personal, growing, relationship with God. As God’s representatives to our children during their early years, we’re part […]

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Ingredients of Godly Discipline, Part 1: Preparation

Ingredients of Godly Discipline, Part 1: Preparation

I hear crying coming from the family room, where my three and six-year-old children are playing. I’m sitting in my chair, reading a book, and I don’t really want to be interrupted. But I get up and go in. The struggling stops as I enter the room, and reddened, tear-streaked faces look up at me. “What is going on?” “He was pushing me!” “I had the tricycle first!” “But you […]

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What Should We Do When Older Children Don’t Obey? (Obedience, Part 6)

We’ve been looking at obedience for the past month or so. Daniel has explored: Why we are tempted to allow our children to disobey, Why learning to obey is good for our children, What obedience actually is, and some practical ways to teach our children to obey. We’ve also looked at some reasons for our children to obey cheerfully and some ways to encourage cheerful obedience. Today we’re going to […]

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Training Young Children to Obey (Obedience, Part 4)

Training Young Children to Obey (Obedience, Part 4 on the Doorposts Blog)

Last week we considered what obedience looks like, and how our own example is an integral part of teaching our children. Today I want to look more closely at some tactics for teaching young children to obey. My children are still young (ages 1, 3, 4, and 6), and I’m thoroughly convinced that these early years are the prime time to be teaching obedience. (Next week, you’ll hear from my […]

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Beginning to Teach Obedience (Obedience, Part 3)

beginning-to-teach-obedience-definition-example

We recently considered why it’s easy to let our children disobey, and why teaching obedience is important. You all raised so many good questions that we’ve decided to spend several more posts working through the practical elements of teaching our children to obey. Today I want to define what I mean by obedience and then consider the first “strategy” for teaching our children to obey. In upcoming posts, Mama and […]

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