“…for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). Do you ever feel completely inadequate for the job of parenting? I sure do. I take comfort in the fact that I am supposed to feel inadequate. The truth is, I can’t do anything. But God can do everything, and “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13, NKJV). My daughter Bethany and I are reading David […]
Read More →Category: Encouragement
It’s Daniel’s Birthday!
“A wise son maketh a glad father…” Proverbs 10:1 Today is Daniel’s birthday! Daniel is the guy who runs Doorposts. He’s the guy who makes my computer behave. He’s the one who knows how to get pictures onto WordPress so we can post them on this blog. He’s the son who first introduced me to motherhood – and survived. He is the firstborn who hurled me into God’s accelerated sanctification […]
Read More →Sharing
“…for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7) Teaching children to share is one of the big challenges of parenting. Sharing does not come naturally to the old sin nature. We shouldn’t be dismayed, disappointed, or angry when we hear the words, “No, mine,” coming from the mouths of our little ones. Our children are just proving that they inherited their parents’ sinful natures! Children need to be gently […]
Read More →How Grandpa Influenced Me
September 14 is my Grandpa’s birthday. Cal Mohr has been in heaven for more than five years now, but his influence on me and on his family is still strong. He loved us, and we knew it. He helped shape who we are. He started working for Portland General Electric at age 16 patching sidewalks, and he retired as a hard-working and well-respected line foreman. He was one of the […]
Read More →Read this!
Well, family took priority last night and today’s blog post didn’t get finished. I’ve been working on it this morning, and actually have it done. But I just read something that I would much rather direct you to today. It is a powerful and insightful analysis of common mistakes we parents make in our intense desire to raise godly children. I certainly found it helpful — and convicting. It’s […]
Read More →A Favorite Story
The Runaway Bunny is one of my all-time favorite picture books, and now I get to read it to my grandbabies! If you’re not familiar with the book, you should be. It’s a sweet story of a little bunny who says he’s going to run away. When he tells his mother about his plans, she tells him, “If you run away, I will run after you. For you are my […]
Read More →Ruby — A Precious Jewel
“Grandchildren are the crown of the aged…” (Prov 17:6a, ESV) Ruby is my buddy. We both love ice cream. We both love bubble baths. We both have naturally curly hair. We share M & M’s after church. We go for walks with her mama and little sister. We take the lid off the salad spinner and watch the lettuce fly. She makes my day when I walk in the door […]
Read More →A Checklist for Parents (Book Review)
As the firstborn Forster child, I’ve experienced the child end (you can call me one of the guinea-pigs) of most of Doorposts’ materials. That’s truly been a great experience, but now that I’m married with two children, I’ve reached the point where I get to start using Doorposts materials as a parent. (Not to imply that being the parent is easier, by any means!) I praise God for the heritage […]
Read More →Stronger than a Mama’s Love
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Romans 8:35a). I enjoyed reading all the comments about living with little ones last week after Johanna’s review of “Loving the Little Years.” The words of an old hymn by Isaac Watts came to mind as I read the comments – a song we sing in our church, a song that I especially love. Now shall my inward joys arise, and […]
Read More →Praising the Good
“…to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good” (1 Pet. 2:14, ESV). It’s easy to become focused on what our children are doing wrong. When the toddler spews the food he doesn’t like across the room, we have to clean it up. And we have to train him to behave differently. When angry boys resort to punching each other, we have to evaluate their stories. […]
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