My desk was top-heavy with research works on Paul the apostle and his century-one letter to the Philippians. Well-worn volumes, lexicon, dictionary, concordance, Greek New Testament, maps, charts, several versions of the Scriptures, pen, pencils, a couple of stacks of paper needed to be put away. I had just completed a manuscript and my heart […]
Read MoreCategory Archives: Parenting
Losing Our Training Wheels
The fall season often reminds me of the day when one of my daughters learned to ride her bike without training wheels. (The “fall” was an appropriate time for this event.) As she sped down a hill toward a huge ravine, I saw written all over her face the message: “I’m not in control!” So […]
Read MoreKnowing Your Child
Educate a child according to his life requirements; even when he is old he will not veer from it. Proverbs 22:6 MLB When it comes to rearing children, developing a strong home where happiness and harmony can flourish, there is a primary starting point: knowing your child. This is the most profound insight, the single […]
Read MoreIn Their Eyes
The mysteries of this world never cease. My 2-year-old son has a strange habit. When he wakes up in the morning or from his nap, he makes his way from his bed directly to his closed bedroom door, lies down flat on his stomach, and gazes through the crack beneath it. Then he waits. He […]
Read MoreIn Good Hands
One of my daughters used to come to me as a toddler and request, “In the air, Daddy, in the air!” She wanted me to hurl her up and catch her. I did so to her utter delight. My other daughter saw this and asked me to toss her too. Yet as she leveled off, […]
Read MoreHaving the Grace to Say “Yes”
“Ryan’s parents just gave him a car! He wants to pick me up and drive to the mall. This is so cool! Can I go?”—Jason, age 15 When your children and grandchildren ask you for an object or a privilege, their request presents an opportunity to express grace in your relationship. But how can you […]
Read MoreGhosts and the Gospel
Be silent in that solitude, Which is not loneliness—for then The spirits of the dead who stood In life before thee are again In death around thee—and their will Shall overshadow thee: be still.1 For many, Halloween is a fun time of telling ghost stories, passing out candy to little ghouls and goblins who come […]
Read MoreFive Cheers for Mom
She looks well to the ways of her household, . . . Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also. (Proverbs 31:27-28) What does motherhood require? Transparent tenderness, authentic spirituality, inner confidence, unselfish love, and self-control. Quite a list, isn’t it? Almost more than we should expect. Perhaps that explains why Erma Bombeck […]
Read MoreEasy Ways to Help a Family in Need
When families are dealing with special needs, many of the basic chores of everyday life go from humdrum to hassle. As your friends, neighbours, and church members care for family members with special needs, take some time out of your week to offer a helping hand. Here are several ideas: Offer to clean someone’s home […]
Read MoreHere We Go a-Mothering
In Act 1 of Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar is warned to “beware the Ides of March!” The Ides of March is the old Roman way of saying mid-March. Mothering Sunday just happens to fall at the end of March in 2014, but it moves around. I’m wondering if perhaps Julius had forgotten to send flowers. […]
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