It's That Time of Year

You may already be thinking of them.

Perhaps you knew what they would be three months ago, but you were giving yourself a "grace" period until January 1st.

Maybe you have the same ones ever year.


You know what I'm talking about...resolutions! We all make them, and we all break them. One of my favorite "old guys" to read is Jonathan Edwards. Many years ago, he wrote his own set of "Resolutions." Every time I read them, I think about how silly it is for me to think I'm really doing something important when I give my best effort to lose 10 pounds. Guys like Edwards had such perspective when it came to God and the world they lived in.

I highly recommend reading these "resolutions" and then let them "read you."

Jonathan Edwards' Resolutions (1722-1723)

Resolved...

I ran across something the other day and I'm going to share it in it's entirety with you tomorrow. In the mean time, here's a little bit of a teaser. Below are some quotes...can you guess who they came from. I will give you the answer tomorrow.

Resolved, never to do anything, which I would be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.

Resolved, whenever I do any conspicuously evil action, to trace it back, till I come to the original cause; and then both carefully endeavor to do so no more, and to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it.

Resolved, after afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them, what good I have got by them, and what I might have got by them.

I'd venture to say there aren't too many people who think this deeply and this seriously about themselves. Self-examination is often a painful, yet fruitful exercise. Find out who said this and what it might have to do with you tomorrow.

Merry Christmas

The Family Resources Blog will be taking a break from now until Dec. 30th. I will be on vacation during that time and visiting family.

May God bless the time you spend with your family over the course of the next few days all the while reminding you of his indescribable gift, his Son, Jesus Christ!

Merry Christmas!

Traditions

Christmas is only a few days away, and it's always been my favorite holidays of the year. I don't think it has much to do with the presents (although I did love presents growing up). For me, Christmas brings back all kinds of memories and traditions. Here are a couple...

• Every Christmas Eve before bed, we would read Luke 2.
• My dad would always let us open one present on Christmas Eve to "prime" the pump.
• When I got older, our family would sit down and watch our favorite Christmas movie, "A Christmas Story" and laugh about BB guns, frozen poles and tongues, and leg lamps.
• As much as we wanted to rush through the pile of presents, my parents only allowed one person to open a present at a time. We all took turns and everybody got to see the joy on the face of the person opening the present (plus, it taught us a little patience, too).

If you have children, know this. Christmas time is full of opportunities to create long-lasting, meaningful traditions. Some of them are goofy and some are very serious, but this time is like no other when it comes to memories being made and traditions being created. Look for ways to create those kinds of special moments with your kids over the next couple of days.

Creative Discipline [funny]

You have got to hand it to this mom...she is taking her job seriously. This is what I call "creative discipline."

Stages of Spiritual Growth

This was a great article about the stages of growth that kids of all ages go through spiritually. It was written specifically to those who work with children in churches, but there are plenty of insights that would be extremely beneficial as your children grow in their spiritual maturity.

Stages of Spiritual Growth

Christmas is Dangerous

Usually, those two words don't go together, but the more I think about it, the more I believe it. There is no other time of the year where children are tempted to be more self-centered and selfish. I don't really know what it is. It could be the fact that everyone is asking them "what they want." It might be tons and tons of commercials that are purposefully directed at your children. It might be that for your kids, Christmas, despite all your efforts, is still all about them.

And so, because of that...it's my belief that Christmas is a dangerous time for the hearts of your children. Proverbs 4:23 instructs us to "guard our hearts, because they are the wellspring of life." What are you doing over the next two weeks to protect the hearts of your children from the greed-inducing, selfishness-producing, and materialism-enhancing holiday season.

Here are just a couple of thoughts off the top of my head...

• Reward and acknowledge generosity and selflessness in your home
• Ask the children about what they're giving for Christmas as much as you ask them about what they want for Christmas
• Give them change/money to give to the bell-ringers outside of stores and then explain where that money goes
• Clean out their rooms of "old" toys in preparation for the new ones and give it to worthy organization/charity

I'm sure there are more, but I'll let you be creative on the rest!

Christmas Tips for Dads...

Now's the time, Dads! The Christmas season gives you lots of opportunities to create memorable moments in the lives of your children. Fight the temptation to fall into the same old patterns, or even worse, stress/worry yourself so much that Christmas time isn't the joyful time it was intended to be. Here's a list of things you need to be thinking about and challenging yourselves with.

#1 – Dad needs a plan for the holidays to ensure his family is loved and memories are made. Dad, what’s your plan?

#2 – Dad needs to check the local guides for what’s going on to make fun holiday plans for the family.

#3 – Dad needs to carve out time for sacred events and experiences to build family traditions that are fun and point to Jesus. Dad, is your calendar ready for December?

#4 – Dad needs to not let the stress of the holidays, including money, cause him to be grumpy with Mom or the kids. Dad, how’s your joy?

#5 – Dad needs to give experiences and not just gifts. Dad, what special memories can you make this holiday season?

#6 – Dad needs to manage the extended family and friends during the holidays. Dad, who or what do you need to say “no” to?

#7 – Dad needs to ensure his family is giving generously during the holidays. Dad, who in need is your family going to adopt and bless?

#8 – Dad needs to schedule a big Christmas daddy date with his daughter. Dad, what’s your big plan for the fancy daddy date?

#9 – Dad needs to schedule guy time with his son. Dad, what are you and your son going to do that is active, outdoors, and fun?

#10 – Dad needs to help Mom get the house decorated. Dad, are you really a big help to Mom with getting things ready?

#11 – Dad needs to ensure some holiday smells and sounds. Dad, is Christmas music on the iPod, is the tree up, and can you smell cookies and cider in your house?

#12 – Dad needs to snuggle up and watch some fun shows with the kids, especially the little ones. Dad, is the DVR set?

#13 – Dad needs to take the family on a drive to see Christmas lights while listening to music and sipping cider. Dad, is it mapped out?

#14 – Dad needs to help Mom get the kids’ rooms decorated. Dad, do the little kids get lights or a small tree in their room?

#15 – Dad needs to read about Jesus and pray over his kids. Dad, how’s your pastoral work going with each of your kids?

#16 – Dad needs to repent of being lazy, selfish, grumpy, or just dumping the holidays on Mom. Dad, are you a servant like Jesus to your family?

This list was developed by Mark Driscoll - Daddy Christmas Tips

Five Words to Shape Your Parenting

Ran across these great principles on the web the other day. I found them to be helpful...even if they just stay in the back of your mind.

The Five Words Are:

Plan – We have a plan for most other areas of our life other than for our family. Plan a strategy for raising children the way you want them to go.

Protect – It is critically important to protect your relationship with the child so that you can maintain influence over them for the rest of their life. This is not accomplished by giving them what they want, but by gentling balancing discipline with love.

Control – The time to gain control over a child’s actions are when they are young and then a gradual release of authority is given to them, as they get older. Too many parents allow too much freedom early and then try to get control back when the child tries to be an independent teenager. It should be the opposite.

Invest – Children require an intentional investment of time and energy over time. Having children who grow up well does not usually just happen, but it is as a result of the right investment of parenting.

Model – You cannot expect children to learn principles you are not willing to model for them. Children should not be held to higher standards than you hold yourself.

This material was borrowed from Ron Edmondson

One Generation Shall Praise Your Works to Another...

Great message on how the faith is passed on from one generation to another.

Pay careful attention to "how" it is spread or passed down. This message is well worth your time. Put it on the iPod and enjoy!

One Generation Shall Praise Your Works to Another

Just for laughs

My dad always told me that if he ever caught that "Not-Me" guy, he had a number of spankings coming his way. You see, my sister and I had a way of, when something was broken, misplaced, etc, the answer to my father's question, "who did this?" was always "NOT ME!!!"

One day, my Dad discovered that the creator of the famous cartoon "Family Circus" dealt with the same issue. Enjoy!

Healthy Discipline

While poking around the internet one day looking for resources for parenting, I ran into this little list. It's 10 principles for healthy discipline. I thought they were right on...

1. Goal set first. Proverbs 29:17 says, “Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul.” You should understand the reason behind discipline. You are taking your children somewhere they need to go.
2. You should never discipline in anger. You will say things you do not mean and do things you should not do. Discipline done is anger is rarely productive and usually harmful long-term.
3. At the time of need for discipline, remember this 3-step process: Stop/Think/Proceed. The older your child gets the longer you can and may need to take with each step.
4. Be consistent in your discipline plan. It will mean nothing to the child otherwise.
5. Pre-think principles, but do not try to pre-plan specifics. You should have some value-centered, character-based goals you want discipline to promote in your child. You should avoid declaring what you will do when your child does something specific. Don’t ever say, for example, my child will never wear his hair long. You may regret those words someday.
6. Differentiate discipline for each child. To spank or not to spank should not be as big a deal as what works best for the child.
   
7. Do not make threats with which you are unwilling to follow through. Your children will catch on to that real quick.
8. Use age appropriate and action appropriate discipline. As a child matures the discipline should mature with them. At the same time, do not overkill a minor incident or ignore a major occurrence.
9. Always discipline the child for results. Discipline in its concept is not necessarily pleasant, but it reaps a reward if done right. Hebrews 12:11 says, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
10. Discipline should never teach a child he or she is unloved. Actually, if done right, it should reinforce the love a parent has for the child. (Hebrews 12:7-10)

The list above was developed by fellow pastor, Ron Edmonson.


Anybody have any more they want to add to the list?

You're in a war...

Because you live in the United States, and because you live in the suburbs (if you live within 15 miles or so of Firewheel Church), your kids will battle consumerism, selfishness, and materialism all their lives.

What's even scarier is that it's Christmas time right now, and the danger is for kids to begin to think that this time of year is all about them. I'm not saying throw out the presents and don't do Christmas this year, but I am asking you to consider how you can "war against" this mindset in your home and your families.

One of the easiest ways to battle materialism and selfishness is to begin to develop children with a generous heart and promote generosity in your family. Do you have a plan for that. Here's a quick little message to give you some inspiration.

What have you done to teach your children the importance of giving?

It's Official

Christmas time is here...bring out the lights, the trees, and all the great Christmas music.

The blog will be taking a short break for the Holiday weekend. May the Lord bring to mind all that He has blessed you with during these coming days.

Have a great weekend!

Food for Thought - #7

"It's a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at that goal itself but at some more ambitious goal beyond it." - Arnold Toynbee

I ran across this quote the other day, and to be honest, I didn't know what to think about it at first. I went through this whole process...enjoy the following trip inside my brain.

• Wait a second...that's the whole point of goals, is to reach them.
• If you aim for a more ambitious goal, you're still going to feel like a failure because you didn't reach that more ambitious goal...even if you did happen to complete a mini-goal on the way.
• Who cares about goals, anyway (ok...I didn't really say that...just making sure you're still with me).
• So, is the original goal, the goal...or is the ambitious goal, the goal!
• That's enough thinking for now...

Although, I can't quite follow this guys logic, and if he were in a true debate/discussion, I'm not so sure this would "hold up," but what I think he is trying to say is that we often set our goals way too low. So often, we are content with only accomplishing something relatively small, and that if we were to think "bigger" and more "audacious" that perhaps many of those smaller goals would be accomplished along the way.

So, you might be asking, how does this relate to parenting or my family. Glad you asked. My hunch is that many parents set very small goals for their parenting process. A few examples:

• "As long as they don't do drugs or drink alcohol, I'll have done my job."
• "If they like going to church, then I've done a good job."
• Here's a popular one, "if they make good grades, make a good score on their SAT, and get into a good college, then I've done a good job."
• And so on, and so on...I could go for a while.

I will never say that those things aren't important, but those are pretty "tiny" goals in the light of God and His kingdom. I think our goals ought to be a bit bigger than these. What they are for you? I don't know exactly for you...that's for you to determine!

Just for laughs

I'm considering implementing this strategy at Firewheel. What do you think?

Food for Thought - #6

"My family is the primary place where my walk with Christ takes on flesh." - Voddie Baucham

Here's a sobering thought for today. Kids are smart. They are some of the world's best "hypocrisy-detectors." I have a feeling you know what I'm talking about. Your home (how you act, what you say, who/what you prioritize, etc.) say more about you to your kids than whether or not you come to church on Sunday mornings. I'm glad you come to church on Sundays...I really am, but the stark reality is that what you do every other day of the week matters infinitely more in the lives of your children.

May that sobering thought drop us to our knees in prayer every day. May each and every one of us, ask God to show us where we need work and how we can accomplish that through the power of his Holy Spirit. And when you feel like a failure as a parent, may that drive you to an even greater appreciation of the cross of Christ where those failures were paid for in full. Your genuine love for God, lived out as best you know how even in the midst of struggle, will be the thing that has the single greatest impact on lives of your children. Press on! Be encouraged...you can do this!

"Why...But Why...But Why..."

If you have kids, you've probably heard this before. The endless string of "why's." You've tried to explain something to your child, but their little inquisitive minds just can't grasp it. My hunch is that there will be many times in life, if you're doing the hard work of discipling your kids that they will ask these sort of questions about God, the Bible, or life with Christ. The truth is, some things are hard to understand...they just are. But "hardness" can't be an excuse not to talk about those things.

I ran across a great resource the other day, and I wanted to highly recommend it to parents. This book titled "Big Truths for Young Hearts" is a phenomenal resource for parents who may be trying to answer some of those tough questions that kids can often ask. Spend the $12 to buy this book, invest the time to read it, and plead with God to give you opportunities to talk about these deep truths with your children.

Big Truths for Young Hearts

Here's the kicker...you may even learn something too!

The Spanking Debate...

You want to start an argument really fast. All you have to do is get a group of parents from different backgrounds and cultures and ask them about their thoughts on disciplining children. To spank or not to spank...that is the question. Seriously...you should try it!

Want to get them even more riled up? Ask this question...Would Jesus spank a child? What would He do? I found this below to be an interesting take...it's at least a thought provoking question.

Would Jesus Spank a Child?

Something to believe in...

I was recently driving through Dallas, and saw a billboard for a church. I won't mention the church's name...that's just not how I roll, but I couldn't believe what I was reading. A rather well known church in our area had a billboard along a major highway and it had a picture of a family and it said... "A church you can believe in."

Now, you might think anything of that, but my eye catches those subtle things. I don't want to be critical, but if this particular church is asking people to believe in them...they're promoting the WRONG thing.

I don't want a church I can believe in...I want a God/Savior I can believe in. You can believe in the church all you want and you can spend an eternity without God in hell. Now, I get what they're trying to say. They're trying to say, "we think our church/body of believers is great, and you should come join us," but they may have inadvertently communicated it the wrong way.

That's just a free rant for you today! In all seriousness, don't believe in Firewheel Church...believe in the Savior we gather to worship and lift up.

There's a LION in your house!

One of the more famous depictions of Satan in the Bible is that of a lion who is seeking to kill and destroy. I've watched enough Discovery Channel to know what a lion is like when they are looking to eat. It's not pretty!

Well, I've got to tell you that the Lion may be in your house, and if you're not careful, you may be allowing the Lion to nip at your kids. I have one BIG question.

Do you have a filter on the computer that your kids use? I'm not asking you if you check where your kids have been on the internet after they've been there. I'm not asking you if you check the history. I'm not even asking if you try your best to monitor where they've been. I'm not asking you if you've looked at the security settings on your computer. I'm asking you if you've got a designated program on your computer that WILL BLOCK inappropriate materials from purposefully or inadvertently popping up on the computer screen.

Here's the facts. The average boy sees pornography for the first time by the time they are 10 years old. 10!!!

Please don't be naive! There are lots of good filters out there. Your child may not be old enough to stumble into anything on the computer they shouldn't yet...but it's coming!

The two programs mentioned below are GREAT options. They cost a little money, but when you have a LION in and around your house, you do what you have to do to protect your children!

BSecure
Safe Eyes

Every parent needs encouragement...

Whether you realize it or not, you do need encouragement every once in a while. I ran across this encouragement for parents, and I wanted to share it with you.

How do you encourage and advise Christian parents?

My prayer is that it is an encouragement to you and a "push" to keep up the work of parenting.

-Robert

How many people would still show?

I have had a thought that has stayed with me since Friday night. On Friday night, our team in Colombia had a victory service to celebrate the week. Along with all the North Americans, hundreds and hundreds of Colombians "crammed" into a church that had no A/C and barely any fans. It was about 93 degrees that night and the humidity was around 90%. There was no air moving at all, and within 10 minutes of being in the building, my shirt was soaked through with sweat. And you know what the coolest thing was...I didn't care at all. I was as hot as I could possibly be, and I've never wanted to be anywhere else anymore than I did that night.

So, here's the question that has stuck with me...

If it were late July in Dallas, and it was supposed to be 100-something degrees on a Sunday morning. If everyone knew that the A/C was broken at the church and there was no hope of it being fixed before services, how many people would still show up?

My sneaking suspicion is that many of the people we see on Sunday mornings wouldn't show. They'd just frankly stay home! Would you be one of those people? Would you forego the beauty of gathering with the assembly of believers and offering your praises to God? Oh, how my heart hurts for the state of Christianity in America...where so often, it's more about us and our comforts, than about God.

I'm not pointing fingers at all...I'm just grieving over this thought that has stuck with me. My prayer is that it would stick with you as well.

Slow week...

I apologize for the slow week this week on the blog. I am still in Colombia with our church's mission team. The blog will be back full force next week.

You may want to use this as an opportunity to unplug from technology. You have my permission! Don't check email, facebook, your phone, or any of your other "addicting" devices for at least two hours.

That's Dr. Robert's prescription...it just might be good for you.

An illustration for fathers...a reminder for everyone!

I remember standing at the edge of a pool with my Dad telling me to jump. We all have those memories, and if you have children, you've no doubt had the experience of encouraging your children to take that leap of faith and jump into the pool where you're waiting.

Below is a reminder of why our faith glorifies God...

"Your daddy is standing in a swimming pool out a little bit from the edge. You are, let’s say, three years old and standing on the edge of the pool. Daddy holds out his arms to you and says, “Jump, I’ll catch you. I promise.” Now, how do you make your daddy look good at that moment? Answer: trust him and jump. Have faith in him and jump. That makes him look strong and wise and loving. But if you won’t jump, if you shake your head and run away from the edge, you make your daddy look bad. It looks like you are saying, “he can’t catch me” or “he won’t catch me” or “it’s not a good idea to do what he tells me to do.” And all three of those make your dad look bad.

But you don’t want to make God look bad. So you trust him. Then you make him look good–which he really is. And that is what we mean when we say, “Faith glorifies God” or “Faith gives God glory.” It makes him look as good as he really is. So trusting God is really important.

And the harder it seems for him to fulfill his promise, the better he looks when you trust him. Suppose that you are at the deep end of a pool by the diving board. You are four years old and can’t swim, and your daddy is at the other end of the pool. Suddenly a big, mean dog crawls under the fence and shows his teeth and growls at you and starts coming toward you to bite you. You crawl up on the diving board and walk toward the end to get away from him. The dog puts his front paws up on the diving board. Just then, your daddy sees what’s happening and calls out, “Johnny, jump in the water. I’ll get you.”

Now, you have never jumped from one meter high and you can’t swim and your daddy is not underneath you and this water is way over your head. How do you make your daddy look good in that moment? You jump. And almost as soon as you hit the water, you feel his hands under your arms and he treads water holding you safely while someone chases the dog away. Then he takes you to the side of the pool.

We give glory to God when we trust him to do what he has promised to do–especially when all human possibilities are exhausted. Faith glorifies God. That is why God planned for faith to be the way we are justified." - John Piper

Kids can teach us all kinds of things...what a reminder for all of us!

Headed to Colombia...

Tomorrow, I will leave for 7 days and travel to the Baranquilla, Colombia. I'm a part of our church's mission team down there. Although a bit nervous, I'm looking forward to having my "American" lifestyle challenged. I know the kinds of things I will probably see, and I'm positive that my life will be altered in some way.

Here's the deal. I didn't grow up with a lot of money...at all. We always had food, but there were some months where my family barely scraped by...and I mean barely. But what I do know is that I was LUCKY to grow up with a lower-middle-class lifestyle. One parting thought for you to consider...

Do your children really understand how fortunate they are? They are all so blessed to live in the US and most have more than they will ever need. What can you do to help them gain a proper global perspective...that they have far more than 95% of the children who live on this earth?

Food for Thought - #5

I am not trying to be the bearer of bad news, but whether you are aware of it or not...

CHRISTMAS is coming!!!

• Are you prepared to battle the rampant "consumerism" that is about to attack your children in the next couple of months?
• Have you thought about how you could leverage the power of Christmas in order to teach lessons about God?
• What if...just for a moment...you could use this holiday season to help your children not give their hearts away to trinkets and toys that they will forget about in a few months?

Now, I'm not one of these "no gifts" or "Santa Clause is evil" kind of guys. But there's one thing I do know, is that Christmas is a time of year where selfishness and other "heart issues" can rear their ugly heads. What's your plan for redeeming the Christmas season and keeping your families attitudes and hearts focused on the reason for celebration of Christmas?

Money, Money, Money...

Nothing can sap a parent's strength and joy like their kids constantly begging for things or begging for money. Materialism attacks your kids every day whether you realize it or not. So, how might one teach/train children the proper use of money and how to honor God with the money that HE has given us! Take a listen to this recording. I found it helpful, and I hope you will too.

What have you done to teach your children the importance of giving?

Quick side note:
If you don't practice this kind of attitude/discipline yourself, I'm fairly certain it won't translate to your kids. In other words, the attitude you have toward money, is most likely the same attitude that they will have towards money. Kind of scary if you ask me. Lord, help us!


Robert

"NO"

Some of us hate saying it. Others of us love saying all the time. If I'm honest, there are certain areas of my life where I'm better at saying it than others.

What's with this word..."NO"? Why is it so hard to say? Do I really have to keep saying it? What if that person doesn't like me because I told them "no"?

Below is a great article on how parents can and need to use the word "NO" and why it's so important if you're going to raise children who know and love the Lord.

Best Parenting Advice You'll Never Admit to Reading


Robert

"Magnificent"

Let me explain a little of what happened last night. For well over 6 months, I had been waiting (with tickets in hand) to go see my favorite band in the world blow the roof off the new Cowboys Stadium. I must report...they did not disappoint.


One of the moments that stuck out to me (and there were TONS by the way), was Bono singing one of their new songs entitled "Magnificent."


A portion of the lyrics to "Magnificent"...

I was born
I was born to sing for you

I didn't have a choice but to lift you up
And sing whatever song you wanted me to
I give you back my voice
From the womb my first cry, it was a joyful noise ...


Only love, only love can leave such a mark

But only love, only love can heal such a scar



Justified till we die, you and I will magnify

The Magnificent

Magnificent



I don't know about you...but when I hear lyrics like that, I'm reminded that I have a greater purpose here on this earth. I was born and I live only to MAGNIFY the God of the universe who gave me a voice. Thanks for the reminder, Bono. May it be a reminder to you to always look for opportunities to magnify the KING, especially in the presence of your family and your children. They need to see you making much of the Savior!

Food for Thought - #4

The truth hurts sometimes. There have been numerous times in my life where I've been confronted with the truth or had to confront with the truth. Either way, it usually isn't very fun.

"If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair." - C. S. Lewis

I ran across this quote the other day, and it got me to thinking about how often parents can "shield" their children from the truth. Now, I am not advocating that parents disclose everything at all times to their children. What I am wondering is whether or not we are really doing our children any favors by soft-pedaling or blatantly hiding the truth or reality about the world we live in? These are just a couple "for instances."

• Everyone wins...there is a move in modern youth sports to give trophies to all the children, or to sometimes not keep score. For younger children, I'm sure this may have great benefits...we don't want to crush kids too early, but when do kids learn that losing and losing "well" are an important part of growing up. How long to we shield them from the reality that "sometimes you do your best and lose"?
  
• Have you ever told your child that they can be anything they want to be? Can they really? If your child wasn't born in the U.S., they sure can't be President. And all we have to do is watch the first few weeks of American Idol to realize that some people weren't created by God to sing. Why don't we say, "you can do exactly what God made you to do" instead?

I am aware that these are some potentially "extreme" examples, but these are the kind of random thoughts that make me think about what is really best for kids. Hopefully, it will make you think, too. Only, you know your kids, but the warning from C.S. Lewis' quote is that if you're after comfort, you may not get the truth, and that may lead to despair...something that none of you want for your kids.


Robert

Favoritism...

If you're a parent, you've heard it before. It usually goes something like this... "You like ______ more than you like me" or "______ is your favorite." Whether reality or not, there can often be a perceived favoritism that kids pick up on. Most of the time it's not really what's going on, but how can you do your best to help your kids know that there are no "favorites" in your house. Below is a link to an audio recording about this very thing. Hope you find it helpful.

What can parents do to keep from having favorites among their children?

Robert

Ask the Children's Pastor - Remix - Final Edition

Last summer, I did a series called "Ask the Children's Pastor." Each of these documents are answers to a number of questions that our volunteers (some parents, some not) asked. I hope you find them helpful.

Question #6:
Should a family do devotions together? Why is it so important? Can you give me some tips on how to do this with a family that has so many different age kids who aren’t on the same level? Is it okay to do individual devotions for our children or do we need to find a time to do it all together?

Family Devotional 101

Robert