Blogs

Parents, Just Say No!

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?                                                                                                           1 Corinthians 3:16 We were surprised…

Heart-Broken Mom

John 8:32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Here is a question we received recently from an overwrought mother. “My 5-year-old daughter keeps saying things like ‘I hate you’ and ‘I want a new family.’ It’s breaking my heart.  Can you help?” This situation is not uncommon. It is, in fact,…

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Teaching kids about money

Hebrews 13:5 From The Message  Don’t be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you”… Teaching kids about money is more than helping them understand two nickels equal one dime in purchasing power. The spending…

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Wading through worry

How many days have you woke up with worry? Too many days to count? I love the charge that Jesus gives in Matthew 6 about the worry waters of life. Ever notice how He gives us instructions about what to do about worry? Side note: when there is a “Therefore” in God’s word, it’s a red flag to see what it’s there…

How to Break Free From the Fear of Man

We have watched in horror and sadness the unfolding of what happened in the small town of Steubenville, Ohio. Just in case you’ve not been watching the news, two high school football players were found guilty this past week of sexually assaulting a young woman who was too intoxicated to know what was happening to her or give her consent…

The battle of the haircut

There are parenting/relationship questions in my inbox almost every day.  Here is a recent one. “My 13-year-old stepson refuses to cut his hair.  He doesn’t wash it regularly either.  We’ve tried paying him to get it cut but that doesn’t help and neither does his mother.  What next?” There is more than one battle…

What’s the deal with purity?

Purity.  Isn’t that just for single people or those who have claimed a life of celibacy? Usually when you hear that word it’s used in the same sentence as a youth minister’s Wednesday night lesson.  It certainly is a battlefield that seems to have few victories in the lives of teens and singles.  …

Homeschooling tips: to test or not to test

This week students across Indiana are taking the ISTEPS.  This week, my children are taking the Iowa Basics. Indiana does not require testing for homeschooled children, so why are we doing it? I don’t believe the point of education is to test my children. However, I do believe that testing them periodically (about every…

Do you know how to ask for what you want or need?

In my last blog I talked about a woman who wanted to get her friend to stop commenting to her about her parenting style but she feared offending her friend and losing the friendship. Sometimes it can be tricky to express our feelings and needs wisely. One of most useful skills we can learn when we want to know how to express our feelings…