Help for Parents
Essays
Parenting: Inviting Picky Eaters to God’s table
5/20/13It is a battle, to be sure. The colors of candy and the sweetness of snacks call to our kids day and night. Taste buds engaged, they beg for these items. As parents, we draw a line and stand as firm as we can against the constant intake of chemically enhanced foods. But we find ourselves at odds with a world that offers fast food and fat-laden treats for cheap on every corner. What are…
Parenting: The Wonder of an Untidy Life
5/8/13
As I drew the broom across our wood floors, the evidence of a life lived with children piled up. Yes, there was dust. But I also saw small sticks, Easter grass, tabs to yogurt tubes, small clumps of mud from shoes, indoor soccer field filings…
An Honest Conversation to TEENS about TEENS
5/6/13
As a therapist who works with many teenagers and their families, there’s one thing I can say about teenagers; it’s that you know how to push your parents’ buttons. Instinctively, it seems, you come with an arsenal of tools to get what you want, avoid…
Creating Family Time: Inexpensive Family Outings
4/29/13
We could have said no. It was, after all, way too much driving. But after days of spring break spent relaxing at home, we felt it was time to get out. Limited time, a balanced budget and dog-sitting concerns quickly eliminated beach escapes, hotel stays…
Devotions
Jonah: Attitude Check
12/18/12 Read Scripture Verse: Jonah 1-4
With whom do you connect in the story of Jonah? Maybe you feel like the sailors who don’t seem to recognize God until they are desperate for help and their troubles are looking like they might swallow them up. Maybe you feel like the people…
Forgive and Forget?
5/18/11 Read Scripture Verse: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
This is a text that shows up at weddings all the time. It is a beautiful poetic picture of how love ought to look. It strikes us as so idyllic that it is unattainable. In our own strength it is outside of our grasp. We…
Finding Rest
5/18/11 Read Scripture Verse: Matthew 11:28-30
Are you feeling weary today? We find that there are times when we are too exhausted to function well. Life starts getting crazy with so many projects and responsibilities calling for our attention. Sometimes we just want to yell “Stop the world I need to…
Resources
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Little House on the Freeway: Help for the Hurried Home
Feel like you have more life than you can handle? Feeling Harried, Harassed, and Hurried? This book is for you!
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Beyond “I Do”: What Christians Believe About Marriage
This is one of the best books about what a marriage is. It's really a theology of marriage rather than a "how to" manual, but it's perspective provides ample context for why the How-To stuff works.
