Parents need to help their child understand what forgiveness is and why they need to forgive others. For the Christian, forgiveness is based on God’s love and His forgiveness of us. God also commands us to forgive others in His…
Your Words Matter
Have you ever heard a parent perhaps in a grocery store yelling at their kids—berating them, telling them they are no good for nothing? I cringe when I hear things like that because WORDS —especially our words as parents— have…
Making Memories With Your Grandkids This Summer
Summer is a great opportunity to connect with your grandkids. They are out of school and probably getting bored by now. If you live close enough to visit them or have them visit you, that is great. If not, there…
Tips for Establishing a Regular Prayer Time
Tips for Establishing a Regular Prayer Time Find a time and place with the fewest distractions. Put your cell phone in another room or on silent. Have your Bible and a notebook to record insights,scriptures and prayers. Ask the Holy…
My Bird Feeder Frustration
In my backyard I have a bird feeder with seed that is supposed to attract cardinals. I love to sit on my porch and watch the cardinals darting back and forth among the trees. They land on our white…
Welcome to My New 5-Minute Parenting Podcast!
“5-Minute Parenting: Tips to Help You Raise Competent, Godly Kids” is a short, weekly podcast that will cover a variety of parenting topics from practical tips on your child’s education, to character building and spiritual growth. There will also be additional…
How to Be Thankful in the Midst of Trials
At Thanksgiving, we are accustomed to giving thanks to God for the blessings of the past year—our daily provision of food, our jobs and homes, our family, our friends and our freedom as a nation. But how many of us…
Why is it so Hard to Focus?
Do you ever notice that when you try to pray, your mind wanders? You just can’t seem to stay focused. All sorts of things pop into your mind to distract you. You suddenly remember things you forgot that you need…
Helping Your Child Pray for the War in Ukraine
Helping Your Child Pray for the War in Ukraine With round-the-clock TV news channels depicting scenes of fighting, online access to news and social media, it’s almost impossible to protect your children from frightening and confusing world events. Instead of…
Count Your Blessings This Thanksgiving Season
More and more our Thanksgiving holiday has been eclipsed by the commercial focus on the upcoming Christmas season. By October, merchants line their shelves with Christmas goods, and TV and newspaper ads remind us that Black Friday and Christmas are…
Prayer: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly!
I was recently deeply hurt by a long-time friend. In a particular situation, we saw things differently, and she refused to meet to talk about it. As the distance grew in our relationship, I experienced all kinds of emotions from…
God’s Peace Amidst the Waves
During these difficult and uncertain times, people are searching for some semblance of peace in a world that seems to be spinning out of control. In my morning devotions today, I read a description of what God’s peace is like:…