“Deconstruction” has become a prevalent word in evangelical circles. As of February, there were almost 300,000 Instagram posts with the hashtag “#deconstruction”—many of them referring to the Christian faith. However, the term “deconstruction” has such a wide range of meanings, it must be underst...
Read More
Recently, an adolescent with a somewhat worried look asked me if heaven would prove boring, “you know, with eternity and all.” It occurred to me that if a Christian teen is asking this question, how many more are thinking it? Even worse, how many non-Christian youths entertain gross misconception...
Read More
As a kid, I dreaded daddy’s coming home from work every day. He usually arrived tired and irritable, and my siblings and I learned the hard way to steer clear. However, even on days when he wasn’t worn out or in a bad mood, he wasn’t present in the sense of engaging with his children. He would be...
Read More
Whenever I’m asked advice about parenting, I get a little nervous. I’m not exactly sure why, but I think it’s because deep down I know children come with no guarantees. God’s Word supplies us with principles and commands for raising kids, but in the end, every child is an individual who may or ma...
Read More
In ancient Greco-Roman culture, children remained under the care and control of a “pedagogue” until the time set by their father. (Galatians 4:2) For boys, it usually took place in their late teens and meant assuming the privileges and responsibilities of adulthood. Jewish boys had their “bar mit...
Read More
Think of the following not as you typical movie review—but more of a plea to parents to be on high alert regarding their children’s social media interaction. If you’re a dad, I recommend you watch “The Social Dilemma,” a Netflix docudrama by Jeff Orlowski that reveals the incredible, intentional ...
Read More
If you are a dad with young sons, I’ve got a question for you: How will you lead them to manhood? Do you have a plan? Ok, that’s two questions, but seriously, have you thought about intentionally leading those little guys to biblical manhood? Our present culture has a distorted perception of what...
Read More
One of the more challenging aspects of parenting is navigating the stages of childhood development. It is often difficult to know how much freedom, knowledge, and discipline to give them as they grow older.
Start with concrete rules and choices
Little children require more concrete rules an...
Read More
Many years ago, when Judith and I were serving in youth ministry, we would often find ourselves impressed with the spiritual maturity of certain teens. I’m talking about young people who exhibited an unusual, though not abnormal, degree of spirituality and who, by their lives, impacted others for...
Read More
On numerous occasions I’ve told parents that children come with promises but not with guarantees. Inevitably, every person must come to embrace faith in Christ on their own. Kids may question what they believe and what their parents taught them, and at some point, must decide whether “mom and dad...
Read More