Parenting
Looking Through the Lens of Love Instead of the Target of Offense
Parenting Points Being offended is the fuel for many in our culture. Neighborhood Facebook groups thrive over the latest offense, whether it was the family who will not cut the grass quickly enough or the unresponsible dog owner who didn’t clean up on the neighborhood walk. Many people live in a state of constant offense, …
Praying for Your Circles
Parenting Points One of the blessings that God gives us is relationships with others. As we have finished the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, we have had a focus on relationships whether it was those who attended our holiday parties, gathered around our tables, or mailed us a Christmas card. Our families have been blessed and …
Called to Engage in God’s Great Outdoors: Alabama District Attorney & Author Walt Merrell
Cover Story If you have a difficult time communicating with your teenager, Walt Merrell has a simple piece of advice for you: get outdoors. Merrell, founder of the “Shepherding Outdoors” community and author of two books of the same name, believes that enjoying God’s natural creation is key to building relationships, starting conversations, and strengthening …
Don’t Miss the King
Parenting Points When our families come to the Christmas season, we are met with many things to do. Our lives tend to immediately get busy and hurried amid all the presents, parties, and other things that make this season so loved. But before we get lost in the craziness of the season, let’s look back …
Remember the Source
Parenting Points Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate and remember. We are given a national holiday focused on thanks, yet sometimes, it is easy for us in our lives to celebrate our blessings without remembering the Source. In Daniel 4, King Nebuchadnezzar falls into the trap of forgetting the Source. As he looks around and …
Engaging Your Neighborhood This Halloween
Parenting Points Halloween is October’s national holiday, yet for some Christians, Halloween is taboo. Due to the evil nature of the day with ghosts, goblins, and devils, many Christians have sought to avoid the day by either turning off all the lights to hide from kids in costumes or running down to the local church …
Caring for the Outsider
Parenting Points We live in a world where people feel alone. From the social separation of the pandemic to the distance of social media, many people feel like outsiders. As followers of Jesus, we are called to care for outsiders. In writing to the church at Philippi, Paul wrote of Jesus coming from heaven as …
Being a Home that Models Grace and Peace
Parenting Points Our current world is on edge. Division, finger pointing, and demonizing fill our news feeds. The only thing that we can agree on is our propensity to see our view as 100% correct and our opponent’s view as utterly flawed. We choose teams, draw lines, and feel justified in defending our opinion because …
Conversations of Faith: Family Discipleship for the Everyday
Parenting Points For many parents, trying to disciple their kids is a daunting task. As followers of Jesus, parents are always on a journey to grow in their faith, so it can be challenging to teach your kids something you have not personally “mastered.” The church then compounds family discipleship with models, materials, and expectations …