Category: Character Training

Ever watch a bunch of young boys try to “out tough” each other? It’s a wonder any boys make it to adulthood!. These sessions designed to prove one has no weaknesses, have probably resulted in the creation of more than one extreme sport and quite a few body parts in casts.

There is something in all of us, that wants to put on a brave front. Maybe it is because we fear showing our weaknesses will turn us into the laughing stock of our neighborhoods and workplaces. Perhaps there is a little bit of pride and ego in the mix. Maybe we have been taught by society that only the strong survive, and fear exhibiting weakness will place us at the bottom of the pecking order.

Unfortunately, God expects us to show our weaknesses. Whether it is sin in our lives or just fear, we need to be able to share them with God. Our children need to see us admit our sins and ask for forgiveness. Society may mock weakness, but God values our honest appraisal of our need for Him.

Continue reading Kids, Weakness, and God

As an adult, have your parents ever said something they obviously thought was common knowledge, but which surprised you? When you ask why you weren’t told, they will often say they thought you knew.

As parents, it is easy to assume your child will naturally pick up certain knowledge and skills. After all, they learned to talk didn’t they?

Some children are very savvy. They can be born into horrible environments with no support and turn out to be adults you would think had been raised with every possible advantage. The vast majority of kids though, need intentional training to develop the skills to be successful in life and in the Church.

Continue reading Four Dangerous Christian Parenting Assumptions

Have you ever stopped to ponder that the person who is the most likely to be able to keep your child from going to Heaven is your child? We, as parents, can train, teach and model. Our churches can provide additional mentorship and training opportunities. Our children can attend the “best” schools and have the “best” friends and still not be faithful Christians as adults.

Why? Because ultimately the battle for our child’s soul is in our child’s heart between our child and Satan. Have we taught our children how real the spiritual war is and will be throughout their lives? Have we taught them how to fight off Satan and their body’s own selfish desires? Do they know Satan’s schemes and tricks to lure them into sin and unfaithfulness? Have we fully prepared our children for spiritual battle?

Continue reading Preparing Kids for Spiritual Warfare

Ever take a small child with his birthday cash to a dollar store? Either the child goes crazy and piles more in the basket than he can afford or he takes an agonizingly long time to pick out the one perfect item. Silently, you are wondering how this child will ever pick the right college or spouse with his current decision making skills.

As our children mature, we tend to forget our concerns. Most of the time our children make pretty good decisions and once in a while they will make a really poor one. Either way, we let them work through it with little formal instruction on the steps for making a good decision.

Maybe you struggle with decision making yourself. If you are like me, the popular pro/con list rarely works. Either we are so swayed, we can only see one side or we are so analytical, both sides come out evenly. Praying helps, but God rarely places a billboard on our street with specific point by point plans for us.

Continue reading Teaching Kids to Make Smart Decisions