Category: Faith Development

It’s hard to tell in this picture, but these lemons are huge. Not just a “that lemon is nice” large, but anywhere from the size of a large orange to the size of a grapefruit. It is not genetically engineered fruit, but fruit that was grown in the richest soil on earth. Volcanic soil, in this case that of Mt. Vesuvius.

If I lived in a slightly warmer climate, I could have a lemon tree in my yard. I could read up on how to care for a lemon tree. I could water the tree, fertilize it and talk to it. No matter how well I tended it, my tree would never produce lemons the size of the ones in Pompeii. Why? Because the soil in my yard is red clay, possibly some of the worst soil for growing wonderful lemons.

Continue reading What Soil Are You Using to Grow Your Child’s Faith?

The back to school season is one of the busiest times of the year for families with children. There are clothes and supplies to purchase, meetings to attend, teachers to meet and all of those wonderful forms to complete. It is easy to look up and realize it is October and God has somehow slipped to the bottom of your family’s priority list.

It’s not that you meant to ignore God. You love Him and really do want to obey Him. He somehow just didn’t seem as urgent as the teacher who sent home daily reminder notes. Now the school year schedule is entrenched with classes, homework and extra curricular activities. There is no time left for Bible studies, devotionals or most weeks even worship services. You feel good if you remember to pray at meal times (which rarely if ever happen at a table with the entire family present).

Continue reading Getting God at the Top of Your Family’s List

Recently our family took a very special trip to Europe. We had been planning this trip for years. It was designed to introduce our daughter to Europe before her senior year of high school. What I saw while there both broke my heart and frightened me.

We saw a boy about eight years old, a fellow tourist from another country, walking down the street with his parents. A dog walked peacefully by him and suddenly the boy kicked the dog as hard as he could. His parents looked on and didn’t say a word to him.

We watched as men from various countries treated the women and children in their lives as if they were mere chattel. Any needs the women and children had were obviously of no concern to the men whom God designed to love, protect and cherish them.

Continue reading Raising Children Who Are Awake for God

I don’t like to brag, but I throw a pretty awesome pity party. When things aren’t going my way, I can feel sorry for myself with the best of them. Frankly, I am an awesome martyr except for the minor detail of never actually having been martyred. Maybe you can identify?

Life can be really tough sometimes. Christian life brings its own set of challenges. We are called to behave better when bad things happen to us and at the same time are sometimes mocked and scorned for our beliefs. Often it seems like we are the only person on earth still trying to please God and we aren’t so sure how great we are doing.

Continue reading Tips for Raising Resilient Christians