Every time, the news hits closer to home. Every time, either the boy seems younger, or my boys seem older. Every time, I wonder what I can do to keep it from happening. I can feel that curly hair, because I cup my 11-year-old’s head in my left hand whenever I buzz his hair with … More For the Life of Our Sons
How can young people move toward maturity? How can adolescents grow into young adults? How can college students move through the college years with increasing integrity, character, maturity, skill, and productivity? Here are six basic steps to help the saplings of the next generation add rings as they reach for the light. 1. Wake Up: Desire … More Growing Up: Six Basic Steps toward Maturity
The following is the manuscript of a sermon I preached at Fellowship Church in Louisville, Kentucky (audio here). Psalm 78:1-8 (ESV) 1 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! 2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of … More Lesson and Legacy: Tell the Coming Generation (Sermon from Psalm 78:1-8)
Bryan Baise is a beloved professor at Boyce College, soon-to-be PhD in philosophy, husband to Danielle and father of three, and my friend and office neighbor. When I was in Student Life, students talked constantly about his classes, and I always found him deeply compassionate and wise when we worked together to help students who … More “He Withholds No Good Thing from Us”: Marriage, Miscarriage, and the Goodness of God (by Bryan Baise)
Last night I got some terrible news about a close friend. After the phone call, there was nothing to do but pray. We gathered our kids downstairs, told them what had happened, and did what Christians do when death, sorrow, and pain lacerate the soul: we spoke to God. Three of the kids wanted to … More The Prayers God Loves
Teaching our children the Bible is the highest responsibility we have as Christian parents. This teaching involves love, shepherding, discipleship, and modeling, but it never involves less than reading the Scriptures. Nothing can replace the reading and memorization of the normative English Bible. However, children’s story Bibles can be a helpful supplement for smaller children. The … More The Story Bible (Review)
I have four kids, ages 6, 6, 7, and 8. They’re at the prime of kidness, and I love it. They’re also growing, though, and while I’m thrilled with their growth, I simultaneously bemoan it. My wife often reminds me that each stage of their lives will bring us joy. It’s a good reminder, and … More It’s Not Complicated: Kids Are Great
With four children ages 5-7, I care deeply about children’s Bibles. If the Bible is the sacred book we believe it is, then the selection of stories, their emphases and implications, the language and tone, the artwork — everything matters. The tagline of the popular Jesus Storybook Bible (ZonderKidz, 2009) reads: “Every story whispers his name.” In the introduction … More The Jesus Storybook Bible Deluxe Edition (Review)
“Family worship” is an archaic phrase—and an increasingly archaic practice. It sounds austere and intimidating, like an outdated tradition for über-conservative, tightly sheltered, hyper-Christian families who care more about spiritual solemnity than family warmth. Jason Helopoulos, assistant pastor at University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan, puts the lie to these misconceptions and seeks to … More A Neglected Grace: Family Worship in the Christian Home by Jason Helopoulos (Review)
Teaching big truths to little minds simplifies our thinking. Some day I’d like to reach the place where my thinking and teaching could fit Jonathan Pennington’s description of renowned New Testament scholar Richard Bauckham: “He’s on the other side of complexity.” Like any other parent, I’d tried and tried to get our kids (4, 4, 5, 6) to look people … More Praise You, Thank You, Sorry, Help Us: Teaching the Little Ones to Pray
At 12:25pm Eastern Time on Friday, June 17 in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, Cindi and I sat together on the bottom stairs of our two-story home, glancing at our pile of luggage in the hallway and looking knowingly at each other as we awaited our 12:30 ride to Standiford Field in Louisville. The time had come. A … More The First Day of the Rest of Our Lives
Have you ever noticed that the classic children’s story The Little Engine That Could bears a remarkable resemblance to The Good Samaritan? There are many recensions in its long history and several layers of morals involved, but the version I read to Judah on Tuesday night speaks volumes to a fundamental matter of the human psyche and the human condition. The little … More The Little Engine That Could, the Good Samaritan, and the Inborn Law of Love
Here’s one small reason why international justice is important. By “small,” I mean the girl, not the reason. (HT: Adam Powell)
I'm a bit surprised that no one has yet responded to my previous post, because (1) the issue is very relevant, (2) the subject is highly controversial, and (3) I overstated my point in the last sentence. This was the last sentence: "It is time for us to re-examine the relationship between God and His … More Parental Involvement in Marriage (Part 2): The Divine Model
This past Sunday afternoon I was playing my guitar and singing the song "God of Love." Ryan Boys (a former RD) wrote it as a doxology following D.A. Carson's remarkable sermon on the intratrinitarian love of God at the 2003 Truth & Life Conference. I love the song, because it expresses an otherworldly reality and an eternal … More Parental Involvement in Marriage (Part 1): The Father Loves the Son
My five-month-old nephew Jackson is here visiting us (with his mother, of course). As you might expect, he is amazingly cute. I am not often around children his age. I wish I were more. A natural sense of compassion grips your heart when you’re around children of Jackson’s age. Usually this compassion takes the form of goofy faces, unintelligible and … More Good to be an Uncle: Lessons from My Nephew
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