Parenting

2025 is under way and the need for families to disciple their children has never been greater. The stakes are high and we must take advantage of the precious time we have with the children God has entrusted to us. The idea of family discipleship can be daunting…”Where do I start? How do we structure…

Establishing a natural way of sharing, talking, and encouraging each other is a crucial piece of family life. Being present with your children in conversations that go beyond understanding the day’s plans and to-do lists builds healthy relationships. These kinds of conversations help slowdown the pace of life. They are a gift. Utilize these talking…

My parents have at least 15 clocks in their three-bedroom home. I counted them! Obviously, they collected clocks along the way. These clocks reflect the focus in our family of good time management. Growing up, there was an unspoken rule of efficiency in our home, “Never waste time.” The stages of life dictate how we…

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt explores the rise in teen anxiety and depression since the 2010s. Haidt links this to the decline of unsupervised childhood play and the increase in smartphone use, which have led to…

Raising Boys & Girls is a blog to provide general and educational information to support parents and educators in caring for the kids in their lives. Sissy Goff, David Thomas, and Melissa Trevathan have been sitting with children and families as therapists at Daystar Counseling Ministries for over three decades. Through their counseling, podcast, and…

If your favorite season of the year is Fall, you join many others who feel the same. Pumpkin spice, falling leaves, crackling firepits, and hot apple cider bring life back to our senses and refresh the soul. I truly believe God created Autum to help wake up our senses. Living from a place where all…

Intentionally utilizing time to talk and listen to your children can be full of blessings when it is nonjudgemental or empty of instructions. Asking questions and listening more allows your child to express their own thoughts. These kinds of conversations help establish trust and a more open way of family communication. These conversation prompts may…

With school back in session, may I ask, Have expectations lined up with reality? Or – Have there been some surprises? And we all say – Of course there have been surprises! So here is the next question, What is the response to those surprises?” After working in the yard in the middle of August,…

Engaging in conversations with your family helps to slow down life. It allows for space and time to think, reflect, and connect. Healthy relationships grow out of connected conversations. Try a few of these prompts at mealtimes, in the car, or at the close of the day and watch the connections occur. What was surprising…

Our Lion Camp speaker was John Pokluda, and he really challenged our high schoolers to protect their mind and look at things that keep us from going all in with God. He has a podcast, Becoming Something, that is geared towards 20 and 30 year olds, but it has great info for us all. Check…

We all want our kids to make an impact – so let’s get our kids learning from an early age that they can!  Orange Ministry has a devotional book for kids and preteens called “Make Waves: A Kid’s Devotional on Changing the World.” From the website: What if, every time kids go for a swim,…

Have you ever felt like you didn’t measure up spiritually?  That maybe the prescribed way for growth given by your church just doesn’t seem to match who you are?  John Mark Comer has written a great book called Practicing the Way.  It’s a fantastic book that shows you some practical ways to grow closer to…