Family

What Do My Kids Hear?

The volume and words a parent uses around their children and to their children has an impact on them. But what about the more subtle things we say? What about the things we say on our mobile phones, when we forget the kids are in the back seat listening? What about the things we say when the kids are in the other room… listening? And they are listening! What Do The Kids Hear? What do my kids hear when my kids hear me? What are the lessons we teach our kids… unintentionally? “Lord, may the words of my mouth…be pleasing […]

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Can You Pick Your Child’s Friends?

Fewer things influence our children more than the people they hang out with, their friends. Friendships have a powerful impact. Kids want to go where their friends want to go and do what their friends do and think the way their friends think. Knowing the impact friends have on our children, you would think parents would want to be more proactive in the “friend selection process.”  I can hear a parent groaning, “I’d love to help select who my kids befriend, but where do I begin? My kids are so private about their friends.”   Friendships are environmental Whether it’s […]

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Mother’s Day HERoes

Many women in the Christian community work faithfully in the shadows of their high profile husbands. In honor of Mother’s Day, we wanted to shed some light on a few outstanding women who are making a difference through their own ministries, acting as mentors to other women and serving their families well. They share some challenges and rewards of mothering along with a few words of advice.  Rosemary Barnes Rosemary Barnes has been teaching the word of God to women at Sheridan House Family Ministries and at several South Florida churches for more than 40 years. She leads a weekly […]

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When Parents Don’t Agree

Is it okay for a husband and wife to disagree on the way they parent their child? This is a question that we get asked often!  Parental conflicts It is not only okay, it is natural! The top three areas of conflict in a marriage are money, sex and parenting. These are also the top three areas of interest in the marriage. We all arrive at the wedding ceremony operating from different backgrounds, raised by different parenting styles and with different temperaments. It stands to reason that our differences are going to be most impassioned and challenging when it comes […]

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Create Traditions That Point To The Easter Story

The most significant holiday on the Christian calendar is quickly approaching. This special day, however, is so clouded by cultural tradition that many have forgotten what they are to celebrate. Generations of wearing the right clothes have worn down the meaning of Easter in the hearts of many. It is time for parents to re-think the way they handle this most holy celebration.   Symbols of new life One of the cultural Easter traditions can be used to teach our children about Christ. Eggs can help parents give a visual aid in explaining the Gospel to little children. To start […]

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Rebuilding Together Broward Restores The Heart of Communities Through Revitalization

When hundreds of volunteers descend on a community in a day, they can transform a decaying city block into a friendly neighborhood infused with a renewed pride in ownership and appreciation for the kindness of others. This is the impact of Rebuilding Together Broward County and the partnerships they have cultivated to eliminate unsafe and deplorable living conditions for low-income homeowners who are elderly, veterans or have disabilities. It extends beyond repairing each individual home and helps stabilize much of the vulnerable neighborhoods in which they live. “When you lift a few houses, you lift an entire community,” noted Traci […]

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Dealing with Relationship Cancer: Anger

Some children hear the word “No” and they become frustrated or argue. They are disappointed, but they remain in control. Other children hear the same word and explode into rage. Some adults can discuss differences of opinion and work through conflict. Other adults only need to be inconvenienced the least bit on the highway and they explode into rage. It is all about anger! Anger is arguably the most debilitating relationship cancer there is. When a parent sees rage explode out of their child, there is a feeling of helplessness. When an adult sees rage erupt from their spouse, fear […]

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Great Ways To Teach Civility and Kindness in 2021

Well parents, we officially made it to the end of 2020! It was quite the journey for us all. There were definitely ups and downs, but if we choose to see the positives, we all probably learned many things. Even better, we had the chance to instill in our kids some very powerful life lessons. Our kids learned how to cope with major change. They learned how to manage disappointment. They hopefully learned how to process through emotions like fear and anxiety. This time period forced many of us to streamline our schedules and get a lot more organized as […]

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Reading Versus Engaging

You are reading this. But are you engaging with it? What’s the difference, and why does it matter? In the context of spiritual formation, the question takes more significant shape: “Is it enough to simply read God’s Word, or must one actually engage with it to grow in their faith or be transformed by it? Now you start to see where this becomes important! This seemingly minor distinction has tremendous repercussions in the life of any believer, as well as in the areas of evangelism and discipleship.   The Science Neuroscience tells us that the more ways something is learned, […]

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Back to the Present

Back in Time Family, the stuff we’re made of. Where do we come from? Where do you feel most at home? “The Hillbilly Elegy” is the top 10 movie on Netflix.  It’s a story of a Yale law student that receives an urgent phone call that pulls him back to his Ohio hometown, where he reflects on three generations of family history and his future. The movie opens with a cast of characters such as Glenn Close, Amy McAdams, and the first words are “it’s the year of our Lord.” We all have a story.   The family system Dr. […]

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