As we head toward the fourth quarter of the school year, more times than I can count I have heard a frustrated parent say, “I know my child can do better, but he just doesn’t seem to try!” Parents want to know the answer to the same question: How do you motivate a child to do their best?   There are a few questions parents need to answer before they work on motivating the child.  As a parent, what is my motivation for motivating my child?  Do I want my child to do his best for me (the parent’s self-esteem) […]

You know those stories you look back on and can so clearly see the hand of God moving? In the midst of these kinds of stories, we typically have no idea the kind of impact divine timing and simple obedience can have. As we enter Child Abuse Prevention Month this April, I can’t help but think of the lives that have been touched through the heart of prevention.    Divine meetings I am sure you’ve had one of these “unplanned” meetings that you look back on so clearly as God’s orchestrating something divine. That’s what happened when I first met […]

By February, many of our families are back into the swing of the new year and all that entails. We are back into school rhythms, sports, homework, etc. This month offers another great opportunity for teaching and training our children. With so much focus this month on Valentine’s Day, why not seize this time to teach our children more about love. We can focus on sibling love, loving our neighbor, modeling romantic love and setting up some fun family traditions as well.   Speak into their hearts We can use this season to pour into our children emotionally. When our […]

My best Christmas recollection as a child actually began on summer vacation. I was about eight years old, and my dad and I were walking through the tourist village where we were vacationing. I saw a pair of red, knit slippers with fake leather soles and Indian beads on top. They were those ugly slippers that were basically thick socks with a sole sewn on so you could walk outside. I repeat, ugly! My Best Christmas When I saw them, I said to my dad, “I bet mom would like those,” thinking he would spend the eight dollars and get […]