Though not perfectly consistent with it, we are big advocates of family devotionals. However, when the kids are a little older, it can be more difficult to find ideas. Many websites, blogs, and books are out there with ideas for little children or elementary-aged kids, but what do you do when you are dealing with teenagers? Since that’s the stage of life we are in, I thought it might be helpful to give a few ideas that you might want to try. We’ve tried all of these. Some have worked better than others, but all have been a great encouragement. Appian Media Videos We love the work done by Appian…

No, this isn’t going to be a biology or physiology lesson, but the biology and physiology of conceiving a child really should be taught by parents to our children in the home. They need to learn that when an egg in the woman is fertilized by a sperm from a man, a child is conceived. That child will continue to grow inside the woman for approximately nine months and then be born making her the mother. But there’s so much more to motherhood, as God intended it, than just this textbook description. Maturity. A woman (along with her husband) should recognize that life is sacred and a gift from God…

Expert in just about everything – often without formal trainingWilling and able to organize, lead, and motivate – without being perceived as a leaderLong hoursAlways on callNo real job description“Target” for criticism from others (most of whom don’t really understand the situation)No salaryNo vacation timeNo established sick leaveNo company funded insurance or retirement planOften under (or not) appreciated Do you know anybody who would sign up for that? I do! In fact, I am blessed because I have had and/or currently have five such people in my family. Two of them, Virginia Faughn and Ruth Turner, have left this life, but have left behind an amazing legacy in a lot of ways. Three…

My post today is a simple link, but one that I really feel could help each parent who reads this. It is also in the same “lane” as dad’s post from earlier this week about how the best gifts do not have to cost any money at all. Maybe you need to pause your Christmas preparations to listen to this, or maybe you can listen while you drive to some destination this holiday season. But, no matter what, I pray you will take a few minutes to be built up by it. It is by Glenn Colley and is entitled, “7 Gifts to Give Your Children.” Please take a few…

I have been blessed to be a part of five generations in this life – my grandparents, my parents, my generation, my children, and my grandchildren. It is such a joy to sit with our children and grandchildren now and talk about things our parents did, or occasionally, something our grandparents did. Neither of our children got to know any of my grandparents, so any stories about them don’t seem as interesting. However, they seem very interested in our parents – their great-grandparents. We’ve just spent a few days with our children and four of our grandchildren just enjoying some time together talking, laughing, teasing, joking, singing, eating, and sometimes telling stories from…

I was listening to an interview recently which I thought was interesting. Actually, I was listening to a series of interviews, but one really captured my attention. Each of the people being interviewed had worked for a man whose name you would probably recognize. Each of the people related some personal memories and made some comments about what it was like to work for him. The interview that stood out to me was with a person who was talking about a period of time when the man’s business interests were expanding. Because of this, there was a need for somebody to work in a very responsible and entirely new position. The lady who was…

Today’s post is nothing fancy. However, as one who regularly advocates for families to have devotional time (we call ours “Bible time”), it only seems right to offer some ideas of things a family can do. Obviously, based on the age and spiritual maturity level of your children, you might need to pick-and-choose from this list, or alter slightly. However, I think a lot of families decide not to have devotionals simply because they cannot think of a way to start. (Either that, or they are too busy, which is a whole different discussion.) So, if you need something you can do tonight–or any night–here’s a list of no-prep, or…