let them come
I recently read of a restaurant owner who instituted a policy that wouldn’t have been well liked by Jesus. Instead of letting young children dine at his restaurant, he announced he was banning little ones under 6 years old from the upscale casual restaurant. He won’t allow the young customers because he feels they’re bad for business.
Like that restaurant…
perfect harmony
Amy Chua’s 7-year-old daughter Lulu was struggling to master a difficult piece of classical piano music. When she gave up, her mother ordered her back to the piano, threatening to dispose of the little girl’s dolls’ house if the piece wasn’t perfect by the next day. The threats continued: no lunch, dinner, or holiday presents—and no birthday parties for several…
leading them spiritually
This week I have been talking to women who deeply desire their husbands to step into the role of Spiritual leader in their home. Even though they are Christian men, they don't seem ready or comfortable to be this leader.
So what can we do?
How can we lead our children?
Maybe you are a father and are not sure…
rejecting the red
The world’s biggest sperm bank is turning away redheads. (No, I’m not advocating the use of sperm banks.) Why is Cryos International rejecting “ginger” donors from its ranks? Because not enough clients want red-haired children. In fact, the only country that has a high demand for redheaded donors is Ireland—a land known for people with lovely red locks. Personally, I…
love the most?
A young child once asked her father, “Daddy, who do you love the most, me or my brother?” The father wisely explained to his child that he loved each one of his children the same, but he sometimes expressed his love in different ways.
Later, the child asked her father a different question, “Daddy, who do you love the most,…
deliberate
Due to my love for music, I want my kids to know its inherent beauty beyond their ability simply to hear notes. So with no hidden dreams of creating prodigies, my husband and I have invested our finances, time, and oversight into making music a priority. We’ve given our kids certain choices along the way, but we understand that we…
one lost son
This story of the prodigal son is one of the most famous and familiar of Jesus’ parables. And the most personal. For it touches an area that is often the most painful—our children.
In the parables of the lost sheep (Luke 15:3-7) and lost coin (Luke 15:8-10), the emphasis is on the lostness and the relentless efforts of the owners to…
perfect parents
I don’t know what else I can do!” my exasperated friend sulked. “I set high standards for my kids and hold them accountable for their actions, and all they do is hate me. What did I do to deserve this?” He noted how he has always been “hard” (his word) on his son so that he would do great things.…
obedience
Christmas has come and gone. The decorations that decked the shopping malls and churches have been taken down. And the Christmas tree in your living room has probably been dumped outside. The festivities and revelry may be over for us, but after Jesus’ birth Joseph and Mary observed three ceremonies out of obedience to God’s laws (Luke 2:21-24,39).
When he…
gracious and salty
During a press conference in New York City for Clint Eastwood’s new movie Hereafter, the journalists were clearly smitten with him. When a Brazilian journalist apologized for his poor command of English and a “silly question,” Eastwood sat forward in his chair and told the writer, “No question is silly.”
After the event, a journalist reported, “One gets the feeling…
next
My dad surpassed the biblical lifespan of 80 years mentioned in Psalm 90:10. But his 84 years was barely 9 percent of the average lifespan of the first 10 generations of humans. Adam lived 930 years. Seth, 912. Enosh, 905. Kenan, 910. Mahalalel, 895. Jared, 962. Enoch, 365. Methuselah, 969. Lamech, 777, and Noah, 950 years (Genesis 5:1-32). These 10…
broken, but loved
John 3:17: God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.
It's obvious, when you look at creation as a whole, that God loves diversity. Debbie and I have three sons, and each one of them is different from the other two. They're distinct in almost every way, even though they're…
my three sons
Okay, I admit the title of this devo is misleading. I don’t have sons. I am the proud father of three lovely girls! And by the grace of God, I strive to be the kind of parent God wants me to be.
Now since I have raised only daughters, I’ve been told that my parenting expertise is restricted to raising…
night hours
When our first child was born, my husband determined to share in the care of our child. While we have different parenting strengths and styles, we have carried the responsibilities together, with the exception of one area. My husband decided that although nature’s design made it impossible for him to physically feed our baby, he would at least help with…
