There once were two paths. One was a dark way. The other way was straight. The Dark Way was crooked, twisted and jagged. It was littered with thorns and ankle-breaking cracks in the rocks. The Straight Way was brightly lit. It was clearly marked. Although not without challenge, it brought its travelers safely to the... Continue Reading →
I'm excited to announce that I'm enrolled in the Parent Coach Certification program with Connected Families! I've been reading books, taking the Discipline that Connects course, receiving personal coaching and training in a cohort with other students from around the world including 2 from Ehtiopia. I'm hopeful for parents and families as more and more... Continue Reading →
There once was a boy who loved wisdom, insight and understanding. How do I know? Because he searched for it like he wanted to find the next Fortnite skin! He was begging for a chance to discover it, talking about it when he woke up and when he went to bed, looked up videos that... Continue Reading →
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash The world we live in is quite rhythmic. There are many cycles and patterns. There is order and there are systems. The rhythm is by design. The Designer has built beautiful rhythms into everything He created. We would do well to line ourselves up within them. To resist is futile peon! Ha! ... Continue Reading →
The tongue is wet, slithery, smooth. It is a muscle that forms sounds, tastes food, packages food into a blob and then moves it to the throat for swallowing. It communicates. Once there was a word. It was a nasty little word. A word that shouldn't be heard. In the beginning, the word was just... Continue Reading →
Dear friends and family, After four years, I am returning to Nicaragua for a ten-day training trip! As many of you know, I run a program at my church called Family Rhythm. It is an equipping ministry for building strong family habits that points children to Christ daily. Through classes and coaching conversations, parents learn... Continue Reading →
Habits are human nature. As the saying goes, “We are creatures of habit.” But habits, particularly family habits, direct the course of our lives. They take us places. Sometimes places we want to go, other times…not so much. Families that take the time to intentionally think through and plan their patterns and habits will be... Continue Reading →
"Is all of this really making a difference?" Steve Adams, Executive Pastor of Children’s Ministry at Saddleback Church in California, asks this question in his book, Children’s Ministry on Purpose. And we all do don’t we? We wonder if our efforts developing children really means anything. Perhaps we should ignore our little ones and not... Continue Reading →
People who work with children have the privilege of watching children grow up. Even more, we get to see them form a solid foundation for their lives with Christ. Spiritual formation is a fancy term for becoming more like Christ. Michelle Anthony, author of Family Ministry Essentials, reminds us of this process: …Holiness is not found... Continue Reading →
My wife doesn’t like this word, but sin sucks! Children are aware of their own sin. When approaching the topic of sin avoid these two traps: 1) Gloss over sin saying, “That’s just kids being kids.” (Seeds planted soon grow.) 2) Squash children with an overbearing weight of impossible expectations. Rather, teach awareness of personal... Continue Reading →
Pastor Steve is a Children's and Family Pastor. He communicates about parenting, family and children's ministry.
