Parenting
The Way Home: Chelsea Patterson Sobolik on infertility
As an adopted child, she longed to be a mother. But in her teens, she received a medical diagnosis that she would never be able to bear children. How has her Christian faith helped Chelsea Patterson Sobolik help with the questions and doubt and what word does she have for others who similarly face infertility?…
Read MoreThe Dad I Want To Be
I wrote a piece on the vulnerability of fathering for In Touch: It’s 7:30 at night, and I’m staring at my iPhone for no apparent reason. There is no crisis in the world that requires me. No organizational issue that demands a response, and no critical communication I must conduct on behalf of my family…
Read MoreSome Father’s Day Articles
This Sunday we celebrate Father’s Day. Here are some of my reflections on fatherhood from past years: What Dad Taught Me: 5 Invaluable Principles I Use Every Day: Dad was a blue-collar guy, a licensed plumber, who has always been known for the quality of his work. It wasn’t the specific job he did but…
Read MorePassing the Faith Along
Here is a post I wrote for Green Hill Church on parenting as discipleship. A few tips for passing the faith along: Remember we do this in community. We don’t parent in isolation, we parent in community with the body of Christ in our local church. The church is there to equip, strengthen, and resource parents.…
Read MoreWhen you stop saying “Thank You”
Many years ago, a writing mentor counseled me with words I’ll never forget: “Dan, no matter how far you get in your career, always say ‘Thank you’ every time someone offers you an opportunity to write.” I’ve never forgotten that advice. Maybe its because my mother taught me–no she actually insisted (you know how mothers…
Read MoreThe Way Home Episode 30 featuring Chad Harrington and Jason Houser
Today I am glad to be joined by the authors of a great new book, Dedicated, Training Your Kids to Trust and Follow Jesus. Jason Houser is the founder of Seeds Family Worship Ministry and is a family pastor in Twin Falls, Idaho. Chad Harrington is writer in Nashville, TN. Listen to this week’s episode…
Read MoreTeens and Screens: Advice for Parents
As a father of four children under ten, I am constantly thinking about our kids’ interaction with technology. On the one hand, I want them to be read and equipped to leverage technology to fulfill their God-given mission in this age. On the other hand, I see technology as a kind of loaded weapon that…
Read MoreThey hear you when you’re speaking
Right before I got married, a wise man, married for many years, gave me a piece of advice. He said, “Dan, always talk favorably about your wife when she is not around. She can hear what you say about her even when she is not around.” This is a maxim I have tried to follow…
Read MoreJim Daly on Fatherhood
One of my favorite Christian leaders is Jim Daly, President of Focus on the Family. If you’ve not read Jim’s powerful story of brokeness and redemption, you should really read Finding Home. Jim is the most unlikely candidate to lead a pro-family organization like Focus because his upbringing was unstable, chaotic, and broken. And yet it…
Read MoreEquipping Students with the Tools of Leadership
Last year Angela and I were enjoying some downtime in Orlando Florida. The hotel we were staying at was also hosting a student leadership conference hosted by Student Leadership University. We had the chance to speak to the organizers there and came away impressed by their vision for student discipleship. Last week I had the…
Read MoreDon’t let your kids say this phrase
There is a phrase in our vocabulary that nobody has to teach us to say. It’s a phrase kids learn very quickly in childhood. And it’s a phrase you should ban in your household: “That’s not fair.” It sounds innocent enough. Everybody wants life to be fair, right? But this is an insidious phrase, revealing…
Read MoreWhy You Can’t Push Kids Into the Kingdom
In a piece for Her.meneutics, Jennifer Grant cautions parents against trying to “bully their kids into belief,” writing: “Between the extremes of bullying our children into faith and neglecting to teach them to pray is a wide expanse.” I completely agree, and I suspect most parents would too. And yet…in our practice of parenting, we…
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