Enter a room full of six- and seven-year-olds and you’re bound to spot one thing right away: the cute little gaps of kids who whistle while they talk. Forget calling it first grade. This is the Missin...  Read More

People of all ages have feelings and we want our kids to respect and honor those feelings. After all, empathy informs how our kids interact with the world at large—especially as they grow. We can beg...  Read More

From The Fierce Marriage The path toward repairing and rebuilding trust is neither easy to find nor quick to travel. Your heart hurts and your relationship seems like it will never be the same again. ...  Read More

From Lifeway People often use the word “encourage” without thinking about what it really means. “Be encouraged, it could be worse,” we are told. “Don’t be discouraged; hold your chin up,” we tell othe...  Read More

From Fierce Marriage Relationships are complicated, aren’t they?As a single girl navigating the murky waters of dating, I’ve found myself crying on my bed more than once over the years, asking, “Why i...  Read More

From Fierce Marriage When things are in alignment, everything runs smoothly. But when one piece of the puzzle is missing— or one moving part of an engine is out of place— the whole system becomes comp...  Read More

From XO Marriage Work is a necessary part of life, and it’s a huge blessing when we love our work and our workplace. Naturally, we spend a lot of time there, and how we conduct ourselves and the bound...  Read More

Last week, Kristi and I took our baby to her orientation at Baylor.  Yes, we have another Bear in the family.  (I'll save the story on that for another day.  It's a good one.)  At the orientation, we ...  Read More

From the Parent Cue I was 28 when I found out I was going to be a dad.  Back then, I still thought I had what it took to be a rock star, even more so a dad.  (And to be clear, I had absolutely no idea...  Read More

From the Parent Cue Like with most things in parenting, we’re better off if we tackle problems proactively rather than waiting around for them to pop up again. That’s why the first four items we’ll di...  Read More

From the Parent Cue Your kid is going through about a million-and-one changes in the middle school phase. So much is changing about them so quickly that it can seem like nothing is ever the same from ...  Read More

This is the point when the person decides to put their faith in Jesus. They know that they are a sinner who needs a Savior and that Jesus is their one and only Savior. ...  Read More

In this threshold, they are just about to make a decision about Jesus. There is urgency and purpose in their seeking....  Read More

“Adventures are important for fathers and sons because they create a bond like nothing else.”...  Read More

The stage of curiosity tends to blossom over time and usually has three levels of intensity. It’s a subtle shift from being passive to being provoked to think differently....  Read More

Your teen is all excited. After months of training and meeting all the state requirements, they passed their driver’s license test. After the appropriate social media posts declaring their good news, ...  Read More

Today, Christianity and religion are suspect and distrust has become the norm....  Read More

From the Parent Cue. I tucked my daughter’s chair under the table for breakfast and encouraged her to say her grace before eating.“God is great . . .” she began the standard prayer.“God is good . . .”...  Read More

Every opportunity is not God’s opportunity. Sometimes you need to make decisions based on what you know of God rather than just what we see as a golden opportunity....  Read More

As your children grow out of infancy and further into childhood, disagreements will become a normal part of life. When you’re a parent, of course, this can grow quite exhausting! You may find that the...  Read More

From the Parent Cue If you’ve read any blog I’ve ever written about divorce, I always say the same thing at least once—no matter the circumstances surrounding your separation, getting divorced sucks.T...  Read More

From blog.youversion.com Getting children excited about prayer can be challenging. Images of people praying typically show someone standing calmly with their head bowed and eyes closed. That’s hard fo...  Read More

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living…2 TIMOTHY 3:16...  Read More

When you create safe spaces for your kids to play, experiment, ask questions, and most of all — to have fun with you — you build long-term trust and a deeper relationship. Here are some fun, easy acti...  Read More