Teachers and cops have something in common: a negative perception of the whole is based on the actions of a few. I've known many teachers and many cops, and just like any profession, there will always be a few bad apples. The persistent degradation of good teachers based on the poor performance of a few… Continue reading Prayers for Teachers
Category: Marriage and Family
Prayers for Parents of School-Aged Kids
As we press through August and into the fall, we will see frequent signs that school is back in session. Gradually, a few parents will develop a worry line or two. Homeschool moms may find themselves sobbing as perfect lesson plans implode in the face of another autistic episode. Another mom may be quietly sobbing in an empty room as their youngest child moves three or three hundred miles away from home in pursuit of a college degree. A dad may be getting stomach ulcers worrying about the safety of his daughter around all those teenage boys. On top of all the back-to-school changes, these parents are still facing life with all it's pressures and frustrations. Are we sensitive to their needs? Are we reaching out to be supportive? Encouraging? Helpful?
School-Time Prayers
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5.16-18, ESV Raising kids isn't for the faint-hearted. Educating them is no cake walk either. In the run-of-the-mill routine of life, we can slip into two traps: putting our parenting… Continue reading School-Time Prayers
If it’s hard to love your spouse…
There’s something almost magical about a wedding—even the smallest ones. Two people pledge to become one, exchanging vows to love each other in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for better or for worse. The flaws of the person standing in front of them are overshadowed in the brilliance of romantic ceremony. Thousands… Continue reading If it’s hard to love your spouse…
It’s Back to School Season!
August, in all it's heat, is back again. A nearly palpable sense of change is in the air, even if you are far removed from school and school-aged children. Parents push baskets full of school supplies, their faces creased with worry lines. Aisles teem with pencils, erasers, markers, and backpacks. Soon, the school bus will… Continue reading It’s Back to School Season!
To The Parents with the Squirmy Kids at Worship
I saw you on Sunday morning. I watched you walk down the aisle at least three times. On the first trip, you held a squirmy baby in one arm and a diaper bag in the other. Your second exodus involved a recalcitrant toddler, howling like a wolf at the moon. You made your last… Continue reading To The Parents with the Squirmy Kids at Worship
Is Your Parenting on Cruise Control?
Parenting is inconvenient. Yes, I just said that. Once you have a child, your life will be forever changed. You will be humbled. Humiliated. Screamed at. Loved with abandon. Squeezed with unimaginable strength by those little arms. Amazed. Shocked. heartbroken. Overwhelmed with love. Filled with a newfound awe for your own parents. Unfortunately, once the baby… Continue reading Is Your Parenting on Cruise Control?
The Painful Truths About Invisible Childhood Illnesses
Kids with disorders struggle. Instead of being treated like a precious soul, they are viewed as an inconvenient problem. We must learn to be compassionate while also training them up properly---a challenge of Everest-like proportions.
Back to School Prayers
Clogged up parking lots. Fresh, clean backpacks. Crisp new clothes. Sharp pencils. Eager young faces... Yup, it's back-to-school time! No matter what form of education you choose for your child---homeschool, private school, or public school---we need to pray diligently through this season of life. The education process is indeed challenging. I realize that many children are… Continue reading Back to School Prayers
Entrust: Involving Children in the Important (part 1)
This article is part of the series “Building GenNext.” You can read the previous post by clicking here. It is a valuable exercise to read books such as Little House in the Big Woods and In Grandma's Attic. These stories reveal how children used to be entrusted with so much more than cleaning up their rooms. They had cows… Continue reading Entrust: Involving Children in the Important (part 1)
Elihu's Corner 