The Disciple-Making Parent

This is a strange and disruptive time that got me thinking about hosting a fire-side chat or webinar to help us get through this time. I hosted my first last Tuesday night. It was entitled Fathers at Home: Finding Joy in the New Normal. I spent some time giving 12 suggestions for dads. The time together starts with perspective and becomes more and more practical as the chat goes on. Although it is aimed at dads, it definitely could apply to moms as well. I hope you will be helped by it.

There's so much confusing parenting advice out there. Everyone seems to have an opinion. But who's right? What if we could cut through the clutter and hear from a real expert? What if we could hear from God himself?Sometimes we need to go back to a book with just God's words in it, and say, "This is what God commands." Pastor Erik Raymond did an excellent job succinctly opening up a passage in Ephesians 6. I liked it so much that I wanted to share it with you.

Valentine's Day is upon us again. Like it or not, it affects us. The messages of romantic love come at us and our children. Can we capture them for good?

We want to have the joy of telling others about Jesus and we want to train our children in this way also. It is a joyful privilege when God uses us. But how do we go about doing that? Sharing the love of Christ is often a individual endeavor. In today’s podcast, I have a conversation with Tim Zulker and Miranda Laughlin about a summer park ministry that has flourished here in Providence. It is called Summer Off. It might be a way for you and your family to lead a summer outreach in your area.

You've been married now for more than a few years. Kids are everywhere. Work is hard. Fights seem to be increasing. Is this what you signed up for? Would you do it again? Would you still say "I do"? In today’s podcast, we are going to continue talking with Dave Harvey. In this time together we're going to be talking about his newest book, which is scheduled to drop in January of 2020, I Still Do: Growing Closer and Stronger through Life's Defining Moments. I think it will help you do just that. In this conversation we just scratch the surface of the riches that are in this resource as Dave takes us to look at some defining moment that couples that have been married a while go through.

Prodigal. What comes to mind when you hear that word? For some it may be Jesus's beloved story of the father and the two sons. But for others, that word may be a son or daughter, husband or wife who has turned their back on the faith.In Today’s podcast, we are going to talk with Dave Harvey about his book Letting Go: Rugged Love for Wayward Souls. Dave has walked through this situations himself. And it drove deeper into the Scriptures. This book and this interview is some of the fruit of that digging.

What comes to mind when you hear the word "sloth?"The strange animal from the rainforest of South America? Your teenage son? What if I told you that this word might be more applicable to your parenting than you think?Joel Sedam is a young pastor friend that I am privileged to know. We were talking recently and he mentioned a sermon he had done on the subject of sloth and how it had caused a paradigm shift in him. How he saw sloth all around. That led me to say, "Let's talk about this on a podcast."You are going to enjoy this conversation. I think this topic has application as a besetting sin of our media age. It has application for my heart. It has application if you are trying to raise teens for the Lord. It has application for molding young children.

Are you rushing around getting ready for the holiday season? What can you do to remember well this incredible divine event that we celebrate each year?In today’s podcast I’m delighted to present to you a conversation I had with Dan Darling about his new book The Characters of Christmas: The Unlikely People Caught Up in the Story of Jesus.If you want something to freshen up your Christmas, this short book is for you. Dan walks through numerous characters including Joseph, Mary, the Shepherds, and even Herod the Monster of Christmas to give you a fresh perspective on a familiar story.  In addition, each chapter ends with suggested discussion questions, making it perfect for family devotion. You are going to love this conversation, which will deepen your understanding of a familiar story.

Not again! You lost it, you're furious, and you feel like a total failure. You yelled, slammed the door, hit the table, or threw your purse. Then the shame and guilt set in. "These are my precious children! What am I thinking? What can I do?"What are we talking about? Anger. And the fact is, it is far too prevalent in our parenting. And then we feel guilt or shame, so we cover it up.The following podcast is a short sermon I preached on becoming a more patient follower of Christ. How? By attacking our nemesis of anger.

Whining, lying, interrupting, complaining, arguing, gossiping. Our tongues are adeadly poison. Are you having trouble dealing with the words of your children?Scripture says that the tongue is a deadly poison. And that poison comes into thehouse through the sinful hearts of everyone who lives there. For parents, shepherding our children through these issues can be difficult. How do I handle issues like whining, lying, interrupting, complaining, gossiping? In this podcast, we talk with Ginger Hubbard about her book- I Can't Believe You Just Said That: Biblical Wisdom for Taming Your Child's Tongue