Homeschooling 
There are such important and amazing lessons that you and your teen will learn when you read Pilgrim's Progress. “Next to the Bible, the book I value most is John Bunyan’s ‘Pilgrim’s Progress.’" - Charles Spurgeon "This book will make a traveler of thee..." - John Bunyan Why bother reading a 300-year-old fiction book written by an uneducated tinkerer in a jail cell? The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come was written by Puritan pastor John Bunyan in 1678, and remains to this day one of the best-selling Christian books of all time. What is Pilgrim's Progress? Pilgrim's Progress is an ...Read More
Sex Ed and Young Kids (Ages 4-7): 5 Critical Reminders
Ever since I released my parent-child Bible study, The Talk, I've had some great conversations with parents about their challenges and successes talking to their kids about sexuality. Many parents want to know how they should start talking to their younger kids about sex, intuitively knowing they shouldn't save all the education about it for some awkward conversation during puberty. Sheila Gregoire from To Love, Honor, and Vacuum told us this is a question she gets a lot from her readers as well. Sheila does a great job asking Christians the right questions about sexuality—a topic that can and does become taboo in ...Read More
A Christian Parent’s Guide to Halloween: Activities & Events
Recently, I found it important to make this Christian Parent's Guide to Halloween. The thought occurred to me a while back that I'd like to throw a Halloween party at our home. I pitched the idea to some other parents. By the looks on some of their faces, you would think I just said that I wanted to date Satan. Indeed, as I peeled back layers of their opinions, this was not far from the truth: to them, to enjoy Halloween is like climbing in bed with the devil. As I've written before, Christians should have a "theology of reclamation": it is good to look for the truths latent within various traditions and customs in ...Read More
All Hallows’ Eve Party Ideas – A Halloween Alternative with a {FREE} Printable Party Pack
My kids have always loved Halloween—what kid doesn't like dressing up and getting candy? But for many Christian families, the idea of participating in something so associated with evil rubs their conscience the wrong way. It is important to remember that Halloween is a derivation of "All Hallows' Eve," as in, "All Saints' Eve." In its purest form, All Saints' was a time for the church to remember the saints and martyrs who have come before us, and with this in mind, we can use Halloween to this effect. Here are some ideas. Party Invitations and Saint Costumes Use the free printable below for party ...Read More
A Christian Parent’s Guide to Halloween: Preparing Your Kids
Many Christian parents I know would like to obliterate Halloween from the cultural calendar. In their minds, it is a day consumed with darkness and evil. So last year when I wrote an article about redeeming Halloween, I was not surprised when I was met with a litany of protests. (If you don't remember the article or didn't read it, I recommend you go there first.) Some believe there is nothing redeemable about Halloween—it is demonic to the core. While Halloween is one of those cultural celebrations that is often used to glorify darkness and evil, I believe there are many elements within it that can be redeemed and ...Read More
Why Do We Say “Amen”? 4 Truths to Teach Your Kids
It is incredibly important to teach your kids the word Amen. Why? Let's take a closer look at some of the most important reasons. As early as our kids were able to speak, they have been mimicking us saying the word "Amen" at the end of family prayers. My oldest two have each asked me why we say Amen, and I anticipate my youngest will ask the same question some day. By teaching our children about the word Amen, we give them a deeper understanding and appreciation for prayer. Why You Should Teach Your Kids the Word Amen 1. Amen is a way for all of us to participate in prayer or preaching Amen is a very old ...Read More
The Scared Parent’s Guide to Talking to Boys About Masturbation
This post is focused on talking about masturbation. It's written for parents, especially scared parents, about how to talk to boys about masturbation. I learned about masturbation probably the same way other guys did: I discovered it on my own. No one talked to me about it. No one told me how to do it. I didn't even have a name for it for the first several years of my adolescence. It wasn't included in any "sex talks" from my parents or the public school system. It wasn't until I heard a group friends at school joking around about "jacking off" that I discovered that I wasn't all that unique in my secret habits. When ...Read More
Stop Playing with Yourself! Talking to Young Boys About Masturbation
Today, I'm going to focus on the subject of how to talk to young boys about masturbation. Since we released The Talk (our sex-ed Bible study for families) probably the most common question we've had from parents is this: How do I talk to my son about the subject of masturbation? Masturbation, for many boys, is something they will experiment with in their lives—at least a few times, if not habitually. According to The Janus Report on Sexual Behavior, 25% of adult men say they masturbate daily or several times a week. 55% percent said they masturbate daily to monthly. As for teen boys, it is very ...Read More
