Christian Parenting Today articles from December 2002

Christian Parenting Today archives from December 2002

Just a mom? (Parent to Parent).
December 22, 2002... I don't usually watch Oprah but I happened to catch it the other day when Dr. Phil was on. The subject was how we label ourselves and let those labels define us. One woman spoke about how she was "just a stay-at-home mom," and how she felt like...

Letters from home mail that matters.
December 22, 2002... The Best Discipline The article by Valerie Bell ("Bring Out Their Best," Fall 2002) is most timely, challenging, and inspiring. My husband and I have three sons and like most parents, we have the fear of whether we are raising them right....

A walk in the woods. (Home Pages).
December 22, 2002... There's no better way to help your children learn to pay attention to the beauty of nature and cultivate awe for God's creation than taking them for a walk in the woods. Here are some tips to make the most of the experience: 1. Bring...

Life in our house. (Home Pages).
December 22, 2002... Sunday Snacks One Sunday my husband was out of town. By the time I got our three kids ready and got to church, my middle son TJ's class was full, so I brought him to the service with me. They were just finishing up communion as we walked...

The Christmas hunt. (Try This).
December 22, 2002... In our search for ways to celebrate a fun but materialism-free Christmas, we knew we had to get creative. So for more than 20 years, we have chosen to limit our kids' Christmas gifts to three--a book, a game, and a toy. Sprinkled in are also...

The gift of books. (Home Pages).
December 22, 2002... Books might not be on your child's holiday wish list, but consider wrapping up a few anyway. They can expand your child's horizons, bump up his reading level, and deepen his faith. "A good book can show a child how to apply the principles...

Family night fun. (Home Pages).
December 22, 2002... Get the gang together for this quick, easy devotional time. For more great family devotions from Heritage Builders head to www.christianparenting.net. Ages 3 and up Point: Nothing is impossible when it is in God's will. Gather: A...

Fight right. (Home Pages).
December 22, 2002... As parents, our lives are filled with conflict. Emotional swords are drawn between spouses, parent and child, and child to child. Most of us detest arguments and all of the nasty side effects of poorly managed conflict resolution. If it's...

Ideas that work. (Home Pages).
December 22, 2002... Clean-up Countdown When my girls were little, they enjoyed "helping" mommy. But now that they are 8, 11, and 13, they don't think it's much fun. Since I still need their help, I devised a system where each child has to put away one thing...

Juggling a career & kids just got easier.
December 22, 2002... Thanks, Bee-Alive! Keeping up with your kids and working full-time can really wear you out. Making breakfast, packing lunches.., commuting, meetings, deadlines... then home again for dinner, baths, and bedtime stories. The same non-stop...

Familytime with god from Awana.
December 22, 2002... FOR CHRISTIAN PARENTS, integrating faith into family life is a top priority. One of the best ways to model a living, active relationship with Christ is to emphasize the importance of the Bible in your family's day-to-day life. You can hide...

Bold parents, positive teens. (Oodles of Stuff).
December 22, 2002... Karen Dockrey (WaterBrook) $12.99 224 pages Even if you don't have teenagers yet, chances are that just thinking about parenting an adolescent strikes fear in your heart. And you're not alone. Because of tragic events like...

We can work it out. (More Resources for Families and Teens).
December 22, 2002... Rodney Gage (Broadman & Holman) $12.99, 192 pages The subtitle of this book, Creative Conflict Resolution with Your Teen, essentially tells you what you need to know. Gage's book is filled with true stories of parents who have found...

Movie Nights. (More Resources for Families and Teens).
December 22, 2002... Bob Smithhouser (Tyndale) $12.99, 186 pages If you're looking for ways to connect with your preteen or teenager, you can't go wrong with movies. That's why Heritage Builders, a division of Focus on the Family, has created this...

Get Smart (#7) Bust Loose (#8). (More Resources for Families and Teens).
December 22, 2002... Early Teen Discipleship Series By Kevin Johnson (Bethany House,) $7.99 each, 128 pages each It's no secret that the early teen years bring on all kinds of huge upheavals in your child. She's changing physically, emotionally, socially, and...

Sensing God. (Early Childhood).
December 22, 2002... Little children are fascinated by their bodies. Every part--toes, belly buttons, noses, lips--begs for exploration, even if it's in front of the whole church during the Christmas pageant! You already know that toddlers and preschoolers...

God's great big world. (Elementary).
December 22, 2002... One-third of the world's population--1.8 billion people--is under the age of 15. Who better to show God's love and compassion to this generation but our own children? Young children are typically self-focused. They can't really understand...

The in-between years. (Preteen).
December 22, 2002... Nikki is 11 years old, and in sixth grade, but she looks more like a 16-year-old. Nikki still loves to play with Barbie dolls. In fact, it's not uncommon for her to bring a few with her on youth group trips. The other kids tease her about...

Spiritual sex-ed. (Teen).
December 22, 2002... When it comes to teenage sexuality, there's good news and bad news. The good news is, even though they are in the minority, thousands of teenagers are taking seriously the biblical mandate to refrain from sexual intercourse until marriage. The...

Begging for myrrh: stressed out by Christmas presents? try this simple approach to godly gift giving.
December 22, 2002... If you're like most Christian parents, you enter the holiday season intent on focusing your family's celebrations on the "true meaning" of Christmas. We set up our nativity sets, bake birthday cakes for Jesus, and reenact the birth of the...

Tailor-made discipline: guide your child's behavior with strategies for every age and stage.
December 22, 2002... I was young mom with a 2-year old and a 4-year old, so I eagerly attended a seminar on "How to Discipline Your Child." I looked forward to getting some good tips. "I've been married 30 years and have raised five children," the teacher...

Praying for Lucy: who'd have thought an injured kitten could deepen my family's faith?
December 22, 2002... It was 10:05 P.M. and the kids were still awake. As I turned my back from the basket of freshly folded laundry, I asked them for the third time to get into their beds. Before another word was said, I turned back to the laundry basket only to...

The clothes crisis: skin-tight T-shirts and hip-slung jeans are the hallmarks of fashion for teen girls. Here's how you can help your daughter make choices that show off her heart, not her body.
December 22, 2002... "What's the number one thing that causes you to feel sexually tempted," my husband asked a roomful of lanky teenage boys. They wasted no time answering. "I think the worst thing by far is the way girls dress in church," one boy replied....

Don't have a prayer? (Special Advertising Section).
December 22, 2002... Virginia Elizabeth Field Fine Jewelry -- Source of unique, high quality jewelry since 1988. Now you can have the world's most famous prayer with you all the time. This very special Lord's Prayer Disc is fashioned of solid 18 karat yellow...

The Sweet Tidings tradition...Candy with a message. (Special Advertising Section).
December 22, 2002... A tradition since 1986, Sweet Tidings Original Scripture Bars add a special sweetness to the Christmas season. These delicious 2.25-ounce gourmet milk chocolate and almond bars are ideal for gift giving and have a plethora of uses for churches...

Left Behind #10: The remnant. (Special Advertising Section).
December 22, 2002... Tim LaHaye Jerry B. Jenkins Tyndale House Publishers The Great Tribulation unfolds as the forces of evil and the armies of God prepare for mankind's ultimate battle. millions of Christians are protected by God as the anger of She...

You Shine. (Special Advertising Section).
December 22, 2002... Integrity Music A perfect gift for the holiday season is the newly released You Shine. Recorded line in Dublin, this album features Brian Doerksen, the producer of Hungry and Winds of Worship 12, and the writer of "Came, Now Is The Time to...

Kingdom under the sea: The Gift. (Special Advertising Section).
December 22, 2002... Alpha Omega Publications The characters from the Kingdom are back with a splash! In this episode, the Kingdom is preparing for Christmas. But somewhere between the lights and the presents, the Kingdom has forgotten what that special day...

The Peace & Power of Knowing God's Name. (Special Advertising Section).
December 22, 2002... Water Brook Press In The Peace & Power of Knowing God's Name, Kay Arthur explores God's many descriptive names in the Bible, such as "Creator," "God Most High," "the God Who Sees," "All-sufficient One," "Lord Who Provides," and "the Lord...

The secret to faith - filled kids: how children really learn to follow God.
December 22, 2002... Call me naive. I used to think that if my kids attended Sunday school, memorized enough verses, and sat up straight and tall during family devotions, we would produce in them extraordinary faith. About that time I began discipling teenagers for...

Your monthly cable tithe: how you can turn your TV from bad to good overnight. (Advertisement).
December 22, 2002... There's a storm brewing. Not the kind with hailing rain, thunder and lightening. It's a storm of a different sort -- and it's brewing in your living room. More specifically, in your television set. Fifty years ago, television could be...

The family business: take stock of your investment before it's too late. (A Father's Heart).
December 22, 2002... If you're like most of the people I know, you've spent plenty of time talking and thinking about the financial upheavals of the last year. But you probably never realized that the failings of corporate America have something to teach you about...

Safe churches, safe kids. (Church Life).
December 22, 2002... Keeping children physically and emotionally safe in church has become more important than ever. CPT asked Jolynn Patterson, early childhood and curriculum director at Woodmen Valley Chapel in Colorado Springs, Colorado, how parents and churches...

Acting out. (On the Family Front).
December 22, 2002... Q. My 7-year-old son has started lying to me about little things, and he's begun to hit me in anger. His father and I were divorced three years ago because my ex-husband became violent. After we left, my son and I moved and I married again. We...

A new view of Christmas: visions of a picture-perfect holiday season danced in my head. But where was Christ? (Mom's Journal).
December 22, 2002... Ah, the magical holiday season. Special times with those we love, fresh-baked goodies, festive decorations, and family traditions old and new. Standing in line at the grocery store I am once again inspired by the beautiful holiday issues of my...