Are We Overprotective?

Paul Alexander

Rebecca Alexander

1 Samuel 1

As much as we hate suffering, it is fair to say as parents, we hate even more to see our children suffer. Paul and Becky Alexander share how they as parents have learned to avoid the mistake of following the cultural mandate to protect your children from any and all suffering. They cite studies that demonstrate that allowing your children to experience normal, reasonable levels of suffering actually prepares them to deal with the inevitable suffering, that will come their way, in a positive, healthy way.

Trusting Your Child to God

Chip Geiser

Kim Geiser

Psalms 91:1-2

Our fears interfere with us truly trusting God with our children. The problem is not having fear but when we allow fear to dictate the way we parent. Instead, place your fears in their proper place (in the hands of God), pray until you experience peace and take God at His word, (His promises). And repeat these steps over and over again!

Discipline with Grace

Bev DeLashmutt

Psalms 91:1-2

The goal of biblical discipline when raising children is instruction that trains the child to reach his or her full development. Our children will not fully develop without discipline. Unfortunately, discipline often involves some form of pain. Pain itself is not the problem; the problem is pain without hope. We should not shy away from discipline because we have hope it will produce proven character. Children do not feel loved if not disciplined. The goal of discipline is to teach our children to be obedient, God-dependent, grateful givers.

Simple Living

Joe Botti

Psalms 91:1-2

Simple living is the family unit serving God, while combating the disconnected family, with each member going in different directions. Simple living is also helping our kids to find their own relationship with God, not their parents' relationship with God. And finally, simple living sets the stage to help our kids live out a lifestyle of ministry.

Being a Stay at Home Mom

Patrice McCormac

Psalms 91:1-2

Patrice McCormac talks about the costs of parenting, especially when Mom stays home. Our parenting is impacted by our view on the financial costs as well as the cost to our identity when we become parents. It is no surprise that having kids is expensive, but what may be surprising is having more money does not make us happier. \r\nOur identity often takes a hit after we have kids. It is important to not take out identity from our parenting but from the fact we are the precious adopted children of a loving God.

Marriage: The Key Aspect of Family

John Rue

Psalms 91:1-2

John and Connie Rue discuss how investing in your marriage is the best way to invest in your children. Our children need to see us parents growing in our love for the Lord and for each other. We don't need to be perfect, of course, but they need to see us progressing in our personal growth, not giving up but persevering in spite of inevitable failure.

Balancing Ministry and Family

Doug Patch

Psalms 91:1-2

Doug Patch discusses how to face the challenge of the sacrifices we need to make as parents juggling ministry and family life and how to do that with a good spirit and not with resentment.

God's Design for Sex

James Rochford

Genesis 2:18

Through the account of the creation of Adam and Eve, God gives us insight into His design for sex and marriage. God is pretty clear about His view on these two topics; however, a lot the world's commonly held views are in direct opposition to what God says. The Bible says the world's view is broken. Take a look at what God has to say, and several statistics from leading studies in this area.

The Greatest Stories Ever Told

Scott Risley

Genesis 2:18

Teaching biblical narratives is rewarding yet often underutilized. Not only is there a vast array of stories to choose from in the Bible, but they are also enjoyable and memorable, allowing truth to seek in deeply when taught well. This workshop presents several key tips for interpreting narratives. These include setting the scene, identifying the plot, describing characters, utilizing dialogue and repetition, offering summaries or conclusions, emphasizing irony, and understanding background knowledge. Through practicing these suggestions and avoiding common pitfalls, we can learn to effectively teach biblical narratives.