Parenting
Two Necessary Things in Christian Parenting
by Jen Venuso Whether or not you make New Year’s resolutions (I’ve been both), you’re likely reflecting on the past and looking forward to the next year. Right now, I’m heavily in the throes of parenting, so much of my reflection settles there. As a bio/foster/adoptive mom to seven kids (plus a few short-term kids),…
Read MoreHow do we protect our children from unsafe relatives?
Question: Hello, My husband and I recently found out we are expecting our first child, and with that comes great responsibility, as we want to raise our children to love the Lord. We have been talking about a couple of individuals on my husband’s side who cause us a great deal of stress (because of…
Read MoreHow to Keep Our Children Spiritually Safe
by Perry Hall How do we keep our children from leaving faithful churches to go to those not following the faith? How do we help our children follow after faithful saints regardless of age instead of leaving to follow after their friends? This is an anecdotal tale. From 6th grade to 12th grade, I worshiped…
Read MoreWho’s Leading Whom?
by Perry Hall After WWII, a new family unit was created—the teenager. Before that, “teens” didn’t exist as a celebrated age. Before that, “teens” were young adults. Since then, the trauma of war-torn youth has led to the coddling of teens. That has led to a verse you might be very familiar with: Fathers, don’t…
Read MorePassed Values
by Zeke Flores Families with strong value systems tend to pass those values on to succeeding generations. So do families with poor value systems. It’s not the only reason, but it’s one reason why you see some families stuck in poor cycles (poverty, alcoholism, etc) and others navigating life more successfully. If you want to…
Read MoreHe Restrained Them Not
by James Sanders The life of the Old Testament figure, Eli, is remarkable. Eli was a descendant of Ithamar, the fourth son of Aaron, and therefore was of the tribe of Levi. Combined in this man of God were the offices of both High Priest and Judge. It was the first time in Israel that…
Read MoreA Blessing and a Heritage
by Chadwick Brewer “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward” (Psalms 127:3). For most of history, having a large family was viewed as a blessing. For example, when Job’s wealth was listed in Job 1, his most prized and valuable blessing from God was his seven sons…
Read MoreShould we send our son to a therapeutic boarding school?
Question: Dear Minister, I have two sons: A is 13, and B is 9. Both are adopted and are non-biological siblings. My husband and I have had both boys since they were infants. We go to church twice a week, pray and study the word together every day, the boys go to an excellent private…
Read MoreEvery Child Has Something to Say
by Jefferson David Tant It is patently obvious that children have needs, beginning at the time of birth. They need food. They need clothing. They need to have their diapers changed. And they need to be held. But beyond these necessities for their life and well-being, there are other needs that are just as vital and…
Read MoreYou Never Know What’s Going to Stick
by Zeke Flores A while back, one of my daughters was going through a box of her papers that we had stored in our attic. She ran across a paper she had written and given to me in her teen years that listed 10 reasons why I should let her get her belly button pierced.…
Read MoreHow do I deal with a clingy one-year-old?
Question: Good morning brother, I read your articles regarding the biblical way of teaching children. I have a one-year-old son and he always insists on being held. He is always crying. Not even a second was left me. He doesn’t give me time to do work. Even if his stomach is full or his need…
Read MoreWhat should Christian parents do about itching hysteria?
Question: I hope you can help me regarding some Relentless Itching “Hysteria” that has swept through the local school district. As a church if parents come to the Lord’s church, how do we handle the following news? A wave of hysteria swept through [schools] last week when several learners, primarily girls, began experiencing intense itching sensations and…
Read MoreWhy I Believe We Should Still Marry and Bring Children into the World
by Terry Wane Benton Is having children too risky? Seeing that the majority will end up lost, I have seen a number of faithful Christians lose their children to the world. Answer: That is a pretty defeatist way of viewing things. When was it not risky? I’ve seen people, who go at it already prepared…
Read MoreThings My Mom Taught Me
by Dee Bowman (1934-2021) Christianity Magazine, May 1997 It’s hard losing your parents. You labor under the strain of not having told them more often that you love them. You remember all the things they did for you and sit and wonder if you did much for them. I was home in Lubbock for the…
Read MoreWhat’s Wrong with Today’s Youth?
by Bill Hall All along we hear questions raised as to what has gone wrong with today’s youth. Recently, a brother expressed his concern along this line and then asked, “What advice would you give young parents to help them avoid mistakes that we have made in our generation?” The first thing we would say…
Read MoreWhy It Is Necessary to Teach Children Godly Values
Author Unknown Children, without teaching and training, do not know about true values, especially godly ones. They depend on their parents to teach them what is valuable or not, right and wrong, truth and error, good and bad. Left alone, kids have a slim chance of becoming knowledgeable about such things. They need to be…
Read MoreA Word to Fathers
by Jefferson David Tant Men have some very important roles to fulfill in family life. There are quite a few passages in the Bible, both Old and New Testaments that mention their responsibilities. This article is focused on the relationship with their children that God has given fathers. One of the early passages on this…
Read MoreIs it normal for an eight-year-old boy to be touching himself?
Question: We have custody of an 8-year-old boy. During the first six years of his life, he was exposed to drugs, sex, filthy language, compulsive lying, and a lot of antisocial behavior from his mother and other adults in his life. He frequently puts his hands down his pants out in the open, and I…
Read MoreI caught my 8-year-old son looking at homosexual porn
Question: Recently I discovered my 8-year-old son had been looking up gay porn. He was very honest when I confronted him. He told me he started looking at these images two years ago. I am devastated that I did not protect him from porn in general but the male search made it ten times harder…
Read MoreSetting Boundaries
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 6:1-4 I. We live in a country that is founded on the ideas of freedom and liberty A. Yet we don’t live in society without any restraints. We have laws, rules, regulations, expectations B. It is the very laws that we have which gives us our freedom 1. How? One of my…
Read MoreWhen does discipline become abuse?
Question: When does discipline cross the line and become abuse? My cousin hit her son in the chest with a closed fist as a form of discipline. It was her non-dominant hand and not with full force. Admittedly, her son has behavior issues and didn’t seem too fazed by my cousin’s actions aside from holding…
Read MoreFive Smooth Stones of Parenting
by Sewell Hall In Goliath, David faced what seemed an indomitable foe. David’s goal was not so much to kill the giant as to protect the children and honor God. He took five smooth stones from the brook to achieve his purpose. In the pervasive humanism of our society, parents face what appears to be…
Read MoreSome Things I Want to Teach My Children
by Bill Hall “And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath; but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). In keeping with the instruction of this passage, there are certain things that I want to teach my children. Reverence I want to teach my children proper reverence and…
Read MoreWhat is the difference between make-believe magic and occultism?
Question: Hi minister, As a parent, how should I handle children’s entertainment? My child loves movies that have princesses as she now says she is a princess (she loves dresses ). But a lot of children’s content has a form of magic in them. What is the difference between make-believe magic and occultism magic? Is…
Read MoreWhen does someone stop being a child?
Question: Ephesians 6:1-2. “Children” has no absolute age-associated concept to it, does it? If it was only used in the sense of young children, well then. But it refers all over scripture to offspring generally. When does the principle of a child as a minor actually come into play here? Answer: Children (not adults) are…
Read MoreI Wish Someone Had Told Me
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/I-Wish-Someone-Had-Told-Me.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Proverbs 5:7-14 I. I ran across an article by Chuck Lawless about “Ten Conversations I Wish Someone Had with Me as a Teenager.” A. Hindsight generally reveals that mistakes could have been avoided B. I constantly get told: “I wish someone had told me just how bad this could get” C. And…
Read MoreThe Role of Fathers
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/The-Role-of-Fathers.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreWe Are Her World
by Adam Litmer I was exhausted. I needed to study and prepare for two classes. Neither sermon was close to where it needed to be. My personal Bible reading was nonexistent. I couldn’t focus on anything, and frustration was taking hold. It’s all because of Evelyn. Two weeks ago, we learned she has a milk…
Read MoreI’m afraid my past sins will affect my child
Questions: Hello, I am a 25-year-old married woman, and I am currently pregnant with my first child. My husband and I have been together for five years and married for over two years. When we were first together, I was at a very low point in my faith. We were not abstaining from sex. I…
Read MoreDo parents get sad when their children hit puberty?
Question: Do parents get sad when their kids hit puberty? I’ve seen a lot of parents get sad when their little boy hits puberty. Answer: The early years of a child’s life are rough on most parents. Caring for a baby takes a lot of time and energy. But soon the child is able to…
Read MoreWhat should I tell my son who has a fear of death?
Question: What should I tell my son who has a fear of death like me? He is only six but seems to be afraid of the concept of death. Answer: In order for you to help him, you will first have to conquer your own fears. “How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me…
Read MoreChildren Do Come with Manuals!
by Jefferson David Tant Some months ago, my wife and I bought a new car. Well, it is about five years old, but it was new to us. Thankfully, it had an important document in the glove box — an Owner’s Manual. I don’t think I will ever learn about all the gadgets that the…
Read MoreHonor Your Father and Mother
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Honor-Your-Father-and-Mother.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 6:1-3 I. One of the Ten Commandments of the Old Law is brought to the New Law intact. It is the commandment to honor our parents A. The word “honor” in this passage means to fix a value on something, to consider it a prized possession. B. The original Hebrew…
Read MoreShould I let my children watch Ghostbusters?
Question: Jeff, I have kind of maybe a silly question here, but here it goes. One of my kids (a 7-year-old boy) has an interest in the Ghostbusters. I use to watch those movies on TV in the past when I was a kid. They were heavily edited back then, and I didn’t realize some…
Read MoreBoredom
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Boredom.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. The child has a room full of action figures, video games, cable TV, VCR, a huge collection of video tapes, every piece of sports equipment known to man, his own telephone, a fully loaded computer with Internet access — but he doesn’t have anything to do. He’s bored. A. Boredom is…
Read MoreThe Wisdom of a Father
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/WisdomOfAFather.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Proverbs 1:1-9 I. The rise of feminism brought about a demotion of fatherhood A. In an attempt to prove the worth of woman, many felt the need to “prove” that men were worthless 1. We see the impact in society. 2. How many television shows show a well-meaning but bungling dad whom…
Read MoreWhat I Would Say To My Children
by Jefferson David Tant Raising children is, I believe, one of the greatest responsibilities God has given us. By God’s design, a man and a woman have created something which will never cease to exist — a spirit that has been made in the image of God. Can you imagine the awesome feeling of responsibility…
Read MoreShould I stay with my husband or my children?
Question: Good morning brother Hamilton I don’t want to say I am a fan, but I learned a lot from the lessons, sermons, and questions and answers on the La Vista Church of Christ website, and I am still learning. Glory to God for such initiative. I am grateful for having such a platform where,…
Read MoreDiscipline in the Home
by Irven Lee Truth Magazine, February 17, 1983 Children do not have the ability at birth to understand the language of their parents. We all realize this, but we should also understand that these little people do not know the commonly accepted rules of etiquette, nor do they recognize property rights. Each child seems to…
Read MoreHandling the Crafty
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Handling-the-Crafty.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Joshua 9:3-16 I. Some people don’t deal with others in a direct fashion A. Stating their goal would not allow them to reach their target because they know it would be rejected, so they manipulate others B. While both men and women engage in craftiness, it is often a complaint of…
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