Every 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…

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You 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.…

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How 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…

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What 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…

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Why 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…

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Things 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…

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What’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…

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Why 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…

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A 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…

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Is 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…

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I 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…

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Setting 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…

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When 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…

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Five 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…

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Some 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…

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What 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…

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When 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…

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I 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…

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The Role of Fathers

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/The-Role-of-Fathers.mp3 by Raymond Warfel

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We 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…

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I’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…

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Do 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…

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What 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…

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Children 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…

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Honor 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…

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Should 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…

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Boredom

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…

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The 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…

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What 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…

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Should 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,…

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Discipline 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…

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Handling 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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Firearms and Teaching Children

by Matthew W. Bassford In 2010 and 2011, I became the father of two extremely inquisitive children. In 2019, I also became the owner of a firearm. Naturally, I gave some thought to how these two areas of my life should interact. Should I keep my gun locked away from my kids and forbid them…

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Not Too Young

Author Unknown Recent research has revealed what teenagers truly desire from the adults in their lives. The Search Institute study found that teens want parents and other older influencers to do the following: Look at us. Spend time talking with us. Listen. Be dependable. Show appreciation for what we do. Relax. Show that you’re interested.…

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A Christian and a Young Parent

by Larry W. Bailey After Solomon died, Rehoboam was to be made king of Israel. The people asked him for more consideration than they had received in the past. Rehoboam asked counsel of the “old men, that stood before Solomon” (I Kings 12:6). However, I Kings 12:8 tells us “he forsook the counsel of the…

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If I Were a Young Parent

by Gardner Hall It is God’s will that young married couples be parents if possible. “I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully” (I Timothy 5:14). “Not withstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity…

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Thank you for sharing “Searching for My Friend”

Question: Just a note of thanks for sharing this post and the notes to your friend. I pray that he is still on the right path. There was much wisdom in your notes. I have a son who is headed down the same path that your friend was on. Your approach has given me hope,…

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Your Belief about Origins and Your Children’s Behavior

by Alan Smith PBS film critic and columnist Michael Medved shared this anecdote out of his Jewish heritage: “A few years ago, Rabbi Jacob Karmenetky made a trip to Israel accompanied by his teenage grandson. Ironically, these two deeply religious people were seated In the airplane next to a prominent Israeli socialist leader and outspoken…

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What My Parents Taught Me

by Jefferson David Tant Vanguard Magazine, November 1982 All parents teach their children — consciously, subconsciously, positively, negatively, by example, by word. Children are even taught to be what their parents fail to teach. In our generation, many parents have abdicated their teaching roles to TV, schools, their children’s peers, and other influences. I am…

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“I Don’t Want My Kids to be Different”

by Greg Gwin The Beacon, January 22, 2013 Although most Christians wouldn’t say it in so many words, many parents seem to be very concerned about things that might make their kids look ‘different.’ They are concerned about raising their children in strict, disciplined ways that might make them stand out in contrast to others.…

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