Parenting Articles

I’m convinced that most families, at least in the Austin suburbs, struggle with being TOO busy rather than not busy enough. Do your kids really need another activity? Do they really need a new toy or game system to entertain them? We may be the most entertained and distracted generation in the history of earth. Is it good for us? Here is a parenting tip: let them be bored. When my kids are bored, the creativity starts to flow. When…

At the Journey, we welcome and enjoy having kids with us in the worship services. Kids can learn the songs, sing along, engage in prayer, and even glean truths from the sermons. I love it when kids answer my rhetorical questions out loud! In 2024, we will have Together Services on the first Sunday of each month. This means kids aged kindergarten and up will join us on those Sundays (and I hope you often bring kids in on other…

We all love our kids. We make sacrifices for them all the time. But have we gone too far? Is it possible we are sacrificing TOO much for them? Are your gas tank and your emotional tank near empty, because you’re pouring yourself out day after day? I’ve been in Texas for over two years now. I’m not sure if this is a Texas thing, a suburb thing, or an American thing, but my observation is that many parents’ lives (aside…

None of us want our kids to grow up with a low self-esteem. Having a healthy view of self is important for living a good life, and we need to emphasize this with our kids. But have we gone too far? Some of the statistics are alarming: “In 2013, Time magazine reported that ‘the incidence of narcissistic personality disorder is nearly three times as high for people in their 20s as for the generation that’s 65 or older, according to…

Parents of all ages: I just finished reading Safe Guards by Julie Lowe, and the wisdom she shared from her 20+ years of counseling is too important for you to miss. It’s a Dangerous World for Kids and Teens We live in an era where children of all ages face unique dangers from so many directions. As parents, we struggle to keep up with the changing times and technologies. Our worst fear is that our child would be abused or…

Listen to their Hearts My oldest child is now 11 and in middle school. She will soon be a teenager. PANIC ATTACK!!!! I can already sense that parenting will look significantly different as we approach and enter the teenage years. Her mind is engaging at a new level of critical and independent thinking, and those skills will only deepen and progress with each passing month. I’m not really having a panic attack; in fact, I’m already enjoying watching her mind…

Kids and Communion At the Journey, we encourage kids to join us in the worship services. On the first Sunday of the month, we take communion together. What should kids do during communion? When are kids ready to take communion? Communion is a special moment in the life of the church. It is our covenant meal together, when we celebrate the body and blood of Jesus given for our sins. It expresses our unity in Christ, because it’s not our…

More Caught than Taught Many lessons are better caught than taught. We are called to “instruct” our kids in the things of the Lord. There are times that we need to sit down with kids, ranging from toddler age all the way up to teenagers, and TEACH them. We teach about life, money, relationships, work, the world, sex, and most of all, about God. Parents are the primary disciplers of kids, and teaching is a big part of that! But…

Why I Often Delay Baptism Baptism is a big deal. It is a public profession of faith in Jesus and an expression of a lifelong commitment to follow Jesus. It is a person saying to the church and the world, “I identify with Jesus” (Rom. 6:3-4). It is a church saying to a person, “we see that you believe.” And most importantly, it is commanded by Jesus (Matt. 28:19-20). Pretty serious, right? But let’s remember, baptism does not save someone.…

Are You Ready for WHEN Your Kids See Porn? I was first exposed to pornographic material when I was in 4th grade. It was at a friend’s birthday party, a sleepover, and late at night another boy put on one of the bad channels. And there it was. Thankfully, my parents and church had helped me to understand something was wrong with that movie, so I rolled over and closed my eyes. And yet, a few of the images I…