Yesterday we drove almost two hours up to Tulsa to see a neurologist for my seven-year-old. Our son developed a tic last month, and the appointment was a sobering reminder that we are powerless as parents to control everything that goes on in the lives of our children. The good news, the doctor told us, is that our kid's involuntary movements aren't serious. The consultation revealed that this is an otherwise completely healthy, normal boy. His tic may go away on its own, or it may last his whole life, but either way it's only something that might possibly cause embarrassment in social situations and not interfere with daily activities. It was a great relief. On the drive home, it struck me that while we can certainly handle something ... Read More...

As Christian parents we often live in the tension between protecting our children from secular influences, yet not wanting to shelter them so much that they can't live out in the "real world". We either end up parenting out of fear and legalism, or going to the opposite extreme of allowing our children to be submerged in a worldly culture before their faith has fully matured. Charles Spurgeon once said children must be well fed or instructed, because they are in danger of having their cravings perversely satisfied with error. In a nutshell, youth are susceptible to false doctrine. Kids are vulnerable to being corrupted when they are exposed repeatedly to anti-biblical influences (1 Corinthians 15:33). Their minds are like sponges; they ... Read More...