Online Resources for Parents
Sermons/Articles:
Desiring God - John Piper
Grace To You - John MacArthur
Trusted Book Distributors:
Audubon Press (Family)
Audubon Press (Children)
Other Helpful Sites
Revive Our Hearts - Nancy Leigh DeMoss
FamilyLife - Dennis Rainey
Girltalk - Carolyn Mahaney and daughters
Covenant Life Church - Convenant Life Church
An Article on a Mother's Discipline
Click on over to Crosswalk.com and read an article by Carolyn Mahaney on a mother's discipline from the book entitled "Girl Talk: Mother-Daughter Conversations on Biblical Womanhood." You can get a sneak peak below:
"Bringing our daughters up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord is hard work. God never said it would be otherwise. But He has promised to provide help and assistance to all who call on His name. This promise gives us the faith and courage to discipline our daughters with the end in view. They may not thank us for it right now. They may not thank us for a long time. But one day they will."
Even if you are not a mother right now, don't miss this article! The author points out great spiritual truths to encourage present and future moms.
More Articles for Moms
In addition to the article above, Crosswalk.com is featuring a series of articles from the book "Girl Talk: Mother-Daughter Conversations on Biblical Womanhood." Written by a mother and daughter, this book offers wisdom and practical suggestions on how to pass on the language of biblical womanhood from one generation to another.
Click on the links below to read these articles.
Titus 2: Express a Tender Love for Your Children
A Mother's Example: Strive for Godliness, Not Perfection
Effective Mothering is Born of Faith, Not Fear
Break Free from a Cycle of Mother-Daughter Conflict
Connect with Your Daughter through Godly Girl Talk
Building a Strong Mother-Daughter Friendship
Mom: The Primary Influence in a Girl's Life
Your Mother-Daughter Relationship: Imperfect Makes Perfect
Fathers, Sons, Sports, and Humility
By: C. J. Mahaney
Playing sports holds great potential for growth in godliness for our sons, but only if we as fathers lead our sons theologically and strategically. I fear that all too often our sons devote significant time to playing sports with little growth in godliness. Here is where the example and leadership of a father can make all the difference. It is our responsibility as fathers to teach and prepare our sons with biblical priorities prior to a game (or practice) and not to assume that we have fulfilled our fatherly responsibility simply by attending the game. And after the game, we should encourage and celebrate evidences of godliness and not primarily our sons' athletic ability or achievements. Our priorities for our sons' participation in sports must be theologically informed priorities rather than culturally celebrated priorities. Fathers who aren't theologically informed are more impressed with athletic ability, statistics and final scores than they are biblical masculinity and godly character.
So, prior to each practice and game (Chad plays basketball and soccer) I have a conversation with my son about how he can glorify God. Here is a sampling of the biblical priorities and practices I review with him:
1. Humbly receive correction from your coach and ask your coach how you can grow in character as well as athletic skill.
2. Thank your coaches for the way they have served you. And thank the referees after each game.
3. Encourage your teammates for their display of godly character and athletic skill--in that order of priority.
4. Encourage your opponents during and after the game. If you knock someone over, extend your hand to help them up.
5. Play the game passionately and unselfishly. Serve your team by playing aggressive defense [his father never did this] and passing the ball on offense [again, his father never did this].
6. Humbly respond when the referee calls a foul on you. Do not complain or disagree in word or by facial expression [his father never did this].
7. No inappropriate celebrating after you score; instead, recognize that others played a role [his father never did this].
8. Thank the team manager for the way he served and recognize the humility and servanthood he is displaying each game. True greatness is sitting on the end of the bench.
There is nothing original or profound about this list. But helping my son apply it to his heart and life can make a profound difference. So after each game, I review the above list with my son. I go over the game with him and celebrate any and all expressions of humility and godly character. I tell him that this is more important to me than how many points he scored or whether his team won the game (although we do play to win!). Remember, fathers, what you honor and celebrate, your son will emulate. Therefore, we must celebrate godly character more than athletic ability or achievement. This applies to watching a game as well. So as Chad and I watch the tournament, I will draw his attention to any evidence of humility or unselfishness I observe, as well as any expression of arrogance or selfishness. I will celebrate the former and ridicule the latter. I don't just watch the game with Chad; I seize it as a teaching moment to equip him with discernment about true greatness in the eyes of God. My passion for my son as he plays sports is that he would please and glorify God. I want him to grow in godliness, not simply athletic ability. You see, Chad will never play professional sports. His participation in sports is temporary and meant to be preparatory. Like his father, he will inevitably grow old and only be able to walk for recreation or play golf poorly. But, by the grace of God, sports can help him grow in godly character and prepare him for manhood. His participation in sports can equip him to fulfill his calling as a man to humbly and courageously serve and lead in the home, church and culture. But for that to happen, a father must teach his son to discern and adopt biblical priorities and practices while playing sports.
What Did Christ Purchase for Your Children?
From John Piper
 Thankfully, the blood of Christ divides and unites families. "Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. . . . They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother" (Luke 12:51-53). "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me" (Matthew 10:37). This is good news. It means that coming from an unbelieving family is no sure curse. A family may be graciously broken by the belief of a child. When Paul said to Gentile converts, "You were bought with a price" (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23), he knew that the blood of Christ had broken a family line of unbelief. If you are the offspring of unbelievers it is good news to hear Paul say, "It is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring" (Romans 9:8). Biology seals no curse and guarantees no blessing. That is a warning against despair for the offspring of pagans and against presumption for Christian parents. But did the blood of Christ purchase no privileges for the children of believers?
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