The Disciple-Making Parent

On November 11th, 2013, Cameron Cole received a call from his wife he will never forget. Their three-year-old son Cam had died in his sleep. It has to be every parent’s worst nightmare. How do we survive? Where is God in that situation? Where can I find hope to go on? Today’s podcast is one straight for the heart. Do you know families that have lost young children? Are you one of those families? I...

I bet almost everyone listening to this podcast has eaten at a Chick-fil-A. What are their behind-the scenes-secrets, and how can you apply them to your home? You are in a for a treat today. In this podcast, we are going to talk to Jonas William, owner operator of the Chick-fil-A in Seekonk, MA. This recorded conversation came about because I wanted to learn from him about how Chick-fil-A restaura...

As Christians, we claim that our Bibles are God’s inspired word. Yet how did we get our Bible? God didn’t just drop those 66 books down from heaven to your local publisher. Are these ancient documents filled with error, giving us wrong information about Jesus? In today’s podcast  we are going to talk to Dr. Timothy Paul Jones, a professor at Southern Seminary about his book How We Got the Bible.  ...

Suffering can come at us when we least expect it. Life seems to be going well and then a large incident comes at us. Or maybe it is a series of smaller thigns that are repeated over and over. Often we can think that Jesus’ presence is far away. Does he know about what I am going throuh? Does he even care? I recently preached a short meditation on Jesus' response to the death of Lazarus in John 11....

How do we actually love our spouse in a way that honors the Lord? And the more we think about it, what is love? The culture is certainly sending us mixed messages. What does godly love look like? In today's podcast we're going to talk with Bob Lepine about his book Love Like You Mean It: The Heart of a Marriage That Honors God. In that resource, Bob walks us through the most well-known passage on...

Nothing is more precious to us than our children and their innocence. But how do we know that when we drop them off at school or church it is a safe place? And what can we do to make it safer? In today’s podcast, we are going to talk to my friend Jeff Dalrymple about a ministry that can help diminish the threat of sexual abuse in the church. This is a vital topic both for the safety of our childre...

What is the most relevant parenting book to help you face the new year? In this episode, I point you to the one essential resource for your family. It has the answer to every problem you will face. In this episode where we continue to hit restart, I invite you to listen to a sermon I recently preached. In our time together we looked at the well-known passage of 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Although I didn’t...

Last year was a tumultuous summer. Between the fears of quarantine and rationing to the well-publicized shootings and resulting protests and riots, it will be remembered in the history books. Our countries politics are more divided and acrimonious than in recent memory. And Christians were and are divided about the proper causes and responses to these event. Does God’s word apply to this moment? T...

Family worship and devotions can be an ongoing source of guilt. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In today’s podcast we are going to talk with Dr. David Murray. Dr. Murray has just released the book Exploring the Bible Together: A 52-week Family Worship plan. But before you become overwhelmed with that take a listen to this podcast. You will discover that it is a simple plan that takes about 4-5...

Not again! You’ve lost it with the children, yelling at them and hitting the table. And you see them cower in fear or scramble to their rooms. You end up feeling ashamed and embarrassed. “What is wrong with me?” you say to yourself. “How can I get control of my anger?” In this podcast, we’re going to talk about answers to that question. We’re going to listen in on a webinar that I conducted on tha...

Words, words, words. If you’re a parent, words are flying around your house. Sometimes those words are helpful, and as you well know, many times they’re sinful. How do we get a handle on all those words? How do we communicate well, and how do we teach our children to communicate well? In this podcast, we’re going to talk about five principles of healthy communication.

The media, internet, and screens can seem like a tsunami, overwhelming us and our children. Sometimes it seems to disciple our children more than we do. What should a parent do? In this podcast, I talked with Tim Challies about his perspective on the media and its use in his family. In our time together we talked about some insights on this new world that could guide us as parents.

Does Christian history seem boring to you? Would you like a fun flyover of Christian History to gain some perspective on your heritage as a Christian? In this podcast, I talked with Tim Challies about his new book and video series – Epic – An Around-the-World Journey through Christian History.

This is a strange and disruptive time that got me thinking about hosting a fire-side chat or webinar to help us get through this time. I hosted my first last Tuesday night. It was entitled Fathers at Home: Finding Joy in the New Normal. I spent some time giving 12 suggestions for dads. The time together starts with perspective and becomes more and more practical as the chat goes on. Although it is...

There's so much confusing parenting advice out there. Everyone seems to have an opinion. But who's right? What if we could cut through the clutter and hear from a real expert? What if we could hear from God himself? Sometimes we need to go back to a book with just God's words in it, and say, "This is what God commands." Pastor Erik Raymond did an excellent job succinctly opening up a passage in Ep...

Valentine's Day is upon us again. Like it or not, it affects us. The messages of romantic love come at us and our children. Can we capture them for good?

We want to have the joy of telling others about Jesus and we want to train our children in this way also. It is a joyful privilege when God uses us. But how do we go about doing that? Sharing the love of Christ is often a individual endeavor. In today’s podcast, I have a conversation with Tim Zulker and Miranda Laughlin about a summer park ministry that has flourished here in Providence. It is cal...

You've been married now for more than a few years. Kids are everywhere. Work is hard. Fights seem to be increasing. Is this what you signed up for? Would you do it again? Would you still say "I do"? In today’s podcast, we are going to continue talking with Dave Harvey. In this time together we're going to be talking about his newest book, which is scheduled to drop in January of 2020, I Still Do:...

Prodigal. What comes to mind when you hear that word? For some it may be Jesus's beloved story of the father and the two sons. But for others, that word may be a son or daughter, husband or wife who has turned their back on the faith. In Today’s podcast, we are going to talk with Dave Harvey about his book Letting Go: Rugged Love for Wayward Souls. Dave has walked through this situations himself....

What comes to mind when you hear the word "sloth?"The strange animal from the rainforest of South America? Your teenage son? What if I told you that this word might be more applicable to your parenting than you think? Joel Sedam is a young pastor friend that I am privileged to know. We were talking recently and he mentioned a sermon he had done on the subject of sloth and how it had caused a parad...

Are you rushing around getting ready for the holiday season? What can you do to remember well this incredible divine event that we celebrate each year? In today’s podcast I’m delighted to present to you a conversation I had with Dan Darling about his new book The Characters of Christmas: The Unlikely People Caught Up in the Story of Jesus. If you want something to freshen up your Christmas, this s...

Not again! You lost it, you're furious, and you feel like a total failure. You yelled, slammed the door, hit the table, or threw your purse. Then the shame and guilt set in. "These are my precious children! What am I thinking? What can I do?" What are we talking about? Anger. And the fact is, it is far too prevalent in our parenting. And then we feel guilt or shame, so we cover it up. The followin...

Whining, lying, interrupting, complaining, arguing, gossiping. Our tongues are a deadly poison. Are you having trouble dealing with the words of your children? Scripture says that the tongue is a deadly poison. And that poison comes into the house through the sinful hearts of everyone who lives there. For parents, shepherding our children through these issues can be difficult. How do I handle issu...

Are you weary in the work of training and discipline? Have you lost sight of the reason God has called you to this? I recently have been thinking about parents of young children who are tempted to grow weary in this good and exhausting task because they forget the why. But it is a good and important work. Listen to our newest podcast - Chapter 17 of The Disciple-Making Parent.

In today’s podcast, we talk with my friend Dr. Tom Hines about choosing and trusting a pediatrician over the long haul. As our country grows increasingly hostile to the gospel, Christian parents can overreact or under-react​. I think this will help you think through this issue. This podcast reminds me what a treasure and gift excellent, supportive, Christian pediatricians are. I believe that this...