DIY Biblical Parenting

Disciplining our children is one of the hardest, most sensitive subjects among parents. There are so many different theories and opinions out there that it can be hard to know where to start. God's word actually has a decent amount to say about it and Hebrews 12 is one of the best places to start. My prayer is that this episode begins to give you confidence to seek the Lord in loving your chil...

Disciplining our children is one of the hardest, most sensitive subjects among parents. There are so many different theories and opinions out there that it can be hard to know where to start. God's word actually has a decent amount to say about it and Hebrews 12 is one of the best places to start. My prayer is that this episode begins to give you confidence to seek the Lord in loving your chil...

If you enjoyed the interviews with Jodi Koesters, this episode brings those interviews to a close with some quick hitting tips of what it means to be present with our children.  The Lord has given Jodi a godly heart and lots of experience that make these tips extremely thoughtful and practical.  Applying the gospel and the Scriptures to the everyday life of the family is so needed in our culture t...

It can be so easy to rush around with our kids from one thing to the next. All of a sudden we realize we haven't looked our kids in the eyes for any length of time recently. We've lost sight of giving our attention to them and listening well to them. In this conversation with my wife, Jodi, we talk about how the Lord has helped us to value sharing our lives with our kids and give them the...

It can be so easy to rush around with our kids from one thing to the next. All of a sudden we realize we haven't looked our kids in the eyes for any length of time recently. We've lost sight of giving our attention to them and listening well to them. In this conversation with my wife, Jodi, we talk about how the Lord has helped us to value sharing our lives with our kids and give them the...

One of the biggest questions of our era as parents is when is the right time to give my children a cell phone? We realize their usefulness and their danger. We realize that they will need help knowing how to use it wisely. In this DIY Short I offer a possible way forward in this dilemma. I pray it’s helpful!

It’s always good to open ourselves up to thinking of others more significantly than ourselves (Philippians 2). Here’s a quick idea of how to help you and your kids grow in that mindset a little more together. I pray it is a help to you!

One of the best ways to point our kids to Christ is to join them in serving those who know Jesus and those who don’t. We should seek to put our kids in serving contexts as they grow up. My daughter Mara is a great example of the what the Lord can do in someone to cultivate a heart of service through the experiences we join and encourage them in. Listen to some of her exciting story! See what the L...

One of the best ways to point our kids to Christ is to join them in serving those who know Jesus and those who don’t. We should seek to put our kids in serving contexts as they grow up. My daughter Mara is a great example of the what the Lord can do in someone to cultivate a heart of service through the experiences we join and encourage them in. Listen to some of her exciting story!

One of the biggest challenges we have as parents is to prepare our children to make that important transition from high school to college. How can the Lord work through us and others to help them move from dependence on us into more and more dependence on the Lord? In this episode I have the privilege of interviewing my oldest son, Titus. My prayer is that you will be encouraged by the Lord's...

One of the biggest challenges we have as parents is to prepare our children to make that important transition from high school to college. How can the Lord work through us and others to help them move from dependence on us into more and more dependence on the Lord? In this episode I have the privilege of interviewing my oldest son, Titus. My prayer is that you will be encouraged by the Lord's...

Bret and I kept going, so here's Part 2! Hope you enjoy! Here's the description from Part 1: Sometimes we need the Lord to give us some time away and a "shot in the arm" to help our marriages and parenting to grow in godly directions. JH Outback, a weekend retreat that began in northern California, is a ministry that the Lord has used to do just that in the lives of thousands of...

Sometimes we need the Lord to give us some time away and a "shot in the arm" to help our marriages and parenting to grow in godly directions. JH Outback, a weekend retreat that began in northern California, is a ministry that the Lord has used to do just that in the lives of thousands of husbands and wives and their children. In this episode I interview Bret Grieves, an elder at Hope Cha...

When kids get together to play there can often be disputes. It doesn’t take us long to see selfishness in our kids and those they play with. As parents we can help them understand their hearts in these situations by sharing biblical ideas and language. In this episode we want to equip you to share with your kids how God views the situation and give you a long haul perspective of sharing with your...

Sports take up a huge space in our culture - there’s no escaping that. Many of our children play sports year round and they are a huge part of our families’ lives - watching, playing and coaching. I pray this episode would equip you to point your children to the Lord as you interact with sports!

Did you ever think that how ice cream is made could be a parable of capturing biblical, flourishing living for your family? Take a listen and find out!

Sharing the gospel and sharing our own lives - that is the one two punch of how our children, other believers and those who don't know Christ will ultimately see who God is and what He's done for them. In this episode we look at 1 Thessalonians 2: 1-8 and see how that can be a guide for emulating a gospel culture in the life of our family. It's one of my favorite passages in Scripture and I p...

Autonomy from God, autonomy from others and autonomy from parents - these are three strong lies that the culture is shouting to our children.  One of the great gifts of being a christian parent is that we get to show our children the lies around them and show them God's truth.  In this episode I explore the great privilege of leading our children to closeness with the Lord, to others and...

Thor is one of the most popular movie characters in our culture currently.  He has been a very dynamic character through the Marvel Comic Universe of movies and one of his most popular scenes is a visual parable of our times for the state of many of the youth in our culture.  This is important for even non-Marvel fans!  Listen to hear some ideas about how we can lead our children in...

God's Word tells us that our marriages are a powerful picture of the gospel to a watching world!  The most immediate ones watching us are our children.  We have a tremendous opportunity to show our children the gospel through the marriage that started the family in the first place.  What can Ephesians 5 teach us about our marriages, and how they point our children to the Gospel? How...

When we as parents are seeking to grow in our love for the Lord through His Word we will come across great gospel stories like that of Mephibosheth.  When we spend time in the Word, then we will have more of the gospel and God's ways to give away to our kids.  They will then grow in the Lord! 

When our kids are approaching ten years old they know they have a great trip to look forward! They get to help plan it and they know they will get one on one time with mom or dad. But the trip isn’t only about the fun meals and great events we plan, it’s also about beginning the conversation about the Lord preparing them to be a young man or woman. In this episode I share about our family traditio...

Finding Biblically solid books to read to your children can be a key part in pointing them to Jesus. In this episode we’ll help you evaluate books and suggest some to start with. Plus there’s a story of how my kids slap me in the face - find out why!