Year: 2013

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, many parents try to carve out time to make the nativity the focal point of their celebration. This is an especially difficult task in a culture that wants to remove Jesus from the holiday season altogether.   Deuteronomy 6:7-9 says the best way to…

  Traditions! What do you think of when you hear that word?                                                  The dictionary says it is a “belief or custom handed down from ancestors for posterity.” If you ask someone if their family has any traditions, usually things they do every Christmas will be shared.   We know we have established traditions in our…

In today’s culture, thankfulness has gone out the window with other courtesies. “It’s all about me” is truly the mantra of most you meet. “It’s all about God” is supposed to be the mantra of Christians. When was the last time you actually stopped in the middle of the day and thanked God for something?…

  “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” (Psalm 37:7) “I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope.” (Psalm 130:5) As I was reading this verse about waiting on the Lord, I began thinking about how hard it is to wait on God. When we want…

REFLECTIONS ON SUFFERING by Carla Link Joey and I were in a horrific car accident several years ago. A man fell asleep at the wheel of his car and pushed us over a guard rail when he hit us. Our van overturned three times, and although I was wearing a seat-belt, I was thrown from the…

Who is the Rooster in Your Home? by Joey and Carla Link My (Carla’s) grandparents had a chicken coop on their property in Arkansas. I loved to watch the chickens and collect eggs for my grandmother on our visits there. There was one rooster, and he was in control. How did I know this? After…

Right now is the best time to work with your kids on developing a consistent quiet time. There are many good resources out there to accomplish this. How can you encourage your kids to have consistent devotions? Set reasonable expectations – Most devotion books allow kids to have their quiet time in 10-15 minutes. Be…

“Doing It” by Joey and Carla Link Parents do a lot of talking. Your kids need to see less talking and more “doing.” It is time to put into practice the frequent words of advice you give your kids.   “Please be kind to each other,” Mom begged her kids. Ephesians 4:32 tell us to…

Parents often look at their kids and wonder what they are thinking about. Which of us haven’t wished for the gift of mind-reading when it comes to our kids?! You have given your kids consequences for misbehavior, yet they repeat the offense again and again. You wonder if they think you are going to overlook…

Most moms want their kids to apologize when they have done something wrong. Parents want to know if they should force their kids to apologize when they don’t want to. Why is apologizing so hard? I ask myself that question when I struggle to apologize. To get into the habit of apologizing makes it easier,…