Required Reading

5 Ways Churches Can Stand in the Gap for the Fatherless
“Churches have an opportunity on Father’s Day to honor and uphold the good gift of fatherhood and to walk alongside those for whom fatherhood is an idea that brings deep emotional pain. Here are five ways churches can stand in the gap for the fatherless:”

10 things I wish someone had told me before fatherhood
“I grew up in a superb Christian home and had some idea what to expect when I became a father. At the same time, however, there were some surprises along the way. Here is a list of what I’d want new fathers to know, some gleaned from the family in which I grew up, some from the one I’m raising.”

Why Young Adults Need Mentors
“It’s the people, not the books, that will make the biggest impact during your young adult years.”

How Can I Get My Child to Engage in Schoolwork?
“Here are four questions to consider in the quest to impart a spirit of godly excellence to your child:”

How Should a Husband Treat His Quarrelsome Wife?
“If a man reads Proverbs 21:9 and Proverbs 21:19 — “It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife,” and “It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman” — and concludes in his heart that divorce and remarriage are being commended here, we know that he is in the power of a hardened heart, which God disapproves of”

Help! My Teen Doesn’t Want to Attend Church
“Mothers and fathers, it may be a laborious toil to take your teenager to church. But it’s a worthy investment. Empathize, explain, exhort. Don’t withhold the discipline of church attendance from your teen; if you make him go to church, he will not die (Prov. 23:13).”

Investing in Your Marriage Is Worth the Sacrifice
“I’m not complaining about our stage of life. It’s filled to the brim with mostly good things. I love having teens and a pre-teen and a five-year-old (who daily reminds us to laugh). But I’m realizing that as we embrace our life in all its fullness, the marriage relationship is often the first thing squeezed out.”

How to Teach Boys to Respect Women
“First, fathers and male teachers, especially, can highlight the ways they learn from and are sharpened by godly, strong women—from the biblical examples of such leaders as Ruth and Priscilla and Lydia and our Lord’s mother Mary to our more immediate mothers- and sisters-in-Christ. If you are married, men, pay attention and give respect to the counsel of your wife. If you are a pastor, do not patronize women in your sermon illustrations or introductions. Highlight the creation and eschaton callings of women bound up in our common inheritance.”