Give Me Your Heart
Solomon writes to his son in Proverbs 23 saying, “My son, give me your heart.” For many teenagers this sounds strange. What does it mean to “give our heart” to our parents?
Loving Your Neighbor Starts With Loving Your Siblings
When I was younger, my mom would always say to me, “Your siblings are your best friends. Everyone else will come in and out of your life but your siblings will always be there.” This is the second in a series of posts by Lissy Rienow that will address how, as teenagers, we can learn to be Christians with our families.
I Grew Up In a Christian Home, But…
In our early years in ministry, we led dozens of youth retreats and mission trips. Often, when we returned from these “spiritual mountain top” experiences, the church would gather for a worship service where students shared testimonies about the trip. So many of the...
Don’t Delegate Your Teen Away!
We live in a world of delegation parenting. Do you want your children to learn to play the piano? Sign them up for piano lessons. Do you want them to learn basketball? Find a coach. Do you want them to learn math? Hire a tutor. Do you want them to learn about Jesus?...
Helping Your Teen Keep the Faith Through College
Are you concerned about the spiritual health of your teenager? Most of our teens will be leaving home soon. Do you have a plan to help them keep the faith through the next chapter of their lives? Will they love the Lord and follow Him when they are adults? Every...
Listen More, Talk Less
Here is a refrain we have heard many times through our years of counseling teens and young adults. “My dad told me the other day that he wants to take me out for breakfast and have a talk with me. What he really means is that he wants me to sit there while he talks....
Could Your Home Be a Youth Outreach Center?
I believe that one of the essential jobs of the local church is to equip Christian parents to take the lead in spiritually training their children. Passing faith to our kids is not the church’s job – it is ours. But what about all the unsaved kids who don’t have...