Guide the Next Generation

One of the highlights of Family Camp was taking my children on their very first canoe ride.  I had the three children (ages 6, 6, and 2), while Amanda and Tammy were in another canoe.  You might think I was brave, but I think it would have more dangerous being in the canoe with Amanda and …

READ MORE

You Can’t Wear Swimmies Forever

We have some summer goals for our family.  One of those goals was to take the swimmies off for our boys and get them swimming on their own. I am happy to say that they have passed swimming tests and are excited about the water.  Mom, on the other hand, is a nervous wreck! It has …

READ MORE

The Dangerous Progression in Relationships

Today, I got the privilege to speak at RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards).  Housed at Erskine College, high school students from around SC are selected for a week of training in servant leadership.  I have gotten to speak the last few years and have been asked to talk about the role of one’s relationships as …

READ MORE

Search Me

My wife and I both lead a discipleship group at our church.  While we love doing things as couples, and our groups do that, we have found a lot of men and women who will get more real with each other if the group is not co-ed.  Many of the guys in my group have …

READ MORE

A Quiver Full

“Like arrows in the hand of a warrior or the children of one’s youth” (Psalm 127:4). On the battlefield, arrows can hit targets beyond the archer’s physical reach.  The analogy from Ps. 127:4 reveals that in our lives, our children can do more for the Kingdom of God than we can if we love them …

READ MORE

Thank You, Daddy

When Amanda went away for 2 days for a conference, I had the privilege of watching all 3 bambinos by myself.  In addition to some planned fun, cutting down a couple of trees, I also tried to maintain the house as clean as my wife’s preferred standards.  That involved making the children work for food. …

READ MORE

The Good Life

Special day, today. We focused on how to experience the good life.  How to have peace on earth. To begin the services, we played a little Trans Siberian Orchestra and told the story of the cello player in Bosnia where the melody originally came from. After the Allens did a great job welcoming us into …

READ MORE

The Need for Parental Affirmation

In this stage of parenting, I hear one phrase as much if not more than all other phrases: “Dad, look at what I did.” Even if it is Baby Gloria babbling at me and pointing to something she knocked over, my children desire for me to recognize their accomplishments.  I am constantly being called to …

READ MORE

“Did You Pay for the Beach?”

The Agnews piled in the minivan in the middle of September for a 4-day trip to the beach.  We had just finished a month where we had started homeschooling and I returned to teaching at Lander.  We had started back up our college group at the house.  We had also just finished a week of …

READ MORE

Mini-Masterpieces

578707_569719442278_447105991_n

Before you can really love your child, you have to get to know your child.

Your child is unique.  That may be an understatement.  Your child is really unique.  God makes no carbon-copies.

When a child first arrives, all you know about him or her is the obvious – gender, hair color, eye color, size, etc.  Overtime, you begin to realize much more about this child.  Within months, you begin to notice personality traits.  Your child begins to reveal the things that make them laugh or the things that frighten them.  As they grow older, you will discover tendencies towards sin.  Getting to know your child is a discovery adventure for sure.

Before you can really love your child, you have to get to know your child.

READ MORE