Your daughter’s friend was born female, but identifies as a boy, including a name change. Your kind-hearted girl comes alongside her friend, but you feel nervous about who is influencing whom. You’re downtown in the big city, and your son is too old to use the women’s restroom with Mom. Just after he heads into the men’s room, you see a cross-dressed person follow him in. What’s a parent to do? If you’re a Christian parent with a traditional view of sex, marriage and gender, you might feel like an anomaly. More importantly, you may be wondering how to teach your children what Continue Reading
7 Ways this Hidden Bible Truth Grounds your sense of Self-Worth
I'll admit, I'm a fan of old Saturday Night Live skits. One of my favorites is Al Frankin's character "Stuart Smalley." "I'm gonna do a terrific show today," Stuart would tell himself, "and I'm gonna help people...because I'm good enough, I'm strong enough, and doggone it, people like me!" We get a kick out of "Stuart" as he scratches our itch to feel good about ourselves-but this character's mantra brings out a fundamental question: How do you measure the worth of a human being? Culture has a lot to say on this issue, but what society tells us about ourselves is often based Continue Reading
The Smartest Way to Handle Smart Phones and your Teen
We’ve all heard the horror stories. Boys in the back of a junior high school bus showing each other nude pictures of girls in their class. Girls stalked by much older men who pretend to be their “nice friend.” Kids committing suicide over what’s shared via smart phones. Those are just a few examples of the dangers teens can encounter through the little electronic doorway that fits in the palm of their hand. Many teens own a smart phone. Those who don’t own one generally want what their peers have, and moms and dads don’t enjoy being the bad guy. What’s a parent to do? Is Continue Reading
How to Turn Online Outrage into Something Helpful
Ever run across something on social media that you find to be both super annoying and grossly inaccurate? (Like, all the time?) My general stance with regard to social media is, "Don't engage with the outrage." There's enough toxicity out there already. If I'm going to contribute something, it needs to add value. It may offer a challenge, but it should ultimately encourage someone as well. Last week, I had the opportunity to put this into practice. I'd been seeing a cartoon passed around on Twitter of a man holding an umbrella over the belly of a very pregnant woman, as though Continue Reading