Christmas gift-giving is really hard for me. Don’t get me wrong, I love presents. I love thinking about presents, buying presents, wrapping presents, and watching my kids open their presents. The joy on my kids’ faces is palpable on Christmas morning, and I love making them happy almost more than anything in the world. I…
God and Science Coexist
I taught high school science for 10 years in a large public school. Not only did I teach science, I taught astronomy and geology, two subjects where time is measured in millions and billions of years and evolution is a common term. On the very first day of the school year, I gave every class…
How the Super Hero Craze Can Point Your Kids to Christ
I was at the craft store this week and noticed Wonder Woman washi tape. Washi tape, seriously. Super hero mania is literally everywhere. As parents, we want to hook our kids into the messages of Christ, and help them connect with these messages in a real, true, and honest way. But, how when they are…
Using Playtime to Talk to Kids about God
“Did you know that Peter Pan could ask Jesus into his heart and be saved from his sins and live in heaven forever?” I asked my daughter as she played with Peter Pan and Tinkerbell dolls in the bathtub. “He can?” she asked. “Yes, he can. And then Jesus will live in him forever, and…
How to Start Conversations About Jesus with Kids
Conversations about Jesus: Get Inspired Conversations about Jesus are important to have when you’re children are growing up and starting to understand their faith. Even though my daughters are 6 and almost 10, we got a copy of the adorable board book My Jesus Bible a few weeks ago, and we have been reading through…
9 Brave Ways for Kids to Diffuse Conflicts
About seventy-five times a day, my kids devolve into fights, bickering, and taunting— over Barbies, over books, over kittens, and even sometimes over who looked at whom wrong. It happens. I think all kids have conflicts with other kids, especially with siblings. The first key to handling children’s squabbling is to not ignore it. As…
14 Small Acts of Kindness for Kids
One of my favorite Christmas stories (after the one in the book of Luke) is the The Pine Tree Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs. It’s about a Christmas tree farmer who nurtures and treasures her favorite tree. She won’t sell it to anyone year after year. And then a little girl from a very poor family…