All Article articles – Page 8
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ArticleAnna Hawken: ‘I may have become a parent but that doesn’t change my core identity as a child of God’
Anna, what was your experience of faith as a child?
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ArticleHow the job description for Christian parents changes when their young adult goes off to university
Revision is finished. Exams are over. Prayers have been prayed and now it’s a waiting game. The next few weeks stretch out in front of you. And you can almost forget that the 14th of August is inching closer with each day that passes. The summer after A levels always feels like it should be calm, peaceful, a time for patient waiting. In reality, if you’re sending a young adult off to university in September, your focus is probably already on exam results and where they’ll be going. After that, your mind will jump to what accommodation they’ll be in, and after that, what equipment and supplies they’ll need to take with them so they can survive on something other than pasta bake 3 times a day. And, before you know it, September will be here and you’ll be in a car piled with stuff, driving down the motorway and trying to ignore the chorus of Slipping Through my Fingers playing on repeat in your head.
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Article8 steps to address generational trauma
Thomas really wanted to help make breakfast. He was 4 and I was just plain tired. I had been up all night with the baby and had just about enough energy to feed him. Whilst my back was turned, he picked up the milk carton and proceeded to pour its contents all over the counter and onto the floor! A scream left my mouth, and my hand went up to hit him. Before my hand connected with his body, I froze and thought “you’re just like dad.” Suddenly, flashbacks of my own childhood flooded my mind, and I remember thinking that this was not what I wanted for my own children. I saw how much of my parenting was ……
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ArticleNeil O’Boyle: As parents ‘we couldn’t hide the fact that we were flawed, but we could be authentically flawed’
Neil, diving right in, what do you think is the key thing to remember in Christian parenting?
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ArticleWhy should I care about others?
Are you more Elsa or Snow White? OK, so Encanto’s Mirabel ripped up the Disney princess script a few years back, and Rachel Zegler took Snow in weird directions this year. But does 1937’s homemaking, animal-whispering porcelain princess resonate, or are you feeling the fierce, sassy and powerful snow queen? Voting Elsa makes sense as she reflects our culture having emerged from it. The focus on the individual is intense, perfectly encapsulated within the kids party sing-along, Let it go:
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ArticleWhy go to church if God is everywhere?
It’s Sunday morning. It’s been a busy week. You’re bone-tired and craving that morning lie-in. Or perhaps it’s your teenager who you’re struggling to drag out of bed. Maybe your threenager is refusing to put on their socks, or your pre-teen is in the middle of an episode or is desperate to go to that party or match instead. We all know the struggle! Inevitably the question comes…“Why do we have to go to church if God is everywhere anyway?!”
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ArticleHoly habits for the school holidays: Helping your family stay close to God this summer
The rhythms and routines of mealtimes, school runs, work, clubs, and activities – though sometimes monotonous – are the familiar patterns that give our lives structure, help things stay on track and often provide small pockets of peace and predictability in busy family life. It’s within these routines that we can make space for God and discipling our children.
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ArticleMufasa: The Lion King is a picture of life after exams and school
At the end of last year, the Disney film Mufasa: The Lion King came out. I highly recommend it. It’s a story about trial and triumph, fighting and freedom – perhaps providing some much-needed inspiration for many young people who are bemoaning the stress of school. Many have finished their exams and are enjoying the clear skies and clear diaries; yet it will be a couple of weeks before others break up from school. This is the time to remind young people of that ancient wisdom, ‘work hard, play hard!’
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ArticleGemma Hunt: ‘your child doesn’t need a perfect parent - just a present one’
Gemma, what do you find difficult as a mum? I think it’s fair to say that parenting has never been a walk in the park—but wow, in this digital age, it feels like we’re facing a whole new level of challenge. Our own parents had their struggles too, of course, but now we’ve got smartphones in our pockets, social media on demand, and AI popping up in everything from homework help to shopping lists. It’s fast, it’s convenient… but if we’re honest, it’s also exhausting.
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ArticleAnswering children’s questions: Who made God?
This is the number one, most asked question by children, teens and even sometimes adults with the simplest answer: no one. But if the answer is so simple, then why do so many children keep on asking the question?
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Article3 Bibles that are great for Christian parents to use with their children
Scripture, the Word of God, the Bible is the most important and influential book ever written. It still hits bestseller lists worldwide and continues to breathe life into individuals, shaping the world.
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ArticleWhat’s your parenting style? Are you a dolphin?
There have been several animal parenting styles that I’ve talked about in the last few articles. Drawing on Solomon’s wisdom and the common grace that comes from the world, these styles can give us clues to self-reflecting on our own parenting styles.
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ArticleShould you let your child play sports on a Sunday?
A few years ago Christianity Today, a widely read magazine in America, published an article by Megan Hill, a mum who is going through this dilemma in real time. Her son was a good young baseball player with games on a Sunday. In her piece she wrestled with this problem and concluded:
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ArticleHow Christian parents can teach their children about personal safety
As Christian parents, we long to raise children who are both kind-hearted and confident—children who grow in wisdom, knowing they are deeply loved by God and equipped to live safely in the world. Jesus welcomed children with open arms, treating them with dignity and respect (Matthew 19:14), and warned strongly against those who would harm them (Matthew 18:6). That same heart of care must guide how we teach our children about personal safety.
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Article3 tips to help your youth and children love your church
As soon-to-be empty nesters, it seems we’ve nearly completed each level of the Christian parent’s “We’re all going to church this Sunday” quest!
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Article3 things Christian parents can do when engaging with RE in schools
When you hear the words ‘RE lesson’ what springs to mind? It may trigger memories of copying notes from a board or a book about things we didn’t really understand. It may be remembering particularly quirky teachers, or maybe you don’t remember RE lessons even happening!
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ArticleWhy Christian parents don’t embrace their children’s artistic gifts and what we can do about it
Picasso said: “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up”
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ArticleAs a Christian parent I don’t put my children on social media - this is why
I once listened to a children’s sermon about the power of our words and the harm they can cause. To illustrate his message, the pastor used a tube of toothpaste. He squeezed all of it out onto a tray, then asked one of the children to put the toothpaste back into the tube. Naturally, they couldn’t do it—once the toothpaste is out, it can’t be put back. His point being that the same is true of our words, once spoken they can’t be taken back. In today’s digital age, it seems the same holds true for what we share online—once something is posted, it’s nearly impossible to take it back. While some platforms like Snapchat automatically delete messages after a certain time (unless saved), one has to wonder: are these records ever truly gone?
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ArticleThe Serpent and The Seed: An online game that is a beautiful, generous gift to the world
Anyone familiar with Genesis 3:15 will immediately spot that this game has something to do with the Bible. For those less familiar, it’s an intriguing gateway into another world…
