Doesn’t Proverbs 22:6 promise that kids who are raised properly by their parents will turn out alright? That’s not been our experience at all. Our college-age son walked away from his faith a year ago and started engaging in some extremely destructive behaviors. Now his younger sister seems to be following in his footsteps. We’re …
Spiritual Growth Q&A
Could “night terrors” be demonic in origin? I have serious concerns about some of the advice your ministry and certain other Christian organizations are giving on this subject. We’ve confronted this problem in our family. Our son used to wake up screaming and go wandering through the house in the middle of the night. Experience …
Should we allow our adolescent to get a tattoo? Doesn’t the Bible forbid them? Our 16-year-old wants to get one, but we’ve held off on any serious discussion of the matter, in part because we’re so shocked that we don’t know what to say. How should we, as responsible Christian parents, react to this request?
Should we force our adolescent son to attend church with us? He used to enjoy it, but now has no interest in going at all. We want to respect his independence and give him the freedom to make age-appropriate decisions for himself, but it also worries us to think that he may be drifting away …
Is it wrong to tell children what they should believe about God? Isn’t that a form of “indoctrination?” I’m thinking it’s better to allow kids to make up their own minds.
Is it wrong for me as a parent to feel proud of my child and to tell him so? I understand that, from a human perspective, it’s normal and natural to feel this way. But as a Christian I know that the Bible has some very severe things to say about the sin of pride. …
How can we raise our kids effectively when so many of our friends and family members hold perspectives and values that conflict with our beliefs? We’re a strong Christian family and we require our children to live by Christian standards of behavior. But not everyone shares our faith, and it’s frustrating to feel as if …
How can I help my son hold on to his faith in college? He’s a junior at the university, and I’m very concerned about the state of his relationship – or lack thereof – with the Lord. His faith doesn’t seem to mean as much to him as it did during his high school years. …
How can we make family prayer a priority? We’re a Christian family and my spouse and I are eager to raise our kids in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Can you give us some helpful pointers in this area? Our children are small, and it’s been a real struggle to make prayer times …
Do you have any suggestions for more effective ways to worship and study the Bible together as a family? We’ve tried hard to have regular devotions at our house, but it’s been difficult and discouraging because our children seem so bored and uninvolved. Can you help us?
