Tag Archives: family values

Duke and the Great Pie War (2005)

This installment in the VeggieTales collection of spoofed Bible stories was a little bit odd to me. I didn’t find it as well constructed as the films of the past. I knew they were trying to make a point, but I didn’t feel they actually made it. Let’s take a closer look at it. The theme for the show was loving your family. We see Laura Carrot as Miriam, older sister to baby Moses. She resents having to take care of the baby while her parents are working in the brickyard as Pharoah’s slaves. She used to get all the … Continue reading →

What Value Do You Put On Family?

How much time do you spend with your family? Is it more than three minutes a day, one to one? Karen Kingsbury in the after word of her novel ‘Family’ which is part of the Firstborn series, claims ‘national statistics say that most parents spend only three minutes each day having one-on-one time with their kids.’ As I read that sentence I found it hard to believe, perhaps because family has always been important to me. My husband and I made the decision early in our marriage that we would rather have a less spacious house in a less affluent … Continue reading →

Battling a Materialistic Culture

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I remember when I first understood what the word “materialistic” meant. I was in my freshman year of college sitting in a Sunday school class that was discussing modernist and post-modernist philosophies when I heard the word defined. Of course, I knew people who were obsessed with having “stuff”, but I didn’t know there was an actual word for it. Since that time my eyes have been opened to see the sickening level of materialism in this country. More relevantly, my eyes have been opened to the materialism that lurks within my own heart. For instance, before my husband and … Continue reading →

Getting Teens Involved in Church

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My husband and I have the privilege of working with the Youth Group in our church. For several months when we first began this ministry, our focus was on serving them. We planned events that would entertain and encourage them, and spent much time deciding on games and activities that we hoped they would enjoy. While it is good to plan activities for the youth in the church, it is equally important to get the youth involved in the ministries of the church. My husband and I caught this vision and began planning service ministries in which the teens in … Continue reading →

Should You Let Your Teenager Attend High School Dances?

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What is a high school dance? To a teenager, a high school dance is an opportunity for he or she to get together with their friends, listen to music, dance and have a good time. Dances are a time when relationships are formed between guys and girls. I still remember the high school dances I went to. I remember dancing with that certain guy who made my stomach jittery and my palms sweat. Conversely, I remember the pain of rejection when a guy I really liked never asked me to dance. In a way, high school dances are a way … Continue reading →

Do You Have Time for God?

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In Exodus chapters 20-24 God gives Moses and the Israelites His laws for them. He begins with the Ten Commandments and then goes on to give several, more specific guidelines for how He wants His followers to behave towards each other. After God finishes speaking, He says in 14:12, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them (the Israelites).” I don’t know about you, but if I was Moses I … Continue reading →

Need Vs. Want

With teenagers, I find that our understanding of the difference between what is a necessity and what is a luxury is very seldom matching. Despite all the “prep” work I did as they were growing up, we’ve definitely entered a phase where outside pressures–media, peers, societal expectations, comparisons, etc.–are all pulling rather heavily. And, I am left as the lone voice of dissention in my house clinging to my own realities of what is necessary and what is not. There are a lot of things I could live without–and I’m looking forward to the day when my kids are launched … Continue reading →

Family Values Statements

As parents, we try to teach our kids values on a daily basis. One way to do this is by example. Many families take it a step further and actually create a written family values statement. Similar to a company’s mission statement, your family values statement is a written set of beliefs and behavior guidelines that everyone in your family agrees to live by. To write your family values statement everyone will need to be involved in the process. A good time to work on it is during family meetings, if you have them. If not, you will have to … Continue reading →

Character Education Begins At Home

What is character education? Character education is the teaching of virtues. To many people the word virtue has an old-fashioned and negative connotation. Yet the lack of basic virtues is what is causing our society to crumble. Because children are not being taught character education in the home. Shouldn’t something with the word education in it be taught at school? Although character education is taught in schools it is not always the education that you want your child to receive. Plus if virtues are not reinforced and modeled at home the child will not exhibit good character, or positive virtues, … Continue reading →

Honesty

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The world we live in is filled with lies. Lies of every shape and size surround us. The world says that some lies are ok, as long as it keeps someone from being hurt. However, the Bible clearly teaches that lying is wrong and makes no distinction between a little lie and a big lie. In Colossians 3:9 the Bible states: “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices.” One of the most basic values and traits that we should have and exhibit is honesty. Children should be taught to … Continue reading →