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8/13/2018 August 13, 2018
 DO THIS // MEAL TIME Q & A for kids: Who is the wisest person you know? What do you think makes them wise? Q & A for parents: What was the best advice someone ever gave you?
 5 WAYS TO HELP YOUR KIDS MAKE WISE CHOICES
By Dan Scott As parents, we want our kids to grow up making good choices. We know that it is key to their success. So, how do we help our kids learn the importance of wisdom and making the wise choice even when it’s not easy? 1. Model your own decision-making process. Kids are concrete thinkers, and often that means they need help making connections that are intuitive to you. As you walk through a small decision, verbalize your thinking process and ask your kid’s opinion. If it’s a big choice you’re praying about (like buying a car or new home), pray with them as you ask God for wisdom. When your kids see you seeking wisdom, they’ll be more likely to do the same. 2. Tell stories. The Bible is full of people who both succeeded and failed at wisdom. Read those stories together and talk about the consequences they experienced. And not only the Bible, as you’re reading (or watching) anything with your children, pause and talk through the decisions you’re seeing played out in the storyline. Use these teachable moments to help kids discover more about wisdom . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG 8/6/2018 August 6, 2018
 DO THIS // MORNING TIME As you say goodbye this morning, tell your child, "Wisdom is something you search for. Be on the lookout for wisdom today!"
 MAKING THE MOST OF MEAL TIME
By Sarah Anderson We talk a lot about making the most of your family rhythm. One of the times you can leverage in your daily rhythm is mealtime. Read about other times you can leverage on theparentcue.org During the younger years mealtime is a circus. As kids get older it becomes a scheduling feat to get everyone around the table. With little to no effort, mealtime can lose any potency it has fairly easily. And that means we have to fight for it. So how do we make mealtime matter? To start, get around the table. Turn off the TV. Leave your phones on the counter. And start talking. The goal of this time is to establish your family values. Begin by deciding (with your spouse, if you’re married) three values you want to focus on that represent your family. Maybe your kids developing a faith of their own is a given, so think of three other character-based things to complement their faith. Do you want to be a family that celebrates respect? Honesty? Fun? Connection? Communication? Sports? Intelligence? Picking your top three doesn’t mean you don’t see the importance of other values, it just means you are going to work to elevate these three things. Then, use your time at the table to celebrate these things . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG 7/30/2018 July 30, 2018
 DO THIS // MEAL TIME Make up a family handshake or special high-five that you can use to encourage each other this month.
 WHAT YOU SHOULD BE STRIVING
FOR AS A PARENT By Jeff Brodie There are no perfect parents, and there are no perfect kids. So what is the ideal family? What should be our goal? When I look at my family, there is a tension between what is real and what is ideal. While I should be a patient parent, I can find myself making mistakes and pulling my hair out every day. God sets out some great ideals for us as parents. How do we handle the tension between what’s real and what’s ideal? The answer: We take our cues from a God who models this for us. One of the mysteries of God is his ability to hold up ideals for me to aim towards, but to hold out his arms with grace because He knows I won’t always meet them—all with the goal of seeing me grow in my faith as a person and a parent. You’ll never be a perfect parent, but you can strive for what’s best, while understanding that God is ready to forgive and walk alongside you every step of the way . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG 7/23/2018 July 23, 2018
 DO THIS // DRIVE TIME While in the car, start a conversation with your kid by asking the following questions. "What challenges are you facing this week? Anything you are nervous about? What would trusting that Jesus is with you facing those challenges look like?" Give your kid some ideas on how to face these challenges by encouraging them to pray, journal, or complete GodTime cards.
 PARENTING DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO EMPTY
By Amy Fenton I’m a single mom, managing three kids, trying to take care of my house, the bills, the food, our schedules. I work full time, plus side jobs, and I often find myself parenting dangerously close to empty. I am reminded of a few principles from the book Leading on Empty: Refilling Your Tank and Renewing Your Passion by Wayne Cordeiro that resonate in my parenting, that I want to share. KNOW WHAT FILLS YOUR TANK AND WHAT DRAINS IT. Make a list of “Fill” and “Drain” items. Our life, our very soul, has to be filled up in order to pour out. If I were to keep driving my car way past empty, my car would stall. If I only put three gallons of gas in each time I stopped to fill it, I wouldn’t make it very far. We are the same way. Are you putting less in than your giving out? . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG 7/16/2018 July 16, 2018
 DO THIS // BED TIME Have you ever started something big and then lost your nerve in the middle? It’s often easier to talk yourself into tackling something hard than to complete it. But you don’t have to do it on your own! Jesus is always with you and you can live with confidence that He's got this. Pray for each other, that you will keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and ask for His help all along the way.
 PASSING DOWN A FAITH-FILLED LIFE,
NOT A TRIAL-FREE LIFE By Courtney DeFeo I’ve watched my kids hurt many times and it stinks. My knee-jerk reaction is to protect, hover, block, or tackle—basically do anything to prevent my children from feeling pain. The same goes with their faith. I want them to fall in love with Jesus and never walk away, while at the same time never experience hardship. And then I realize I love them too much to desire a trial-free life. Because I remember my biggest moments of personal and spiritual growth were during my trials. Bringing faith to life in our home is a great privilege. I’m encouraged that we don’t have to have a perfect life to pass down a faith-filled life. God has got this. Our role is to simply teach our kids what we already know and to continue learning and sharing more day by day as we grow . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG 7/2/2018 July 2, 2018
 DO THIS // MORNING TIME When you see your child in the morning, tell them or hand them a special note saying, "Don't forget that God is always with you!"
 HOW TO FIND REFRESHMENT
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SUMMER By Sarah Bragg Think back to what summer was like before you were a grownup. Do you remember the glory of it? Summers used to be about recharging. Taking time off from the daily grind in order to come back refreshed. I think the people who need refreshment the most are parents, yet it’s sometimes most difficult for parents to find it. Instead, you find yourself just trying to hold on to your sanity as you try to figure out how to entertain your kids while school’s out. You become a constant referee in sibling warfare and get lost in a never-ending state of laundry (How do they wear so many clothes?). And if you hear “I’m bored” one more time, you may lock yourself in a closet. Summer comes and goes quickly. And much like a hurricane, your emotional, spiritual, and relational state of being can be tossed around and left in a state of destruction by the time school starts again. That’s why it’s important to think about how to safeguard your soul. Here’s your challenge: . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG 6/25/2018 June 25, 2018
 DO THIS // BED TIME Is there something in your life that seems impossible? Facing something big like that can make you feel helpless. But here’s the awesome thing to remember: God can do anything! You can live with confidence knowing that God can take away that obstacle in front of you or maybe carry you right through it. Pray that God will help you see how big He is so that you can live with confidence in Him.
 MAKING THE MOST OF DRIVE TIME
By Sarah Anderson For a lot of parents, and for a lot of kids, drive time is a necessary evil we have to endure before arriving at our final destination: the grandparents house, the soccer game, the carpool line, the grocery store, church, or wherever else. But drive time can become an opportunity when we infuse meaning into the every day moments we have with our kids. When you think about it, time in the car is packed full of potential. You are literally stuck in the same space with your kids as you drive from point A to point B. But this doesn’t have to be a death sentence. In fact, if you turn down the radio, turn off the DVD player, and use it as a time to connect with your kids, you may find yourself wishing for more . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG 6/18/2018 June 18, 2018
 DO THIS // DRIVE TIME While in the car, start a conversation that goes something like this, "God can use you no matter what. Do remember the note I wrote you that said all the wonderful things I see in you? What do you think you would want to do with those gifts one day?"
 WHAT I'VE LEARNED ABOUT BEING A DAD FROM BEING CLUELESS By Geoff Surratt Father’s Day always reminds me of my first day as a father. It was a glorious moment, my wife glowing, the angels singing, my perfect little child, cooing and cradled in my arms. Except that is not at all how it happened. After an intense labor, the doctor handed me a screaming bundle of kicking arms and legs, an unfamiliar creature with a striking resemblance to Yoda. I loved the idea of a son, but I had no idea what to do with the squirming baby I was awkwardly holding and silently wondered if I could get my money back. Though it has been a challenging ride, now my kids are grown, I wouldn’t trade being a father for anything. Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way: The best you can do is the best you can do. God chose you to parent your children. He knows you are goofy, clueless, and immature (maybe that’s just me), but He chose you anyway. You can’t be the perfect parent, or live up to the unrealistic expectations of others, all you can do is the best you can do. So do your best, and don’t worry about what anyone else is doing . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG  6/11/2018 June 11, 2018
 DO THIS // MEAL TIME Q & A for kids: What physical feat can you do better than anyone else you know? Q & A for parents: If you were all-powerful like God for a day, what would you do?
 FINDING CONFIDENCE IN PARENTINGBy Holly Crawshaw I’ve gotta be honest. Sometimes my confidence falters. It falters when I fail to trust my kids in God’s hands. It falters when I feel unappreciated. It falters when I let anxiety win. It falters when I judge other people. It falters when I let my to-do-list become more important than my relationships. Philippians 1:6 says, God began a good work in you. And I am sure that he will carry it on until it is completed . . ., NIrV. If I believe what the Bible says, I can be sure or confident that God will never let me down. Ever. I can be confident that God is always with me, even when I feel completely forgotten. I can be confident that I am good, even when I feel like a failure. I can be confident that He is working in me, and in my family, even when I can’t see any proof . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG  6/4/2018 June 4, 2018
 DO THIS // MORNING TIME Write a note that states at least two talents or gifts you see in your child. Remember what you write because it will come up in discussion later this month for drive time.
 MAKING MOMENTS ON PURPOSE By Carlos Whittaker I’ve heard it said that life is sprinting past us. I used to believe that. Until one day I stopped to look at a roly poly on the ground with my 4-year-old son. He was absolutely mesmerized by this thing. And I was mesmerized by him being mesmerized. I remember almost walking right by him to continue with some important grown up task. “DAD! LOOK! YOU HAVE TO LOOK!” So I got down on my belly, eye-level with that tiny insect. I was suddenly floored. Every single time my son touched that thing; it would roll into the most perfect circle I had ever seen. We lay on our bellies for almost 25 minutes playing with that thing. When I got up, I was all but ready to become president of the World Roly Poly Association. It was that amazing. A ROLY POLY! It was then that I realized the statement my generation loved to spit out, “Life is sprinting past us.” was wrong. We were actually sprinting past life. And, that was the day I decided to stop and live and be more intentional with them moments we have together as a family . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG  |
