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Age of Opportunity - A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens by Paul David Tripp

Paul David Tripp is an outstanding author and counselor. Here is a book and its table of contents on parenting teens. The images are linked to his website where you can find a heavily discounted price and also an audio book version.

Crosswalk.com - Parenting Teens - Articles

The teenage years are difficult ones and often parents of teenagers struggle with communicating with their children about difficult issues. I want to HIGHLY recommend the articles available at Crosswalk.com on Parenting Teens. Here are some examples of their wealth of archived articles....

Tough Questions

In recent months I have fielded a lot of tough questions on issues that can easily become controversial or divisive if handled without a Biblical foundation and Christian love. Here are some good resources/links for some of those topics/areas of interest: Within each of these websites are links to a plethora of rich & Biblically-based resources! Gotquestions.org (a GREAT starting place for all tough questions) Answers in Genesis Institute for Creation Research Council on Biblical Manhood & Womanhood The Danvers Statement (stance on Biblical manhood and womanhood) Evangelical Feminism & Biblical Truth by Wayne Grudem 50 Crucial Questions by John Piper & Wayne Grudem Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine by Wayne Grudem Baptist Faith & Message (comparison of 1925, 1963, & 2000 versions) International Council on Biblical Inerrancy - Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy & Biblical Application (Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals) 9Marks Ministries (Church Health/Polity issues) 4Truth.net (Apologetics - Defending the Faith, Answers to Cults, Sects, & World Religions) Together for the Gospel Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (EXCELLENT counseling materials, resources, & books for life issues)

Unselfish Children

Read a good article titled "Raise Unselfish Children in a Self-Absorbed World." The author's (Jill Rigby) main points are based off of her same-titled book:
  1. Take a hard look at yourself.
  2. Accept responsibility and make a plan.
  3. Take charge of your kids.
  4. Meet all of your children's needs, but not all of their desires.
  5. Encourage your kids to place their confidence in God rather than in themselves.
  6. Cultivate compassion in your children.
  7. Build family togetherness.
  8. Help your kids learn how to forgive.
  9. Cultivate generosity and gratitude.
  10. Give your children opportunities to serve their community.
  11. Help your kids make a positive difference in the world.
  12. Parent with eternity in view.

Christian Quotes - Marriage

Christian marriage quotes from http://christianquotes.org/ "Marriage: A community consisting of a master, a mistress, and two slaves, making in all, two." -Ambrose Bierce "There is no more lovely, friendly or charming relationship, communion or company, than a good marriage." -Martin Luther "The Bible opens and closes with a wedding." -Selwyn Hughes "Marriage is an exclusive union between one man and one woman, publicly acknowledged, permanently sealed, and physically consummated." -Selwyn Hughes "Marriage was ordained for a remedy and to increase the world and for the man to help the woman and the woman the man, with all love and kindness." -William Tyndale "Wholly abstain or wed." -George Herbert "I have known many happy marriages, but never a compatible one. The whole aim of marriage is to fight through and survive the instant when incompatibility becomes unquestionable." -G.K. Chesterton "Don't marry for money; you can borrow it cheaper." -Author Unknown "In marriage, being the right person is as important as finding the right person." -Wilbert Donald Gough "It is not marriage that fails; it is people that fail. All that marriage does is to show them up." -Harry Emerson Fosdick "Making marriage work is like running a farm. You have to start all over again each morning." -Author Unknown

Christian Quotes - Parenting

Found a neat website of Christian quotes (http://christianquotes.org/.....with documentation). It has a great search feature by topic or author.... Here a few parenting quotes... "There are few principles of human nature stronger than that of imitation." -Lord Palmerston "The children will follow the example, instead of following the advice." -Lord Palmerston "Snow and adolescence are the only problems that disappear if you ignore them long enough." -Earl Wilson "American youngsters tend to live as if adolescence were a last fling at life, rather than a preparation for it." -Author Unknown "For adult education nothing beats children." -Author Unknown "One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters." -George Herbert "Serve God by doing common actions in a heavenly spirit, and then, if your daily calling only leaves you cracks and crevices of time, fill them up with holy service." -Charles Spurgeon "Mothers are the most instinctive philosophers." -Harriet Beecher Stowe

Creation vs. Evolution

My little sister recently asked me a short, but difficult question: “What are your thoughts about evolution?” Here are some excerpts of my response: Whenever I have tough questions, http://www.gotquestions.org/ is a GREAT starting point. They usually give concise and biblical answers, point to scripture references, and direct you to good resources as well. Here is a list of questions they have answered on creation: http://www.gotquestions.org/search.php?zoom_sort=0&zoom_query=creation I would read the gotquestions answers before you go anywhere else. Dr. Mohler (president of my seminary, and nationally-known Christian commentator) wrote a good blog today about how Christians should regard/consider archaeological evidence. http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=1184 Here are some other websites if you want to go even deeper: http://www.answersingenesis.org/ http://www.icr.org/ I used to use http://www.reasons.org/ and Hugh Ross as a resource, but John MacArthur pointed me to some very good points about his methodology in prioritizing general revelation through nature over God’s special revelation in Scripture. Things to keep in mind regarding Creation/Evolution discussions: 1) lots of discussion on evolution (like the end times) can degenerate into prideful/"I know more than you" type arguments 2) God's Word trumps Science over and over and over. The Bible is true and can be trusted for all things. The creation account in Genesis 1-3 is literal and not figurative. 3) You will never have all the answers in regard to God. He is infinite and we are finite/limited, to include in our academic/reasoning ability. Be careful not to limit God with human logic/reason and our own limited capacities. 4) Bottom line of creation: God created. Some of my specific thoughts to Christian responses to evolution (keep in mind I am limited in my understanding on these things...hence my usage of “probable”) Serious Doubts/Probably Unbiblical Interpretations: Day-Age, Framework, Old-Earth, Theistic Evolution, Gap Theory More probable/biblical: Mature Earth (created mature), Young Earth, 6 Literal Days Some good quotes from John MacArthur: "evolution was invented in order to eliminate the God of Genesis and thereby to oust the Lawgiver and obliterate the inviolability of His law” "Scripture, not science, is the ultimate test of all truth" "Absolutely nothing in the text of Genesis 1:1–2:3 speaks of evolution or long geological ages in the creation process" "In other words, what God made did not evolve. He gave the order, and it came into existence complete and fully functioning." THE BATTLE FOR THE BEGINNING: The Bible on Creation and the Fall of Adam by John MacArthur seems like a good reference for you if you want to go more in depth. I just finished skimming through it, and it is a solid, biblically-based resource. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deep in storehouses.Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.(Psalm 33:6–9)
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