the BLOPE

When and How to Talk to My Child about Pornography - Parent Cue: It may be accidental, or it may be on purpose, but the odds are that porn will at one time be a part of your child’s development.

This is a great article from the folks over at Parent Cue about pursuing your student when they most need you to. Some great questions, plus a bonus resource with even more questions that will help you learn more about your kid.  4 Questions to Ask When You Notice a Shift in Your Child's Behavior - Parent Cue : Sometimes shifts in behavior are clear as day; other times they’re more subtle. We can pretend they aren’t happening, or we can be brave and lean in.

  Check out this article from Parent Cue

World War III doesn’t seem that impossible when you experience it first hand. It has to start somewhere right. Well, I believe with the fiercest of beliefs that these world changing wars  begin  in the back seats of minivans! And I don’t care what the ages are of the children who are sitting in the back of those minivans. Whether they are 2 or 18, they have a hard time sharing even the same air without some kind of skirmish resulting. Why do siblings have such a hard time getting along let alone acting like they love each other? Even the very first siblings, Cain and Abel, obviously had very serious issues! Siblings will forever be competitive with one another. They compete for the best grades. They compete for athletic positions. But mostly, they feel they are competing for your attention. And their sibling stands in the way of that accomplishment in their mind. Is one of your children more athletic than the other? Can one sing and the other can’t? Does one teen make better grades wit

In our last post we talked about the power of symbols.  I challenged you to consider how you could use symbols as a tool to help you pass down faith to your teenager. The reason I believe this is an appropriate method is that God used it. In Genesis 9:13-17 God used a rainbow as a symbol of His promise In Genesis 28:18-22 Jacob established a monument to remind himself of God’s promise to bless his descendants In Genesis 7:8-13 Aaron’s staff became a symbol to Pharaoh of God’s presence with the Israelites and His power  In Exodus 12 the Passover feast is rich with symbolism none more important than the use of the Lamb to represent coming salvation and it goes on and on…. the monument of 12 stones when the tribes of Israel crossed the Jordan river the 10 commandments given on stone tablets the ark of the covenant the Temple on an on… It’s not just in the Old Testament either.  In the New Testament we see symbols: the gifts of the Magi to Jesus in Luke 2 Jesus washing His disciples’ feet

I want to talk to you today about symbols.  A symbol is an object that has meaning attached to it, but it is also a great tool in the parent’s tool belt. Here are some examples of important symbols you may have in your life that carry important meaning: a wedding ring refrigerator art from when your teenager was a child a family heirloom that was passed down to you a moment in time that was captured in a photograph an item from your childhood home that takes you back in time when you look at it Symbols are powerful.  Today I would like to suggest that you harness the power of symbols to help pass down faith to your teenager. I will never forget when I visited Washington D.C. when I was in college.  We walked from monument to monument trying to understand something about the importance of America’s history. Washington D.C. is filled with symbols.  Each monument, each museum, and each statue tells the story of our nation. The power of symbols is evident today. Look how many are being tor