I have seen my youngest daughter perform in piano and dance recitals, sing in choirs and as a soloist, participate in golf tournaments and play in basketball games. I have witnessed her relate to children and adults with equal poise and deportment.   I am very proud of her accomplishments and am amazed at the grace she exudes. But today 18 ½ years into her life, I experienced an even … [Read more...]

God is Sovereign.  Man in his fallen state wants to be Sovereign. The sin in the garden was man saying: “I am not willing to serve God as Sovereign”.  We are all born with the same Adamic nature and want to do things on our own terms.  Every child is born with that Adamic nature.  He wants to be Sovereign, have his own way, and wants the parent to think on his terms and give in to his … [Read more...]

For the past eighteen-plus years, my daughter and I have spent countless hours with each other. Even though she will reach her eighteenth birthday in a couple of weeks, I date our relationship from the day I went to the local pregnancy center for a pregnancy test. Having been a supporter for years, it seemed a fitting location to confirm that my third child was on the … [Read more...]

Hannah was a woman clothed with beauty. She was one of the wives of Elkanah and her great distress was that she was childless while her rival Peninnah was favored with sons and daughters. Peninnah in marked contrast to Hannah was graceless, senseless and proud. She seemed to triumph over Hannah's misfortunes. Hannah had to endure the reproach of Peninnah at home but the annual worship … [Read more...]

A woman once fretted over the usefulness of her life. She feared she was wasting her potential being a devoted wife and mother.  She wondered if the time and energy she invested in her husband and children would make a difference. At times she got discouraged because so much of what she did seemed to go unnoticed and unappreciated. "Is it worth it?" she often wondered. "Is there something … [Read more...]

("The Duties of Parents") Instruction, and advice, and commands will profit little-- unless they are backed up by the pattern of your own life! People will never believe you are in earnest, so long as your actions contradict your counsel. They see our ways. They mark our conduct. They observe our behavior. Strive rather to be a living epistle of Christ, such as your … [Read more...]

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised - Proverbs 31:30 A wise woman fears God. Her life is a life lived in whole-hearted obedience to Him. (Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil - Ecc 12:13) A godly woman understands … [Read more...]

Parents are always looking for role models for their children. Whether it is a sports figure, musician, political leader, or other public figure, the temptation is to motivate by means pointing to an exemplary life. The problem is that often those lives are not exemplary and much of what is known about them is crafted fiction. In much the same way that portrait photos can be … [Read more...]