We spend a great deal of time lamenting the messes in our lives: our homes are cluttered, our bank account stressed, and our commitments overwhelming. But the mess is often indicative of the abundant life God has given us. This devotion from Proverbs 14:4 reminds us to be thankful in the midst of the mess as we look forward to the day when Jesus ultimately makes all things new.

 

• Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email - https://bit.ly/3EDH56y

• www.helptheaddictedchild.com 

One of the greatest fears shared by moms and dads around the world is their child becoming addicted to drugs. While the motivations for using and abusing alcohol and drugs have largely stayed the same, the actual substances continue to evolve, and their availability keeps increasing. Richard Capriola is the author of The Addicted Child: A Parents Guide to Adolescent Substance Abuse. He joins me to talk about the brain changes that happen with drug use, the most prevalent substances used by teens today, what to do if you find your teen using, and where to go for help if your child is addicted.

 

Richard Capriola has been a mental health and substance abuse counselor for over two decades. He recently retired from Menninger Clinic in Houston Texas where for over a decade he treated adolescents and adults diagnosed with mental health and substance abuse diagnoses. He is the author of The Addicted Child: A Parent's Guide to Adolescent substance abuse which is available on Amazon and from the book's website http://www.helptheaddictedchild.com

 

Resources Mentioned:

• Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email - https://bit.ly/3EDH56y

• www.helptheaddictedchild.com

• Richard’s Book - The Addicted Child: A Parents Guide to Adolescent Substance Abuse -https://amzn.to/3usGQ9U 

One of the most common conversations I have is helping parents determine what to do when their child doesn’t want to come to church. The reasons are as varied as the child, and we want to make sure we understand why they might hate church before we jump to our response. Today I go through many different reasons why our children might not like church, as well as several possible solutions for you to encourage their love of the church and enjoyment of the services.

 

Sign Up for My Things For Thursday Email - https://bit.ly/3EDH56y 

As we pray and ask God to intervene in our lives, sometimes in our lives, sometimes we see miraculous breakthrough. But often either nothing happens or we experience the very opposite of what we were praying. In times like this, many people walk away from their faith. How are we to keep our faith in Jesus when things go so wrong? I posed this question to Dr. Samuel Thomas of Hopegivers. Dr. Thomas is no stranger to suffering, as his life of service to the orphan, widow, and unreached of India has lead to assassination attempts, jail, and sorrow upon sorrow. Hear Dr. Thomas’ inspiring answer, given from a perspective forged in the fire of trusting Jesus when you have nothing else to cling to.

 

Dr. Samuel Thomas is known throughout India as a leading humanitarian. As president and CEO of Hopegivers, Dr. Thomas helps connect those with a ministry heart in the western world with those in greatest need in India and South Asia. The ministry of Hopegivers, started by Dr. Thomas’ father M.A. Thomas, has planted over 90,000 churches and cared for more than 10,000 orphan in the last sixty years. Dr. Samuel, along with his wife Shelly, have two sons, Timothy and Stephen.

 

Resources Mentioned: • The Stories of Hope with Dr. Samuel Thomas Podcast - https:// podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stories-of-hope-with-dr-samuel-thomas/ id1545599796

• www.hopegivers.org

• LPOP 206: The Child of a Murderer Becomes and Orphan Leader https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lets-parent-on-purpose-with-jayholland/id1190973394?i=1000503590306 

Nontraditional families are the new traditional family. In the United States, most of Europe, and many other countries, blended families outnumber “traditional” ones. The challenges of a blended family are magnitudes higher than what most couples anticipate. My guest Ron L. Deal is one of the Christian world’s foremost experts on blended families. He shares many of the unexpected challenges a blended family will face, as well as practical tools to help your family thrive and honor God.

 

Ron L. Deal is one of the most widely read and viewed experts on blended families in the country. He is president of Smart Stepfamilies, directs the blended family ministry at FamilyLife, and is the author of more than a dozen books and resources, including the bestselling The Smart Stepfamily and Building Love Together in Blended Families (with Dr. Gary Chapman). Ron is a licensed marriage and family therapist, popular conference speaker, and host of the podcast FamilyLife Blended with Ron Deal. He and his wife, Nan, have been married since 1986 and have three boys. Learn more at rondeal.org and familylife.com/blended.

 

Resources Mentioned:

Website: https://www.rondeal.org and https://www.familylife.com/ blended

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/familylifeblended/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RonLDeal

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/familylifeblended/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/FamilyLifeBlended 

Ron’s New Book: Preparing to Blend: The Couple’s Guide to Becoming a Smart Stepfamily - https://amzn.to/3yrA7NO 

Seven years after his initial diagnosis for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia,my son Elijah has relapsed. In this episode I share the details of how we found out, an explanation of leukemia and treatment, as well as the potential road ahead for our family. I also share the very real emotions we are struggling through, how God had spiritually prepared me through scripture, and how our family is seeking to help Elijah see this crisis as an open door for the work of Jesus. In hearing our story, by God’s grace you will see how God also wants you to look for the open door for Jesus in the midst of your crisis.

Losing a Child isn’t the Last Word with Diana Grounds: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lets-parent-on-purpose-with-jay-holland/id1190973394?i=1000502221159

Finding a Mission in the Midst of Chemotherapy with Elijah Holland: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/235-finding-a-mission-in-the-midst-of/id1190973394?i=1000529205324

Elijah’s No Longer Orphans Chemo Challenge: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MTI0MTIzSponsor

Behavior should make us curious. As we seek to discern the motive behind our children’s behavior, we can more effectively match the behavior to a consequence that will guide them towards healthy decisions. I’m joined by my church’s Children’s Ministry Director, Caroline Todd, as we discuss four different functions behind our kid’s behavior. Caroline discusses sensory seeking behavior, escape behavior, attention-seeking behavior, and tangible behavior.

As we get better at identifying the motive behind our kids’ actions, we can make better plans for redirecting, correcting, or reinforcing negative and positive behavior. These skills will help you with your own children, in a classroom setting, and might even give you insight on how to better love your spouse!

 

Caroline Todd is the Director of Children’s Ministry at Covenant Fellowship Baptist Church. She is a graduate of Palm Beach Atlantic University with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Special Education. Before serving at Covenant, Caroline worked as an Applied Behavior Therapist for Special Needs Children. Caroline is married to her high school sweetheart, Nathan Todd.

 

Resources Mentioned: LPOP 46 Behavior Should Make Us Curious with Bradley McCallister - https://www.letsparentonpurpose.com/2017/11/27/lpop-46-behavior-shouldmake-us-curious/

www.covenantfellowship.com 

As I begin a new series called “Hard Conversations”, Pastor Matt Price and I discuss Paul’s instructions for husbands, wives, children, slaves, and masters. We compare the Colossians 3 and Ephesians 5 texts, and set the stage for the Roman family and slave culture that permitted the New Testament world. Matt and I talk about how these text call every believer to first view their world through the lease of the gospel and not their power dynamic. We also speak to recent and historical abuses of this text. Pauls words were not meant to be a weapon used against another individual, but a call to live with meaning and dignity, remembering that we will all give an account to God for the way we loved one another.

 

Matt Price is the senior pastor of Covenant Fellowship Baptist Church in Stuart, Florida, where he has served for 25 years. Matt and his wife Jenny have been married for 30 years and have five biological and adoptive children. They have fostered a local church environment centered on the gospel, service, and transparency.

 

Resources Mentioned:

Love and Respect - https://amzn.to/3kbpsl5

In the final devotion in our Heart-Check Series, we look at the challenge of proverbs 4:23 “Guard your heart, for out if flow the wellsprings of life”. Jay talks about why it is so important to guard our hearts. He encourages us to notice four areas that might derail our hearts: apathy, bitterness, community, doubt.

Finally, Jay gives encouragement on how to go from the defensive to the offensive in protecting our hearts. This is a devotion that speaks to parents, children, spouses, and singles.

The book of Proverbs gives amazing guidance for nearly every area of life. Each chapter is filled with incredible principles to guide us. Sometimes, though, things don’t work out exactly like the proverb states. In these situations, it’s important to remember that value of the other Biblical Wisdom Literature - Job and Ecclesiastes.

 

Resources Mentioned: https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/job/