Nothing is more central to Christian parenting than leading our children into their own participation in the life of the local church. But "parenting in the pew" comes with its challenges, especially in our children's early years! In today's episode Pastor Trice reminds us why including our children in congregational worship is worth all the effort, but he also gives practical advice concerning what is necessary for parents to do so in a wise and responsible way.

As valuable as those unplanned "teaching moments" are in the life of a Christian family, they are not enough to rely on for the long-term instruction of our children. In today's episode, Pastor Trice points to that biblical, time-tested spiritual discipline that contributes more than anything else to the peace and unity of our homes, and to the faithful instruction of our children in the faith.

God calls his people to bring their children up in the instruction of the Lord, but many parents don't feel qualified to be teachers, and some are even unsure of how to talk to their kids. In today's episode Pastor Trice focuses on the kind of instruction that grows up naturally in a culture of conversation in the home. This is the kind of teaching spoken of by Moses in a well-known parenting passage: "when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise" (Deuteronomy 6: 4-7).

Children need to grow up knowing, not only that they are loved, but also that they are not in charge. Yet there are subtle ways in which the devotion of parents can lead to an unhealthy centering of the home on the will of the children. In today's episode, Pastor Trice seeks to give examples of how this can happen, as well as some practical counsel about how to avoid it, for the sake of our children.

All Christians need to know that they are loved by God in two, wonderful ways. Especially parents need to know this, however, because their children need to be loved by them in the same two ways. In today's episode, Pastor Trice leads us in a meditation on God's love, both of devotion and delight, and how that guides us as parents in loving our children well.

The discipline of our children is a matter not only of deeds but also of words. In this week's episode, Pastor Trice considers the life-giving role that verbal discipline has in our children's lives, and also warns against the destructive counterfeits of it that can arise.

Parents who are seeking to carry out the biblical teaching on spanking encounter a host of practical and prudential questions. In this week's episode, Pastor Trice offers advice on some of the most common of those questions, particularly with first time parents in mind.

There is a world of difference between a biblical spanking and an abusive spanking. In this week's episode, Pastor Trice walks parents through the characteristics of the kind of spanking that does lasting good for our children. Then, in the second half of the podcast, Pastor Trice warns against the kind of spanking that truly constitutes a form of abuse of children.

In this episode Pastor Trice presents the biblical teaching on spanking as a method of parental discipline. Despite the modern day controversy over spanking, Pastor Trice demonstrates from Scripture that, rightly used, it is a vital means of grace in the lives of our children.

The discipline of children is hard! It's certainly one of the hardest parts of Christian parenting. But in this week's episode, Pastor Trice reminds us of what loving and prayerful discipline produces in the lives of our children, and what makes it worth all the effort. Link to a sermon on "The Fear of God": https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=81219165936061