Sometimes, the first day of school feels more like New Year’s Day than the first of January does. Classes are back in session; fall sports, religious ed, and other activities and meetings resume&mdasha new year has begun! It seems like a logical time for making a “back-to-school” resolution. Continue »

Even in my youth, I knew that teaching children is both a calling and a gift and that God was calling me to the teaching profession. Heeding that call, I have spent more than twenty-five years in the classroom, working with students of various ages and abilities. Perhaps some of the lessons I have learned there, as well as from raising a daughter and son, may help other parents to improve their children's academic performance—and to emerge from the often tumultuous school years with sanity intact! Continue »

It doesn't take Doppler radar to reveal the storms in our lives. Apart from global terrorism and local violence, every family experiences turmoil: mismatched expectations, needy relatives, rebellious children, mounting debt, sudden unemployment, perplexing choices, beginnings and endings full of uncertainty. Yes, we are "battered by the waves . . . for the wind (is) against" us (Matthew 14:24). Continue »

As the new school year begins, parenting magazines, chat rooms, and talk shows come alive with suggestions for success in the schoolroom. There's enthusiasm, and often good advice, for ... Continue »

What kind of high school kid would put off dating? A weirdo? An unearthly, super-spiritual type? Someone who’s made an early vow of celibacy? Well, I’m none of the above. In fact, I have to admit that my initial decision not to date had little to do with God. It all started out with some logic. Continue »

1. Especially if you tend to be trigger-happy with your emotions, make an effort to defuse your anger right from the start: Take a deep breath, count to ten, and pray a quick, “Come, Holy Spirit!” Continue »