Tips

7 Ways to Make Halloween Less Scary Halloween can be a challenging holiday for Christian parents. Should we be for Halloween or against it? Our answer is: it depends! Our greater goal is to take the celebrations of the world and use them as opportunities to do good. We don’t want to villainize the day…

Don Manning, Crazy Cool Family When Parenting Styles Clash Do you sometimes have conflicts with your wife — about parenting your children? Understanding Our Differences It’s common for a husband and wife to have different temperaments and parenting styles. In spite of our society’s efforts to try to make us the same, the fact is…

For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths. Proverbs 5:21 When we read this verse, it’s easy to picture God as a stern father—watching our every move, ready to correct us the moment we step out of line. We imagine Him “examining” our paths like a teacher…

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Luke 6:45 Have you been through Session One of our guide Building Family Relationships?…

I was talking to a dad at a men’s conference, and he asked me this question…. “My five-year-old son said a bad word. How should I respond to him?”  (I won’t say the bad word he said here but let’s just say it has to do with bodily function.) I asked him, “Is this the…

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And…

Don shares how recently he and Suzanne did a seminar at their church. Read the encouragement and challenge in today’s Daily Practice.  The day after speaking at our church, Suzanne got a call from a parent who attended the class. These parents have been under our teaching for a few years. They were a little…

What is culture? It is a way of thinking or working that exists in a place or organization. Better question: What is the culture in your home? Culture is how your home feels. Maybe a better way to understand culture is not to think about your family, but to think about other families in your…

We sometimes get asked, “Why do you call it Crazy Cool? I don’t want my family to be crazy!” Great question. The truth is—God’s ways are crazy to the world. God told Gideon to shrink his army to just 300 men.  David faced off against a giant with only a sling.  God commanded the Israelites…

Quick suggestion for today. Ready?  When you talk to your teenager, channel your inner teenager. Remember back when you were a teenager. What were you struggling with? What did you think about your parents? What was important to you? Who were you trying to impress? How did I want my parents to talk to me? …

When you are talking to your spouse or your children, how long after they finish speaking do you pause before you speak?  (If you interrupt them, think of that as a negative pause.) The pause in conversations with family members has so many benefits!  Let’s review just a few here: The pause helps the other…

“Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and…

“At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”  Matthew 24:10-13 Jesus…

Read as Don shares insight in today’s tip. I was watching the Masters golf tournament recently. As a golfer who was happy shooting anywhere in the high 80’s, I can only imagine what it must be like to hit a driver over 300 yards right down the fairway, then chip the ball on the green…

Don shares about relationships in today’s tip. Check it out! I was talking to a couple of dads the other day whom I have known for a long time. For both, their kids love the Lord, and these men are so proud of them. They were wondering why they were blessed with great kids even…