I just received my second issue of “Thriving Family’ by Focus on the Family. It is packed with great information for the entire family.I am finding it to be one of my best resources. There are four sections: family stages, family media, family faith and family life. Come to our next EPIC night or go here  to check it out. Here are two quotesamong many that stood out to me:

“Setting standards for respectful behavior early is important in a child’s life. If a child speaks to authority in a tone that’s less than respectful, and his behavior is excussed, the issue is being avoided. It may be called “age-appropriate behavior”, but it’s never appropriate.” Fromthe book ”Giving Your Child the Excellence Edge” by Vicki Caruana

“The primary goal for 9 – to 11- year-olds is to receive God’s grace. The majority of people who trust Christ as Savior do so before they are teens. Said another way, if your children do not come to faith in Christ by the time they are teens, the likelihood begins to quickly decrease that they will do so. That means you must do two things: First, make certain that your children fully understand the Gospel. Second, ask God to help you discern the authenticity of their decision. Countless kids “respond” to the Gospel outwardly because of pressure from a Sunday school teacher or parent, while in their hearts they remain reluctant to submit to Christ. To understand your children’s faith, ask questions: “Can you explain why Jesus died on the Cross?” “What does someone have to do to go to heaven?” “Why do you think you are a Christian?” Responses such as “I prayed a prayer” or “The teacher told me I was a Christian” may indicate they are trusting in the wrong thing.” From the article “Introducing you children to God” by Larry Fowler