‘Unspeakable heartbreak’: parenting a prodigal child in a ministry home
Sadly, some of our children don’t come to Jesus in repentance and faith but turn away in hostile rebellion.
A cocktail of external social influences can mix with internal trauma, hormones, and indwelling sin to stir up hostility to parents in general and Christianity in particular. Whilst we still love them dearly, such children bring us unspeakable heartbreak. And, in a ministry home, we and our children have the added pressure of having our congregation watching us. We feel the heaviness of our responsibilities to both our children and our church. O Lord, help us!
imperfect parenting
The preacher’s perils
'Imperfect Mum'
Dear Preacher, We are so thankful for the preaching gift God has blessed you with – a gift that has blessed us and our children, and our church family, for longer than you’ll ever know.
But please, stop apologising for the length of your preaching or the number of points your sermon has! I worry about the message it sends to our children.
Education: parental rights focus
Christian Values in Education has held its
annual National Conference in Chessington,
London, guided by its new chairman, Dan
Sayers (pictured).
Almost 300 people gathered – half of
whom were children –
for
two keynote
addresses amidst a number of children’s
activities and in the presence of the many
Conference exhibitors.
'Boys and young men are in crisis'
When delivering the 2025 Dimbleby Lecture this week, Former England Football manager Sir Gareth Southgate highlighted the dearth of male role models in contemporary society.
“We need leaders to set the right tone. To be the role models we want for our young men. We have to show young men that character is more important than status. That how you treat others is more important than how much money you make.”