It should not surprise us as parents when children try to avoid doing their assigned work. They will naturally want to cut corners and present less than their best if we allow them to. As parents, we must remember the work accomplished on the cross at Calvary and give our children the reasons why it matters to complete their assigned work. It is the discipline they will need later in life when the Lord calls them to do a mighty work in their generation.

A new game has developed in the Clark family household called "Arrest That Thought!" It came about as a way to help my daughters police their thoughts, filter what they see and hear in culture through the lens of Scripture, and put action to their professed faith.

To believe or not to believe is a question we as parents have been asking ourselves and our children often this year. As often as we encounter difficulty in the day-to-day, our faith is tested. We find ourselves in a proofing season that requires us to put hands and feet to what our lips profess. As often as the convictions of our heart move us to take action towards what we say we believe, we have to ask the hard question: do you believe?

The feet that carry the good news of the Gospel are blessed! Part of the Armor of God is the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. As our children grow in their relationship with Jesus and how we, as parents, witness and model Christ-likeness in the ministry of home and family, they will naturally desire to use their talents to glorify God. All we have to do is steward what bubbles out of a willing heart and resist the temptation of being a stumbling block in their life.

Warfare is a sensitive reality that is difficult to introduce and teach to children. The warfare we see and experience in the physical begins in unseen places. Fortunately for the Christian, Scripture outlines how to explain to our children why mankind wars with one another. How our nature was corrupted through the disobedience of one man, Adam, why humanity "wars" with God through its rejection of Jesus Christ, we war within our own flesh, and we war with our fellow man made in God's image. Physical and spiritual war has a stench. It is a foul odor. The enemy of our souls and the world loves it. Teaching our children the truth of what God says in Scripture at age-appropriate seasons is key to raising spiritually mature children prepared to face the hostilities of a fallen and broken world.

While our children are young, it's important to impress upon their little hearts a desire to seek treasure! The kind of treasure the culture does not value, but it is what God calls true treasure. As our children mature into adulthood, we want them to become equally invested in seeking the treasure found in God's Word. Their salvation, rejection of folly, and richness of character are proof that we made a God-honoring impression!

What fills the heart bubbles over into our speech and behavior. As parents and, by extension, primary influencers of children, what fills the heart bubbles over into how we steward the things of God. When the heart is filled with God's righteousness and zeal for the things of God, it bubbleth over. Our children get the overflow of what our Father in Heaven teaches us. When we help them see the contrast between what can refresh or poison the heart and the subsequent behavior, they will prayerfully desire God's best for their life.

When our children are babies, life revolves around nap time. Nap time transitions to quiet time when they begin school. By age 10, children can work independently, and their unique quirks, gifts, and talents begin to emerge. Quiet time transitions to what The Clarks call "craft time." This is the season when parents get to partner with their children to reinforce their identity in Christ and help them discover creative ways to glorify God with the gifts and talents He put in them.