It occurred to me that it might be helpful--or at least different--to introduce Preparing Your Teens for College from the standpoint of key questions that I sought to address in the book. Here are seven of them: 1. What are the key character traits teens need to be successful at a college (of any sort)? 2. How can we help our teens own the Christian faith for themselves? 3. How can we help our teens make wise relational decisions and avoid the subversive influences of the wrong crowd? 4. How can we help our teens learn sound principles of financial stewardship so that they don’t … [Read more...] about Key Questions Addressed in My Book
Practical Ministry
How To Prepare Your Teen for College
I'm grateful to Matt Smethurst of The Gospel Coalition for taking the time to interview me about Preparing Your Teens for College. Here's one of our interactions: How do today's economic conditions make preparing our kids for college more crucial than ever before? College is more expensive than ever. But with regard to future earnings prospects, it's also more significant than ever. In June 2013, the unemployment rate for non-college grads was 7.6 percent, but for college grads it was about half of that (3.9 percent). You'll see this pattern, in good times and bad, over the last few … [Read more...] about How To Prepare Your Teen for College
Have You Ever Had a Pastoral Visit?
Great observations from Michael Horton on an old practice less common in our day. An excerpt: Pastors today aren’t as busy as Luther. Yet Luther said that it was the pastor’s duty to teach the catechism to the people, and he did so. He did it for the young people. And he taught them on personal visits. This view of the pastor was carried over into Reformed practice also. Right down to today, pastors and elders make it a point to visit every family in the congregation—at least once a year. … [Read more...] about Have You Ever Had a Pastoral Visit?
Doug Phillips and Vision Forum: What Happened?
In a forthcoming cover story for World magazine, Jamie Dean explores the background of what appeared to many (myself included) to be the sudden resignation of Doug Phillips. Dean writes that Phillips' confession "didn’t include at least two significant details: The unmarried woman had been a member of his church, and Phillips had continued in his public ministry at VFM for at least eight months after he confessed to church leadership." Phillips' October confession, Dean writes, "came the day after five men arrived at his San Antonio home to ask him about reports they heard concerning his … [Read more...] about Doug Phillips and Vision Forum: What Happened?
Amazon is Temporarily Sold Out, But CBD and Others Have It
Amazon is temporarily out of inventory, but CBD has it, as does WTS Books, and others (including me, see the various widgets running down the right sidebar). This is a good problem to have! If you've not yet done so, consider checking out the book's home page (which has been shared more times in two months than the Thriving at College page was shared in three years), reading an excerpt, watching the promo video, or reading a guest post I wrote for Desiring God or Bible Gateway. … [Read more...] about Amazon is Temporarily Sold Out, But CBD and Others Have It
Millennials spend 18 hours/day interacting with media
That figure includes media multitasking (taking in more than one form of media at a time): Read more. Related: My Desiring God article on the importance of intellectual development early in life. … [Read more...] about Millennials spend 18 hours/day interacting with media