Ideally, as parents we'd have unlimited energy, the ability to manage tricky emotions like fear and anger, vast stores of wisdom to answer complicated but important questions, love that never grows tired, patience that never ends... Every parent would like to have all of these, but God alone possesses them fully. Parenting reminded me of what I lacked more than it ever made me feel equipped. But there's a spiritual purpose in that!

The older I get the more I realize that a significant portion of a parent's happiness or sadness in middle-age will be directly impacted by how closely our children are walking with the Lord.

Any mature, spiritually sensitive view of marriage must be built on the foundation of mature love rather than romanticism. But this immediately casts us into a countercultural pursuit.

A Christian is never dependent on the response of others to grow spiritually. It's our own heart's decisions that matter

Having children made me confront my true fears and trust in God many times over in a much more intensified manner.

Couples don't fall out of love so much as they fall out of repentance.

A defeatist attitude kills almost as many marriages as do affairs.