Web Catch of the Week: The Most Important Routine of My Day

     In our last blog post, Pheaney outlined the importance of establishing routines that work in order to help us focus on the important parts of life. This got me thinking about one of the most important routines of the day - what I do when I get up in the morning. If you’re like me (and 90% of all 18-30 year-olds), you check your smartphone within the first 15 minutes of waking up. What I fill my mind with from the minute I get up affects the rest of my day. It also reveals the attitude and longings of my heart. This week I challenged myself to answer these two questions:

How does checking my phone fit into my morning routine?

Why do I go online immediately after waking up?

     Tony Reinke outlines Six Wrong Reasons to Check Your Phone in the Morning in his post on DesiringGod.org. As I read through the list, I found myself convicted about the number of reasons I tend to go directly to my smartphone in the morning. I frequently check my phone for entertainment or to get the latest news. But let’s face it, I don’t need to know what people said about the Minnesota Vikings the second I wake up. Reinke also gives us three reasons why we need our mornings to connect with God. Think of what a difference it could make to start a day by getting into God’s Word instead of getting distracted by emails, Facebook, or the news!

     I also found an article on the tech website cnet.com that gives some easy steps to keep our mornings cell phone free. Even once I realized that my phone habits were hurting my morning routine, I still found it easy to rationalize immediately reaching for my phone when I wake up. The author, Sarah Mitroff, calls out some common excuses for keeping your phone near you at all times. One of my favorites: "I don't want to be out of reach in case of a late-night emergency." Check out the article to see how she answers that objection. 

     In our technology-driven world, it may sound ridiculous to move away from your smartphone. Take some time to assess your morning routine. Do you need some boundaries for using your phone? How would your morning change with a little distance from your phone? What could you do with your morning instead checking your phone? Let us learn from you by leaving your wisdom in the comments.

Web Catch of the Week: Make Creative Christmas Gifts with Your Kids

     The holidays are supposed to be all about family, but my calendar says otherwise. Every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas, I fight a battle to make extra time for family when everything else is fighting for more of my attention. I'm sure you've felt this pressure, too. I may not have the secret formula to help you conquer everything on your Christmas to-do list, but here's a few tips to make creative Christmas gifts while making memories with your family.

     Michael Corley gives us a creative way to make 3D pop-up Christmas cards in his blog post on My Kids Adventures. His simple step-by-step instructions make it easy to create these unique cards. Your kids can be as creative or as simple as they want, since a pop-up card offers the flexibility to let your kids' personalities shine through. No matter who you send it to, a card like this is sure to earn a prominent place on the fridge. This would make a great gift with an added personal touch for friends and family you don't get the chance to see during the holiday season.

     When my wife and I were first married, we were in college and didn't have a big budget for Christmas gifts. Instead of buying something unique for every person on our Christmas list, we made gift bags filled with different homemade candies and baked goods. Making these treats at home was not only much more cost effective than buying them from the store, they were much, much tastier! We made a lot of gift bags out of just a few items, and I still have the memory of spending time with my wife while assembling the gift bags at the kitchen table. You can make tasty, budget-friendly, and memory-making gifts like this with your kids by using some of your favorite holiday recipes. If you need some inspiration, check out these 3 blog posts for ideas:

• Peppermint Crunch Puppy Chow
• Christmas Caramel Popcorn
• Chocolate Cherry Clusters - No Bake Cookies

     Hopefully these ideas aren't just another thing to add to your growing to-do list. I hope that you can use these to accomplish your tasks while including your family in the process! Leave a comment to let us know how you get your kids involved in the Christmas season tasks. Other families would love to learn from you!

Web Catch of the Week: Parenting Wake-Up Call

     Although we would never admit it, when it comes to parenting our children, it can be very easy to put things on auto-pilot. As parents, we want the best for our kids, and we strive to actively love and care for them. But if you're like me, real life often gets in the way of our desires. When the day-to-day grind comes in with its endless tasks lists, countless distractions, and continuous running to and fro, we put active and caring parenting on the back burner. What we end up trending towards is parenting by default - putting in less time and energy instead of more. We start doing less, despite our best intentions.

     I don't know about you, but I need a parenting wake-up call. Bill Allison of Cadre Ministries regularly writes about parenting on his blog, Cup O' Joe with Bill. He has some hilarious takes on parenting (like this one here), but more importantly, he provides the wake-up call that I need on a regular basis. In his post "The Disciple-Making Dad," he challenges us dads to be active players in raising our kids (instead of passively hoping that school teachers and youth pastors can do the job for us). Bill does a great job of balancing his challenges with encouragement,

"Great news dad. You don’t have to be perfect to be a Deuteronomy 6 disciplemaking dad. You do have to be present AND engaged though." 

What our kids need, more than a perfect parent, is a parent who is willing to disciple them in the every day moments.

     My wife regularly reads Jess Connell's blog, Grow on Purpose. In a recent blog post, she shared about some of the struggles that moms go through. I love that she fights the cultural norm of go-go-go and says it's fine (and even good) to spend time with your kids. She says:

"It is a HUGE thing to 'just' spend time with your children. Christ Himself spent three entire years with 12 grown men and some of them still took a while to really get it." 

     Take some time just to be with your kids. Look for potential disciple-making moments, but also realize that intentional focused time is one of the best things you can do, regardless of any cool stories or outcomes.

Here's to waking up and parenting to the best of our abilities.

Web Catch of the Week: What's on Your Kid's Phone?

     As a kid, I remember when the internet only seemed to be a long sequence of weird noises that sounded like the slow death of a robot - dial-up, AOL CDs, and having to log off the computer so my mom could make a phone call. Now, like almost everyone else, I have an iPhone in my pocket that gives me instant access to the internet. This technology is cutting-edge, but so was dial up internet to my parent's generation. What we consider cutting-edge is already commonplace to our kids. They know how to use a smartphone or tablet without any kind of instruction, and they know how to use it better than you do.

What's on your kid's phone? How do you protect your kids from the dark places of the internet? What apps do your kids use on a daily basis?

     These questions can seem overwhelming, and that's where great websites like iParent.tv come in. iParent.tv, founded by Craig Gross, gives parents reviews about the latest apps, devices, social networks, and websites that your kids are using right now. "iparent.tv allows you to learn what’s safe, what’s not, and what you need to do about it." Check out their site to explore what your kids are doing on their smartphones, and how you can help guide them to live safely in a digital world.

     Maybe you've passed the point of prevention. Maybe you've seen your kids internet history, you know who they follow on Instagram, and now you don't know how to address the situation. XXXChurch.com is another website you want to check out. XXXChurch, also founded by Craig Gross, provides help for people of all ages dealing with pornography and sex addiction. For specific advice on how to talk to your kid about pornography, check out "I Just Caught My Kid Looking at Porn." You can also find resources on their site for just about any scenario you might find yourself in when it comes to adult content. 

     To be sure, this is a very sensitive topic for most people. Honestly, I'm fearful for the day that I have to talk to my son about pornography. It's been a temptation of mine since I was young, and there's nothing I want more for my children than to avoid the mistakes of their dad. My prayer is that I'll be able to communicate the severity of this sin while at the same time showing unconditional love. I'll cling to the words of Jesus, "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." -John 16:33 (NLT)

Web Catch of the Week: Fall Favorites

     Fall is a season deeply rooted in traditions. It goes beyond putting on a costume and exploring different neighborhoods for the best candy stashes. At first I thought the obsession with apple orchards, pumpkin patches, and the #PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte) was strictly for us in the Midwest. Turns out the trend has spread to areas like Houston, TX where my friend took her daughter to a pumpkin patch in 90 degree weather last week!

     Now that the weather is beginning to reflect the season, why not pass on some of your favorite fall traditions to your family? You can build some lasting memories with your kids by taking just a few minutes to do something out of your ordinary routine. Here are a few ideas to help get you started.

Here's one of our campers showing off her pumpkin jar from our Fall Frenzy craft.

     At our Fall Frenzy program, we transformed some old baby food jars with a little bit of paint to make tiny pumpkins and apples. You can easily make these at home using any kind of jar. They're perfect to fill with candy or other goodies to give as a gift. Check out step-by-step instructions for this fall craft by visiting The 36th Avenue blog.

     If you're still in search of some autumn activities and crafts for your family, Katie Femia put together a great list of fall activities perfect for kids and adults in her guest post on the blog Premeditated Leftovers. She also includes a few helpful links to recipes, crafts, and other family activities. Check out "30 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy Fall." 

     What fall traditions does your family have? Are there any foods, places, or activities that you like to enjoy during the fall? Share your fall favorites in the comments, and help us all make lasting memories with our families.

Web Catch of the Week: Can We Really Stop Bullying?

     The word “bully” is thrown around a lot. Our culture has done a lot of work to raise awareness and fight against bullying. Countless parents, teachers, political figures, and celebrities have all joined this battle, and our kids seem more aware of bullying than ever. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services declared October as Bullying Prevention Month, and the hashtag #stopbullying365 is already getting a lot of attention. Even with all the education and attention this issue receives, I don't see the problem of bullying ever going away completely. So the question becomes, how can we prepare our kids to face bullying?
    Dr. Laura Markham is the founding editor of the Aha! Parenting blog. In her post "10 Ways to Empower Your Child Against Bullying," she shares some practical advice for both parents and kids to prepare to face bullying. I thought her advice on helping your kids prepare for a bullying situation through role-playing at home was particularly helpful.
     What if you are concerned that your child is bullying others? Tim Kimmel, author of "Grace Based Parenting" and founder of the Family Matters organization, shares some challenging but helpful tips to addressing your child's overbearing tendencies. Listen to this 1-minute audio, "How to Raise a Bully." 
     Feel free to share your stories about bullying in the comments. How have you helped your kids prepare to face bullying? What have you done to address bullying after the fact?

Web Catch of the Week: Reclaiming Your Family's Bedtime

  Recently my oldest son turned three years old. Part of his becoming a “big boy” was that we would no longer be giving him a pacifier when he went to bed. My wife and I knew that this would be a difficult transition for him and braced ourselves for that first bedtime routine without his pacifier. Thus began our new 45 minute-long bedtime routine of going to the bathroom multiple times, getting milk, reading books, praying, and convincing him that he was old enough to fall asleep on his own. This got me thinking of how I as a father and we as a family can reclaim some of this bedtime routine to make it more about Jesus.

     Prayer has been a staple of bedtime routines for most families, including mine. In his article, “Two Bedtime Prayers for Weary Parents”, Chad Ashby outlines some quick prayers that parents can say to keep Jesus the focus of bedtime. I appreciated his heart for helping both parents and their children think and pray through the Gospel even during potentially chaotic bedtime routines.

     David Willis writes that a great way to make bedtime the best part of your family’s day is to spend time encouraging one another before turning out the lights. I love the idea of spending time in quiet conversation to build one another up before calling it a day. This not only helps to reclaim bedtime, but strengthens our family’s communication and helps set a tone of love and encouragement that will carry over into other aspects of life. Check out his blog “How to Make ‘Bedtime’ the Best Part of Your Family’s Day”.

     What about your family? What have you done to reclaim your bedtime?

Web Catch of the Week: Addicted to your Smartphone

Addicted to Your Smartphone

If you are one of the 64% of Americans that own a smartphone, you are intimately familiar with the addictive feeling of always staying connected. Whether it's responding to a text, checking your email, updating your status, or posting a picture, there's always "just one more thing" to check. With smartphone usage so widespread, their addictive tendencies can be subtle (not to mention culturally acceptable). This week's Web Catch of the Week features two resources on battling smartphone addiction from Desiring God. 

Christina Fox writes about her experiences of being distracted by her smartphone to the neglect of her kids. She offers some solid advice for fighting against the distracting habits of her phone, as well as some helpful passages of Scripture to memorize and apply. Check out her post, "When Distractions Keep Us From Our Kids." 

Trip Lee is a musician, author, husband, and a father. He was a special guest on an episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast where he talks about his personal battle to put down his phone and spend time with his family. I really enjoyed the connection that he makes between reading tweets and reading the Bible. Listen to this short audio recording from Trip Lee, "Avoiding Smartphone iDolatry."