Better Parents
Proud Parents
September 10, 2023 • Seth Bartal • Philippians 2:3–11
Parenting is one of the few things that helps uncover just how selfish we are as people. In the epic clash of egos between parents and kids, the temptation of parents is to dominate over their kids and push them into becoming what the parents want them to be. But what if there’s a better way to parent? What discovery would we make if we could get out of the way and let God take the lead?
Rewrite
September 3, 2023 • Seth Bartal • Matthew 19:3–8, Matthew 5:27–28, 1 Corinthians 13:6, Genesis 3, John 1:14
As much as most parents want to be good parents, we all bump up against the reality that we’ve not always been good people. It’s because we’ve not always been good people that we have pieces from our past that we carry with us into our present. The thing all parents need to wrestle with is how they’ll handle who they’ve been and the pieces of their past that have been brought into their present. Will we normalize our past, or will we have the courage to point our children in a different direction?
Beginning at the End
August 27, 2023 • Seth Bartal • Proverbs 4:1–2, Proverbs 4:5–6, Proverbs 4:25–27
The needs of our kids are often changing, which means we need to change our parenting often, as well. But with all the changes our kids go through, how do we know if we’re still being good parents? Is it possible to create a constant focus in parenting that will allow us to be better parents regardless of the change around us? If so, what would that look like?
Better Me
August 20, 2023 • Seth Bartal • Romans 3:23–24, Romans 5:8, Romans 12:2
Few people are adequately prepared for parenthood. In fact, the most important role you may ever have in life often comes with the least amount of training and preparation. It’s no one wonder so many parents feel overwhelmed when they take that new life home from the hospital, and it’s no wonder so many kids grow up thinking, “I could be a better parent than my parents.” Rather than waiting for our kids to grow up and be better parents than we are, what if we made some decisions today to be better parents now?