Blog Parents
Not My Way
From birth to present, parenting is a crash course in out-of-control. The truth is, I cannot parent my children the way I want to—not because I am incapable, but because they won’t allow me to. Each child is receptive...
Friday, June 17, 2022
Blog Parents
Friday Comes Before Sunday
The joy of resurrection Sunday could not have happened without the pain and suffering of Good Friday. God the Father, our ultimate parent, answered our need for rescue through the resurrection rather than rescuing Jesus...
Monday, April 18, 2022
Blog Parents
The Other Side of Anger
The world will always be a challenging place to live. We hope our young adult children will have the emotional skills to approach anger with self-reflection instead of self-defense. Helping them to process their anger...
Monday, March 21, 2022
Blog Parents
Laying Bricks or Building the Kingdom?
The parable of the three bricklayers was retold as a reminder that knowing our purpose brings our life’s motivations to our work, which brings our work to life. The story echoes the real experience of Christopher Wren,...
Thursday, February 17, 2022
Blog Parents
Living in Context
With another in person semester underway, this year finds us getting on with UNW campus life in the midst of COVID-19. Yes, the United States has more cases of the virus in 2021 than in 2020. Yes, Minnesota is still...
Friday, January 14, 2022
Blog Parents
Expecting Better
With every transition from December 31 to January 1, we hope for a fresh start. We anticipate something better ahead than what we are leaving behind. Considering the boatload of trouble that has quite literally plagued...
Monday, January 4, 2021
Blog Parents
Recovering Joy
2020 has been no laughing matter. However, one of the things I miss most is laughing more. The seriousness of what we have been up against has the potential to steal our sense of humor and the gravity of our...
Thursday, December 3, 2020
Blog Parents
Un-Becoming
My son recently shared his belief that parents are more equipped to think about the future than their kids because they’ve had to be responsible for someone else’s future.
Wednesday, November 4, 2020
Blog Parents
Defining a Generation
Our experiences in 2020 will undeniably mark our students’ generation. Generation Z includes those born between 1997 and 2012, which includes the age range for the majority of our current student population at UNW. The...
Thursday, October 1, 2020
Blog Parents
Respect and Responsibility
Our student survey results were crystal clear. UNW students can’t wait to be together again. Anticipating being on-campus, in-person, in the midst of the community they thrive in, feels like approaching an oasis in the...
Wednesday, July 8, 2020
Blog Parents
Parenting in a Pandemic
Parenting does not come with a handbook. If it did, we would have thrown out the book and ordered up a new one when everything we learned got turned upside down by each new kid in the family. Even without instructions,...
Monday, May 4, 2020
Blog Parents
God's Part, Our Part
In the wake of a pandemic, steep stock market plunges, and seismic shifts in the delivery of education, it would be easy to say that God’s role—His part—is to protect us from contracting disease, facing devastation, and...
Monday, March 30, 2020
Blog Parents
Which Lane Am I In?
“My way or the highway.” You know the parents I am referencing. Some of us called them Mom or Dad! There are still parents that believe a firm stance is a way to earn respect or that shaming children is a way to gain...
Thursday, February 27, 2020