#Parenting

Pastor DJ Harry

The 5 Deadly Sins of Parenting

-this article was written by pastor DJ Harry, husband-father-pastor-teacher-author -for more articles on the home and parenting, visit djharry.org/ThePastoralPen Dear Parents, your kids know you better than anyone else! This probably comes as no surprise. Your kids see you at your best and they see you at your worst; they know your strengths and your weaknesses. They are around you when you get your raise but also when the tire is flat…there is no hiding who you are from y

11 Simple Helps for Parenting a Fearful Child

Pastor DJ Harry

11 Simple Helps for Parenting a Fearful Child

Is your child dominated by fear? Would you classify your son or daughter as a fearful child? If so, you are not alone in this realm of fearful parenting. Most statistics show that fears are a normal part of early childhood; if fears are allowed to germinate they can develop into serious obstacles for your growing child! How are you addressing the fears that surface in your home? Your reaction and guidance will be the major influence that navigates your child through the tr

Pastor DJ Harry

Trusting God Through Tough Parenting

Tough Parenting I forgot how busy college life can be! This summer marks 20 years since I walked across stage and then walked down the isle in marriage. In those 20 years, I seem to have replaced (in my mind) the stress and frantic pace of college life with all the fun memories and great experiences while an undergraduate. Today, all those stresses came flying back as we helped Katelyn get moved in and registered for classes. Those ‘stresses’ brought out an insecurity and

Culture War of Ideas…10 were bad and 2 were good

Pastor DJ Harry

Culture War of Ideas…10 were bad and 2 were good

I fondly remember singing this simple song as a child. Twelve men went to spy on Canaan…ten were bad and two were good. What do you think they saw in Canaan…ten were bad and two were good. Some saw giants big and tall. Some saw grapes with clusters long. Some saw God was in it all. Ten were bad and two were good. Back Story Moses and the children of Israel have journeyed across the desert and have arrived at the staging area, just before the Jordan river. God speaks to Moses

11 Essential Worldview Topics for Your Family

Pastor DJ Harry

11 Essential Worldview Topics for Your Family

“Many parents, when faced with a truth that is difficult to communicate, will gladly remain quiet to avoid the conversation.” In life there are certain topics that are difficult to talk about with your children. I get it! When they do come up it is often at awkward times or in circumstances that just make deep conversations inconvenient. Since when is parenting supposed to be convenient! I’m thankful that years ago our country had a culture that encouraged morality. We we

Think the ‘X Plan’ is Awesome? Here Are 7 Reasons Why It’s Not!

Pastor DJ Harry

Think the ‘X Plan’ is Awesome? Here Are 7 Reasons Why It’s Not!

‘X Plan’ Scenario So here is the scenario laid out in many articles that describe the ‘x plan’. Your child goes out and is confronted with a situation that they deem as dangerous or compromising. They feel stuck, helpless, and alone. That is, until they remember the ‘x plan’ that the family had discussed a few weeks earlier. Text an ‘X’ All they have to do is discreetly text an ‘X’ and parents recognize that there is danger. A simple call from mom or dad allows the teenag

Parenting – Enough With Shallow Kids…Drive Them Deeper!

Pastor DJ Harry

Parenting – Enough With Shallow Kids…Drive Them Deeper!

I Almost Drowned! It was a hot summer day in Atlanta GA. Green Isles Apartment had a community pool that was calling our name! We rarely went to the pool, but this day we gathered our things and headed out for some family fun! My mom, who is a good swimmer, was in the deep end of the pool and called for me to jump to her. I didn’t realize it, but she was giving me a lesson on parenting. I was nervous about jumping but built up the courage to take the plunge…right Shallow

Swimming Upstream: 7 Proven Techniques To Fight Secular Culture in Your Home!

Pastor DJ Harry

Swimming Upstream: 7 Proven Techniques To Fight Secular Culture in Your Home!

Swept Away! Several years ago we visited a theme park in Tennessee. It was a busy weekend and there were people everywhere! At the time our kids were quite young and had to be watched very carefully; we had to hold hands, keep track of strollers, and make sure no one wandered off! You know…the normal stuff you do with young kids. I distinctly remember walking down the central park corridor and being overwhelmed with people, and they were all walking towards us! …we were o

5 Ways You Might Be “Provoking Your Children To Wrath”

Pastor DJ Harry

5 Ways You Might Be “Provoking Your Children To Wrath”

No one will have as much influence on the life of your child as you will! Don’t let that scare you…that is God’s design for the family! There is nothing that scares me more, though, than realizing that my actions have long-lasting and often irreversible consequences on my children. The path that I direct my children along will be the path that they follow the rest of their lives. While there are many examples of parents in Scripture, some good and some not-so-good, there a

Beauty and the Beast – Objectionable Elements in Entertainment

Pastor DJ Harry

Beauty and the Beast – Objectionable Elements in Entertainment

Here’s the scenario: You and your kids have been waiting months for the release of the newest remake of your favorite childhood movie. The buildup in the media and on social networks has driven the excitement level through the roof! Weeks before the release, it becomes known that in this version the producers have decided to include objectionable elements not in the original…elements that are morally corrupt in nature. How do you respond? If you are following current trend

Pastor DJ Harry

27 Life Skills Your Kids Need!

“Kids these days!!” Have you ever heard that?…Have you every said that??!! Kids These Days “Kids these days don’t know how to do anything!” I heard these words not too long ago from an employer who was responsible for hiring part-time help for is company. His struggle was that he would hire someone to work and they lacked the even the most basic skills needed to get the job done. They could not complete a task unless someone was right there holding their hand (rhetoricall

Beware of the Self Esteem Scam!…and 5 ways to help your kids avoid it!

Pastor DJ Harry

Beware of the Self Esteem Scam!…and 5 ways to help your kids avoid it!

If you think your child’s self esteem is the most important building block to their development, you might be hurting your child in the long run! Self Esteem Thoughts I recently came across www.positivityblog.com , a blog dedicated to “happiness and tips that work in real life.” I was reading through one of the articles that highlighted self-esteem quotes. Here were a few that caught my attention… “You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love an

Pastor DJ Harry

7 Secrets to Gain Your Child’s Heart

Have you ever had to break difficult news to your family? As a fathers this is not only hard but something we try to avoid. I remember how difficult it was to break the news to my kids that we were going to be moving. My youngest children were ok and quite excited. My oldest, however, had only known one school and one church. The news for her was very difficult. However, because we had invested time and energy into building trust with her over the years, she was understa

Has “The Little Mermaid” Worldview Infected Your Home?

Pastor DJ Harry

Has “The Little Mermaid” Worldview Infected Your Home?

Entertainment is always teaching a worldview. No matter what you listen to or watch, the things we are putting into our ears and eyes are teaching us foundational worldview truths. Is it the Christian Worldview that you want to be taught? Think about the movies that you put in front of your kids. The are so much more than just entertainment….they are shaping and molding them as well! Take for instance “Cars” the movie. Cars was a 2006 Pixar Production full of positive wor

7 Lessons You Didn’t Learn in School…But Need to Teach Your Kids!!

Pastor DJ Harry

7 Lessons You Didn’t Learn in School…But Need to Teach Your Kids!!

Raise your hand if you have ever heard these sayings.… “You get what you pay for.” “What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.” “Don’t beat yourself up over things not in your control.” By the way, both my hands are up!! I’ve heard these words of wisdom my entire life! We forget that sometimes great wisdom makes great sense! Proverbs 3:13 says “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.” True wisdom is rare in our culture and will be

Pastor DJ Harry

5 Principles for Proper Discipline

I remember how confused I was as a father when it came time to discipline our first child. It was both awkward and difficult to find the necessary balance between feelings of compassion and knowing that correction needed to take place. Looking back I know there were things that we did wrong and areas in which we failed. I’m thankful that in those early years we had mentors that modeled Christ-like discipline in their homes for us to follow. My Kids (years ago) What is disc

Pastor DJ Harry

9 Ways to Raise Brats!

GROCERY STORE DISASTER Have you seen grocery store brats? Here’s the scoop!! Two weeks ago I was doing some last minute shopping in the local grocery store. I had two things on my mind: instant rice and rotisserie chicken! (It was for chicken bog…I can share the recipe later!) I was making my final turn onto ‘Isle 5’ and I walked headlong into a swirling tornado of emotion! A young four year old child was making an absolutely horrific scene on the floor, knocking over c

Christian summer camps are expensive!! What is their value?

Pastor DJ Harry

Christian summer camps are expensive!! What is their value?

It is that time of the year again…time to begin planning summer vacation, weekend trips to the mountains, and/or summer plans for the kids. Let’s be honest. A week at a Christian summer camp is expensive! The natural tendency is to consider the cost of camp but not to consider the benefits that a week at Christian camp offers. Here are 5 great reasons to tighten up the budget and begin planning on summer camp for your kids. 1. DEVELOPS RESILIENCY…Sending your kids to a we

Encouraging Parents Regarding Their Children’s Education (PART 3)

Pastor DJ Harry

Encouraging Parents Regarding Their Children’s Education (PART 3)

If you have not had the opportunity to read the first two installments to this topic, I would like to encourage you to do so. Here are the links. If this article is a blessing or encouragement, please click the subscribe button on the right to receive more like this via email. Post #1… Whose responsibility is your child’s education? Post #2…Thoughts on public school and private school options In the previous posts we have discussed a few of the different educational options

Let's Connect

Updates