The RenewaNation Blog
Wisdom for shaping how children see the world
Practical, biblical insight for parents, pastors, and educators — 79+ articles on family discipleship, church ministry, and Christian education.
Articles
Blog ArticlesEnough Is Enough
By Jeff KeatonI was at a school this year led by a highly effective educator who just so happened to spend most of her career in public education. Over the last few years, she entered Christian education and is doing a tremendous job leading her school to heights it has never seen before. She is…
Blog ArticlesWhat Do Your Children Think About Work?
By Bryan SmithThe Merriam-Webster dictionary defines work as “sustained physical or mental effort to overcome obstacles and achieve an objective or result.” If that’s a good definition—and I think it is—then most of our lives are filled with work. We face obstacles and seek to achieve useful…
Blog ArticlesBiblical Counseling: Providing Hope and Help for Hurting Families
By Dr. Josh MulvihillMinistry to families is more than training and resources; it must include the provision of hope and help to hurting families through care and counseling. God designed the family to be the source of our deepest loves, our most beloved relationships, and to provide care for the…
Blog ArticlesBeliever’s Baptism: A Guide for Families and Churches
By Dr. Josh MulvihillAs a pastor, few things brought me greater joy than to see a young person follow Jesus into the waters of baptism. It is a joyous occasion because the individual being baptized is publicly professing faith in Jesus Christ and wants everyone to know it! The desire to be baptized…
Blog ArticlesWhat Commitment to Christian Education Looks Like
By Ron GordonThe year was 1970. High school sweethearts from working-class families, they took the plunge to commit their lives to one another. They had no savings accounts, no college degrees, and no tangible assets. They jumped into a rental agreement for a small, rural home. Only 20 years old,…
Blog ArticlesLooking Like Our Teacher
By Caleb Gordon“He also told them a parable: ‘Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher’” (Luke 6:39-40).Years ago, I wrote an article for The RenewaNation Review called…
Blog ArticlesExpanding for a Greater Impact: A God Story!
By Jeff KeatonLast May, our Executive Administrator, Judy Ralph, mentioned that a very nice office building was going up for auction just ten minutes away from our then-current office. It piqued my interest enough to drive by the building. Before the day was over, several of our team members had…
Blog ArticlesTeaching Children to Have a Correct View of Who God Is
By Amber PikeChildren are naturally inquisitive. Whether you are a parent, grandparent, educator, or ministry leader, if you work with kids, you get asked a lot of questions. “Why?” is a particularly popular question, but children’s questions can range from “What’s for dinner?” to “Can you help…
Blog ArticlesDiscipleship Through Christian Education
By Ron and Tonya Gordon“We follow a discipleship model of Christian education at our school.” As I (Ron) heard these words from a senior pastor on a recent school visit, I was interested in observing and listening over the next two days to understand how they achieved this stated mission. What we…
Blog ArticlesMaking Each Day Count
The Discipleship Opportunities of HomeschoolingBy Amber Pike“Do we have to do school today?” Yes. Homeschooled children still whine for a day off (pretty frequently if I’m being honest), but deep down children (and parents) recognize the benefits and blessings of the homeschool life. As parents, my…
Blog ArticlesSix Questions to Evaluate if Children’s Ministry Curriculum is Biblically Sound
By Dr. Josh Mulvihill There are many different children’s ministry curriculums to choose from, but many of them are Bible-lite, doctrinally deficient, man-centered, and moralistic. We have to look past the marketing claims, sales pitches, and well-designed images to dig deep enough to understand…
Blog ArticlesSix Recommendations for Leading a Child to Christ
Gospel Invitations and Eternal ConsequencesBy Amber Pike“We had the best day at church yesterday, and I just had to share it with the group. I teach a class of about fourteen preschoolers. During our lesson yesterday, all fourteen of my kids raised their hands and repeated the sinner’s prayer. I…