Bruce Powers

What are we trying to do to our children? You have probably read or heard the statistics that indicate the importance of instilling faith in children. The likelihood of a person coming to faith declines significantly with the onset of…

To My Church, Do you remember when my son said, “Whoever puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for service in the Kingdom?” I hope you don't think he meant to never think about the…

I had some idealistic younger days when I would argue that no child should be punished, but the days didn't last long. Even before I learned the hard way from my own children, I saw time after time the devastating…

Punishment is a touchy topic, isn't it? When I was young, schoolteachers could take a child in the hall and paddle them. I still remember, quite vividly, our assistant principal visiting the class to let us see his large, carefully…

Last month we discussed ways to extinct undesirable behaviors. Now we will turn our attention to the other side of the coin. Reducing our reinforcement of negative behaviors is a great start, but we also have to be purposeful about…

Parenting with a long-term focus rests on our ability to strategically increase desirable behaviors while reducing undesirable ones. Our next few articles will focus on how parents can take greater control of the learning process. The key is to remember…

Last month we talked about the dangers of short-term thinking and the advantages of staying focused on the long-term. When we have our goals firmly in mind, we are able to be strategic in our daily decisions. I would like…

In Philippians 3:14, Paul writes, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize ….” He is talking about his life as a Christian, but this passage came to mind as I thought about how to approach parenting from…

There is no doubt that parenting is a big deal. It can be the most rewarding of tasks and also the most frustrating. Being a parent brings a mix of pure joy, overwhelming love, and sheer exhaustion. What's amazing is…