Blog | Family Life | Imagine The End
3 Ways to Raise the Perfect Child
I know—click bait is super annoying, isn’t it? But if we’re being honest, we’ve all probably clicked on articles promising us if not the perfect child, at least a healthy,… Read More
Character and Values | Family Life | Social Media
The Other Side of Comparison
As parents, we know to teach our kids not to compare. With social media it’s easy for teenagers to compare their lives against the lives of their friends. For elementary… Read More
Fighting for the Heart of Our Adopted Son
Instinctively as parents we want to fight for our children. Fight for their rights. Fight for their health. Fight for their relationships. And most importantly, fight for their hearts. My husband, Ben, and I knew pretty early on as parents that we… Read More
Family Life | Stories Over Time
3 Unusual Things the Christopher Robin Movie Taught Me About Parenting
My name is Ted. My daughter’s name is Teddie. Ted and Teddie are a lot alike. In fact, my wife calls us “the Teds” because what is true about one of us is often true about both of us. We are both… Read More
Christmas | Family Life | Thanksgiving
Moving Beyond the Holi-Daze : 10 Tips to Prepare for the Holiday Season
Here it comes, right on cue! It's November already, and the Christmas commercials have started appearing on television, stores are all decked with holly, and your kids are probably already begging for new “stuff” under the Christmas tree. For many of us,… Read More
Family Life | Make It Personal
How to Get Your Kids to Do What You Want
There was an article recently in TIME Magazine that revealed the results of an American Psychological Association survey showing that a third of teenagers no longer read books for pleasure. As parents, a survey like this may cause us to lecture our… Read More
What Parenting Taught Me About Life
As parents, we are tasked to train our children and prepare them for the world . . . but sometimes those roles are reversed. Our children become the teachers, exposing us to our own weaknesses, allowing us to grow alongside them as… Read More
Blended Families | Family Life
Second Chances : Some Truths About Being a Blending Family
Hi, we’re the Fialas—John and Cindy. We have three grown kids, six grand-littles, a great marriage that takes lots of work and intentionality, and we have the privilege to serve the church in significant ways. From the outside, when people meet us,… Read More
Blog | Family Life | Fight For The Heart | Make It Personal
One Simple Way to Love Your Kids Better
I can be a sulker. When someone offends me, my natural response is to sulk, and give them the cold shoulder so they can figure out on their own how to make amends. I also tend to be a guilt-tripper, detailing grievances… Read More