Widen the Circle
We believe there are five principles that will help you as a parent navigate through a variety of different seasons and help you parent beyond your capacity. Parenting can be intimidating, and you weren’t meant to do it alone. Regardless of your stage of parenting, here’s a promise: A time... Read More
Social Life | Widen The Circle
Fireworks and Spontaneous Family Reunions
As light shoots into the sky, we huddle up. Ooooohhh. Ahhhhhh. Wow. An aerial art show stills the crowd on New Year’s Eve or Independence day—or every day if you live in the Magic Kingdom. Lakeside, oceanside, cityside. In amusement parks, under a bridge, surrounded by mountains. We... Read More
Tribes, Fun to Talk About, Hard to Actually Do
I like to think I am a brave parent, right up until the moment I actually have to be brave. I talk a good game, know most of the buzz words and occasionally act like I have a few things figured out. All of this works pretty well... Read More
Family Life | Widen The Circle
Why Your Kids Need Someone Else to Talk To
I remember the day I turned thirteen. I was thinking of my red three speed bike with the banana seat, sissy bar and raised handlebars. I loved it, but I knew it was a kids’ bike and soon I’d have to ride a ten speed like every other... Read More
Influential
Earlier this week, we said that one way to see where your children are heading in life is to look at their friends and the people who influence them. Your closest friends are a preview of the future you. Now, I totally understand that will cause some of... Read More
Imagine The End | Widen The Circle
An Epic Adventure
EPIC. It’s a big word right now, the latest upgrade of “awesome” from years past. But to me, the word goes even deeper and conjures up larger-than-life characters and adventure from classics like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. On that note, I’ve been reading about something... Read More
The Alice Factor
By Gina McClain I grew up watching The Brady Bunch. As part of our after-school television line up, Brady Bunch reruns were a favorite past time for me. From Marsha’s broken nose, to the infamous broken vase incident. . .I loved the Brady family. There was a simplicity... Read More
Fight For The Heart | Widen The Circle
The Job Only They Can Do
What happens when you ask kids to accomplish a mission that only they can accomplish? At my church, when we talk about deploying students for ministry, the ideal is to match their gifts and experience with a need specialized for their ability. For dozens of American teenagers at... Read More
Make It Personal | Widen The Circle
Making Christmas Better
by Mike Jeffries I’m writing this post from the Latin American nation of Nicaragua where, over the past few days, we’ve had an interesting international experiment in global generosity from the perspective of five young children. Three families decided one of the best Christmas gifts would be to... Read More
Getting it Right
I’ve been watching my daughter do all kinds of crazy things to get my little granddaughter to eat her vegetables. We are currently blending them into a green yogurt smoothie. As my daughter works to get Baby E to eat a balanced and nutritious diet, I listen to... Read More