Church Parents

Frances Mathews doesn’t get out much since her husband died, but that doesn’t stop her from jump-starting a campaign to create a hedgehog highway in Hilltop Place—feeding stations, holes at the bottoms of gates and fences, and wild garden areas for hibernation. To Frances’s delight, her neighbours are on board. Mostly.

One random day. One burst of laughter. One perfect moment. That’s all it takes for Gianna Barrett to capture Carter McIntosh’s attention—and his heart. His whole life has been a series of miracles, so this falls right in line. If only it were that simple. The object of his desire refuses to give him the time of day. Not deterred, Carter is sure he’s ready to put his heart on the line for love. Big mistake. He isn’t quite prepared and finds himself wrestling a soul-deep hurt into submission. “There has been an accident....” That devastating revelation shattered Gianna’s life,...

Having a baby in a gas station attracted more attention than fifteen-year-old Kennedi wanted. Attention that led to placement with foster mom Amanda who acts overly controlling, and foster dad Henry who seems annoyed at her presence. When Henry suggests they look for her baby’s unknown father through a DNA heritage service to extract monetary restitution from him, Kennedi wonders if Henry is really trying to find relatives to send her to. The baby’s DNA results match with members of a paternal clan but lack matches to Kennedi’s own family lineage, leading to events that have her ...

Do you want your children to be actively serving in the local church when they turn 30 and beyond? Why They Stay can help! Much has been written about younger adults and their departure from church involvement. Concerned parents and church leaders want to know what has caused them to depart. Instead of asking why young adults are leaving the church, Parr and Crites conducted a national research project of those who grew up in church and are still serving faithfully.

Can this swoon-worthy hero turn Dani's dreams into reality? Sure, Wade Spencer is easy on the eyes, has that Southern charm, and comes from a good family, but Dani has been burned by the like before and she’s not fool enough to try it again. But her little girl sees a potential daddy. Seeing how Wade showers her daughter with all the love the girl’s father has denied her, Dani can’t help but warm up to the idea of giving love another try. Wade has a lot going on—a mother with a life-threatening illness to look after, four younger siblings to keep in line, and a farm to run. That ...

Questions about what the Bible says about the LGBT community abound in Christian circles. Pastors and ministry leaders are flooded with inquiries. Parents and loved ones ask how to respond to a son or daughter asking about reassignment surgery or struggling with same-sex attraction. And many individuals question their own LGBT lifestyle choices.

Drew Erickson suffered a devastating loss that changed his life forever. Six years later, fear holds him captive, robbing him of the joy he used to experience and hindering his twin girls from doing what they love. His daughters and sister get involved, forcing him to come to terms with finally letting go of what kept him in bondage. When Renee McCarthy's parents suddenly die, they leave her enough money for her to pursue her dream of opening a dance studio. Two little girls join her class and change the course of her life forever. Join Faith and Hope as they do their very best to bring two...

Scripture calls parents to train and nurture their children's faith. How can churches best equip families to disciple their children? Family ministry expert Dr. Timothy Paul Jones gives church leaders a practical plan to equip parents to be the primary faith trainers in their children's lives, moving beyond mere programming into genuine spiritual transformation.

This is the fifth and final story in the Parkside Community Church Series. Book one is available for free. Amy has only had one desire in her life. She wanted to be a mom. After eight years of marriage, she’s still childless. When her doctor informs her the only way she’ll ever have a child is to do in vitro fertilization, she must deal with the knowledge that she may never have a child of her own.

This book is about the various places and ways that uncertainty shows up for parents who, having left or altered the faith they once knew, now must decide what to give their kids. It’s about church attendance, Bible memorization, school choices, and sex talks. It’s about forging new paths in racial justice and creation care while the intractable voices in your head call you a pagan Marxist for doing so.

After the death of her husband, Anna Meade Harris discovered that single-parent families don't seem to have a place in the local church. Because she and her kids no longer fit into the Christian family mold, the body of Christ felt alien and strange when Anna's family needed it the most. Belonging, even in the most loving church, was a challenge.

Claire Mumford’s life is going great. Her book sales are taking off, her daughter Maggie is flourishing at school. Even her husband Jesse is happy. His new veterinary clinic was built on a idyllic plot of land outside Georgetown, Delaware. But there is a spirit on the land. One who walks the road searching for her lost love. The one who left her waiting at the altar. And she is angry. Very angry. Meet Naimh Buckey. An Irish immigrant in service as a scullery maid who only wants to better herself by learning to read and someday becoming a house cook. When the handsome son of the estate ...

Ned is in IKEA with his wife when she breaks the news that it’s over. For Gemma, it happens on the way to get fish and chips, when she opens the glove compartment of her husband’s car to find a pair of women’s sunglasses that aren’t hers. For both, it’s a bolt from the blue that rocks their faith in the world, relationships, and themselves. But you can’t sit around feeling sorry for yourself, especially when there are children involved, so both—for very different reasons—join a support group for single parents. It’s fair to say they don’t exactly hit it off.

Sylvia lives in a flat on a council estate with her not-quite-husband Obe and their two young children. She dreams of buying a house on a leafy street like the one she grew up in. If she closes her eyes, she can see it all so clearly: the stripped floorboards, the wisteria growing around the door.... It's not ideal that she's about to be made redundant, or that Obe, a playworker, is never going to earn more than the minimum wage. As sleep deprivation sets in, and the RnB downstairs gets ever louder, Sylvia's life starts to unravel.

Will Melody and Reid's Christmas wedding go off without a hitch, or will a snowstorm make it a silent night? Ever since Reid Perry proposed to her at a Fourth of July party, Melody's been thinking about becoming his wife and finally having Michael, Reid's son, call her mommy for the first time. But when a sudden snowstorm leaves Reid trapped in the mountains, Melody fears the wedding will never take place. Through the help of her friends and an unexpected guest, Melody begins to discover that sometimes the miracle we want isn't always the miracle we need.

Learn the wisdom, patience, and love that comes from life experience through the years - learn from your elders and grow in your faith.