Articles
5 Reasons We Skip Time In The Word (And 5 Ways For
The Christian life is full of tension. But no concept must be held in tension more tightly than grace and works.
5 Ways To Be More Present With Your Family
Have you mastered the art of being present with your kids? Or does technology, work, or daydreaming pull you away and keep you from connecting in ways
5 Ways To Disciple Your Kids At The Dinner Table
God, in his good wisdom, has given us a secret weapon for family discipleship, and it happens to be baked into the pattern of our daily lives. This se
5 Ways To Encourage Your Child’s Love for the Bibl
As Christ followers, we know that God’s Word is our bread for spiritual life. We take our nourishment, loving correction, wisdom, and hope for heaven
5 Ways To Suffer Well
In your home, how big is God? In your home, through the eyes of your children, how trustworthy is he? How involved is your God? How near is he? The sa
5 Ways To Teach Your Kids Hermeneutics
The topic of this article is teaching our kids a healthy hermeneutic when it comes to reading the Bible. Hermeneutics for kids?! Isn’t that a bit over
5 Ways To Train Your Family In Prayer
Years ago, I listened to a sermon about prayer convicted me to my core. One idea from that sermon that resonates with me to this day is this: “Our pra
A Case for Classical Education
In this episode Coat and Phylicia have a fun discussion about Classical education, including why it is an important discipleship tool.
A Childlike Faith
I recently found my son sitting on the couch without his glasses. This wouldn’t be a big deal for most six-year-olds, but when my son is without his g
A Life of Devotion
When Jesus redeemed his people at the cross, he paid full price. And when he bought us with his blood, he bought not a part, but the whole of us.
Accepting Our Limitations
Last week my whole family fell like dominoes to a stomach bug, one tapping another in a week-long chain of misery.
Acknowledging God
This one seems simple, too obvious, really. You might say that we all know how to acknowledge God in daily living.
All The Feels
In this episode, Phylicia and Coat discuss strategies for managing our emotions in the context of discipline and disciplining our kids.
Apologetics and Family Discipleship
Phylicia and Ryan discuss how to teach kids to hold to and defend the faith without fear or self-righteousness.
Ask Your Kids For Forgiveness
"We’ve all been there. You yelled at your kids because you felt overwhelmed. You were harsh with them for a mistake they made. You let your anxiety po
Book Review: Count The Fruit
Count the Fruit, By Jill Jaramillo and Lilla Vincze, is a super cute story of how one little boy learns and applies the fruits of the Spirit in his li
Book Review: Habits of the Household, by Justin Wh
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the chaos of parenting and neglect our duties to disciple our children.
Book Review: Parenting by Paul David Tripp
Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family by Paul David Tripp provides an overarching picture of parenting and its challen
Book Review: Raising Passionate Jesus Followers
The ultimate goal in Christian parenting is to point our children to Jesus Christ. But how do we do that? Being a Christian parent requires intentiona
Book Review: The Tech-Wise Family
The Tech-Wise Family helps parents put technology into its proper place within the family.
Building Gospel Categories in Daily Life
The way to dig a moat is to dig in the same spot in the ground, in the same direction, over and over. Now what do moats have to do with family discip
Catechism Schmatecism
Idk if this is you, but a LOT of parents ask me, “why is catechesis so important?” Or...even better, “what is a catechism?”
Christmas Chaos
Our First Nativity SetI popped open the children’s nativity set that I had found at one of our favorite discount stores. I put together the stable, an
COMING SOON | The Cross Formed Kidmin Podcast
Welcome to the Cross Formed Kidmin podcast. A weekly children's ministry podcast made for kidmin pastors, leaders, and volunteers. The first episode d
Discipleship Made Easy
“Having kids is super easy.” “I get so much rest.” “I’m really relaxed these days.” “I have so much free time.” Said no parent ever. If you’re like me
Discipline with a Destination
Almost every parent I've spoken to has mentioned or asked about discipline. How should I handle this behavior? Is this form of discipline ok? Is this
Emotions Are A Gift
If you’re a parent, no one needs to remind you that your child has feelings. You might sometimes feel like your child IS feelings.
Family Discipleship as Creation Care
Ryan and Phylicia Talk about the beauty of family and the importance of raising kids as an aspect of stewarding God's creation.
Family Prayer Myths
As parents, we believe many myths about family prayer that prevent us from engaging our kids in the practice of talking with God together.
Feeding On God’s Word
Our souls were created by God, for God, to feed on the knowledge of him. He gave us his Word as food for the soul, packed with nourishment tailor made
Fill The Pew With Your Kids
Have you ever been in a situation where you feel like everyone around is staring at you? Either you did something embarrassing, or your kids are actin
Generational Realities in Family Discipleship
Coat and Phylicia Discuss how we can break patterns of generational sin and how we can go about parenting as first generation Christians.
Gospel Ready Kids
If you're not in a bunker, you're aware that there's some crazy stuff going on. Parents who have open eyes are concerned about how to be sure their ki
How To Disciple Atypical Children
Family discipleship is an important element of the Christian faith. But when your family has atypical children, it might look a little different. Fami
How To Disciple From the Heart
I first attempted to intentionally disciple my oldest when she was around a year old. I started making a list of everything I would do with her—the le
How To Disciple Kids With ADHD
It happened again. I sat down with all three of my kids with the best intentions of completing a short devotional reading, and it turned into 30 minut
How To Disciple Your Kids Through Sibling Squabble
If your family is blessed to have two or more little people living in it, then I might guess that there is big sibling love involved—and likely big si
How To Fight Mom Rage
I never considered myself to be an angry person until I had children. In fact, I had considered myself to be quite a patient and steady individual unt
How To Find Joy In Trials
Recently, I found myself in a hospital with socks and a stylish gown on. Usually, when you have these on, you have a procedure or check-up, but not th
How To Keep Jesus at the Center of Christmas
The Christmas season approaches quickly every year. Once the leaves have fallen and the air is crisp, we see decorations, candy, and gift ideas in eve
How To Make Family Discipleship A Priority
Many mornings, I wake up, and my family’s entire day is accounted for within a few minutes. From work, school, kid activities, and church ministries,
How To Make The New Year Count
It is a new year, which means change for many. Some might resolve to find a new job, hit the gym for the first time, or change their area of study. I’
How To Memorize Scripture
My kids began to sing nursery rhymes as soon as they could talk. In their tiny little voices, I could hear them sing “Mary Had a Little Lamb” or “The
How To Practice Gospel-Shaped Discipline
There are some classic cartoon characters that, when angry, change colors and have steam come out of their ears. Their anger is visible, and the situa
How To Prepare For Sunday Worship
My family loves to travel. We love to experience new things together, but every family trip calls for us to prepare. My kids pick out the toys they wa
How To Press On In Family Discipleship
In various shows and movies, there are scenes where a kid’s birthday party or celebration occurs. We watch as chaos is all around.
How to Talk to Kids About the Bible
Ryan and Phylicia kick off season 3 of the Cross Formed Kids podcast talking about how to talk to your kids about one of the most foundational theolog
How to Teach the Trinity to Your Kids
How do you teach the concept of the Trinity to children when even adults have difficulty understanding it? Is an egg or three leaf clover the best sol
How To Use Everyday Moments To Talk About Jesus
In today's fast-paced world, Christian parents often feel overwhelmed by the challenges of discipling their children. Many fear if they are doing “eno
How Your Theology Impacts Your Parenting
The Bible is more important than our theological preferences, but does our theology impact our parenting? Are there specific pitfalls to watch out for
I’m Not A Super-Mom—And That’s Ok
After watching older movies, I always wondered what the secret sauce was for super moms. You know who I’m talking about; the moms who always had the p
Jesus Asked “Why?”, And We Can too
The question is a human question. It’s what we ask when we face suffering. When we watch our loved ones get sick. When a marriage falls apart. Why?
Little People in Big Church
Coat and Phylicia discuss whether it is ok to keep our kids in “big church.” How can we think about this as parents seeking to raise Christian kids?
Little People, Big Feelings
In this episode Phylicia and Coat discuss how we can raise kids who know what to do with their feelings.
Little sinners and Big sinners
In this episode Coat and Phylicia discuss the doctrine of sin and how our understanding of it informs our parenting.
Parenting While Human
Parenting would be simple if only we didn't have to do it while also being human. Being human throws us a curve ball whenever we feel pressured to per
Raising Neighborly Kids
In this episode Phylicia and Ryan talk about how to raise kids who know how to relate well to non-Christians.
Rejoicing and Suffering Together
Have you ever heard about something good happening to a friend but rather than being excited and celebrating with her, you found yourself comparing su
Rhythms for Family Discipleship
Phylicia and Coat dive into the rhythms of family discipleship. What is a rhythm? How do we form habits? What is the role of catechesis? How have peop
Sacrifice
God has designed an incredible opportunity for relational category after category to be built through the relationships we share in our families.
Sorting Through Catechisms and Covenants
Time is limited, so with that in mind, what exactly should I focus on teaching my kids in order to foster a faith that lasts? Additional Reading:
Strategies for the Sex Talk with Your Kids
Ryan and Phylicia discuss ways to turn the tables on the subject that society has deemed awkward and uncomfortable and instead make "The Talk" an ongo
Stress in Parenting
In this episode Phylicia and Coat discuss parenting and stress. Parenting can be stressful. How do we manage stress in parenting? How can we be sure o
Surviving vs. Beholding
If I’m not careful, I can get through a whole day without really looking at my kids. Sure, I see them running down the hall and throwing blueberries a
Talking to Your Kids about Death (VIDEO)
Whatever your take on current events, it's undeniable that talk of death is everywhere in the Covid era. Dr. Brett Vaden joins me with some wisdom on
Technology and Family Discipleship
Most people either love to hate it or hate how much they love it. In this episode Coat and Phylicia take a balanced approach and discuss how we can na
The Beauty of Catechesis
It’s already happening; our kids are being catechized. The world is bombarding them with a narrative meant to shape how they think and telling them wh
The Challenge of Consistency
In this episode, Coat and Phylicia discuss the challenges related to remaining consistent in discipling our kids.
The Gift and Burden of Parenthood
If you’ve been following along at Cross Formed Kids for a bit, you’ve probably heard us tell you that parents are the primary disciple-makers in their
The Goal of Children’s Ministry
Our culture has an obsession with effectiveness and efficiency. If you can do something well and do it quickly, you’re considered successful.
The God Who Sees you
El Roi: The God who sees me. What a powerful name to call our God. He sees. He sees the mundane moments, the challenging moments, the scary moments, a
The Importance of Talking About Everything
The world is messy, and it’s our job to introduce our children to it.
The Parenting Fruit of the Spirit: Love
I remember the first time I held each of my kids. Each was a moment of overwhelming joy as I had waited in nine months of anticipation for that specif
The Parenting Fruit of the Spirit: Self-Control
In my backyard, two peach trees were planted by the previous owner. When we saw them, we were eager and excited to pick peaches throughout the summer
The Power of Singing
cripture tells us again and again to sing; O come let us sing a joyful song to the Lord (Ps 95:1); address one another in psalms and hymns and spiritu
The Righteousness of God
Big, mighty, great, all-knowing. We describe God in these ways when teaching our kids about the Lord. But what about his character? Is he good? Is he
The Roles of the Local Church and the Family
When it comes to raising Christian kids, what is the role of the family and what is the role of the local church? Ryan and Phylicia discuss the role
Time Management for Family Discipleship
How can we practically structure our days and weeks and months so that we faithfully disciple our kids?
Using Everyday Moments To Talk About Christ
In today's fast-paced world, Christian parents often feel overwhelmed by the challenges of discipling their children. Many fear if they are doing “eno
What’s the Holy Spirits Role in My Childs Life
Do you find yourself wishing you could walk and talk with Jesus? Wouldn't life be easier if we had that face to face relationship with Him? Did you kn
Why are Kids Leaving the Church?
2/3 of kids are leaving the faith as soon as they leave the house. Is this true? Why is this happening? What does this mean from an historical/theol
Why Memorizing Scripture Matters
My kids began to sing nursery rhymes as soon as they could talk. In their tiny little voices, I could hear them sing “Mary Had a Little Lamb” or “The
Why We Need Repentance
What was the message of Christ as He began his earthly ministry? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matthew 4:17
You Matter Because of Your Maker
Unless we have this truth firmly planted in our hearts and minds, we will be on an endless journey of “self-discovery” that will lead nowhere.