Barrett Johnson
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1 Month After the Ashley Madison Hack: What Have We Learned?
The fallout from the Ashley Madison hack has been far-reaching. Over the past month, marriages have ended, jobs have been lost and a few men have even taken their own lives. While many people have talked about the sin of adultery and the hypocrisy of a few public figures, I think there is one lesson …
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What If Changing Your Marriage Means Changing Your Mind?
I’m not particularly fond of “pat answers” when it comes to marriage. You know … those easy and pithy words of advice that we often toss around in the Christian community. While I can catch myself giving them in my counsel to others, I usually regret doing it. “Just pray more.” “Forgive and forget. “Have …
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What Every Parent Can Learn From Josh Duggar’s Fall
Hackers have recently released detailed data on users of Ashley Madison, a website committed to helping married people have affairs. As you would expect, people are searching the data for names of famous people who used the site. I just read the first of what will likely be many heartbreaking stories. Apparently, Josh Duggar had …
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WARNING: You Need to Watch These Videos With Your Kids Today
“Don’t talk to strangers.” These words have been standard training instructions given to kids for many generations. You would think that our kids have learned the lesson by now. Sadly, a few videos have gone viral in recent days that show how careless children and teenagers can be. The filmmakers used hidden cameras and staged …
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5 Things to Consider Before Getting a Divorce
Dear (Insert Celebrity Couple’s Name Here), I was watching TMZ the other day and I heard that the two of you were splitting up. It literally broke my heart. As I followed your courtship on E!, marveled at your (unofficial and blurry) wedding photos in the tabloids, and watched your kids grow up on the …
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How Facebook Makes You Lonely, Dishonest and Miserable
I absolutely love social media. My life is enriched in many ways through Facebook and its counterparts: Twitter, Instagram and all those new platforms out there that I don’t yet know about (but that all the cool people are already using). I love how it keeps me consistently in touch with people I care about. …
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Inside Out: What’s Driving Your Parenting?
We saw the new Pixar movie last night. I don’t often recommend movies, but Inside Out is a must see; but not for the reasons you might think. This is not a movie for young kids. Sure, they will find it colorful and entertaining. And there isn’t any content that most kids can’t handle. It’s just …
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6 Ways Parents Can Help Their Kids Navigate Sexuality
In a helpful article in Christianity Today, Jennifer Parker wrote, “Specific studies of sexual trends among Christian teens have been limited, but all indications are that, on average, there is little difference between their sexual behavior and that of non-Christian youths, other than a tendency to delay their first sexual experience slightly longer.” Did you …
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What Nobody Is Saying About the Duggar Scandal
The Internet is saturated with posts attempting to answer all the questions about the Duggar situation. In the midst of the news, analysis and theological discussions, I see few people discussing one critical topic: PREVENTION. Most people would agree that Josh Duggar was raised in a conservative Christian home where the kids are raised with …
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5 Essentials to Winning Your Child’s Heart
A few years ago, Jenifer and I sat in a conference with Stuart and Jill Briscoe. This amazing couple, who have both long since passed their 70th year, had much to say about the lessons they have learned through the years about parenting. I clearly remember Jill casually stressing the importance of the connection between …
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5 Confessions That Every Parent Should Make to Their Kids
If you think being a perfect parent is the key to raising awesome kids, you could not be more wrong. Instead, authenticity is the common characteristic of parents who have emotionally healthy and spiritually strong kids. The older our kids get, the more they see our imperfections. Eventually, our shortcomings will be on full display. …
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When Your Family Life Is Harder Than It Should Be
Yesterday was a day at the beach, since that’s what you do when you stay with friends in Florida over Spring Break. With our oldest daughter home with her young children, two of our kids in college, and our high schooler on a mission trip, it was just Jenifer, 7-year-old Maddie Kate, and me. It …
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Why a Former Orphan Wants to Go Back
In March of 1995, a rosy-cheeked little girl awoke to one more day of her 17-month-old life in a Russian hospital. The high in Pskov that day would have probably been in the upper 30s, with the promise of new life hiding just beneath the earth’s surface, waiting to burst forth in the glorious colors …
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‘Don’t Be Your Kid’s Friend’ And Other Bad Parenting Ideas
“I’m not supposed to be my teenagers’ friend. I’m supposed to be their parent.” We have all heard this…because it’s true. If your main objective as a parent is to be “pals” with your kids, then you’re an idiot. However, some parents take that premise waaaaaay too far. They actually strive to remain emotionally disconnected …
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We Care Too Much About the Wrong Things
I feel the compelling urge to go on a brief rant this morning, something that is not typical of me. Rarely do the talking heads on CNN or Fox News get me stirred up about politics or the economy. However, a few recent new stories compel me to make the following claim: As a general rule, we care …