At Bethel we take our ministry to our Christian families very seriously. First of all, we use the term "family" in a very broad sense. This includes young couples, those who are engaged, families with children, the "empty nest" families, even single adults. The links given below can offer some resources and information for just about any life situation you find yourself in. Please get in touch with me to let me know what you think about these sites.

One other note. These are all sites that I use whenever I need some family life information and ideas. While I can vouch for the sites in general, I certainly haven't read or used everything in any of the sites. In some cases they also give links to other sites, and as with anything on the Internet, you have to be careful and use your common sense. While there should be absolutely no problem with any of these web sites, I've learned to "never say never." Certainly if you run into any problems or have concerns, please get in touch with me.

Here ends the disclaimer. With this being said, please don't hesitate to make use of the information you find on these pages. Those hosting these sites have been involved in various aspects of marriage, family and parenting ministry for years and offer a wealth of insites, resources and ideas.

Family Life

FOR PARENTS AND KIDS:

The Lutheran Hour is sponsoring a couple of sites for families. www.jcplayzone.com is a site aimed at 2 year olds through 6 year olds (although a quick look at the site for me suggests that it might be better suited starting at 3 year olds and could probably could still be enjoyed by children a little older than 6). This has a partner site, www.jcparentzone.com, which as the name suggests is aimed at parents. The children's site offers games and other activities, and the parent's site has some nice resources with articles, a question and answer portion and a 'blog' by a young single father, relating his struggles and triumphs in child rearing. We well worth the time spent in checking it out. (DCE Randy)

www.familylife.com/

FamilyLife had its beginnings in the late 70's as on outgrowth of Campus Crusade for Christ, meeting a growing need for resources for young marrieds and families. They offer a variety of articles ranging from marriage issues, raising children and teenagers as well as spiritual leadership within the home. You can also listen to recent radio broadcasts over your computer. In addition, they offer a variety of resources for purchase. A very solid, Biblical approach to marriage, family and child raising issues. Dr. Dennis Rainey is the primary "host" of this site, with other writers and experts also submitting resources.

www.family.org

This is the site of Focus on the Family (Dr. James Dobson's organization). If you want to find an article on just about any issue dealing with marriage, family and child rearing, here's the place! They offer articles, webzines (OK - magazines on the Internet for those who don't know what the term means), music, movie and media reviews as well as resources you can order. They have a good search engine to help you find what you're looking for. A tremendous site!

www.wonderzone.com

This is the site of Child Evangelism Fellowship. They offer a variety of activites and games for children. Here's what they say about their site:

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The Wonderzone is the location on the World Wide Web where children can come to find out more about God's Word and how it applies to their lives, as well as play games, have their opinions heard, and interact with specially trained adult "TrailGuides" who will help them from God's Word in a personal yet non-threatening way. All TrailGuides are carefully screened before they are allowed to participate.

The Wonderzone believes in the power of God's Word and we urge both children and their parents to use and enjoy our website.
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This seems like a good site for your children to spend some time.

www.familyfirst.net

Another site that offers a lot of information and resources on marriage, parenting, family relationships and even family health. They offer some of the same resources that we've used here at Bethel (in particular Dr. Kenneth Lehmann's course on "Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours"). Again, this is a site that offers a wealth of Christian counsel on family issues.

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

cph.org

This is the site of our Synod's publishing house. You can use their search engine or site map to find out what resources you can order from our own church body.

MEDIA REVIEWS

www.previewonline.org

Movie reviews are updated weekly on this site. They do extensive work on the contents (language used, types of sexual situations, violence, etc.) to help you judge the relative merits of a movie. They are a conservative, Christian organization working out of Dallas, and have been quite reliable in their reviews.

www.pluggedinonline.com

Plugged In is a Focus on the Family publication designed to help equip parents, youth leaders, ministers and teens with the essential tools that will enable them to understand, navigate and impact the culture in which they live. Entertainment is a potent influence on our culture for both good and evil. Through our reviews and discussions of that entertainment, we hope to spark intellectual thought, family discussion, spiritual growth and a strong desire to follow the command of Colossians 2:8. "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."