5 top Christian blog posts of the week—posts on teens and the gospel, praying for our kids at camp, being pro-life for the elderly, and more by Kevin Carson, Ellen Castillo, and more.

Teens and Fake Gospels 

At the Biblical Counseling Coalition, biblical counselor Ellen Castillo provides insights into 4 common versions of a false gospel that teens believe. Ellen writes:

“The gospel is excellent news for teens who have bought into the fake versions! Once they understand the true gospel, they can find relief from depression and anxiety and can begin to experience real heart change. For a biblical counselor, reversing these errors is not easy. Youth are surrounded by social media, entertainment, ideals taught in school, and things they hear from peers which feed the false gospels. Thankfully, God is the change-agent, and we can trust Him to do the work in our teen counselee as He breaks through the fake and brings forth Truth.” 

Read the rest of Ellen’s counsel about counseling, parenting, ministering to, and understanding teens at Teens and Fake Gospels.

How to Pray for Children and Teens at Summer Camp 

Here’s a very timely and practical post by Pastor Kevin Carson with profoundly practical parental prayer principles for when our kids are away at summer camp.

“This is the time of year when many students are going away to summer camp with various church groups. As they go, it is important that they are encouraged and supported by our prayers. Today I provide a list of prayer request for you that you can pray concerning your child or children you know who are off at youth camp.”

Learn and apply Pastor Kevin’s almost two-dozen parental prayer principles at How to Pray for Children and Teens at Summer Camp.

4 Methods That Won’t Help Your Spouse Overcome Porn 

At the Covenant Eyes blog, Jen Ferguson shares very personally…

“It took my husband about ten years to finally be fully free from the grips of porn addiction. As such, I found plenty of methods and tactics that did nothing to help and did much to hinder my husband’s progress towards kicking his addiction.”

Learn what not to do from Jen’s wisdom in 4 Methods That Won’t Help Your Spouse Overcome Porn.

The Messy Moments Make the Best Stories 

A friend, Matt Mitchell, recently introduced me to Katie Faris’ new blog Loving My Children, which is also the name of Katie’s new book. Today, Katie writes about a typical day in the life of a mom of a toddler.

“Five minutes before we need to go out the door, my toddler walks into my arms with a huge grin on her face and magenta nail polish everywhere. It’s on her shirt, arms, legs, face, fingers…you name it, she’s got it.”

Read more of Katie’s parental ponderings in The Messy Moments Make the Best Stories.

Pro-Life for All: The Image of God in the Elderly 

Writing at Morning by Morning, Sheila Dougal helps us take a look at the value and dignity of human life from conception to death—according to God’s Word. 

“How should Christians respond to the overwhelming needs of our elderly population? The Bible is clear: The dignity of human life does not decay with age or disability. God honors the aged. In Psalm 68, the psalmist remembers the power with which God has delivered his people. In the midst of this remembrance, the psalmist proclaims, ‘Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home…’ (Psalm 68:5-6). Our God is a protector and home-provider for the vulnerable. The amazing grace and mercy that saves and sanctifies the young and active, rescues and redeems the aged and debilitated (Isa 46:4). The same God who would lead us in standing for the lives of the unborn and women in crisis pregnancies would also lead us in providing for the needs of the elderly, who have no one to care for them. And that last part is important. The question is, who should care for the millions of elderly Americans who are going to need care?”

Read Sheila’s further thoughts in Pro-Life for All: The Image of God in the Elderly.

Join the Conversation 

Which post impacted you the most? Why and how?

What additional blog posts from the past week do you recommend?