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Valor Parent Articles

In Fall of 2015 we saw a need to start equipping the parents of the Brigade community. It is YOUR boys, after all, that we are seeking to help YOU disciple. So we launched Valor Parent Magazine which we printed twice a year until 2021. We’ve archived the articles here because, honestly, the authors and articles were pretty amazing. We hope you continue to be blessed by them

I think I’d Lost Hope
December 18, 2023
God used the death of my wife this past June to produce a stunning plot twist in Zac’s story.. I think I had lost hope. Zac just seemed lost. Stuck. I met him 16 years ago when he was 12 during one of my first years in full time ministry…
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Depression in Boys: How I discovered I was a harmful helper
November 4, 2021
I don’t really understand depression. God has not yet added that as a chapter in my life, and based on my experiences and temperament likely won’t be. Because of our built in differences some of us are simply more prone, through our natural emotional make-up, our history, or our biology,…
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Sometimes it just takes a little time
November 3, 2021
When common sense is not all that common There he stood near the front door, just a few days into his first week of high school. He had all of his school binders and books stacked in his hands, so high I could barely see his face.  Pencils and papers…
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Don’t Make My Mistake. Have the Conversations.
November 2, 2021
It’s probably one of my favorite family pictures of all time.  Two little boys, ages 4 and 2, wearing bib overalls, old fashioned caps, and bare feet.  One holding a baseball bat, the other holding a baseball.  Where did the time go? They look so cute, so much alike, but…
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Forging Key Values Through Trouble
November 1, 2021
In this fallen world, “trouble” feels like an inadequate word to capture the real pain, sadness, or for many, even catastrophe so common in our life experience. But in John 16:33, Jesus says the bittersweet words, “In this world you will have trouble ... But take heart! I have overcome…
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Boys Need Heroes: A Message From the Christian Service Brigade President
May 28, 2020
Now more than ever boys need heroes. Sometimes those heroes swoop in during a moment of crisis, but often heroes are the men who sacrifice everyday investing in the lives of boys. The month of June Christian Service Brigade, the parent ministry of Valor Parent Magazine will be celebrating these…
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Mother’s Day was My Day for Disappointment
May 9, 2020
Motherhood took me by surprise.  The kind of surprise that happens 9 months after your wedding day. Yes ... that kind.  I was never that little girl; the one that dreamed of being a mom and having a house brimming with kids. I was the tomboy. As the second oldest…
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Turning Conflict Into Cooperation
April 20, 2020
Mike stood in the kitchen doorway and held up the detention notice from school.  I could tell from the set of his jaw that he expected the worst. I pushed down all the standard phrases that immediately came to mind: You know better! I can’t believe you did this!…
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The War of Words
November 25, 2019
Ending the responses that trigger the conflict between you and your children When your children were young, you spoke words of life into their little beings. They cooed and you cooed back. You had no intention of ever berating your babies. Even if you yourself were raised in a…
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Rescue: When the answer to all the prayers for rescue is a heart crushing “No”
November 25, 2019
Minutes turned into hours. They’d been gone too long. I hesitated to verbalize my fear, as if doing so would somehow bring the fear to life. And then it happened. December 7th 2016 was a routine day for our family serving as missionaries in rural Alaska. Home was a…
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More of “That Guy”
November 25, 2019
How a kid with buck teeth and a bad stutter experienced Jesus I don't enjoy thinking of embarrassing experiences from my childhood, let alone writing about them. But dredging them up is good because I not only remember the pain but also the people God used to help me pass…
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Thoughts on Shaving
November 25, 2019
It became clear that this ordinary moment in my life was not ordinary for him at all Shaving is a big deal. It’s a big deal because it’s an annoying hassle and blades are a hugely expensive racket, running a close second to ink cartridges. But when you are…
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