A dad recently asked for book recommendations for his children. His children have read the complete Moody series many times and as many other good books as he could find. He has run out of other good books. What to do?

Reading is critical in preparing our children for life; however, once they have good reading and comprehension skills, it can become little more than a wasted time filler depending on what they are reading. Even worse, they can become addicted to the thrill of reading “exciting” books so that anything not exciting (the Bible and other worthwhile books) will not hold their interest. Think about it: What good is that?

I have NEVER had anyone tell me he (or she) regrets spending time in profitable pursuits growing up. The number of people who have told me they regret wasting their time, however, is beyond counting.

May I encourage you to consider moving your children into skill-based books as soon as their reading level and comprehension allows. What a blessed harvest they will begin reaping as they progress through their teen years.

My son Joseph began reading about programming when he was ten. He has no regrets about that now. In fact, all our children spent time gaining real skills during their teen years. They look back at those years with satisfaction.

Are we guiding our children or letting them float their own boat?

“And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship” (Exodus 31:3).