Rise Up! is a powerful challenge for fathers to take seriously their primary responsibility: to “bring up a child in the way that he should go” (Proverbs 22:6). It is a compelling call for us fathers to recognize the seriousness of God’s command to be the spiritual leader, teach God’s Word to our families, and address concerns that may arise along the way. Dr. Otto’s thesis is clear, concise, and compelling: There is no better way for a husband and father to show his family the importance of God’s Word than by daily reading it to them. ...

A “Noah’s Ark” theme in the nursery, family devotions at bedtime, table prayers at mealtime—these all are the beginnings of Christian discipleship in the home. Nativity sets during Advent, a birthday cake for Baby Jesus at Christmas, family hymn sings, memory work, discipline informed by Law and Gospel—these home education experiences water the precious seeds that are planted in Holy Baptism. No wonder Martin Luther referred to fathers and mothers as the pastors and priests of their households, for that truly is what Christian parents are.

So how do we raise a child in the paideia of the Lord? This means much more than simply taking your kids to church on Sundays and enrolling them in seventh and eighth grade catechism classes. It also means that we don’t simply follow the public education model of schooling and extracurricular activities. The danger is that the public education model of curriculum and pedagogy leaves very little time for the paideia of the Lord that I am talking about. ... Raising children in the paideia of the Lord means raising them in such a way that they see and do everything in and through the light of God’s Word—both Law and Gospel.

Thematic Bible Readings

A Four–Year Cycle for Christian Homes

Take your family through the entire Bible in four years by reading just 20 to 25 verse per day!

• YEAR ONE: Hebrew History
• YEAR TWO: Minor Prophets and Christian History
• YEAR THREE: Wisdom Literature and Major Prophets
• YEAR FOUR: Old and New Testament Doctrine

Please click below to download a free guide entitled Thematic Bible Readings.

[Thematic Bible Readings - PDF]

Very important things happen at One First Street Northeast. That’s the address of the U.S. Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C. Five people who worked there decided, in Bush v. Gore (2000), who would live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the White House, for the next four years. Seven people who worked there decided, in Roe v. Wade (1973), that a woman has the right to abort her child. For these reasons and more, the Supreme Court Building is the epicenter of American controversy. But earlier this month, One First Street Northeast was the site of a miracle.