12 Taskers

Here you can find some testimonials and ideas from others who have done or are doing the 12 Tasks.

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Fighting Fair With Your Teen

Fighting Fair With Your Teen

Fights between two independence-oriented individuals seem inevitable – even within the same family. James (4:1) tells us that fights and quarrels are caused from unmet desires battling within us. We want something but can’t get it so we focus our laser-anger on the...

Climbing a Mountain

Climbing a Mountain

One task we gave to each of our four children was to climb Mt Kenya up to Point Lenana, the third highest peak at 16,355 feet above sea level. It didn’t require any technical climbing skills, but it was a tremendous challenge to reach the top.  We struggled up a...

Building Communication Patterns that Last

Building Communication Patterns that Last

When my son Richard was young there was no problem in getting him to talk. He would follow my wife around the kitchen and the house as she worked, talking about all the new things he was learning and doing. As he grew up and engaged with his friends, his focus of...

Peaceful Conflict – part 1

Peaceful Conflict – part 1

Peaceful conflict seems to be an oxymoron when it comes to working out friction with your emerging teen. We are designed for intimate connection with others in our family where we can freely express ourselves and be accepted. Being vulnerable can leave us open to...

Great Lines for Life

Great Lines for Life

One of the things I enjoy doing is writing. Each of my books focuses on dramatic themes which we can all relate with. My characters desire to love and to be loved. They want security, significance, purpose, hope, meaning and grace. Dr. Tim Kimmel, in his book, Grace...

Getting Inspired by 12 Tasks

Getting Inspired by 12 Tasks

Impacting the next generations is a natural part of any parental legacy. While I didn’t fully think through all the reasons why blogging is an essential part of inspiring other parents to engage with their children in a deliberate and challenging way, I saw the impact...

What’s Up with This next Generation?

What’s Up with This next Generation?

Everyone of us who walks the pathway of parenthood once questioned what was up with our parent’s generation. Now, we’ve realized that we’re often out of step with the generation we’ve given birth to. 12 Tasks is designed to help build some significant bridges across...

Paper Walls and Passive Kids

Paper Walls and Passive Kids

Some of you know what it is like to live in spaces where it seems like the walls are little more than wallpaper or cardboard. You can hear a whisper happening on the other side. At times, our children might feel like they live in a home with paper walls where...

12 Tasks: Creating a Rite of Passage (Review)

12 Tasks: Creating a Rite of Passage (Review)

Everything from climbing mountains to cooking meals to bird watching to acts of service and much much more! 12 Tasks: Creating a Rite of Passage. You would think this is an adventure book. And in a way it is. This book is a good read for any adult who is interested in...

Taking Pride in Stride

Taking Pride in Stride

It’s been snowing in the Pacific Northwest and I don’t remember having to shovel this much before. When we were in Kenya, we used to tell our children that we’d see snow when we got back to Canada but apart from one brief flurry (which didn’t stick) on one Hallowe’en...