1. Don't panic at the first signs of trouble. The first time your daughter comes home late from a date, wears pants that look like someone airbrushed them on or gets her body pierced in other-than-ear-lobe locations, don't panic. Things aren't as bad as you may think.

2. When you're ticked off, don't let words become weapons. If you both have strong wills, you may try to get the last word in. When your anger tempts you to say something you'll regret, count to 10. Better yet, count to 100.

The No. 1 concern of Christian parents is, "Will my children stay true to the Christian faith?" Statistically speaking, the odds are against us: Eighty percent of children growing up in evangelical homes will stop attending church by the end of their senior year in high school.

By God's grace, I have two grown children who are still walking with the Lord. Let me tell you why.

Fact: 90 percent of guys lack a true friend. If you've become a statistic, take a lesson from the paralyzed man and the men who brought him to Jesus.

Anyone who has ever picked up a baseball bat on a sandlot or dribbled a basketball on a playground knows the agony of waiting to be picked for a team. Who wants to be chosen dead last? That desire to be picked for the ball team directly relates to our desires in grown-up, real friendships.