Raising kids is hard work, right? The challenges are many; the rewards are distant, and half the people around you don't get why you live the way you do. Meantime, you're slogging it out in the trenches, trying to retain your sanity and questioning whether your efforts make any difference. May I encourage you? The enemy of your soul wants you to believe that your parenting isn't significant. He's selling you a lie that your hard work is for nothing. There's a reason Satan wants you to give up and settle for mediocrity. There's a reason he wants to steal your vision to Continue Reading
One Simple Practice that Can Restore Your Soul
What do live clams have in common with a burning bush -- and what does the comparison have to do with you? Allow me to explain. Last week, I found myself doing a very touristy thing -- collecting shells on the beach in Florida. (Having watched many episodes of Seinfeld back in the day, I felt like I was tasting life at the fictional "La Boca del Vista.") Scott and I had just attended the annual conference for Care Net, the affiliate organization for the ministry where we work. This just after our youngest son's wedding at the end of August. Whew! We were tired. The rest was Continue Reading
The Three Things Your Kids Need to do with Money
Jesus talked quite a bit about money, so it follows that Christ-honoring parents need to instruct their children on this topic. As with everything else you teach your kids, the starting point is your own understanding, and then your actions based on that understanding. What do you believe about money? Is it evil? Is it good? How much of it should Christians have? A little? A lot? How should we manage it? Jesus said this: "I tell you,use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. Whoever can be trusted with Continue Reading
How an Emergency Highlighted the Meaning of the Wedding
In a lovely, moving ceremony, my youngest son got married last Saturday. My heart overflows with joy, not just because he's found a wonderful woman, but because Jed and Rebecca understand what weddings are all about. Despite the swirl of opinions these days as to what marriage is and whether it's important, weddings are still a big deal in our culture. I hope weddings will always be a big deal -- but I pray it's for the right reasons. My son and his bride orient their lives around joyful obedience to Jesus Christ. They planned their ceremony around the understanding that their Continue Reading