We are excited to invite Lauren Reitsema, author and esteemed speaker, to share her new book In Their Shoes with us. In her book, Lauren challenges us to look at divorce, remarriage, and blended families from a child’s perspective....
What Makes a Good Parent?
Why would we tackle such a subjective word? “Good” is a word open to opinion and discussion. “Good” can be defined very differently from person to person and situation to situation. And when you apply the word “Good” to parenting, you now find yourself on very shaky ground. What is a “Good” parent? Who...
Parenting Requires More Than a Single Lesson
Recently, at church on a Sunday morning, I saw a young elementary-age boy having a bad morning. He started to throw a fit because he didn’t want to go to class. I felt for him and was two seconds from stepping in when his mom bent over and calmly explained, “We talked about this...
Three Steps to Reach Non-Christian Friends
Parents, A few years ago when I was working in Southern California as a new youth pastor, a handful of students in our youth group asked how they could reach out to their non-Christian friends at school. Before we came up with a plan or a strategy, we began with prayer, mostly because I...
When Life Doesn’t Go as Planned: Explaining “God’s Plan”
As a species, we humans are an optimistic group. We build for the future with vigor. When something goes terribly wrong, we usually brush ourselves off and rebuild because we tend to believe things will be better going forward. Occasionally, we experience a setback that we cannot brush off, a tragedy that we as...
How to Connect with Your Teen This Summer
The weird thing about teenagers… Let me start over—one of the weird things about teenagers is how self-contradictory they are. For example… Non-conformity conformity Knowing everything without knowing anything Never making food but always hungry Loving their dog while ignoring their dog Tons of clothes but nothing to wear Another way teenagers contradict themselves...
Your Family’s Adventurous Journey
The summers of 2004 and 2005, God took me on an adventure that I would have never imagined, one that continues to this day. I grew up going to church but did not hear much about serving others, missions, or much activity outside the walls of the church. I am not being critical or...
Discover Your Purpose
Part 6 – The Challenge, Pursuit of a Godly Man Leading up to Father’s Day, we want to have an honest conversation about what it means to be a man in today’s world. Even more than that, we want to talk about what it means to be a godly man. Rather than feeling like...
Don’t Do Life Alone
Part 5 – The Challenge, Pursuit of a Godly Man Leading up to Father’s Day, we want to have an honest conversation about what it means to be a man in today’s world. Even more than that, we want to talk about what it means to be a godly man. Rather than feeling like...
Rescue and Protect Others
Part 3 – The Challenge, Pursuit of a Godly Man Leading up to Father’s Day, we want to have an honest conversation about what it means to be a man in today’s world. Even more than that, we want to talk about what it means to be a godly man. Rather than feeling like...
What To Do When Your Marriage Hits a Speed Bump
SCREECH! BAM!!! CRUNCH… We’re all familiar with the sound, feeling, and shock of an auto accident. The surprise, tensing, jolt, surge of adrenaline and the wave of frustration and anger we experience is soon followed by the inevitable question… What do I do now? There is a subtle irony that our auto insurance companies...
What Is the Miracle of Easter?
The television host leaned over to make sure the microphone was close to the precocious girl’s mouth. He’d just asked her, along with a panel of other school-aged children, about the real meaning of Easter. Her classmates’ answers ranged from getting candy and trinkets from the Easter Bunny to marking the official beginning of spring....