One day, while passing the food processors in Bed Bath & Beyond, I came across a large piece of wall art that said, “Dream until your dreams come true.” I stopped mid-aisle and stared at those words. We encounter some version of this message everywhere we go: “Never give up on your dreams!” Indeed, one of the loudest messages in the Western world is for us to dream big and do all we can to pursue our dreams.... continue reading
Connection. If you’re like most of us, you think about connection in the context of our digital age—connected via social media, gaming, video platforms, and even the electrical grid. Always on, always going. Disconnecting is what everyone is screaming about, as they post waterfall photos to show the rest of the world just how unplugged they are. But what if connection is something we need? I don’t mean with thousands of strangers via social media. I mean with our kids. ... continue reading
There are many reasons why a parent might be the solo discipler in the home. Maybe you’re the only parent. Maybe you’re the only parent who follows after Jesus. Maybe your spouse is deployed, or their job requires them to be away for long periods of time, or you are widowed, or your child’s other parent has never been present. Whatever the case may be, family dynamics are much more complicated than neat little demographic boxes we check on a registration form. And that complicates not only our lives, but our discipling relationships with our kids. ... continue reading
“How am I supposed to help my kids follow Jesus when I am struggling in my own relationship with him?” It’s a valid question, and one you’re not alone in asking. Or maybe you’re not struggling in your relationship with Christ, but you’re just having a hard time with life in general. Maybe it’s your job or an illness that is causing your struggles. It could be family or relationship issues that are complicating every facet of life. Perhaps your DIY remodel went off the rails and you’re living in a construction zone with your last shred of sanity holding it all together.... continue reading
If your schedule looks anything like mine, it can make a person uninitiated in the realm of color-coded calendars dizzy. There’s a color dedicated to this kid, a color dedicated to that kid. One for work stuff, one for family stuff, and even the dogs have their own special color on the calendar. Ok, so the dogs don’t have a lot of appointments, but once you go down that color-coding rabbit hole, you just can’t leave them out. Or maybe you’re more of a non-calendar person and sticky notes are your thing. Whatever your method is, if you have kids, you’re probably busier than you want to be.... continue reading
Parenting is a wild ride, isn’t it? Nothing can adequately prepare you. Parenting books, blogs, and podcasts are all great. But they only scratch the surface of what it’s like to have your own kid. There are so many paths to parenthood, no one gets there quite the same. But when that precious life is placed in your arms, you are changed forever. And you might freak out a little. So many thoughts race through your head, but I think one every parent can identify with is that we don’t want to fail our kids. ... continue reading
Joni Eareckson Tada’s new kid’s book The Awesome Super Fantastic Forever Party helps kids understand—and get excited about—a future forever with Jesus.
To help this wonderful truth stick, kids benefit from hearing the storybook and engaging with it and the concepts via games, crafts, coloring and more. Throwing a “Forever Party” for your family or a kid’s ministry is a great way to make the truth about forever-with-Jesus memorable.
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I am absolutely convinced that every single person who is reading this already has the skills necessary to read and understand the Bible. Why am I so sure? Let me give you a one-word answer: Netflix. (Or any other streaming service!) Watching a movie or box set actually requires a very sophisticated set of skills to make sense of what’s going on. And it all starts as we simply watch and listen carefully.... continue reading
It may not be 2022 quite yet, but we’re already looking forward to leaving the old behind (looking at you, Omicron) and moving on to what’s ahead. If you’re looking to make New Year’s resolutions or just to start fresh in some areas of life in 2022, here are some of our favorite reads to help you make meaningful progress.... continue reading
Spending time with family can be, well, hard. Even if you have great relationships with the people you spend your holidays with, they may have expectations you can’t (or don’t want to) live up to. You may get picked on for being the youngest, or the oldest, or otherwise black sheep-ish.... continue reading