D6 Blog
Sowing Gospel Seeds
My name is Elizabeth. My story begins in Ukraine. I never knew my father—he was killed in an accident when I was only one year old. My mom couldn’t cope with the grief, soon turning to alcohol and other destructive habits that distracted her from the tragedy. Financially, she could not support us, so my mom packed us up and moved to a village in the heart of my country to live with my grandparents. But her lifestyle did not change. She gave birth to my...
One of the Best Decisions We Ever Made As Parents
I need to start off by confessing this was not our idea. We stole (ahem, borrowed) it from some friends (thank you, Kyle and Sarah). A few years ago, my wife and I took a parenting class at our church and this was our big aha moment, our top takeaway, our immediate...
Us Four & No More – Making Family Time a Priority
My husband and I both work full time in ministry. We are the proud parents of two teenagers. Often, as a family, we are pulled in different directions. Sports, jobs, theatre practice, music lessons, church events, and so on. We get caught up in all we have to do; all...
The Tiniest Thing with the Greatest Impact
The other day, my kids broke a glass in the living room. We immediately sprang into action, protecting bare feet, sweeping up broken pieces, vacuuming up the tiny shards, and mopping up the ones we couldn’t see. To the best of our ability, we cleaned up the mess....
The Words Their Souls Long to Hear
I got down on my knees in front of her, her eyes locked on mine in anticipation of what I was about to say. She didn’t know what was coming—after all, it was children’s church and I had singled her out in front of everyone. There was a hint of trepidation in her...
Should I Make My Teenager Go to Church?
One of the most frequently asked questions we have received after the release of our new book on parenting teens is, “Should we require our teenaged son or daughter to go to church with us when they do not want to go?” It’s a great question and believe it or not, we...
When the Christmas Story Becomes Bigger: Telling the Whole Story at Christmas
It’s Christmas Time! Oh, how we love to tell the Christmas story. We share it in pageants and cantatas; we read it in bedtime stories and Advent prayers, we sing it in carols and choirs. What a beautiful story it is of Love sent down, of Joy proclaimed and of Peace...
3 Ways to Focus on God’s Presence this Christmas
If you’re like most people alive today, Christmas is a scheduling nightmare with parties, pageants, purchasing of presents, and preparing pastries. You know that Christmas should be a time of prayer, peace, and the presence of God but every year seems to become more...
Helping the Families in Your Ministry Celebrate Advent
"And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger" Luke 2:12. This Friday begins the season of Advent. Advent is a time to prepare for the birth of Christ. It means "coming." It is an invitation to come and adore...
Those Who Stay: Three Reasons for NOT Leaving the Church
Whenever I’m faced with a big project, I try to approach it in pieces. I break it down into doable parts and work my way towards finishing the whole. When I heard Dr. Richard Ross speak at D6 Conference, I couldn’t help but think that what he shared was basically the...
An Army of Grandparents Unleashed
Since 1900, the average life span of an American has increased by 33 years. 33 years. Why does this matter in ministry? More specifically how does this matter to family ministry? I heard this interesting fact this week at D6 Conference in Dallas (where,...
Operation Christmas Child: Generosity
We often think of generosity in terms of financial giving, which makes it difficult for children to participate and experience the blessing of meeting others’ needs. What if we broaden our definition of what it looks like to be generous? Instead of only looking at...
Christian Healthcare Ministries Works
By CHM member Tim Marshall Pasadena, Texas We served as pastors in Indiana for nearly 10 years. Then, eight years ago, we felt the Lord calling us to make a change in our ministry. That’s when we decided to pursue evangelism full-time. We hadn’t had a health care plan...