I once heard a youth pastor say, “The reason you don’t hear pastors preaching about the importance of family is because we ourselves are not doing family very well.” Let that sink in for a moment. Has this been true of your experience? This post isn’t to bash the...
Tim Kimmel has long been the leading voice in what he has become known for—“Grace-based Parenting.” I will never forget hearing Tim speak for the very first time, we were Skyping him in to a small group of influencers having lunch together. Tim asked this question...
“If you could give just one sentence of marital advice to these 200 students before you leave, what would it be?” It’s the closing question we pose every Monday evening to a guest couple in our Marriage 101 class at Seattle Pacific University. After our evening’s...
Go to any children’s or student ministry conference today, and you’ll hear speakers hit the stage and talk about the idea of your ministry investing in families. Processing how to impact kids more effectively and then figuring out the parent issue also can be...
At D6 2012, Fred Luter (Pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans) made a statement that has stuck with me ever since. He said, "We can't isolate kids from the culture, but we can insulate them with God's Word." Isn't that a marvelous thought? Kids are...
In the beginning there were children and adults. But then, around 1900, cultural shifts in American education, industrialization, and the law led to a new stage of life—youth. At first youth were a high priority to parents and culture. The majority had their most...
It’s to the joy of students and the dismay of many educators. Distance education. I did some of my coursework through distance education, and it was wonderful to “be educated” without disruption of other life activities. It’s helpful for those of us who cannot afford...
When I get hungry, I get desperate and difficult. If anyone steps in between me and my snack, you can be sure it won't be pretty. If you ask me to share, I might give up a small bite, but internally, my nice gesture is playing tug-of-war with a growling tummy....
You see it on overpasses, the sides of buildings, and on the occasional billboard. The person wanting their message or art seen has left his or her mark. Some marks are territorial; some are works of art, while others send a message. You can tell when you enter...
Can a Christian man and a Christian woman be married to one another, but not have a Christian marriage? Absolutely. Two Christians can say “I do,” but not have a shared, compelling, Bible-driven vision for their life together. Find a Christian engaged couple. Ask...
A new study done by Patrick F. Fagan examines the effects of pornography on individuals, marriage, family, and community. Fagan is Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Research on Marriage and Religion at the Family Research Council. He specializes in...
Every religion has a sacred book. Only Christianity has the incarnation, which literally means “en-flesh-ment.” God became a flesh-and-blood human being to reveal Himself to us in a way written words could not accomplish. The gospel of John tells us that “the Word...