Jesus’ Genealogy and You
“This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham.” (Matthew 1:1, NIV) Prior to telling us about Jesus’ birth, Matthew gives us an extensive list of names, which seems like a strange way to start. Could you not produce a more exciting introduction, Matthew? However, upon closer look, […]
What Your Kids Really Want
Each month, at our church, we ask the students in our Student Ministry one question about their relationship with their parents or their family as a whole, hoping to provide some insight to the parents that can help strengthen their connection with their kids. This month we asked, What’s one thing you wish your parents […]
‘Make Every Effort’: Intentional Relationships in a Culture of Laziness
If given the choice, many people would opt for living in a do-less, get-more world. With the emergence of generative artificial intelligence, it can be tempting for a student to want to submit a single sentence to a chatbot—and let AI create the essay. Ever since COVID, it’s been tempting for some to want to […]
Leaving a Legacy of Faith
History is complicated. If you ever trace your family history, you’re going to find a few skeletons in the closet. And everybody in your family is going to have a different theory about how they got there. I’m not asking anyone to jump into the genealogy deep end. You might wake up in a daze […]
Household Gods: On Our Tendency to Worship Family
Have you noticed that parents have been acting a bit crazy? The parents getting ejected at youth baseball games for harassing the umpires; The parents losing their minds at school board meetings. The parents schlepping their kids around suburban hotels that exchange uniformed weekday business travelers with briefcases for weekend uniformed children with soccer balls. […]
Bless Your People
If you sneeze and someone is nearby to hear you, you’ll likely hear them say, “Bless you!” According to grammarist.com, Gesundheit is an interjection used to wish good health to someone who has just sneezed. It comes from the German language, where it means, literally, “Health!” In German it is used as the equivalent of […]
Practicing Spiritual Disciplines as a Family
No one should expect to be the world’s best football player the first time they step on the field. Likewise, no one can expect to be the greatest trumpet player with only a few hours of practice a week. Why is it that we expect to be able to act just like Jesus in His […]
Behind the Curtain: How God Built a Missionary Family into a Family of Missionaries
“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty” (Isaiah 6:5). I remember, as a teen, meandering behind my parents as they journeyed from the church pew, up the […]
