I’ve never auditioned for a school play, but my kids have. I’ve witnessed the stress of knowing how well you need to perform to get the role you want. You wonder if there will even be a part to play. What Paul says to his spiritual son Timothy about “the prophecies previously made about you” are instructive for parents today. Paul…

Coming alive to the wonder, beauty, and transforming power of God’s love in Jesus. — A Cross-Country Trip Last week, my family drove from Georgia to Estes Park, Colorado, arriving just after dark. If it were not early June, the snowfall may have been expected. But by morning, the ground was covered by a thin white blanket, which melted by mid-day as the temperature rose into the 40s. …

What are pastors to do with the pain? — Listening to the This Changes Everything podcast recently, one host described his experience as a pastor through Covid that led him to resign the church he had planted five years earlier. “I died a death by a thousand wounds.” There wasn’t one massive issue, controversy, or tipping point moment that caused his pastoral mortality. It was the feeling…

How weakness is the unexpected path to strength. — When my youngest child was four years old, she wanted to do everything herself, whether getting dressed or making her own peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She refused to ask for help. On one occasion, I observed her trying to open a new jar of jelly. The seal on the…

It’s one thing to ‘say,’ I believe — it is something else to ‘get in’ — The Great Blondin was a famous acrobat and tight-rope walker who lived in the 1800s. Originally from France, Blondin traveled to America, determined to be the first person to cross the raging waters of Niagara Falls, which he attempted on June 30, 1859. He connected a 1,100-foot long inch wide…

How a bottle of water revealed the essence of kindness — Last week my wife, Kristy, went to the grocery. Nothing exceptional about that. But as you’ll find out, it turned out to be exceptional. When she arrived home I helped her unload the bags. To my surprise, I pulled out a bottle of coconut-pineapple seltzer water — my favorite flavor…

Seeing the transition as a wonderful discipleship opportunity If you have younger children who are used to a “little church” ministry that takes place during the sermon, here are eight simple suggestions for how to coach them for the transition to “big church” on Sundays. Talk to your kids about…

Don’t miss the opportunity — Reflecting on 1 & 2 Kings, the late Eugene Peterson writes, “Sovereignty, God’s sovereignty, is one of the most difficult things for people of faith to live out in everyday routines. But we have no choice: God is sovereign.” Maybe the difficulty is because of the control freak living in…

It is so much better — One of my favorite books is Transforming Grace, by Jerry Bridges. It is a simple, but profound and deeply helpful exploration into what it means to live by faith in the justifying, adopting, and sanctifying grace of God. Concerning justification, he writes, “The Bible never speaks of God’s grace as…