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How to Talk with Kids about Jesus
I used to think I knew how to talk with kids about Jesus to help them establish a lasting faith. It seemed simple enough. Read the Bible. And absolutely, the Bible is where we should begin. Reading the Bible together regularly is the best way to open a dialogue with your kids about Jesus. Everything about Jesus must begin with the Bible because that is how God chose to reveal His truths to us about Himself, the world, and Jesus. But, that isn’t as simple as it used to be. My parents taught me that the Bible was truth, and that was that, until college, where I first faced atheism…
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How to Have a Christ-Centered Valentine’s Day
What if we focused on having a Christ-centered Valentine’s Day this year? How could that change not only our holiday, but our relationships? What’s wrong with Valentine’s Day now? Maybe nothing, but it depends on your heart. I spent too many years centered on the wrong things on Valentine’s Day. I got caught up in the commercialization of this Hallmark holiday, measuring the health of my relationship too often by the size of the celebration. It took my coming home to Christ to start to see love differently and wanting to celebrate Valentine’s Day differently. Focusing on me created a self-centered heart. I focused too much on my being appreciated,…
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How to be Right So People Will Listen
Knowing how to be right so people will listen is not a skill I’ve mastered. I’m working on it, but it does not come naturally, at all. I’ve always been the kind of person who has next-level skills of thinking I’m right, sometimes even when I’m not. GASP. Becoming Christlike means I have to actively unlearn almost every single character trait, but especially my all too human instinct to believe I’m right. However as Christians, our worldview is right: God is real. The Bible is His divine word. Jesus is the Messiah. But there is a wrong way to be right. Being right the wrong way can destroy relationships and…
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Why Follow a Bible Reading Plan in the New Year
Why follow a Bible reading plan this new year? Because it’s the one resolution with eternal benefits. Every where I look, I see recommendations for New Years Resolutions. Eat healthier. Set boundaries. Say No. Say Yes. Practice self-care. Exercise more. Tidy up. Relax your standards. Be a stricter parent. Be a peaceful parent. Live your best life now! These worldly, often contradictory, messages scream at me that I’m not doing enough, that I’m not enough. And that if I would just try this ONE thing, my life would be all that I hope for. But that’s a lie. Because following the world’s suggestions to attain the world’s standards will always…
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Have a Fresh Start this New Year
Do you want a fresh start this new year? Whether it’s a new school year, new year of life or marriage, or January 1, we all love a crisp, fresh start. For me, nothing stirs up nostalgia more than remembering the cool fall mornings in Illinois, walking to school with new notebooks and sharp pencils, smelling the briskness of winter’s promises whispering to me on the early morning breeze while summer’s heat lingered. Those blank notebooks, new shoes, freshly sharpened pencils, organized folders and planners symbolized hope. Likewise, January 1 always signifies a fresh chance to be new. Most of start each year hoping to be better in some area…
