Change affects every family. Some changes are exciting, such as moving into a new home or welcoming a new baby. Some changes are painful, such as divorce, illness, or the loss of a relationship. Even joyful changes can be disorienting, while painful ones can feel devastating. For children, the uncertainty that comes with any change can be overwhelming. Kids thrive on predictability. They feel...
By the summer of 1856, Charles H. Spurgeon’s ministry was bearing so much fruit. Church membership was growing. People were being converted under his preaching. Young men were being trained for the ministry. Sermons were being sold by the thousands. And yet all would seemingly come to an end in the Surrey Gardens Music Hall Disaster. On the night of October 19, 1856, with the hall filled to...
How can you help your children understand the gospel? We often talk about “the gospel” with our kids and remind them that it’s “good news,” yet explaining it simply can be challenging. Of course there are many Bible verses that unpack the gospel, but of all the New Testament books, Romans provides the most comprehensive gospel presentation. Many of the gospel rich verses are easy enough for...
In 1941, imprisoned at Dachau, Polish craftsman Franz Kempa fashioned a violin from scraps of wood and makeshift tools. Hidden inside was a note: “Trial instrument, made under difficult conditions . . . Dachau Anno 1941.” Discovered this year, the “Violin of Hope” still plays. And in its trembling voice, it declares something profound: Resilience is catalyzed when fragile scraps are placed in the...
Looking over the development of Scripture, we see that from Genesis 4 until the middle of Exodus, the theme of God’s people in God’s place recedes to the background. Why? Because before Moses gets to tell that story, he has to tell us how God’s people Israel came to be a nation in the first place. In the story of Israel, we see the great lengths God went to in order to draw his people back to...
