Let me paint you a picture. Each year I spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with my extended family in beautiful east Tennessee. It’s a time I look forward to each year, one that I don’t take for granted, because I recognize the uniqueness of our close-knit family. I’m the second oldest of nine cousins. Six are married, including my two younger sisters, and most of them have at least two kids...
It’s coming! The holiday season is right around the corner. Now is the time for selecting a family devotional for the Advent season, before the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season begins. With the busyness that comes with every December, it’s all the more important for families to take time to focus on the true meaning of the holiday season. The Light Before Christmas: A Family Advent...
It was Valentine’s Day and my son had brought home his bag of valentines from his classmates. As we looked over what he received, I spotted a homemade heart-shaped crayon. I’m pretty sure I groaned out loud. Seriously? One of the moms made homemade crayons? In the shape of a heart? How is that even possible? Did she melt them? Then use a mold? I had managed to get my son out the door with store...
In 2013, I was less than twelve months into my new role as an associate pastor, when our children’s director resigned. Eventually, our church would make a new hire, but in the interim, those responsibilities were given to me. I didn’t feel incredibly thankful. In truth, I was overwhelmed. Sure, I was a father of three young children and had written preschool Bible curriculum, but I had never been...
Think first about yourself and how you, like everyone else, still hide. We might not head for the closet, but we all have parts of us that we would prefer unseen. We don’t want our sins to be seen, and we don’t want our mistakes or substandard performances to be on display. We are all concerned about our reputations. We don’t want to be found unacceptable. We don’t want to be among the left-out...
