It was just a friendly game of racquetball. Our racquets were tethered around our wrists in case things got slippery, and then we started pounding the dickens out of the ball, all in the spirit of friendly fun and exercise. Maybe my friend expected to win handily; maybe he expected consistently great shots from himself. But whatever was going on within him, he was getting louder. What began as a...
Why do children lie? For that matter, why do any of us lie? We exaggerate details in our favor, twist the truth to make ourselves look good, and hide facts to protect our guilt. No matter the form, we lie because we love ourselves and want to protect ourselves at all cost. Children are no different. Like us, they will even deny the obvious to save face and avoid consequences. Lying shows a lack...
We are quite familiar with the Lord Jesus giving his great commission to his Church to make disciples of all nations by baptizing them and teaching them to obey all his commandments (Matthew 28:19–20). We are also aware that fathers are called to instruct their children in God’s Word (Ephesians 6:4). Those of us with children soon realize that the call to make disciples begins in the home...
One of my very favorite moments in the entire Bible happens when Jesus calls a very anxious and fearful Peter out of the boat. Every time I read it, study it, or think about it, it just hits me in so many places. A quick recap to refresh your mind: Jesus had just finished turning five loaves and two fish into enough food to feed a crowd of 5,000 people—people who had followed him looking for...
People start gearing up for Christmas six weeks in advance but Easter often catches families by surprise. There are pages of Advent devotionals available online but just a handful of family devotionals for Holy Week or Easter Week. So why is Easter so neglected? Shouldn’t we celebrate Easter with the same gusto we do Christmas? Part of the challenge is that Christmas is always December 25th but...
