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A Weekly Family Prayer Schedule
About a year ago, we started praying together as a family after dinner. With two three-year-olds at the table, brevity is important and direction is necessary. The predictability of a prayer schedule has helped the kids participate with increasing independence, though we’ll still get the occasional, “I don’t know what to say,” and have to…
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4 Ways to Love Your Pastor
When we commit ourselves to loving our pastors well, they will be strengthened, we will be sanctified, and the witness of the church will be spread—all for the glory of Christ.
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The Mercy Mandate
Merciful works do not earn us favor, but they reflect that we are children of the Father.
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An Arrest and Victor Hugo
I just saw someone arrested. I was walking towards the grocery store when I noticed a man on the ground surrounded by 4 other men. I initially thought he was hurt, so I walked over and asked if I could help. The men raised their eyebrows, “no thanks, we have it under control.” It was…
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Behind-The-Scenes Service: Unglamorous and Irreplaceable
Meet Emily. My beautiful sister-in-law and beloved aunt to my three kids. For the past several months Emily has babysat for me every Friday morning. She does this so that I can serve a local Syrian refugee family. During these mornings I either work with “M” who is diagnosed with autism, play with “J” and…
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Dear White People: Let’s Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day Differently
May we commemorate MLK by listening to the Black community, learning from the Black perspective, and loving our Black brothers and sisters.
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Believing Jesus: Is it really more blessed to give than to receive?
…”remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35 Do we remember these words? Or, more importantly, do we really believe them? So often, the snares, struggles, and sins we face in our Christian walk are related to unbelief. We have this…
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Daring to Hope Book Review
I never read Kisses from Katie. I knew her general story from a friend who loved it, but I didn’t get around to checking it out myself. I’ll admit to being a little skeptical. How could a 23-year-old adopt 13 kids and actually function well as a mother? Perhaps this skepticism is one reason that…
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The Only Way to Have Compassionate Kids is to Expose Them to Suffering
When you’re in a situation like mine and live amidst the middle class and wealthy, it’s easy to raise kids who lack compassion. Before you think this is some judgmental assumption or attack on their character, hear me out. They might be kind, but still lack compassion. They might be responsible and thoughtful, but still lack…