Do you remember what it was like to be a teenager? The self-consciousness. The physical self-awareness. Trying to fit in. Doing whatever it took to gain peer acceptance. Attempting to act cool but looking like a fool. (I remember spilling soda on myself at McDonald’s in front of three girls, and I genuinely wanted to…
Lately, I have been reflecting on my own middle school and high school years at church…I was privileged to have a ton of incredible leaders over the years. The Goodwins, Dave Taylor, and the McCombs stand out to me immediately when reflecting back on those years. And chances are, if you are a Christ-follower today,…
Courtney DeFeo Almost a decade ago, I caught the kindness bug. It felt like a nudge in my heart to change the focus of our family’s time and attention. It began with a little blog post and idea entitled “Light ‘Em Up” with some easy ways my friends and family could join me in lighting up the…
Parent Cue Growing up, I had one of those old blue rectangular Kodak cameras with the orange “point and shoot” button. It came everywhere with me—including a trip my family took to Disney World. While there, I captured an image I still have a copy of. At the end of a long day as we…
Candice Wynn One of the most challenging things for my husband and I since we became parents has been trying to find time for anything other than work and things that concern our children. From the moment they became ours, our children consumed our life. In all fairness, I love the gift that they are…
Daniel DeJesus It was daddy-daughter date night, and I had crafted the perfect plan. Elle and I would eat chocolate-chip pancakes to our heart’s content, rent any movie she wanted, and stay up as late as our sugar-laden bodies would allow us. I even found a stack of ice breaker cards, each with a fun…
MakeMostof_Valentines_SinglePage
Carey Nieuwhof I have two sons. Two sons, two realities: One loves music. The other loves sports. One loves conversation. The other is a man of few words. They both like camping. My thinking went this way: of course I know them. They’re my sons. But then I lived a few years longer. And so did they. And…
KindnessFamilyChallenge
Jon Acuff “Sticks and stones my break my bones but words will set the course for my entire life.” That’s not exactly how that phrase goes, but it should be because it’s true. Words have power and it’s not just the words we say out loud. Sometimes, the most powerful words we say are the…