Splink 1: Guess What’s There When you’re riding in the car, play a game called “I’m thinking of something in Heaven.” Give them clues to see if they can guess what you are thinking of. For example, some clues for the word “throne” might be “It’s big, it has lots of rooms, God promised…
Buzzing smartphones, crammed calendars, and those tempting blue tins full of sugary butter cookies are among the many things vying for our attention during a busy holiday season; each one invites us to shift our focus off Jesus and onto other things. But there’s no way around it: If we want to love God…
A wise person once said that you should never pray for patience because what you’ll end up with is a lot more opportunities to practice it. That person must have been a parent. Let’s face it—as a parent, not every day feels like a blessing. Sometimes despite our best efforts, we’re left…
This is the time of year when joy should abound, yet many of us still find ourselves searching for it. Homes are filled with families rushing through the season filling their schedules and shopping carts to overflowing. But, as you already know, these things just don’t produce the joy for which our souls were…
I can still remember how fast my heart was racing when Kat walked into the room. I’d known this tall, blonde business woman for about a year. I knew that she was kind and outgoing, and that she wasn’t the slightest bit interested in faith. She’d made it a point on several coffee dates to…
By Walt Mueller Alone together. . . is that what every member of your family will be tomorrow? Parents, this is for you. Youth workers, this is for you to pass on to the families you know and love. Can we just ditch the phones when we’re gathered together tomorrow and have a good old-fashioned…
The other day I read an article titled Prayer is Not Enough. The author wrote about how many horrible things happen all over the world every day and how so many Christians respond with prayer, an act that’s just not enough (hence the title). Instead of praying, the author recommended action, encouraging believers to…
*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on HealthDay. Fruit- or candy-flavored electronic cigarettes may entice American teens to start smoking tobacco, a new study suggests. Using data from the 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey, researchers at the University of Missouri-Kansas City found that among middle school and high school students who had never…
“If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?” My mom, and most likely every mom ever, used to say this to me when I was young. She wasn’t specifically worried about me jumping off a bridge. That wasn’t a popular thing to do in our town. Instead, she was using an extreme example…
Splink 1: Let’s Talk Let one of the kids make a phone call to a friend or relative. After talking on the phone, ask: What do you like about talking to Grandma (or the person you called) on the phone? (I like telling her about my day; I feel closer to her when I…