Can you say, “There are areas in my life where I feel physically, mentally and/or spiritually tired?” If you said “yes” to this question, please let me ask you one more. “What are you doing about it? Are you doing the things you need to do or making the changes you need to make so you can have some rest in your life?

We know there are things in life that we need to do. We have to work for a living. Children need to be fed, clothed and nurtured. Relationships need attention if they are to flourish. It takes time and effort to live a healthy lifestyle. But does every moment of every day have to be scheduled with some type of work?

I believe author Crystal Paine is right. She says, “As a culture, we are addicted to adrenaline. We go, go, go. We do, do, do. And it’s as if the more we have on our to do list, the more important we are.” (more…)

One evening when our oldest daughter, Katie, was in first grade, she got very upset with something which happened at home. It just so happened her class was learning about maps at school that day and she brought one home. Since she was troubled with things at home and she had a map, she decided to run away. She later told us she didn’t know how to read the map or know where it would take her. But she had a map and she was going to use it.

If we’re not careful, we’ll do the same thing as Christians. We can get upset with something that happens at church, decide we’re better off on our own and then run away from church even though we have no idea where we’re going.

We all know people who have done this. Unfortunately, many of them are still living apart from a church congregation and their walk with Jesus is either weak or nonexistent. Unless we make an effort to guard our faith, the same thing can happen to you and to me. (more…)

If your children could look through a magic View Master and see the past, what events would they see? Would most of the images be of things you did well, such as showing love, being an encouragement and making sacrifices for them? Perhaps there would be too many pictures of times when you were too busy, too impatient or too insensitive? If we’re honest, most of us would probably have to admit it would contain a mixture of both.

Being a parent is one of the most rewarding and challenging things we will ever do. It’s a 24 hour-a-day, 7 day-a-week job that instantly switches from being joyous and happy to being nerve-wracking and stressful. And the job never ends – even after our children are grown. Thankfully the Bible does give us some principles that will help us be the best parents we can possibly be. (more…)

Attending college was a goal of mine when I was in high school. To help me get ready, I took college prep classes to prepare for the academic work. Participating in leadership positions in the various clubs not only helped make me a better person, it also made my college applications look better. One club which I felt was vitally important to have on my applications was the National Honor Society. So, during my junior year, I applied and was accepted into membership.

I looked forward to this club because I was friends with most of the other members. We ate lunch together, played sports together and hung out. But something changed when we gathered for our meetings. Some of them became snobs. To make matters worse, the club didn’t seem to have a purpose other than to puff up the members because they had good grades.

The longer I was part of this organization, the more I despised it. During my senior year, the club leaders organized an overnight trip to Marshall University so we could learn more about college life. I was the only member of the club who didn’t go. By this point, I was living in the fringes of this club. Yes, I was a member and attended the meetings but I didn’t really feel like I was part of the group.

It’s OK to be on the fringes of a high school club that really doesn’t mean anything in the grand scheme of life. It’s much different, however, to be on the fringes of a body created by God to help prepare its members for eternity. (more…)