A powerful way for parents to share their faith with their children
Mom and Dad, do you realize God’s given you a personal mission field? It’s those people living under your roof! Our series on evangelism continues.
Topic > Marriage & Family
Let’s turn to God’s Word for some insight on what makes a good dad
Being a dad is a tough job. It seems everyone has a different opinion on what qualities make up a good father. Hear a study in Mark chapter 9.
The Marriage Metaphor
After twenty-two years together, I sometimes wonder how my marriage to Merryn works. I’m a writer, Merryn is a statistician; I work with words, she works with numbers. I want beauty, she wants function. We come from different worlds.
Merryn arrives to appointments early, I’m occasionally late. I try new things on the menu, she orders the same. After twenty minutes at an art gallery I’m just getting started, while Merryn is already in the cafe downstairs wondering how much longer I’ll be. We give each other many opportunities to learn patience!
We do have things in common—a shared sense of humor,…
Complete in Christ
In a popular film, an actor plays a success-driven sports agent whose marriage begins to crumble. Attempting to win his wife, Dorothy, back, he looks into her eyes and says, “You complete me.” It’s a heart-warming message that echoes a tale in Greek philosophy. According to that myth, each of us is a “half” that must find our “other half” to become whole.
The belief that a romantic partner “completes” us is now part of popular culture. But is it true? I talk to many married couples who still feel incomplete because they haven’t been able to have children, and others…
God’s Love Is Stronger
In 2020, Alyssa Mendoza received a surprising email from her father in the middle of the night. The message had instructions about what to do for her mother on her parents’ twenty-fifth anniversary. Why was this shocking? Alyssa’s father had passed away ten months earlier. She discovered that he had written and scheduled the email while he was sick, knowing he might not be there. He’d also arranged and paid for flowers to be sent to his wife for upcoming years on her birthday, future anniversaries, and Valentine’s Day.
This story could stand as an example of the kind of love…
Made for Each Other
“I take care of him. When he’s happy, I’m happy,” says Stella. Merle replies, “I’m happy when she’s around.” Merle and Stella have been married for 79 years. When Merle was recently admitted to a nursing home, he was miserable—so Stella gladly brought him home. He’s 101, and she’s 95. Though she needs a walker to get around, she lovingly does what she can for her husband, such as preparing the food he likes. But she couldn’t do it on her own. Grandchildren and neighbors help with the things Stella can’t manage.
Stella and Merle’s life together is an example of…
Will You Come Back?
Ron and Nancy’s marriage was deteriorating rapidly. She had an affair, but after some time she admitted her sin to God. She knew what He wanted her to do but it was difficult. She shared the truth with Ron. Instead of asking for a divorce, Ron chose to give Nancy a chance to win his trust back by showing that she’d changed. In a miraculous way God restored their marriage.
Ron’s actions are a picture of God’s love and forgiveness shown toward sinners like you and me. The prophet Hosea understood this well. He was commanded by God to marry an…
All for Nothing
Heroin addiction is poignantly tragic. Users build tolerance, so larger hits are required for the same high. Soon the dosage they seek is more than enough to kill them. When addicts hear someone has died from an exceptionally strong batch, their first thought may not be fear but “Where can I get that?”
C. S. Lewis warned of this downward spiral in Screwtape Letters, his imaginative look at a demon’s explanation of the art of temptation. Start with some pleasure—if possible one of God’s good pleasures—and offer it in a way God has forbidden. Once the person bites, give less of it…
Escaping the Noise
Several years ago, the president of a college suggested that students join her in “powering down” for an evening. Although the students agreed, it was with great reluctance that they laid aside their cell phones and entered the chapel. For the next hour, they sat quietly in a service of music and prayer. Afterward, one participant described the experience as “a wonderful opportunity to calm down . . . a place to just tune out all of the extra noise.”
Sometimes, it’s difficult to escape “extra noise.” The clamor of both our external and internal worlds can be deafening. But when…
The Beauty of Love
The “Jarabe Tapatío,” also known as the Mexican hat dance, celebrates romance. During this upbeat dance, the man places his sombrero on the ground. At the very end, the woman grabs the hat and both hide behind it to seal their romance with a kiss.
This dance reminds me of the importance of faithfulness in marriage. In Proverbs 5, after talking about the high cost of immorality, we read that marriage is exclusive. “Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well” (v. 15). Even with ten couples dancing the Jarabe on stage, each person focuses on his…
God Loves Each And Every One Of Us Dearly
The universe is really BIG! And when you stop to think about it, you can feel really small in comparison! Today on Discover the Word, the team, and special guest Sally Lloyd-Jones remind us that even though we’re small, God loves each of us dearly. Hear one final excerpt from Sally’s book, Thoughts to Make […]
Find Comfort Knowing Only God Is Perfect
Do you ever feel like you have to be perfect? Do you expect perfection from others? Today on Discover the Word, the team, and special guest Sally Lloyd-Jones find comfort in the fact that no one is perfect except for God. Join us as we read another excerpt from Sally’s children’s book, Thoughts to Make […]
The One Big Over-Arching Story Of The Bible
The Bible may consist of different books written by different authors, but in the end, it tells one, big, over-arching story. Today on Discover the Word, the team and special guest Sally Lloyd-Jones read an excerpt from Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing, and discuss how stories have the power to captivate both children and adults […]
The Boundless, Never-Changing Love Of God
God’s love has no restrictions, no strings attached. And there’s nothing we can do to earn it. Today on Discover the Word, the team, and special guest Sally Lloyd-Jones discuss how to communicate God’s boundless, unconditional, never-changing love to a child. We’re talking about Sally’s book, Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing today on Discover […]
Thoughts To Make Your Heart Sing
We can’t always tell where God is leading us. But we can always trust that He’s taking us somewhere good. Today on Discover the Word, the team and special guest Sally Lloyd-Jones discuss how to share this comforting truth with children. Join the group for a conversation about Sally’s children’s book, Thoughts to Make Your […]
A Fitting Time
Yesterday I purchased a plane ticket to send my firstborn child to college. I’m surprised the keyboard on my computer still functions, given the waterworks my eyes unleashed on it during the flight selection process. I have so enjoyed my eighteen years of daily life with her that I am saddened by the prospect of her departure. Yet I wouldn’t rob her of the opportunity that lies ahead simply because I will miss her. At this juncture in her life, it is fitting for her to embark on a new journey to discover adulthood and explore another part of the…
How to Move Forward in 2018
“Look to the future with the past in mind.” I came across this phrase last year when I went on vacation in Baguio City, one of the tourist towns in Benguet Province of the Philippines.
