Imagine a farmer who only liked planting, and never bothered to harvest anything. Spring after spring he would scatter seed throughout his fields, and crops would grow all summer, but when fall came, he would either mow all his crops down to stubble or simply abandon them to die during the winter.
Indi Gregory was a British eight-month-old who died last month after her parents were denied the right to take her to Italy for care, as well as the option to bring her home to die. Sadly, she is only the most recent in an unfortunate string of widely publicized cases of patients in the UK for whom parental rights were overridden or removed “in the best interests of the child.” Each of these cases ended in the death of children.
You may or may not know that October is “Pastor Appreciation Month.” Because I have pastored for thirty years, I am hesitant to write on this topic, but I also believe that it is an important issue. A number of surveys have revealed that there is a significant attrition occurring within the ranks of pastors which threatens the future of churches across the United States. These studies show that in recent years over fifty percent of the men who enter the pastorate drop out before achieving ten years of service.
Does it feel like you've woken up to yet another day fighting the cultural dumpster fire? You're not alone. Many faithful brothers and sisters are fighting alongside you. But it's not enough to keep monotonously throwing water on the fire—it's sometimes important to step back and study just how the fire’s progressing. Only then can you know where best to attack.
The Problem Solvers Family Workshop is a two-day conference that is dedicated to rebuilding the foundations of faith and family in Illinois homes. Strong families with strong values are vital to creating a strong state and a strong nation.
Ask a man how he is doing and frequently the answer will come back, “Stressed!” Our lives are filled with all kinds of pressures that can easily produce anxiety. Fathers are especially vulnerable to anxiety and worry. Amy and I have been blessed with seven children, and one grandchild. The eldest two are married, and the next two are in college. I find the pre-college time, the high school “launch years” to be especially stressful.
Which is why the forces of evil are aggressively targeting it. The family—consisting of one man and one woman in lifelong wedlock, and their children—is God's ordained means of filling the earth (Genesis 1:28, 2:24, 4:1, 9:1).
Start your school year off right by attending a family worship night! This is an event for parents, teens, kids and grandparents to come together over fellowship and praising our Creator. This event begins at 3:30pm on October 9th. There will be games, coffee, snacks, smores’ and much more.
This will be held at Marengo Barn, 5107 Thorne Road, Marengo, IL. There will be a $25 fee and space is limited, so grab your seats by following the link here.
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I am a woman. I am also pro-life. Unfortunately, many people today see these identities as contradictory and antithetical. Over the past few decades, society has tried to force many women into a box: If you are a woman who is proud of your womanhood, you should support and advocate for abortion. If not, how can you be a true advocate for women? Supporting women has become synonymous with supporting abortion.
Nine years. It’s a long time. Except that it’s also not so very long.
Long or short, nine years is definitely enough time to experience some of life’s ups and downs together as a couple.
If you’ve ever seen the 1965 Disney move That Darn Cat (starring one of my all-time favorite actors, Dean Jones, as an FBI agent tasked with tailing a roguish cat in an attempt to locate the ruthless bank robbers and their hostage), you may remember the scene in which Patti Randall (Hayley Mills) …
Your student lives in a world surrounded and infused by technology. Communication is instant. Friendships take place “online” sometimes even more than in “real life.”
This “connected” world brings new opportunities and new dangers. How do we navigate these together as a family?
I don’t know about you, but I find God’s instructions in Deuteronomy 6:6-7 both challenging and convicting. It’s in this passage that God commands parents to teach their children in His ways diligently—as we sit at home, walk along the way, rise up, lie down, and so on.
In other words, we’re basically supposed to be training our children in the ways of God all the time. It’s a constant, unending priority. If you’ve got kids, one of your primary job descriptions as a human being is to be your child’s diligent teacher.
I recently embarked on the adventure of teaching my boys (ages six and four) how to ride a bike without training wheels. After multiple sessions, our efforts paid off and both boys are doing very well at keeping their balance. (Now we just need to work on steering and braking!)
Our first couple of sessions felt a bit fruitless. We went out to a large empty parking lot. One of the boys would climb on the bike, I’d run alongside holding the handlebars, and occasionally let go for a moment. They usually couldn’t last more than a few seconds on …
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