A couple of weeks ago a brother with whom I worship handed me the information I am reproducing below. He said that I might have already seen it, but that he thought it was good. He was correct on both counts. I have seen it before. In fact, I’ve seen it a number of times before. It is also my opinion that it is good – and needed. I’m not in the habit of presenting material here that is not original, but I am making an exception in this case. The fact that this material has “made the rounds” for quite a while indicates that it deals with a subject that, sadly, seems perpetually relevant.…

Deuteronomy 6 has been nicknamed “the great parenting chapter” of the Bible. Although it was addressed to the Israelite nation as a whole, the clear implication was that much of what was being said in order to raise up future generations who believed in God was to be done in the context of the family. Moses gave the great commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and will all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). After that, he famously said, And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and…

In today’s world, we can purchase a variety of different kinds of detectors for our houses. We invest in them in the hope that some sort of alarm or notification will alert us to potential and/or actual damage or danger. We purchase these things because we do not want to lose the investment we have made in our house and all of its contents. We want the people we love to be safe, secure, and healthy.  If – or when – an alarm is sounded or we receive a notification, we take whatever action is necessary in order to protect those who inhabit our house. Unfortunately, while some of us go to…

For some reason, a lot of children struggle to have one-on-one conversations. Sometimes, they are nervous around strangers (and that can be legitimate), but a lot of young people struggle even around people they know. I want my children to learn skills that will manifest themselves in those conversations, especially with older people. While there are all sorts of things I want them to know, here are four I hope they are learning along the way. Smile. It is rather remarkable what a difference a smile makes in a conversation, isn’t it? When we smile, we project confidence, but also an appreciation that we are being honored to be in…