From The Parent Cue Living and raising kids in a digital world means there are so many devices vying for our kids’ attention. Managing screen time is an ever-present struggle for many parents because screens are literally everywhere, leaving a lot of parents to wonder if their kids have—or run the risk of—an addiction to technology.  If this feels true for you and your kids, you are not alone. And...

The story of David and Goliath is one of the most inspiring stories in Scripture.   Read 1 Samuel 17 and you would will see a script that even Hollywood can't match.  It's also one of the most misused and abused passages in all of Scripture.  The story of David and Goliath isn't in Scripture so that we can face our giants, but so that we can put our full confidence in God's strength and not ours.L...

If you’re like most people, the calm—sometimes too calm—days of summer have rapidly been replaced by the full—sometimes too full—days of school, sports, and normal life. Enter: the seven hacks we all need to keep calm in the middle of calendar chaos. Give these tips a try and share your own favorite scheduling hacks on our Facebook page or Instagram account. We’d love to learn from you!...

We tend to focus on external appearances, but God has his sights set on something different than looks, wealth, position, and abilities.  God looks at the heart.  He looks for true character, motives, and devotion to Him.And this is really good news.  7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people l...

Busyness can seem necessary and unavoidable in today’s world, but it so easily becomes a habit that takes over a family’s life....

From Married People Blog by Jim Burns My wife, Cathy, dragged me to our first couples small group. I believe in small groups, but the last thing I needed in my already busy ministry life was another obligation to lead. Cathy promised they didn’t want my leadership.From the first evening, I liked it. We talked about real issues. We assumed our marriages and families were not perfect.Seven years lat...

From the Parent Cue. Us parents long to have a deep connection with our kids, but it’s difficult when the majority of their answers to questions are simply, “Fine.” But we can’t let their short responses keep us from creating a meaningful bond with them—deep down, our kids want to connect with us, too. Here are five questions that can help you kickstart meaningful conversations with your kids. And...

From The Parent Cue Blog Every family has a rhythm. For some families, morning is crazy.Dinner may happen all together, or you may have one parent who works at night. Or sports or other activities may have you running in different directions. Bedtime for some families is, well, crazy. In other words, your family may look different than another family because of schedules or basic wiring.    But if...

From The Parent Cue Blog As a kid, do you remember a moment when you realized that grown-ups were real people? Maybe it was standing around the grill with your dad and his friends, or listening to your mom as she played cards with her sisters. There was a way they interacted with each other that was different than when kids were around. They let their guard down. They laughed with each other. They...

One of the hardest things you’ll ever have to do in your parenting is learn how to communicate with your kid. Communication in and of itself has never been easy, but add an age gap, youthful angst, and a budding vocabulary, and you might find yourself feeling like you’ll never get it right, that you and your child will always be in a perpetual state of misunderstanding each other. That feeling is ...

In any town or city of any size, where do you find the most imperfect people?  Do you find them in the bars, in the jails, or on the streets?  Nope, nope, and nope.  The most imperfect people can be found in a very unlikely place.  Look for the imperfect people and you will find them in the church.In fact, the church is 100% comprised of imperfect people who have been called together by the perfec...

From Focus on the Family Service isn’t something that comes naturally to most people. When children are left to their own devices, they are more apt to make selfish choices. Although some may show empathy or have good intentions. However, most learn the importance of service through watching and following the patterns set by their parents.This can be a pressure filled reality - our kids mirror wha...

We were created in the image of God which gives us great value and great responsibility. We have great value because we were created to know God and to be like Him. We have great value because we are His highest, most valuable creation. But with great value comes great responsibility. ...

This Sunday, I challenged the church to live in a relationship with the Holy Spirit because as believers, the Spirit lives in us and is giving us the power to live Godly lives. Paul commanded the church to keep in step with the Spirit in Galatians 5 was he penned, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." But how do we do this? How do we live by the Spirit and keep in ...

From Christianity Today Paul tells us to “be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18), and we all nod approvingly. It sounds like the sort of thing we should do. But think about it for a moment, and it can sound rather strange. How on earth do you obey a passive verb?If someone tells me, “Phone your mother,” I can do that. But what if someone says, “Be phoned by your mother?” Now I’m stumped. Not only ...

Because our beliefs impact our lives and how we live is determined by what we believe, we are teaching through the core doctrines of our church. We are digging deep into our faith to live it fully.In Matthew 16, Jesus asked His disciples the most important question ever asked: Who do you say I am? Everybody has an opinion on who Jesus is. Some are right. Many are not. Jesus pressed His disciples t...

Change the way you see him. Look at him as a dad who’s trying. See him as a man with his own unique preload, who needs help and encouragement. After all, isn’t that what you want from him? Once you begin this very simple (but hard) process, you’ll be astonished to see the changes in his relationship with your kids....

From Dr. Meg Meeker When I ask a father what he needs to do in order to be a good dad, I usually get an answer like this. “I want to spend a lot of time with my kids and I want to give them all of the things that I never got”. Then, he usually lists those things: a nice house, the opportunity to play the sport they want, go to a good school, travel, etc. As he talks, I sense an underlying anxiety,...

From Dr. Henry Cloud Over the years, Dr. Henry Cloud has been a trusted voice in the church with balanced view of God's Word and science of how people think and act.  I have spent one-on-one time with him, time with him in small groups, and in large settings.  In every setting, I found him to be brilliant, helpful, and humble.  Recently, I was forwarded an email from Dr. Cloud (see below).  It rem...

This Summer, I am challenging the church to have an uncommon summer as we seek the Lord, serve the Lord, and have fun together.Because our beliefs impact our lives and how we live is determined by what we believe, we are teaching through the core doctrines of our church.  We are digging deep into our faith to live it fully.On Sunday, my message talked through key truths about the Doctrine of God. ...