by Cary Schmidt
Here are a few short thoughts about how to respond to your teenager after teen camp, especially in regards to their spiritual decisions.
Begin with the long-term perspective—our view of spiritual decisions is often just too short. Every good decision of life begins with short term challenges, but also bears long term results at [...]

by Jerry Ferrso
The one question that I have been asked more than any other question is, “How can I lead my loved ones to Christ?”
My dad was a Roman Catholic. When I accepted Christ at age seventeen, I began witnessing to him regularly. At first, my dad would have nothing to do with [...]

by Cary Schmidt
You’ve heard the statement “you are what you eat.” And, physically this is true—your body and health are merely products of what you digest. But rarely do we make the same connection to our spiritual lives. In other words, “you are what you listen to.”
Have you ever considered that your musical listening habits [...]

by Paul Chappell
We are creatures of habit, and when our schedules change in the summer we can get off track. We take much needed vacations, but if we are not careful, we begin to think our lives would be better if we moved to our favorite vacation spots. Enter your summer with intentional goals and [...]

by Troy Dorrell
People are dangerous! Our sinfulness often brings with it the capacity to hurt others. We hurt one another with the words we say and with the things we do or forget to do. Sometimes we injure our relationships with others through carelessness or negligence. When this happens, we need to learn to find [...]

by Pastor Jack Cox
1. Start as early as possible. Today would be a good day!
2. Be the greatest example as possible. Strive to be blameless.
3. Keep the communication lines wide open! TALK! The time you spend with a teenager is never wasted.
4. Do not allow private time [...]

by Cary Schmidt
Seems like kids are getting cell phones younger and younger these days! Several years ago, as our boys became teens, we decided to get cell phones for them—primarily so we could get a hold of them in relation to school and youth group outings. It was a good decision, but a scary one [...]

by Tim Christoson
Occasionally I am asked why a Christian should become a member of a local church. Some insist that membership is merely a technicality, not seeing much difference between attendance and membership. Some argue they can worship God on their own, disconnected from a church family. Others feel qualified to invent [...]

It’s important to spend time with our children. They’ll only be little for a short while and it’s our job to provide learning opportunities and teaching moments. The problem is, many people associate quality time with expensive outings to the beach and eating out. Finances are tough for many people. There [...]

by Cricket Boyd
My husband was involved in a construction accident on February 11, 1999, which left him a quadriplegic. That day I became our financial advisor. Prior to this day I only dealt in cash which my husband would give me for my allowance. Mind you, I loved it! I had to learn how to [...]