I don’t feel like going to school today. I don’t feel like cleaning my room. I don’t feel like asking her to be my friend. It seems as soon as our kids could talk, they learned to utter some version of the “I don’t feel like it” statement. What started as them asserting their independence…
Pray for Greater Love
One of the most productive things we can do to pursue a life beyond amazing is to read Paul’s prayers for the churches he was involved with. He didn’t pray for greater attendance, bigger offerings, or even more people becoming Christians. When we examine his prayers, we discover something far more challenging. For instance, to…
What Happens When Holy Women Talk to a Holy God
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just…
Pray Pray Pray: How to Hug a Porcupine and Squeeze a Skunk
Do you know someone who is difficult to love? The nosy neighbor. The grouchy grocery store clerk. Your child’s teacher who never cracks a smile. The hot-tempered boss. The church curmudgeon. Here are some things to keep in mind as you try to share the love with them. PRAY. PRAY. AND THEN PRAY SOME MORE.…
Finding Your Big “Why?”
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven. — Matthew 5:16 Video: Finding Your Big “Why?” Play the video teaching segment for session one. As you watch, record any thoughts or concepts that stand out to you in the outline…
Incomprehensible Love
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. – Ephesians 3:17-18 A child asked Jesus how much He loved her. He answered, “This much,” and then He stretched…
4 Ways to Honor God on Valentine’s Day
I love loving the people who are special to me. I love all things sweet and sappy and sentimental. I love red puffy hearts and pink shiny bows and glittery Valentine cards. I love heart-shaped pancakes in the morning, heart-shaped sandwiches at lunch and heart-shaped pizzas for dinner. I love presents covered in heart wrapping paper…
Learning to Love… Sacrificially, Passionately, and Crazily!
Dr. John Barger gave an extraordinary address to a gathering of men on December 12, 1987. The address included his testimony of how he had walked the road from being a domineering husband to a serving one. The crux of the message, however, wasn’t just that husbands can do better. We all know that. What…
The Light Shines
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. — John 1:5 In 2005, my father, Dennis Rader, was arrested for murder. In the weeks that followed, I learned he was the BTK serial killer who terrorized my hometown of Wichita, Kansas, for three decades. As he confessed on national television…
Only Love Today: My Vow to Soften
By being softer you can hear more, learn more, feel more, and love more. I’ve had enough of my hard edges. I’m tired of straining my voice. I’d like to loosen up and laugh a little more, be positive rather than negative. I’d like to feel the upward curve of my lips. I’d like to…