More Than Happiness: Building a Blessed Marriage God’s Way
By Kevin and Laura Payne
Every Christian married couple would say they desire a blessed marriage. The wedding ceremony often includes a moment when the congregation joins in a prayer of blessing for the couple. Well-wishers send cards and offer heartfelt congratulations expressing the desire for life to be beautiful and filled with success. Guests throw rice and blow bubbles in a giddy symbolic gesture of happiness, prosperity, and abundance. Young couples eagerly launch into this new season with visions of a small starter home surrounded by a white picket fence. Isn’t that what it means to be blessed?
Following the Swerve: Parenting with a Purpose and Wisdom
By Cindy Fish
A few years ago, I was driving our minivan through an unfamiliar city with my three young children in the backseat. I was distracted, listening to a podcast and thinking over the problems of the day when the elderly lady in the car in front of me suddenly swerved out of our lane. I instinctively followed suit. My heart raced as I veered around a large object on the road.
As I passed the object, I realized it was just a flattened cardboard box. Ugh, I thought, I shouldn’t have reacted!
Then just as quickly, the thought hit me: What if? What if the flattened cardboard box had instead been something that could have harmed us? With my babies in the backseat, I couldn’t afford to drive carelessly.
Healthy Homes: A Vision for Family Discipleship
By Kaleb Saucer
Something is breaking down in the heart of the family.
We’re witnessing a generation of kids growing up with little spiritual foundation and walking away from church after high school. Parents feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to disciple their children. Marriages are strained, homes are chaotic, and the local church often struggles to bridge the gap between Sunday services and Monday life. Recent studies by Lifeway, Barna, and others have suggested:
· Only 9% of Americans in total and 4% of teens and young adults have a biblical worldview (Barna)
· Only 29% of born-again parents say their faith is the most important influence on their parenting (Lifeway)