By Jessica Wolstenholm
Since I began attending my church 3 years ago, I’ve been greatly moved by my pastor’s heart for liturgy and traditionalism in the walk of faith. Having grown up in a Charismatic, evangelical church, I didn’t have first-hand experience with practices such as the observance of Lent or First Communion before now. Last year in […]
By Jessica Wolstenholm
My daughter gets off the bus with a blank face. Maybe she’s tired or maybe it’s been a tough day at school. Kindergarten is just hard, folks. She runs to me and I reach out my arms to welcome her. No matter what the day held, she’s home now. She’s mine. I ask her about […]
By Editorial Team
Summers can be really hard. Having both kids home every day can do a number on our peace and my sanity. Constant bickering over toys and seats and who needs to go to the bathroom more (I kid you not) can leave me feeling frazzled most of the time. With my nerves shot and my […]
By Editorial Team
I probably sound like a broken record with how many times I’ve said these words: If it’s one thing I’ve learned to be true about life (and especially since Google entered the picture), it is that when looking for an answer you can always find people who agree with what you are thinking and you […]
By Melanie Rainer
My kids are not inherently peaceful people; but really, are any of us? They fight, yell, use their loudest voices to communicate the smallest things, interrupt constantly, and leave a trail of clutter literally everywhere. Nothing about our home is peaceful, and yet Scripture calls us to have peaceful spirits. As parents (and people), how […]
By Melanie Rainer
When I think about self-control, the first thing that comes to mind certainly isn’t kids under the age of 10. Or 15. Or 20. Or 25. Or 30 . . . Or 40, 50, 60 . . . self-control is HARD, no matter how old you are! And yet, the Bible has a lot to […]
By Melanie Rainer
The Bible urges followers of Jesus to be gentle. Not only is it a fruit of the Spirit, but it is also a command in Colossians, Proverbs, and other books. Even Jesus describes himself as “gentle and lowly in heart” in Matthew 11:29. What does it mean to be gentle? Gentleness is similar to kindness, […]
By Melanie Rainer
Goodness can be tricky to explain to kids because it’s one thing to be “good” and it’s another thing to have a spirit of goodness. Acting “good” flows out of the spirit of goodness, which is a fruit of the Spirit outlined in Galatians 5:22. Goodness is the rightly-ordered motivation behind our desire to act […]
By Editorial Team
The way things are going these days, it’s no wonder kids have a hard time with the concept of faithfulness. Our culture supports the pursuit of the immediate and trendy, conditioning the hearts and minds of this generation to move from thing to thing and person to person without much thought. Kids are encouraged to […]
By Editorial Team
A few years ago as I was asking God to show me how to teach my kids to be kind, I heard him say, Raise kids who are so aware of others, so confident in their own skin and so thankful for their blessings they can’t help but be kind. And ever since, this has […]