Blog Archives

OUR PRIVATE CHOICES AFFECT EVERYONE WE KNOW Every moral decision that we make is like a brick in a wall […]

The solution to keeping your heart ablaze with hope is redirecting your eyes to Christ.  When your eyes remain fixed […]

We’ve all done it. Stayed up late folding laundry or baking cookies or otherwise serving our kids.   We’ve also not done it. We’ve been […]

It’s a subject no one really wants to talk about. We whisper about it. We know it exists, but no […]

In school you are taught that there are four seasons in every year. However, for the Swart household, there are […]

Be weird. Be random. Be who you are. Because you never know who would love the person you hide. ~ […]

It was probably there inside me just waiting to get out, something about myself I didn’t know was possible. When […]

Video games offer a world for your kids where they are the ones with power. The lure is easy to […]

If you’ve done much reading through the Gospels, you know that Jesus has a long history of picking the most […]

I recently wrote that Augustine, though raised by his Christian mother to love Jesus, was not a Christian for a […]

Through my seminary studies, I recently read about the conversion of Augustine, one of the giants of Christian leadership and thought […]

Shaping our boys is a daunting challenge. It’s one that lies heavy on every parent’s heart. I know it burdens […]

Last year two black men were arrested in a Philadelphia Starbucks after the white manager contacted police. When a video […]

Have you ever wished for a “Redo” button? Have you ever had a day that started off so completely on […]

Around 9:00 every night, my dog Duke stares longingly up at the cabinet above my husband’s recliner. He knows exactly […]

FOMO (the fear of missing out) ain’t dead is it? Like, here I am age 28 and I still scroll […]

In some ways, discipling Gen Z (those born anywhere from 1999-2015) is no different from any other generation preceding it. […]

In an article in the New Yorkermagazine, author Malcolm Gladwell writes that vicious dogs are often not inherently vicious, but are […]

Divorce.  In American society, it has become the norm. In fact, the United States has the sixth highest divorce rate […]

It was one year ago today that my baby girl stepped out of this world and into eternity. “For to […]

Divorce.  It’s an ugly word, isn’t it?  And yet in American society, it has become the norm. In fact, the […]

In 1972 the rapture movie A Thief in the Night was released, but I didn’t see it in a theater. I saw […]

The Bible Confirms Our Struggle The author of Ecclesiastes says that life is “meaningless” almost forty times over the twelve […]

On March 3, 2003 (3/3/3), my cousin Kevin and his wife Beth became parents for the first time when their […]

Overcomer is a feel-good, faith-based movie that challenges you to think about your true identity.  In the aptly named Christian […]

Have you ever watched a reality TV show where they are all trying to live together in a house or […]

by Brandon Cox Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has been an inspiration to me for a number of years because […]

Satan has been sowing seeds of deceit in my family. This is not surprising or unique because Satan is a […]

In Genesis chapter one, the Bible describes the creation of the world. As God paused to contemplate His work at […]

 The day my oldest daughter gave birth is a day forever imprinted in my memory. Since he was the first […]

Every summer, I enjoy my precious bit of free time by reading a few books merely for enjoyment or my […]

Seriously, high school is tough. If it’s not the AP classes and the pressure for more college credits, it’s the […]

Truth. It’s a subject that has evolved and changed.  A topic that has been stretched, questioned and misused over time. Where […]

by Joyce Parker When I get in a room of other women that I don’t know very well, I’m not immediately uncomfortable. […]

by Yalanda Merrell Thinking back to my college years, I’m reminded of . . .  long nights staying up late […]

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Spring Hunter is a woman who grew up in complete poverty, religiously adhered to a cult, suffered parental abandonment, became […]

“For you, O God, have tested us;     you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the […]

1 – Because love is patient “Love is patient,” (1 Corinthians 13:4).   Anyone else think “ouch” Yeah, my hand would […]

Dear baby, This is Melody, writing to you the night before you are born into this world.  There are a […]

It’s obvious to me in the last sixty years there’s been a dramatic decline in the acceptance of personal responsibility […]

Matthew chapter 17 has the account of Jesus with Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration. While they […]

Pornography is a deadly mistress. She stands poised with promises, willing and ready at a moment’s notice. She strikes unexpectedly, […]

The following is adapted from a sermon by Jeff Swart. Philippians 4:8 may be the most important verse in the […]

I hate static.  Not like the kind that makes your clothes cling to you. I’m talking about static on the […]

FOMO (the “fear of missing out”) is a real thing, and it’s more intense than ever. We’re afraid we’ll miss […]

Have you ever had a day that goes something like this: You are trying to leave for work and the […]

t I remember very clearly the day God showed me an important truth about my relationship with him. I’m either actively […]

Act II: A Gift From God You Don’t Want (Numbers 11:4-20) In Act I we defined covetousness in four parts. Covetousness […]

First Timothy 6:6-10 says, ”But godliness with contentment is great gain.For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing […]