Blog Archives

If only my children would be more grateful . . .  As a young mom, I was sure that was […]

We desire the silver platter of biblical literacy – that we might somehow put in the littlest effort yet receive […]

Hard to believe it’s already November, and it doesn’t seem possible, but it’s the month that officially begins the holiday […]

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

Neglecting the Bible is nothing new in this world. But what we’re facing today in the West involves proclaiming Christians moving away […]

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

A father took his family on a vacation to Washington, D.C. so that his two children would have the opportunity […]

Many Christians, while thumbing through their Bibles,  have pondered why Scripture is broken into two, uneven halves. Is one better than the other? […]

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

John 2:1-10 chronologically records the first miracle recorded in the Bible that Jesus performed: Turning water into wine at a […]

One Sunday morning a small boy was sitting by his mother during the morning worship service. Like most small children, […]

I have a love/hate relationship with my morning routine. There are things I absolutely LOVE! There are things I absolutely hate! […]

Why should you study the Bible? It’s old. It’s long. There are a lot of weird names in it. And […]

Sadness wrenched through my heart like a knife stabbing into my chest. A lump swelled in my throat and I […]

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 […]

At one point in my life, I wanted to be an archeologist. I thought it would be amazing to dig […]

(Originally published March 2016) I haven’t weighed in much on the current political environment. Don’t get me wrong I believe this […]

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 […]

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

I make excuses for not reading the Bible every day. And this is coming from a pastor. A formally-trained-in-biblical-theology pastor. […]

It’s too nice of a day to stay indoors! The flowers that the kids and I planted are doing GREAT, […]

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

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My wife and I are old school.  We try really hard to teach our three daughters their manners.  We believe […]

“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 […]

A SEASON OF GROWTH Time moves quickly from us, never returning. It’s our most valuable, non-replenishable asset. We can make […]

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

It wasn’t until after my first year of college that I was truly saved.  You’re probably thinking, what does that […]

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 […]

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 […]

My imagination ran wild…What if my friends or the kids got too close to the edge? What would happen then? And how far down was it?

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

Searching… My email is like the pit of despair. I keep everything, you know, just in case. Like all the […]

In people’s lives, there must come a time when they decide for themselves what they really believe. Because I grew […]

“A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which […]

“That may be true for you, but it’s not true for me.” Has anyone ever said this to you in […]

The most formidable problem against Christianity isn’t whether or not God exists, but rather, if he does exist, why he […]

In people’s lives, there must come a time when they decide for themselves what they really believe. Because I grew […]

Do you ever wonder what happens when you pray? Sometimes we need a reminder. You may value prayer and you […]

I’ve been a praying person for much of my life. Has it worked? Has it fixed me entirely? Apparently not, because I […]

I’ve always loved watching and reading anything about medieval times. Kings and their royal families, strong and fearless knights storming […]

The conception and rise of Christianity in the first century was due to the resurrection of Jesus, and so profoundly […]

“Jesus died on a cross.”  We should not be able to utter that without an utterly overwhelming shudder of awe, […]