Our latest resource, It’s Time to Take a Towel, arrived this week and is available for purchase now through our publications ministry The Seed and the Sower.  The premise of the book is service, the kind of service demonstrated by Christ.  Each chapter deals with a particular truth highlighted in the intimate setting of the Upper Room just before the death of Christ.  Amazingly, Christ crouched to the ground, took the servant’s towel, and washed the feet of His disciples.  In so doing, He left behind an example of humility and surrender for all who follow Him.

When we …

Everyone knows that trials are a part of life; no one is exempt from hardships, headaches, and heartbreaks.  The Bible tells us to “count it all joy” when we face such calamity; but anyone going through something would admit that counting it all joy is easier said than done.

God allows adversity to come into our lives for specific reasons; as we search out those reasons it is easy to ask God WHY?  But have you ever tried asking Him WHAT, HOW, and WHO?

1. What Can I Learn from This Trial?

The tragedy of a trial is not actually …

Like any other form of media, social outlets can be used for good or evil.  Too often we see the evil: the disgruntled comments aimed at anonymous (but everyone knows who the target is) individuals, the vulgarity and crude jokes, the ridiculous pictures, the annoying games, the time-consuming, time-wasting minutiae of everyday life (c’mon, I don’t need to know when you are in the bathroom, or see you standing in front of a mirror taking a picture of yourself).

So why do we keep coming back to it?  Why do we need to check our status every 3.5 minutes?  What …

We work hard at giving our kids “stuff.”  From electronics to the latest style of skinny-jeans we ensure they have the very best we can possibly afford.  We can give our children the finest things in life but there is a good chance that 20 years from now they will not remember those particular items.  What they will remember is the relationship we developed with them through those years.

I believe we develop relationships through generosity and trust.  When we are generous in the right areas of child training our children will be more prone to trust and obey us.  …

It is during the seasons of adversity that I learn to appreciate boredom.  Oftentimes we complain about the mundane, mediocre moments that monopolize our lives; you know: the predictable suppers, the overcrowded highways, the same-old sitcoms, the old worn-out pajamas, the ordinary, run-of-the-mill content of each ordinary day.  It seems like we undervalue and underrate the dullness until something bad occurs.

Isn’t it ironic how the death of a loved one, a lost job, a bad doctor’s report, or a financial setback causes us to long for the ordinary?  It is then we realize that boredom is actually a blessing.…