Wear a cross and you signal you’re a Christian; bear the cross and you prove it. Believers today can feel surprised by trials or tempted to adopt a victim mentality when we encounter them. Luther, by contrast, believed that to know Christ, we must know him in his sufferings.
Read MoreIt’s easy to look for freedom in all the wrong places. In fact, when people today define “freedom,” it’s often a declaration of their individual autonomy—an announcement they’re not bound by legal, religious, or moral constraints. In John 8:31–32, Jesus had something different in mind: “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,” he said, “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Read MoreWith the dawn of the Reformation, church leaders called for a return to family discipleship, instructing parents, and especially fathers, to take an active role in teaching their children the faith. Luther’s plan for reaching the next generation began with a focus on the family. He was passionate about parents teaching their children.
Read MoreKids are inquisitive by nature, and are usually certain that the hyper-specific bit of information they’re asking you about is vital to the next few moments of their life. “Did you ever break a bone? What would happen if sharks could fly? What’s for dinner?” While these interruptions are often silly, occasionally they end up being game changing moments of opportunity and growth. That’s exactly where Joshua Cooley starts his latest kids book, I Can’t Believe My Eyes.
Read MoreQuestions like this shouldn’t alarm or threaten us as parents. They should be cause for a quick little jig of merriment (metaphorically speaking, of course). These types of spiritual questions show that our kids are beginning to wrestle with deep, important truths that will shape their lives. We should welcome them!
Read MoreThe Story of Martin Luther: The Monk Who Changed the World by Jared Kennedy is a short and lively biography that takes middle-grade readers on an exciting journey through Luther’s life.
Read MoreYou Count! is the latest release from our friend Champ Thornton. Looking at the cover gives you a very clear idea of what this book is. It’s a simple, rhyming board book that walks kids and parents through a countdown from five to help them calm down.
Read MoreI imagine some of you are looking ahead to VBS this summer with a similar set of doubts and paralysis that I faced. Here are a few practical lessons I learned along the way that may help you trust the Lord and enjoy the ride.
Read MoreSharing the gospel with kids can be tricky. We want to be careful because children are easy to manipulate. Some of us grew up in churches where we were encouraged to “pray and ask Jesus into our heart” before the gospel was fully explained. We now want our own kids to follow Christ because they love him and understand the cross—not merely to escape hell and enter heaven.
Read More
