Barna Group estimates that about 70 percent of students entering college as Christians will leave with little to no faith. I don’t know about you, but that stirs a desire in me to help my kids develop a deep faith now that they won’t be likely to abandon when they leave home. The big question is “How?” Attending church with our kids just isn’t enough, although it’s an important step. Check out these numbers. Kids spend well over 1,000 hours at school each year. That’s a lot of influence. Kids spend about 40 hours per year at church. That’s such a short time in comparison. But parents get a who ..read more

As we pulled into the school parking lot, my 5-year-old said, “I’m scared of kindergarten.” My heart sank. I wanted to say, “Don’t be scared” or “You’ll be fine.” But I knew that he was scared, and he didn’t feel fine. In fact, my own heart was pounding. Then my husband prayed. His back-to-school prayer was mostly for his and my racing hearts. But it was for each of our kids as well, especially for the one who was feeling anxious. Although my own anxiety prevented me from speaking to God myself that day, I was listening for his voice. As I heeded the silence, I felt God whisper, “I will be wit ..read more

We live surrounded by tablets, smart phones, smart watches and smart TVs. Screens are increasingly unavoidable, and in a recent survey, 84 percent of parents say their kids’ tech use is a top parenting concern. Kids’ screen usage has doubled in the past 20 years. The first iPhone came out in 2007, so the ability to watch, read or listen to anything, anytime is a relatively new phenomenon. It’s also true that the content kids are watching has changed drastically. In previous generations, kids watched shows like Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood and Sesame Street that had a casual pace and were designed ..read more

When this middle-aged mom of four teenage girls wants to stay in bed just a few minutes longer, I unlock the screen to my phone and automatically tap the Facebook icon. It doesn’t matter that it’s located on one of the five pages of widgets, I subconsciously know exactly where it is. I scroll through friends’ posts and pictures and stop to read the strange comments on a political post. Scrolling through social media is entertaining informative and somewhat addictive. Soon 30 minutes have passed and my time before work has dwindled. At first, I was reluctant to join any social media platform. I ..read more

Three married couples from our Mennonite Brethren family respond to questions about life together. Their candid answers offer a glimpse into the  realities of marriage and the wisdom gained through a long journey traveled hand in hand. Interviews by Kathy Heinrichs Wiest Lucila and Rolando Mireles: Rooted in the church Rolando and Lucila Mireles When Lucila Cantu was young, her pastor in La Grulla, Texas, would organize activities bringing together the youth from several local Spanish-speaking congregations. Among the young people he would pick up for these events was a high schooler name ..read more

In Christian marriage two people do the unthinkable: they declare, in a society where nothing is forever, that they commit themselves to each other for life. Marriage in our society has become a commodity. It has become a device to fill the void that individualism has created. We are lonely people, and so we wait for our Prince Charming or our Cinderella to fill the void. That is, until we decide the one we found wasn’t who we believed them to be and cast them off for a newer and sleeker model. Or, fearing the marriage ..read more

My wife and I recently visited with a woman whose wedding ceremony I conducted some 20 years ago. As we talked, she said, “During our pre-marriage counseling, you said that marriage is hard work. I didn’t believe you then, but now I know it’s true.” Marriage—Christian marriage, biblical marriage—is hard work. It’s the hard work of being a pair of scissors. A scissors consists of a pair of metal blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles opposite to the pivot are closed. The two blades differ, and that’s what gives them the ability to do what they are m ..read more