If you love reading then the chances are you’re part of a book club, or you know a group of people who are. Many have discovered that reading and sharing with others makes the enjoyment complete: We connect with each other, grow in relationship with one another and read new and thought-provoking books that change the way we think and feel.... continue reading
Selecting creative, interactive and easy-to-use resources for Sunday School will help your session run all the more smoothly, all while engaging young hearts with big Bible truths. Here are some recommended books and series that are suitable for different age groups and can be enjoyed in a Sunday School setting.... continue reading
I have never found prayer comes particularly naturally to me. I find it hard to concentrate and stop my mind wandering, and I regularly realise I need to repent of moving through my day without praying much at all. I know that prayer is a gift and a privilege, but I find it hard to live that out.... continue reading
They laughed behind cupped hands, grade-school whispers assessing her dress. Look! It’s as big as a tent! Peter’s face reddened as he accepted his forgotten lunch bag from his mother’s strong hand. Her face glowed, Scandinavian accent thick as she spoke love over her son in broken English. I dangled upside down from the playground bars, observing this heavyset woman adorned in a shapeless house dress swishing past her ankles. ... continue reading
The following text is the full biography timeline featured in the back of our new children’s book exploring the inspirational story of Joni Eareckson Tada’s life. It is part of our Do Great Things for God series, a collection of beautifully illustrated biographies written to excite young children about the great things they can do for God. This book can be read to young children aged 4-5 and read by children aged 6 or older. Click here to download free biography worksheets for kids to fill in.... continue reading
When childhood illness strikes someone we know, it tugs on our heartstrings. We want to help, but what can we do? As a mother who has endured an extended hospital stay with her newborn son and a few unexpected medical crises thereafter, and as the founder of a nonprofit that ministers to families navigating medical crises, I’d like to share 10 practical ways you can help a family when a child is seriously ill.... continue reading
This is a responsive prayer that has been written to help guide a group in prayer. This prayer is an excerpt from In His Hands: Prayers for Your Baby or Child in a Medical Crisis. The parts printed in bold type are designed to be said by the whole group. The parts printed in regular type are designed to be said by the leader only.... continue reading
In teaching kids what repentance is and encouraging them to repent themselves, I’ve found that a particularly helpful Bible passage is the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19. Here are four ways to use Zacchaeus’ story to help kids learn not just to say sorry, but to mean it. ... continue reading
I once taught a 10-year-old Sunday School student named "Chicken." That was how he introduced himself when he strolled into class ten minutes late soaking wet from walking to church in the rain. His real name was David and he was a hoot, especially as he gasped and groaned hearing Bible stories for the first time. Each Sunday, he came and revelled in the love of others and love of God before slinking to the back of the church where I discovered he often sat by himself.... continue reading
Here’s a question to ponder: What do you think would happen if you presented yourself to your congregation as a person before doing that as their pastor? What if you took the risk of learning how to share more of yourself with your congregation—not in a way that makes every sermon about you but in a way that allows them to feel a greater kinship with how you experience and respond to God’s word? How would people react if you offered them your true self: an ultra-fragile, incredibly limited, profoundly average, and disappointingly human human being? What do you think would happen?... continue reading