For many years now, I’ve asked students about their quiet time with the Lord. Frankly, many struggle with consistency, especially with prayer. Anecdotally, though, here’s what I’ve learned: the students who struggle least tend to have had parents who modeled quiet times for them. Sometimes they did that intentionally, but at other times it just happened. Their parents did their quiet time in a more public place, and their kids took note.
Here’s why that matters:
- Kids need to see a devotional life beyond Sunday. If all they see happens on Sunday, they’ll assume that Sunday is the only day to be with God. Likewise, if the only prayers they ever hear are over dinner, they’ll learn that’s the only time to pray.
- They need to see that Christianity is a lifestyle, not just a weekend habit. One of the ways they’ll learn that Christianity changes lives is by seeing their parents read the Word and hearing them speak to God throughout the week. Their first role models need to be in their home.
- They need to hear prayers over them and about them. Even if it seems they’re not listening, they need memories of their parents’ voices praying for them. They’ll need to hear those voices in their heads years later when the world sends them alternative messages.
- They need memories to encourage them in the years to come. Maybe it’s a well-worn Bible with Daddy’s notes in it. Perhaps it’s Momma’s prayer notebook that’s crinkled over the years. Maybe it’s an electronic journal written by one of their parents. In any case, it will be a gift they’ll cling to years later.
Here’s my point, parents and grandparents: involve your kids and grandkids in your quiet time. You may still need some completely alone time with God, but don’t miss the opportunity to invite others to join you.
If your preschooler will grant you only 15 seconds of attention, put him on your lap for 15 seconds — then tell him a one-sentence story with your Bible open, and say a prayer for him. If your teenager will give you only that same amount of time, pray a Scripture verse over her before she starts the day.
Send your adult children an email each day, letting them know what the Lord is showing you from His Word. Occasionally, send them a text telling them how you’re praying for them.
It matters that our kids learn from us how to spend time with God.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was originally published at chucklawless.com.
Aging shouldn’t be barrier to giving, growing
Seniors can do a number of good things, despite the infirmities of aging.
We can give our money. Baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, own half of America’s wealth, some $80 trillion. Seniors, on the whole, have accumulated money and things.
Rather than being misers or pack rats, we can share with others in need.
We can even give to God’s work after death if we plan for it.
We can give our time. Seniors understand the ebb and flow of time more effectively than the young. We look back at lost opportunities, perhaps with our own children, and see more clearly how we can spend time with others and encourage them.
We can volunteer at the hospital, the library, the nursing home, the food bank or at church. Seniors can pour their lives into others.
We can grow spiritually. Every living thing grows, and this is true spiritually. If we stop growing, we atrophy. What wonderful resources we have today to grow with Christian radio, podcasts, internet courses and retreats.
We can prepare to meet God. Seniors understand our bodies aren’t designed to last forever. One day they’ll return to dust, and we’ll go to meet God. The God who gave us life will judge us according to our Kingdom faithfulness.
Michael J. Brooks, pastor
Alabaster, Alabama
Finding hope in the pain
By Terry Dorsett
Baptist Churches of New England
After a painful experience, hope often feels fragile. I have learned to allow joy to begin in small moments. It might be a bird singing, a kind word from a stranger or a sunset painted across the sky. Hope does not burst in all at once; it grows through letting your heart be touched again.
Pain tempts us to withdraw, but healing happens in connection. I’ve learned to surround myself with people who are kind, patient and willing to walk with me through the valleys. Honest conversations, shared laughter and simple companionship can ease the loneliness pain often brings.
Sometimes loss leaves a space in our lives that feels empty — but that space can also become a place of new beginnings. Exploring new passions doesn’t mean we forget what we lost; it means we allow ourselves to continue growing.
Purpose can be a powerful source of renewed joy, lighting a new path forward.
Spiritual dimension
When circumstances shake everything else, faith becomes an anchor.
Drawing closer to God through prayer, Scripture, worship and fellowship offers a joy that is not dependent on external circumstances. It’s a joy that flows from knowing we are deeply loved, even in brokenness, and that our life has eternal meaning.
Perhaps one of the greatest lessons after pain is that joy and sorrow are not enemies. They can coexist within the same heart. We don’t have to erase grief to experience joy again. The most profound joy is not found in forgetting pain but in learning to live fully in its aftermath — loving, hoping and giving once more.
Do you feel stuck in the cycle of trying harder, doing more and still feeling like it’s not enough?
Maybe you’re doing all the “right” things — reading your Bible, going to church, trying to be kind — but still feel stuck in the same patterns or worn out by the pressure to be perfect.
Can we remind you of a very important truth? You were made for more than just going through the motions.
More than checking off items on a Christian “to-do” list. More than chasing perfection. More than showing up with a smile while secretly feeling stuck or spiritually dry.
In the book of Titus, we find hope for real, lasting change — not by doing more but by letting God do what only He can: transform us from the inside out through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Where we focus our attention is the direction our life starts to go in. So what if experiencing real change is not about trying harder but focusing on the right things?
Proverbs 31 Ministries
via Facebook
Don’t just say “Attend our VBS!” Instead, say, “Your kids will laugh, learn and make new friends while discovering God’s Truth.” You’re not selling a program! You’re offering hope, fun and community,” says Mark MacDonald, church communication expert on best practices in promoting summer — and other — events.
God’s love is a certainty above every circumstance.
Lysa Terkeurst
via Facebook
“When we trust Jesus for our salvation, we change our identity as fallen, imperfect creatures destined for the grave to redeemed children of God who have a life in His name,” noted former Los Angeles detective J. Warner Wallace, who is now an author, speaker and apologetics expert. “We seek identity and purpose because we were created for identity and purpose in God. We were created to be known, not simply by other created beings, but by the Creator Himself.”
In a time when fear runs high and relationships run thin, Christians offer something radical: hope. Not blind optimism, but a Jesus-rooted, worship-fueled, humility-infused kind of hope. The kind that dares to believe we can still be faithful, still be friends and still reflect Christ, even in an age of cynicism, exhaustion and division.
Good Faith with Curtis Chang and friends
@Theafterparty2024
via Instagram
“The average church member (believer) just needs to understand that disciple-making is a lifestyle,” said John McClendon, executive director of the Disciple Leaders Network. “Every opportunity is a disciple-making moment.”
“You will never know which church service will profoundly touch your life, but it won’t be the one you missed.”
H.B. Charles Jr.
@hbcharlesjr on X
Confessions are indispensable, but hearts charged with the spirit of Jesus — these only will transform the desert into a blooming garden.
David Allen
@DrDavidLAllen on X
Ask God for wisdom every day.
Annie F. Downs
via Instagram
