Authored by Mara Hodler

I was tucking my girls into bed at the end of a long and happy weekend. My youngest started crying and said, “Mommy, I miss Seren so much.” Her two older sisters looked at her, tears welling up in their eyes. “We miss Seren, too.” My own eyes filled with tears. I missed Seren, too. Seren is our baby. She

Authored by Mara Hodler

Those three words, I am sorry, and the way that they’re said, can mend or end friendships. We all live and interact with people every day. The relationships we share with our parents, teachers, friends, siblings, coworkers, boyfriend or girlfriend, and classmates are vital to the happiness and satisfaction we

Authored by Mara Hodler

When I was 11, I spent an extended time away from my family at a youth camp. It was a great summer with lots of activities, time with friends, swimming, sports, and Bible classes. I shared a cabin with three other girls, and since we were going to be there for a while, I wanted to “decorate” the place a bit.

Authored by Tina Kapp

In Part 1 of this series, we talked about the first two habits commonly shared by “effective teens.”

Those were:

Authored by Mara Hodler

It’s 3:00 AM, and I am outside under a clear starry sky bundled up and carrying a flashlight and two plastic bags. Tagging at my heels are two eight-week-old German shepherd puppies that need to go to the “bathroom”—at 3 in the morning!

I was roused from a peaceful sleep at the sound of their

Authored by Tina Kapp

The Gurkhas are an indigenous people largely located in mid-western and eastern Nepal. They made up military units in the Nepalese, Indian, and British armies and were known for being absolutely fearless. My favorite example of their bravery is from Tim Bowden’s book, One Crowded Hour. During the 1964

Authored by Mara Hodler

If you’ve ever lived in a city with a considerable lower-class population, you probably have experienced something like this when stopping at a traffic light. A swarm of earnest window washers emerge and try to “clean” your car. They usually have a dirty, damp rag and will use it to smear all the dead bugs and

Authored by Peter van Gorder (a guest contribution)

Strapping on my harness and checking my gear to make sure it was secure, I held the reins tightly in my hands, until the winged creature lurched and squirmed as it wriggled and writhed to free itself from its restraints and heave me into the abyss. My keepers, one at either side, were able to contain its fury, but it took all of their skill and stamina to keep it from sweeping me off

Authored by Mara Hodler

There are numerous verses in the Bible that use the analogy of traveling along a path in life.

The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.1

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.2

Authored by Tina Kapp

I know two people who both grew up with missionary parents, lived in many of the same countries, even went to the same schools, and shared many of the same experiences. Yet when I talk to them individually about growing up, I hear two very different stories, and it’s clear that their takes on their lives are

Authored by T.M.

I’ve been watching the TV series The X Factor, in which singers across the United States participate in a huge talent show contest where the winner will be awarded a multimillion-dollar recording contract. For those unfamiliar with the show, in each episode the judges choose who will move on to the next level in the competition, based on talent, of course! But

Authored by Scott MacGregor

I know some people say they love being miserable. In fact, I even used to say it was better to be a pessimist because then I would never be disappointed. While at the time that sounded good to me in theory, things became too miserable and I lacked the commitment to that philosophy to keep it up, so I soon decided it was a dumb idea.

Authored by Marie Story

The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien, tells the story of Bilbo Baggins, a comfort-loving hobbit, who is thrust into an unwanted quest for dragon treasure with a group of dwarves. He faces all manner of hardships, from orcs to hostile elves to giant spiders.

Finally the group of adventurers reaches their destination: the

Authored by Marie Story

Once upon a time, in a faraway land called Uz, there was a guy named Job. Of everyone around, he was definitely one of the best guys you could find. He feared God and avoided evil. He was generous, kind, hardworking—overall, a good, godly man.1

Not only was Job a good guy, he also had a pretty great life.

Authored by T.M.

I had a basic knowledge of who Hagar was through the various illustrated Bibles I had read as a child. But this year, after deciding to read through the Bible cover to cover, I came away from her story with new perspectives on God’s individual love for each of us.

Authored by Dia

Confidence. When you hear this word, what other words come to mind? Self-assurance? Boldness? Self-reliance? Trust? A few definitions of the word confidence are “freedom from doubt; belief in oneself and one’s abilities; and the feeling of trust in someone or something.”(1)

Authored by Dan Roselle

In my last podcast I talked about our need for friendship and how each one of us greatly determines how our friendships turn out. We highlighted the importance of having a personal code of honor, which can help us to be the right kind of friend. In this podcast we’re going to address integrity; specifically, how having integrity plays into our friendships.

Authored by Marie Story

A friend recently told me something absolutely fascinating. He mentioned that in the Bible, Moses designated “cities of refuge” for criminals—specifically those who had unintentionally killed someone.¹ I was surprised at that bit of information. The Old Testament had always seemed like a lot of hard-and-fast laws, rules, and regulations—and a lot of death penalties—not much