“Any of you guys got any offers?” “Not yet...but he does.” A group of high school football players immediately started talking up their teammate who had committed to a Division 1 program. They couldn’t stop bragging on him. The smiles on their faces told the real story. They were proud of their teammate, excited for his future, and genuinely happy to see him succeed. Their enthusiasm was contagious. I found myself smiling right along with them as if I had known this young man

“Hey, do you want to come to the party?” “Did you mean the fellowship at church?” “No, I mean the party at church.” Surrounded by a crowd of adult youth ministry leaders, the camp pastor described a conversation he had with a member of his church. A mix of nervous laughter and a hallelujah chorus echoed through the auditorium. I loved his comment. Isn’t that what a fellowship event at church really is – a party? Why can’t we just call it that? Is it not “spiritual” enough? Do

What a crazy week! Last Sunday afternoon, my wife and I were strategizing about how to spend a quiet day at home. With no commitments or plans , we tossed around ideas—lounging around, eating lunch, tackling some laundry…you know, that kind of stuff. But then my wife called me back. I could hear the concern in her voice: “ They’re doing CPR on Grandma... ” In a blur, we raced home, jumped into the same car, and sped to the hospital. Hours later, we received the news: Grandma

People love to celebrate for all kinds of occasions: weddings, birthdays , anniversaries, graduations, and more. We even love to practice celebrating. We want to make sure every detail is perfect and goes just the way we have envisioned it. A couple of weeks ago, we completed our Upward Flag Football and Cheer season at our church. There was one boy in our youngest division who was very tiny and very fast. He would run all over the field and no one could catch him and even if

Yesterday, we celebrated Independence Day here in the United States of America. We watched fireworks, baseball games, parades, and TV...