Jacob has the honor of preaching at a local church in the St. Louis region. The church is currently searching for its next Pastor, and Jacob took this time to preach on Ephesians 4. He spoke about 5 things a pastor is and 5 things a pastor is not. Check out the video below and let us know what things you think a pastor is and isn’t.

Let Them Be Kids, opens our eyes to look at childhood as a fun process that we as parents need to encourage. Often in society today we rush our kids to the next phase or allow them to spend un seeming amounts of time being entertained by something. Jessica brings up managing video games, television, sleepovers, play dates, outside play, and more.

We typically think of this verse as an introductory note in the larger, more important section about the Lord's table (v17-34). It is situated in the middle of both a rebuke and a corrective instruction for the Corinthian church regarding the practice of communion. While this sentence may seem like a simple linking idea, there is much to be learned from in considering these inspired Words from the Holy Spirit through Paul. This is a genesis, a backstory to all that he’s shared with the Corinthians.

Peace is a word frequently accompanying Christian traditions. For those who celebrate the church calendar, peace is one of the four themes of Advent. Christians worship the messiah as the “prince of peace”. Peace is a watchword for guarding Christian conduct. In the pursuit of truth and in the midst of disputes, peace is to be a priority. Blessings that are pronounced between individuals and large groups of Christians often involve the “peace of God”. Even beyond the Christian tradition of peace, there is a broader desire for peace. An absence of peace in home environments is the reason for all sorts of non-profit programs and government budgetary expenses. A lack of peace abounds where wars and violence rage. Peace is seemingly cross-cultural. Peace is a desire of humanity. 

But how do you go about creating this community? One way is through the opening of your home, or hospitality. Showing the love of God, and creating an environment for deep conversations happens best in the context of our homes. The love that is shown by simply opening your home to others is beyond compare. Just as many people opened their homes to Jesus and his disciples, we too should open our homes to other believers. 

M.J. Anderson’s book “Christ Follower: The Art of Dying to Self” has stirred my spirit. The reader may be attracted to this book from its cover and title. While plenty of books point the reader to their own immediate temporal and temporary glory, Anderson firmly puts before his audience a counter-narrative. “The main aim in writing this book is to present the Church with a Biblical understanding of what it means to be a Christian or Christ follower. You see, this is not a self help book; rather, I pray that God uses this book to strengthen our reliance on Him and to reject any help that self may want to offer” (page 11). 

Our church bag has changed greatly over the past 11 years as our children have grown and as we have grown as parents. Every stage of life has different requirements for a church bag. When we had no children, our church bag just consisted of our Bibles, notebook, and pen. As our family has grown, our church bag has grown. Read on to find out what our church bag looks like for different ages and some of our favorite church bag supplies.

We have gotten many questions pertaining to family worship. Jacob and Amy did our first joint video to answer some of your questions. Do you have any more questions on Family Worship that we could answer? Comment with them below.

One of the more common questions I’ve been asked since 2020 relates to death. Covid-19 has brought a sense of urgency to many. That urgency has led some to search the scriptures to find the answers to their deepest questions: What happens after we die?

Family worship once was a hallmark of earlier Christian generations within the United States. Gathering together daily to extoll the Lord, call upon his name, and submit to his word is a long-forgotten pastime and one that needs to be revived. Many have lived their entire lives missing out on the spiritual pleasure, and joy of reading sacred scripture, praying daily, and lifting united voices in song. Family worship doesn’t need to be marathon, lecture, or sermon. Family worship can be done with children of ALL ages and at any time of the day. The important thing is that we are devoted in our private family lives to the worship of God.

8 Tips to help you family start family worship.

Worshipping the Lord together, daily in our homes is one way that we teach our children scripture. It's a way we show our gratitude and reverence for our Lord. Starting family worship is a lot easier than it seems.

Family game night has become popular over the past few years. Our family has had family game nights for years. Over time, the games have evolved as our children have grown and we have been exposed to new family board games. With so many choices how do you know which games are the best?

Acts 6:1-7 provides the prototype for the ministry of deacons in the church. Without spirit-filled wise deacons, a church will undergo great distresses which presents the potential to fracture the church. If those who are dedicated to prayer and ministry of the word are tasked with the work of deacons, the church also suffers greatly. We can observe that these two roles in the church (ministry of prayer & word, and ministry of mercy) are both necessary.

Today I'm going to answer the question "Does the Bible talk about sex?" The short answer is "yes". The longer answer is: in both the Old and New Testaments, in multiple books, across multiple genres sex, and sexual activities are commanded, spoken about, described, prescribed, warned about, forbidden, sung about, prayed for, repented of, and reflected on.

I knew as soon as I previewed this topic I would begin to get pushback. It can be awkward to discuss sexuality even in the most trusted company. Some, out of an abundance of caution, try to avoid any sort of discussion of sexual ethics. Some try to assert that sexuality is a "private" conversation. Some try to say sex isn't an issue of theology. Some try to avoid the conversation by saying sex is a political topic and as we all know politics should never be brought up on a Sunday! Today I'm offering some firm, loving, and urgent pushback to some of the objections to preaching about human sexuality.

The "old" Jerusalem was the place given many nicknames. It was the historic city home to the Jewish leadership that crucified the Lord Jesus. While it was supposed to be the epicenter of loyalty to the One true God, it became the place of execution for the Son of God. The "new" Jerusalem is something different from the historic city of the 1st century. What the "old" Jerusalem could and should have been, is what the "new " Jerusalem would certainly be.

The truism "you can't learn to run till you learn to walk" is an example of progressive succession. Is a progressively successive development of Christian virtue an accurate description of 2 Peter 1:5-9?

Today, I am not going to resolve the controversial topics debated by Christians in this chapter. What I'm going to do is display a few of the things discussed in those debates, and then conclude by demonstrating that even in this most debated passage, Christians (regardless of their side in the debates) ought to take comfort, and grow in confidence in Christ from this passage.

Parents have a responsibility to protect their children. Even the rats know this! Sometimes a situation is so dire that a parent will risk great danger to themselves in order to ensure the immediate preservation of their children. This is a principle which is observable in the animal kingdom, and among us descendants of Adam and Eve.