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That’s four million people who woke up the next day wondering, “What do I do next?”

What’s even more interesting is that April was not an anomaly.  It follows a trend of the months before where millions and millions of people simply quit, walking away from their jobs. 

It’s awkward and even terrifying for parents to discuss their child’s sexuality. Yikes! You may be afraid you’ll give them ideas. News flash: God created us as sexual beings, and they already have ideas (plenty, actually). I would much rather you give them ideas than let their peers fill that void. Sexting is a modern-day reality.

Social media is a reality of twenty-first-century parents. It’s a great way to connect and seek support. But as parents, we often don’t give posting much thought. It’s called “sharenting”: venting frustrations about teen drama, funny bath photos, relief over being “kid free” for the moment, asking advice on personal struggles, angst about teen dating or driving, posting awkward photos making gentle fun of your teen. Here’s the thing. You are the literal caretaker of your child’s digital footprint. One day they will look at everything you posted and see themselves through your eyes. What will they see?

Right now, we’re in a sort of global denial about the actual cost of these hard years (which are not over). We just want to get past it all, so we’re currently trying to comfort ourselves with some sense of recovery and relief. But folks, we haven’t yet paid the psychological bill for all we’ve been through. We would never tell a survivor of abuse that the trauma must be over now that the abuse has stopped. And yet that mentality is at play in our collective denial of the trauma we’ve been through.

Need a prayer reboot for your church small group? Get creative + designate prayer champions! By Shelley Leith, Study Gateway  Be persistent and devoted to prayer, being alert and focused ...

You might be familiar with the story of “the feeding of the five thousand.” Jesus is up on a mountain top with his disciples and thousands and thousands of people who are watching as Jesus performs sign after sign. Healings. Miracles. And nobody (obviously) wants to leave! But, they needed to eat.

Have you been thinking about starting a small group Bible study, or leading one, but you’re hesitating because you’re afraid no one will want to come, or you don’t think you have the gift of hospitality, or you don’t feel qualified? Let’s talk about that!

Sharing a Meal Together: An Underestimated Fellowship Builder by Shelley Leith, Study Gateway Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and ...

Our friends at HarperChristian Resources have a new Bible-engagement-centered podcast hosted by author and pastor Randy Frazee. The Bible Roots Podcast is for pastors and church leadership who want to help their congregation or ministries actively and effectively engage with the Bible

How to meet people’s needs so they keep coming back to your small group! Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not ...

May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. – Genesis 28:3 Have you ever been a member of a church small ...

I grew up under the influence of the Asian-American honor shame mentality which runs deep in the fabric of our cultural values. The simple solution to avoid feeling shame is ...

Paul's letter to the Colossians has been increasingly compelling for me as we find ourselves today in the midst of such strange and uniquely challenging times.

The Yale historian, Jaroslav Pelikan once said that regardless of what anyone may personally think or believe about him, Jesus of Nazareth has been the most dominant figure in the history of Western culture for almost 20 centuries. And it's pretty difficult to argue that point. You know our calendars, the, the very way and means by which we set and mark our days hinges on Jesus, his birth and his life.

If what your church or ministry is doing now is effective and changing lives, enjoy it while it lasts. Because what’s working now won’t work in the future. The message we preach must never change, but how we communicate it must change as the world changes. This may sound discouraging, but it’s true. If you don’t change, you won’t last. If you don’t adapt how you share the gospel, your effectiveness will likely lessen over time because the world is changing too fast. William Pollard said, “The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.”

If you are ready for change, you are ready for growth. This mindset changes how you see problems. When you think about it, every innovation is really a solution to a problem. Problems aren’t things to be feared but opportunities to embrace

Everyone aches to be whole. We ache to be healed. We ache to be restored. Most of the time, though, we wouldn’t put it in those words. We just know we are broken because our child is addicted. We ache because the depression of our youth is now the depression of our golden years. We are stretched to the point of breaking because our career ambitions position us to commit to a pace we can’t sustain. Miscarriage, divorce, loneliness. In all of it, we ache. We ache for some way to walk through this life and not give up or give in.

When you come across a passage of Scripture that makes you uncertain, what do you do? Do you skip it, rush past it or just avoid asking questions?

That’s why the words of a meme I read recently stirred up some deep questions for me. It read, “The more certainty you can bring to the table, the greater your value.”(1)

The writer spoke with such authority. She seemed so… well, certain which made my misgivings feel wrong. But is that principle correct? Is our value really based on our level of certainty?

As I pondered certainty and human value, these words from an unknown author sprang to mind. They’re a reminder that certainty shouldn’t be our highest goal. This meme read, “Just because you’re certain doesn’t mean you’re right.” This thought has been shaping the way I’m approaching both interpersonal connections and my Bible study.

Certainty is an obstacle for both.