From Dark to Life One of our favorite things to do as a family is growing a garden. But the vegetables, flowers, and fruits won’t grow right away. We have to tend the tiny seeds first, planting them in tiny planters in our sunroom. Often, we use old egg cartons. Our family will fill the […]

the gossips There was a magnet that hung on our fridge for many of my childhood and teenage years—a Norman Rockwell painting called “The Gossips.” The painting is a progressive series of conversations beginning in the top corner with two women. The first lady is pointing over her shoulder, sharing some juicy tidbit about someone […]

the idol factory “An idol is anything that is central in my life, anything that seems to be essential. Anything by which I live or depend.” D. M. Lloyd-Jones Theologian John Calvin said that the heart is a “perpetual factory of idols.” We are constantly looking for things to worship, and making the good things […]

god-centered community God designed you for community (1 Peter 2:4–5; Eph. 2:19–22). He made you with a desire to connect with other people who can grow with you, cry with you, sharpen you, encourage you, and laugh with you. No matter your stage or season, all of us long to find people we can simply […]

I’m not yet 30, but I’m old enough to remember dial-up connections and AOL Instant Messenger, “away messages” to let people know when you were away from your computer, arguing with siblings over who got to use the computer to “get online,” and then arguing again when your time was up because you were in […]