Let’s face it: being a father in the 21st century is challenging. Our culture is shouting about toxic masculinity, and many men feel hesitant—even afraid—to step up and lead their families. So what does it actually mean to be a godly man today? Here’s the good news, Dad: You don’t have to be perfect. And […]
Debbie and I share two core passions: equipping parents to build strong families and empowering pastors to develop strong churches. With over 40 years of experience as kids and lead pastors, we now travel the world, equipping and inspiring leaders to build impactful children’s ministries. We accomplish this through conferences, coaching, and curriculum development. If […]
We hear a lot today about young people deconstructing their faith. What is deconstruction, and what do people mean when they say, “I am going through the process of deconstructing my faith?” This is my definition of what people call deconstruction. Deconstruction is a process of rethinking your faith without scripture. Can deconstruction of faith […]
Kids are created with a nature to believe, but as they grow up they begin to question what they believe. If they have been raised in the church they will question what they have been taught by the church. This is a normal part of growing up. Here are The FIVE Big Questions every kid will ask when they […]
The Holy Spirit gave me a word for 2025. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit falls like rain, but sometimes, you must dig another well. The water is always there in the dry season, but you can’t always see it. You have to dig for it. In Genesis Chapter 26, there is famine in Canaan, and Issac […]
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” – Proverbs 22:6 To be transparent, I’ve preached it from the pulpit; chances are you have, too. The problem is that this doesn’t work. Many children of good Christian parents choose to leave the […]
The answer is no for most churches, but we can change starting today. Judges 2:7 says, “The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and the elders who outlived Joshua and had seen all the great works of God.” A few verses later, it says, “Another generation did not know the Lord or his […]
This is my story about how I started writing Sunday School curriculum. It was 1979. I was 20 and recently accepted a Kids’ Pastor position at a new church in Port Huron and like many new kids’ pastors, I did not know what I was doing. I did not set out to write a new […]
The best way to partner with parents is to get parents involved with the children’s ministry program. Let me tell you how I figured this out. I meet with my small group leaders once a month. Sometimes, I go around the room and ask each leader this question… What are you getting out of your […]
We hear a lot about “church hurt” today. It’s an oxymoron. It feels like those two words shouldn’t be connected. Isn’t the church supposed to be a place of healing? Why does it seem like so many people are hurt by the church? The truth is that people hurt people, and the church is full […]