Life a Weblog for Young Adults

I’ve grown up going to Sunday School, “big church,” small group Bible studies, retreats, and mission trips. Like most Christians, I learned how important it is to read the Bible and pray. I heard many Bible stories and even learned great applications for my Christian life. But, like most churches, my church didn’t teach me how to read the Bible or how to pray. Sure, I learned the order of the books of the Bible, and of course, I heard many prayers. But the discipleship component was missing. Through the years, I learned a lot from watching my dad, who daily studied the Word in depth. My college and seminary days were valuable as many great theologians and professors instructed me. However, it wasn’t until my seminary “Dean” (the name I still call him today) became my mentor and invested in my life that I actually learned what it meant to be discipled.

She stayed by your side through chicken pox and teenage tantrums. Mothers deserve their holiday. But you don’t have to spend a lot; just invest some thoughtfulness.

Calendar Girl

For about $20, create a custom calendar with photos of the whole family. Imagine Mom’s surprise as she flips through each month to find funny and sweet remembrances.

Chef for a Day

OK. You’re not Emeril Lagasse, but you can still kick this Mother’s Day up a notch by preparing a meal just for Mom. Plan a simple menu and prepare a few dishes the day before. Need recipe ideas? Try the quick and easy section on allrecipes.com.

Vid Kid

Secretly snag Mom’s collection of 8mm reels and VHS tapes—containing first steps, birthday parties, and other family events—and convert them into DVDs. Do it yourself or trust an expert.

All Grown Up

Send Mom a packet of flower seeds with a note that tells her to plant them and watch them grow, just as your love for her does daily.

Got other great ideas to add? We want to hear them. Leave us a comment below!

Truth: “Hey preacher man, good sermon!” is nice…but come on, we can do better than that, right?

We can do better than the shoulder squeeze with the solemn look in the eye. We can do better than the slow head nod of approval—especially when we remember that our pastors spend hours each week pouring out their hearts on stage, ministering to and in our communities, and shepherding hard-heads like us.

The work of a pastor is often lonely, difficult work. We need your encouragement. And encouragement isn’t that difficult, but it takes being intentional.

My husband, B.J., and I had been married for two years when we found out we were having a little boy. We were so excited—and to be honest, terrified. There was so much to think about, so much to plan for. And what if we did it wrong?

But the moment my child was placed in my arms, none of that mattered anymore. All that mattered was cherishing every single minute of this new life.

That’s why I started keeping a journal for him. Just a little something filled with letters, poems, words of life, and hopefully a little wisdom. I think it’s so important for our children to know how valuable they are—to know that they are the greatest of God’s creations.

Here are some of the things I want my son to remember:

Next week, we at Threads will release the second volume of Matt Carter’s and Halim Suh’s study of Genesis called Creation Restored. It’s relevant, challenging, and gospel-saturated. Trust me, you’ll want to get a copy. Here’s a quick promo video to get you going …

If you’ve seen any chick flicks recently, you might get the impression that singleness is a sickness to be hastily cured. It’s easy to go with the cultural flow by buying into the frustration of waiting around, hoping to meet someone, and wondering why you’re alone. But despite popular opinion, there’s nothing wrong with being single nor with the desire to share life with a significant other.

Singleness is more than a waiting room to meet Mr. or Mrs. Right, so how can you make the most of this unique season of life? Here’s five ways to invest in your life, relationships, faith, and future — right now — to make singleness a fun and formative experience.

Never trade Jesus for the idea of Jesus.

Here is a fascinating video of a 5-year-old girl’s reaction to some of the major “brands” from around corporate America. I thought it was sweet (especially the “cheetah” part), but also a revealing window into our culture.

The alarm clock rings. You roll out of bed and head to class. It’s likely your biggest decision so far has been what size latte to order, and your main concern has been finding a parking spot on campus. For 22-year-old Katie Davis, there’s no alarm clock. Instead, she wakes up to several pairs of little hands on her face and several pairs of feet bouncing on the bed. Her biggest decision will be choosing to live another day in Uganda, and her main concern is caring for her children — 14 daughters and 147 million orphans scattered around the globe.

In this video, Jeremy Rochford takes a deeper look at the phenomenon of New Year’s Resolutions and their connection with our spiritual lives.