And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:16–17 (NKJV)  Holy Spirit can give you the inside edge in your relationships.  He can guide you, help you to pray for protection and even lead you to ask the right questions at the right time. For example, He can help you to sense when someone you love needs something specific from you.  I remember when one of my daughters went through a period of time when she acted out whenever I came home. …

Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15 (NLT)  My kids are all adults now, but it seems like only yesterday when my wife Sally and I were in the thick of raising five little kids. Like most parents, problems and issues screamed at me, all vying for my attention. In the midst of it all, I needed to learn how to switch my focus. Instead of just smiling and nodding and pretending I was listening, I wanted to be in the moment with my family. In fact, developing this ability has led to one of the greatest joys of my life.  Like many of us, I can tend to get wrapped up in my world—the problems I’m …

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Psalm 127:4 (NKJV)  My dad was awesome. He was always encouraging me and he used to embarrass me by saying, “Leon, you’re a better preacher than I ever was.” My dad was a great pastor, but he was determined to have me stand on his shoulders.  Isn’t that a great dream to have for the next generation—to expect them to be bigger and better than we are?  Unfortunately, many Christians expect kids to fall away from Jesus in their teenage years. If that’s what we expect, that’s what we’re going to get. And if kids aren’t getting excited about serving Jesus, we can’t just say, “It’s this day and age,” …

After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel. Judges 2:10 (NLT)  Just because we follow Jesus doesn’t mean the next generation will. We can’t assume that they will tag along. Actually, it is possible for one generation to be responsible for losing the next.  Joshua was a great leader, but Judges 2:10 says that after Joshua’s generation passed away, the next generation didn’t know God or what He had done for them. In fact, verse 12 says that they abandoned God and worshiped the gods of the people around them. Despite the significant things Joshua’s generation did for God, they failed to bring the next generation with them.  How could …

And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Hebrews 10:25 (NLT)  One of the most important things we can do is help a child develop an intimate relationship with God. Sadly, many youth enter adulthood disillusioned and distrustful. Many don’t know what their purpose is because they’ve never heard Jesus’ message communicated in a way that stirs passion in them.  Depression, unhappiness and overall discontentment are symptoms of this problem. More than ever, we need great, life-giving churches. We need leaders who can pass on vision and people who are invested in ensuring that the next generation develops a relationship with God.  Kids need spiritual leadership …