Do you ever wonder why many teens turn away from their faith during adolescence? Some would say it’s just a normal stage of life, but I don’t buy it. I know too many youth who are passionate about God and the purpose he has for their lives. So why do others lose interest? Feeling that the church makes no effort to understand them is one possible reason. Kids won’t necessarily conform to our traditions and styles of doing things just because we say they should. But if we make an effort to get into their world, we become sensitive to their needs and aware of their questions, hurts, challenges, and temptations. We begin to speak their language, understand their music, meet them where they are …

With God, ordinary people can do extraordinary things. It started out as a day like any other. I was helping out in the emergency room at the hospital where I worked at the time, as I did whenever I wasn’t out on a call with the ambulance. A few patients had come in, so I was busy starting an IV when a coworker told me that a woman I knew had been admitted with a broken hip. After finishing up the IV, I made my way over to see her, but I was completely unprepared for what I was about to encounter. I had seen my share of shockers, but this one sent shivers up my spine. Immediately my eyes darted from one of the …

When you heat water in a kettle, you can always tell when it’s getting ready to boil. As the pressure builds, you begin to hear a bubbling noise before the whistle. People are a lot like kettles. When they are going through a stressful time and the pressure is mounting, you can hear warning signs in their conversation. These warnings are like little God-opportunities landing on your lap. Do you see them as opportunities? If someone tells you that their week isn’t going very well, that’s a chance for you to say, “Tell me all about it,” or “Hey, let’s go for coffee this week.” Although these opportunities rarely happen at convenient times, I’ve found that there’s nothing more rewarding than being there for someone …