Dr. Mary Manz Simon

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

God’s children are preparing to go back to school. That means the back-to-school shopping season has arrived. Prepping children for the coming school year is not only time consuming and costly but exhausting. If you are running ragged, you aren’t alone: You’re among 3.1 trillion families with children who are making last-minute treks to the store.

Did you grow up with traditional family devotions?

Many of us visualize parents and children gathered around the dinner table after a relaxing dinner. But did you ever consider that thanking God that your sick two-year-old in the back seat didn’t vomit on the way to the doctor’s office was a kind of family devotion? After all, even a quick prayer of thanksgiving from a mom’s heart reflects lifestyle faith.

I stood aside as Denny, a retired police officer, slowly worked through the church narthex. The tall man bent to be at eye level with each child in the church narthex between Sunday morning services.