We have an opportunity to make an impact on the youth of our nation. These lyrics hit so much harder now that I am a dad. My heart breaks that there are so many kids hurting, and I will do anything in my power to reach them with the good news of hope and love in Jesus Christ. It begins with my children and moves outward from there.

As I see my daughter in her P.O.D. shirt, I can’t help but smile. It was such a fun night and one of the best times we have ever had together so far. I will always do my best to teach her—and all my children—that they never have to end up like the assailant in the song, or Little Suzy, or Johnny.

I believe that God has so much more in store for my children, and many children in our world today, than the unfortunate realities spoken about in this classic P.O.D. song.

Jesus is always the answer.

This passage of Scripture has been widely debated and often misused. Without overcomplicating it, I want to bring some much-needed clarity to the issue. The relationship between faith and works is important and must be taught with care and concern for people’s souls. We need to understand what this passage is saying so that we can better walk with God and counter those who misuse it to harm others.

James 2:14-26 presents three signs of true, saving faith that we should examine in ourselves—not only for our own benefit but also for the benefit of others. Unfortunately, this passage has often been wielded like a weapon to harass and confuse people when, in reality, it should function more like an EpiPen for ourselves. As we remain here waiting for Christ’s return, we should take this passage to heart, examine our faith, and work toward bettering ourselves—not just for our sake, but for the advancement of God’s kingdom.

My heart beat against my chest like a gorilla stuffed into a Happy Meal box. The dance instructor was calling for all the newbies to line up on the floor. I set down my non-alcoholic drink and motioned for my wife to follow. No liquid courage coursed through my veins, but my wife’s smile was more than enough to keep my feet heading in the direction they didn’t want to go.

I’ve always hated dancing. Put me in the mosh pit any day, but dancing? No thanks. I’ve never understood why anyone would want to expose themselves in such a goofy way. Even King David didn’t escape the piercing eyes of scrutiny when he was dancing.

I’ve been reading In the Heart of the Sea, a true account of the Essex—a whaling ship destroyed by an enraged whale. The crew was left with their beloved ship reduced to splinters, and their hopes for survival even thinner. For some time, they lingered by the wreckage, watching the remnants barely peeking out of the water. Eventually, they made the difficult decision to leave the sunken ship behind and attempt survival in smaller boats.

What struck me most was how their spirits changed once they turned away from the wreckage and began moving forward. Morale improved the moment they stopped focusing on what was lost and started focusing on the journey ahead.

Have you ever lost it on your kids?

I sure have—more than I’d like to admit. It’s embarrassing and difficult because, as Christian parents, we try so hard to raise our children in a way that’s pleasing to Jesus. But we fail often—at least I do. Sometimes, when this happens, I reach for any justification within my 5-foot-8-inch grasp (otherwise, I need a step ladder). It’s so easy to make excuses for our misbehavior toward our kids

I am recounting some of the trials and suffering my family have gone through in the recent years, in as much detail as I can. Sure I could gloss over these details, but that would defeat the purpose of the book. This book is about how we as Christians can navigate trials and suffering in our lives. In order to do this, I’m going back in time and trying to document  the trauma we have experienced as a family. As much as I’d like to never feel these emotions again, I understand at the same time these trials and the pain we felt are too important to forget. 

Harsh vocals, distorted guitars, chainsaw bass, and  blasting drums that make your heart beat outside your chest—Christian metal transforms raw intensity into a soundtrack of overcoming trials and worshipping God, and standing firm in a fallen world. 

Worshiping God, standing firm in our faith, and overcoming trials are all good things, right? Then why so much hate against Christian metal? This is something I’ve wondered about for many years. What I think comes down to personal preference. 

Some years I burn through highlighters. It seems that selling all my possessions and buying pallets of highlighter pens  is the only way I can keep up with my Bible highlighting in those profound years where my walk with God just keeps reaching new heights. In those years of growth, my Bible drips yellow ink like it’s been dipped into a vat of that nostalgic Sunny D. 

Let’s talk about one of my favorite Bible study tips: The  SOAP Bible method. It’s important that we always learn better ways to interact with God’s Word, and how to study the Bible. What is the SOAP bible method? What are the benefits of the SOAP bible study? Who is it for? Let’s answer these questions. 

We as a society are very click driven. From high school to your job, or even the people we as a society look up to, clicks are ever present. They're always seems to be some special group that we just can't make our way into no matter how hard we try. And, if we're honest, there probably are people who want to be in our own little click as well. We all seem to at times show favor to those we desire to spend time with for no other reason than what they can offer us with. Is this something I am constantly guilty of doing? No. But have I done it in the past? I am sure of it. But why do we do this?

As a Christian, one of the most important things you can do is find yourself a good church. Church is essential for community, growth, and service. A livestream or pre-recorded version of a church service is good if you're sick or out of town, but it can never replace the real thing. However, in all honesty finding a good church can be a little tricky. More often than not people become discouraged and give up on church altogether because they just cannot seem to find a church to truly call home. If that is you, I hope that I can be of assistance. I have 3 tips in finding a church that you can call home for the long haul.

Now I submit to you that is Christians, we should value God‘s word enough to handle it properly. The Bible has all we need in this life to know Him, follow Him, and love others. A result of not handling His word correctly can have detrimental results on our lives. So now let us examine James 1:21-27. 

The wives of Elkanah had one major difference: Penninah had children, and Hannah did not. In these days,and in this part of the world, a woman's greatest accomplishment in life was having children. That is not to say that today is much different, but women tend to find other identities than solely embracing the fact that they are a mother. They took being a mother much more seriously in these times. Motherhood is a very special thing, however, in the Old Testament times, it was even more desired than today.

Quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” So simple and straightforward, yet so difficult for us to master. This is such a hard battle for us that God gives us in His word many similar teachings. Some of these many passages can be found in Proverbs 10:19, 11:12, 14:29, 15:1, and 17:28. One day when we are all gathered to Christ these teachings will be in our very nature, but right now we need to work at it. The ways that we walk and talk are very important to God. We have 3 things we can be working on taken from verse 19.

Should anyone read The Message Bible? Let’s start by understanding what The Message Bible even is. First off, to the best of my knowledge, It was never intended to or implied by anyone to replace your main Bible. I think we should view it in the proper light, that being The Message Bible is a very useful tool. We often take a peek at a few commentaries when we are reading or studying certain passages in our Bibles. We might even look up an article or a sermon by a Pastor or brother in Christ we admire, and see their thoughts on a particular passage. Additionally, we have the opportunity to look it up in The Message Bible. 

I grew up with friends that were much older than me. For instance, when I was 8, the friends on my street were 13 or so. That's a pretty big difference. It’s no wonder that I was advancing through my youthful days faster than other kids. Part of this rapid growth was also the sudden realization that Santa Claus is not real. 

Hopeless. Good for nothing. Uninspiring. Wasteful. These are thoughts that intrude my mind from time to time, when I don’t feel like anything I am doing is accomplishing anything of significant value. My goal in life is to know God as deeply as I possibly can, to instill that same love and desire for God in my wife and children, and help others in the world know Jesus. As nice as I think these goals are, there are very few moments in my day, week, month, or even year, that I feel like I am even slightly working towards these goals. The irony is that I spend so much time spinning my wheels trying to find the next big thing to accomplish that has tangible and evident results, that I often miss the small wins that are right in front of my eyes.

God has rules in place for us for a reason. Depending on the rule, it might be for our benefit, or His, or both. Regardless of the reason why, as God’s children we should be doing our best to obey His rules. Our goal should never be to just obey enough to not be in sin, because we're really missing the point if that's why we obey.

The Bible teaches us here that the rich man and the poor man both have the same end. Most people think that what matters is acquiring as much as you can in a person's lifetime. However, this is false. All of those things people seek to acquire will all one day perish as well. True happiness and wealth cannot come from one’s physical possessions.