Articles

7 MINUTE READ

Raising Resilient Children: Why Expanding Their Worldview Strengthens Their Faith and PerseveranceAs Christian parents, we carry both the joy and the weight of raising children who love Jesus deeply and live boldly for him in a world that is full of both beauty and brokenness. We long to raise children who not only know God's Word but live it—children who can stand strong when life is hard, who can love those who are different, and who can persevere when things don’t go their way. But if we are honest, many of us feel a tension: We want to protect our children... but we also want them to grow. We want to give them opportunities... but the unknown feels scary. We want them to h

Alicia Bennett, Mobilizer Mom

June 20, 2025

6 MINUTE READ

ContentmentRecently, my wife said, “Our daughter has an odd way of interpreting Scripture.” Though she said it with a smile, I was immediately curious! My oldest then defended herself by describing the situation. She wanted to wear a particular long skirt on the following school day. My wife wisely said, “I’m not sure that skirt would be practical for the field trip you’re going on tomorrow.” Ava answered by saying, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” (Philippians 4:13). We all laughed when she said it with perfect comedic timing, but w

Frank Trimble, Family Time Training

June 10, 2025

4 MINUTE READ

Eid al-AdahExploring traditions from other cultures helps your child grow in understanding and love for the peoples that God loves. Eid al-Adha (eed uhl-ad-HAH) is a Muslim holiday starting on the evening of Friday, June 6, 2025. As you discover more about Eid al-Adha with your family, consider reading the biblical account of Abraham’s sacrifice from Genesis 22 together. Afterwards, ask them to point out the differences between the Bible and the Qu’ran (kuh-RAHN) versions. Let your children know the Bible’s account is true, but many Muslims think their story from the Qu’ran is rig

Jenny Marcelene

May 20, 2025

5 MINUTE READ

Adventure With God TogetherEmbracing God’s adventure for my family was always easy to do….until it wasn’t. Let me explain. My husband and I had been partners in ministry since before we were married. As college students in a small town, it was easy to follow God’s call into ministry. Years passed as we served in small-town churches with families who were mostly like us - good kids, good homes, familiar surroundings. Often, times were financially tight as our family grew to four. I thought I was making big sacrifices. Then, God moved in my husband’s heart through a literal earthquake and r

Angie Cox, GoTEN

May 10, 2025

5 MINUTE READ

A Family Trip to Africa“Mum, I want to go to Africa,” 11-year-old Vera stated. She’d just attended a mission service where a visiting missionary shared that all believers are called to make disciples and related stories of young people making an impact in various countries in Africa. Touched by these stories, Vera expressed an interest in experiencing life and mission work in Africa. Surprised, Vera’s mum asked what she thought she could do. “I just want to play with the children and make them happy,” Vera shared. “I can do crafts with them and play games.” Initially,

Marleen Mortin, Operation Mobilisation

April 18, 2025

6 MINUTE READ

The Discipleship JourneyEvery child is in the process of discipleship. The question is: What is discipling them? Consider a day in the life of a child. Who are the people they are following: peers, teachers, celebrities, coaches? How much time do they spend at athletic practices? How much emphasis is placed on academic achievement? How much time are they spending playing video games or reading books? Children are being discipled through academics, athletics, extracurricular activities, relationships, and entertainment. Every child is in the process of discipleship, whether intentionally begun... o

Teresa Roberts, Ozark Christian College

April 10, 2025

5 MINUTE READ

Serving As a FamilySome of my most precious childhood memories involve serving with my parents at church and faith-related events. At first, I just accompanied my parents and played while they served. But soon, I wanted to do something too. From helping with cleaning, handing out flyers for a Christmas event, and assisting at Sunday School, to singing at family services; serving made me feel part of the church and shaped me as a follower of Christ. Many adults who are committed followers of Jesus and faithfully serving the body of Christ started as children. The Crewe-Brown family in my church in South Af

Marleen Mortin, Operation Mobilisation

March 20, 2025

6 MINUTE READ

Explore: PurimAs parents, we often seek ways to teach our children God’s truth while helping them grow in empathy and understanding of people who don’t yet know God. Exploring different cultures and traditions and teaching our children to pray is a meaningful way to do both. One tradition to explore with your family is Purim (POOR-im), a Jewish holiday celebrating God’s faithfulness, courage in the face of fear, and the power of standing up for others. An annual spring holiday, Purim commemorates God’s deliverance of the Jewish people from destruction as recorded in Esther. In

Alicia Bennett, Mobilizer Mom

March 07, 2025

5 MINUTE READ

Be Faithful in Prayer“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Romans 12:12) The Bible teaches us to be faithful and persistent in prayer for all people and in all situations. Often, our prayers for people who do not know about Jesus are not answered immediately, especially when we pray for unreached people groups living in places where the gospel has not been heard yet. But sometimes, we get a glimpse of what God is doing. Here are a few of these glimpses to encourage you and your family to keep praying. Openness through prayer “Therefore I tell you, whatever you

Marleen Mortin, Operation Mobilisation

February 20, 2025

4 MINUTE READ

Helping Your Child Find Freedom From AngerYou are driving down the highway and hear a warning “ding” from your car’s computer system. You look down at the instrument panel and see a flashing indicator light. It is bright red, looks like an engine, and has an exclamation point next to it. How annoying! You proceed to grab the duct tape from the glove compartment, rip off a piece, and cover up the flashing red light so that it won’t bother you anymore while you continue driving. You have just made a foolish decision. The red warning light is not there to annoy you, but to let you know about a serious problem in

Rob Rienow, Visionary Family Ministries

February 10, 2025

5 MINUTE READ

Talking to Children about PersecutionPersecution is not an easy topic for anyone, especially for our children. It is heavy, frightening, and difficult to understand. For families who’ve never experienced mistreatment for being Jesus-followers, it probably seems like a foreign concept. For many years, I served in a country where persecution is a reality for believers in Jesus. I listened to a sister in Christ seeking wisdom on teaching the Bible to boys and girls in their church because the government wouldn’t allow children to attend with their parents. I mourned with friends whose church was shut down by autho

Mindy Christensen, Via

January 20, 2025

5 MINUTE READ

Meet the UyghursHelp your family embrace God’s love for the world by developing a habit of learning about other cultures. Read this story together to learn about and pray for the Uyghurs (WEE-gurz), an unreached Muslim people group in Northwest China and Central Asia. Welcome to Kashgar (KASH-gahr) where, in the Old City, narrow alleyways and ancient mud-brick buildings with colorful arched windows are giving way to modern, concrete architecture and wider streets. Signs here use both Arabic script and Chinese characters. Vendors at the Kashgar Bazaar sell a variety of food and drinks—freshly sque

Jenny Marcelene

January 10, 2025

6 MINUTE READ

Living Like Jesus: Simple Ways to Reflect Christ in Your HomeThroughout the Christmas season, we celebrate that Jesus came to earth and shared in our humanity. Jesus demonstrated and taught us to be like him. Romans 8:29 tells us: “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” God calls us to conform to his image. This calling means that as parents, we commit to growing personally into Christ's image and loving our children into his image as well. Structure and repetition provide a solid foundation for children to grow in this way.

Mindy Christensen, Via

December 20, 2024

4 MINUTE READ

The Might of Mites: Children in His StoryChildren possess simple, practical faith that can inspire and call other believers to action. In this account, God uses a young girl to grow her congregation’s vision for what God might desire to do through them. The ripple effect of her vision is still impacting believers today. The year was 1884. The place was Philadelphia (US). Six-year-old Hattie May Wiatt lived with her family near the church they attended each week. Hattie loved walking to Sunday School to sing worship songs and learn about God, but she faced a big problem. Grace Baptist Church was bursting at the seams. The leade

Karen Hardin, Via

December 10, 2024

2 MINUTE READ

Live Out God's Work: Advent Prayers for the NationsThe countdown to Christmas is on! Focus your children on the birth of Jesus, the Savior of the world. Make an Advent Prayer Chain with your family and intercede for unreached peoples living in cultures where the gospel has not yet penetrated.

4 MINUTE READ

Generational Legacy-LeaversGod desires to build his kingdom through families. In Genesis 17, God changes Abram’s name to Abraham and promises to make him the father of many nations. God establishes an eternal covenant with Abraham and his offspring that will be passed down from generation to generation (Genesis 17:1-7). About 2000 years later, God fulfills his covenant to bless all peoples through Abraham and his descendants–Christ the Messiah is born to be the Savior of the world. Today, more than 4000 years after the time of Abraham, God still uses generational legacies to make himself known. My great-gre

Mindy Christensen, Via

November 07, 2024

6 MINUTE READ

Helping Children Deal With PersecutionAmbokile*, his wife, and two children live in East Africa where they reach out to the local community. As Christians, their family is in the minority in this area. Sharing about Christ with anyone of another faith can lead to severe persecution. When some local people became followers of Christ, Ambokile’s family became a target. They had to leave their house and flee the area to protect their lives. “This was a traumatic experience for us all,” Ambokile shared. “I struggled to explain what happened to my children. They did not understand and had many fears. I also had

Marleen Mortin, Operation Mobilisation

October 20, 2024

5 MINUTE READ

Meet the DunganHelp your family embrace God’s love for the world by developing a habit of learning about other cultures. Read this story together to learn about and pray for the Dungan (DOON-gahn), an unreached people group living in Central Asia and Mongolia. Come with me to the river valleys and rolling hills of eastern Kyrgyzstan (KEER-giz-stahn) where sheep, cows, and horses graze at the foot of snow-capped mountains. Here, most Dungan families cling to their Muslim traditions and have never heard that Jesus loves them. Do you see that winding, dirt road? At the end, you will find the village of Y

Karen Hardin, Via

October 09, 2024

9 MINUTE READ

Nurturing a Missional Heart in Our ChildrenMy mom taught me what it meant to be a mobilizer before I knew the word. If you spoke to her, she might say she was ‘just a housewife’. Yet no conference, course, trip or biography has been more formative in my understanding of missional living. If you are a parent, you may have felt the tension of laboring hard for the kingdom outside your home while heeding the equally important call to tend to the little flock inside it. Not only are we called to reflect the Father in the way we parent, we are commanded to bring children up in the wisdom and instruction of God. Now in ministry

Faith Chang, Keeping Heart

September 24, 2024

4 MINUTE READ

Processing Grief Alongside our ChildrenIs it cruel to deliberately let your child suffer grief and loss? As parents, shouldn’t we do what we can to shelter them from pain? My wife, Stephanie, has always looked forward to having children. By the time we were married, I’d talked her down to having four (or six). So when the pregnancy test was positive at the end of our first year of marriage, we were ecstatic. Thad was a bright spark of joy in our lives. Then came a few years without another baby. And a few more years. Because having our firstborn was so easy, we never wondered about infertility until we couldn’t

Ian Fraiser, Via

September 12, 2024