This Sunday is Father’s Day. Compared to Mother’s Day, Father’s Day is a mediocre holiday, if it is celebrated at all. Americans feel more ambivalently about their dads than their moms, perhaps because their dads are abusive or absent from … Continue reading The Righteous Dad | Influence Magazine
Many Christians in America feel alienated from their culture. David Kinnaman and Mark Matlock explain why when they describe changes happening in North America and elsewhere as a transition from “from faith at the center to faith at the margins.” … Continue reading Faith for Exiles | Book Review
Stories about the rise of the “Nones,” that share of the American populace which identifies with no religion, give the impression that religion in America is in steep decline. “What they fail to report,” writes David Zahl, “is that the … Continue reading The Booming Marketplace of Replacement Religions | Influence Podcast
Kara Powell and Steven Argue begin Growing With by pinpointing the dilemma our kids face in the crucial season between 13 and 29 years of age: “On the one hand, our kids’ sophistication has accelerated and it seems like they are getting older earlier; but on the other hand, they feel less mature as the typical markers of adulthood are now delayed.” In other words, the transition to adulthood begins earlier and lasts longer in this generation than in previous generations. How we parent our children changes as they age. Powell and Argue define “Growing With parenting” as “a mutual journey … Continue reading Growing With | Book Review
After a years-long journey from foster care to adoption, my wife, son and I welcomed our two girls into their forever family on Friday, December 9, 2016. Family and friends crowded into the courtroom to witness the formal adoption ceremony. Afterward, we trooped over to our house for cake and presents for our daughters. Their adoption was a joyous event, well worth celebrating. And yet, as is always the case with adoption, a tragedy lurked in the shadows. You cannot build an adoptive family unless a tragedy, neglect or abuse has broken the biological family first. And though our girls … Continue reading The Storm-Tossed Family | Book Review
May is National Foster Care Month. In today’s episode, Influence magazine executive editor George P. Wood talks with Jay Mooney and Johan Mostert about how churches can support foster care parents and thus solve the twin problems of America’s foster care system: capacity and stability. Jay Mooney is executive director of COMPACT Family Services, formerly Assemblies of God Family Services Agency. Johan Mostert is director of COMPACARE, one of COMPACT’S initiatives. To learn more about COMPACT Family Services, go to CompassionateAction.com, or follow it on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Episode 139 Notes 00:00 Introduction to podcast 00:05 TruFire Curriculum sponsor ad … Continue reading How Churches Can Support Foster Parents | Influence Podcast
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