With over 4,000 religions, 40,000 Christian denominations, and the inescapable secular teachings that now dominate academia today, we are in a time where our youths' faith is constantly challenged to be unreasonable and wrong. Apologetics is a tool important to us in our defense against the enemy’s increasing attacks to answer questions such as “Is our faith reasonable?” “Why do we trust scripture?” “Is Jesus really who He said He was?” Let’s wrestle with these questions together.

When you ask your child to do something, does he respond with a resounding and cheerful “Yes, Mom” or “Yes, Dad”? Or does he grumble, roll his eyes, and downright ignore you? What is true obedience? How can we train our children to obey? What do we as parents do to undermine obedience? Come get some real-life, practical teaching on how to take the reins again and enjoy the children God has given you.

How well do we do as a body of believers reaching out to the communities around us? In a world where there are countless needs not met for many families, can we do anything to help? Can we do anything to show that the body of Christ and Christ Himself are here to help? We will dive into what Jesus calls us to do and consider how we can help those around us see God's love and provision. Let’s discuss how to start reaching out and where to begin, and learn from each other’s successes and mistakes as well. We will use this time to encourage and inspire each other to show our communities that our loving church is there for them and so is the Lord Almighty.

When God doesn’t answer our prayers, we often can become discouraged or resentful towards God and it can lead to a spiritual crisis. What we ask God for may not be the best for us, but how do we know? What we sometimes forget is that God’s ways are not our ways. His thoughts are much higher than ours and he has a greater plan for each of us that we are not able to comprehend. In general, God answers our prayers in three ways: “NO…” “SLOW…” and “GO!” What does each one look like and how can we get a glimpse of the plan God has for us individually? We look to the Word and spiritual experiences to help us on our path to draw closer to Him, to know Him, and to worship Him.

Presentation by Hope Ministries in Castanhal, Brazil; Nepomuceno Home for Boys in Brazil; and Lifesong Harmony School (Lifesong for Orphans) in Zambia.