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Allowing grace to flow freely means we let others be. You look different? We let you look different. You don’t dress like others? That’s fine, dress like you want to. That’s what grace is all about. Here are some traps we can fall into if we’re not careful.

Dr. Danny Huerta and Rebecca St. James answer your questions. It's an episode of Practice Makes Parent shaped by our community—addressing real questions, exploring fresh perspectives, and continuing the dialogue together! If you’ve ever wondered how your voice fits into the show, this episode is proof that it does. And because he's silly, Dr. Danny tells Dad Jokes in between your questions about aggressive toddlers, separation anxiety, showering with children, grandparents disciplining, and encouraging kids when they fail.

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Ten more minutes and my wife would have never been born. The story that changed everything is hope for any of us who love someone who's making some very bad choices. My wife's grandfather, Bill, had given up on life. Trashing a profitable career for the alcohol and cocaine he could not resist. He was labeled with a prison record, he was penniless, he was hopeless and he was suicidal.

And that night, as he walked South State Street in downtown Chicago, he was minutes away from Lake Michigan where he'd decided to end it all. One thing saved him. A mother who had never given up on him. There, on the street, he heard the song, the one his mother used to sing to him. It was coming from the rescue mission he had just passed. Something made him stop and go inside. And there a caring mission worker shared a Bible verse that has probably changed more lives than any other. The worker started, "For God so loved the world that He gave..." Suddenly, Bill finished it. "...His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16). Somewhere in the long-clouded corners of his memory, he could hear his mother teaching him those words.

And that night - minutes away from ending his life - he found life. He never touched or wanted alcohol or drugs from that night on. And he spent the rest of his life bringing the hope he'd found to forgotten people across the country. And now three generations Bill never met are here, and they're living and spreading that same hope because of one man's choice that night.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Why It Is Too Soon to Give Up."

The story behind the story is told in the inscription on the back of a photo of young Bill. His mother wrote, "O Will, every night when I read my Bible, I look at this picture and I ask God to keep you and somehow seal your heart with His love. You may see this after I'm gone and you'll know that I never ceased to pray for you. Mother." She did live ten years after the night God answered those prayers.

Even as her son's life got darker and darker, this mother was hanging onto a powerful but easily-forgotten truth. That's one that I, too, have hung onto - even today. Because so much of my life's work has been trying to love and rescue people who just keep spiraling downward. It's a hope-preserver for all of us who grieve and who pray for broken, prodigal people.

Never forget the difference between a chapter and a book. See, many a book with a happy ending has some very dark chapters. A loved one's seemingly unstoppable rush to the edge of the cliff? That's not the book. It's a chapter. If we lose that wide angle lens perspective, we're going to lose hope. But the Bible urges us in our word for today from the Word of God in Galatians 6:9, "Do not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest..." And Jesus said that we "should always pray and not give up" (Luke 18:1).

That's what Bill's mother did. She wept over many chapters. She never lost sight, though, of the ending God could write to the book of her son's life. She just kept loving, praying and believing. And the final chapters of Bill's life were more glorious and more miraculous than she could have ever dreamed.

If we can remember, in the darkest hours of a loved one's heartbreaking journey, that this is a chapter, then hope can win when despair is strong. Even as I write this, there are young men and women whose life-eroding choices I grieve for. But I know there is a relentless Shepherd who came, He said, to "seek and save those who are lost" (Luke 19:10). He says, "I will search for the lost and bring back the strays" (Ezekiel 34:16). He will do whatever it takes to bring them home. Even when it meant a cross.

So, as long as there's breath, there's

Read: Psalm 139:23-24; Jeremiah 17:10

“Why is there an old apple core inside a crinkled chip bag under your pillow?” Dad asked when Camila came into the kitchen.

Camila smirked. “The real question is why were you looking under my pillow?”

“I was just following my nose,” said Dad. “Your room is a mess! You need to clean it before going to Mackenzie’s house.”

Camila stomped upstairs, mumbling something about how unfair life was.

Dad had just finished his second cup of coffee and morning Bible reading when Camila scooted into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “I’m guessing you’re taking a snack break,” he said.

Camila crunched into an apple. “Nope. I’m finished.”

“How could you have cleaned your room in thirty minutes? I couldn’t have cleaned it that fast with a bulldozer.”

“Take a look if you don’t believe me.”

Camila followed her dad upstairs. He was amazed. There was no clutter to be found. Dad got down on his hands and knees. “What are you doing?” Camila asked. This didn’t look good.

“When I was a kid, my favorite cleaning method was to shove all the junk under my bed so everything looked clean. I didn’t think my dad was smart enough to look there.” Dad peeked under the bed. “And it looks like you didn’t think your dad was smart enough either. I guess you have a full day of cleaning ahead of you.”

“I thought it’d be easier to just hide everything by shoving it under the bed,” said Camila. “I didn’t know you were going to send out a search party!”

Dad sat on the edge of her bed. “Believe it or not, a lot of people think they can do the same thing with their sin—they try to hide it to make their lives look perfect. They may think they’re fooling everyone, but they’re not fooling God. In the Bible, David asks God to search his heart. He wanted God to find the sin in his life so he could confess it and be forgiven.”

“Well, God is our Father, and fathers are really good at finding stuff!” Camila said. “I guess I need to tell Jesus—and you—I’m sorry.”

“I forgive you,” Dad said. “And Jesus promises to always forgive us too.”

–Jared Hottenstein

How about you? Do you try to hide your sin and keep others from seeing the messes in your life? Even if you’re able to hide the wrong things you do from others, you can’t hide them from God. The Bible calls the wrong things we do sin, and the best way to handle sin isn’t to try to hide it from God, but to show it to Him. The Bible says that if we confess our sins, Jesus is faithful to His promise to always forgive us.

Today's Key Verse: Search me, God, and know my heart…See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Let God search for sin

Dr. Stanley describes the character of our ultimate judge, Jesus, and outlines the criteria by which we will be judged. 

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My heart sank. My mind started to swirl. A friend who’d been helping set up my new laptop accidentally deleted all the photos and videos I’d transferred to it. Years of precious memories with family and friends were all gone in an instant. Panic set in.  I’d never be able to recreate those cherished moments from past holidays, travels, and special occasions. Before sentimental me could have a complete meltdown, my friend said he was hopeful he could recover my files. Thankfully, a few agonizing hours later I was overjoyed to see my special files reappear.

I waited anxiously for only a few hours, but the fear was real. Loss can be scary and painful. In chapter two of the book of Joel, the prophet is calling Judah to repentance after it has been devastated by a horde of locusts that destroyed the grain fields, vineyards, gardens, and trees. The prophet had warned the people of the impending consequences of their rebellion against God. But God hadn’t abandoned them. He would help and bring restoration if they placed their trust in God: “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten” (2:25).

God restored Judah when they turned to Him. God wants to restore you as well.

Whatever circumstances you’re in, you can turn to God and trust Him—knowing that He’s “the Lord your God, and that there is no other” (v. 27). He is faithful to help you recover from what was lost and bring you into a relationship with Him.

Monks and money don’t seem to go together, but maybe they should. Early Christian monks had a biblical approach to possessions that offered freedom from fear and room for generosity. On the next Faith & Finance Live, Dr. Shane Enete joins Rob West to explain why the wisdom of the monks matters for believers today. Then, it’s on to your calls. That’s Faith and Finance Live . . . biblical wisdom for your financial decisions. That’s weekdays at 4pm Eastern/3pm Central on Moody Radio.

Faith & Finance Live is a listener supported program on Moody Radio.  To join our team of supporters, click here.

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To learn more about Rob West, click here.

To learn more about Faith & Finance Live, click here.

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Segment 1

• What would your approach be if you were invited into a secular philosophy class?

• A real-world evangelism encounter reveals the unexpected “prerequisite” for understanding truth.

• Focusing on cultural debates might feel productive—but actually misses the only message that transforms minds.

Segment 2

• Why modern cultural confusion isn’t just social decline—but rooted in something deeper than behavior.

• The hidden philosophical shift that convinced millions to “create their own truth.”

• One 18th-century thinker’s ideas now shape everything from identity to morality.

Segment 3

• Christianity has more academic depth than critics realize—and most skeptics haven’t even scratched the surface.

• The shocking scale of scholarly research behind just a single biblical word—and what that reveals about your faith.

• Why intellectual arguments alone never convert anyone—and what actually breaks through spiritual blindness.

Segment 4

• A massive study reveals a surprising alternative to antidepressants—and almost nobody talks about it.

• Modern mental health solutions may overlook a simpler, more effective path.

• The overlooked biblical pattern that improves mental, emotional, and spiritual strength simultaneously.

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