Our sufferings are uniquely ours, but they are not unique. We find strength in the stories of those who have persevered before us and who cheer us on in the present. So we keep running our race with our eyes on Jesus!

Following Jesus doesn’t remove hardship; it reframes it. Suffering isn’t a sign that something is wrong; it’s part of being human and of walking the same road as Jesus. Stop being surprised by hardship and start preparing for it.

Life won't go as planned. Troubles will come. But Paul reminds us: we are pressed but not crushed, knocked down but not destroyed. Don't lose hope. Keep your eyes on Jesus.

The standard of authentic love is how well you treat the person you cannot stand. As John reminds us, since God so loved us, we ought to love one another -- and that "one another" leaves no one out. Including our enemies.

Throughout history, every generation has had its "boogeyman" -- a group of people deemed too different, too dangerous to love. As followers of Christ, we are called to something radically different. There is no fear in love.

What are you afraid of? And more importantly, is fear shaping how you live, how you treat others, and how you follow Jesus? Jesus said the greatest commandments were to love God - love people. But "neighbor" is bigger than we think. It is not just the person next door.

Life offers many reasons to fear, but Jesus invites us to live with love instead of fear. By focusing on God's love rather than fear, followers of Jesus can be empowered to engage their communities.

In the limited time as parents, we can only teach so much before our kids head out into the world. Our faith's core ideas—love God and love people—should be central. What does it really mean to love our neighbor?

Eighteen summers sounds like a long time until you realize how quickly it passes. The question is not whether you will leave an impression on your children. You will. The question is what kind of impression it will be. Make it one that points them toward something worth being devoted to for a lifetime.

18 summers. That's all we get. How can we make the most of the opportunity and help our kids experience the better way of Jesus? Reading the Bible to our kids isn't enough—we must live it out.