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.

Throughout the Psalms, we find prayers that encourage us to turn to God in moments of fear, difficulty, and shame. At the core of each of these issues and their solutions is our need to trust in God.

We've all felt it—that weight of being "found out." The moment our mistakes are exposed and shame tells us we're fundamentally flawed, unworthy, and beyond repair. In Psalm 51, David runs to God, not away from Him. He understood a powerful truth: God's mercy is far greater than our shame.

Life means we will experience times of difficulty and suffering. Suffering can cause us to feel alone, distant, and spiritually and emotionally empty. But there can be blessing as well. Rather than drive us away, it can cause us to turn to God in a way that is richer and more urgent than many of us do when things are going well. 

Every believer, regardless of their strength of faith, experience, or character, has experienced moments of fear. Feelings of fear are part of the human experience. That’s the bad news. The good news is that we don’t have to process our fears alone. 

God comforts us in our troubles so we can comfort others in theirs. No one seeks out pain but maybe, in God's hands, we can find purpose. A church who embraced this truth might find itself with amazing opportunities for impact.

The truth is, most people don't need a therapist as much as they need a faithful friend who knows how to listen well. Imagine a church where we threw open the doors of our lives and let people in. Where listening, presence, and authentic community bring hope and healing.

The Church isn't meant to refer hurting people away—it's meant to walk with them. With loneliness and mental health at epidemic levels, we must return to our roots: believers carrying each other's burdens. Some of the best healing happens in community.

Struggling with mental health doesn't mean you're not a good Christian—it means you're human. God cares deeply about your emotional well-being. Getting help isn't weakness, it's wisdom. Fix your mind on God's truth and find perfect peace, even when life feels chaotic.