“Think about the significant moments in your life. With few exceptions, the value of those moments was sealed by ceremonies. Someone took the time to plan the details, prepare the speech, and purchase the awards—so you would feel special. I believe one of the great tragedies of Western culture today is the absence of this kind of ceremony.”

– Robert Lewis, Raising a Modern Day Knight

You may never know the difference you are making when you choose to invest in kids. Press on!

In his book A New Kind of Leader, Youth Ministry expert Reggie Joiner writes:

The age of the average church member increases by seven years every decade and in the next ten years, the average age of members in many mainline denominations will be over sixty. Basically, churches are “greying” because members are getting older, and younger families are just not attending. The only way to reverse the trend is to reach more kids. 

At Storyline, we believe that God is no respecter of age. He doesn’t love kids more than senior adults, and yet, the local church must direct disproportionate energy to reaching the younger generation. Why? Because the future of the church will lie in their hands.

It’s a sobering thought, but the Scriptures are clear: parents are called to be the primary faith trainers of their children. It’s a calling that cannot be delegated to the “professionals.”

The apostle Paul told his protégé Timothy to “Preach the Word (2 Tim. 4:2).” Scripture places a high priority on the act of public proclamation. Every pastor that feels the weight of Sunday approaching makes front-end decisions on sermonic approach. There are basically three main ways to preach a message. Storyline passionately believes in one called “expository preaching”—so what is it?

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Living in the 21st century presents many challenges for Christians, but this media-saturated culture offers a few fringe benefits. For example, while you run, commute, or walk your dog, you can multi-task.

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Jesus was a serious reader.

That statement may surprise you, but the Lord settled countless arguments by referring to the practice of reading.

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How were the books selected and how can we know it’s all true?

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Author and pastor A.W. Tozer once said, “What comes into your mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you.” And we agree: the way a person thinks will radically affect the way he lives. Behavior is the byproduct of belief.

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Christians are called to hold the ground of truth, even when it’s tough.

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