In this week's Q&A episode, Mark tackles topics like guiding a 16-year-old boy struggling with pornography, supporting a daughter diagnosed with depression and mood disorders after divorce, and responding when kids face unkindness at school. Mark also addresses what to do when your teen would rather play video games than connect with family. With a focus on building authentic relationships and engaging conversations, he offers strategies to encourage accountability, nurture emotional health and create alternatives that draw your teen closer to you.

Have a question for Mark? Go to markgregston.com to send it in!

Dr. Richard Swenson, author of The Overload Syndrome and Margin, writes that we need room to breathe—freedom to think, permission to heal, and space for relationships that can easily be starved by the relentless pace of life.

That may describe more people today than ever. Many of us are physically, emotionally, mentally, and financially overloaded. There never seems to be enough time, money, or energy left at the end of the day to recover before everything starts again at full speed.

The answer, at least in part, is something our culture often neglects: margin.

Margin means leaving enough room in our lives to rest, reflect, recover, and reconnect with what matters most. It is, in a sense, taking a break before you break.

A life without margin can carry serious physical, emotional, relational, and even financial consequences.

Consider sleep. According to the Sleep Foundation, many Americans regularly struggle to get adequate rest, with a significant number of adults sleeping fewer than seven hours each night. Chronic sleep deprivation has been associated with health concerns including diabetes, obesity, anxiety, and heart disease.

Lack of sleep also affects emotional health, relationships, and decision-making. That means rest is not merely a luxury. It is part of living wisely and caring responsibly for the bodies, relationships, and responsibilities God has entrusted to us.

Perhaps life simply feels too fast right now. Working late nights and weekends may occasionally be necessary, but continuously burning the candle at both ends eventually becomes counterproductive.

Exhaustion leaves little energy for the things that matter most—especially our relationships with others and with the Lord.

Scripture consistently affirms the goodness of work. God calls us to provide for our families, serve others, practice generosity, and faithfully use the abilities and opportunities He has given us.

We work to pay bills, save for future needs, give generously, and contribute to our communities. Productive work is part of God's design.

But work is not all there is. Rest is God's idea too.

In Genesis, God rested on the seventh day of creation—not because He was exhausted, but because His work was complete. He blessed the seventh day and set it apart. Later, Sabbath rest became part of the Ten Commandments given to Israel.

Rest reminds us of an important spiritual reality: our worth does not depend on how much we accomplish.

Author Rich Villodas has observed that Sabbath reminds us that our standing in Christ is not based on our works. A day of rest allows us to stop producing and remember that God's love for us has not changed.

That can be especially difficult in a culture where technology makes it possible to work almost anywhere, at almost any hour. But just because we can keep working does not mean we always should.

Healthy margin allows

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In the movie industry, they talk about the “suspension of disbelief.” It’s all make- believe, right? But they try to make the costumes, and the special effects, and the acting so convincing that it suspends our disbelief. They hope we forget it’s fake. Or fiction, if you prefer. Today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie points out that some people sort of act their way through life. They try to suspend our disbelief about how they’re really living. We’ll see that’s a fruitless pursuit.

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What if your child’s biggest challenge is actually their greatest strength? Dr. Kathy Koch explores life-changing insights from her book 8 Great Smarts, revealing how every child is uniquely wired with different kinds of intelligence – from the nonstop talker to the deep thinker, the music-maker to the curious questioner. Learn how to recognize your child’s natural strengths, nurture what makes them come alive, and stop unintentionally paralyzing their "smarts."
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Do you know someone with an anger problem? Anger is one of the most difficult emotions to get under control. But there is hope! Chip shows you a solution, from God’s Word, that will give you specific, strategic help for overcoming anger.

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How to cope with boredom on your job—that’s Fran’s dilemma. But she’s learned some valuable lessons on practical things she can do when she’s feeling unmotivated and bored.

Fran took some new approaches to her work and found it put a lot of enthusiasm back into her job. She simply made some changes in her usual routine and did a few things more creatively. That has helped a great deal. It’s Saturday now, and she’s meeting her friend, Nancy for lunch to ask her advice about being bored with her job.

They have a long discussion about boredom, and Nancy agrees it’s a challenge everybody has to face on and off throughout their careers. “No job is without its boring aspects, that’s one thing I’ve come to accept, Fran,” Nancy says.

“I’m beginning to understand that,” Fran says, “but I really think I’ve outgrown the job in a sense. I’m ready for a bigger challenge.”

“Do you see another job in the company that interests you?” Nancy asks.

“Yes, as a matter of fact,” Fran answers, “but I’m not qualified; they would never consider me….”

“Now, Fran, don’t start with the negative prophecies. You need to identify your career goals and then put a plan in place to make yourself qualified,” Nancy tells her.

“Well, I’d like to be… I really think I could do a good job… I’d like my boss’s job,” Fran finally gets it out.

“Great…” Nancy starts to reply.

“But they’d never consider me. I haven’t been there long enough…” Fran starts again.

“Stop it, Fran,” Nancy says. “Let’s just make a list of the qualifications necessary to do your boss’s job; then we’ll talk about what you can do to acquire the skills and experience you need as quickly as possible.”

For about an hour, the two of them make notes and discuss what Fran needs to do to be qualified for the job she wants. Then Nancy says, “If I were you, I’d go to your boss and let him know that you want to be in line for his job when he gets promoted. Ask him to give you assignments or suggestions that will help you.”

“You mean, tell him I want his job?” Fran is surprised at Nancy’s suggestion. “Sure, there’s nothing wrong with that,” Nancy says.

As Fran goes back home, she says to Jesus, “Nancy had some great advice. Thanks, Jesus, for your help.” She can feel his smile of approval and remembers another verse from Proverbs 19:20—when you listen to advice and accept instructions, in the end you will be wise.