Category: Ethics

Tony Merida, pastor of Imago Dei Church in Raleigh, NC, recently published his reflections on the COVID-19 pandemic. One of his reflections was encouraging believers to take time during social distancing in order to grow in personal holiness. From the outset, I am in complete agreement with this reflection. However, I think this reflection could … Continue reading Teaching Your Children to Pursue Holiness by Reading Scripture

Almost a decade ago, I was deployed to a combat theater while serving in the military. My wife and I had just been blessed with our oldest daughter two weeks before I left the country. It was a challenging time in our marriage because here was my wife with a newborn baby living five states … Continue reading 3 Reasons Facebook Is Destroying Our ‘Real’ Lives

Instagram's creators promote this social media tool with these words, "Bringing you closer to the people and things you love." This phrase makes a great marketing slogan. It makes users and potential users feel like they are going to really grow in their personal and professional relationships. However, interacting with someone's picture rarely (if ever) … Continue reading Instagram Is Capturing the Souls of Our Girls

My family and I took a road trip to Texas over our summer break. Seventeen hours crammed into a minivan will definitely bring people closer together--both figuratively and literally. We talked, slept, watched movies, and listened to music. When it comes to music in the Bell family, we enjoy listening to a variety of styles. … Continue reading Sorry Luke Bryan, “Most People Are NOT Good.”

The statistics on divorce in America might be alarming at first glance. While the divorce rate among Christ followers may be slightly lower than the national average, the church still sees its fair share of broken marriages. Many people know that divorce leads to a wake of hurt, brokenness, and confusion in the lives of … Continue reading Why A Divorce Will Not Doom Your Future

Children are like human sponges. They are constantly taking in everything they see and hear from us, but as sponges, something will inevitably happen. These little sponges will spill out all they have heard and seen to others. If you are a parent of little children like me, you have probably experienced this scenario before … Continue reading 3 Questions to Help Prevent Your Child from Leaving the Church

I stood with my mouth wide open at the baseball field. It was a moment of both shock and sadness. Our son's baseball team was determining if we were going to forfeit the next game because the team we were playing was better than us. Forfeit a game because we might get beat ("humiliated" was … Continue reading Parents, Stop Raising Quitters

Our oldest daughter asked me a pointed question this week. She inquired, "Dad, why do people make a big deal about the Easter bunny? Isn't Easter about Jesus?" I cannot begin to describe the feelings of joy that pierced my heart when this question left her mouth and infiltrated my ear canal. I was thankful … Continue reading 3 Concepts to Teach Children About the Easter Bunny

One of the many joys of parenting comes in the form of teaching our children new things. We all remember the first time we taught our child or children to tie their shoes, to hit a T-Ball, or to ride a bicycle. Most of us were just as thrilled to watch our children learn and … Continue reading Teaching Reconciliation to Children