Lent is the season leading up to Easter during which many Christians give up something to show the devotion to their faith. The reasoning goes, “If Jesus Christ gave up his life for us, certainly we can take this season of reflection to give up something significant and devote ourselves more to Christ’s cause.” Many people decide to give up something as a bit of a personal challenge during Lent. It might be something they enjoy – like coffee or chocolate – or it could be something they think they should have less of – like alcohol or Facebook. It is really a personal decision, but the focus...

We actually came up with the name for On Purpose Press after writing our first book, A Bed for the King. We kept coming back to why we wrote the book in the first place. Yes, we wanted families to have a faith-building alternative to some of the Christmas options out there. Yes, we wanted to provide some relief from the chaos and busyness of the holidays. Yes, we wanted girls and boys to begin doing kindness as the prelude to a lifestyle of kindness. Yes, we wanted to change the world. All of those are completely true statements, but they all dance around the heart of the issue. What are...

Mindfulness seems to be the new “buzz word” in today's popular culture. A quick Google search for “mindfulness” yields almost 6 million results! This word is being tossed around in advertising, media, sermon series, and everyday conversation. Some of you may be left wondering, what is mindfulness, really? There are many definitions of mindfulness, but my favorite belongs to Jon Kabat-Zinn, a mindfulness expert who developed the technique Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction to address a variety of physical health ailments. Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as, “paying attention in a particular w...

Kind Enough By: Dr. Erica Skidmore I couldn't believe it. It was Christmastime, and earlier that day at church we had picked up our empty shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. On the way home from church we briefly talked about how the boxes would be filled with small toys and gifts for children in other countries who do not usually get presents. Later that day, my 4-year-old son excitedly gave me a small box full of his toys, including some of his favorites, and said, “Here, Mommy. I got some of my toys to give to the kids who don't have toys.” Thinking he was confused, I knelt ...

Kindness. A simple word. It means to be friendly, generous, and considerate. It is what we teach our children. It is what we expect of others. On our best days, it is how we want to act. Every culture, every religion, has celebrated kindness. Kindness doesn’t just change those for whom it is done; kindness changes the individual doing it. Think about that! When we do a kindness for another human being, without being asked, expecting nothing in return, and for no perceivable benefit, the world becomes a brighter place, and we become a better person. So today, do something kind for another...

3 Simple Ways to Get Your Day Back On Track We’ve all had those days where nothing seems to go right from the moment our feet hit the ground. It’s probably not just one thing, it seems like Murphy’s Law is in full effect. Everything seems to shake us up, make us lose our focus, and then each single task becomes a chore. Even the simplest and most mundane things appear to be punishment. I’ve had those days more often than not, and I’m betting you have as well. The good news is, you have the power to turn it all around. I don’t mean that we can suddenly switch things into a “I just won the...