The following story is a reflection from a mother of a 9-month-old. Watching her son grow, she has realized that she grows because of how he lives – always pushing his limits, always learning, not afraid of challenges and pain, and never giving up. “While we try to...
By Mike Yakawich My wife, Yukiko, and I have raised five children in Billings, MT. We had a wonderful journey living on the South Side where Yukiko and I started the ministry. It was a time of pioneering. We had to be creative, innovative and resourceful. Certainly,...
By Ken Bates There is often a significant event that becomes the "defining moment" for an individual or group. As a defining moment, it's some special occurrence or decision that makes a statement on who you are and what matters most to you. It may be overcoming...
By Mark Johnson How does one explain the deepest experiences of love through words? It is impossible, but we try our best. Our families provide a foundation for these experiences and are meant to continue and grow over time, and hopefully expand out to others. I was...
Reflections by Nathan and Maruko Breland We can’t help but feel that God designed the family to serve the world together. When a family serves together with God as their center, with each family member adding unique value, they become an unstoppable force of goodness....
By H.T. Two little girls took a walk after school. One looked up and exclaimed, “Look! The day moon is following me!” “Day moon” is what they call the moon that shows in the daytime. The second one looked up, too. “No, it’s following me!” They stopped and looked up...
If you do a Google search for “caterpillar to moth”, there are nearly 150,000 videos. And there are almost half a million videos of caterpillars turning into butterflies! This morning, I watched one of these with two of my kids. As we watched, I was reminded of the...
By Nathan Breland Our son stepped out of the car to the sound of chickens clucking and goats bleating. From that moment to the end of our trip, he ran – exhilarated and non-stop - through White Lotus Farms of Port Ludlow, WA. It was a quaint little destination that...
We are raising co-creators. So let’s let God’s creativity shine. Parents are such a big part of nurturing this. Parents encouraging creativity is important. Children feeling that their parents believe in them can also be life-changing. There is that adorable scene at...