The youth of America are abusing booze less and weed more, according to a new study that looked at two decades of data on teens and school-aged children who wound up seeking medical care after taking various substances.

Adolescent cannabis abuse has increased by a whopping 245 percent in the US since 2000, the new research finds, with a particularly dramatic rise occurring in just the past few years.

At the same time, rates of alcohol abuse have declined among those aged between 6 and 18 years. Back in 2000, alcohol was in the top spot on the rather worrying list compiled from a US national poisons database, which records information on calls to poison helplines. Now, it sits in third place...Read More

One of the most important parts of cultivating a strong Christian marriage is taking the time to encourage your spouse. Oftentimes married couples neglect to take time out to leave little notes of encouragement because they don’t feel as if it is significant enough. 

If we have learned anything in our 18+ years of marriage, we’ve learned that it’s the little things that make or break a marriage. Most wives do not desire big, extravagant gifts from their husband. Instead what most Christian wives desire are thoughtful gifts from the heart.

Looking for a way to bless your wife today? You are in the right place. We are excited to share 10 little notes of encouragement you can send to your wife to create an even better marriage than the one you have today. These small acts of kindness toward your wife will show her how much you love her. Read More

I’ll never forget the day I was cleaning through my top dresser drawer and found a treasure.

I almost threw out the stack of aged, yellowed papers, weathered by time and slightly torn on the edges. When I unfolded the papers and read through them, I instantly realized why I’d kept them all those years. They were love letters from my husband written nearly 30 years ago, and they contained phrases such as “I love you beyond expression” and “You complete me like no other.”

As I read those words, my eyes teared up. And then my heart dropped. I haven’t had a letter like this from him in years.

How I would have liked to believe that I hadn’t changed a bit through the years and that he was the one who grew distant and less interested over time. I felt convicted, though, to put that magnifying glass up to myself and ask if I was still the same woman to whom he wrote those letters. Suddenly I wished I could turn back the clock and have that man I married see me the way he once did – as the captivating woman he fell in love with. And then I realized if that was to happen I had to become the woman I once was – as a young bride – and treat him like I once did.

I went to a portion of Scripture that describes young, exciting love and from the “Shulamite bride” in Song of Songs, discovered ten ways that I could act like a new bride again and recapture my husband’s heart. And you know what happened? As I started talking to him and treating him the way I once did, it wasn’t long before he became the man I once married. Read More