Category: Family

Earlier this year, I had the privilege of writing for The Word One to One about our family’s story of using a tool for evangelism as a family devotional.

During a conversation with an old friend, he asked me what we were doing as a family for our devotions together. I had to confess to him that we weren’t doing anything at the time. Even though I had spent years training in Word ministry, I had neglected the wonderful task of taking my children through God’s word.

A simple plan for family devotions

Convicted of this, I knew that I needed to do something. What made it tricky is that my wife and I are both in full-time ministry. We’re a busy family of six. There’s only so much time, on top of all the other responsibilities, that can be spent putting together a Bible study that can speak to an 8-year-old, 15-year-old, and any age in-between.

I decided to take the family through The Word One to One because I had used it in group settings before. I knew the commentary and questions were helpful and accessible. I also knew that it was written with the conviction that God’s word really is God’s word.

Our plan was simple: after dinner, everyone grab a Bible and we’ll work through an episode together. So while the dishes were still on the table, we opened up John’s Gospel and I led us through each episode.

Persevering with family devotions

The experience of taking a family through a Bible book is a bit of a mixed bag. There were evenings when it was easy and everyone understood what John was saying. There were difficult evenings where everyone was frustrated or tired because our conversation got derailed, or we got stuck on tricky passages. Then there were evenings where everyone understood but the weight of the message of Jesus moved the children to tears.

But we persevered by God’s grace and persevering paid off. We made it all the way through John’s Gospel last year and finished Acts as a family earlier this year. Our children now have an understanding of the book that they wouldn’t have had otherwise. They can remember John’s message and understand it when someone references it in a sermon.

Most importantly, though, they responded to John’s message. John wrote this book so that his readers would believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that they would have life in his name. And that’s what happened to my children. They believed and then were baptised in May 2025.

The fruit of family devotions

Family devotions are hard but they’re worth it. Those tear-filled evenings were not easy, but they were tears that fell over trying to understand who Jesus is and what he said. The Word One to One is a great option if you’re unsure what to do for family devotions because it puts the Bible in front of young eyes. It allows God’s word to do the work. It stretches parents as they try to answer questions that might not be addressed by the notes. It helped my wife and me to clearly present the gospel to my children. It helped us all to learn together and to be reminded of just how good the gospel is.

I didn’t know that God would use these devotions to save my children but I am so grateful that I had this opportunity to set them on the path that leads to Jesus.

I’ve been keeping this blog in one form or another for a number of years now. For a long time, the purpose was to keep mission partners updated as we went about our days as missionaries here in the UK.

Many of you have followed us while we raised support, while we settled into life in Liverpool, as we found ourselves suddenly living and serving in Warsaw, and then moving to Scotland during the pandemic. We started this journey in 2017 before moving away from the States in 2018. So much has happened and changed in the time since then.

This month, my family visa renewal was successful, which is the first step in ensuring that we will be able to continue in ministry here at Ardgowan Square. Tracy’s role with AT3 has shifted again, with her now the acting Director of Internships while Naomi, the normal director, is on maternity leave. Life and ministry have gotten very busy, but it is good.

As I try and assess what the future looks like and what things to keep up with, one thing that seems to keep getting pushed further and further to the periphery is this blog and newsletter. It is not that I do not still enjoy writing updates about how we are getting on with things in the church or at home or with AT3, but it is simply that there is only so much time to write.

Over the past few weeks, I have begun writing regularly over at Substack. My plan is to keep doing so because I am making writerly friends there.

And so this is the last email newsletter that will come from my own personal blog. When you next hear from me, it will be the next post in a series I am writing on 2 Timothy. If you’d rather not receive those emails, please feel free to unsubscribe. You’ve been following along with my writing for a long time now. Thank you for sticking with us for so long, for your prayers, and your financial support of our mission in the past.

In the mean time, see you on Substack.