As parents, we’ve made a lot of effort to speak words of affirmation over our kids. “Josiah, I love you so much. You’re a really great kid, and you’re so kind to others. I love who you are.” “Stevie, I love you so much. You make me laugh. You are such a spark of joy and energy.” What I didn’t expect is the response they started giving as they’ve gotten older: “I know.” Not an arrogant “I know,” or an irritated “I know” like we’ve said it too much—they give us the biggest hugs and respond with joyful confidence and the sweetest smiles on their faces, “I know.” They are hanging onto these words with confidence that it’s the truth.

The year was 2004. My best friend and I were in our early teens, always looking for adventure. Back then, we’d hop on our bikes and take off—to a basketball court, a friend’s house, the gas station for snacks, or our favorite spot—The Econ.

Thanks to some behind-the-scenes footage from The Chosen series, there are some funny pictures of the actor who plays Jesus holding coffee, an iPhone, or a water bottle—laughing and joking with the cast and crew. These images have been floating around the internet lately with playful captions about how Jesus might interact with us in today’s world, and I’ve loved the perspective. What do you think He’d be like?

Our boys got new tablets for Christmas, and if I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a million times: “Can I download this game?” I don’t understand why the 20,000 games they already have downloaded aren’t interesting enough, but alas, they keep asking for more. We have parental restrictions set up on their tablets, so we have to approve everything they download. For some reason, the request will only pop up on one parent’s device—and it’s almost never the one who is sitting with the child. Typing the password in on their device doesn’t work either. This always seems to happen right when we’re in the middle of something, so we keep saying, “Okay, we’re going to fix this later—just play what you’ve got for now.”

Have you ever heard someone say, “Oh, they’ve got the Jesus glow”? Maybe you’ve known a friend before and after they met Jesus and noticed the difference yourself—or perhaps someone has said the same about you: “Hm. Something is different about you. It’s like you glow or something.” Recently, it’s become a trend to post before-and-after-Jesus pictures on social media, and this “glow” isn’t an exaggeration. While it’s not a literal, tangible glow, many people become almost unrecognizably different after encountering Christ. Jesus actually speaks about this transformation, using light as an illustration of the change that happens within us!