How do you feel about waiting? Louis Smeads said, “Waiting is the hardest work of hope.” And indeed it is! In our serious waiting, we need to watch in hope, wait in hope, and pray in hope. Here’s what we learn about waiting from the Scripture.

How many licks to the center to a Tootsie Pop? No matter how hard various cartoon creatures have tried, they have all failed to slowly make to the candy center. Because it's the center—that tootsie roll (or bubble gum) core—that everyone loves. It's that core that makes a Tootsie Pop what it is. Otherwise, it's just another run-of-the-mill lollipop. Likewise, there are certain elements that make an effective team: diversity, trust, competence, empowerment, and dialogue. 

In one season or another, every one of us has needed to either build or rebuild trust. The issue of trust is a human issue. Building it is crucial to every budding relationship, and rebuilding it is crucial to every damaged one. So, how do we build or rebuild trust? They didn't teach me math in seminary, but over the years, I have used this formula:

TRUST = (Truth + Transparency) * Time

We value family prayer, and we champion prayer in the home. Before we assume that all families must pray, though, let us consider 5 families that do not need to bother praying.