Fulfilling the First Great Commandment needs a proper understanding of our origins. Were we designed? Derived? What difference does it make?

Be inspired to think deeply about this topic -- beyond a usual narrative about fossils, carbon dating, and age of the earth.

Be empowered to talk about this critical topic with your children.

Empower yourself and your family to engage fully in God’s grand story. Subscribe to Hi(Impact) at Stephanie Presents for insights, encouragement, and practical resources!

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"You're going to love serving under my leadership, especially if you are in mourning." Not the opening lines of any new leader's address!

Yet early in Jesus' ministry he declares, "Blessed are those who mourn." How does this qualify for the "abundant" life he came to give?

Understanding "abundant" is not the same as "happy," is the start to accepting mourning as a part of life God enters into with us.

Gain a fresh insight into the Bible's shortest verse -- "Jesus wept" and why God promises comfort when (not if) we mourn.

Empower yourself and your family to engage fully in God’s grand story. Subscribe to Hi(Impact) at Stephanie Presents for insights, encouragement, and practical resources!

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How can you help kids protect their capacities?

Teaching humility. But this is a virtue that requires time to develop. It's not a series of lessons to complete!

Learn three ways humility is developed and practiced. Discover from the examples of the space shuttle Challenger, popcorn, and the ancient Jewish king, Saul, the high cost of refusing humility.

Empower yourself and your family to engage fully in God’s grand story. Subscribe to Hi(Impact) at Stephanie Presents for insights, encouragement, and practical resources!

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#lifeskey3

The “Beatitudes” can read more like inspiring but irrelevant wall art than life-altering wisdom. Jesus’s statement that people who were “poor in spirit” were blessed can sound like a cute nursery rhyme instead of the key to a life of true empowerment.

Discover why recognizing our poverty – our inability to provide for our own needs – unlocks the door to the power necessary for transformation.

Learn why we want to avoid both covert and overt arrogance. The first that says, “I’ll do it myself” and the second that admits to being “poor in spirit” but then chooses to wallow in that truth rather than being changed by it.

Empower yourself and your family to engage fully in God’s grand story. Subscribe to Hi(Impact) at Stephanie Presents for insights, encouragement, and practical resources!

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#lifeskey3

Ever said anything your kids considered shocking? If so, you may be in good company!

In the New Testament book of James, he writes shocking words addressing the issue Christians were fighting about. (Sadly, Christians fighting over theology isn't new!) Back then it was faith vs. works, or, put another way, "who vs. do."

As we teach our kids the importance of a life centered on the two Great Commandments, developing "do" skills is part of this. A right belief isn't enough -- which James addresses with a shocking statement! Character that doesn't show up with "do-ing" isn't real character.

We dive into making the First Great Commandment real and actionable in pursuit of raising kids ready to fully engage in God's grand story!

Empower yourself and your family to engage fully in God’s grand story. Subscribe to Hi(Impact) at Stephanie Presents for insights, encouragement, and practical resources!

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#lifeskey3

It's been said most people don't quit their jobs; they quit their bosses. How we relate to supervisors may make the biggest difference in how we show up -- or don't -- for a job.

It's the same with our faith.

Is Christianity a tyrannical boss? One that's good in emergencies but has little value in the day-to-day? Or one that has the desire and wisdom necessary for your success?

The first two are opposite types of the gospel of "sin management" so powerfully written about by Dallas Willard in The Divine Conspiracy.

The last gave us The Beatitudes -- eight ways how the gospel shows up in everyday life with a perspective and power that changes everything.

Empower yourself and your family to engage fully in God’s grand story. Subscribe to Hi(Impact) at Stephanie Presents for insights, encouragement, and practical resources!

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#lifeskey3

How would you answer the question, "Who is your child?" beyond giving their name? Would it be a list of their interests or accomplishments?

What if we defined who-ness by both personality and character traits? Yet even that is a difficult distinction!

Yet difficult isn't impossible. It takes work to help transform our children's "who" capacities into abilities. Yet it's one of our greatest callings as parents. Where to begin?

Galatians 5:22, the famous list of the "fruits of the Spirit" is a great starting place to develop character. Yet intentionality is required. After all, desire alone doesn't build character for any of us.

Learn the connection between chocolate chip cookies, strength training, and developing your child's who-ness in the second episode in our series on making the First Great Commandment relevant in real life!

Empower yourself and your family to engage fully in God’s grand story. Subscribe to Hi(Impact) at Stephanie Presents for insights, encouragement, and practical resources!

Book Stephanie to speak to your women, parents, Christian educators, and students.

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Do people ever learn? Why does history repeat itself? Does anyone finish well in leadership without blowing up their lives first?

We close the study of Nehemiah with three life principles -- two are sobering; one is encouraging.

1. Leadership matters. It's not enough for people to have the right credentials; they need the right heart.
2. Systems and structures don't keep people on the right track. People do. Primarily leaders.
3. It is possible for leaders to remain fully engaged over the long haul and not blow up their lives.

Nehemiah is a powerful book on leadership and faithfulness -- whether leading one's self, in obscurity, or in a very public eye. The last chapter isn't a "...and they lived happily ever after" ending. It's a reminder about the tendencies of people and the importance of living with intention and devotion.

Empower yourself and your family to engage fully in God’s grand story. Subscribe to Hi(Impact) at Stephanie Presents for insights, encouragement, and practical resources!

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