If you’re feeling like Summer has already been a whirlwind, you’re in good company. Between camps, sports schedules, meal planning, cleaning and fun activities with friends, life can feel…busy! One thing parents often learn is that they must intentionally prioritize what earns a spot on the family calendar.

Sometimes family discipleship can feel like you’re adding one more thing to an already full plate, but it doesn’t have to be complicated or perfect to be meaningful.

Consider one of the most effective tools for teaching and discipleship: the "drip" method. This approach takes everyday moments that are already happening and turns them into opportunities for discipleship. Little by little, you weave biblical truth into daily life through simple conversations and intentional moments. Over time, these interactions build on one another and naturally become a regular part of your family's culture.

You may be asking, "Where do I start? Do I need to have a plan before we begin?" Don't overcomplicate it. Start by asking a question that sparks conversation while you're in the car or gathered around the dinner table. For example, "What's one way you showed love to someone today?" or "Why do you think it was important for Jesus to come to earth?"

These types of questions encourage kids to reflect on their lives while also helping parents assess their understanding of biblical truths. Topics might include ideas such as "God created me for a purpose" or "Jesus died on the cross to save me from my sins." These conversations give parents a glimpse into what their children understand and provide opportunities to reinforce foundational truths that they need not only to know, but to truly believe and understand.

Bedtime prayers may already be part of your family's nighttime routine, but consider encouraging your children to share what is on their hearts through prayer requests. You can also give them opportunities to pray aloud for one another. Another simple way to incorporate discipleship into your routine is to choose a Bible verse to memorize together each week or month. As you work through the verse, take time to discuss its meaning and talk about how it can be applied to everyday life.

It's important to remember that you do not have to have all the answers to be a disciple maker. In fact, one of the most impactful responses a parent can give is, "I'm not sure of the answer to that question. Let's find out together." This models humility and teaches children where to turn when they need answers. Opening God's Word together demonstrates that Scripture is our source of truth and wisdom.

Discipleship naturally happens every day as parents guide, encourage and even referee their children through life's challenges while pointing them back to Christ. However, having a guide can be helpful for being more intentional in discipling children.

There are many resources available, and many provide excellent devotions and discussion questions for families. One resource that has been especially helpful this summer comes from Brite, the company that provides the Kids at The Mill Sunday morning curriculum. It is simple to use and includes engaging questions and activities that work well for a variety of ages. The resource encourages Scripture memorization, Bible study and meaningful family conversations, while also providing fun activities to enjoy together. Find a resource that works for your family and take the first step.

Missed a day or even a week? Don't stress. Just pick up where you left off and keep going. Discipleship is not about perfection. It's about faithfully leading and loving your children as you point them to Jesus each day.

Gather your family to talk, read, play and enjoy one another. May God provide opportunities for meaningful discipleship conversations, and may the Holy Spirit give wisdom as you lead your children. May your conversations continually point back to the foundational truths of Scripture, shaping your children's understanding of who God is and His purpose for their lives. These small moments may seem insignificant, but they can make an eternal difference.

In a world that celebrates busyness, God offers something better! The Rest of Your Life is a 5-week Bible reading plan to accompany the summer sermon series and is designed to help you discover the rest God has graciously provided through Christ. Together, we'll explore God's design for Sabbath, learn to rest in Jesus, and experience the peace that comes from trusting the Good Shepherd in every season of life. Whether you're weary, overwhelmed, or simply longing for a deeper rhythm of abiding in Christ, this reading plan will help you anchor your life in the One who says, "Come to Me, and I will give you rest." Click here to view the plan.

Carmen Arisenia Jaquez, known to her close family and friends as Aris, grew up in the Caribbean country of the Dominican Republic. Nearly three decades later, on a mission trip with Church at the Mill, back to the DR, she realized the kind of light God had been weaving through her story all along—one meant to be carried, spread, and shared.

Born and raised in the Dominican Republic, Aris’ childhood was anchored in deep faith and traditions passed down from generations of believers. Her great-grandfather, a Spanish missionary, planted the spiritual roots for their family. He lived on a mountaintop with no electricity, relying on lanterns and candles, and filling each night with Scripture, hymns, and preaching at the church that he planted right there in the DR, in a tiny town called Cabrera. Faith and worship were the center of their lives.

Aris was the youngest of five—also the only girl—and her brothers took on a fatherly role after her parents divorced when she was eight. They guided her, protected her, and helped shape her in the absence of her father, who at the time was not following the Lord. They were not just siblings; they were her community.

Two of her brothers eventually became pastors—the oldest in New Jersey, and the youngest, Dionnis, in the Dominican Republic. From childhood, everyone knew Dionnis was marked by something special. “He never got a ‘B,’” Aris remembers with a smile. “He was so good, I used to call him ‘mini Jesus.’” He lived with a Godly conviction and gentleness that made others take notice.

Aris, meanwhile, found her own ministry in worship. She grew up singing in church, believing that worship and missions were two expressions of the same calling: pointing people to Jesus. “When people walk into church, they see you worship first,” she said. “It’s another way of carrying the light.”

A New World

At 17, Aris’ life shifted dramatically. Her mother decided they needed to move to the United States, and Aris was required to follow her mother. “I didn’t want to be here at all,” she said. “Everything I loved was back home—my brothers, my friends, my church, my community.”

The transition was difficult—emotionally, spiritually, culturally. For the first time since childhood, she felt alone. The church her mother joined in the U.S. was legalistic and rigid, nothing like the Biblical truth she was used to. Without her brothers’ constant encouragement and accountability, her faith wavered, and she felt as if God had forgotten her.

Meanwhile, her youngest brother, Dionnis, continued pursuing ministry. As she watched her brother thrive in ministry, she never fully understood why he felt called to stay and serve in the Dominican Republic. She had begun building a life in the U.S. She found a church where she could lead worship, a small community of friends, a good job, and a home. She saw the benefits of living in the United States, a safer and more prosperous place. What could possibly drive him to stay?

Returning

In September 2025, she finally understood.

Through Compassion International and Church at The Mill, Aris had the opportunity to join the mission team traveling to the DR. She had sponsored a child through Compassion International and was thrilled at the thought of meeting him. But she also felt God pulling her toward something deeper—to love and serve her people, the ones she understood better than most.

She knew the hardships of her country: the broken homes, the absence of protection for vulnerable children, the lack of resources. She had grown up seeing kids arrive at school without breakfast, money, and sometimes without shoes. She shared what she had—her lunch, her time—but as a child, poverty hadn’t shocked her as it did outsiders. It was simply something normal she encountered every day.

But there were parts of her country she had never seen. Streets and homes she wasn’t allowed to enter. Neighborhoods you passed by, but never through.

On the mission trip, she walked straight into those very places.

“The level of poverty…” she paused, tearful during the interview. “It felt like my heart was tearing out of my chest. I hurt so deeply for them. Those children literally could have been me. If my mother had made one single decision differently, that would have been me.”

One home had 10 children in a single room—dirt floor, a thin curtain as a door, scraps of fabric serving as bedding. Another mother worked long hours cleaning houses, then sold homemade desserts on the street with her children because leaving them alone wasn’t safe. Children dressed in their very best outfits to welcome the mission team into homes made of cinderblock, with rusted tin roofs and furniture fashioned from whatever materials could be found.

“They were so proud,” Aris said. “So joyful. They smiled from deep down, because they were loved, and wanted to love us back.”

Everything she saw—the hunger, the danger, the vulnerability—broke her heart. And suddenly, her brother’s calling made perfect sense. “I understood him in a way I never had before,” she said. “These people need Jesus, and they need healthy, gospel-centered, truth-filled churches. They need the light.”

Carrying the Light

The highlight of the trip came on the day Aris finally met her sponsored child, a shy young boy who arrived holding his mother’s hand. She had prayed for him, supported him, written letters—but nothing compares to hearing a child’s voice, looking into his eyes, and fully knowing his reality.

After a full day together at a local water park, Aris, her Compassion child, his tutor, and mother began saying their goodbyes. Sensing that he was withdrawing emotionally, she leaned down and whispered, “Don’t forget to pray every day. Read your Bible. God will guide you.”

He looked down at the ground, embarrassed. Something tugged at her spirit.

“Do you know the Lord?” she asked gently.

Still looking down, he whispered, “No.”

Aris felt the Holy Spirit nudge her again. “Look at me in the eyes,” she said softly. When he lifted his eyes, she asked, “Do you want to ask Jesus to be your Savior?”

He nodded.

“Do you want to do it now?”

Another nod.

In that instant, fear washed over her—not fear of the moment, but fear of inadequacy. “I told my friend, who was there helping translate (someone Aris had known from childhood and was able to surprise her and be there to help at this special event), ‘I can’t do this. I don’t know what to say.’” Her friend gently encouraged her that she had all the knowledge she needed and the Holy Spirit to guide her. God met her with strength. Through tears, she prayed with him to accept Jesus as his Savior. His mother was filled with joy and gratitude—she had already accepted Christ and had prayed for this moment, unsure if her son would ever be ready.

“When he finished praying, he looked up at me and smiled,” she said. “Truly smiled. For the first time, he wasn’t hiding. He was my brother in Christ.”

It was her first time leading someone to Jesus. She had prayed her entire life to have that opportunity, and God saved it for the little boy from the Dominican Republic she had been sponsoring from afar.

Renewed Calling

Coming home to the U.S., Aris no longer saw missions as something just for “other people;” it had become personal, urgent, alive.

“I think more about those in need,” she said. “Especially back in the DR. I pray for them. I pray for more mission opportunities. I even pray for a job that aligns with growing the Kingdom. I realized I may be the only image of God someone sees, and my life needs to reflect His. The light isn’t mine—it’s His. I just carry it.”

The trip exposed something else: “God showed me I need to trust Him more,” she said. “Obedience blesses the one who obeys, not just the one being served.”

Her Mission Now

To anyone unsure of their place in global missions, Aris says, “Just go once. Don’t overthink it. It’s a privilege to be the hands and feet of Jesus.”

“Resources alone don’t spread the light,” she said. “We must live intentionally to love God and love others.”

She points to Matthew 5:14-16 and Ephesians 5:1, 8-10 as Scriptures that now shape her mission. Walking in love, walking in light—that is how the world sees Jesus.

Her life, she says, is a story full of highs and lows, brokenness and healing, darkness and redemption. But through it all, the seed of faith planted in her as a child has grown into something she can no longer keep to herself.

“God’s plan is better and perfect,” she said. “And now that I know the sweetness of being known and loved by Him, I want everyone else to know it too.”

Aris carries that light—spread from her great-grandfather to her grandfather, skipped over her father, passed to her brothers, and now burning brightly in her.

A light strong enough to shine all the way from the Dominican Republic into the heart of one little boy—and into the world.

When God calls, a response is required. You can ignore it, disbelieve it, choose not to consider it, or you can treat it seriously and submit it to prayer. Who would have thought that a choir trip to Dallas and a torn ACL would constitute God’s call for 25 year-old Logan Golightly?

Born, raised, and educated in Spartanburg, Logan grew up in a Christian, church-going household. His father passed away when he was six years old, and his mother and grandparents became Logan’s world. But it was his grandfather, Rudy Huntley, upon whom Logan relied the most and who over the years became his “dad.” 

Accepting Christ as his Savior at six years of age, Logan continued to attend church. But, as he grew older, he said that he never really made Jesus a priority in his life, instead pursuing the things of the world and living for himself. 

When Logan was 23, his grandfather died of pancreatic cancer, an unimaginable loss for Logan and the family. At the same time, Logan was working a job he found less than satisfying, and to make matters worse, a serious relationship with a girl he hoped to marry, ended. Logan recalled that it was “the most broken and empty I had ever felt…I realized that everything that the world had to offer wouldn’t last forever, and that there would come a time when everyone I depended on would be gone, and I would be left with no one.” 

Logan explained, “I tried to run from God and forget He was even there, but He brought me to my knees. Since then He has been with me every day”. 

Knowing that some of the areas in which he was involved were not honoring God, Logan prayed that he “would come to know God more.” He asked to be discipled, joined the choir at Church at The Mill, joined a small group, and began serving on the Young Adult ministry team.

Last January, Logan’s life took a turn when he tore the ACL in his right knee while playing basketball. Unable to walk for a few months, he recalls thinking, “I don’t know how, but God’s going to use this for His glory.”

When he was able, and a month away from returning to work, he decided to drive around the country. Along the way, he had conversations with strangers about Jesus, but rarely stayed more than a day in one place. However, when he got to Utah, he felt a pressing need for people to know Jesus, and he couldn’t leave. After three days in Utah, Logan had to go, but couldn’t get Utah off his mind. God was up to something.

In June 2025, Logan drove to Dallas to sing with the choir at the Southern Baptist Convention’s Pastors’ Conference. When rehearsal ended the day before the conference, Worship Pastor Josh Epton asked the choir to go into the large conference room and pray. Logan knelt down and asked God, “What do You want from me?” Immediately he heard, “I want more of you,” and he knew that God wanted him to take the next step.

“I took a posture of defense,” Logan said. “I knew that I was going to have to give up so much—a house I had just bought, my Christian friends, all I was doing at church—and then I heard Him say, ‘When have I ever not provided for you? I already told you to die is to gain. Pick up your cross and follow Me.’ I opened my eyes, and I was the only one left in the conference room.”

Logan had spoken to a friend who had served with Will and Ashley Reynolds, a CATM family in Utah on long-term mission, and discovered that they were working at the Dallas conference. Logan met with Will and told him that he felt God’s call to Utah. Will suggested that Logan come out to Utah to get a feel for the work there and exchanged phone numbers with him. As Logan made the long drive home from Dallas, he said that anxiety began to creep in. He recognized it as a ploy that the enemy was using to make him delay. 

“But I knew that, when under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, my actions had to be in obedience to Him; that delayed obedience was disobedience,” he said.

Logan called the one person who might be able to hear his story and help him sort his feelings out—his grandmother, Jan Huntley. She waited up until after midnight when he arrived at her house, and they talked. 

After Logan told her what God had told him in Dallas about a call to a mission in Utah, she recalled, “I was so excited that God had called Logan to do this. I’ve seen him grow in his faith this last year. He has really blossomed. I pray that God will use him any way He wants. Rudy would have been tickled. He always called Logan ‘our preacher boy.’”

Logan’s house is now rented, and he is living with his grandmother for the time being. He plans to move to Utah in early February. In addition, he has prepared for future gospel conversations by spending time with Mormon missionaries. He is looking for a job in Utah and has made a contact who will rent him a room. Meanwhile, Logan is finishing his bachelor’s degree and plans on seminary in the future. He is unsure as to how long he will stay in Utah, but he is relying on God to make that part clear.

Vineyard, Utah and adjoining Utah City, have exploded in population and home-building. The projected population for Utah City is 60,000 over the next 3-5 years, added to Vineyard’s 25,000-30,000, with a median age of 24. Currently, Vineyard is 85% Mormon, and the Reynolds have found it difficult to live there. Will Reynolds says that he has been excluded socially because of who he is—an evangelical church planter and “worse,” a Southern Baptist. 

He said, “The cultural perception is that my being here will hurt their witness.”

Will and Ashley have done their best to foster community in their neighborhood by hosting game nights, birthday parties, barbecues—anything that will bring neighbors together and dispel the distrust, share the gospel, involve them in Bible study and discipleship. The Reynolds are looking forward to Logan coming. Will said, “Logan will be great here because he’ll have plenty of opportunities to have conversations about Jesus with people his own age.”

As God would have it, Logan just wants to do what Jesus did. “I’m really big on slowing down and having a conversation with someone, and to wash someone’s feet.” That’s just what Utah needs.

(And How Jesus Fixes It)

We’ve all had those seasons where it feels like the wheels are falling off our lives. Plans fail, hearts break, and we’re left staring at the wreckage, wondering, “Why is this happening?”

While every situation is unique, the Bible gives us a clear framework for why things go wrong in our world—and more importantly, a fierce, unchanging hope for how to respond.

Why Things Go Wrong in Your Life

The overarching reason for suffering is a three-letter word we often try to avoid: Sin. But sin doesn't just affect us in one way; its damage is internal, external, and universal.

1. You Sin

Sometimes, our wounds are self-inflicted. We just can’t seem to get out of our own way! When we step outside of God’s plan, there are natural, destructive consequences. Sin isn't just a legal infraction; it’s a poison that affects every part of our being:

• Physically: King David vividly described the physical toll of unconfessed sin in Psalm 32:3, saying, "For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long."
• Mentally: Sin brings anxiety, guilt, and a fractured mind. In Ephesians 4:17-18, we read, "...you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart."
• Spiritually: Sin creates a relational rift between God and us. Isaiah 59:2 warns, "but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear."

2. Others Sin Against You

You can do everything right and still get caught in the wake of someone else’s brokenness. We live in a world full of free will, which means people use that will to hurt others.

• Think of Joseph in Genesis 37. He did nothing wrong, yet his brothers' envy led them to throw him in a pit and sell him into slavery.
• We also remember Cain killing Abel, David sinning against Uriah, and the ultimate example, we all sin against Jesus.

3. Sin Has Corrupted Nature

Sometimes, things go wrong and it’s nobody’s specific fault. The car breaks down, cancer strikes, or a tornado hits. When humanity fell, the entire cosmos felt the shockwave. Disease and natural disasters are the results of a corrupted world.

• Paul talks about this in Romans 8:22, "For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now."  Creation itself is frustrated, waiting to be set free from its bondage to decay.

The Good News: Jesus Redeems the Broken

If the story stopped there, it would be a tragedy. But the gospel is the ultimate rescue mission. Jesus didn't stay distant; He stepped into our broken world to redeem it.

1. Jesus Died So Your Sins Will Be Forgiven

The self-inflicted wounds of your past do not get the final say. On the cross, Jesus took the physical, mental, and spiritual penalty of your sin upon Himself.

• 1 Peter 2:24 states, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed."

2. Jesus Sympathizes with Your Suffering

When others hurt you, Jesus isn’t looking on with cold indifference to your hurt. He was betrayed, slandered, and abandoned. He knows exactly how it feels.

• Hebrews 4:15 comforts us with this truth: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." He holds your tears in a bottle (Psalm 56:8).

3. Your Sickness is Temporary

Because of Jesus' resurrection, we have a guarantee that disease, decay, and death are on a timer. This broken body is not your permanent home.

• 2 Corinthians 4:17 calls our current trials "light” and “momentary" because they are achieving for us an eternal glory. One day, God " will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore" (Revelation 21:4).

Here’s How You Need to Respond

Knowing the truth is one thing; walking in it is another. When life goes sideways, God calls us to a three-step response.

1. Confess Your Sin and Repent

If your current storm is due to your own choices, stop running. Stop hiding. Turn around and run toward the Father.

• 1 John 1:9 gives a rock-solid promise: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

2. Forgive Others Because You Have Been Forgiven

When others hurt you, the natural response is bitterness. But bitterness is a poison we drink hoping the other person dies. We must change our posture toward them—not because they deserve it, but because we have been released from a much larger debt.

• Ephesians 4:32 commands, "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

3. Trust God

When sin wreaks havoc in your life, you must anchor your soul in God's character. He is not a distant tyrant; He is a good Father.

• He is worthy of trust: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5).
• He will never leave you: Hebrews 13:5 promises, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
• He is with you every step: Even in the darkest valleys, you are not alone. Psalm 23:4 declares, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

The Bottom Line: Life is tough. People will fail you. You will fail yourself. But the story doesn't end in the ruins—it ends in redemption! Turn your eyes to the One who makes all things new. 

In this bonus podcast episode, Pastor D.J. speaks with his friend, Josh Powell. As lifelong Southern Baptists, they both care deeply about the work of the Southern Baptist Convention. He is being nominated as president of the SBC, and in this episode, he shares about his journey, his motives, and what they are both most excited about in Baptist work.