Joe Rutten

Keep going. Good message.

"If I told you there was one free thing you could do every Sunday that would make your kids happier, healthier, smarter, and closer to you, you'd think I was selling something." Take your kids to church regularly. I don't care if you believe. The data is so lopsided that skipping it is the parenting equivalent of refusing vegetables because you don't like the taste. Grades. Religious teens get As at almost twice the rate of nonreligious teens. In a class of 100, that's 24 A-students instead of 14. Church gives a kid the same academic boost as being born rich instead of poor. College. Working-class religious kids earn bachelor's degrees at double the rate of their nonreligious peers. Middle-class kids do it at 1.5x the rate. For families without a trust fund, this is one of the most powerful forms of upward mobility social scientists have measured. Character. Religious teens are far less likely to lie, cheat, or do things they hope their parents never find out about. They're more likely to care about racial equality, the elderly, and the poor. They reject the idea that morality is whatever works for you in the moment. That kind of kid doesn't happen by accident. It's built. Closeness. 60% of parents of religious teens say they feel "extremely close" to their kid, compared to 50% of nonreligious parents. The kids report the same thing back. They get along better with their parents, talk about hard stuff, and actually want to spend time with their family. Despair. Religious teens are dramatically less likely to be depressed, anxious, lonely, or feel that life is meaningless. 90% of devoted religious teens never binge drink, compared to 41% of the disengaged. Economists named the modern epidemic "deaths of despair." Regular church attendance is one of the strongest known buffers against it. Parents are spending fortunes trying to solve teen mental health. The most evidence-backed intervention is free. Purpose. Religious young adults report higher purpose, gratitude, life satisfaction, and resilience. These are the exact traits every parent says they want their kid to have. Here's why it works. Affluent families already surround their kids with networks of stable, accomplished adults through neighborhoods, schools, and parents' colleagues. Working and middle-class families usually don't. A congregation is often the last institution in American life that puts your kid in weekly contact with dozens of stable, employed, sober adults who know their name. It used to be called "a village." Now it barely exists outside of churches. "But I don't believe." Your kid doesn't need your theology. They need you to show up. "But church is boring." So is sitting through a kindergarten music recital. Parenting is the deliberate choice to be bored on purpose for someone you love. There's a church within 15 minutes of nearly every American home. You don't need money, connections, or credentials to walk in. Nothing else in this country will surround your kid with engaged adults, teach them moral seriousness, and give them a stable weekly rhythm at zero cost. You already drive them to practices that produce far less. The free thing on Sunday produces more, on more dimensions, than almost anything else you do as a parent. You don't have to believe anything. You just have to take them.

A final piece of advice from Holly Butcher - written the day before she passed away from cancer at just 27: “It’s a strange thing knowing you’re going to die young. At 26, I thought I had time… To fall in love. Start a family. Grow old. But cancer doesn’t care about plans. Now, I understand how fragile life really is. Every single day is a gift, not a guarantee. I’m not writing this to scare you. I’m writing to remind you: really live. Stop stressing over little things. Be kind to your body- move it, nourish it, stop criticizing it. One day you’ll wish you had appreciated it. Go outside. Look at the sky. Feel the sun. Just be. Spend less time chasing “stuff” - more time making memories. Don’t skip moments with people you love. Laugh more. Write a note. Tell someone you love them. Complain less. Give more. Helping others brings more joy than anything you can buy. Be present. Put your phone down. Show up - really show up. You don’t need to have it all figured out. You don’t need a perfect body, or a perfect life. Just follow what makes your heart light up. Say no to what drains you. Make changes when you need to. And please - donate blood. I wouldn’t have had that extra year without it. And that year gave me memories I’ll hold close… forever. Thank you for reading this. Live your life well. And maybe… we’ll meet again someday.” Holly 🩷 Repost & share Holly’s important advice. ❤️

🚨 What if the secret to success isn’t talent or luck… but one simple daily choice? Nick Saban drops truth: Every single day, you face the same 2 questions: 1. Something you KNOW you should do… but don’t FEEL like doing? Can you make yourself do it anyway? 2. Something you know you shouldn’t do… but really WANT to? Can you stop yourself? Getting out of bed when the alarm hits Hitting the gym when you’d rather scroll Studying or grinding when Netflix calls Choosing the hard right over the easy wrong This is the invisible bridge between where you are… and who you want to become Put your choices ahead of your feelings Because if you only do what you feel like doing, you’ll never reach your goals This one mindset shift changes everything for champions — and it can change everything for YOU too.

☘️This is a Holtz #NotreDame sequence that we had recorded on VHS and watched over and over again growing up. A few things to look for☘️ 1-Lou vs Joe Pa 2-The voice of an Irish angel Tony Roberts, on the call 3-the fans from the corner bleachers literally ON the players 4-the original stadium vibe This game had everything you loved about "the old days"

"Today everybody wants to talk about their rights and their privileges. 50 years ago, people talked about their obligation and responsibility. You have obligations to other people. If you want to fail, you have the right to fail. You do not have the right to cause other people to fail because you do not do everything to the very best of your ability."

Matthew McConaughey just gave one of the most honest, grounded takes on spirituality I’ve heard: “I’m happiest and most connected spiritually when all day is prayer… but truthfully, come Friday, I still need Sunday morning.” He needs that weekly ritual—church, inventory of loved ones, rolling through his mental Rolodex, seeing people in their truest form, wishing them well, then ending on an honest image of himself (not Instagram happy). That’s when humility clicks: “Humility is just admitting you’ve got more to learn.” Shoulders back. Confidence returns. “Now I’m engaged. Now I can be involved.” He was raised Methodist—gratitude was the foundation. Still is. Every night at the table, his family goes around: one thing each person is grateful for. No preaching, no performance—just quiet, consistent gratitude and weekly reset. In a world drowning in noise and ego, McConaughey keeps it simple: Pray with eyes open all day. Still show up for Sunday. Stay grateful. Admit what you don’t know. What’s your version of “Sunday morning”—the ritual that forces humility and resets your week?

Remembering Montana Tech's Bob Green. By far the funniest coach in college football history. 🏈

Baseball swings don’t get much better than this 😮‍💨 @ronaldacunajr24

This is a Mindset MUST-watch. Bookmark and share. 📌 We can become exactly who we want to become. We can control our thoughts. We can control our mind. We can make that 8-year version of us proud! Having this perspective at age 22 is just awesome. 🥇

Bo Jackson on NIL: “It's teaching young kids how to run away from their problems…It’s ruining college sports.” Full episode ft. Bo Jackson & Barry Sanders: double check but youtu.be/E5rUShuMivo?si…

As Notre Dame Nation continues to pray for Coach Lou Holtz and his family it’s a great time to watch arguably his most powerful speech ever ☘️

An atheist Chinese surgeon didn't believe in Jesus until this happened Video: CBN

This is how Rich people raise their kids.

If you’re an infielder, do yourself a favor and watch this amazing video.

When I did this demonstration, it revealed something every athlete eventually learns the hard way: The moment we obsess over what we can’t control — umpires, coaches, weather, opponents, outcomes — the game gets harder and less enjoyable. But when we lock in on the controllables — our breath, effort, body language, and next-pitch focus — everything simplifies. The game slows down, confidence rises, and enjoyment comes back. The biggest separator in sports and life is mental toughness. And the foundation of mental toughness is controlling the controllables. Like any skill, it’s built through intentional reps. And life gives us opportunities to train it every single day.

🇮🇹 The great Italian tenor, Andrea Bocelli, performs Puccini's classic "Nessun Dorma" at the opening of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Italy is back, with class and style, and while cherishing her past, she has a renewed hope for the future. #Olympics2026

Uffff y hay gente que quiere negar la superioridad italiana, cuna de la civilización occidental. x.com/DrcKinshasa/st…

This is Pure Gold. I had the pleasure of spending time with Coach Holtz. I wanted to hear him explain his Three Rules for Life! 1) Do what’s right - trust. 2) Do everything to the best of your ability- commitment. 3) Show people you care - love. It’s pretty simple. He goes on to highlight why the transfer portal is ruining college football. The kids are losing out on the life lessons learned- how to persevere, how to be committed to a program and a group of people. You miss out on the bonds you create over 4 years. If you leave, you still have the problem, you are changing the address. These are words to live by.

“We're still in an educational institution, but there is nothing educational about college basketball right now. It's all transactional. And we all put our heads in the sand." Kelvin Sampson on the state of college basketball (Via @ChrisYBaldwin 🎥)