Equipping Parents for The Journey
“A lot of times I feel lonely.” “I often feel left out of things.” “I often wish I had more good friends.” These statements by teenagers were recorded in a recent article found in the September issue of The Atlantic magazine, highlighting a study on the effects of smart phones on our current teen...
“I can’t imagine.” Whenever tragedy strikes, these words are often tossed about. Yet, these words don’t carry much truth when you truly stop and think on them. You see, when tragedy strikes, we can indeed imagine, and that is often what makes circumstances all the more real to us and the presence of God all the more...
Several years ago, someone interviewed the contemporary artist Marc Chagall for a PBS program. The young, arty interviewer started the session with a question about influences. His question was very long and involved and exhibited his own learning along the way, giving everybody, including Chagall, a lecture on the nature of influences on the...
Most of the time when I am at home, I prefer to sit with only one or two lights on in the house. I chalk this up to a frugal dad who constantly reminded us kids that he wasn’t “paying to light the world.” Overly dramatic, yes. However, it apparently resonated into the recesses of my...
As I open my master closet, the door seems heavy. It’s time for spring cleaning. I have a natural gift of purging and organizing, so why does this chore seem so hard? I hesitate and draw a breath. My hand reaches for the knob, and I know on the other side waits my uninvited friend—loneliness....
We don’t have cable in our home, and PBS is the only channel we get that has any type of children’s programming. Of the options available, the one show my kids regularly see begins just in time for me to get dinner ready. The only negative is that it is the last kids’ show of...
“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.” Micah 5:2 At Christmas, believers gather to sing songs about a story we know did...
“How does December 10th sound?” the nurse asked when trying to schedule my next prenatal appointment. I briefly hesitated before accepting, with that gut feeling I was forgetting something. But, with my calendar showing Thursday as available, I went ahead and booked the appointment. It’s funny how a date so prolific in my life...
A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth. Ecclesiastes 7:1 The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Men marry women like their mothers. Women fall for men like their dads. Nature over nurture. You have heard all these sayings and maybe, just maybe,...
Like many of you, I am passionately and unapologetically pro-life. Lately, the subject of abortion has yet again been the focus of much media attention as new Planned Parenthood videos have surfaced showing even greater insight into what takes place within the minds of the doctors and patients. Without getting into politics, I want...
You don’t have to watch cable television or be immersed in politics to notice what is taking place on the home-front in our country. From gay marriage to people physically attempting to change their gender, the world our children are growing up in looks very different from the one in which we grew up....
When you think about your children’s future and all the experiences they will have, do you think on how they (and you) will walk through the inevitable valleys? We don’t want to see our children suffer, but we know struggles will come—they are part of life and necessary to growth. Still, how can parents...
