Comic Brian Regan reflects on a childhood memory of his grade school science fair, for which he simply put some soil in a paper cup and displayed it. "I call it cup o' dirt," he explained to those wandering by, wondering what his project was all about. "You should move along now." The kid next to him was more ambitious. He’d created an intricate model of the solar system and kept explaining enthusiastically, "The yellow one in the middle is the sun!" Thanks, Copernicus, Brian thought. Which brings me to the first of five ineffective parenting styles to avoid: Helicopter Continue Reading
Why “Just Do It” Could be the Worst Mantra Ever
Is the slogan, “Believe in something” good advice? There’s been quite a controversy over NFL player Colin Kaepernick’s decision to sit, and later kneel, during the national anthem, essentially sacrificing his NFL career to make a statement about racial inequality –and now, Nike is cashing in on Kaepernick’s convictions. Without unpacking that whole topic, I will say this: we still have much work to do as a nation in the area of racial justice. We still need a revelation that every human being is a precious image-bearer of God, and therefore all people should be treated with equal Continue Reading
Why Parents Should Teach Kindness, not Niceness, to their Kids
I’m in the store and I notice the sound of an escalating conversation in the next aisle. As I round the turn, a young boy and his grandmother (I’m guessing) are discussing his behavior. “You’re not being very nice,” the woman says. “I told you that you have to be nice. Now I’m not going to buy you anything today.” “Awww!” howls the boy. This serves to cement Grandma’s decision. It’s certainly not the first time I’ve heard a parent or grandparent admonish a child to “be nice.” But is this a good quality to instill in our children? I see a couple of problems with telling kids to Continue Reading
How Understanding God’s Justice helps us Forgive, not just Excuse
Months after a hurtful situation, I found myself still struggling to forgive. Time in and of itself wasn't doing the trick. I finally realized that, before I could freely extend mercy, I had to acknowledge just how painful and unjust the offense against me had been. Perhaps you can relate to this dilemma. If you’re a Christian and you’ve been sinned against, I’m guessing the message you’ve heard the loudest is that you should (quickly) forgive the offense and let it go. Although mercy ultimately triumphs over judgment, we ignore a vital part of God’s character when we rush into Continue Reading