It's a cute, common sentiment. Grandparents are softies towards grandchildren, so we talk about how much we enjoy spoiling them. Seems harmless enough. All we mean by it is we want to shower some affection on the little darlings, right? I have nothing against loving on your grandchildren. Reuel makes my day just by running for me shouting, "Nana!" when I come over. I melt when Aviella reaches for me, all smiles and wiggly fingers. I've looked forward to this season of life for years, this sweet reward after the intensive years of raising my own kids. But here's my issue with the Continue Reading
Why Christians Shouldn’t Hang Out With Certain People
I know what you’re thinking. Are you some kind of hater? Don’t you know Christians should be loving and non-judgmental? Now don't ya'll get your panties in a wad. I'll explain. I’m not targeting gays or liberals or fundamentalists, or any other groups taking potshots at each other. This is not about those arguments. I’m simply reflecting on Scripture passages that give us some relational limits -- all from the New Testament, by the way. Here's the thing: We love the idea of being gracious and inclusive. But in a culture that shouts, "Don't judge!" and insists there are no Continue Reading
4 Surefire Ways to Freak Out Church Visitors
Christians are a funny bunch. We have our own subculture, complete with terminology and social habits. Once we've been in the club long enough, we think all this stuff is normal, and we forget that our behavior might be scary to a new person -- perhaps most of all, our über-friendliness. Friendliness is scary? What? This idea would have sounded quite strange to me even a few years ago. Maybe you can relate. I've always gone to church. I've always been taught to be warm, friendly and inclusive. I can't count how many thousands of services I've sat through Continue Reading
Why You Should Leverage Your Regrets, not Deny Them
The third-grade student looked up sheepishly at his teacher after grading his own paper. Several red marks stood out on the page, silent accusers of his incompetency -- or so he feared. But the teacher's eyes brightened when she saw his paper. "Oh, you caught yourself!" she said. "Good job! Did you know that mistakes are valuable? You can learn from them and figure out what to do next time." A weight lifted from the boy's shoulders. He had caught himself! He had done a good job! Now he could figure out how to better solve the same problems next time. This is the power of regret. Continue Reading