Dropping off my son at practice one day, I had an epiphany--the kind that begins with, "Hey, wait a minute..." Jed had played Little League baseball earlier that year. In the fall, he was on the track team. Now he was heading into basketball season. All this despite our family guideline that each of our sons would limit themselves to one sport per school year. Evidently, youngest-child syndrome is a thing. Parents start out with clear principles and rules, but by the third child or so, we get tired and start compromising. Having said that, Jed's year of three sports was the Continue Reading
What We Need Most when Pain Foils our Plans
With my part-time teaching job, Christmas break should have been the perfect time for me to set some goals for 2019. That didn’t happen. I’ve done this goal-setting thing for the last several years—taking a look at various categories (physical, spiritual, financial and so on)—and forecasting what I’d like to achieve or improve in different areas. Goal-setting is not a bad thing. It can help with focus and intentionality. That said, life has a way of turning our best-laid plans upside-down, sometimes in subtle but powerful ways. So this New Year, I’m in that foggy, food-hangover, Continue Reading
The Surprising Truth about God’s Favor, as Revealed by Mary’s Story
What comes to mind when you hear the phrase, "the favor of God?" What thoughts do you associate with the concept of "blessing?" It's tempting to define these concepts in modern Western terms--in other words, we equate "favor" and "blessing" with more money, pleasure and comfort, or honor in the eyes of others, or freedom from hardship and suffering. Turns out, the favor of God may not look like that at all. It's much bigger than the trifles we enjoy on earth. Mary, mother of Jesus, offers us a beautiful example of what it means to receive the favor of God. Read the full Continue Reading
The Most Powerful Way to Ground your Child’s Self-Worth and Love for Others
At age three, my neighbor’s son began asking his mom where he came from. At first, she thought he was onto something about how babies are made. Then she realized that wasn’t his question at all. What this preschooler wondered about was why he existed, and who brought him into being. His question was not biological, but theological. My non-Christian neighbor didn’t know what to tell her little boy. Christian parents, too, can be caught off guard by the unexpectedly profound questions our children ask at times. Can you articulate to your child what it means that he or she is created Continue Reading