Family
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A Prayer for Single Christians
Father, Thank You for blessing the Church with committed Christians. It is a joy to get to work beside such wonderful people, and You have made it so by placing us all together in a wonderful family. Thank You, and we praise You for this blessing. I confess, though, that I often focus more on those who are married, though not intentionally so. I fear that, too often, I fail to remember my brothers or sisters who are not married, but who are single Christians. But they are so special, and the work done by Your people would not be what it could be without their effort. Today, Lord, I’m…
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2014: The Year You Do Your “Great Work”
He was nearing completion of one of the most remarkable renovations of all time. Though a trusted man, he was still just a servant of the king, but was allowed to go home to lead a construction project that boggles the mind in its scope. …and Nehemiah did it. In just 52 days, he led a downtrodden people in the rebuilding of the wall surrounding Jerusalem, and in repairing the gates that hung around the wall. It is a remarkable work, but one that could have ceased had Nehemiah lost perspective. The enemies of the work tried several ways to stop the progress. They realized that, if the people could…
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Praying for the Hurting This Christmas
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” So goes the often-played Christmas song that is beloved by many. For a lot of folks, the holiday season–especially Christmas–is the time of year they most look forward to. There are traditions galore that lend themselves to a happy time for so many people. However, for some others Christmas is a very difficult time. They may enjoy a lot of the traditions, but there is a heart that is aching inside. As family and friends enjoy get-togethers and other traditions, they usually have fun, but it is tempered by hurt and pain. This holiday season, I want us to remember them in…
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Coca-Cola Captures Young Parenthood Perfectly
A recent Coca-Cola advertisement from Argentina has gone viral for one simple reason: it is the truth. Watch and enjoy. (trouble viewing video? Click here to watch.) Being a parent is frustrating, but the rewards could not be greater. The more my children frustrate me, the more I find myself wanting to love them and see them grow and mature. I know this is only a commercial, but what it captures is perfect. It is also Biblical: Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. … Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them. (Psalm 127:3,5) In a world that says…
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Not All Things in Moderation
For years, people used the simple quip “all things in moderation.” It was a short and memorable statement, meant to show that life was to be lived with balance. It has surely been helpful to many people over the years, as it helped them do fun things, but to look at the bigger picture. For example, the phrase helped people not eat 6 slices of ooey-gooey chocolate fudge cake (yummmmmmm). But I digress. As helpful as the old saying is, there are some things I do not want to do in moderation. No, I’m not talking about sinful things. I shouldn’t want to do those things at all! Instead, I…
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Victoria’s Shame
I’m in two fantasy football leagues, and qualified for the playoffs in both leagues. This weekend was the first round of the playoffs in each league. So, we got home from worship yesterday morning and I turned on the TV to try to make sure I had the right lineup set. It was a great few minutes. Leah was just a few feet away, finishing up preparing lunch in the kitchen. The kids were piled in the living room with me, and we were talking and enjoying a few minutes of both “down” and “together” time. The TV went to a commercial, so I checked my phone to see if…
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The Faughn Family Christmas Buying Guide : 20 Gifts You Can be Proud to Give
So, you need some Christmas gift ideas. Okay, you probably don’t, since there are a bazillion commercials, ads, and web sites giving you ideas. But we want to add our voice to that list. In fact, our goal is to give you 20 items that are (1) affordable, (2) actually good stuff, and (3) in line with Christian values. Oh, and these are not our Christmas list; they are things we either have and enjoy or think you might find to be “just right” for someone on your list. All of the links below are to Amazon (unless noted otherwise), so just click over, purchase, enjoy having the gifts sent…
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Two Things to Help You Think of Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving! We don’t normally post on a holiday, but we wanted to share this with you today, in case you are struggling to really take to heart today’s meaning. Thanksgiving is so special because we have so much to be thankful for. Even if your life is not going as you might have planned at the moment, there is something you can thank God for. This short post is designed to give you two ways to help you focus on the real thoughts of gratitude to the Lord. 1. Pinterest “thanks quotes.” On the first day of November, we told you that we were going to try to post…
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Three Reasons I Protect My Marriage
Yesterday, we released our short new eBook, How to Build a Home (Not a House). We often write, and podcast, about marriage and family, because it is one of our great passions. We want families to not only survive, but thrive, despite the constant battle for our homes. On June 5, 1999 I stood before a preacher, a crowd of witnesses, and my Lord. Before them all, I said those powerful words, “I do.” As I suppose is true with nearly every new husband, the full weight of what those words meant did not hit me, and they probably still have not fully hit met. Leah is a treasure, and I…
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“I Have No Daddy”
Sometimes, unscripted TV really does do something that touches the heart. Such was the case with this video that has been making the rounds the last couple of days. Watch the 39-second clip from Jenny Jones: (Trouble viewing? Click here.) It is a clip like this that makes me want to get on a mountain and shout. Instead, I’m going to use this blog as my megaphone. I am tired of being told by the entertainment world and a feminist-gone-wild society that my role is not important. Dads who are truly dads know what it is like to work hard, have constant stress, fight the temptations of our enemy, and try…
