Family
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Christmas 2012: Video
Today’s post is our annual Christmas video. Hope you enjoy these pictures from a memorable and fun holiday season.
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In the Wake of Newtown
I recorded these few words just to express some of what I have been thinking over the past few hours.
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Becoming Spiritually Ambidextrous
One of the so-called “church fathers,” often grouped together with some known as the “desert fathers,” was a man named Abba Theodore. I know nothing about him except for one phrase he is said to have coined that still needs to be heard today. He challenged people to be “spritually ambidextrous.” What did Theodore mean by that? He meant just what Paul wrote about in Philippians 4, as the apostle wrote about having a lot or having a little. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know…
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Selah
Over 70 times we read the word “Selah” in our Old Testament, the vast majority of those times being in the book of Psalms. Admittedly, it is a difficult word to translate, but most scholars suggest that it had to do with the cadence of reading through the particular psalm. The leading idea is that the word meant for the reader (or the listener) to pause and reflect on what had just been written or said aloud. Here is my question for us all to consider today: Do you have any Selah in your life? In other words, is there any time to pause and reflect, or have we so filled…
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“That’s Still Sin” Week #5: ALL Lies
Welcome to “That’s Still Sin” Week on the blog. This week’s posts are meant to take five issues that are called sinful in the Bible, but that rarely get discussed as such anymore. ————————— Revelation 21:8 has been, through a silly song, reduced to teach that “liars go to hell.” Of course, that little song leaves of a myriad of other sins that will cause one to suffer eternal punishment. But the reason I am including lying as the final post in “That’s Still Sin” week is the little word “all” in Revelation 21:8. Here is the verse in its entirety: But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable,…
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A Prayer for Someone I’ve Probably Never Met…Yet
Dear Lord, Five and a half years ago, you blessed us with our surprise. When the doctor looked at us, held up the sonogram, and said, “You are going to have a baby,” we were beyond shocked. These years have been a blessing to our lives. While Turner is a bit harder to “convince,” he is still my buddy, and I pray for us as parents as we guide Him. But Father, I have a different request today. It is one I have made before your throne before, but has been on my heart a lot lately. Somewhere out in this big, broad world, there is a family raising a…
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Handling Frustration
Asking people, “Do you ever get frustrated?” is a bit like asking, “Do you enjoy breathing?” Usually, frustrations come from little things. Irritable things. Small things. Get-under-your-skin things. If it’s something bigger, it usually moves from frustration to those parts of life that are truly worrisome, and that are areas of life in which we should be legitimately concerned. However, how do we handle those frustrating parts of our lives? Here are 5 quick suggestions. 1. Keep calm. Far too often, we let little irritants cause us to blow our top or lose our cool or fly off the handle (how’s that for a list of metaphors?). We never need…
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Year 35: I Wouldn’t Trade It for Anything
In late December, people take a look back and remember. They see highs and lows from the year gone by and often utilize those to help make plans and goals for the next year. I’m not waiting until late December. Today is my 35th birthday, and as I have been thinking over the past few days about the last year, I can’t believe what all has happened. It has probably been the most challenging year of my life. A lot of this post has to do with Lebanon Road “family” stuff, but I hope anyone reading can gain from this. I also know that I will leave out some things…
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A Long Way from Cliff and Clair
If you know us at all, you know we are huge fans of The Cosby Show. We love watching reruns on DVD and we can basically quote every line from every program. We love that show because it was legitimately funny while still holding on to good family values. The parents were in charge of the home. Discipline was administered, but so were plenty of hugs. Money was plentiful in that house, but it was clearly communicated that it came from hard work. The family taught their children history. Education was strongly stressed (both in “formal” education and in the home). And there was a regular mention of religion in…
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When Guys Get Together
Parents talk to their children–especially in the teen and preteen years–about peer pressure. Phrases like, “If everyone is doing it, that doesn’t make it okay” seem to come from some unwritten handbook on parenting. And parents have every right to be concerned about the associations, because we understand that, when people get together, it often brings out the worst in us. I can’t explain it, but it just seems to happen too often. Dads…maybe we need to listen to our own advice. I love getting together with “the guys” from time-to-time and enjoying a good time. I love the laughs and jokes. The time we spend together is wonderful and…
