We love our neighborhood. It is one of those neighborhoods where kids still run up and down the streets playing and parents need not worry. Children learn to ride bikes on the sidewalks and roads, and older couples walk holding hands. Not everything is perfect, but we are truly blessed by our Lord to live where we do. A couple of weeks ago, I had a conversation with our next-door neighbors (we only have neighbors on one side). While they are not Christians, they have always treated us well. He has helped me with a handful of projects around the house, and they have given us several things over the…

My daughter is 6-years-old. She is our precious treasure. We love her so much. But she still sucks her thumb. It drives us crazy. We tell her over and over to stop. We have tried several things, but it truly is a habit that she has had since infancy. We try to tell her that big girls don’t do that. We try to tell her what it could do to her teeth if she keeps it up. We try to convince her to break the habit. Then, at 2:38 this morning, she was crying. I got out of bed and went to her room. She told me that she had…

Last week, I was walking to a session at Polishing the Pulpit with a friend whom I do not see often. Our families used to get together for meals when we lived in Alabama, and it was great to see them again. The wife didn’t know where her class was to be, and I was going to a nearby classroom, so we walked together so I could show her where her class was. On the walk, she said that she read our blog from time-to-time, and then she asked, “Are you guys always that happy?” I laughed out loud and said, “No.” I wish I could say, “Yes,” but there…

Though young, he could have been running for reelection, and she could have been his youthful, dynamic running mate. Barely old enough to qualify, he could have squeezed out a small victory in 2008 and now could have united the nation around both his policies and charisma. She could have been identified as the one to ride her wave of popularity through the next four years and right into the White House in 2016. He might have been the perfect combination of intelligence and personality. He might have been so popular that the other party wondered if it was even worth it to run someone against him. He might have…

“Mary Carol, don’t run out into the street.” “Turner, you can’t eat 15 cookies.” Why do I tell my children these things? Why can I not just accept their actions? Why can’t I just let them express themselves however they choose? After all, that’s what they want to do. It’s because I love them. A parent who loves a child sets boundaries that provide for both maturity and safety. I know that running out into the street with abandon could lead to injury or worse. While cookies are great (especially Leah’s ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookies), 15 of them will make a little kid sick and unhealthy. That concept is so…