Family
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42 and …
Today is a special day in the lives of two wonderful people. March 21, 2012 is the 42nd anniversary of the day my parents said “I do.” While I know that’s not a “round number” anniversary, this one is a bit different. You see, on this anniversary, dad will begin drinking that nasty stuff to get ready for a CAT-scan tomorrow. For a couple of weeks, we have known that something was wrong, but we, as yet, do not know what. Considering a CAT-scan and bone marrow test are scheduled for coming days, though, we are quite concerned. I ask for your prayers, but I also want you to consider…
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An Open Letter to the Alcoholic Beverage Industry
Dear Anheuser -Busch, Coors Brewing, Samuel Adams, et.al., Last night, I met one of your best customers. It was a female, but, curiously, she was not a bikini-clad model standing near a pool. Nor was she a sophisticated cultural elite who obviously used your product to rub elbows with the other elitists of our society. I find that odd, since all your commercials present these as the only women who drink your products. Let me explain who I met last night. My wife had to make a quick stop at a local Publix to pick up two items we needed. I waited in the car with my two small children.…
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How Do You Pay Attention?
As a preacher, one of my tasks is to do my best to not turn what is truly exciting (the eternal Word of God) into something boring and mundane. Though I am just a “jar of clay,” I try to do my best to show enthusiasm and love for souls when I preach the Gospel. However, it is not just up to me! Each person listening needs to see these words from the Bible as life-changing and eternally important. But, I’ll be willing to admit: I’m not the best at holding people’s attention. So, how do you pay attention? My daughter, at age 6, can tell you. Or, better, she…
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Two Articles to Help You with Debt
As many of you know, I am a regular contributor to ChristianPF.com (Christian Personal Finance). Partially through your help, I got this “gig,” and have been writing one or two articles per month since September. It is a joy. In the last few days, I have had two articles published there that deal with getting out of debt. Since I recently wrote “I Hate Debt” on this site, I thought you might find these two articles helpful. The first is “Get Out of Debt: 5 Things to Avoid Selling.” On the other end of things is the most recent post. It is “20 Things You Can Sell to Get Out…
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Watch Your “Wiring”
NOTE: Today’s post may not be for young readers, and I mean that sincerely. Just letting you know. I’ve heard dozens if not scores of lessons on the Bible and sexuality. These message have covered nearly every possible topic within that scope. I’ve heard lessons on the sanctity of the “marriage bed,” the sins of adultery and fornication, the threat of pornography, and the fact that sexuality is God-given. These are just some of the lessons I have heard, and I have preached quite a few on these and related topics. In nearly every lesson on this topic, it is pointed out that men are “wired” to be visual. Usually,…
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I Hate Debt!
Leah and I are out of debt, except for our mortgage, and have been for almost 3 years now. While we did not pay off our debt as quickly as many others do, we worked very hard at it, and we are both proud and grateful for the experience of paying off our debts. We still look at that mortgage as a boat-anchor, but it is amazing to see how much more we can do with our money now that we don’t have any car payments, medical bills, or anything else. Having gone through that experience and now having talked with many, many folks about their financial outlook, I have…
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How about a New Holiday?
I like holidays, but there sure are a lot of them. It also seems like they are bunched up in certain times of the year (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s…), or maybe it’s just the advertising and marketing that make it seem that way. I mean, before Halloween even occurs, some stores are already clearing out the pumpkins and costumes to put up Christmas trees and ornaments. It’s insane. But even with so many holidays, I’m suggesting one more. It’s No-Excuses Day This holiday is for anyone, and can be celebrated wherever you are. In fact, I would propose that we celebrate “No-Excuses Day” today. How do you celebrate this…
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Some Rules for “Daddy Dates”
Last year, Mary Carol bought me the book Daddy Dates, because I had started trying to take her on some dates from time-to-time. If you are a dad to a daughter who is still at home, you need to buy and read this book! Here is the link to Amazon. It is a quick read, but is filled with helpful tips and encouragement. Mary Carol and I have gone on a few dates, and I am still trying to make these more regular. However, here are some things I got from both the book and from experience that I try to do on these evenings. 1. Call ahead. No, our…
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5 Things to Remember When Doing Something Creative
Routines are my friend. I work well when I know what is coming up, and work best when it is fairly “normal.” As a preacher, a “normal” schedule is hard to define, but I work very hard to make each day as regular as possible. I just work better that way. I also do not like to step out of my routine very often. I was not blessed with a creativity gene, or at least mine doesn’t display itself very often! While I am involved in several different projects, they are usually things that I already liked before beginning. For example, I started blogging because I liked reading the blogs…
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Publix: Where Shopping is … Less Tempting
Leah loves Publix. I can’t tell you how many times she has praised the friendliness of the staff and the high quality of food there. In reality, the only thing that keeps Publix from being her only stop in grocery shopping is price. While their prices are competitive and they run good sales, she can get some items more cheaply from other stores. However, I want to praise Publix for something else today. In their checkout aisles, I have noticed that certain magazines are covered by a plastic shield. The magazines (including Cosmopolitan and similar periodicals) are the ones that usually “feature” immodest cover models and racy features. For some time,…
