Family
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A Life Lesson From The Beatles’ First Drummer
The Beatles came to the United States when I was a few months shy of my sixteenth birthday. Like many people of my generation (as well as other generations), I became a fan. While I was not as consumed as some people seemed to be about The Beatles, I am aware of some things about The Beatles that might not be of any interest to anybody but me. What I have known for quite some time, for example, is that Ringo Starr’s “given name” is Richard Starkey. I also knew that there was a drummer before him. He was/is known professionally as Pete Best. What I did not know until just recently was that…
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One Two-Step to Being a Better Dad
Father’s Day is coming up Sunday. For a long time now, it has (thankfully) been noted that, far too often, we celebrate mom on Mother’s Day and then blast dads on Father’s Day. It seems to be that the tide has finally turned, though, as more people are seeking to truly honor dads on this special day. Any dad who is striving to do things right knows that he falls short. He understands that he cannot do everything and that there are shortcomings that must be worked on. A real man is willing to work on those things. But where does a dad start? Thankfully, if he is a Christian…
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The Name Shows The Sin
This is being released on day 8 of 30, but the buildup to it makes it feel as if we are several more days into it. Much of what is being done will be done again later this year for yet another full month, so that fully one-sixth of our calendar is filled with expressions of affirmation and acceptance. It is, of course, “Pride” Month. Rainbows are everywhere, as are more multi-colored flags and logos. Social media is ablaze with all manner of icons and colors and memes meant to show support. Businesses, sports teams, and governmental leaders are bending over backward to show how accepting they are of this…
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One Of Life’s Greatest Blessings
I’m spending a lot of time working on lessons for Polishing the Pulpit, which is coming up in a couple of months. Some of my time is spent just sitting and thinking about the topic upon which I have been asked to speak. This week I’ve been thinking, studying, and writing about being an elder’s wife. Now, you may be wondering about the title for this blog post and how it goes along with being an elder’s wife. There are days when I wonder the same thing! After all, it is a fairly difficult position…the wife of a man whose responsibility (along with other men serving in this capacity) is to watch…
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Do You Have a Favorite Pillow?
Recently, two of our grandchildren spent a couple of nights with us. After they had spent a night back at their house, it was discovered that our granddaughter did not make it home with her pillow. When I told her that we were sorry that we didn’t find it earlier, she told me that it was alright because that wasn’t the only one she had. She told me that it was her favorite pillow, but that she slept fine without it. Her response didn’t seem all that strange to me. She’s not the only person in the world who has a favorite pillow. Her “Grammy” also has one that we typically take with us when we…
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The Main Lesson To Teach Your Children On Vacation
Vacation season has arrived for many people. Schools are letting out and families are taking trips. Despite rising costs, a lot of families see value in getting away for a few days of relaxation and fun. With Memorial Day coming soon, trips will begin in earnest and summer will be loaded with them. There are so many good things that can come from a vacation. Rest is a good thing. Making memories is a blessing that is so special. Experiencing new things and seeing new places is wonderful. There is also an educational aspect to any vacation. Even if you are just going to hang out in the mountains or…
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Your Face Says It
Have you noticed how many people aren’t smiling these days? Everywhere I look, lots of people are walking around with a sad, straight, or frowning face. Now, I realize that smiling all the time would seem kind of weird, but when in a crowd of people, shouldn’t we at least try to smile at those with whom we establish eye contact? Thinking about this reminded me of a conversation I had with my mother near the end of her life. She was living in an assisted living home near me, and I was able to visit her every day. As she became more and more feeble, she began to talk about…
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7 Family Devo Ideas for Families with Teens
Though not perfectly consistent with it, we are big advocates of family devotionals. However, when the kids are a little older, it can be more difficult to find ideas. Many websites, blogs, and books are out there with ideas for little children or elementary-aged kids, but what do you do when you are dealing with teenagers? Since that’s the stage of life we are in, I thought it might be helpful to give a few ideas that you might want to try. We’ve tried all of these. Some have worked better than others, but all have been a great encouragement. Appian Media Videos We love the work done by Appian…
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What Does It Take to be a Mother?
No, this isn’t going to be a biology or physiology lesson, but the biology and physiology of conceiving a child really should be taught by parents to our children in the home. They need to learn that when an egg in the woman is fertilized by a sperm from a man, a child is conceived. That child will continue to grow inside the woman for approximately nine months and then be born making her the mother. But there’s so much more to motherhood, as God intended it, than just this textbook description. Maturity. A woman (along with her husband) should recognize that life is sacred and a gift from God…
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The Hug That Was Years in the Making
It happened three years ago now, but I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. For many years, because I was preaching, I was not able to be with my mom on Mother’s Day (or my dad on Father’s Day). She was with dad, worshiping while he preached and I was preaching elsewhere. I did my best to call on Mother’s Day and it was always a joy to hear her be happy to hear from her son, but there was just something different about not seeing her on that special day, and knowing that I couldn’t see her. Then, as you likely know, we moved to where my parents live…
