Family
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A Combination That is Difficult to Beat
One of my favorite books in the Old Testament is the book of Nehemiah. It, of course, provides the reader with details concerning the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. From a historical perspective, that makes it interesting. However, that is not the only thing that intrigues me about this book. There are a number of lessons that are still useful for us today. Without going into detail, I would suggest, for example, that present-day leaders could learn a great deal from the qualities, personality, strategies, etc. of Nehemiah himself. We can also learn a lot from the people who “…had a mind to work” (Neh. 4:6). The book of Nehemiah contains one…
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Episode 127: Parents, Teach Your Children Compassion
https://media.blubrry.com/faughnfamily/content.blubrry.com/faughnfamily/Legacy_Podcast_127.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS (Player not displaying or working? Click here to listen.) After a little podcast hiatus, Adam and Leah are back. This week, they talk about how parents need to instill the concept of kindness and compassion in their children and why that is valuable for spiritual reasons and for reasons even the world recognizes. Resource “I Raised 2 Successful CEOs and a Doctor — Here’s One of the Biggest Mistakes I See Parents Making” [CNBC] More from A Legacy of Faith To subscribe to A Legacy of Faith by email for free click here. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes Subscribe via rss Find…
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It Made My Day!
I’ve been going to the gym lately trying to keep my knee joints moving so I can keep my own knees and not end up with some foreign parts in my body. I can hardly believe it, but I really like going. I get up early, throw on some exercise clothes, brush my teeth and hair and drive to the gym. I’ve met a few really nice people there. The young man named Joe, who helped me learn how to use the machines, was very kind to this older lady who needed a lot of help. There are a couple of women about my age who also happen to like the early…
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“Whatever the Cost” : 3 Words that Make Me Think
Do you ever stop to think about the words you sing as you worship? Since we are supposed to “…sing with the spirit…and with the understanding…” (1 Cor. 14:15), it seems to me that this would be an advisable thing to do. At times, this is also a sobering thing to do. In fact, it could be downright challenging. I love the song, “I Believe in a Hill Called Mount Calvary.” I especially like the sentiment expressed in these words: “And when time has surrendered and earth is no more, I’ll still cling to the old rugged cross.” However, there are some lyrics right before those words that challenge me. If I’m really engaged…
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Welcome, Grady!
Today [Wednesday, ADF] was a special day. For the first time since Lyssabeth, a new baby was born into our family. Jeremiah’s niece, Lauryn, and her husband Chayce, welcomed little Grady to the world today. It is so fun to see those 10 perfect toes and sweet little lips and cheeks! And, we are thankful for modern medicine as Grady has had to have a little help keeping his oxygen up today. If you know me personally or read my posts, you know that my mind tends to spiral quickly. I was thinking about the joy of Grady’s coming and then the thought hit me of what a hypocritical world…
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Thank God for Squirming Kids: Why Congregations Should Reconsider Children’s Church
It seems to be happening in more and more places. It is about time for the sermon to begin, and a boatload of parents carry or walk their precious children to a different part of the building and then return for the lesson. The kids are in “children’s church” and the adults are in what is sometimes jokingly called “big church.” Today, I want to urge congregations to rethink this approach. Typically, when people want to start (or defend) “children’s church,” they give the same couple of reasons. Admittedly, both are understandable, but both also need to be thought through carefully. Some suggest that children’s church gives young people a…
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I Beg Your Pardon
I don’t remember how many years ago it was when I first heard the song Rose Garden, sung by Lynn Anderson. It has a really catchy tune and in part the chorus lyrics said: “I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden. Along with the sunshine, there’s gotta be a little rain sometime.” I think the reason this song comes to my mind on occasion is simply because the words to this chorus are so true. Life is like that – some days are sunny and full of good things, but others are cloudy, gloomy, and full of trouble. Life isn’t a rose garden! Often, we may leave the impression…
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What Is a “Real Man”?
Recently, I was asked to speak on the following topic: Rearing Boys to be Men As I prepared the presentation, I thought that it might be a good idea to define some terms. One of the words that, obviously, was pertinent to the discussion is the word “man.” It seems to me that we have let our society define that word in ways that are, in no way, helpful. It is my contention that, in particular, the entertainment and sports community have fed us a lot of lies about what a “real man” is. As part of my research (and as a part of the presentation), I considered a couple of…
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Roots to Fly
I know many of you are thinking that I have messed up two well-known, and related phrases about raising children. The adage says “There are two gifts we should give our children. One is roots. The other is wings.” As you may have realized by now, the Tatum household is about to change. Our oldest is headed to college this weekend so we are doing a lot of reflecting on the short 18 years we have been blessed to have him in our home. He is the first of his generation to leave the nest and, as with many firsts, there is a lot of trepidation. Granted, we are sending…
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Reconnect: A Retreat for Preachers and Preachers’ Wives
Every couple needs time to step away from the normal run, run, run of life and think about their relationship. Preachers and their wives are no different. That’s why we are excited to let you know about a special 2-day retreat being held in October that is exclusively for preachers and their wives. The retreat is called “Reconnect,” and we are thrilled to be part of the planning of it. Several months ago, our friends Josh and Amanda Ketchum met with us about this idea, and we have been working on it ever since. Today, we are proud to unveil this retreat and hope that you will encourage your preacher…
