Family
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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…
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In My Father’s House
Sundays are important. For my entire life, I have been able to count on Sundays. I knew every Sunday morning and evening my parents would be taking me to worship. Over the years this meant different worship locations and sometimes a different drive to get there. Once I got married, my wife also being a Christian, the only thing about Sundays that was primarily different was that by this time I was also given the duties of preaching. But we still drove to worship. And as the kids came along a new tradition was born… I decided that on the way to worship we would sing a few songs of…
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12 Steps To Raising a Delinquent Child
A couple of weeks ago a brother with whom I worship handed me the information I am reproducing below. He said that I might have already seen it, but that he thought it was good. He was correct on both counts. I have seen it before. In fact, I’ve seen it a number of times before. It is also my opinion that it is good – and needed. I’m not in the habit of presenting material here that is not original, but I am making an exception in this case. The fact that this material has “made the rounds” for quite a while indicates that it deals with a subject that, sadly, seems perpetually relevant.…
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The Assumption of Deuteronomy 6
Deuteronomy 6 has been nicknamed “the great parenting chapter” of the Bible. Although it was addressed to the Israelite nation as a whole, the clear implication was that much of what was being said in order to raise up future generations who believed in God was to be done in the context of the family. Moses gave the great commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and will all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). After that, he famously said, And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and…
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How Will You be Remembered?
Last week, three people died who all impacted my life in a positive way. I am thankful to say that none of these three people ever did or said anything that impacted my life in a negative way. I can’t say that about everyone I know, even concerning brothers and sisters in Christ. So I feel very blessed by these three friends that I have lost. I believe all three of them will always be considered by me to be caring, serving, compassionate, and genuinely good. They will be remembered this way because their lives were mostly about other people. How will you be remembered? I have often heard it…
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Are You Living a Coinstar Life?
Not long ago, I heard and read about an interesting trip a man made to a Coinstar kiosk. As many who read this already know, you can take your loose change to one of these kiosks and dump it all in there. You can then receive a voucher for the total amount (minus the 11.9% that the company keeps). If you don’t choose to receive the voucher, you have the choice of getting an eGift card or making a donation to charity. I’m guessing that most people opt for the cash (or the voucher for cash). Apparently, that is what this particular man I heard/read about had in mind when…
