Friday Links Roundup: Hearts, Roses, and Banquet Edition

It’s Valentine’s Day weekend, and that means that it’s time for all the “frilly” stuff that goes along with it. All those stores with red and pink hearts and roses all over everything, commercials trying to get you to buy anything and everything for the “perfect” Valentine’s Day gift, and kids coming home from school with more flowers and candy than any of us has ever received–total–in our entire lifetime. By the way, just as a bit of a rant, it’s totally ludicrous how much some parents buy their children for Valentine’s Day! I know of schools that even gave students the day off, because they got tired of spending all day handing out gifts. And we wonder why kids think their entitled to everything. [Note: this is the end of the rant!]

We are excited at Lebanon Road, because we are hosting a Valentine’s Day Banquet. It has become a bit of a tradition, and it is always fun. Since Valentine’s Day is actually on Sunday this year, it only adds to the interest. We hope all our folks come and enjoy a wonderful day together.

On to the links for this week:

1. Jeff Jenkins shares a great thought in an article with an interesting title. Enjoy “Eating with Impunity.” (Don’t worry, he defines “impunity” in the article.)

2. Does God cause bad things to happen to us “automatically” when we sin? Steve Higginbotham shares some great thoughts in “Earthquakes, Tsunamis, & Snow Slides.”

3. This is a very brief article, but a tremendous idea. Justin Gerhardt shares “The Only 2-Year-Old I Know Who Got a Lighter for His Birthday.” (Elders, this might be a great “tradition” to start!)

4. For our families this week, I chose a wonderful list from Cindy Colley. The points are practical, but very true. Read “Ten Lessons Learned from Troubled Marriages.”

5. Dale Jenkins writes some very helpful ways for a church to keep from having to fire a minister. The article is heartfelt and practical. Take the thoughts from “Alternatives to Firing” to heart.

6. Finally, a practical tip. Small Notebook shares some ways to keep up with all that artwork your kids bring home. I was thinking of the many wonderful projects our kids do in Bible classes. We want to keep it, but it adds up quickly! Here’s a great tip to help. (By the way, if you use Evernote, put the photo/scan there, too, and you have a built-in backup!)