Over the next several weeks, dads across the nation will be moving their 18 year olds into college dormitories for the first time. They will not find the experience nearly as joyous as the high graduation ceremony. Oh, I have so much to say these unsuspecting parents. They have quite a road ahead of them in the next year or two. Most universities require students to live in the dorm for at least a year. Some schools even require a…
I did it again last night. You would think that I would know better. I participated in after midnight talking. You have heard of such a vice? It can be a very a scary mode of interaction. Perhaps a definition is in order. After midnight talking is the type of interpersonal communication that takes place late at night, when everyone is tired. Fatigue does a number on healthy inhibitions. After midnight, we are more inclined to say things that we…
I have never experienced firsthand a natural disaster in which the physical world around me was literally falling apart. But I have heard some personal stories from those who have, and I listened attentively as they recounted the sheer terror and helplessness they felt in the midst of it. Although we may never encounter a physical calamity such as this in our lifetime, all of us have times in our lives when the warm, secure walls of our emotional world…
When my boys were small, I loved to make up wild tales to tell them at bedtime. Such stories were filled with adventure, colorful characters, and just enough violence to fulfill their male hormone driven leanings. Sometimes these bedtime adventures featured a one eyed green dragon, or some other kind of equally hideous creature. Thankfully such animals were only a figment of my vivid imagination, and had no basis in reality. I find as an adult, though, that a very…
There are times in my day to day ministry that I find myself inclined toward cynicism. In fact, it is a leaning that I have to fight a fairly regular basis. In 22 years of serving in ministry, I have seen enough of the darker side of human nature to fuel such an inclination. I have not always been that way. In my early days in ministry, I was actually a tad naïve and innocent. But that was all before…
When I was in Target the other day, I saw the employees of an inventory control company carefully counting every single item in that sprawling store. I shivered, as I thought of the idea of being employed in such a role. I am a self-proclaimed walking disaster area. There is no doubt about it. If a company entrusted me with their inventory process, the consequences would be dire. Bankruptcy for that unsuspecting corporation would not be out of the question….
Whatever it Takes is a very moving song performed by the group, Lighthouse. I took a few minutes to watch the music video of this song earlier this week. It includes some pretty compelling images. I recommend it. I ask myself that very question periodically. Am I willing to do whatever it takes? Specifically am I willing to do whatever it takes in every important relationship in which God has entrusted me? It seems that I often come up with…
I was saddened this week to hear of racial tensions flaring up as a result of a black Harvard Scholar being arrested for disorderly conduct by a Cambridge, MA police sergeant. It is premature to make any judgment calls about that particular situation. I am quite sure that there has not been sufficient time for an internal investigation to be completed. That situation stands in stark contrast to what I experienced this week at a church in Cedar Hill, TX….
I am so glad that I don’t own any crystal balls. I really don’t want to know what the future holds. It might be scary! When our boys were born, I did not want to know that life would hold for them at age 20, or age 17, or age 13. I have enjoyed 22 wonderful years in ministry, but I am glad that I did not have a crystal ball when I first started. I did not need to…
I don’t have time to do much building anymore. I used to have some kind of project going all of the time. Several years ago I built the boys the coolest fort that has mankind has ever seen. It was complete with bunk beds, carefully drilled holes for water guns to be placed, and a host of other features geared toward boys of all ages. I learned over the years to be careful with lumber. Even good lumber has rough…