The other day I was watching eager shoppers days after Christmas flooding the stores and malls one more time apparently to either spend their gift cards, return something or find one more deal. It was as though the Christmas rush had never quit. And of course I can't know what ...
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Most of us have spent countless hours and energy trying to find just the right gift at least for those we love the most. Other gifts have been perhaps more obligatory and in some cases perhaps we didn't even care that much. However, a number of us have missed some of the most ...
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We're all still reeling, aren't we, from the horrific shooting of innocent children and adults this week in Connecticut. And naturally all sorts of questions are already being asked about the shooter, his motives and of course why could this have happened in the first place. ...
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This past week my wife Jackie and I got to enjoy something for the very first time. We were together with all four of our grandsons at once. While the oldest is more than five we've never been able to all be in one place so this was a pretty special time. And while there are ...
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Some woman was sitting in front of a Best Buy days before the holiday to save $240 on a television set on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Really? She gave up family time, a meal with those she loves and who knows what else all for a couple hundred dollars. Of course ...
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If you know me or regularly read my posts you know that I travel to Russia a good big. I was there two weeks ago as a matter of fact. However, I saw something on a recent trip that I'd never seen before. On the Luzhov Bridge over a canal there are these "trees" of locks ...
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Recently our three-year-old grandson Liam had his hands over his ears and announced to us all, "You can't hear me!" Of course he just had things a bit confused, pretty normal for a little guy his age. However, Liam's actions could be a description of many parents and the ...
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I just returned from my fifteenth trip to Russia. I went with a terrific team of Americans to serve and lead a worship and church leadership conference in Moscow. I could tell you lots of stories about how God worked there, relationships that we will treasure forever or ways the ...
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Remember your wedding day? Can you still recite your vows? Whether you know them word for word, you probably recall promising to love, cherish, and honor each other until the day you died. You meant well. You hoped that would happen and more. But many of us know that ...
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I read recently that Mark Zuckerburg, founder of Facebook, only wears T-shirts and jeans most of the time. And I suppose when you're that successful you can wear whatever you want. Nonetheless, it's kind of interesting that this billionaire goes around looking like some ...
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Ryan and Diana are ready to call it quits on their marriage. Married only eight years with 2 young children, they don't see any way to save the union that they promised less than a decade ago to protect and cherish until death parted them. Now the only thing they want ...
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You know what an oxymoron is, right? It's two words put together that are actually opposites. For example, jumbo shrimp or pretty ugly or living dead. Well, there is one I've coined over the years that has significant implications for parenting. The oxymoron is firm nonchalance. ...
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The other night my wife Jackie and I attended a AAA baseball game here in Austin. If you're not that familiar with the structure of baseball, AAA is the level just below the major leagues, in our case the Texas Rangers. Nonetheless, it's a fun night at a very nice ballpark but ...
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Well, it looks like Lance Armstrong's explanations have run out. He appears to be guilty of doping during the years he was winning cycling's greatest race. A lot of us have been let down again, haven't we? I used to live in Austin, Texas, Lance's hometown. Ugh. And while ...
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A popular big-city restaurant recently offered its customers a 5% discount on their meal tab if they would turn in their smart phone for the duration of their stay in the restaurant. Apparently about sixty percent of the customers have accepted the offer. And I have a hunch some ...
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Have you heard that the Baby Einstein products really don't help kids much? Yep, recent research shows that much of what they claim to do really doesn't happen and in fact can even hinder intellectual growth. And to think that we might not have the advantages we thought we would ...
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I live in Austin, Texas where the summer high averages in the mid to upper 90's. That means a lot of days can be well over 100. So like a lot of people who live in the south our cars are all air-conditioned, the stores keep the temperatures very cool and most of the car windows ...
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Most parents who have children can't imagine life without them. But unless we die early we are all going to experience the empty nest at some point. Unfortunately many parents never prepare. Instead, they spend eighteen or more years living life around their children and ...
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Some of us are old enough to remember the classic ballad The Cats In The Cradle by Harry Chapin. The song hauntingly tells the tale of a father who was too busy for his son during his growing up years. But when the son became an adult he also was too busy for his dad and it turns ...
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Did you hear about the woman who started a business called The Huggery? For sixty dollars she'll snuggle with you for an hour. She says she's right up front about what this is and is not, but I still wonder about how that works. Whatever the case, she says that lots of ...
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In three days our hearts are going to break - again. No, there's no divorce or funeral or rejection letter coming that I know of at least. Rather, my daughter, son-in-law and two of our grandsons (almost one and three) will be moving from a home fifteen minutes away to over six ...
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There are few parents out there who don't want to give their kids the best of everything - education, opportunities and experiences. Many of us who didn't have that much growing up certainly want our children to have more than we did. And there is nothing wrong with that perspective ...
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In several years of blogging at this site I've not written a post related to Father's Day. So in honor of this FD weekend, let me offer my Top Ten List for dads of things great fathers do: 1. They love their wives. 2. They keep their word to their spouse and kids. ...
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When I was a young boy my grandfather took me on a train trip from Detroit to Niagara Falls. I don't remember a lot of that jaunt but I do remember being so thrilled to travel with my grandpa and to ride on a train, something I'd never done before. Apparently before we ...
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I recently endured two somewhat painful procedures. One was to remove some melanoma from my scalp. The second was to have a wisdom tooth extracted. While not equal to that of childbirth (though at times I wondered), each event resulted in some significant pain that I would have ...
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My four-year-old grandson was finishing up his meal recently when he asked me if we could go play again. I suggested that he needed to eat up his food and then we could play. To which he promptly replied, "Well, we could multitask!" Yes, us men are known for our penchant for ...
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I heard this week that the average prom spending per family was $1100 in 2012. That's the average so of course some spent less but just as many spent more! For a dance. Now there's nothing inherently wrong with special nights and activities in high school. Kids look forward ...
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One of our staff members is doing a search for another associate and received the usual resumes for the job. However, one this week stood out. It was in a three-ring binder and included copies of emails, notes, initiatives, articles and who knows what else that this person had ...
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The past few weeks have brought an unusual number of pressures and challenges to my wife and me. The latest is a family illness where the unknowns bring significant emotional angst. We've also both been traveling, much of it separately, and our physical reserves are pretty low ...
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A recent news story showed how many people at shopping malls leave their car doors unlocked while they shop. In addition, many of them have valuables, previous purchases and other expensive electronics clearly visible to anyone passing by. Obviously many individuals and families ...
Read MoreMy friend's son died the other day from cancer. He and his sweet wife had only been married about twelve years, had three little kids and were no doubt planning a long life together. I had the privilege of officiating at their wedding and heard their sincere and passionate vows to love even in sickness ...
Read MoreSo the official holiday has passed for another year. Attendance at church will likely drop to more normative levels and church leaders will catch their breath from the non-stop preparations done for the huge crowds. But it's always worth asking ourselves, "What message did we as a church or family ...
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Easter isn't just an important holiday for Christians . . . it's the ultimate one. If there was no resurrection then every Christian might as well fold up shop and look for another eternal reality. Therefore, we dare not miss great opportunities for teaching the significance and ...
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I was recently playing Hide 'n Seek with my two-year-old grandson Liam. I would of course go hide and the idea was for him to try and find me. However, before long he would just say, "Where are you?" In other words he didn't want to look for me anymore and that's ...
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