D6 Blog
Happiness Is Not the Goal
You hear it all around you, "I just want them to be happy." It’s many a parent’s desire for their kids, but it’s worth asking if this is the right goal. Think over your adult life. I’m willing to bet that happiness has been fleeting. Maybe you catch a glimpse when you see your child running across the backyard, hair flying behind her as she chases a puppy. Or it might be that moment when your children are all singing along to a sweet song on your way home from a beautiful wedding reception....
Insulated or Isolated
At D6 2012, Fred Luter (Pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans) made a statement that has stuck with me ever since. He said, "We can't isolate kids from the culture, but we can insulate them with God's Word." Isn't that a marvelous thought? Kids are...
Spiritual Orphans and the Church
In the beginning there were children and adults. But then, around 1900, cultural shifts in American education, industrialization, and the law led to a new stage of life—youth. At first youth were a high priority to parents and culture. The majority had their most...
Everything is Meaningless
Let me start with a memory. I remember when I first started looking beneath the surface of things as a believer. You know, lifting the rock to see the world of life and dirt underneath what I had only walked by previously. The Bible had been a book I revered in ritual...
Time: Are You Wasting, Spending, or Investing It?
I have heard that there are only three things to do with time: waste it, spend it, or invest it. I want to use every hour that I have INVESTING it in ways that matter. I don’t always, but I’m becoming more and more accustomed to thinking like this, and it’s changing...
Parenting By Distance Education
It’s to the joy of students and the dismay of many educators. Distance education. I did some of my coursework through distance education, and it was wonderful to “be educated” without disruption of other life activities. It’s helpful for those of us who cannot afford...
A Mothers Love: A Vision for Biblical Motherhood
Many years ago I made a promise to God that if He ever wanted me to share with others the things He was teaching me, I would do it, even if it was embarrassing. I do not have it all together, but God has graciously been using His Word to teach me and guide me toward...
The Boy Who Gave Up His Dinner
When I get hungry, I get desperate and difficult. If anyone steps in between me and my snack, you can be sure it won't be pretty. If you ask me to share, I might give up a small bite, but internally, my nice gesture is playing tug-of-war with a growling tummy....
Walls
Proudly they stand, bordering a walkway, hedging a garden, defining the outer boundaries of an estate, and even lining the sides of a country lane. Some are made of rough-hewn stone loosely stacked while others are constructed from kiln–fired brick mortared together...
God Does Graffiti
You see it on overpasses, the sides of buildings, and on the occasional billboard. The person wanting their message or art seen has left his or her mark. Some marks are territorial; some are works of art, while others send a message. You can tell when you enter...
How I Went From Being an Obsessive Social Networker to Signing Off Permanently
“She didn't even comment back. Come on, that was hilarious!" This was the mental dialogue I had with myself, bent over our computer desktop on a desk much too small to hold all our wired machinery, junk mail, and breakfast leftovers. Looking up from my monitor, I saw...
What is a Visionary Marriage
Can a Christian man and a Christian woman be married to one another, but not have a Christian marriage? Absolutely. Two Christians can say “I do,” but not have a shared, compelling, Bible-driven vision for their life together. Find a Christian engaged couple. Ask...
Five Practical Tips to Help You on Your Way to Hearing God
Maybe you've been a Christian your whole life, but you've never actually heard God speak directly to you. Or maybe you're a total skeptic and can't help but cringe every time someone says, "God told me this or that..." Wherever you are, make a decision today to at...