Parent-child connectedness can be defined as “being closely bonded by common traditions and frequently occurring activities.” I think a good short definition would be “intentional togetherness.” It’s eating dinner five or more times a week as a family, as opposed to...
If we want our faith to endure for all generations, we must become increasingly confident and focused about the kind of faith we are trying to pass on to our children and grandchildren. Letʼs look at what God has to say about faith. First, when Jesus speaks of His...
It seems like lately I’ve had one overwhelming, absorbing thought pervading me, consuming my mental energies and my emotional storehouses, ransacking my prayer life, and dominating my conversations. One thought that’s becoming an… obsession? Maybe. But, y’all, I have...
They sat across from each other at the kitchen table. I sat on one side, my husband, JT, on the other. The four of us squared off around the table. Our girls were somewhere between seven and eight years old and it was time for a talk. Their chins just a few inches...
Margaret Thatcher once said, “Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.” I wonder how true that is for men? When was the last time you felt your masculinity was challenged? I had an experience this past week that really...
I just realized that this morning. Sure, we love all things Mary Poppins, and we’ve watched The Lion King enough to reenact the whole screenplay verbatim. But when push comes to shove, I just can’t get behind the whole Happily Ever After thing. Or the whole Dream That...
For Millennial dads, life can sometimes leave us feeling like walking contradictions. We hear about how we Millennials are all individualists to the core. We look out for Number One and dismiss the rest. “Forget others,” we are told we cry, “It’s all about me.” To an...
I recently went on a popular website to get a look at my ancestors. Truth be told, I was hunting to see if I could find any family members who might possibly be on the Cherokee Indian Roll. What I found was much more fun! With enough information, the website can show...
If you are like my family, you love basking in the pleasure of summer break. There are no tests, science fair projects, homework, or anything else that resembles school. This also means your child is at home all day long, everyday, with lots of idle time on his or her...
We live in a fatherless generation where we have seen deep wounds emerge and lives become crippled. In Escape the Lie, Walker Moore talks about this deep-seated problem known as the Orphan Heart. He inspires readers to overcome these wounds from the past through...
Last week, my schedule landed me in a hospital exam room, sitting uncomfortably on a plasticky couch, filling out miles of paperwork, and watching as an awkward young doctor ran various assessments on my delayed four-year-old son, Jude. This isn’t anything new; I’ve...
"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves." - Romans 12:10 John, our teenager, was looking forward to a weekend event with his buddies at church. But he never got to go. Why? Because each of us thought the other had submitted the...