A buddy of mine used the “Driver in a Box” program that equips parents to teach their kids how to drive. It was perfect for him because he was having trouble scheduling time to be with his daughter and he figured it would at least provide some windshield time with her. They started off slow, driving around in a parking lot and gradually moved up to driving in the neighborhood. A few weeks into the program they were to venture out onto country roads and spend some time on the interstate highway. The final phase a couple of months in had them driving in the city. The program took about four months and they both really enjoyed the dad-daughter time together. In the process my buddy also established a comfort-factor as he watched his daughter take another step away from his control.

Maintaining control gives dads confidence that they can ...read on

My bride and I laughed out loud! The Doritos spot won the Super Bowl commercial war hands down from our perspective. We found it hilarious. I remember when our first child started kicking in the womb, I was amazed at how she would respond each time I touched Mom’s tummy in a different spot by kicking or pushing in that area. My bride had that “Mom’s glow” throughout her pregnancy and from the first sonogram to the kicks to the birth of our daughter, my love for life took on a whole new dimension.

All were not impressed as we were with the Doritos commercial. Some pro-choice advocates accused Doritos of ...read on

They used to do a lot of things together. She was his shadow especially on Saturday mornings. Whether it was yard work, a trip to the hardware store or kicking a soccer ball she was right beside her dad. All time spent together was quality time – she was Daddy’s little girl and he was her hero!

As she entered her teen years a lot of things began to change. She no longer woke up early on Saturday mornings and her interests no longer included yard work or hardware store outings. Father-daughter time became very limited. Counsel from some men ...read on

KISS is an acronym for ‘Keep It Simple Sam’. What a great reminder that is as things tend to get complicated too often. Even my effort to search for one of my favorite country songs got complicated recently. Looking for “This Kiss” I ended up with another song, “Kiss This” which has a different theme all together.

Eighteen months into their marriage, life got complicated for the young couple. Their first child was on his way two years ahead of “schedule”. They both had careers and were making good money, yet they ...read on

Creed, effectively Rocky VII, is another story of an unknown going up against an unbeatable opponent and gaining respect as a fighter. Starting with Rocky in 1976, the seven film series has grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office! What is it about “the fight” with a very consistent story line that keeps people buying tickets?

What is worth a fight for you? The consistent thread through the Rocky films seems to be manhood – A real man keeps getting up! While walking in the neighborhood recently, a friend and his wife were held up at gun point ...read on

In the hit song “Happy”, Pharrell Williams has an uplifting tune and dance routine with energy to blast through any bad news trying to drag you down. The lyrics say to “Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth; Clap along if you know what happiness is to you.”

Do you know what happiness is to you? Sigmund Freud, the renowned psychologist from the early 1900’s equates happiness with pleasure, specifically the pleasure that comes from satisfying sexual needs. The “pleasure principle,” writes Freud, “dominates the operation of the mental apparatus from the start.” C.S. Lewis disagrees ...read on

“Off with the old and in with the new,” is the common mantra as the calendar turns to the New Year. It is easy to say but not so easy to do. Each year my buddy would draft a plan to not let the busy-ness of life dictate his priorities. But then, each year he would find himself caught up in busy-ness, reacting to circumstances instead of working the plan.

Things were busy last spring. The schedule was tight yet his grown kids were coordinating a trip to Ireland for the family. He was frustrated that he would not be able to join his family on the trip. Then ...read on

Were you one of those guys saying, “Merry Christmas” to everyone the last few weeks? Did you disappoint the retailers by not getting caught up in the materialism? Was your usual family gift exchange replaced with carrying gifts to others in need? Was there something different about the way you reflected the Gift this year?

How can you be more different in the New Year? A friend recently told me of a practice he and his wife initiated ...read on

This final week of Advent is about love. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son,” John 3:16. Merry Christmas indeed! Watching the news or reading the headlines could lead a person to think that love is dead, maybe even that God is dead. In an interview last weekend, Eric Metaxas stated, “The death of God is greatly exaggerated.” He said that Christians have no right to stay silent. Regardless of how society changes for the secular, Christians have no excuse ...read on

A “credible” threat shut down the Los Angeles school district this week. Just over a week ago, an office Christmas party in San Bernardino ended with 14 dead and 22 injured in what was identified as a terrorist attack. Just over a month ago an evening in Paris turned into a nightmare at a soccer match, a concert and a popular restaurant ending with 130 dead, all killed by seven terrorists. Just over a year ago ...read on