He had been in prison for a number of years. While there, his ex-wife had moved across state lines with the kids. Upon release, parole stipulations did not allow him to leave the state. Frustrated, he reached out to a ministry leader for some guidance on how to connect with his kids. He had not seen them since he first went to prison and his understanding was that he now had a granddaughter.
The ministry leader encouraged the young man to ...read on
It was a confusing time. He enjoyed running a lawncare service crew through high school and thought he might continue that because it was pretty good money. A father-figure pushed the idea of a college education but that seemed financially out of reach and he did not like school that much. He had a dream of being a Navy pilot like his dad, so enlisting in the military seemed a good option for consideration. It was decision time.
When is enough formal education enough? Over the last several decades we have heard ...read on
Dad moved his family five times in her first nine years of life. His daughter had attended four different schools by the time she entered the fourth grade and he was still traveling about 75% of the time. He had not made one parent-teacher conference, not one school activity and even missed her stage debut when she got the lead in her second-grade production – 468 marbles lost.
On their last move, a friend shared a story of how his dad ...read on
It was forty-nine years ago that we heard those infamous words, “Houston, we have a problem.” Two days into their mission, the crew of Apollo 13 had an oxygen tank explode some 200,000 miles from earth. The lunar landing was aborted and the mission became one of survival. It was all-hands-on-deck at Mission Control to provide whatever was needed to get the crew back home safely.
Life can be like that. I know one dad who keeps ...read on
The market changed. What had been college funds for the kids was gone. When he was introduced to the “high risk, high return” fund years earlier, what he heard was just the “high return” piece. On the highly focused quest for financial security, one step was to secure funds for the kids’ advanced education. That step was behind him, he thought. Then the “risk” piece hit. The fund collapsed.
Life is like that. Folks hear what they want to hear until ...read on
His phone went off and he answered it in the middle of dinner. He stepped away to carry on a short conversation and then returned to the table. His daughter asked, “What was so important that interrupted our family dinner time Daddy?” Dad was busted and that started a dialogue around protecting family time from distractions. A new family policy around phones and other electronic devices was initiated.
The mere presence of one’s own smartphone may induce “brain drain” by ...read on
She was lucky. She escaped and managed to call her mom and dad. Many are not lucky and become statistics associated with the epidemic of pornography and sex-trafficking. For her, it started off innocently enough – a new “friend” told her how attractive she was and encouraged her to visit a photographer that might be able to help launch a modeling career. Modeling sessions became compromising photographs which became leverage for control over her. Scared and intimidated, she saw no way out.
Three things girls need to hear from their dad are: ...read on
His dad had passed during his early teen years. He processed the grief as best he could and pressed on to complete his education, begin a career, marry and have kids of his own. Now as a dad himself, he realized yet another void in his life without a dad around – He did not have a sounding board, that fatherly wisdom to draw on for this new chapter of life as a dad.
One of the big differences between men and women is ...read on
He was under a lot of pressure at work. While he was trying to keep up a regular exercise routine to stay healthy, the long hours and stress were taking their toll on his overall health and wellbeing. The tension was not being left at the office but beginning to carry over into his marriage and home. His identity was defined by success in the job but his life was spiraling out of control.
There are three primary identities men associate with: ...read on
He was identified as a hot-head, an angry young man mad at the world. He had made the high school basketball team but armed with an intensity that frequently led to angry outbursts, he was not seen as a team player. The coach decided to cut him from the team. While all his buddies proceeded with their high school basketball experience, he failed to hold his spot in that group of athletes.
He had been in prison for a number of years. While there, his ex-wife had moved across state lines with the kids. Upon release, parole stipulations did not allow him to leave the state. Frustrated, he reached out to a ministry leader for some guidance on how to connect with his kids. He had not seen them since he first went to prison and his understanding was that he now had a granddaughter.
It was a confusing time. He enjoyed running a lawncare service crew through high school and thought he might continue that because it was pretty good money. A father-figure pushed the idea of a college education but that seemed financially out of reach and he did not like school that much. He had a dream of being a Navy pilot like his dad, so enlisting in the military seemed a good option for consideration. It was decision time.
Dad moved his family five times in her first nine years of life. His daughter had attended four different schools by the time she entered the fourth grade and he was still traveling about 75% of the time. He had not made one parent-teacher conference, not one school activity and even missed her stage debut when she got the lead in her second-grade production – 468 marbles lost.
It was forty-nine years ago that we heard those infamous words, “Houston, we have a problem.” Two days into their mission, the crew of Apollo 13 had an oxygen tank explode some 200,000 miles from earth. The lunar landing was aborted and the mission became one of survival. It was all-hands-on-deck at Mission Control to provide whatever was needed to get the crew back home safely.
The market changed. What had been college funds for the kids was gone. When he was introduced to the “high risk, high return” fund years earlier, what he heard was just the “high return” piece. On the highly focused quest for financial security, one step was to secure funds for the kids’ advanced education. That step was behind him, he thought. Then the “risk” piece hit. The fund collapsed.
His phone went off and he answered it in the middle of dinner. He stepped away to carry on a short conversation and then returned to the table. His daughter asked, “What was so important that interrupted our family dinner time Daddy?” Dad was busted and that started a dialogue around protecting family time from distractions. A new family policy around phones and other electronic devices was initiated. 
She was lucky. She escaped and managed to call her mom and dad. Many are not lucky and become statistics associated with the epidemic of pornography and sex-trafficking. For her, it started off innocently enough – a new “friend” told her how attractive she was and encouraged her to visit a photographer that might be able to help launch a modeling career. Modeling sessions became compromising photographs which became leverage for control over her. Scared and intimidated, she saw no way out.
His dad had passed during his early teen years. He processed the grief as best he could and pressed on to complete his education, begin a career, marry and have kids of his own. Now as a dad himself, he realized yet another void in his life without a dad around – He did not have a sounding board, that fatherly wisdom to draw on for this new chapter of life as a dad.
He was under a lot of pressure at work. While he was trying to keep up a regular exercise routine to stay healthy, the long hours and stress were taking their toll on his overall health and wellbeing. The tension was not being left at the office but beginning to carry over into his marriage and home. His identity was defined by success in the job but his life was spiraling out of control.
He was identified as a hot-head, an angry young man mad at the world. He had made the high school basketball team but armed with an intensity that frequently led to angry outbursts, he was not seen as a team player. The coach decided to cut him from the team. While all his buddies proceeded with their high school basketball experience, he failed to hold his spot in that group of athletes.
