Unbeknownst to Mom, when the young boy got home from school, he grabbed her phone and ran up to his room. When she realized the boy was not there for his after-school snack, she went to his room and found the door closed. When she opened the door, the boy threw the phone on the bed and said, “I have been bad.” Mom picked up the phone and saw pornographic images.
In the transition from the ‘Teacher’ season to the ‘Coach’ season of ...read on
The kids’ eyes got real big when grandpa told them that his parents had a drug problem when he was young. Then with a half-smile he said, “Yeah, they drug all us kids to church every Sunday morning. Then they drug us back there for evening worship and drug us to Wednesday services too!” All had a good laugh but grandpa said it was that routine that kept him grounded when he went off to serve in the military as a young man.
In the ‘Teacher’ season of fathering, the first ten years of parenting, kids are ...read on
Dads are to pray for and with the kids, and teach them to pray. One dad spoke of how his prayer life increased dramatically when he learned his bride was pregnant with their first child. One evening, as he listened for a heartbeat, he saw a foot contort the expectant mommy’s tummy. The miracle in process overwhelmed him. Prayers for health and well-being of mom and baby took on a new fervor and he began to include prayers for himself to become the husband and father his new family would need!
Dads are to play with the kids and teach them to play. One picture depicts a dad tossing his young son up in the air a few feet and catching him. The boy is thrilled but the mother is nervous. The picture shows her perspective as if the boy is being tossed fifteen feet up in the air. Then there is the perspective of the boy – he feels like he is being thrown ten feet up in the air and has complete trust in dad to catch him.
Dads nurture through play. A UCLA study years ago documented how kids and adults need eight to ten touches a day for ...read on
"A majority of American fourth- and eighth-graders cannot read or do math at grade level, according to the Education Department. And that assessment is from 2019, before the learning losses from pandemic school closures" (Jason L. Riley, WSJ 7/14/21). It seems elementary education has lost its focus and effectiveness in teaching children the basics. One of the blessings of the school closures has been the wakeup call it gave parents to the consequences of abdicating education to the schools.
One of the most important thresholds to cross in the elementary school years is ...read on
Does the 24/7 news cycle confuse or clarify? When statements are made, such as “follow the science”, there is an implication of clarity. The question is whether the reference is to science available for review or part of the science one group may agree with. Whether it is science around Covid-19, climate change or when life starts, it seems confusion percolates while clarity is compromised.
How do you navigate through the confusion? Do you trust ...read on
“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” With that final sentence and fifty-six signatories, the Second Continental Congress unanimously declared independence from English rule 245 years ago. Representatives from the thirteen colonies determined that separation from England was worth their lives, fortunes and sacred honor.
I had an uncle step into my life as a father-figure when I was young. He and my aunt opened their home to me for a number of weeks each summer. Their home was quite different than the apartment I grew up in and my uncle used this time to introduce me to a number of experiences and opportunities to grow. These included a couple of backpacking trips with other men and young men. He helped a city-boy grow into a man.
As you might expect, June is my favorite month of the year because it is Father’s Day month. It is a great reminder for all men – dads, adoptive dads and spiritual fathers, how important a father is. With our Heavenly Father sharing the moniker ‘father’ with us, the call to step into the role is indeed a high calling. Commit this day to take a step forward on your fathering journey and may this be your best Father's Day yet.
THIS FATHER’S DAY, June 20th, 2021, I commit ...read on
An annual tribute to my dad in hope that it is an encouragement to you:
Born in 1917, four years after his parents immigrated from the south of Russia, he spent his early years growing up in Nebraska. The family continued to speak Russian in the home so when it came time to go to school, the young boy was held back a year until he could learn English. Railroad work took his family to Missouri where he proved to be a good worker and strong athlete through school. He joined his dad working in the roundhouse at the railyard until the attack on Pearl Harbor changed the direction of his life ...read on
Unbeknownst to Mom, when the young boy got home from school, he grabbed her phone and ran up to his room. When she realized the boy was not there for his after-school snack, she went to his room and found the door closed. When she opened the door, the boy threw the phone on the bed and said, “I have been bad.” Mom picked up the phone and saw pornographic images.
The kids’ eyes got real big when grandpa told them that his parents had a drug problem when he was young. Then with a half-smile he said, “Yeah, they drug all us kids to church every Sunday morning. Then they drug us back there for evening worship and drug us to Wednesday services too!” All had a good laugh but grandpa said it was that routine that kept him grounded when he went off to serve in the military as a young man.
Dads are to pray for and with the kids, and teach them to pray. One dad spoke of how his prayer life increased dramatically when he learned his bride was pregnant with their first child. One evening, as he listened for a heartbeat, he saw a foot contort the expectant mommy’s tummy. The miracle in process overwhelmed him. Prayers for health and well-being of mom and baby took on a new fervor and he began to include prayers for himself to become the husband and father his new family would need!
Dads are to play with the kids and teach them to play. One picture depicts a dad tossing his young son up in the air a few feet and catching him. The boy is thrilled but the mother is nervous. The picture shows her perspective as if the boy is being tossed fifteen feet up in the air. Then there is the perspective of the boy – he feels like he is being thrown ten feet up in the air and has complete trust in dad to catch him.
"A majority of American fourth- and eighth-graders cannot read or do math at grade level, according to the Education Department. And that assessment is from 2019, before the learning losses from pandemic school closures" (Jason L. Riley, WSJ 7/14/21). It seems elementary education has lost its focus and effectiveness in teaching children the basics. One of the blessings of the school closures has been the wakeup call it gave parents to the consequences of abdicating education to the schools.
Does the 24/7 news cycle confuse or clarify? When statements are made, such as “follow the science”, there is an implication of clarity. The question is whether the reference is to science available for review or part of the science one group may agree with. Whether it is science around Covid-19, climate change or when life starts, it seems confusion percolates while clarity is compromised.
“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” With that final sentence and fifty-six signatories, the Second Continental Congress unanimously declared independence from English rule 245 years ago. Representatives from the thirteen colonies determined that separation from England was worth their lives, fortunes and sacred honor.
I had an uncle step into my life as a father-figure when I was young. He and my aunt opened their home to me for a number of weeks each summer. Their home was quite different than the apartment I grew up in and my uncle used this time to introduce me to a number of experiences and opportunities to grow. These included a couple of backpacking trips with other men and young men. He helped a city-boy grow into a man.
As you might expect, June is my favorite month of the year because it is Father’s Day month. It is a great reminder for all men – dads, adoptive dads and spiritual fathers, how important a father is. With our Heavenly Father sharing the moniker ‘father’ with us, the call to step into the role is indeed a high calling. Commit this day to take a step forward on your fathering journey and may this be your best Father's Day yet.
An annual tribute to my dad in hope that it is an encouragement to you:
