What’s the Rush?

I had an unexpectedly late start to the airport.  It’s Saturday afternoon and I am in a hurry to return home so that I can celebrate Easter and my youngest daughter’s birthday with my family.  True to characterization, I am verbally coaxing the driver’s around me to move faster or move out of the way.  Don’t any of these people have someplace to go?  By the way they are driving, you’d think they had nothing better to do today than impede my progress.

Crimes Against Humanity

Recently, our pastor challenged us to live our Christian life in the “No Spin Zone” (to borrow a phrase from The O’Reilly Factor.  In other words, our daily walk should be authentic.  There should be no reason for a follower of Jesus Christ to put external “spin” on their personal beliefs, choices, or actions in order to get them to seemingly “fit” within the values espoused by the Christian faith.  Plain and simple.  Do I live that kind of life?  Can I avoid the cultural pressures to conform, and live day-to-day steadfast to biblical truth?

As a people-pleaser by nature, I know I sometimes struggle with “standing out.”  It is easy to succumb to preserving my “image” in order to avoid the uncomfortable tension of being “out there,” standing up for something on my own.  However, my Christan faith often calls me to that exact place.

Hi, My Name is John

She lied to me.  She stood right there in front of me and lied.  When I warned her she better tell the truth or I’d have to give her consequences, she looked me in the eye . . . and lied.  And I wanted to cry.

There are so many times as a parent that I feel ineffective.  No matter the consequence, no matter the number of times we address the issue, there are just some places in my child’s heart that I can not seem to reach.  As my daughter quickly reaches her teenage years, those unreachable places seem more and more out of grasp.

The Battlefield

Would you rather have an expensive gift you didn’t deserve or a medal of honor you earned?

Truthfully, I don’t know how I’d answer this question.  But I think it’s one, in the Christian life, we all need to ask and answer.  Let’s get back to that in a minute…

A Firm Foundation

I’m trying a new parenting tool, of my own making, on my guinea pigs . . . I mean, kids.

Actually, I have combined a few existing ideas to make something new.  Let me explain.  A friend of mine carries a list of godly character traits in her Bible.  She desires to see this traits manifested in her children, so she prays over the list on a regular basis.  Additionally, another friend of mine rewards her children’s positive efforts in a unique way.  She has a glass vase for each one and places a stone inside each time her children show remarkable growth or effort.  Once the vase is full, that child receives a special honor or privilege of some kind as a blessing.

I am taking both of these ideas, combining their purpose, and (hopefully) magnifying their impact.