One real mark of wisdom is having a sense for what is appropriate given the situation. Perhaps you were present in a moment where someone said something that was totally inappropriate for the occasion. I remember being in a funeral home once and someone began a conversation that really didn’t fit the occasion. I cringed as the person seemed to go on and on with way too much loud chatter. A few questions I might ask when I am in conversation with another: Is this a time to listen and say very little? Is this a time to show empathy? Is this a time to simply be present? Is this a time to express ..read more

One real mark of wisdom is having a sense for what is appropriate given the situation. Perhaps you were present in a moment where someone said something that was totally inappropriate for the occasion. I remember being in a funeral home once and someone began a conversation that really didn’t fit the occasion. I cringed as the person seemed to go on and on with way too much loud chatter. A few questions I might ask when I am in conversation with another: Is this a time to listen and say very little? Is this a time to show empathy? Is this a time to simply be present? Is this a time to express ..read more

This is an exhausting, tiring season for so many young families. The air is thick with anxiety! A health crisis. A financial crisis. A social crisis. You may be married with kids. You may be a single mom or dad. The truth is that no one is doing a work that is any more important than what YOU are doing at home. Most mothers and dads, who I know, love and adore their children. They give their children most everything they know to give. At this point, many families have been through months of trying to work from home, caring for very small children, and on top of this, trying to get their childr ..read more

Do you have young children at home? Being a parent can be wonderful. Being a parent can also be challenging! What to do? 1. Practice “good enough.” Stop insisting that everything you do in your home must measure up to a certain standard. So if you spent the afternoon with the kids, your evening meal may just be getting by. Maybe you eat a frozen pizza. That is ok. You can’t do it all. Yet, you can ratchet up the tension quickly by insisting that everything must be done a certain way. 2. Lower the volume and think about how you sound. Sometimes when things get challenging, we start yelling. The ..read more

Much of my life, I have prayed for children. I have long prayed for our own children, two daughters, who are now grown. (Along with them I have prayed for our son-in-law, who now is like a son to me.) I now pray also for the children of our children. Brody, Lincoln, Sully, and a child (Sully’s brother or sister) who will be born in a matter of weeks. I pray for our children and their children that they will love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. I pray that they might be hungry for his Word — for Scripture. I pray that they might always treasure who they are in Christ. I ..read more

Sometimes life is just hard. Does this describe your life today? If it does, let me encourage you to hang on. You are not alone. 1. Maybe you don’t know what to do with that child (doesn’t really matter how old that child is). You love your child. Of course you do. However, sometimes you feel like you are losing your mind. You may feel so discouraged. Some days you may feel like a complete failure as a parent. 2. Maybe you don’t know what to do with your marriage. You love your husband/wife. Yet, sometimes life together is very hard. Then you look at Facebook and it feels like everyone is hav ..read more

Can you really fix these people? Sometimes, a congregation can become a minister’s project. “The congregation is rough around the edges now but they promised that if we (this minister and family) will move there to be their minister, everything will work out.” Sometimes, a man can be a woman’s project. “Sure he is rough around the edges now, but he is going to make some changes.” Sometimes, a company can become a man or woman’s project. “Yes, they fired the last three people in this role but this time it is going to be different.” Can you really fix a person, a congregation, or a company? Yes ..read more

The window is getting smaller. I thought about this as I watched our grandson, Brody, play basketball on Saturday. He will be in the fourth grade this calendar year. That is only nine years away from high school graduation. 9 Years! Nine years before he finishes high school. That is really not much — at all. If it sounds like a lot of time, you might ask the parents of this year’s high school graduating class (2020). Many of them will tell you, “I just don’t know where the time went.” This week I was reading journal entries that I wrote to our daughters the first few years of their lives. Char ..read more

One real mark of wisdom is having a sense for what is appropriate given the situation. Perhaps you were present in a moment where someone said something that was totally inappropriate for the occasion. I remember being in a funeral home once and someone began a conversation that really didn’t fit the occasion. I cringed as the person seemed to go on and on with way too much loud chatter. A few questions I might ask when I am in conversation with another: Is this a time to listen and say very little? Is this a time to show empathy? Is this a time to simply be present? Is this a time to express ..read more

One real mark of wisdom is having a sense for what is appropriate given the situation. Perhaps you were present in a moment where someone said something that was totally inappropriate for the occasion. I remember being in a funeral home once and someone began a conversation that really didn’t fit the occasion. I cringed as the person seemed to go on and on with way too much loud chatter. A few questions I might ask when I am in conversation with another: Is this a time to listen and say very little? Is this a time to show empathy? Is this a time to simply be present? Is this a time to express ..read more