I have a bad habit of developing huge Clark Griswold-like expectations about family functions. You know, the kind of expectations that can never be fulfilled, and then on the back end of those unmet expectations I struggle with disappointment. Usually, it is all my fault. For instance, I may plan a movie night for my …
I’ll never forget the day. I was a broken man. I had no reason to be broken, I had just baptized eight people, our sanctuary was packed to the gills, the Holy Spirit spoke convincingly during my sermon, people responded by repenting of sin, and we had new families join the church. By all normal accounts, …
As a father and a pastor, I sometimes struggle to discipline with love when it comes to teaching and disciplining my children. God is continuing to remind me of how He teaches and disciplines me, and how that should carry over to my children. I was encouraged by the piece below that was posted on …
“When’s the last time you specifically and sincerely informed your child of an evidence of grace that you’ve observed in his or her life? If it’s been lover than a week, it’s been too long. You have some work to do and something to look forward to. If you aren’t faithful to encourage, you can …
“By the time my son John was six years old he had figured out that if we promised to take him to the local ice cream parlor on Friday night, then no matter how tired we might be when Friday rolled around, we were going to go! If we hesitated, even for a moment, all …
I am constantly amazed by my children’s imaginations. They are always seeing things that I don’t see, and hearing things that I don’t hear. For instance, just the other night, Jonathan was certain that the shadows in his room were a dragon that was going to eat him. Nevertheless, the boy survived the night although …
“This world is rated R, and no one is checking IDs. Do not try to make it G by imagining shadows away. Do not try to hide your children from the world forever, but do not pretend there is no danger. Train them. Give them sharp eyes and bellies full of laughter. Make them dangerous. …
Today is Friday, and that means family time for me. If you haven’t been on your family vacation yet, you probably will be doing so soon. Why not maximize this family time together? Last year, C.J. Mahaney wrote a great article about leading family vacations for the joy of the family and the glory of …
Balancing the responsibilities of family and ministry can be very difficult to say the least. Pastor and professor, Hershael York, recently wrote a great article about this very subject entitled “Pastoral Margins: finding balance in ministry and life.” Dr. York writes, “Though the complexity of life guarantees that ministers will always feel some tension between …
Today is Friday, the day that I try to set aside a lot of time to spend with my family. Last week Ed Stetzer wrote a great piece on how he balances his family and ministry. He orders his priorities and sets boundaries accordingly. There is some great practical advice here for ministers. Read the …