Breaking My Girl’s Heart

So I love my family!
And I love being right!
What do you do when the two are at odds with each other?
The other day my daughter was singing the words to one of her favorite shows, Boz. Boz, if you don’t know, is a big green bear that lives right next door to the Baxter [...]

An only child?

This thought just sort of hit me the other day…
There are no “only children” in God’s family.

My daughter…

Tonight at dinner I gave Michele a compliment. This is one of many I give her, I might add . Michele responded with a simple “My pleasure.”
Noelle asked “What does my pleasure mean?” So we explained what that meant.
Later on at dinner Noelle said “Mommy, I like staying home with [...]

What if nothing works (part ii)?

Why is this happening?
That’s where we left it with part 1 of the post. On to part 2…
Our culture has changed and many of our methods have not. We have to take responsibility as educators and youth workers for what we need to do differently and what we need to do better. [...]

What if nothing works (part i)?

There has been a lot of talk in different places lately about the idea that youth ministry isn’t working as well as it should anymore. For the most part, this idea has been promoted because so many youth are leaving the church when they leave high school.
Some people suggest that people are leaving [...]

Toby, the Christmas Elf

This year a new Christmas tradition was started. Toby, the Christmas Elf, brought a gift of money for my daughter. It was beautifully wrapped up in a velvet bag and it was found hanging outside the window. Where did it come from? We don’t know, but we think Toby might reside [...]

Learning to pray

So my wife and I are teaching our 3-year old daughter how to pray…
I don’t know how many of you have been through this with a child of your own but this has to be one of the most precious times in parenting. There are times that I think that it doesn’t get [...]

My school year

The start of another school year has come and gone…
It’s hard to believe that I’ve already been back to class for four weeks. I’ve started up tennis and I’m already wondering what I’ve gotten myself into.
While the start of the school year is a kick-off for many youth groups it is a time of [...]

What a blast… literally!

Over the 4th of July my family and I went to visit my in-law’s. This is one of the 2 times a year where we really try to get all of the family together. My brother-in-law, Aaron, always puts on a good fireworks show. As typical guys are, we’re always looking for [...]

Family perspectives and priorities

Things have been too busy for me lately. Unfortunately, it is being reflected in several areas. What do you do when you get too busy? How do you stop when it doesn’t seem like you can stop? How do you, “Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10)?” [...]