I was all in with tennis as a kid. I ate, drank and slept tennis, determined to be the next Rod Laver. I would walk to the city courts and play all day, every day in the summer. If there wasn’t anyone there to hit with, I would hit serves or hit against the backboard. I loved the game and was blessed to play at the university level. But the reality was that I would not make it to Rod Laver’s level of play. I wasn’t even the best on our team. I realized that being all in with a game could cause problems with relationships, not to mention graduation and job prospects.
Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” – Matthew 22:37-38. When Jesus says “all” three times in one sentence, He means to be ALL in with Him. ...read on
On the anniversary of our great nation I was struck by how little I heard about prayer. In “One Nation Under God”, James P. Moore documents the significance of prayer throughout our history and specific prayer warriors such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, General George Patton, Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower to name a few. It should be required reading in every home!
But here we are men, on the 238th anniversary of these United States and it is obvious that prayer is not as much a part of the fiber of our country as it was just a generation or two ago. This is happening on our watch and we need to take a stand on prayer for the sake of our nation and the next generation.
Please join me in praying this prayer daily for the men, husbands and fathers in our circles and beyond:
I got another one of those political calls the other night asking if I was a Republican or Democrat. I said, “I am an American.” She hung up on me. I had wanted to tell the caller about my new grassroots movement called the Unhyphenated American Party. Have you noticed that you can’t fill out a form anywhere without a series of boxes to determine what kind of American you are? I don’t see the point except possibly to benefit some special interests groups, which is a completely different discussion. Besides, my box is never there! My German grandfather and Russian grandmother were pushed out of Russia by the Bolsheviks in 1913. My mother’s family came over from Ireland a couple of generations earlier. But German-Russian-Irish-American never shows up on any forms!
America is a nation of immigrants. That has been our strength largely because ...read on
I like to fix things. A recent project involved a section of concrete sidewalk in front of our house. Some settling made the bicycle ride to school for the neighborhood kids treacherous. So I got my shovel, some 2X4’s and QuickCrete and leveled it up with the adjoining slabs. With some sweat and timely help from my bride, the problem was fixed. Unfortunately, a month or so later a couple of other sections of the concrete sidewalk started to drift and the bicycle ride in front of our house was treacherous once again. Then I addressed the solution – to tear out the old and lay new concrete complete with rebar connecting the individual sections to keep all smooth, no more drifting. My bride, the neighbors’ kids and the homeowners association are all happy.
There is a parallel to this project in society. Policies spinning out of the “war on poverty” initiative in 1964 come to mind. In an effort to provide a fix ...read on
1. Prioritize your physical presence in the home and with family. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning ... The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." - John 1:1-2, 14. Just as God provided a connection with Him through the physical presence of His Son, a father provides a connection to the Father by being present and accounted for in family.
2. Be engaged emotionally with your wife and kids. ...read on
A young man announced to his dad that he and his girlfriend were going to move in together. He knew his dad’s position on marriage and sexual purity, it was a line in the sand. The dad refused to embrace this sinful lifestyle but he had a decision to make – allow his son’s choice to be a wedge in their relationship and cut off communication; or convey disagreement with the choice and continue to love unconditionally. He chose to ... read on
Being angry at the right person about the right thing at the right time in the right way and having the right effect is not an easy thing to do. Jesus did it well in the temple but I have yet to be able to do it well in my anger. Recently I was blessed to attend a Christ Transformation Prayer (CTP) session conducted by Pastor Seumean Kuon of TOUCH Family Church. In the session, Seumean addressed anger as the devil’s central scheme to keep man in sin and under the influence of his lies.
In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. – Ephesians 4:26-27. Being angry is not necessarily sinful. read on...
Are you free? We are a nation founded on certain freedoms called the Bill of Rights, the first 10 Amendments to our United States Constitution. The first amendment addresses the freedom of religion and of speech. These are tied together because we typically speak as we believe. Today, societal pressure on politically correct speech is inhibiting this basic freedom and in doing so, it also inhibits the freedom of religion – reference the push back of recent statements by Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A and Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty. Society is embracing a secular religion that espouses freedom until it butts up against a Christian worldview.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." read on...
It helps to be able to text, even if you don’t use your thumbs. Being on Facebook is important if your kids are – it is okay to mandate being ‘friended’. Technological connectivity is important but don’t forget physical presence, emotional engagement and spiritual leadership.
Captain America takes up his shield often as his primary weapon, a concave disk 2.5 feet in diameter, weighing 12 pounds. It is reportedly made of a unique Vibranium-metal alloy that has never been duplicated. It is virtually indestructible and is as much an offensive weapon as a defensive one.
The shield of faith is virtually indestructible as well. It is made up of a unique alloy that incorporates ...read on
