Praying for patience is a little like asking some one to tape a “Kick Me” sign on your back. There’s no easy way to learn it, except to endure countless events that drive you crazy. Opportunities to practice patience fall into two broad categories, and I’d be hard-pressed to say which is most important. The first category is acute circumstances that call for patience: You’re stuck in traffic. ...
Loving AND Respecting Your Wife
Back when my wife and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary, she published a post on her blog called 25 Ways to Communicate Respect to Your Husband, and I published a post on mine called 25 Ways to Show Love to Your Wife. Surprisingly, I drew criticism for making LOVE the focus of my list, rather than RESPECT. This offended some of my readers, who (rightly) felt that women are every bit as ...
Christmas: A Season for Receiving
“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” – Isaiah 9:6, NKJV The Reason for the Season We all know that Christmas is the season for giving. That giving is, of course, a reflection of the greatest gift of all, God’s Son, who was ...
“Mystery Meat” vs. the Bread of Life
I ate a wonderful Salisbury steak the other day with a thick brown gravy. The gravy made me think of all the mystery meat I’ve eaten over the years both in the public school system and then later in the military. I realized that a nice gravy can make just about anything taste good. I have always viewed denominational differences within Christianity as a case of “same meat, different gravy.” A ...
My New Normal
There was once a time when I could eat whatever I liked and not put on weight. Those days are long gone. That's why I've stepped up my exercise program and have started faithfully tracking calories. Weight loss is a simple matter of calories in vs. calories out. I've come to realize that memorizing the diet book won't make you skinny. You've got to put that knowledge into action. You've got to ...
What Is a Servant-Leader at Home?
All organizations have a hierarchy. It’s impossible to function well without one. But being a leader isn’t the same as being a dictator. The best role model is Jesus Christ, not Joseph Stalin. Although it’s a challenge to exercise authority while maintaining a spirit of humility, that is what being a godly leader entails. Jesus washed his disciples feet, then died on their behalf. Husbands are ...