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This is worth reading and pondering. Let me know what you think.
http://ellenharoutunian.com/2008/11/19/please-dr-dobson/
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Read this!
My good friend Ben over at www.marriagesrestored.com mentioned a book he'd just ordered, so I decided to check it out and found an excerpt from it on the author's website. The author is Winn Collier, and his book is Holy Curiosity: Encountering Jesus' Provocative Questions. Here is the link to chapter one: http://winncollier.com/excerpts/HolyCuriosity.pdf. By the way, I'm putting it on my Christmas list in case someone wants to buy it for me.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Thank you!
A few Saturdays ago Susanne, Linnea and I were out running errands and we decided to stop at Fuddruckers for lunch. The place was bustling with activity, packed with moms and dads and children, many of whom were wearing soccer or football uniforms (the children, that is, not the moms and dads).
Susanne and Linnea went to find a table while I waited in line to order our food. As I stood there watching the other families I found myself thinking about how, not too long ago, I used to see families on fall Saturdays and feel sad. Susanne and I didn’t have children, and it was starting to look to me like we never would. This time my thoughts turned to joy because of the beautiful gift God gave us, a sweet, energetic girl who turned three last Saturday. We were blessed to be there for Linnea’s birth, and she has been with us ever since. What a gift from the God “who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” As I stood in line considering all this tears of gratitude welled up in my eyes.
“God, I had all but given up on being a father,” I silently prayed. “I had given up the idea that it even mattered to you where I was concerned. Thank you for being so good to me.”
One of these days I might bump into you on a fall Saturday at Fuddruckers. I’ll be the misty-eyed dad ordering burgers for me and my wife and the little blonde beauty in the soccer uniform.
Susanne and Linnea went to find a table while I waited in line to order our food. As I stood there watching the other families I found myself thinking about how, not too long ago, I used to see families on fall Saturdays and feel sad. Susanne and I didn’t have children, and it was starting to look to me like we never would. This time my thoughts turned to joy because of the beautiful gift God gave us, a sweet, energetic girl who turned three last Saturday. We were blessed to be there for Linnea’s birth, and she has been with us ever since. What a gift from the God “who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” As I stood in line considering all this tears of gratitude welled up in my eyes.
“God, I had all but given up on being a father,” I silently prayed. “I had given up the idea that it even mattered to you where I was concerned. Thank you for being so good to me.”
One of these days I might bump into you on a fall Saturday at Fuddruckers. I’ll be the misty-eyed dad ordering burgers for me and my wife and the little blonde beauty in the soccer uniform.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Pray for "Pacman"
I’m happy for Adam “Pacman” Jones. He’s finally encountered someone who cares about him as a human being. That someone is Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL, who just suspended Jones again for his latest run-in with the law. Up to this point, the people in Pacman’s life have mostly been enablers and excuse-makers.
I don’t know Jones’ whole story, but from what I understand, he, like many others, had a pretty rough upbringing. In his case, though, he is an exceptional athlete, which can actually work against someone in our society when it comes to character formation. If you’re a good athlete there are a lot of enablers out there--coaches, team owners, schools, fans--who will let you get away with bad behavior. All you’ve got to do is show up on a Friday night or a weekend afternoon and help your team to victory. There are some coaches and owners out there who won’t stand for that, but by and large many of them are more than happy to use a player with bad character as long as he produces for the team. The sad thing is that most of those players never figure out they’re being used. And once their careers are over, all the athleticism squeezed out of them, the enablers disappear from the players’ life, out looking for the next star who can pack the stadium. Again, this is not true of all coaches or teams or schools, but it is true enough that it’s become expected in our society. The really great athletes stop being held accountable for bad behavior in middle school or junior high.
Fortunately for Pacman Jones, someone is standing up and saying, “that’s enough. You either figure out what is going on inside you that is causing you to destroy your life, or you won’t play in my league.” Good friends lovingly confront us when we’re about to do something stupid that will harm ourselves or someone else. Love is patient and kind but it also stands up sometimes and says, “I love you too much to watch you destroy your life.” The thing that is left for us to do is to pray for Adam Jones, that he will see his deep need, a need we all share, for a loving Savior who is full of the grace that changes lives.
I don’t know Jones’ whole story, but from what I understand, he, like many others, had a pretty rough upbringing. In his case, though, he is an exceptional athlete, which can actually work against someone in our society when it comes to character formation. If you’re a good athlete there are a lot of enablers out there--coaches, team owners, schools, fans--who will let you get away with bad behavior. All you’ve got to do is show up on a Friday night or a weekend afternoon and help your team to victory. There are some coaches and owners out there who won’t stand for that, but by and large many of them are more than happy to use a player with bad character as long as he produces for the team. The sad thing is that most of those players never figure out they’re being used. And once their careers are over, all the athleticism squeezed out of them, the enablers disappear from the players’ life, out looking for the next star who can pack the stadium. Again, this is not true of all coaches or teams or schools, but it is true enough that it’s become expected in our society. The really great athletes stop being held accountable for bad behavior in middle school or junior high.
Fortunately for Pacman Jones, someone is standing up and saying, “that’s enough. You either figure out what is going on inside you that is causing you to destroy your life, or you won’t play in my league.” Good friends lovingly confront us when we’re about to do something stupid that will harm ourselves or someone else. Love is patient and kind but it also stands up sometimes and says, “I love you too much to watch you destroy your life.” The thing that is left for us to do is to pray for Adam Jones, that he will see his deep need, a need we all share, for a loving Savior who is full of the grace that changes lives.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Hear No Evil???
Today's (digital) issue of The Sporting News mentions Lance Allred, the deaf basketball player who was just released by the Cleveland Cavaliers. It mentions that he is writing a book about his disability and about growing up in a polygamous sect in Utah. Any chance the title will be Hear No Evil?
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Drink Deeply!
The counseling center I work at publishes a monthly newsletter. If you'd like to take a look just click on this link: http://www.cbcmckinney.com/newsletter.html. The October edition has a short devotional written by yours truly. It was originally published a few years ago in the Lenten devotional my church puts out every year for the congregation, which explains why the third paragraph begins, "In another of our readings for today . . ." Hmmm, I should have fixed that before it went into our newsletter. Anyway, the newsletter includes parenting tips, and good, thought-provoking articles by my colleagues, too.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
just a silly thought
I just finished eating Campbell's Old-Fashioned Vegetable Beef Soup for lunch.
Which leads me to the question: When are they going to introduce the new stuff? They've had plenty of time.
Which leads me to the question: When are they going to introduce the new stuff? They've had plenty of time.
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