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continue reading »In Everything Thank God
Many families have a Thanksgiving tradition where everybody around the table shares one thing they’re thankful for. That encourages gratefulness in the midst of the rush and bustle of celebration. After all, God told us, “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Th. 5:18). It’s good to give thanks,…
continue reading »When Terror Strikes
Horrific attacks on innocent victims in Paris stirred emotions of horror, disbelief, and sadness that humans can stoop so low. It’s impossible to hear the reports and see pictures of the carnage and not identify with the victims. Next, come thoughts that it could happen here. In my neighborhood. At one of my gatherings. Or…
continue reading »The Problem with Short
My mother was short. She’d disappear in small crowds and even had problems in her own home. She couldn’t reach the second shelf of her kitchen wall cabinets, and struggled to get things off of it. I once saw her get a dowel rod, stretch up, and maneuver an item forward until it dropped off the shelf, and she…
continue reading »Teaching Daddy to Hug
He was a middle child in a family of twelve children, and his father was crippled. One of his legs was permanently bent at the knee, so he had to work extra hard to feed the family. They lived on a farm in rural Georgia. Times were tough. Then their house burned, and they lived…
continue reading »When Calamity Strikes, Where is God?
It seems the whole world is in chaos these days, that sensibility, morality, and reason have vanished. In culture, and even in some churches, good is considered evil, and evil as good. Where is God in the midst of the chaos and calamity? While reading through Ezekiel recently, I was struck by how God’s word…
continue reading »Hints for Healing When Tensions Build
Alternate Title: The Importance of Touch in Building Family – Part 2 In Part 1, I talked about the simple act of touching being a practical tool for bonding. Even when it’s soft and subtle, touch can be powerful. The same is true during conflict. When in the midst of a heated fight, gentle touch…
continue reading »The Importance of Touch in Building Family – Part 1
Touch is very important in building healthy family relationships. When a young child causes another one to be hurt, the parents often correct him and then say, “Go hug Johnny and tell him you’re sorry.” Many times, as soon as he touches his friend to give him a hug, big grins replace the scowls. If it’s…
continue reading »It’s Hard to Pray . . .
Have you ever been in the middle of family tension—i.e. a fight—just before a meal? Everybody sits down to an awkward silence because nobody wants to pray. It’s hard to pray in an angry atmosphere, especially if you are part of the ruckus. When the privilege falls to me, my first reaction is, “I don’t…
continue reading »It’s Hard to Be Angry When You’re Praying
“It’s hard to be angry when you’re praying.” At least that’s what somebody said last week without any further discussion of the subject. I tend to agree. Anger is counterfeit power. We resort to it when we don’t like something or we want something to happen and we’re not big enough to bring it about on…
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