Great quote from a bumper sticker:
"I'm CDO. It's like OCD,
but the letters are in alphabetical order
...as they should be."
Thursday, August 28, 2008
As they should be...
Monday, August 18, 2008
Wise Investments
The quote for the day comes from my all-too-witty wife, Gana, after discussing finances and asking that "Where is the money going? question:
"Braces are an investment, so that our kids can attract and marry doctors and lawyers. :)"
- - - -
PS. I actually have FOUR children in braces, and wonder why I feel dirt poor... ;-)
"Braces are an investment, so that our kids can attract and marry doctors and lawyers. :)"
- - - -
PS. I actually have FOUR children in braces, and wonder why I feel dirt poor... ;-)
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Waiting on a Woman
There is a great video on YouTube for the song "Waiting on a Woman" by Brad Paisley. It stars Andy Griffeth and has a beautiful, bittersweet ending. A must see.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvKgnkIN8C8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvKgnkIN8C8
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Just Say No
Just a few days after Josh & I went to Six Flags, a teenager lost his life at the same park in a tragic accident. Apparently the boy wanted to get to a ride quickly, and rather than taking the walkway, he decided to climb two 6-foot fences and ignore multiple signs warning him of danger. He was subsequently struck by a roller coaster and decapitated.
Now, the last thing I would want to do is add any burden on his poor parents, already terribly overwhelmed with grief. But so often I see children being raised in ways that (unintentionally) lead to trouble, sometimes tragic. We do not just raise children to be good to kids today, but also to be safe, wise & hopefully a blessing to the world tomorrow. As a basic starting point of that, they need to realize that many boundaries should not be crossed. Even if they whine or beg or plead, "but everyone ELSE has an XBox, and BY GOLLY, I'm HUNGRY and I want that Big Mac NOW!"
Please.
I was just in a conversation with a co-worker talking about the rules we place on our children. His notion was that only rules regarding safety were needed. Ok, so don't run across a busy street. That's a start. But what about respecting common decency, or the rights of others? What about rules to guide one in wisdom, growth, and health? What happens when his daughter wants to drop out of 9th grade because her 18-year-old boyfriend offered her a spot in his band?
And yes, we do want to teach kids to think for themselves, and to be brave & bold to explore. But there are some times in life when they also need to take a slice of humble pie, and recognize their boundaries.
The boy who lost his life at Six Flags may not have chosen death, but he did choose the path of death. How many young people today are making that same choice? And how do we guide them away from that? By teaching them that one critical lesson that every human needs to learn at some point: How to deal with the word "No".
Now, the last thing I would want to do is add any burden on his poor parents, already terribly overwhelmed with grief. But so often I see children being raised in ways that (unintentionally) lead to trouble, sometimes tragic. We do not just raise children to be good to kids today, but also to be safe, wise & hopefully a blessing to the world tomorrow. As a basic starting point of that, they need to realize that many boundaries should not be crossed. Even if they whine or beg or plead, "but everyone ELSE has an XBox, and BY GOLLY, I'm HUNGRY and I want that Big Mac NOW!"
Please.
I was just in a conversation with a co-worker talking about the rules we place on our children. His notion was that only rules regarding safety were needed. Ok, so don't run across a busy street. That's a start. But what about respecting common decency, or the rights of others? What about rules to guide one in wisdom, growth, and health? What happens when his daughter wants to drop out of 9th grade because her 18-year-old boyfriend offered her a spot in his band?
And yes, we do want to teach kids to think for themselves, and to be brave & bold to explore. But there are some times in life when they also need to take a slice of humble pie, and recognize their boundaries.
The boy who lost his life at Six Flags may not have chosen death, but he did choose the path of death. How many young people today are making that same choice? And how do we guide them away from that? By teaching them that one critical lesson that every human needs to learn at some point: How to deal with the word "No".
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Six Flags Day
I took Josh to Six Flags yesterday, and we had a fun time there. For Josh, the thrill of the water rides and roller coasters made the day. As an adult, I've lost the romance of waiting in line for one hour, to enjoy 2 minutes of being jostled around, but the one-on-one time was good.
This is a new parenting approach that Gana has taught me: I used to think that treating all the kids identically was essential, hence I wouldn't think of going to Six Flags unless all could go. But now we're doing more one-on-one activities, to let each child know how special they are. And to my surprise, the kids seem happy with that. Since each child is different, they usually want to do very different activities anyways.
One Six Flags life-saver: bringing along water bottles. I can't believe how much water we drank, and although the food/drink prices are outlandish, the food stands are happy to load you up with ice water.
This is a new parenting approach that Gana has taught me: I used to think that treating all the kids identically was essential, hence I wouldn't think of going to Six Flags unless all could go. But now we're doing more one-on-one activities, to let each child know how special they are. And to my surprise, the kids seem happy with that. Since each child is different, they usually want to do very different activities anyways.
One Six Flags life-saver: bringing along water bottles. I can't believe how much water we drank, and although the food/drink prices are outlandish, the food stands are happy to load you up with ice water.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
So that you may be fruitful...
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful...Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." John 15:1-4
"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." Hebrews 12:5-6
Friday, March 21, 2008
Cry for Justice
For the past year, God has been bringing the concept of "Justice" before me again and again, in many different ways and from many different sources. It's like a school teacher telling a child, 'Now pay attention, you're going to need this one.' I have no idea where it's going, but it keeps coming up. Much of those thoughts seemed to coalesce in a sermon series delivered by our pastor, Crawford Loritz, over the winter.
Take, for instance, his talk on racial justice. It was a tricky talk to give, as he happens to be an african american pastor of a (mostly) white church, and he admitted he did not want to come across as "scolding us". He wisely presented it in the form of a dialogue, between himself and an associate pastor, Monty Watson. I think the highlight of that talk came when Monty asked Crawford, "So, what is it that african americans want of white people? Do we owe an apology, or what?" There was a slight pause, as you realized that this was probably the crux of the dialogue, than Crawford gave a great answer (and I am paraphrasing here, based on memory)."No," he said, "it's not that anyone owes anyone else an apology. After all, most of the offenses done against african americans were committed long ago by people long since dead. But what many of us in the african american community want is a realistic understanding of the weight of the sin, of those offenses in the past. Many white people talk about the good old days with a pollyannaish view that everything was great in the past, as they are only aware of what white people experienced. For african-americans, the experience was quite different."
That comment struck me that morning, as I could definitely relate to it. The early part of the century was indeed a pretty good time...if you were white. I was reminded of that again this morning, listening to a personal essay given on NPR. The speaker was Mary Ellen Noone, and her story was recorded as part of StoryCorps Griot, an initiative that collects the recollections of black Americans.
In her story, we see a glimpse of the other side of life, where the absence of basic humanity in the ill treatment of others cries out for justice. And in seeing that, we can better understand some of the scars that still remain.
You can read her story on NPR by clicking here. To listen to it, just click on the "Listen Now" button. It is hard to hear, but it is important.
Take, for instance, his talk on racial justice. It was a tricky talk to give, as he happens to be an african american pastor of a (mostly) white church, and he admitted he did not want to come across as "scolding us". He wisely presented it in the form of a dialogue, between himself and an associate pastor, Monty Watson. I think the highlight of that talk came when Monty asked Crawford, "So, what is it that african americans want of white people? Do we owe an apology, or what?" There was a slight pause, as you realized that this was probably the crux of the dialogue, than Crawford gave a great answer (and I am paraphrasing here, based on memory)."No," he said, "it's not that anyone owes anyone else an apology. After all, most of the offenses done against african americans were committed long ago by people long since dead. But what many of us in the african american community want is a realistic understanding of the weight of the sin, of those offenses in the past. Many white people talk about the good old days with a pollyannaish view that everything was great in the past, as they are only aware of what white people experienced. For african-americans, the experience was quite different."
That comment struck me that morning, as I could definitely relate to it. The early part of the century was indeed a pretty good time...if you were white. I was reminded of that again this morning, listening to a personal essay given on NPR. The speaker was Mary Ellen Noone, and her story was recorded as part of StoryCorps Griot, an initiative that collects the recollections of black Americans.
In her story, we see a glimpse of the other side of life, where the absence of basic humanity in the ill treatment of others cries out for justice. And in seeing that, we can better understand some of the scars that still remain.
You can read her story on NPR by clicking here. To listen to it, just click on the "Listen Now" button. It is hard to hear, but it is important.
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