Thinking About A Tragedy
By now everyone is likely well aware of the events of July 4th in Nashville, TN, when former NFL star Steve McNair and his 20 year old girlfriend, Sahel Kazemi, died in what appears to be a shocking and tragic murder-suicide. Below are some thoughts. It’s a tragedy … … that two lives have ended so senselessly … that the ultimate price was paid – and for what? … that the circumstances surrounding these deaths are so dark and twisted … that a grieving wife is left to pick up the shattered pieces of a lifelong commitment … that a …
Dan Allender Quote
“What does it mean to be a man who leads? It means you repent first, you allow yourself to be broken first.”
4 Essential Elements for Parenting
Listed below are what Dennis Rainey describes as the 4 essential elements for parenting. I caught this a while ago on a Family Life Today radio broadcast and wanted to share them here. It makes a lot of sense and keeps it simple. Would love to hear thoughts, ideas, suggestions, etc. from all the Dads out there who have a whole lot more experience as parents than I do. I’m posting this minutes after coming in from outside, playing with my daughter (Summer, who is almost 3) and two of the neighbor kids. They were playing baseball and hockey… no, …
How's it going husbands?
I remember a thought I had before Nicol and I got married, when we hadn’t yet encountered any significant tests or trials, and when we certainly weren’t able to comprehend the meaning of marriage as the most effective tool in God’s sanctification tool box. My thought went something like this: Everyday, when I get out of bed, the way I’m going to start my day, the first thing I’m going to do, is kneel down beside the bed and pray for my wife and ask God to bless her and our marriage. A rather ideal thought, huh? Nicol jokes that …
It's A Slow Fade
This morning I was driving along I-24 in TN and tuned in to the FISH station in Nashville. The song that was playing was Slow Fade by Casting Crowns. Oh man, does this song ever nail it! One of the things I absolutely love and respect about the music CC has been putting out is that it is so incredibly REAL and HONEST and ACCURATE and TRUE-TO-LIFE and JUST WHAT I NEED TO HEAR. Slow fade? You betcha. I am aware more than ever, and I hope I am speaking with absolute honesty here, of the activity of the devil …
Doctor visits, Ice Cream and Life
A couple of weeks ago, our daughter (Summer) had her 15-month doctor’s visit. Praise God, she’s doing great! Part of the check-up included shots… five of them, in fact. I’m still not sure who was in more pain… Summer, Nicol, or me. Summer, as many of you can probably imagine, howled and cried as the nurse plunged each of the syringes into her legs and arms. So after it was all over, I asked her if she wanted to go get some ice cream. That perked her up a little bit and I think she started right then and there …
Leadership 101 – Part 10 – Patience
“If any are inclined to despond, because they do not have patience, let them be of good courage. It is in the course of our feeble and very imperfect waiting that God Himself, by His hidden power, strengthens us and works out in us the patience of the saints, the patience of Christ Himself.” –Andrew Murray If you were to ask my wife to list my strengths, I can assure you that patience probably would not make her Top 5. Sure, I get it right some of the time… with our 16-month-old daughter, even when she lets out a blood-curdling …
Leadership 101 – Part 9 – Integrity
Love Example Accountable Discipline Equip Respectable Servant Humility Integrity John Wesley once said, “Let your words be the genuine picture of your heart.” No games, no fronts, no facades please. Walk the walk, don’t just talk the talk. And don’t forget what Jesus said: “…whatever is in your heart determines what you say.” (Matthew 12:34b, NLT) I’m sure we can all think of times when words and actions have exposed the junk in our hearts… I sure can. I have a friend who told me not long ago that “a person either has integrity or he doesn’t.” His statement caught …
Leadership 101 – Part 8 – Humility
Love Example Accountable Discipline Equip Respectable Servant Humility Augustine thought that humility is rather important. “Humility,” he said, “is the foundation of all the other virtues; hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance.” In other words, if we’re not humble, there’s nothing genuine about the rest of our character. Strong words! J. Oswald Sanders agrees. “Humility is the hallmark of the spiritual leader. A leader’s humility should grow with the passing of years, like other attitudes and qualities.” So what does God’s Word have to say …
Leadership 101 – Part 7 – Servant
Love Example Accountable Discipline Equip Respectable Servant Of servant leadership, Warren Wiersbe says,”To put it plainly, shepherds serve their sheep. Shepherds know their sheep and can call them by name. They lead their sheep to places where they can find food, water, and shelter. They protect the sheep from enemies, they appy oil when the sheep have been cut or bruised, they enable the sheep to be useful in growing wool, providing milk, and reproducing after their kind. When any of the sheep go astray, the shepherd goes after them and seeks to bring them back.” Jesus referred to Himself …
