Don’t Advertise Your Suffering

There are two things people do that almost universally put people off, and I’m afraid I am guilty of both: Bragging too much about…

Come, Sail Away

We here in Atlanta are bracing ourselves for a winter storm today & tomorrow. Our track record on handling such events is not…failure-free, let’s say. (Just google “Atlanta snowpocalypse”)

Thoughtful Wishing

What do you want today?

A perfectly obedient toddler? Your boss to call in sick? A cool breeze on a hot day by the pool? A stiff drink? An actual chore done by your teen? Sex with your spouse?

The More We Protect, the Less We Prepare

“Adversity introduces a man to himself.” (Anonymous) Few things hurt like watching our children struggle. We see them encountering any kind of pain at all, and a wave of protective power surges within us—it feels like everything in us wants to shield them forever. Of course, this protection is obviously a huge part of parenting. […]

Why Kids Need to Struggle

My heart is hurting today. Does your mama heart or daddy heart ever hurt when you see your kid suffer or struggle? That’s what’s going on for me. You see, one of my kids has been on the receiving end of some unfair treatment, not getting something he deserves. Injustice strikes a nerve in me.  […]

Hard Things

There are many things that my wife and I pledged to do for our children since becoming parents. We want to provide them with a stable home life, a quality education, and a spiritual foundation. All of these things are, of course, works in progress, but I would say that we have done a decent […]

How Much Do You Care?

“How do you explain to a little child why you have to go to jail? Coretta has developed an answer. She tells them that daddy has gone to jail to help the people.” (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) One night during the Montgomery bus boycott, Dr. King received a late phone call just as he […]

The Power of Nonconformity

“The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority.” (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) Rosa Parks is often used as an example of what it means to be a true revolutionary. Her statement, “You do what […]

Frenemy Mine

“He who wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper.” (Edmund Burke) “Frenemy” is a portmanteau of “friend” and “enemy” that usually refers to a friend who is also a rival. Come to think of it, it might also be the best way to describe your boss, your […]

Live to Laugh Another Day

“The crisis of today is the joke of tomorrow.” (H.G. Wells) We’ve all had one of those days. One kid breaks his leg. Another fails her science midterm. The car won’t start. You miss your flight, and you spill coffee all over your laptop. It happens. You probably won’t laugh at the time, but one […]