Elevator Buttons Elevator Buttons
Parenting

Elevator Buttons

“Friends are like elevator buttons,” says my friend Brian Moore. “They’ll take you up or they’ll take you down…Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future,” he says. “New friends will meet you…

History Gives Permission History Gives Permission
Parenting

History Gives Permission

Years ago, I had a debate with a good friend about how much of your past you share with your kids. He’d used a fair amount of drugs while in school and thought, “I need…

Teenager Troubles Teenager Troubles
Parenting

Teenager Troubles

  The parental goal for the teenage years is to get them through it. Every now and then, we hear some amazing story of a teenager who’s public about their faith, helping others, and walking…

Raising Kids in the Faith Raising Kids in the Faith
Parenting

Raising Kids in the Faith

As I launched my new Radical Mentoring Group last week, I heard it again . . . “I want to raise good kids . . . kids that will believe in Jesus and follow Him.”…

Developing a Family Constitution Developing a Family Constitution
Parenting

Developing a Family Constitution

The U.S. Constitution stands as one of the most brilliant pieces ever written. It dances gracefully on the edge between law and grace. Freedom and responsibility. It’s the ultimate arbiter of disputes in our local,…

Teaching Compassion to Your Kids (Part II) Teaching Compassion to Your Kids (Part II)
Parenting

Teaching Compassion to Your Kids (Part II)

Here’s the last half of “10 Things you must teach your kids about compassion” from All Pro Dad1   6.   Furry Friends Do you have a family pet? Animals teach many great qualities. Compassion is…

Teaching Compassion to Your Kids (Part I) Teaching Compassion to Your Kids (Part I)
Parenting

Teaching Compassion to Your Kids (Part I)

Suffering with another person shows you care about them. In the communities where we grew up, everyone showed compassion when someone was sick or hurt or their house burned down. People chipped in, cooked food,…

Dinner Together Dinner Together
Parenting

Dinner Together

I can count things my wife has been insistent about on one hand, but dinner together was always one. “When will you be home?” she’d ask. “I’m tied up…it’s going to be a little while”…

Daddy and the Checkered Flag Daddy and the Checkered Flag
Parenting

Daddy and the Checkered Flag

It’s crazy how much influence our dads have on us. If they’re involved in our lives, they shape us at the core. If they’re not, their absence shapes us at the core. No one escapes…

How Will You Define ‘Normal’? How Will You Define ‘Normal’?
Parenting

How Will You Define ‘Normal’?

Mentoring young husbands and fathers gives me the chance to hear lots of people’s stories. I love guys in their early 30’s. They’re young and energetic, yet they’ve begun to know what they don’t know….