Category Archives: Relationships

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Fathers Be Good To Your Daughters

Last night I had the pleasure of taking my daughter to a local Daddy/Daughter Dance. It’s something we’ve been doing since she was three years old (she’s eight now) and we look forward to spending this special night together every year. We get all dressed up – she wears a special dress and I wear a three-piece suit – and I give her the gift of my presence all evening long.

Dancing On Daddy's Shoes

We had a great time talking in the car on the way there, sharing a meal together in the gymnasium, getting our picture taken, and dancing (of course). I’m always thrilled to get the opportunity to spend time with my daughter and hear of her hopes, dreams, troubles, and achievements. She’s a really amazing and beautiful girl with a personality that takes over a room and I couldn’t be prouder :-)

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What I Learned From Pam

A couple days ago, I went to a friend’s funeral visitation. She was a special lady that I met over 11 years ago where we attended the same local church. Always kind, with a loving embrace and smiling eyes, Pam never let you leave her presence feeling unwanted. She was an enthusiastic supporter of mine way before I deserved the confidence she placed in me as a leader and unfailingly offered her time and talent to support the student ministry that I was tasked with directing.

What I Learned From Pam

I remember how much she cared for all of the young adults in our group and how much they loved her. There were so many nights when she and her husband hosted us at their house and shared their lives with us in such an authentic and caring way. You see, she was a rare person who understood the value of always being true to who she was even though we were steeped in an environment that rewarded posers.

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Are You Allowing Your Circumstances To Define You?

I recently found myself surprised by a phone call from an old friend. She was hysterical at the discovery of her husband cheating on her. “What happened, Jeremy?” she asked. “Why did he do this to me? And what about our kids? Doesn’t he care about our family? How is this going to affect them? What am I supposed to do now? Do I stay? Do I go?” Wow. That was some phone call, friends.

Sad Woman

Her hurt was palpable, and understandably so. She had been betrayed by her spouse. She had been rejected by the one she pledged to love for a lifetime. And in the middle of it all, he had accused her of being the reason for his destructive actions. Would these circumstances be the end of their relationship? Or would this situation precipitate a different outcome? It all depends on how they decide to define what’s happening. 

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What’s In A Name?

Baby FaceWhile preparing for the arrivals of our two children, my wife and I realized that one of the single most important responsibilities we had as parents was to give our kids a name. There were so many options! With all the books and the internet websites dedicated to the name game it would have been easy to get overwhelmed in the overload of information and get caught up in the competition with other parents for the most “original” name this planet has ever seen. But we arrived at the conclusion pretty early on that there was no way we were going to name our children something just because it sounded good or because no one else had picked it. No, we knew that names should have meaning and purpose. So, what’s in a name? Well, it turns out that names are one of the most important aspects of vision and dream fulfillment in a person’s life.

Names are important because they set a banner over the heads of our children announcing to the world who they are and what they are to become. Names are like one or two word visions that follow us around for the duration of our lives.