Two Girls, Two Hearts

Touching story out of Texas about sisters who need new hearts.

Friday Five: The Kids

We’re richly blessed with six children. Only five remain in the home – our oldest is in college. Sometimes I get questions from folks about our family, and “how is everyone doing?” In the spirit of answering that question – even if you didn’t ask it – I offer this snapshot of the kids. The children at home, that is, since that college student has his own life going on…

  1. Seth is 17 and has been sidelined this winter by a pretty bad foot injury. He had surgery in late December and is in a cast for another two months. He is handling the difficulty pretty well. I think the extra attention from girls is making that a bit easier to deal with. We’ve seen been some good spiritual growth in the ordeal and we’re pleased with the physical progress, too!
  2. Allie, a high school freshman, recently participated in her first speech competition. She had a partner, and their hard work paid off with some good scores. She continues to grow in her artistic endeavors, and seems to have a flair for the creative.
  3. Our other teen, Saige is our community organizer. She is gifted as a leader and planner, and has a gift of connecting with others. She has a heart for those who don’t know Christ, and it is fun to watch God helping her develop that.She loves to sing, too.
  4. At 10, Tauvi has a pretty good life. She has neighborhood friends, and is an extrovert extraordinaire. She is also quite happy to sit and read. Pretty easy kid to love.
  5. Our youngest, Zane, is a never-ending source of joy and fun. He is 5, and any parent with a 5 yr-old boy will tell you that these kids don’t stop until they conk out in bed at night. Such is the case for our Z-Man. He enjoys playing make-believe, and today he was wearing his “Captain Hook” hook hand, explaining to others that his hand got cut off and he had to wear this hook contraption.

“Never a dull moment,” is what I am fond of saying. I know some parents who, at this age, are dealing with empty nests. Not so here. Dena and I will have a long time before we have to cross that bridge. In the meantime, we are working away (seemingly every moment of every day) on ways to bring these blessings up “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). And trying to soak in all the joy we can along the way.

Kurt Warner Interview

There is a lot of press surrounding the Super Bowl. Not much going this in-depth, though! A few years back Dr. Dobson interviewed Kurt and Brenda Warner. It was a really engaging and energetic conversation, and the Warners shared from their hearts about life, love and yes, football. Hear it here.

Parents on Facebook?

Here’s a site every parent with a teen or college student should check out. The Facebook phenomena is something you can and should be knowledgable about, these tips are a good starting point.

BTW, I’m on Facebook o keep up with a couple of my own children. I’ve enjoyed meeting some of their friends, and seeing some of the photos and updates they post!

Financial Questions? Forum Today, 3:30-5:30 (Eastern)

Questions about retirement, debt and investing are regular topics of conversation. But, what are the right answers to these questions? On Thursday January 29, 3:30-5:30pm (EST) you’ll have the opportunity to find out!

Watch online as financial experts Ron Blue and Jeremy White join us for a special forum event. Call 1-888-465-6595 to have Ron and Jeremy answer your questions. Or, join Focus on the Family’s Marriage forum and post a question for our guests.

Was Winning 100-0 Wrong?

When the Dallas Academy girls basketball team took the court against the Covenant School of Dallas (another private school), they had not won a game in the last four years.  Their school, rather than focusing on sports, boasts of its small class sizes and specializes in teaching students struggling with “learning differences,” such as short attention spans or dyslexia. They really weren’t expecting to win this game against one of the conferences top teams, but they also weren’t expecting the outcome of the game.

Covenant finished the first quarter up 35-0 and held a 59-0 lead at halftime. They pushed the final score to 100-0. The head of Covenant, Kyle Queal, formally apologized to Dallas Academy saying that he “regrets … the outcome of the game with the Dallas Academy Varsity Girls Basketball team. It is shameful and an embarrassment that this happened. This clearly does not reflect a Christ-like and honorable approach to competition.”  The school forfeited their final game against Dallas Academy as a gesture of apology, but Dallas Academy had already withdrawn their team from conference play for the rest of the season.

Micah Grimes, the coach of Covenant’s girls team, was in his fourth season at the school and had taken the team from a 2-19 record in his first season to a state championship contender last season.  On Sunday, he posted the following opinion on a popular basketball website:

“I respectfully disagree with the apology, especially the notion that the Covenant School girls basketball team should feel ‘embarrassed’ or ‘ashamed.’  We played the game as it was meant to be played and would not intentionally run up the score on any opponent. Although a wide-margin victory is never evidence of compassion, my girls played with honor and integrity and showed respect to Dallas Academy.”

Coach Grimes was fired Sunday because of the situation.

Now there are more details to the story, and apparently conflicting recollections about the intensity with which Covenant played, especially during the second half of the game. But this is a touchy one for me. I have a son who plays high school basketball. I want him to play well, and to exhibit a Christ-like attitude on the court. And winning is preferable to losing, for players, coaches and parents. That said, I’m not sure how I would react if I saw this kind of game in person…

So how do you feel about this? Submit a comment and let me know. Was this an example of unsportsman-like conduct?  Is it “Christian” to let up and not do your best?  Is it “Christian” to continue to score points when the other team has yet to score even one?  Should the coach have been fired? What would you have done if you were the coach?

What would you have done?

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Fireproof Your Marriage?

The little movie that could. That’s an apt description for the film, Fireproof. Released last year, it grossed millions, and more importantly to the producers, touched millions. Thousands of marriages have been significantly impacted by the movie’s message. Read stories about changed lives here.

And listen to the producers, along with Kirk Cameron, who starred in the film, here.

Benefits of Preschool?

I read this article about the benefits of a preschool education. Although I admit it makes some sense, I’m still skeptical. We’re avid home schoolers…we certainly aren’t interested in accelerating a child’s entrance into a classroom.

Only our youngest has been in preschool, and that’s just because of the benefots for his particular special need. We’re not at all sold on the idea of “early is better.” Interestingly, this author’s look at the data seems to suggest that there are few, if any, lasting effects of preschool.

I’m very curious about your reactions. What evidence, scientific or anecdotal, do you have to share about preschool?

Someday, “Granpa John?”

Although it’ll be several years before I can claim grandparent status, here’s a fun read about the ways in which Boomers are trying to stake out their preferred titles. I like “Granpa John,” I think.

Online Forum Today on Sexuality

Here’s a tough subject to tackle, but shedding light on it can only help. Today from 3-5 p.m. Eastern Focus’ online forum will host a conversation about the ways in which pornography has affected marriages. We’ll have licensed counselors available for you to interact with about porn addictions – and healthy sexuality.

Here’s the link for details.

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