Do You Twitter (Yet)?

First came news of an infusion of $100 Million. Then statistics that show Twitter is still growing at a very fast clip.

A recent report by eMarketer.com says at least 18 million adults access Twitter on any given platform monthly. That’s a 200% increase over 2008 estimates! Additionally, eMarketer projects that Twitter users will total 26 million by next year.

Of course, not every user is a frequent user. Previous studies show that many people try Twitter once or twice – and then give up. Still, interest in the service is growing, and a financial model is being refined, so expect Twitter to stick around for some time to come.

I wonder if my readers use Twitter? And, do you read my Twitter feed (look in the top right hand corner)? Why not “follow me” for a while to see what this is all about?

Mentoring Makes The Difference!

Joe White has influenced tens of thousands of kids, pushing and inspiring them to love God with all their heart, and to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. My own children have benefited from Joe’s passion and winsome personality. His work at Kanakuk has been blessed by God, and his new organization, Men at the Cross, is growing like crazy. It is likely to impact someone you know in a significant way!

For a two day series on mentoring men and boys, Joe was joined in the studio by another friend, Jon Gibson, who has devoted his life to helping others.  Jon has served on the boards of Prison Fellowship’s InnerChange Freedom Initiative, MentorKids USA and the Christian Association of Youth Mentoring. He has a huge heart, and after spending only a few minutes with him, you’ll discover what a terrific man he is. Together, Joe and Jon described the need for Christian men to mentor others, and outlined how they are committed to helping the next generation find help through mentors.

And if you’d like to learn more about mentoring, watch this great video clip featuring Dr. Howard Hendricks.

When Your Spouse Believes Differently

There are many individuals who have found come to faith in Christ as adults. When that happens to a married person, it can come as a shock or surprise to their spouse, who often isn’t eager to embrace this new spirituality.  They’ll dismiss it as a fad or wonder if their husband or wife is trying to play a game of sorts in an effort to change them.

Of course, there are some great stories of those who’ve seen a complete change of heart as God’s transforming power works in their lives.  I don’t think there’s a more powerful story so calmly told as that of well-known author and speaker Lee Strobel and his wife Leslie.  They shared a tremendous story with their church body and followed up with a Q & A session in this recording. There are some similarly-themed clips from a previous Focus on the Family broadcast with Nancy Sebastian Meyer at the link, too.

Faith and Hard Times

We’re either having troubles in life, or we will have troubles soon enough. That’s what one friend is fond of saying, and he is certainly right. None of us escapes life’s challenges, from physical illness to financial pressures to relational discord. Here’s the story of a family who found faith carrying them through some very difficult times. Comfort and encouragement for those who are hurting.

Understanding and Reaching Gen Y

Maybe you have children in their 20s? Or you work with someone in that “Generation Y” demographic? Here’s a thoughtful, engaging conversation about how to reach Gen Y – what they value, how they relate to the messenger AND the message. Takes about 20 minutes, and the interview begins around the 3:20 mark. The stats alone make it worth your while, although there’s much more here.

Favorite Christmas Memory?

Have a favorite Christmas memory? Share your brief story with us, and maybe with the world! Details here.

I’m Busy, How About You?

Five kids at home means five potential activities or events, at five different times, in five different directions. It means a very, very busy wife who seems to live in the van, eats every meal on the run, gets up before everyone else in the home, is glued to the computer screen, is buried under medical receipts and invoices. Dad attending to house and yard work, cars needing service and repair, appliances that are dying, piles of financial paperwork.

The Fuller household is busy! And “busy” is an understatement. At times we just know the wheels are going to come off, that we’ll hit a wall and collapse, that somehow we’re going to miss something very important…we just don’t know what or where. We are needing some margin in life right now, but not going to get it anytime soon. Can you relate?

Enter a concept called,”margin.” Dr. Richard Swenson’s premise is that in our modern culture we have pushed life too fast and too hard, that we have too much going on. We’ve overloaded and paying a price. His analogy is the written page. Consider a book – or even a computer display. Fatigue sets in if you try to read a book which has type running across the entire page. It takes effort to sort through all the text. It drains us to try to decipher that much information.

Dr. Swenson suggests that is what we do with life. We cram activity into every nook and cranny of life. We lack “margin,” and there is a price to be paid for that. Get the book, read it and try to apply the principles. You’ll be glad you did.

And if you think you’re busy, check out this article WSJ article about the Duggars, who are expecting child #19.  Yikes! Can you imagine what it is like to manage that household? How much driving around there is? Frankly, I’m really grateful that the writer thinks highly of this incredible family, and that there’s admiration and gratitude, not a condescending attitude about having so many children.

Lego Heaven?

We’ve been parents for 21 years, and Legos have been a continual fixture in our home for nearly as long. I’d think most kids have at least one Lego playset, even if only a modest collection of pieces. And I’ll guess that almost every parent has had the misfortune of stepping on one of these little pieces while walking through a dark hallway or play area at night – ouch!

Our Lego buckets have, I don’t know, maybe 3,000 pieces. We’ve made a lot of different things with these snap-together plastic bricks. The kids have enjoyed creating vehicles, ships, spacecraft, bridges, weapons, giants, houses, skyscrapers, and various geometric shapes. Sometimes we keep these expressions of design genius together for days, sometimes we break ‘em all down right away – so we can start fresh on the next big thing.

I don’t think we’ll ever be “Lego-maniacs,” despite our love for this wonderful toy. But if we ever feel a need to go overboard and really do something zany to show our affections for them, here’s one idea we’ll keep in mind.

What about you? Did you play with Legos as a kid, do you have ‘em in your home, or…?

(UPDATE with this link to yet another cool thing to do with Legos.)

Forgiveness In Your Marriage

Maybe you saw the recent webcast featuring Gary Smalley and Ted Cunningham, in which they shared powerful concepts and practical ideas for couples in need of forgiveness. Here’s the link to see the entire video. Some great stuff here that will benefit every marriage.

Tony Dungy: Making The Situation Better

Inspirational, focused and redemptive. Those are just three words that describe Tony Dungy. In case you missed it, here’s an article about the Super Bowl-winning NFL coach and best-selling author. One of several good quotes from the interview:

In visits with prisoners, he says, “What I look for, [is] ‘What do you want to do from here?’ That’s something my dad used to tell me all the time. When you’re in a situation you can complain about it, you can feel sorry for yourself, you can do a lot of things. But how are you gonna make the situation better?”

Mr. Dungy, a former broadcast guest on Focus on the Family, also shared about his mentoring work with Michael Vick, who is trying to re-start a successful career as a professional football player after spending time in prison for dog-fighting/killing.

And if you’re a fan of Tony Dungy, consider getting this audio interview (on CD). Good listening for every football fan, busy dad and aspiring athlete!

Next Page →