Men At The Cross in San Antonio

My friend Joe White will be in San Antonio Saturday, speaking along with several others to men, sharing a vision for discipleship, being effective for Christ, and encouraging the next generation of Christian leaders. It’ll be a powerful time! Details here.

Parenting Autism

I have an autistic son. Although Zane continues to progress very well, his autism remains a significant part of his life. He has plenty of what I refer to as “autistic moments,” times when he gets stuck on some detail of life and seems to be unable to pull away from it, times when he asks questions – really strange questions – that remind me his brain doesn’t process information like mine does, times when he gets unusually frustrated about something that most kids would not think twice about. And while he is only six, I do sometimes wonder what life will be like for him when he is an adult. I pray he will live a fulfilling, independent life – and that he will know God.We just don’t know, however, what the coming years have for Zane.

The other day I saw this post in the New York Times, and as I read it I was really touched. It seems to capture, both candidly and rather beautifully, what parenting an adult with autism is like. My heart goes out to Laura Shumaker, the author, and to every parent of an adult special needs child. Such a calling is difficult and at times exhausting…and also an assignment from God to help us know His heart better.

NFL Draft and Tim Tebow

Alright, I’m not a big follower of the NFL draft. While I do read about the prospects and picks, I don’t make projections, I don’t count down the days until the draft and I don’t skip work to watch the drama unfold on television. But since Focus and Tim Tebow worked so closely on that Super Bowl ad, I decided today to see what the press is saying about the gifted quarterback.

Of the articles I read, this one stood out. It speaks highly of Tim’s work ethic and desire to excel. I thought it reflected well on Tim, his parents, and the God who gave Tim the tools to be a football player.

So I guess I WILL watch the draft, with all its drama, if only to see what doors God opens for Tim.

BTW, Focus President Jim Daly has a post here about Tim Tebow and his principles.

WIR, April 16

This past week we enjoyed some great radio conversations:

In addition, our radio team was in Dallas, Texas earlier this week for some live radio. Here’s a slideshow of just some of the activities from that time. We’ll be doing this a number of times in the coming months, and you can see if we’re coming to your city here.

Good Friday Reflections

You’re a busy person. You have lots on your plate. And you are moving in the fast lane, so fast that you’re speeding toward Easter. You’re looking forward to celebrating the resurrection.

You need to stop. In this world, we want to avoid suffering. We skim through the news and utter short “Lord, keep me safe” prayers. Even during this very spiritual season, we don’t take the time to stop, really consider the Cross, and thank our Lord for His supreme sacrifice.

So we – you and I – probably need to slow down, and ponder, reflect, meditate upon the One who suffered for us. For me.

Here’s a powerful recollection, by a truly gifted communicator, about the reason for Christ’s suffering.

And if you yourself are suffering through the loss of someone close, or an unexpected trial at work, or maybe a relational conflict that is consuming all your time and energy…listen in. You’ll hear some compelling thoughts about how God redeems suffering.

New Webcast Launches Today!

Your Family Live! launches today live Noon-1 p.m. MT, with Yvette Maher, Juli Slattery and guests Jill Savage, Tammy Maltby, Jennifer McKinney and TobyMac. Live calls and forum questions about balancing the busyness of motherhood. Here’s where to see this exciting new telecast.

Reading Harry

My 15 year-old asked me last night if she can read the Harry Potter books. I know the pros and cons of saying yes, and I am sure my decision will offend someone.

After remembering some excellent opinions from Chuck Colson and Plugged In and further personal deliberation, and after seeing one or two of the Potter movies, I told my daughter she can read the books. She was quite happy and gave me a big hug!

This was a matter of letting go, just a bit, so my daughter can exercise discernment and can apply some of the values and truth-training we’ve given her. She is, after all, almost 16. And I think that as a result of this decision we’ll have some good conversations about the Potter worldview, Truth and life.

I wonder if you’ve allowed – or prohibited – your kids from reading Harry Potter? If so, why? And if they’ve read the books, are you pleased with your decision?

The Meaning Of The Week

On my way to work this morning I listened to Chuck Swindoll on the radio. What a timely message, all about the days leading up to Good Friday and Easter. “Don’t miss the obvious” is Dr. Swindoll’s reminder. In this sermon he shared about the importance of Christ’s mission on this earth: He came to suffer. He came to die. He came for us.

Listen here, and be reminded about the true meaning of this week.

Two Weeks Of Grace

Grace…it was two weeks of pure grace in our lives. About 18 years ago our little (at the time) family endured quite a few mishaps and no small amount of misfortune. During that time, we experienced God’s grace in some amazing ways. The year was 1992, and my journal entries reveal the saga:

o Tues – Dakota (3 years old at the time) fell off the playground equipment at Portal Park, hitting his head on a concrete culvert intended for kids to crawl through. He was taken to an emergency care facility and x-rays showed minimal swelling. Pretty scary for his parents, though!

o Wed – Dakota now has a virus, with a high fever

o Thurs – Dakota still has that virus

o Fri – Seth, 5 months old, has the virus now, and slept little last night

o Sat – Seth has a fever, almost 104 degrees. While at the pharmacy for his medicine, I started feeling poorly.

o Sun (Super Bowl) – I’ve got the virus and stay in bed, Dakota feeling weak. Dena is SuperMom.

o Mon – Dena has the virus, and with little sick time accrued, I go in late. She hangs on through the day.

o Tues – Dena a bit better, but now has an infection.

o Wed – Dena’s infection intensifies.

o Thurs – Today we avoid disaster, and maybe this season of physical ailments is over?

o Fri – All quiet. We are hopeful for an uneventful weekend.

o Sat – Nice day, we go to Garden of the Gods city park for some sunny relaxation. Dena’s first time out of the house in a week!

o Sun – Five minutes before leaving for church, Dena is frantic. “He swallowed it! He swallowed it!” I try to calm her down as she searches around the bed for…a hair barrett. No trace of the 3½ inch hair clip, and so we call the pediatrician. The pediatrician suggests an x-ray, so we head to the hospital. The x-rays show that he did indeed swallow the thing, and we wait almost four hours for a surgeon and team to extract the clip. We are on the phone to Texas friends and family, feeling anxious. Greg and Tami, local friends, “happen” to be touring the hospital for the upcoming birth of their second child — and when I hear Greg’s voice I felt as though God were sending me a tangible reminder of His love and sovereignty. Co-workers Steve and LuAnne come by with sandwiches – quite welcome since we had skipped lunch. Seth became a bit of a local celebrity as we waited for surgery – “there’s the little boy who swallowed a hair barrett!” What could have been a tragic incident turned out to be an easy problem for God to care for. Seth made it with no problems through surgery and recovery! We head home 12 hours after we arrived at the hospital. Within a few days, we were surrounded with love. Our friends Fred and Cynthia sent $100 for “medical bills.” We received encouraging long distance calls from other folks. We were deeply touched by the kindness and generosity of so many.

Looking back, I am almost moved to tears as I recall the trials and difficulties! What a time for our family! We endured much, and probably aged a few years just in that two week’s time.  With no other choice, really, we relied on God’s abundant grace through it all. And we never doubted His care for us and His ability to show Himself, even in our weaknesses.

All of that brings to mind the verse, 2 Corinthians 12:9, in which God assures us that it is in our weaknesses that He delights to show Himself:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

I’m so glad for the way God showed us the truth of that verse, even though it was a hard lesson to grab onto. These days, when we hit a rough stretch in life, we look back and know – beyond a shadow of a doubt – that He is able, and willing, and caring…especially when we are unable and weak.

By the way, I still have the hair barrett. And Seth still has his “dime slot” scar just above his belly button. A couple of tangible reminders of the two weeks of grace.

Love Your Wife

“Live with your wives in an understanding way…” I Peter 3:7

A good buddy of mine is a smooth operator.  He designed matching wedding rings, makes his wife photo collages; he’s “that guy” from the famous diamond campaign.  Recently, I suggested he should give the rest of us knuckleheads some lessons.

His wife piped up and said, “Do you know what my husband does?  Almost every night, he sits on the bathroom floor while I’m brushing my teeth and talks to me.  He tells me about his day.  He asks me about my day.  By the time we get to bed, he’s talked with me for at least an hour.”

The conversation immediately moved past good-natured ribbing.  I remembered that two years ago my friend had shared that their bed time routine was a point of contention in his marriage.  He got ready for bed much faster than his wife; couldn’t figure out what took her so long. Most of the time, he’d be asleep well before she was even out of the bathroom.  Frustrating.  Somewhere along the way, he set aside his pride and chose to recognize this as an opportunity to serve.  Sacrificing some sleep, he now sits on the floor while she brushes her teeth.  He connects with her; her life, her thoughts, her day.

I Peter 3:7 exhorts husbands to “live with your wives in an understanding way.”  What does that verse really mean?  What does that look like?  Poetry, pictures, and romance are nice, but Peter was probably talking about gifts of a different kind, like sacrifice and service.  He was probably talking about getting out of bed, sitting on the floor, and connecting with our brides.

Realizing my buddy had turned a struggle in his marriage into a strength made me more convinced he should be giving lessons. Then I wondered, who would be open to learning from him?  How many men are willing to get out of bed and sit on the bathroom floor to make their wife feel special?  Am I?  Are you?  If not, then don’t claim I Peter 3:7.  If you are, then get ready to do whatever it takes.

This is not about cookie-cutter solutions.  Prepare to serve and, over time, get ready for God to turn struggle in your marriage into strength.  But, be careful…sitting on the bathroom floor might change your bed time routine more than you think.

(With gratitude to my friend Trace, who shared this powerful example with me)

← Previous Page — Next Page →