Around this time of year, sweet cards fill the aisles of your local Rite-Aid or CVS, decorated with butterflies and flowers. Mother’s Day is on its way, and it seems like everyone in line has a bright bouquet of flowers and note to tuck into an envelope. But for… Read More

My friend seemed on top of the world. From where I was standing, it looked like she had the perfect life. At church, she was always joking and laughing. Whenever anyone asked how she was doing, she’d boom: Oh, I’m great. Everything’s going well. The kids are loving… Read More

I didn’t know my heart could be so full. One look at my newborn’s tiny face, and I knew all my future choices would revolve around how best to care and provide for that little one. As I studied those little hands and feet, I was struck by the great… Read More

Who needs to call a repairman when you have a father who is handy? Washer stopped spinning? Refrigerator making a weird noise? My dad was always happy to come over and save the day. Until the day he said No. I knew it wasn’t like Dad to refuse a chance… Read More

I can still see it: Dad standing on the bleachers in my middle school gymnasium, clapping his hands raw because his daughter had been named Student of the Month. I can also still see this: the empty space in the auditorium where Dad should have been to witness my… Read More

I open the front screen door and step tentatively inside. My eyes dart to where my sister sits on the couch with new, tanned skin and home-cut bangs. I want to tease her about her eternal compulsion to dye and cut her own hair on a whim, but I feel… Read More

In retrospect, my parenting résumé doesn’t look too bad. I’ve raised three kids into successful adults who now love and care for their own families. Everyone turned out okay, but sometimes that was despite me. I’ll never forget how angelic they looked when they were sleeping.  Shouldn’t it follow… Read More

She put her hands on her hips, and spat out, “All my friends think you’re cool, but they don’t know you like I do!” Then she turned and stomped up the steps. Ah, my first born. She was generally a rule-follower and very compliant, but I had apparently crossed some… Read More

Being a father has given me ample opportunity to reconsider my beliefs in light of Scripture. I was coached to be firm with my children: to hold boundaries and enforce obedience. These beliefs were underscored with biblical texts, “If you don’t punish your children, you don’t love them. If you… Read More

The drive was so familiar that, as I turned the corner, I was on autopilot. There it was. Our old house. As I looked at the house, a feeling of melancholy came over me. It wasn’t about the house, really. The house had a kitchen that was too small and… Read More