FREE BOOK!

I am giving away my newest novel on Amazon.com today and tomorrow (Dec. 8-9). Please help spread the word.

Christmas Hope - A Short Novel









My other novel is only $1.99: Christmas for the Family - A Short Novel











May these books bless and encourage you!

Christmas Hope - A Short Novel

I'd like to announce the publication of my second e-book, just in time for Christmas!

Christmas Hope - A Short Novel is now available through Amazon.com.

Here's the summary:

Not everyone is able to have a "Merry" Christmas. The Nelson family is about to learn this in a very personal way.

Tom, Jackie, Erin, and John Nelson are a typical modern family. As Christmas approaches, they have plans for a big family celebration, with fun gifts and even a cruise vacation beginning the day after Christmas.

Then tragedy strikes and everything changes.

In the midst of their struggles, Tom and Jackie seek counsel from their Christian neighbors, Matt and Annie Tyler. Will the Nelsons find the hope they desperately need?

Even if you don't have a Kindle device, you can download the Kindle Reader program for free to any computer, or download the Kindle app to your mobile device.

Click HERE to view this book on Amazon.com or to purchase a copy for yourself.

Free Resources from Whitaker Writings

I have a number of free resources available on my main website, www.whitakerwritings.com.

Click HERE to find some free articles that might encourage you today.

Click HERE to listen to some sermons I've preached.

Click HERE to listen to a seminar I gave a couple of years ago, "Handling Hardship with Hope." On that page I have also included pdf files of the handouts I prepared for that workshop.

May these resources bless and encourage you today!

Great Resources for Dads

As fathers, we want to help our children think through the many social, spiritual, and emotional issues they will face. How do we help them think biblically about peer pressure, internet usage, and a myriad of questions about dating and sex?

I have found some valuable resources that have blessed and equipped me to be a better father. Before I share them with you, I want to tell you that I am NOT receiving anything from promoting these resources. I am highlighting them simply because I've found them to be very helpful to me as a parent.

* www.just1clickaway.org - This site contains research by Josh McDowell about internet usage in our day and time. His well-researched statistics stunned me and helped me think about how I can help my own children stay safe online. [Additional note: On this site, I highly recommend you click on the "Resources" tab and then watch the video in the center of that screen. This is a talk Josh gave last year to the American Association of Christian Counselors and it is full of tremendous information for parents as well as other adults who work with teens.]

* The Bare Facts - This is a DVD and book resource from Josh McDowell. Again, he has done tremendous research, and has written this book primarily to teens (though I suggest parents should read/view it with their teens), covering a wide range of questions today's youth might ask about sex. (This resource can also be ordered from other places, including Amazon and Barnes&Noble.)

* Interviewing Your Daughter's Date - This book by Dennis Rainey (Family Life) has some great thoughts for Dads who have daughters approaching the dating age. This resource is also available on Amazon and Barnes&Noble and Christian Book Distributors.

If you're looking for more, you can find a number of great resources from Family Life and Focus on the Family and the National Fatherhood Initiative.

I pray these resources bless, encourage, and equip you and me, as we all seek to raise God-honoring kids.

Praying WITH and FOR our Families

As Christians, we know prayer is important. We tell others that prayer is important in our lives. But how good are we at actually PRAYING?

Do you agree that prayer is powerful and effective? If you are uncertain, here are the words of James 5:16: "…The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

Are we taking advantage of this tremendous power? Are we daily praying FOR the members of our family? Are we taking time to pray WITH our wives and children?

May I share some personal experiences?

*For too long I was timid about asking my wife if we could pray together. Wise friends of ours reminded us of the need to pray together daily. Since then we have been much better about praying together almost every night. In doing this, our hearts have been drawn together and God's power has been unleashed in our marriage and our family. We pray together for our work, our children, our finances, our extended family members, and so much more. We miss some nights here and there, and when we do, we feel it, and we quickly return to praying together again.

*My children will often share stories from the day, including challenges or problems they are facing. I always take time to listen and to help them think through the issue. Sometimes (I wish it were all the time) I am good about leading them to the Lord in prayer, committing the issue to Him and seeking His solution. The times I have prayed with them have turned out much better than the times I haven't. And my children are beginning to learn to go to God with their problems, which is a lifetime pattern I want them to follow.

*Every morning before school our family gathers for 10-15 minutes to read a few verses of Scripture and pray together for our day. We have a notebook of pictures: one part has pictures of our relatives; the other has pictures of missionaries for whom we've committed to pray. Every day, in addition to praying for ourselves, we pray for one person or family from this notebook. We don't succeed in doing this every day, but I'm very happy if we make four out of five. We have seen some great blessings out of this daily time together.

Men, our prayers don't have to be long to be effective. Even a prayer of "Please help me, Lord!" is something our Heavenly Father loves to hear from His children. We don't have to pray the "right" words to "get God to do what we want Him to do." All we have to do is lay our hearts before God. Sometimes I have prayed, "Lord, I'm not even sure how to pray for this, but I ask you to work in this situation and bring about what is best in Your eyes." And God answers these prayers.

Will you join me in committing to pray regularly WITH and FOR our wives and children?

How's Your Serve?

Men, if we want to have great marriages and strong families, we may need to work on our serve.

Am I serving my wife well? Am I taking time to listen to her? Am I conscientious about meeting her needs? Am I careful to avoid doing things that frustrate or marginalize her? See 1 Peter 3:7.

Am I serving my kids well? Am I disengaging from work so I can spend time with my kids? Am I turning off the television and the electronic devices so I can listen to them with my eyes as well as my ears? Am I asking questions about their lives and spending time doing things that are important to them? See Ephesians 6:4.

I have to admit: I still have a LONG way to go when it comes to improving my "serve." Maybe you do, too. If so, men, will you join me in committing to serve our wives and children a little better this week?

Do you remember what Jesus said about His purpose in coming to earth? In Mark 10:45 we read His words: "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." I want to follow Jesus' example and serve my family well. Will you do the same?

Finger Pointing

By nature we are great at pointing fingers of blame.

The pattern starts in early childhood. "Johnny, did you break this toy?" What is four-year-old Johnny's likely answer? "No," or "I was playing and it just broke," or "Tommy did it."

Indeed, children are naturally adept at blaming one another. Whenever I hear an argument among my children, they are quite skilled at pointing out one another's faults, and quite reluctant to admit any of their own faults.

As children grow, the finger-pointing may look a little more sophisticated, but it's still finger-pointing. "I wasn't really speeding - I was just going with the flow of traffic." "Everyone is talking bad about me." "My teacher didn't remind me about the test, so I got a bad grade." "My parents forgot to give me money for the field trip." "Well how was I supposed to know that was due today?" "My boss totally made up lies about me so he could fire me."

Do you see how seldom the finger points toward self? It's too busy pointing at others' faults.

Let's be honest: none of us can really get off the hook here, can we? How often is the "problem" really "my wife's fault"? How often is someone else to blame when the checks bounce or the project misses its deadline? How often are the circumstances "beyond my control"?

Through years of counseling people in marriage issues and parent/child issues - not to mention raising my own children - I have seen a lot of finger-pointing. I have seen very little willingness to accept personal fault. "I'm sorry, I failed to complete this project on time." "I'm sorry, I should not have been so critical." "Please forgive me for being so unkind."

The finger points in the direction we want people to move. When I point my finger at someone else to highlight their fault (whether or not it's true), I push them away. In contrast, when I point the finger at myself, admitting my own fault, I beckon other people to move closer to me.

Would our relationships possibly be stronger if we readily owned up to our own faults and sought forgiveness from people we hurt along the way?

For the Single Dads

Most of the posts on this blog tend to focus on men who are married with children. However, because I was a single father for 2 1/2 years after my first wife passed away, single dads always have a special place in my heart.

No matter what circumstances made you a single father, I want to give you some encouragement today. Whether you have your children all the time or you share custody with others, God has positioned you to have tremendous influence on your child or children. I want to encourage you to make the most of the opportunity you have.

There's no doubt: being a single parent is hard. Kids' needs are constant. Meeting those needs can be quite exhausting, especially if you're doing it alone. I recently reviewed a large number of e-mails I wrote during those years when I was a single dad, and to some of my most trusted family and friends I regularly vented frustrations with solo-parenting my two young children. In these e-mails I often sought affirmation of decisions I made, or advice on how to handle situations for which I could not find solutions - from bedtime battles to potty training to mealtime complaints.

Dear single dad, may I offer you some thoughts?

• Look to the Lord for help. God is our perfect Heavenly Father, and He is ready to help if you ask Him.
  

• Call on other people for advice. Our culture encourages fierce independence, but single parents cannot afford to muddle through this alone. Have a few trusted friends or family members that you can call or text or e-mail whenever you need advice.

• Spend time with good families. When in the presence of fellow parents you respect, learn all you can from the way they work with their children. Good parents will never mind your asking for words of wisdom. I gained many great ideas from wonderful fellow-parents all around me.

• If your parents were good role models, emulate them. If they were not, be honest about their shortcomings and learn from their mistakes. You may be the first God-honoring parent in your family lineage, so start a good pattern for future generations.

Being a single dad may not be easy, but you can do it. Some days it takes every ounce of energy just to survive through the day. But we really want to do much more than "get by." We want to follow Ephesians 6:4 and "bring [our children] up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." As you look to the Lord, He will give you the strength and grace to do this.

Loving When Prickly

In our marriages, we all have times when we become a bit prickly. A wife may draw back from her husband's gesture of tenderness. A husband may respond tersely to a simple question. Kind words are answered with words that are less than kind. A new topic of conversation is hindered by unresolved issues from a previous conversation.

If one spouse is prickly, it's very easy for the other spouse to become prickly in response. However, if you've tried that, you've probably learned (as I have) that this only makes things worse. Most often, both husband and wife descend into prickly solitude.

It's much better to deal with the prickliness and then move toward healthier interactions.

If I'm the one who is prickly, I have to work on my own attitude. I may need to take time to pray. I may need to humble myself before God and before my wife. I may need to confess some sin. I may need to take time to discern what is causing me to be prickly. No matter what, I want to soften my quills as quickly as possible so I can be a better husband.

If my wife is the one who is prickly, she will follow steps like this to deal with her own prickliness. As her husband, besides making sure I don't add to her prickliness by my own negative responses, I have found some very positive and loving ways I can help her.

• I can take time to patiently listen to my wife.  
• I may need to ask forgiveness for something I said or did, or for something I did not do but should have done.
• I can spend some uninterrupted time and attention with my wife. Her prickles may or may not have anything to do with me in particular, but as her husband my expressions of love and support will help her.
• I can offer some tender touch. If she's feeling lonely, I might rub her feet or massage her back. She may just need to snuggle in my arms for a while.
• I can speak some words of affirmation. If she's feeling down, or if she has been criticized, or if the kids' complaints have hurt her, she may need me to thank her for even some of the most mundane things she did during the day. She may need to hear again some of the many reasons I love and appreciate her.
• I can do something special for her. Perhaps I can take care of the kids so she can take an hour or so away from the demands of the house. Perhaps I can give her a night off from cooking or other household duties. 

These ideas are written from a man's perspective, but women who read this can switch the genders and apply these same thoughts toward helping their prickly husbands.

When our spouses get prickly, we want to reach out with tender actions and gracious words, showing great love and patience. After all, isn't that how God treats us? So often we turn away from Him, we bristle against His boundaries, we defiantly fold our arms or even shake our fist at Him - yet He continues to reach out to us in love and grace. Let's follow that model and show that kind of love to our spouses, too.

"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5:25).

The Secret for Good Relationships

I have found the secret to maintaining good relationships.

It's not really a new secret. In fact, it's not really a "secret" it all, because it's been in the Bible for thousands of years. Still, as simple as it is to talk about, it is one of the most difficult things to put into practice.

This secret has two sides. One side is humble apology; the other side is complete forgiveness.

In every strong family I have seen, apology and forgiveness are practiced wholeheartedly and regularly. When one spouse messes up, he or she is quick to realize it and apologize with true humility. The other spouse then has the opportunity to practice biblical forgiveness, not counting the sin against their spouse any longer (as God does with us, see Jeremiah 31:34 and Hebrews 8:12). Parents are quick to forgive repentant children. Children have practiced apology and forgiveness regularly with their parents and with their siblings.

The converse is also true, and perhaps easier to see. In families with strained bonds or broken relationships, unforgiveness is almost always a major factor. The wife has a long mental list of her husband's past failings, which she recites in every current argument. The husband likewise can point out all his wife's character flaws with great precision. The children are regularly reminded of the things they always do wrong, and the children have maintained similar lists about their parents. Criticism is common throughout the household; forgiveness is not. These families are not healthy, to say the least.

If we want to have healthy marriages and families, we want to be known as people who are quick to confess our sins to one another (see James 5:16) and forgive one another (see Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 3:12-14). This is part of loving one another as Christ loved us (see Ephesians 5:25 and Colossians 3:19).

The concept is simple, but the practice may be a bit of a challenge. I should be the first to confess that I don't have this mastered in my own household. Still, it's the goal to which we should aspire. Think about it this way: are you more likely to spend time with a person who is gracious and forgiving, or a person who is harsh and critical? Of course, we would all prefer the former, in part because we don't have to worry about what might happen if we mess up. Doesn't it make sense then for each of us to make our home the place where forgiveness is practiced most generously?

I will extend this thought just a little further. As this blog focuses most on husbands and fathers, I will offer you a challenge that I also offer to myself. Men, let's lead the way in apology and forgiveness - with our spouses as well as with our children. Just as the Lord first demonstrated what true forgiveness really is, so too we should lead the way in demonstrating God-honoring humility and forgiveness in our homes. Will you join me in pursuing this priority?

Ephesians 4:32: "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

Maintaining Purity in an Impure World

If we want our children to remain pure in this world, we as husbands and fathers want to be the first to set the example. What do we watch or listen to? What do we view when surfing the internet, especially when nobody is watching? What do we like to talk about or joke about? Is our example showing our kids how to be modest and pure, or is it communicating a different message?

Please allow me to offer a personal illustration. I have Celiac Disease. I will get sick if I ingest even a crumb of something with wheat (or other gluten) in it. At home I have my own peanut butter jar (so bread crumbs don't find their way into my peanut butter) and my own toaster (so crumbs of regular bread won't touch my gluten-free bread). At mealtimes our family is very careful not to "cross-contaminate" the food: to let a serving spoon touch something with gluten and then go back into a bowl of something I could otherwise eat. I am constantly alert about everything that enters my mouth. I wash my hands frequently so I don't accidentally ingest even a hint of gluten. The cost of making a mistake is very high, so I exercise constant caution.

The same vigilance is needed in the area of moral purity. I don't want even a crumb of something immoral to come into my mind through my eyes or ears. The consequences are huge and hurtful. I want to guard myself constantly to maintain purity.

As hard as it is for me to guard myself in what I eat physically, it is even harder to guard my eyes and ears from so many impurities all around me. I spend a lot of time on the internet, so I am constantly in danger of seeing or hearing things that I shouldn't see or hear. I have to be on my guard at all times.

Keeping morally pure is vital to us as believers in Christ. We want to remain unstained from the world (see James 1:27). As I tell my kids often, once you see something, you cannot ever "un-see" it.

A trusted Christian researcher has put together some new statistics about internet pornography, teen sexual behavior, and the unique challenges that come with the proliferation of smart phones and tablet devices. I recommend you look at Josh McDowell's new website: www.just1clickaway.org.

I should clarify something: I personally use many technological tools in my work. I am not against using them, but I know the importance of keeping good boundaries for myself, and teaching my children to keep good boundaries as well.

How are you doing? Are you keeping strong standards of moral purity? Or do you need to make some changes today?

Three Phrases to Bless our Wives and Strengthen our Homes

Here are three phrases that will bless our wives and strengthen our marriages. They are words that are not to be spoken frivolously, but we should say them often, even many times a day.

* "I love you." Too often we assume our wives know this, and that it doesn't need to be said again. But these words should be said daily to our wives. To counter the pain from any critical words we say, the words "I love you," spoken with deep sincerity while looking her in the eye, breathe fresh life into our marriages.

* "I'm sorry...please forgive me." I have many opportunities to say these words. I make my biggest mistakes at home, and home is the place I have to practice these humble words most often. More than just "I'm sorry," adding "please forgive me" invites a necessary response from my wife. Will she indeed actively forgive me for whatever I said or did? Then will she choose not to remember it against me, just as the Lord chooses not to remember our forgiven sin against us? (Men, we also need to practice this same kind of forgiveness toward our wives!)

* "Thank you for _____." More than just a general word of thanks, it is good to be specific. My wife needs to hear very specific things for which I am thankful; these words communicate love and appreciation to the very depths of her heart. Thank you for the extra time you spent to prepare this wonderful meal. Thank you for being so patient with the overtime hours I spent at work. Thank you for taking the children to the pool today. Thank you for cleaning up that corner I had hoped to clean before now. Thank you for ______ -- there is an endless list of things I'm thankful that my wife does. For her benefit, I need to say it to her often.

May these simple phrases bless your wife as you practice them in your marriage. These are good words to use regularly with our children, too.

By God's grace, may our homes be filled with encouraging words that reflect His love to our wives and children.

Goals for Our Kids

A few nights ago my wife and I took our two oldest children, now ages 10 and 12, out to a nice dinner. Lately they have been asking us why we discipline them the way we do, why we make them do chores, why we hold high expectations for their behavior, and why we deal strongly with sinful issues that arise. We wanted to take time to talk with them, knowing that at their ages, they now need to know a little more of the "why" behind what we do.

We talked together about what we want them to look like when they leave our home. What character traits and values do we most want them to have at age 18?

This is a good question for every parent to answer about their children at all ages, and the discussion should probably begin to include the children when they reach pre-teen years. What do we want our kids to look like when they complete High School?

Here is my list, as it currently stands (though it may be modified as the kids continue to grow):

1. To love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30)

2. To exhibit the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)

3. To remain unstained by sin and the yuck of this world (James 1:27, Matthew 10:16, Romans 16:19)

4. To be honest, trustworthy, and full of integrity (Psalm 26:11, Titus 2:7-8)

5. To be kind and respectful to authority figures, to one another, and to everyone else they know (Ephesians 4:32, Romans 13:1-5)

6. To value hard work and financial responsibility (Colossians 3:23, 1 Timothy 6:6-10)


Once we have a list of our goals, we can ask the next level of questions: "How do we get there? How does everything our family does move our children closer to these goals?" There's nothing wrong with playtime, fun activities, relaxing days, and vacations. I love to have fun with my family! But in the midst of everything I do, I want to keep these goals in mind, and let them affect the choices I make in a number of areas. Here are a few of them:

* The way we discipline them - A little lie is not really a little thing, if we want them to value honesty at all times. I need to lovingly take the time to address moments of dishonesty or times when they are unkind to one another, as well as the larger issues that may also arise.

* The way we encourage their friendships - We want to help them choose friends that will encourage them toward these goals, not pull them in a different direction. Of course, they need relationships with people they can affect for good, but their closest friends should be people who understand and respect these character values.

* The way we choose "free time" family activities - Ballgames, movies, books, video games, and other diversions are great fun, and can be helpful in proper balance with everything else. But if I have only a few short years to help my children learn how to be fully devoted to God, then I want to be strategic in finding ways to move my children toward these goals. Maybe some of our free days can be spent serving in a homeless shelter or helping one of our friends through a tough time.

* The way we plan the spiritual priorities of our family - If we want our kids to know the Bible, then we want to make sure we spend time reading the Bible ourselves, teaching it to our kids, and encouraging them to develop habits of reading the Bible for themselves. We want to pray for them and with them every day, and encourage them to develop personal habits of prayer.

* The priorities my wife and I have for ourselves - We want to be excellent models of these character traits, knowing that kids learn so much from their parents' example. We teach AND we model, because both are important. My wife and I are works in progress ourselves, and we mess up regularly; even when we mess up, we can help our children learn more about God's forgiveness and grace.


Our children belong to God, and we merely partner with Him in helping them become all He wants them to be. May God give us great grace to raise our children to love and serve Him wholeheartedly.

Brian T. Whitaker
www.whitakerwritings.com

Daddy Mistakes

Today I saw my four-year-old daughter sitting on the kitchen counter, and said sternly, "Get off the counter. You're not supposed to be up there." She stared at me with a bewildered expression on her face, and softly said, "But Dad, you put me up here." Indeed I had given her a hug and put her on the counter, then walked across the kitchen to deal with something else, and then turned around and found her on the counter. In that short a time I had forgotten that I had put her there! Oops.

We are not perfect parents. I will not list my faults here, nor will I ask you to list yours. What's most important is that we are willing to admit our failures to the Lord and seek His forgiveness. Also important - and sometimes harder - is to admit to our children when we make mistakes. They need to see that we are sinners just like they are, but that we have a forgiving heavenly Father who is quick to show us grace when we repent. Our children should learn from us that they can always go quickly to God for forgiveness when they sin.

I hugged my daughter as I gently took her down from the counter and put her back on the floor. I acknowledged she was right and said I was sorry for that mistake. I asked her to forgive me. She did. And I know the Lord forgave me too.

Tell Me a Truth that Makes Me Sad

My dear four-year-old daughter,

You didn't want to admit what you did this morning, so you told me a lie. I wish you could understand how awful a lie really is. When you blamed your older sister for breaking it, and told me that lie several times, it broke my heart. I'm not angry that something is broken, but I'm angry at the lie you told me over and over, even when I invited you to tell me the truth.

I would rather you tell me a truth that makes me sad than a lie that makes me mad.

God doesn't like it when we lie. He calls that sin. We want to be people who tell the truth always. Please tell me the truth.

No matter what, I will always, always love you. And that is the truth.

Love,
Dad

An All-The-Time Job

"Dad! Dad! Dad! Daddy!" One day in the car I had heard the name "Dad" so many times that I raised my voice and said, "I'm changing my name! For the next hour my name is not Dad!"

My young children were stunned. After a moment of silence, one of them asked, "So what is your name?"

"I'm not going to tell you!" I responded, still a bit frustrated.

That worked for about another minute, and that was about all the break I had.

Being a God-honoring Dad is an all-the-time job. We don't get to clock out and then go do something else. We're "on the clock" 24/7.

Deuteronomy 6:7 tells us a little about the all-the-time nature of parenting, especially how we are to teach the words of God to our children:

"You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."

That sounds like "all the time" to me. We are always working; we are always on call. This is God's divine assignment to parents. Do you know why? It's because our children learn not only by the things we say, but by the lives we live. These words of Scripture follow two verses (Deuteronomy 6:5-6) that put the command into a clearer context:

"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart."

So it's not just instructing them all the time - we're not just telling them what to do. Yes, we're always teaching, but even more we're teaching them by our lives. We are teaching by the example we set, by the way we love the Lord and live for Him. 

Little eyes and ears always see and hear. When we're at work, our children know that we are dedicated to our jobs, and that working hard is a way we honor God. When we are sleeping, our children learn that God intends for us to take times of rest. As we worship with our families in church, our children learn how to worship. And we cannot be fooled: even little sins we think are "hidden" may still be noticed and emulated by our children.

Being a God-honoring Dad is an all-the-time job. But we also have an all-the-time Heavenly Father to Whom we can turn for help as we teach our children by word and by example.

"Quality Time" or "Quantity Time"?

I have heard men say, "I don't get a lot of time with my family, but I do get a lot of quality time." By this, they mean they try to make their time at home fun for the family, with engaging activities that make lifelong memories. This is not a bad thought, per se.

But let me ask you this: if your son spends most of his time during the day without you, and then you come home and read him a book before bedtime, do you think he will feel great joy in this? Reading the book is great quality time, but is it enough?

Through my own successes and failures I have learned that my wife and children don't just need quality time, they need quantity time. They need my presence with them at dinnertime, on weekends, and at school events. They need me to take them to church every Sunday. They need me to pray with them and read the Bible with them. This takes lots of time, but it's worth it.

When I spend unhurried time with my wife, those hours are priceless for communication and depth in our relationship. When I spend unhurried time with my children, I hear about the joys and struggles of the school day, I hear about friendships that are going well and friendships that are strained, and I hear about their hopes and dreams.

"Quantity Time" is my goal. It's not always easy, but it is the right thing to do.

As I write this, I must confess one personal failing point: I am easily distracted by electronic gadgets. My phone rings at inconvenient times. My e-mails come right to my smart phone. I am often on the computer trying to write articles like this. To the thought of having "Quantity Time" with our families, I should hasten to add this: we need unplugged time. We need times when the gadgets are left in another room while we read the Bible, talk about life-issues, pray, and play together.

Will you join me in a commitment to spend "Quantity Time" with our wives and children?

Why Am I Starting this Blog?

I saw the movie "Courageous." I listened to Eric Ludy talk about how we as men should care about what our Heavenly Father cares about: things like justice, compassion, and courage. I began meeting with a friend for prayer about how we can be better husbands and fathers. Through these things God is moving my heart to build a community of men who will commit to Biblical Boldness, Christlike Compassion, and God-Honoring Grace. Will you join me?

Please sign up on the right column so you will get each post by e-mail. Please feel free to join the discussion here and on the affiliated Facebook site. As this site develops over the coming months, please visit frequently.

May God grant us grace to honor Him in our families and in our lives.