Has the frequency of “I don’t know” increased in your parental lexicon of answers this year? How many of your decisions have been tabled? How many of your family’s events or traditions have been postponed? How many of your expectations (and your children’s expectations) are now tempered with the ... [keep reading]

So he built an altar there, and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there; and Isaac’s servants dug a well (Genesis 26:25). Would you rather be a great person or the parent of great children? That depends on what we mean by great. The challenge which all parents face is to ... [keep reading]

When evangelist Billy Graham stepped off a Tennessee stage in 1952 to remove the velvet ropes that separated the blacks from the whites at his rally, he exhibited courage. When former slave Richard Allen collected funds to purchase a blacksmith’s shop in order to have a church building where ... [keep reading]

Every year I attend the World Strengths Summit and rub shoulders with several colleagues from around the world who engage organizations, as I do, to shift the focus of their development strategy to a strengths-based approach.  At the most recent summit, I was speaking with one of my “mates” ... [keep reading]

I recently lost my father to cancer. That sentence seems so abrupt. I’ve been staring at it trying to determine a better way to ease in. But the truth is, there was no easing in. It was brutal and unexpected. When I visit his grave now, I feel offended by the grass. Yes, the grass. New sod ... [keep reading]

Just as our children don’t arrive as blank slates, we come to parenting with our own unique histories. Let’s be honest—even the best childhood is not completely free of hardship. When I think back to my childhood, I’m a bit stunned to realize that even those in my small crowd of friends had their ... [keep reading]