This past weekend at our married couples retreat, Josiah got stung on the hand by several hornets while we were all canoeing (his canoe ended up near a hornet’s nest). It didn’t seem that bad until we saw his hand the next day. It was inflamed and began to turn red, so we hurried into […]
Brotherly Love
This is an inspiring story. If you have time, read this article about a brother (plays football at Clemson) who decided to take care of his younger brother because their mother is a drug addict and their father is addicted to gambling. “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his […]
Dying With Passion
The recent passing away of Steve Irwin, affectionately known to animal lovers as “Crocodile Hunter,” brought something to my mind. Even though I am not much of an animal lover, there was something about the Crocodile Hunter that impressed me. I remember seeing him on TV one time and thinking to myself, “This guy is […]
Life is More Than Just Soccer
What a long day! The family and I just came back from a day-long soccer tournament. Josiah made the Ann Arbor Arsenal Premier traveling team. They had teams from all over the state of Michigan. Some even drove as far as 3-4 hours to make it to this tournament. In all honesty, it was pretty […]
1st Day of (pre)School
Time is flying by so quickly… yesterday was KiKi’s first day of pre-school. It seems like only yesterday when we brought her home from the hospital. For some reason, releasing her to go to school was harder than the two previous times with the boys. I think my “protective-father” side came out. But then I […]
Jewish Youth Camp
I was at the Detroit airport getting ready to go to a youth conference out in the East Coast. As I was sitting at the gate, waiting for my flight to take off, I noticed that there was a large number of young Jewish boys waiting for the same plane. Without knowing all the details, […]
Playing Catch-up
As soon as I arrived in Michigan, I spent the last two days with the family (it has been non-stop activities at 100 mph). It was almost as if the kids were stockpiling all the things that they wanted to do with daddy and then when I arrived, they bombarded me with things to do. […]
To Pray or Not to Pray
The pressure to be a pastor is too great – sometimes there is a higher standard placed on pastors than the average Christian. In some ways, I welcome it because it comes with the ball game of leading God’s people. But on the other hand, I realized that whether we are a pastor or not, […]
The Gospel According to “Cars”
I don’t know what it is about the supposedly “kids” movies like, The Incredibles, Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., and A Bug’s Life that somehow speaks to adults in a powerful way. Our family just recently saw Disney/Pixar’s new movie Cars. As soon as Elliot saw the preview for it months ago he said, […]
Another Year, Another B-Day
Yesterday we celebrated Josiah’s birthday. I can’t believe he is already 9 years old. I remember talking with some older fathers who would always tell me that kids grow up so fast. Back then I was thinking that they do not grow up fast enough. But now, I am echoing those same words of the […]
Candlestick Holders and Grace
Yesterday, Christina and I had the privilege of going to see Les Misérables in Detroit’s Fisher Theatre. Some people in our church gave the tickets (and even provided babysitting) as a Christmas gift to us. Since Christina loves musicals, this was probably one of the best Christmas gifts she has received. It was a powerful […]
Anonymous Giving
Jesus said, “When you give a gift to someone in need, don’t shout about it as the hypocrites do –blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I assure you, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone, don’t tell […]
The Cinderella Final Four
I don’t know about you, but I love underdogs. The 2006 NCAA tournament’s final four is made up of some underdogs. For the first time since 1980 (this is just the 2nd time in the history of the NCAA Tournament), none of the four top-seeded teams advanced to the final four. Instead, we have UCLA, […]
Lent Through the Eyes of a Child
We are about a week into this Lenten season. Christina and I are trying to do our best to keep up with our fast, but I have to admit that this year has been hard. One thing that is different this year is that Josiah and Elliot decided to observe Lent with us. On one […]