A little less than 2 months ago I was suddenly fired from the church I served with on the Northside of Indianapolis. While I won’t go into the details of the firing, I’ll only say that I did nothing morally or ethically wrong. It simply came down to a difference in philosophy. In the weeks that have followed I’ve learned several important lessons about life, my family, and the world around me.
As I’ve taken inventory of my marriage, over the years, I’ve discovered something: marriage is hard work. Often, we find ourselves on different pages altogether. It happens to both husbands and wives alike. But, if we want to build a healthy and successful marriage, we must make a change in the way we think and interact with one another!
This past weekend I went camping with my 3 youngest sons in Southern Ohio. The time away was great, but the lesson I learned about fatherhood and identity was even greater!
We are excited to introduce a new category called “Small Living” to Confessions Of A Parent. This past year we were convicted to start living smaller, even though we have a big family. A couple of times a month, Kristin is going to share different moments and highlights from our experience of living small with a big family!
As a kid, I was bullied. From 4th grade to 9th grade, life was hell. I’ll never forget coming home from school, collapsing on my mom’s lap, and sobbing, because I couldn’t escape the cruel words of my classmates. As a father, 20 years later, I’ve held my own broken-hearted children, helpless to defend them from the hateful things their classmate’s say or do. The hardest thing to figure out as a parent is how you’re going to help your child face another day of torture.
I’m wired to protect my family. It’s the way God made me. If you’re a man and you’re reading this, you probably identify. It’s in our DNA to fight for our wives and children. A massive collision happens when our instinct to protect and fight is tested by a difficult child!
