Friday Ramblings...

119 degrees on the rear-view mirror thermostat yesterday. Then comes this dust storm. Today we are cooler at 95 degrees.

When things are most difficult - don't give up. Keep going. Keep praying. Keep trusting. A boy becomes a man not because his voice gets deeper. A boy becomes a man when to the degree that he discovers the value of self sacrifice for the sake of another.

A good man becomes a better man if he is heading in the direction of self sacrifice for the sake of another.

Pay attention to the atmosphere around you. Watch the horizon for the coming storms. If we are aware we can better secure our home and protect our loved ones. Prayer gives us sight. Pride blinds us. I know you who read this blog already know all this stuff. So do I. It is good to be reminded - yes? Thank you to all the men who have been and are examples to me of self sacrifice in action - for the sake of another. Please continue - it matters more than you might think. mjp

Good father / Better father

These guys are growing up. Now they are 15, 11, and they have a little sister who is 5...

I talk about the importance of prayer.

I sing prayers.

I believe it is a good thing to do.

But really I do not pray enough.

The kind of father I am is not the best kind of father I could be. I'm too quick to react and not quick enough to listen and respond.

How about you?

A wise man told me recently that someone has to "Be the brick wall" when it comes to setting boundaries for a teenager. I agree but am too quick to add barbed wire at the top to keep anyone from trying to climb over!

Yeah maybe I'm taking this analogy a bit too far, but I DO notice I am able to listen better when I have taken time to pray. I could shrug off the need to change and say "I'm a good father" but I want to be better. A thought that came to my wife back when she was still pregnant with our first son: She was telling Jesus how she wanted to be a good mom when she heard him answer: "Don't pray to be a good mom; pray to be a holy mom - then you will be a good one." Something along those lines. It fits for us fathers, too. It all starts with prayer...