Archive | Parenting

“Pray for your Daughter”

Six years ago, my wife and I were weary from a two-year battle with infertility. A battle that left us resting on our own strength to start a family. A battle we were losing. The Enemy was ever-present, firing a barrage of attacks in an attempt to destroy our marriage. We were sinking and we were afraid. The world told us to give up. Like a boxer, battered from round upon round of relentless beatings, we contemplated throwing in the towel […]

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Beauty for Ashes: Overcoming Shame

As we were getting the boys ready for bed, I caught my oldest son, MJ, watching inappropriate videos on his mom’s cellphone—something he knows he’s not supposed to do. To make matters worse, when I confronted him about it, he lied to me. “I just picked up mom’s phone to check the time,” an attempt to cover his disobedience. Seeing his sweet, innocent spirit give in to the temptation to lie to his father pierced my heart. My first response […]

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Parenting is the Most Frustrating (And Rewarding) Part of my Life

Seven years ago, my wife and I were in a barren place, both literally and metaphorically. Our efforts to start a family seemed to be in vain and our marriage was on the rocks. But these past seven years have taught me that difficulty and adversity are common denominators for anything deeply rewarding. At least that’s what I have to remind myself of, now, as a father to four kids under the age of seven. Being a dad is the most frustrating […]

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Becoming Dad

When my wife told our four-year old son, Matthew, that she was going to have another baby, his eyes widened, his face wrinkled, and he let out a puzzled question, “Mom, does Dad know about this baby?” For a moment, I think he was worried I was going to skip town. Believe me, there’s been a lot of fear, actually. I wonder if I’ll ever be able to fully love four kids. I’m not sure I love three that well. But today, I’m […]

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Cancer: A Year Later

I was lying in bed, my head resting on my wife’s chest, and I was weeping. I could feel her crying as well. Her hand gently stroked my hair, soothing my sadness. But it wasn’t sadness that caused the tears to flow that night—it was humility. Earlier that day, I had been diagnosed with cancer—spreading malignant melanoma. Despite this life-altering news, I felt remarkably close to God. Regardless of the prognosis, I felt certain that He had a plan. Listen to […]

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Confessions of a Wanna-Be Superhero

My kids love to dress up. Every day they embark upon a new adventure: pretending to fly, fight crime or a number of other superhero fantasies. But over the past few years I’ve come to a difficult truth. My kids dress up like superheroes for fun. I do it because I think I have to. Let me explain. In an exhaustive attempt to understand who I truly am, I have various capes that I wear. These “capes” are different for all […]

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The Truth About Grace

MJ wanted to wear his superhero outfit. As much as I tried to explain to him that this birthday party wasn’t a superhero party, he just didn’t understand. He was furious and I was the bad daddy. But my four-year-old son’s reply showed his true feelings: “Daddy, if you love me, you’ll let me do what I want to do.” His words captured the depth of what he was feeling in that moment. Moreover, his words echoed my own when I talk […]

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