The Influence of Fathers

When most men sign up to be fathers, few of them stop to read the “small print”.  Well, for those who are fathers, or plan to be at some point in your life, I have some small print for you today.

In 1994, the Swiss carried out an extensive survey in order to determine whether a person’s religious tendencies carried through to the next generation and, if so, why/ why not.  The information from this study went to the Federal Statistical Office in Neuchâtel, and was then published in Volume 2 of Population Studies No. 31. 

The results of this study shows there is one critical factor that plays into the religious practices of the next generation.  The father.  That’s right; it is the religious practice of the father of the family that, above all, determines the future attendance of, or absence of, the children that make up the next generation.

It's in the Valley I Grow

Wow... I needed this.  So, because I needed this so much, I thought I'd pass it on for all of you.

Sometimes life seems hard to bear,
Full of sorrow, trouble, and woe
It's then I have to remember
That it's in the valleys I grow.

If I always stayed on the mountain top
And never experienced pain,
I would never appreciate God's love
And would be living in vain.

I'm Not Good Enough

I’ve been working on this post now for a number of weeks, but it has never seemed quite right.  I’ve tweaked it and I’ve rearranged it, and I’ve placed it off to the side, but for some reason, I can no longer let it sit.  I feel like I need to post this now, so I hope it helps and blesses someone, and that the Lord has big plans for this post.

Over the course of my life, I have met many people.  Some of them are similar to me, others are vastly different.  But that is always what has made life interesting, from my perspective.  Amidst these differences, though, I see a common thread that links many people together, one that I think needs to be addressed head on.  It’s time to set the record straight and stop dancing around the subject.