“It’s just a little porn…what’s the big deal?” A man asked me that question a while back with a defensive tone of voice. His wife, sitting across the table, had just told me that she had felt “ugly and disgusting” when she’d viewed her husband’s internet history that morning. I told this man the story of a pastor from a small town in Iowa. When Stu took his first pulpit, he was young, enthusiastic, and had a personality that matched the... Read more
I live on the plains of the Midwest…in hard-working territory. I’m surrounded by determined men and women who can fix just about anything with just a few beads of sweat and a pair of pliers. During my junior year in college, I went to a friend’s house for Christmas break to hunt geese. Jack’s dad, Bob, was a rancher in western Nebraska. Bob was tougher than any bull on his land. When I shook his hand, his fingers were chapped,... Read more
“You did not shoot that bird. I did! He was already dropping by the time your gun went off!” Jeff yelled those words at me after I’d cried out, “I got him! I got him!” We were both at fault. I wanted that pheasant in my game bag. So did Jeff. Both guns went off simultaneously, and to this day neither of us knows who actually dropped that rooster. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that Jeff and I... Read more
“The kids…and I, to be honest…like it when he’s gone.” Michelle was at the end of her rope. She’d come in for advice on how to deal with her husband, Mark. As we talked, it became obvious that Mark’s presence in the home—like oil leaking into a fresh water aquifer—created a toxic environment. Mark was always on edge. Or stressed. Or quiet. Or grumpy. Sure, occasionally he was happy. But that’s the problem with Mark—those closest to him never knew... Read more
We want a formula for parenting. The problem is…it’s just not there. I knew a set of parents who prayed for their son every day, while doing their best to carry out Proverbs 22:6—“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it”—only to have their son leave home and abandon his faith. I’ve also known parents who smoked pot in the home and never went to church, and... Read more
I’m staring at a glass of iced water. It’s 100-degrees outside and I’m sitting at the island in our kitchen. A few moments ago, I filled a glass tumbler with crushed ice and crystal clean purified water from our reverse osmosis system. Sixteen ounces of refreshment now sit a few inches from my fingertips. But I can’t bring myself to drink it—all I can think about are the eight people I’d give my left arm to be able to send... Read more
We’re giving away a signed copy of “Man on the Run: Helping Hyper-Hobbied Men Recognize the Best Things in Life!” Please leave a comment below for your chance to win! On July 13 at noon (EST), we’ll pick a name in a random drawing from all eligible entries received and send you an email notification if you are the winner! Limit one (1) entry per person; NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Open only to legal residents of the... Read more
My nine-year-old son, Aidan, already has a few solid friendships. He and his buddies love to fish, hunt, swim, camp, catch snakes, and explore nature. But above all else, they love to wrestle. They remind me of a group bear cubs roughhousing in the Alaskan tundra–they literally snarl and growl as they take each other down over and over again. This love for wrestling made my son’s comment to me the other day a puzzle. (more…) Read more
If any normal person has a bad moment and, say, yells at someone in public, that’s one thing. If a pastor in a small town does it, well, that’s something different. Read more
When I was a kid, I didn’t just watch John Wayne movies—I entered into them. When The Duke mounted a horse, I could smell the saddle leather. When he walked into a bar, I caught the smells of booze and fear in the room. When he drew his gun, I’d duck. I used to lie on my stomach for hours, chin propped up in my hands, watching that gunslinger be his own man. Nobody bossed him around. Nobody stopped him... Read more
Cedars and Sandhills
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