By Paul Koch –
“For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother…”
I had a t-shirt in college with that line on it. I had no idea that it was penned by Shakespeare. I didn’t know it was from the famous St Crispin’s Day speech from Henry V or that the actual battle of Agincourt in 1415 inspired the scene, but I knew, without a doubt, the truth of the words.
By Cindy Koch –
We are often attacked for our dedication to our children. There is a world beyond our friendship that belittles our lifelong joy of being a mother. But we have been bound together by the great blessing of bearing children. And it’s only you I can turn to now.
By Scott Keith –
My good friend David Rufner sent me an article recently that didn’t surprise me but did rile me up a bit. Written by David French, the article was in the National Review and titled “Young American males are losing touch with a critical element of true masculinity.” What grabbed me was the first few lines of the article. There, French says, “If you’re the average Millennial male, your dad is stronger than you are. In fact, you may not be stronger than the average Millennial female.”
By Ross Engel –
The property upon which my congregation is situated has become a Poke-stop and Poke-gym. And while I’ve finally downloaded the PokemonGo app, I still have no clue what I’m doing. What I do know is that we have a constant flow of traffic in and out of our parking lot. My secretary, who was blissfully unaware of this new game, was concerned that people might be “casing” the church, looking for a chance to rob us. She was relieved as I explained Pokemon to her.
By Scott Keith –
It is Father’s Day weekend, and I have been in Cadillac, Michigan at Joel Hess’s church teaching on Being Dad – Father as a Picture of God’s Grace. As I say in the book, the story is the tale of two lost and found sons and the dad that has been in the middle the whole time. This is the tale of the Father who loves us and sent His Son, that through His death and resurrection, we might be like one who “was dead, and is alive” in order that we might be claimed as His own child.
By Paul Koch –
Well here it is. Months of planning and work behind the scenes and today you get to let it all show, for today is Father’s Day. Today the restaurants are all booked up and the last minute details come together as we finally tell our dads how much we love them. Well okay, perhaps the restaurants aren’t booked and the plans aren’t that extravagant, but most dads that I know are fine with it. We know full well that as days of celebration, Father’s Day is a far cry from Mother’s Day. We know that it wasn’t even an established national holiday until Nixon signed it into law in 1977, some 60 years after Mothers’ Day.
By Bob Hiller –
I’m not a big fan of NASCAR. I don’t fancy Formula One Racing. It’s not that I don’t think those drivers are incredible, because I do. I would argue that racing is one of the most skilled and rigorous sports out there. I just didn’t grow up with it, so it’s not my thing. But the other day I was talking sports with a friend who told me all about his love for NASCAR and Indy Racing. He told me how his dad used to take him down to the race tracks and show him around the pits. He grew up on the roar of the engines, the smell of the exhaust, and the intensity of the race. He loved it, he said, because his father taught him to love it.
By Scott Keith –
Living as the men we have been called to be means that we live as men who love. The Apostle Paul is clear about this in 1 Corinthians when he claims that, no matter what we say, if we speak without love, we are no better than a banging gong:
By Caleb Keith –
Last Thursday, my beautiful daughter Esther Lily Joy Keith was born. My wife and I were blessed with a quick and easy labor and a very healthy daughter. However, what followed the relatively easy birth was an uncomfortable 48 hours in the hospital watching my wife and daughter get poked and prodded by nurses and doctors. Every test came back absolutely perfect, and after 24hours, my wife’s OBGYN was prepared to discharge her so we could go home to rest and be a family. Unfortunately, she was not authorized to discharge my daughter, and the hospital pediatrician wouldn’t let us go despite Esther’s lack of complications or health issues. When my wife Erika and I finally got home, we could breathe, and my baby girl was finally able to rest without being tested every two hours.
By Ross Engel –
My wife commented recently that my sermons have been overflowing with forgiveness. But before I could thank her for such a great compliment, she asked me, “Have you been needing more forgiveness lately?”
Gee, thanks…
The truth of the matter is that I always need forgiveness. Lots of it! We all do. Sinners, to the very core, are always in need of forgiveness.
By Caleb Keith –
As many of the good readers may know, my wife Erika and I are about to have our first child. This incredible moment, which I have been not-so patiently waiting for, will be a sure reality come the end of this week. So instead of something technological or theological, I have prepared a laughable list of 5 luxuries in my life that the good Dr. Keith (soon to be Grand Pappy Keith) has assured me I will not care about once my daughter is born.
By Scott Keith –
This month, my children will be 21, 19, and 16, and I think that they’ve turned out pretty well. Our oldest is a Dean’s list student at the University, a co-worker with me at 1517 the Legacy Project, a husband, and soon to be a father. Our second son is a full-time worker, lives on his own making his way, and soon to be a proud uncle. Our youngest, our daughter, is already taking college courses half-time (and doing quite well), an accomplished babysitter, and while she is very sassy (I don’t know how she came by that trait), she is also kind and sweet.
It occurred to me this morning that, while Joy and I were raising our children, I never once read a book on parenting, Christian or otherwise.
By Caleb Keith –
I vividly remember the comments, advice, and criticism of pretty much everybody I encountered when I was preparing to get married. The most common response to this information was, “How old are you?” or “I hope you know what your getting into.” Many others asserted I was throwing my life and my freedom away while only a few responded joyously or with legitimate loving concern. Questions and comments like the examples above were shallow and general concerns about age and autonomy. Two years later I find myself under the same type of scrutiny as I eagerly await the birth of my daughter.
By Cindy Koch –
Dear Dad,
I can’t even begin to describe how upset I am. I have terribly let you down. Buried in secrets, I thought I was just having a little fun. But now exposed in the light, I am sick with myself. I know that it was wrong. Even while I was flirting with him, something in the pit of my stomach held my heart back, just a little. I knew that you were not OK with this. I knew that you expected more from the boy who would try and hold my heart.
By Joel A Hess –
Across all religions and spiritualties, and sadly even within Christianity, people think of God in perhaps four different ways. These four images of God correlate with four basic types of fathers that populate our world.
By Scott Keith –
I have recently been in discussions with a new acquaintance and founder of the Dadly Rally, regarding what some have labeled the myth of “Father Absence” in the home. These discussions have been over email, so they have not been as in-depth as I would like. From what I can glean from our brief conversation, his concern is that all of the negative press surrounding the absence of fathers in the home is discouraging to the overall movement, of which I think I am a part, to increase father presence in the home.
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