Punishment or not?

Memphis schools are considering a return to "spanking" as a form of punishment after 5 years away from the practice. Of course this is a hot topic and people can get very animated about this discussion.

My biggest question in this debate (regardless of which side you take) is; "where is the guidance"?

My children have been disciplined in many ways over the years by my wife and I and the basis is "guidance". We want our kids to operate inside certain boundaries and we guide that process by rewarding good behavior and punishing bad behavior.

In some ways, this mirrors the frustration at the border. If I cross into Mexico illegally, I will be put in jail for 2 years. Sneak into America and it's a misdemeanor with little teeth.

Bottom line: you can guide people, especially children with punishment. You can guide adults the same way with laws and punishment for violators. However, when those doing wrong have nothing to fear, our society is headed down a bad road. When people from other countries can sneak in with little if any consquence then again we are moving in a bad direction.

I believe and practice that discipline is good...very good. It is a reality in life and should be practiced by parents, schools, cities and countries.

I am a teacher

It's not new. I have known for a long time that I enjoy "teaching" or passing on information. My wife has endured over the years as I explain what makes something work or a new understanding that I have found.

With my kids, I love to answer their questions and figure out how to use kid language to help them understand something. So, I AM A TEACHER. So, as I continue to grow up, I am a salesman, teacher, pastor and big kid.

Hey, perhaps by the end of my life I will figure out a few more things about myself. I hope you are having fun learning about yourself as well.

Everyone does it

A few days ago I was speaking with our camps internet hosting company. My intent was to get some pricing on changing plans, but it went a little farther, okay, a lot farther. I ended up changing service and that change took down two websites (essential to our ministry and during our busiest time) and our email service.

I was very angry at myself. There was about 24 hours of tension, but the websites are back up and running again and we have a temporary email solution until we can address the other issues.

Okay, so here is the point. Sometimes we make huge mistakes and it affects people. Sometimes, we make mistakes and because the impact is limited we think it's not that big of a deal. Trust me, it's a big deal ALWAYS.

This accident was a great reminder of the power of being humble. I had nothing to hide and when I explained it to the staff, they responded with understanding. Here I am a grown man appologizing to our College summer staff that I goofed up a few things and I am sorry.

It wasn't hard to be humble because we all make mistakes. How we deal with mistakes is where the differences begin to emerge. How are you dealing with mistakes? Could you do better? How is your pride when you face a mistake you have made?

Being lifted up

I had this cool picture of getting lifted up yesterday. Jordan (5 years old) and I were hiking a trail at camp. He is wearing flip flops and I have running shoes. It's a hot afternoon walk on this trail with boulders and loose gravel.

We made it up to the top and were heading back down. We were talking and looking at lizards and listening to birds. It was great. We come to a short uphill section with step stones on the left and the smooth rock face on the right. Jordan chose the rock face and I thought he would slip...he did.

Anticipating his problem I moved closer and reached out from just as his feet gave way. I was able to place my hand under his arm and keep him moving. It was nothing big, except that it saved a scraped knee or greater injury.

It made me think how many times has God caught me. I did not think of it as much, but it likely saved me from LOTS OF PAIN. Thank you God for having my good in your mind and protecting me. Jordan said thanks and the hike continued, but I wanted to capture that moment for you.

Hope it helps with your day.

Honored for being a Dad

Yesterday was Father's Day. Let me just wish all the dad's a "Happy Father's Day", and for the first time in a long time, I actually saw some ads praising dads. You know, it's rare in our culture for fathers to be praised. They are normally made into idiots on TV & movies. Well, as a dad, I am not always an idiot. I take my role seriously and work hard to provide a home for my family, plus I invest in my wife and kids relationally and practically through training, etc.

Anyway, I wanted to tell you about how my kids honored me. They planned with mom about how to "love me" in my own language, so they each gave me coupons for service. I default to serving as a way to show love and they met my love language with acts of service for me! Thanks kids for loving your dad. Without you, I would just be husband to Lori. Thanks for making my life more complete!

Leadership, good and bad

"Leadership means getting things done", was a comment I heard this morning on the news. Erica Payne made the statement in an interview. She was being asked by the host about "ramming health care legislation through" and responded with the quote above. Hummm?

So Erica, leadership, by your definition, sounds like a dictator or a tyrant. The majority of America was against the proposed health care legislation, so passing it anyway is LEADERSHIP. I don't think so. While people throughout history have lead this way, I would prefer leaders who listen, understand and take all that information and make difficult decisions.

Passing on the Faith

Last night I watched a friend baptize his son in their hot tub. It was an amazing site. I got to read a few verses and pray for the family and Isaiah as he takes this next step in his relationship with Christ.

What caught my attention most was the influence of family and faith! First you have mom and dad who have been teaching and training their children about Jesus Christ. For this event, the mother's parents were there as well, so it was 3 generations of faith celebrating. Add into the mix the children,s pastor and people like us as friends and you see the whole picture of family and faith unfold!

Thanks Andre & Krista for asking me to be part of this celebration! Keep it up, you have 3 more kids to go!!!