Well, Father’s Day is just around the corner, so I had this thought. Actually, the idea came after listening to Kelli, my daughter-in-law, tell us about her MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) class. When the wives get together for their small group, each wife has the opportunity to share a positive story about her husband. The wife with best husband story is awarded a Mr. Goodbar to give to her husband. Do you have a good story about a man – someone who is a father – you would like to share? Just click the “read more” button below to tell your story. I hope to use some on Father’s...

This past Sunday was Mother’s Day. It was a great day at Des Moines First, as we honored womanhood. The writer of proverbs reflects on the qualities of a good woman. Of the many he lists, I appreciate Proverbs 31:25 (TEV) She is strong and respected and not afraid of the future. Eugene Peterson paraphrases that last phrase… she always faces tomorrow with a smile. We talked about what they might look like for all women, young, old, moms, grandmothers, married and single, and those who are not mothers. You can listen to the Sunday message at www.desmoinesfirst.org/multimedia.

Miss California, Carrie Prejean, was asked a no-win question in the recent Miss USA Pageant, which may or may not have cost her the win. I ought to be surprised that a beautiful, articulate, Christian woman would be targeted by judging system with an agenda, but I’m not. For those of you who haven’t seen it, it has been stated that Miss California had the crown pretty much locked up until the final question when one of the judges, Perez Hilton, asked whether she thought every state should legalize same-sex marriage? Why or why not? Miss Prejean answered the question with conviction and did...

Old men ought to be explorers Here or there does not matter. We must be still and still moving. T.S.Eliot That is a great turn of phrase, “be still and still moving”. The other day, I thought it would be so nice to take a few weeks and just focus on my personal physical health. In other words, I wanted to enlist in an exercise and nutrition bootcamp. Nevertheless, reality set in, and the idealism evaporated in the face of realism. There are just too many things that need my attention. Boot camp would be fun and a valuable tool. All the same, if I want to make progress in exercise and nutrition,...

I’m reading Ruth Hailey Barton’s book Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership. While this is a good book, it’s more than that. It’s literally changing the way I move through my daily routine. Early in the book, Barton reminds the reader that the early Wesleyan group of Christ followers got together in small group meetings, their first question to each other was, “How is it with your soul?” That‘s a great question! I’ve been asking it of myself lately. I have come to realize that spiritual life emerges from our willingness to stay engaged with our soul. The soul – the place where...

This past week, I had a unique experience on eBay. To obtain some extra cash for green fees this golf season, I decided to sell some things on eBay that were collecting dust in our storage room. Elli offered, “You can sell this purse. I’ve never used it.” After listing the purse for only one day, I received an email query from a prospective buyer. “I have looked for this purse for two years. This is awesome! Wish you had a ‘buy it now’ option. I am so excited! Please let me know what to do to get this purse.” I did everything in my power to make sure this...