My friend, Jake, is a young father I have tremendous respect for. Recently he asked me how to help his daughter, Meg, learn to read and enjoy the Bible. It’s a great question and related to a core value all Christian parents share: We believe a firm hold on Scripture is necessary to keep faith strong and alive. The question is … Read More
Listening to Marital Advice from My Younger Self
Tomorrow, my wife, Pam, and I will celebrate our thirty-first wedding anniversary with a meal at Seasons 52. Eleven years ago, on our twentieth, I wrote a piece for National Fatherhood Initiative called Three Simple Things to Improve Your Marriage. Reading it again, I still find it valuable and hope you will too. Here’s the article and I will conclude … Read More
Why Reading is So Important
***This is the last in a four-part series and has been updated with recommendations for teens.[1] It was originally written in September 2009 for my children. Dear Emily, Matt, and Tim, I know I harp on you more often than you would like about not reading enough, watching too much TV, or spending hours playing video games. I also know you … Read More
Reading the Classics to Your Kids (& Grandkids!)
***This piece, the third in a four-part series, has been updated, but was originally written in October 2004. It is dedicated to my sister, Victoria Austen-Moon (pictured below) who has a Master’s in Creative Writing and was a voracious reader before her accident in 2012. Unfortunately, this is the only piece we ever collaborated on. Part of raising children who … Read More
For the Love of Books
*** This post is the first in a four-part series. Summer is a great time to encourage yourself, your kids, or grandkids to read more. One thing my mom did early on to instill a life-long love of reading in my sister and me involved summer vacations, the library, and a little ice cream shop named Daniel’s. Each year, our … Read More
Good Fathers Help Us Get God’s Love
I had a good father. Among other things, he taught me to fish, split wood, and work hard. He believed in doing things well and would often say, “It is easier to do something right the first time than to explain why you didn’t.” He was part of a generation of men where women were the primary nurturers and men … Read More
Competing with Wonder Woman
June 3, 2017 As I launch a blog, one of the questions at the forefront of my mind is “how do I get people to care about it?” “How does it not get lost in the “Borg” of the internet or the busyness of our lives?” Further, regardless of whether the content is good or not, I know I am competing … Read More