We are called by God to give the first fruits of our labors. Whether our money or our sons, the message is clear. God wants our best. Not because He needs it, but because our first fruits represent our love for our Heavenly Father.

Do you give your earthly father “seconds?” If he joins you for dinner, do you feed him what was left from the night before? Of course not. Even if your earthly father is not around, your Heavenly Father is always there for you, no matter what. We can never “pay Him back” for the gift of salvation, but we can give the best of what we have.

What better way to show our love than to give our very, very best; our sons? They are, after all, on loan to us from God. We were the selected parents who saw a child grown into a man; a man of compassion, purpose, responsibility, and love for others. A man (or woman) who understood sacrifice. “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” John 15:13

We wanted more time. We weren’t finished. But consider this: If this world is just our stopping place until we reach our ultimate goal of Heaven, and if Heaven is even just a fraction of the glory told about in the Bible, aren’t our heroes enjoying the best of a place we spend our lives longing to reach? (more…)

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Phil 2:3-4

Remember when our children were young and we had a “teachable moment?” There are hundreds of these that occur when raising our children.

It’s the neighbor’s broken window and a realization that the person responsible for the action is also responsible for the consequences. (more…)

I just keep expecting to hear Rhys’ voice as he comes dashing in the door with a Rockstar in his hand: “Mom, can you…”
Can we ever answer their questions again? Can we ever be the same again?

The answer of course, is no. Nothing will ever be the same for us since the loss of our heroes. But here is where God’s message is perfectly clear. We are daily re-made, inching ever closer to the creation that the Father desires us to be. We are the work of His hand. (more…)

As the third year anniversary of Rhys’ death approaches, I reflect on the year as all of us do; mostly trying to see if we’ve made any difference in the world. We hear and read daily about all kinds of horrible things that happen in the world. We lament the path our country is taking and we wonder what comes next.

We measure the time in intervals since Rhys’ death, an artificial time line that creeps into everything we do. It is easy to get discouraged when the year ends and still the world trudges on a path of fear, hatred, and uncertainty. What are we doing? Where are we going? Can anyone make a difference? (more…)