Still trying to decide what to get your kids this year for Christmas? How about getting them something that will last a lifetime? Some of the best gifts my parents gave me weren’t gifts that came from a store, but gifts that came from their lives. Here are a few gifts my parents gave me [...]

We’ve received three letters from Taylor to this point, and he’s doing very well in basic training and loving Army life. One of the things Taylor knew when he chose to enlist in the Army was that there probably wouldn’t be a lot of positive Christian influence there. Lea and I have prayed numerous times that [...]

I love being a dad. One of the greatest accomplishments in my life is that I am the father of four amazing boys. One of my new struggle as a parent has been letting a son go into the Army, not because I didn’t want him to go, but because I won’t see or hear [...]

Remember those cliches that came out of your parents’ mouths that made your skin crawl? If you are like most of us, you probably swore to yourself that you would never say “those things” to your kids. I can vividly remember thinking to myself, “I’m NEVER going to use that phrase with my kids,” but [...]

Want to know who holds the record for fathering the most children by one wife? It’s a Russian father who has 69 children. Unbelievable? Nope, it’s true. This Russian father has 16 sets of twins, 7 sets of triplets and 4 sets of quadruplets. Humble yourselves dads – you’re not as prolific as you thought [...]

Parents … practice what you preach because there’s no fooling your kids. They are smarter than you think.

LIE FOR YOUR KIDS. When a parent writes their child a note to school saying their child was sick or had a doctor’s appointment, and really they just over slept …. YOU are teaching them it’s OKAY to lie. Don’t you get it? NEVER lie to help cover up mistakes for your kids. DON’T GIVE [...]

About 5 miles west of Childress is a prison that houses 1200 men.  National statistics say, “85% of those sitting in prison today grew up in a fatherless home,” that just goes to show you the powerful roll fathers play in the lives of their children. God has blessed me with four incredible boys. As [...]

I’d love your help today on brainstorming for an upcoming series of lessons I’m doing called, “What Parenting has Taught me about my God.” Since I’ve become a parent, I’ve learned SO much about my Heavenly Father and what he thinks of me. Just from how I deal with my children, tells me so much [...]

I learn new things about raising boys all the time. One thing I’ve picked up on lately is how important it is that my children have encouragement from someone other than their parents. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and I’m finding that true with raising my boys. In my life, [...]

This coming year 40% of the children born in our country will be born in a home where there is no father. The average church attendance breaks down 61% female and 39% male. Every Sunday 25% of Christian women go to church without their husband by their side. We’ve quickly become a country where the [...]

Lea and I have always slept on a king size bed. We think it’s absolutely the perfect size. You can easily find each other in a king size bed when you want, and you can sneak off to your own side and not be bothered when it’s time to sleep. While it’s the perfect sized [...]

I think it all started when my mom asked (really told) me to take out the trash.  I was way too busy playing to stop and take out the trash, but because she asked (really told) me so nicely (and I feared her wrath), I did what she asked.  As I left the house I griped, [...]

When it comes to marriage, Lea and I struggle with the same things you struggle with. We often find ourselves taking one another for granted for the sake of less important things. Things like busyness, work and hobbies will always crowd a marriage for time, but I think the biggest challenge for any marriage, including [...]

I love watching my kids play sports. Tonight I’ll be headed to Friona, Texas to watch Parker and the Childress Bobcat basketball team as they start their district play. This is when the games start to really count. This is when the pressure really gets to you. This is when the parents really begin to [...]

LEA: “OH, NO!” (Smoke comes from the oven where she’d forgot about the bread in the broiler.) ME: “I thought I smelled something when I came through the kitchen a moment ago.” LEA: “It would have helped if you would have said something.” ME: “Sorry. I didn’t even think about it.” LEA: “Everyone wash up. [...]

As I look back at it now, I can clearly see that it was one of those “life changing” events that you hear people talk about. They don’t happen very often, but when they do, you never forget them. It had a definite effect on me as both a person and a father. It was [...]

Raising four growing boys has its own unique challenges. The house is never short of things like body-noises, sports talk, strange smells, their buddies and other “boy” things. And poor Lea, with raising four boys, it makes everything in our home exactly opposite of what Lea is. Lea is quiet, and they are anything but [...]

Last Friday I drove 3 hours to attend a funeral. I’m usually not much for funerals, but this was the father of my friend Dee Green. The funeral was a typical funeral till the end. When the preacher was finally through preaching, Dee got up and spoke about his father. I was amazed at the [...]

What does a 7 year-old boy think of his mom and dad separating? I just can’t get over Danny Sims post today. It ripped my heart from my chest. Please take a minute and read Danny’s post today by clicking here: A Heart-Breaking Line!

Fathers can abandon their children in two ways. First, abandonment can take place when a father physically leaves his children and has little or no contact with them. And second, abandonment can take place by fathers when they are physically still close to their children, but they don’t give their children any time or attention. [...]

A conversation between a father and his 18 year old son about being a man. This took place at Wal-Mart yesterday while Taylor and I were buying some groceries… Taylor: “Dad, I need a can of hairspray.” Dad: “Hairspray!?” Taylor: “Yeah, Dad, when my hair is this long it needs a little hairspray to stay [...]

One of the big stories lately has been the new “no spanking laws” that are trying to be passed. Recently someone asked what I thought about disciplining children. I am no expert, but I know the Bible is full of verses about disciplining children. Here are a few things I think are important… DO understand [...]

Still wondering what to get your kids this Christmas? Here are 5 perfect gifts that will really last a life time. THE GIFT OF A GOOD MARRIAGE: I wish as parents we’d realize that a vital marriage between you and your spouse is the best gift you could ever give your kids. It’s better than [...]

In a recent post I did about raising kids I mentioned a story that has always been one of my favorites. The story is called, “The Parable of the Lawn.” I ran across it this past week and thought I’d share it today. It has always been a great reminder to me for what’s really [...]

Famous child psychiatrist Fritz Redl used to say to groups of parents: “Get out your paper and pencils. I am going to tell you the three most important things you will ever need to know about raising children.” The parents would wait breathlessly for his words of wisdom. Then he would say, “Example, example, example.”In [...]

Eighteen years ago I wasn’t really sure I wanted kids. Children seemed like so much work, and if anyone could “screw up” at raising kids, it would be me. I remember that night with Lea at the hospital well. I kept feeling sick and trying to pass-out because I was so scared. I wasn’t sure [...]

Ran across this video again yesterday. It reminded me that this is still one of the most powerful videos I’ve ever seen on being a good role model for our children. What are your kids learning from you?

I had watched Tay grow up from a small child to a beautiful 18 year old girl. She’d come all the way through the church’s youth program and would be leaving for college that year. She was always happy and cheerful, but that night at camp I could tell something was bothering her. She seemed [...]

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Ephesians 6:1-3 We honor our parents in many ways: As a child, by obeying and [...]

Ran across this in my notes. Don’t have a clue where it came from, but it made me laugh. Thought it might be a good change of pace after a couple of days of serious discussion. Blessings … Trey —————————————————- If you can pass the following tests, you may be ready to have children.MESS TEST: [...]

There is a Texas state penitentiary just outside the city limits of Childress. Since the opening of the prison fifteen years ago, there has been a group of men from the church that has gone out each week to teach a Bible study. We are currently teaching a parenting class in Monday nights to about [...]

There are great things and tough things about having four boys. Definitely more great things than tough things. One of the things I’ve always struggled with is making individual time for each of them. We’re always doing things together as a family, but not as often as father and son or mother and son. One [...]

Nothing is more important to me than raising my 4 boys. And as a dad, I don’t want to be “just a father,” I want to be an “unforgettable father.” So how can I become an unforgettable father? Where do I go to find an example of an unforgettable father? What can I say to [...]

I’d like to focus some posts this week on families. We’ll be covering a few things like parenting, marriage, and traits of healthy families this week. I want to start the week off with a powerful video. Since we are such visual learners it makes videos, such as this, a great teaching tool. Watch, think [...]