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 you were!

I also read where NFL running back Travis Henry has 9 children by 9 different women. I’m not sure that’s anything to be real proud of. And just incase Mr. Henry ever runs across this post I’d like to say … Dear Mr. Henry, a real man doesn’t love a million different women, a real man loves one woman a million different ways. Sincerely, Me

Father’s Day is this Sunday and it got me thinking about what makes a real dad … and it’s not just sperm. It takes more than sperm to be a “real” dad … it takes time. Your manhood should never be measured by the amount of children you have, but what kind of father you are. It takes a man to be a real dad (Ephesians 6:4). Here are a few things “real” dads do:

• Be there for your kids.
• Read to your children.
• Be a good role model.
• Spend time one-on-one with each child.
• Treat the mother of your children with respect.
• Pray together.
• Play together.
• Help with your children’s home work.
• Set clear, consistent limits.
• Listen to your children.
• Know your children’s friends.
• Go with your children to church.
• Take your children to work with you.
• Be affectionate.
• Read the Bible together.

A real dad simply doesn’t produce children, but a real dad is committed to his children. Because there can be no “real” fathering with out commitment.

Don’t just produce kids, be a dad.

I was asked recently what a hypocrite is. The dictionary describes a hypocrite as someone who “pretends to be more virtuous or religious  than he really is.” Or in simpler terms, a hypocrite is someone who says one thing and does the opposite. I’m far from being a perfect person, but I don’t ever want to be a hypocrite.

You might be a hypocrite …

• If you expect God to forgive you, but refuse to forgive others.
• If you’re disgusted by the moral filth that is playing on your own VCR or DVD player.
• If you complain about being poor on Twitter or Facebook via your smartphone.
• If you have a “save the planet” bumper sticker on your Hummer.
• If you complain about welfare cheats, but in-turn cheat on your taxes.
• If you point out what is wrong in other’s lives, but never notice what’s wrong in your own life.
• If you can drop the F-bomb on Facebook, and then turn around on your next status and talk about praying to God.
• If you call yourself a Christian but hate homosexuals, people of different races and those who disagree with you.
• If “do unto others” only applies to others.
• If you can go to church on Sunday and thank God for His grace, and then at lunch be unkind or rude to your waiter or waitress.

CAUTION: I’m on my soapbox today. If you don’t want to hear me get preachy … click another link and move right on. I probably don’t need to blog when I’m frustrated.

I heard it again the other day. The phrase I hear too often, and when I hear it, it makes me a little angry. This time it was a husband that said, “I’m not sure I want to stay in my marriage because I just don’t think I’m in love with my wife anymore!”

“I’m not in love anymore.”

“I don’t feel in love anymore.”

Any way you say it … it’s wrong.

You may not “feel” in love anymore, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t love your spouse. If we’re totally honest, the bible tells us that we don’t just fall out of love with someone, instead what we’re doing is choosing to stop loving them.

Notice what the bible says about loving our wives in Ephesians 5: 25 …

“Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church, and gave up his life for her.” (NIV)

That said nothing about, “as long as you feel in love,” nor did it say, “Christ died for the church because he felt like he should.” The word “love” in that verse is “agape” love. Agape love is not a “feeling” word but an “action” word … meaning love is something you “do” not something you “feel.” You actually don’t fall “in love” or “out of love” with agape love … it’s an “I choose to love you” love.

So we must … choose to love!

If you think you don’t feel in love with your spouse anymore, you’ve misunderstood what true biblical love is. The love you and I should have for our spouse is a love that chooses to love … not a love that says, “As long as I feel in love.”

We don’t accidently fall “in” or “out” of love. Love is not an accident … it’s a choice. I choose to love my wife … on good days and bad days.

So if you don’t “feel” in love with your spouse anymore … do something about it … rekindle the flame. Seek outside help through a Christian marriage counselor, BUT don’t use the lame excuse of, “I want out of my marriage because I’ve fallen out of love with my spouse.” You didn’t fall “out of love” … you’re just choosing not to stay in love.

A group of 47 of us are heading to Honduras in a little over a month.  I just thought I’d ask this morning …. would you, your church, your work, social club, etc, be willing to help gather things up for our trip to Honduras?  We need some help with some little things to take with us.  The following are a few things we need and if you can help, please email me and I’ll send you an address where you can ship them. These would greatly bless our work there…

• STICKERS: Small stickers for children. The size of a nickel or smaller. The children LOVE stickers.
• BRACELETS: Yarn bracelets (See picture below). You can stick a bunch in your pocket and the children beg for a bracelet.
• COLORS AND SPANISH COLORING BOOKS: The children love crayons and coloring. Sometimes when there are long lines for food, clothes, or to see the doctor at the medical clinic, we’ll pass out colors and Spanish coloring books and just sit and color.
• MULTI-VITAMINS:Children’s and adult multi-vitamins.  Generics are fine.
• OINTMENT: Ointment for skin (generic) like anti-itch cream and antibiotic cream (click on link to see pictures). These are used at the medical clinics.
• PAIN KILLERS (big bottles) Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and Ibuprofen (Advil) in the generics (click on link to see pictures). We sort these out in sandwich bags and use them at the medical clinics we do.

Please send them no later than July 5th, to …

Trey Morgan  PO Box 239, 210 2nd SE, Childress, Texas 79201

When we visit the children's hospital in Honduras, they love getting stickers and yarn bracelets.

Last year my friend Tamie Ross sent me this package for our trip. Her church had gathered up this stuff and it helped us tremendously.

Yarn bracelet. 3 pieces of yarn about 12'' long, then you weave them together. The kids love the ones that are made with the brightest yarn.

Can you help with any of these?

Married couples, especially those with children at home, need to regularly reconnect by …

• Going on a date every week.
• Going on an overnight trip once every 3 months.
• Going on a long trip (more than one night) once a year.

I’ve always preached this … but have struggled with following the third one. Lea and I do well at dating and occasionally catching an overnight trip, but it had been a long time since we’d gone on a trip together for any length of time.

Last week on a whim, I did a little searching for one of those “last minute” travel deals. Lea’s birthday was coming up, and we needed some time to reconnect. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to talk Lea into going. Her wisdom usually includes things like, “We can’t afford this. We have two boys in college,” and “We really don’t have time to make a trip like this, and besides, what would we do with the boys?” I found a great deal on a trip to Saint Petersburg, Florida, where the Rangers were playing the Tampa Bay Rays. I knew she’d have a hard time saying “No” to the Rangers.

We had a great time.

We had lunch on this boat as it cruised along the bay.

We spent a lot of time walking on the beach.

We caught some baseball games.

Our last night we dressed up, went out to eat at a nice place and then found our way back to the beach to watch the sunset.

I can’t end this without saying … reconnecting is not only necessary in marriage, but also a lot of fun.

I’m enjoying a little time off this week from blogging and Facebook. Be back in a few days. Have a blessed week.

I love doing ministry. Just so you’ll understand, ministry isn’t writing a bulletin article or working on a PowerPoint for Sunday’s sermon. Ministry is being among people, loving people, serving people and building relationships with people. I am very blessed to get to minister to some of the poorest in Childress.  Like a young family [...]

When he asked me the question, I knew I’d heard that type of question before. It was one of those, “What if a person is doing…,” questions that ended with, “Will that person get to go to heaven or hell?” He was calling someone’s morality into question, and I could tell by how he asked, [...]

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Today my heart was saddened when I learned that Arnold Schwarzenegger had an affair with a member of his staff and his marriage with his wife, Maria Shriver, is ending. Affairs. Some call it sleeping around. Some call it cheating or being unfaithful. God calls it adultery … which is SIN. No matter what you [...]

I love this picture … let me tell you why.  This is my friend, Marc Tindall, and he’s being Jesus.  Marc is loving on a person from the dump in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Despite this lady’s stench and despite her filth … he loves her anyway. He’s concerned with her physical, emotional and spiritual needs. He’s [...]

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I’m a runner. I love pounding the road with friends while the rest of the world sleeps. It all started 16 years ago when my weight ballooned to 260 lbs and one of my greatest friends in this life, Robert Blevins, introduced me to running. Sixteen years later, I’m still running strong … and about [...]

Dump Day is about a week away (May 4th).  Dump Day started two years ago when we learned about the people in the Tegucigalpa dump, who are SO poor that they dig through the trash to find food and things to sell. Since the start of Dump Day and because of your donations … A [...]

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Enjoying opening day game at Rangers ballpark in Arlington.

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