HopeForYourFamily

In my recent interview on “Around Town with Scott Rogers,” I spoke on this topic, but our interview was cut fairly short.  Here is a fuller picture of my thoughts and suggestions on this timely and important issue:

What has contributed to our society’s disconnection?  High mobility.  Families no longer live in one central community for generation after generation.  Extended families, even “nuclear” families, are more scattered and mobile than ever.  Families are also busier than ever.  Between each family member’s schedule, there is often barely time to sit down or go for a walk, just to find out how the other’s activities are going.  It’s a tiring and disconnecting trap, and a trend that seems to be growing.  Similarly, the average work week has grown significantly over the last few decades, despite early speculation that increasing technology would actually shrink the work week!  Another big factor is the massive amount of time Americans spend involved with entertainment media.  The numbers are staggering.  In general, plugging into the screen means unplugging from the people around you.  All of these factors seem to be connected to a shift in our culture away from service and community life toward more affluence and personal enjoyment.

How do we reconnect?  Get out of our entertainment rooms and fenced-in backyards, and get involved in others’ lives. Continue Reading »

Tags: community, family, marriage / relationships, parenting

Last week I was driving down a major thoroughfare in Baton Rouge behind what appeared to be a fairly nice upper-middle class neighborhood.  Something caught my eye that made me profoundly sad as I considered the implications behind it.  Three backyards in a row contained very nice red cedar playground sets.  Three families living next door to one another had spent thousands of dollars buying the very best professional level equipment for their children’s backyard adventures. 

Now, I don’t have any problem with families spending money on nice swingsets.  What struck me was the thought that I never would have seen this when I was growing up – three houses right next to one another, all with virtually identical major-league playground gear.  I’m not reaching back to some long ago era, either.  I’m talking about growing up in the 70’s and 80’s, when yards were separated by chainlink, if there was a fence at all. 

The good ole chainlink fence served to keep the dogs in the right yards, and let you know where to stop cutting the grass, but they didn’t keep neighbors away from each other. Continue Reading »

Tags: community, family, marriage / relationships, parenting

I have committed, along with a good friend, to regularly reading (and finishing!) good books.  I love acquiring good books, particularly ones that show promise in helping me grow in my walk with Christ and in my relationships with family and others.  Unfortunately, I often get no further than the first couple chapters (or even the front cover) before I set the book aside for a newer acquisition – or purely out of distraction.  Having the same pattern in his life, my buddy and I are setting forth on a new adventure together to read good books through to completion.  We will be reading Christian books of various kinds, classic literary works, and other books that we just happen to find appealing.  But with all this focus on books, I think it is touching something else in my life – something deeper.  It occurs to me that this is really about much more than reaching the back cover of a particular selection.  It is about self-discipline, a dedication to real personal growth, and persistence in staying focused on goals.  These are sometimes real struggles in my life – maybe you can relate.  And so I believe the impact of this reading journey will be much greater than becoming more widely read.  I expect to achieve greater self-discipline in other areas.  I anticipate becoming more focused on what matters and less distracted by things that don’t matter (TV, anyone?).  And I trust that in the process, I will be forging a strong friendship and brotherhood that will be a blessing to both of us and our households.

My encouragement to you – find out where you need to grow, find someone that is willing to grow with you, then do the work and rely on God every step of the way!

Click here (Three Year Reading Plan) for suggestions of some of the very best in Christian reading, according to a very distinguished panel of today’s top Christian leaders (as listed in David McKenna’s “How to Read a Christian Book.”)

Tags: books, discipline, friends, hope, media