Spontaneous Lego Dance!

Anyone who lives in a house with kids knows exactly how this dance goes.

'nuff said?

Temptresses in Green

Temptations come in many forms. The righteous must always be on their guard. Vixens in green and brown, the "scouts" of the evil one mysteriously appear at my door when I am at my most vulnerable (just before suppertime) with their "innocent" smiles and beseeching gaze.

"Get behind me Satan!" my soul cries out but my mind is weak and gives in to the pleasures of the flesh. In minutes, depleted of the funds I earned through honest toil at the grindstone, I have been reduced to my basest desires. My lust for the forbidden fruit of caramel and coconut have undone me again. A "thin" mint, so innocent on its own, sickens me as an entire box disappears before my eyes...

You know what I mean?

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A Pastoral Visit

Elders from our church used to join the Pastor in calling on people who had visited our church that same morning. I always thought it a little awkward showing up unannounced but handled properly, it could be a nice, if somewhat "salesy" gesture.

I went on several of these visits and I always expected the worst. Like we'd interrupt someone mid-murder or exercising to their favorite pole-dancing-for-bears DVD. Luckily, it turns out that people are just as boring at home as I am. 9 times out of 10 they'd be watching golf or reruns of The Brady Bunch. If you've had a crazy door-knocking experience, I'd love to hear about it!

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Church camp can be demanding.

To all my camper and leader friends out there: Have a fun and safe Summer!

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Vacation Bible School

It's that time when the church in your neighborhood is planning their VBS. Need a place to drop your kids while shopping? Keep an eye out, if you're clever you can time all the churches just right and have your Summer to yourself! But beware! You run the risk of your child becoming a BaptiPresbyLutherMethodist!

Seriously, I work with Vacation Bible School every year and many of the kids, even the older ones, really look forward to it. So we must be doing something right. Besides, what parent doesn't want another bird feeder made out of a Coke bottle. So chic!

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Turn the other cheek

Young love ... sigh.

The transition from girl-hater to girl-lover was a tough one for me. I suppose it is for most kids, really. Truth be told, I always liked girls. The problem was just that my peers all acted like they didn't, so I pretended to dislike them too. Every crush I ever had is engraved in my mind and I can remember the smallest of events like they were yesterday. Like when Stephanie giggled at my joke in (4th?) grade. When Patricia chased me around the 5th grade classroom and I pretended to be afraid of getting caught by her. Or when, in 7th grade, I spent the weekend at a family camp where Karen and I were the only teens and we collected maple sap, played "horse" and (swoon) square danced. Of course, I can't forget my 6th grade crush, Christine, who went on to be my 9th grade girlfriend and much later my wife (dawww!)

Reluctantly, back to the present. Parents, it's tempting to tease your sons and daughters about their little "romances" but try to remember the all the conflicting, confusing, confounding emotions that you went through and give your kids a break once in a while.

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Honor Thy Father and Mother.

Seriously. THIS is one of the Big 10? Oh, how my Sunday School teachers loved to preach on this one and why not? There's no interpretation, no symbolism to correlate. Straight from God's mouth to your ears, right above "Thou shalt not kill". Talk about black and white.

Us poor kids never had a chance. If we questioned a parent's decision, we'd hear "because I told you so." If the more aggressive of us asked "well, who made you the boss?" a parent could simply site the 5th commandment and be done with it. End of story, God said it. No higher court. Humph!

Obviously, I'm being dramatic and now that I'm older, I appreciate the wisdom. So yeah, honor your parents, 'cause they are your little gods on earth.

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