Posted by Geoff Surratt | I grew up hating church. I didn’t have any theological problems with church, I was just bored. Sitting still for more than ten minutes was torture, and sometimes our services went on for two hours! The worst part is that my dad was the pastor, so we were there every…
I remember the first time I grieved for myself (not for my child) after our daughter’s diagnosis with autism. I was at a wedding watching the young bride walk down the aisle. Her eyes shone with the promise of love and happiness—her future seemed bright and open with possibility. As I stood there, the reality…
By their first birthday most babies know exactly whom they mean when they say, “Mama.” But my son, Mareto’s, first birthday came and went without this milestone. Shortly before his second birthday Mareto was diagnosed with autism and we began weekly speech therapy sessions as part of his early intervention. He still hadn’t called me…
Posted by Tim Walker | I ran a 5k once. Once is the operative word. I might do it again some day when the faint smell of impending death finally leaves my nostrils. The race was fine, it was the runner who had a problem. I had always wanted to do it and wondered if…
By Kristen Ivy As part of my professional life, I recently had an opportunity to speak to a room of leaders. After it was over, there were a handful of people waiting to ask questions about the content and continue the conversation. But like so many times before, there were also some people lined up…
Posted by Reggie Joiner | Several years ago, our team was asked to design a program to help public schools teach kids character. One of the tools we provided was a “Value-able” card to award a child with free ice cream when they did something that demonstrated respect, responsibility, or kindness. We gave out enough cards…
I laughed when I read the tagline of this blog: “Do Family Better.” If I am totally honest, I think that is the one area I struggle most. As a single mom, there are days when I want to figure out where I put that darn cape—you know the one that says, “Single Mom’s the…
Posted by Autumn Ward | “Well, I guess I can’t do anything right.” I stopped loading the dishwasher and looked at my daughter when I heard her say that. I knew immediately I was the reason she had said it. I had been picking her apart since she got home from school. I had corrected…
So I’ve started this blog post like 14 different ways (not exaggerating). It just might be the most challenging one yet. Once you know what it’s about maybe you’ll understand why. I’ve been told there are 936 weeks in the life of a child from birth to 18. We have a visual for those weeks here at…
Joey (soon to be 36!) still loves his “kid” shows… and as he watched he kept saying “booger, booger….” with some intensity. I said, “Joey just get a Kleenex. “Mom, booger, BOOGER!” I repeated to get a Kleenex. Finally, he points to the TV and I could see he was watching WORD GIRL, yes, WORD…