Monthly Archives: September 2026

Never Have Imagined

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Most reading this will have lived long enough to encounter a person whose life is a disaster. Given a chance to dialogue, this is what they say, “I never thought I would come to this.” In expressing it, they are objective enough to realize they are not in a good place. How does this happen? It begins with one compromise, then another, next is a bad decision, and then others follow. The smaller the compromise and decision, the more likely it will go unnoticed. 

David, a man after God’s heart, took another man’s wife and then had her husband killed. (2 Samuel 11:1-12:23). Could it have been the first time he watched Bathsheba from his roof at night? Frankly, I doubt it. That night he was particularly vulnerable and bad choices followed. 

What about you? Are you making good decisions or possibly on a path of compromising? Consider these questions for starters: 

What are you looking at? 

When you got up this morning, was it a consistent time based on a set bedtime for how much sleep you need? 

Is your bedtime and wake up time such that you WILL have a special time with your Lord in His Word and prayer daily? 

It is SO easy to make and justify a poor decision. How much better to follow what Proverbs 3:5-7 tells us. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.”

Wise decisions don’t earn us special merit with the Lord. We make them because we desire the good fruit they produce. Certainly, one excellent fruit from wise decisions is the great example that is for our children. “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).

Stinking Rotten Trash

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Whew, does it stink. Not all trash stinks, but in general it is what is rotten, good for nothing, and fit for the landfill. This may sound weird, but I have such a high regard for the “trash men” in our town. Why? Because it is an AWFUL job that they do. They ride on the back of the garbage truck, go from house to house, take a large step down from the truck, walk over get the trash cart and bags if there are some, and wheel it over to the back of the truck, connect it, dump it, then walk it back to where it was, and big step back on the truck. Next they ride the truck 25-50 feet to the next house and repeat. In the winter it can be bitterly cold and it the summer VERY hot. And then there is rain and snow. There are no convenient bathrooms or water coolers. It is amazing anyone does this work. That is why I am so grateful for them and endeavor to express it.

Have you noticed the similarities between stinking, rotten, trash and our sin? For proper health and well-being, both need to be removed. If left, both contaminate what is good. I’m grateful for our local trash crew, but I’m eternally grateful for Jesus Christ the One Who lived a sinless life so He could die a horrible death to carry my sin and die the death I deserve. 

“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:4-7)

Two Better Than One

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Living next door to Nathan I often see him working with one of his sons. That gives me great pleasure because I know it is an investment in their futures. Years ago, I was doing that with Nathan. Now I see the fruit in his life reproducing in his sons. 

Nathan’s confidence and willingness to tackle repairs, projects, automotive work, and yard work has doubtless saved him a lot of money. Additionally, and maybe more importantly, it provides quality time with his sons. Teaching sons to enjoy work projects with Dad pays dividends throughout their lives. 

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). 

There is, however, a cost to count when you include your son in a project. In the early years, every project with him takes longer than if you did it by yourself. Your son shouldn’t merely watch you but be hands-on himself in the process. He will do some things incorrectly, even when you are instructing him, and those will have be be redone, which will require your patience. (Good growth opportunities for Dad, too.) 

What if you, Dad, don’t know how to do something? Years ago, I had a number of “how to fix-it” books that I referenced frequently. These days there are so many additional “how to” resources available. Learn to do it with your sons.

Don’t miss the precious opportunities you have as a dad to spend time with your boys, mentor them in the qualities needed to be a worker, and to learn practical skills they can use through out their lives. Go get your sons, and find a project to do with them. 

“He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame” (Proverbs 10:4-5). 

Two Extremes

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A while back I encouraged you to make it a habit to greet everyone you encounter with a smile while looking into their eyes as you do. Even if you don’t feel an emotional love for strangers, I believe that this simple act will grow that love and your confidence. Remember, most are likely headed to hell. Do you care enough to try to engage them?

After that the next step was to engage in casual conversation based on something you notice about them and can bring up. Of course the desire would be to move it to spiritual things if possible. Here are two recent examples from one grocery store trip. Both moved spiritual quickly.

Teri and I parked next to a woman unloading her cart. I asked if I could return her cart for her. She said, “Yes.” As I went over to grab the cart, I noticed something about witches on her T-shirt so I asked if she was a witch. She said “Yes.” 

With a sad expression, I said, “We are all dying.” She agreed. Then I said, “There will be no witches in Heaven.” She gave me a funny expression and got into her car. Hopefully, that was a small pebble in her shoe to cause her to think about her sad hopes for eternity.

Then as I entered the store, a middle-aged man was briskly walking up behind me. As he approached, I said, “I’d better get out of the way of a man in a big hurry.” He replied, and I continued a conversation with him. He had an amazing story that came out quickly with a few leading questions. He had lived a life of drug and alcohol abuse, was saved after a divorce, works seven days a week with two jobs, is barely surviving financially, and now is passionate for Christ. He desperately needed solid biblical teaching but relied only on YouTube for that. I encouraged him to try a local church but he didn’t seem interested in that. Within sixty seconds I encountered two extremes. 

How are you doing with your conversations? In the first example, I could quickly go spiritual based on the words of the t-shirt. With the second one, I simply guided it with a few leading questions.  

“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” (Matthew 5:13).

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Discipleship Through Household Chores

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When you look at your home at the end of a long day, it is easy to see the piles of laundry, the dirty dishes, and the toys scattered across the room as mere frustrations. You can default into a pattern of constant nagging, feeling as though the upkeep of the home rests entirely on your shoulders. However, as Christian moms, God calls us to a higher vision. The tasks of home maintenance are not obstacles to our ministry; they are the very ground where discipleship happens. When we intentionally bring our children into the daily work of the our homes, we are not just getting help with the housework—we are shaping them for the rest of their lives.

The Myth of the Overburdened Parent

Many mothers carry the heavy weight of trying to do everything themselves. They know it is easier and faster to sweep the kitchen or empty the trash themselves rather than teach a child to do it. But when you do everything, you inadvertently show your children that the home revolves around their comfort.

Scripture reminds us in Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” That training wouldn’t just be spiritual but also healthy disciplines of life. Training requires time, patience, and repetition. It means stepping back from doing the task yourself so that you can patiently teach your child how to do it. If you do not teach your children these responsibilities, you miss a vital opportunity to grow their character.

A Happy Team: The Power of Synergy

Imagine your home functioning not under the dark cloud of a nagging mom, but with the synergy of a happy team thoroughly tackling needed jobs in the home together – household chores. This peaceful reality is entirely achievable. It does not happen overnight, though, but it begins when you intentionally structure and delegate household chores. 

You begin by looking at the tasks each of your children can do that are age appropriate. You assign your children those chores, teach them how to do them, and give the children time to accomplish them. To keep things fresh and build well-rounded skills, every so often you rotate those responsibilities so each child eventually gains experience in multiple areas of home management. A home that runs smoothly in the area of chores allows the family to accomplish homeschooling goals and have time left for ministry and hospitality.

Passing the Baton to the Little Ones

Discipleship in chores also means allowing our older children to become teachers. When an older sibling is given the responsibility to train a younger sibling in a specific task, both children grow. The older child learns patience and leadership, while the younger child learns by example. 

Even a toddler can participate. Giving a two-year-old or a three-year-old a simple ChorePack (see Managers of Their Chores) with a visual card—such as picking up shoes or emptying a small bedroom trash can—instills a sense of belonging and responsibility from the very beginning.

As Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might.” By teaching children that every task, no matter how small, is to be done well and for the Lord, we teach them diligence and protect them from the trap of laziness.

Moving Forward with Purpose

If your home feels chaotic today, do not be discouraged. Look at how you can structure your home’s chores to bring organization and productivity. Start small by establishing a clear chore system that gives each child chore assignments and time to accomplish them. As you patiently cultivate consistency through your organized chore system, you will find that chores stop being a source of conflict and instead become a beautiful tool for building an industrious, Christ-honoring home functioning with teamwork. If you need help with a chore system, Managers of Their Chores does just that. It has helped countless others. 

Don’t Be an Og

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Og was the giant, godless, Amorite king of Bashan. He was a mighty warrior who inspired fear in those who heard of him. He was mentioned approximately seventeen times in the Bible indicative of his reputation. Yet, God told the Israelites, “Fear him not: for I will deliver him, and all his people, and his land, into thy hand; and thou shalt do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon. So the LORD our God delivered into our hands Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people: and we smote him until none was left to him remaining” (Deut 3:2b–3). 

We have a picture of a man, a giant, who was highly successful in his endeavors due to physical and mental gifting. He was therefore respected by those who knew of him. His success led to pride, greed, over confidence, and no fear of God. Consequently, when he moved to attack God’s people, the Lord removed him, his children, and all his people from the earth, like cleaning a dirty dish. God then gave Og’s land to Israel.

Even for those professing Jesus as Lord, it is easy to take pride in our abilities (God’s gifting to us) which can lead to overconfidence and then chastening. One consequence of pride is that God takes from one and gives to another, as we see happened with Og. Look around you—your home, your car, your wife, your children. In a blink of an eye, another could be living in your home, driving your car, embracing your wife, and caring for your children. 

Oh my brothers, it can happen in what seems like an instant. We must be the men of God He calls/commands us to be. No excuses. In the Word, loving/leading our families in the Word daily, and part of a Christ-honoring fellowship. We live for Him Who died for us. 

“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (James 4:6-10).