I’ve never really cared what other people thought about me. Granted, I’ve cared what I thought about me too much at times, but never been overly concerned what you thought. My parents instilled a deep security and love as a child, and I’m doing my best to pass this along to my daughters. The truth is… though I fail a lot, I try to fall forward. It’s … Continue reading The Good Parent
What happened to THE TRUTH being this robust thing that could weather the storm of emotion and reason, tragedy and victory? Are the days gone when people dig for the truth until they find it? Is it out of fashion? Is it just too hard for today’s young people? I find it ironic that Reality TV has replaced actual reality with it’s greasy “honesty” and … Continue reading The Truth
I hate having smirky kids. Oh, it’s not that they have bad attitudes (most of the time), they’re just smirky and confident. They got it from me but it doesn’t help when they’re using my tricks against me. Obviously something happened that made me think this and here’s the story: We started up our small groups for Venue across the City this week and have … Continue reading When Worlds Collide
Most parents in the city are experiencing two warring emotions this week. Emotion one is straight up relief that our kids will now be annoying their teachers at school instead of each other at home. Emotion two is one that I’m not really allowed to admit because I’m a man… I’m a bit worried for them on their first day. School can be a harsh … Continue reading First Day of School
“Dad when I turn sixteen will you buy me a car?” Dad (snorting): “If you want a car, you buy a car. Besides, you can’t afford the gas and insurance anyways…” “How much is gas and insurance?” Dad: “$____” Me: “You’re right, I couldn’t:)” …life lesson in the Kope home #1,037. There’s this thing now that says you should give your kids what your parents couldn’t afford … Continue reading Nothing was Free
Neela kept us up most of last night coughing until about 4am when I took her downstairs, made her a cup of tea, propped her up on the couch and turned on the tv. …Also then I could go back to sleep because I can’t hear her from my room… Now if you have more than one kid you’ll have to publicly call me a … Continue reading Ugh… Adventures…
Our friends had a feisty little girl playing with my daughters at our house one day who told me “I like you!!” When I was walking through the basement. It’s one of those funny things kids say when they’ve known you for a grand total of four seconds. Ten minutes later I walked past and said “Ok guys, time to clean up” Her response? “I’m … Continue reading Strong Willed Children
I am a firstborn son of a firstborn son of a firstborn son. I was born with a sixth sense that the buck stopped with me. This is a feeling the middle child carefully avoids and the baby of the family doesn’t even know exists… Most firstborns suffer from the guilt and responsibility only two full-time parents with no other distractions (children) can apply … Continue reading Birth Order
My youngest girl is eight and my oldest is fourteen. I have just six years (if I’m lucky) to teach Neela to avoid the pitfall of finding her worth by comparing herself to others. Arwen walked into a new high school as a grade nine student two months into the school year. I was thinking of hanging a sign around her neck that says LOOK … Continue reading Peer Pressure
Me: “What’s wrong with that crew? They’re taking forever!” Site General: “They’ve got no FLOW” He was right. Flow is everything, specifically flowing from one good decision to the next. Early in my work career, before I began pastoring, I was still learning the ropes of people and project management which have proven to be invaluable, when I came across a scenario that … Continue reading It’s About Flow
