Rick Nier...Woo!

I am more than halfway through the last year of dropping one of my children off at school. It's my eighth grade daughter, for anyone keeping track of my family.  See, next year she will be at the high school, and her brother will drive her. He says that it's not cool for seniors to drive their freshman sister to school, but I bet it's cooler than being dropped off by your mom in a minivan.  So rather than groan about this daily responsibility, I've been reminiscing about what the drop-off line used to look like, way back in elementary school. Once our children were about halfway through their elementary years, the drop-off line became a test of patience.  Do you know which group you do not want to get caught behind in the parent drop-off line at an elementary school? The kindergartners. These little ones are barely able to walk, but now we put them in the high-pressure situation of trying to unbuckle their seat-belt, grab their backpack (which might be as tall as they a...

Super Bowl 49 just ended. It was the first time in my adult years that I watched this game with just my family. I normally have my guest list confirmed a year ahead of time. That would be the names of every teenager in my youth group. ( Yeah, it gets a little crowded, which is why we added a second TV this year. )  But the the Snowpocalypse hit and we were stranded, left alone to celebrate the night together.  We managed.  We watched the game. We watched the commercials. We even tuned in to the halftime show, with one finger at the ready, just in case things got out of hand. But one might question why I might be alright exposing my kids to all the media had to throw at us tonight. Well, I have an answer.  Watching the Super Bowl is a family earning experience. You tell me where else my kids are going to be exposed to the most expensive messages ($4 million is what I heard) while in the safety and proximity of their Bible-believing and discerning ...

I can't even wait to see the picture. I hope it's good. Because if it's not.... There will be tears. Lots of tears. First mine. Then his. It was picture day. Actually, it was the night before picture day. My wife, whom I love, was talking with my 11 year old son, whom I also love...at least for the time. All my wife asked for was that he look nice on picture day. But perhaps the instructions were too vague. When his protests started up, I stepped in. ~No son, a ratty t-shirt and gym shorts do not get it done. ~No son, it doesn't matter that they only take a picture from the chest up. ~No son, you only have an illusion of freedom. Your mom already knows what she wants you to wear and no amount of crying or pouting will change that. His arguments ranged from how he doesn't want to look like a dork (as if clothes really make the man) to how he had soccer practice after school (the reason they made locker rooms). He really didn't want to be the only boy dressed ...

Well, I'd like to tell Jonathan McKee that he wrote this book about 20-25 years too late. But since we're about the same age, I suppose I can't hold that against him. But Guy's Guide to God, Girls, and The Phone In Your Pocket  is a bold package of advice I could have used more of when I was a teenage guy. I have read a lot of Jonathan' writing, from previous books to faithfully following his blog . If you're in youth ministry, or a parent of a teen, you should too. The subtitle to this gem is 101 Real-World Tips for Teenage Guys . He could have just as easily called it Tellin' It Like It Is! McKee doesn't mince words when handing out this advice, nor should he. If men want to be treated like men, then they should stand up and hear the truth like men. Jonathan has written a book aimed at teenage guys and thought it through in doing so. Each chapter is short and has good questions to ask of yourself, or use in a small group setting. I don't thi...

Father's Day is almost here. It's a day I love, quite frankly, because my kids are forced to honor me. It's also a great opportunity for my wife to make a cheesecake. Why a cheesecake? Because I most likely just had ice cream cake for my birthday, which was last week. (In case you missed it and still want to get me something, I'm a size mini, as in iPad mini.) But back to Dad's Day. I just finished reading God Distorted  by John Bishop. The subtitle for this one is what grabbed me; How Your Earthly Father Affects Your Perception of God and Why It Matters . I should probably begin where John begins. He began by sharing his story, which includes 4 different father figures, only one of which ever modeled anything worthwhile. My story is quite different. My dad, while not perfect (who is?), was always there, committed to providing for our family. He was a good example of many things a dad should be. And, like many others, I find myself wishing I had had more time ...

The challenge has been set. The gauntlet has been laid. And the chances are against me going anywhere but McDonald's when the game is over. March brings Madness for any fan of college basketball. Madness is nothing new for my household, so let the insanity commence! I print out a bracket for each of my family members. This includes my children, ages 6, 9 and 11. We've done this for years now, each member selecting their winners. Then, as the tournament progresses, I keep track of points. The person with the most points gets to select the next restaurant we eat at. It's harmless. After all, we're going to eat out some time. Someone has to choose. We might as well make it fun. What's fun for me is putting my college basketball knowledge, based on ESPN analysts, against the whims of my family members. There's my wife, who choose teams based on who was good back in the 90's, when she last paid attention to college ball. There's the 11-year old w...

I'm posting some of the best of my blog from the past few years. This post came in second and I have no idea why. But since seeing the popularity I am hoping to get a patent on this idea and cash in on my kid's golden idea.  My Son: The Toymaker! I don't know what you talk about around the family dinner table, but topics at my house have a wide range. From discussing why southerners have an accent to how it would be if Phineas and Ferb lived with us we pretty much cover it all. So it shouldn't have surprised me when conversation turned to baby dolls and why some of them have ugly faces. After all, some real babies have ugly faces. (Tell me I'm wrong!) My son, always quick to offer a solution, though not always a great one, offered this. "What if the baby doll smiled when you picked it up to look at it?" Can't you see the possibilities here? How could you put back a baby that smiled when you chose it? And what if the baby had some pre-recorded...

My family has attempted a family devotional time in various ways and at various times. With young children who have a zest for life, this can be a challenge. And by ‘zest’, I mean they often act like their goal in life is to accomplish the equal and opposite goals of their parents. And by ‘challenge’, I mean it might be a more productive use of my time to train an army of squirrels to herd kittens for no pay. My kids test this theory. Nevertheless, we try. Our latest endeavor involved an exercise in 1 Corinthians 13, the famed love chapter. I began by reading the first 3 verses, which talk about a life of love being nothing more than a resounding gong. The boy: What’s a gong or cymbal. Me: It’s a big round instrument that makes an annoying sound. The boy: Oh, you mean like this? The boy then proceeds to make clanging cymbals, which delights and amuses his sisters. We move ahead. I tell them Paul is talking about how our actions need to have a right motive, o...

‘He who has ears, let him hear.’   I always thought that was an interesting statement made by Jesus. I have ears. Doesn’t everyone? I don’t think I know of anyone who doesn’t have ears. I guess some people are deaf, which is something my dad would accuse me of being. In my more dense moments as a child, my dad would also accuse me of lacking for brains. Apparently there was this assembly line for handing out brains. He may have insinuated that I heard 'train' and assumed I was going on a trip somewhere. He also said I had a brain like a strainer, which I didn’t get for the longest time, but that may have been proving his point. Before you think my dad unkind, let me assure you I am glad he said stuff like this to me. Otherwise I might not have anything to say to my kids when I am most dumbstruck by some of the things they do. But what’s most interesting to me is where I recently found a similar line from Jesus regarding the having of ears. To be sure, he said ...

At a hotel my family was eating breakfast down in the lobby when a news story came on about a guy who drove into a Taco Bell because they left a taco out of his order. You read that correctly! They left a single taco out of his combo meal. So he assumed the correct course of action to remedy this was to take his truck and drive through the restaurant. Because it would not be easier to simply go back up and ask for the missing taco. No, in order to help Taco Bell patrons everywhere and for all time, the appropriate response is to drive your vehicle through their restaurant. Upon hearing this, my kids start laughing at the absurdity of it all. And as a father, I instantly think...teachable moment! After talking with my kids for a few moments about anger and how we respond; my son thinks for a moment and then asks..."Did the guy get his taco?" It is all about food for my boy. I thought we were having a good life lesson on anger management. I even filled the moment...

I'm not sure if my dad ever felt this pressure, but wanting Mother's Day to go well is not a day that should be left to the children. After all, who better than the husband to discern the emotional needs of his wife? Can such important and daunting tasks be left to the same little ones who barely know how to keep their rooms clean? Besides, celebrating someone else is always something I want a part of. Why? Simply put, it gets you closer to the party. I've recently mentioned why a good party is worth attending , but let's chat about how celebrating others can be a real treat. For starters, there are the treats! Back to the aforementioned Mother's Day, I got the kids together and we planned the day out. Wouldn't Mommy like a yummy breakfast. Of course she would! Cinnamon rolls it is! Assuring my youngest that we would not simply make a couple of cinnamon rolls for Mom, we made enough to put us all in a sugary tizzy for the day. Then there is the s...

What would you do if you heard God telling you to go share your faith with the biggest bully you've ever seen? Oh, and God warned you ahead of time that the bully would cause you severe pain. Would you still listen? What if, after picking your teeth up from the ground, God asked you to go share your faith again? Same bully. Same result. Lots of pain. What kind of conversation would you start having with God? That's what I wonder about the prophet Hosea. He's told to go take an adulterous woman for a wife. 'Oh, thanks God, a wife...what kind again?' I never want to be accused of taking a sermon illustration too far again. Hosea does what he's told and goes and finds Gomer. First, what kind of female name is Gomer? Second, can you imagine the proposal? 'You seem like the cheating kind...how about we give it a go?' The sermon illustration that is Hosea's marriage continues as kids come and are named. They have a daughter, which Hosea is instructed to ca...

One of my favorite lines in the old movie City Slickers 2 comes when all the guys are out in the middle of the wilderness and Duke Washburn says he can tell his dad has been there. (For those who have not seen it, or have forgotten, they are all out in the wilderness looking for the Washburn treasure, which Duke's dad hid.) Two of the city slickers, Phil and Mitch, start having a conversation about this. Phil: How can you tell your dad's been here? Mitch: It's just like how we always knew when dad had been in the bathroom. Well, I'm a dad now. I want to say this appropriately for all my internet fan out there. Sometimes I am guilty of passing on biological unfriendliness. I suppose everyone does, but my 3-year old, never at a loss for being cute, experienced this more closely than I would have intended the other day. I let one fly, and much like a burglar, I fled the scene. 30 seonds later my wife is gagging while my 3-year old calmly states, 'I can feel it on my c...

"You're the best builder in the world." That's what my daughter said. To me. Before you start laughing, allow me to acknowledge my deficiency in the area of building. But in this case, I actually felt like I knew what I was doing. Never mind that that I was only building a bunk bed...with pre-drilled holes...and easy-to-follow instructions...and that it took me 4 hours. Never minding all that, my accomplishment looked fairly impressive. After all, I only had to re-do a couple of steps, and that was due to the instructions being faulty...seriously. As my wife watched, she reminded me several times that our oldest daughter would be on the top bunk and that our baby would be underneath her. I guess she's seen some of the other things I've built. But my confidence would not be shaken. After all, I was using my drill. What could possibly go wrong? (The answer is nothing as my daughters have slept safely and soundly for 3 nights at the time of this writing.) My daug...

Final words say a lot about us. Though everything we say should have meaning and not be wasted, I think we often consider our last words and we want them to make an impact. So, if I have the opportunity, here will be my last words to my son. "Keep your eyes on God. I have tried to model this for you. Remember that it's not about you or me and that what we do, we do for God. Always do the right thing for the right reason. Stay focused on God and you will never walk alone... And if you've seen anyone mocking me or doing me wrong, make sure to make them pay after I'm dead." The last part may seem to be a tad absurd, but I'll just be following the example left to us by King David. In my life, I've been known to make jokes at inappropriate moments. So I really admire David here. You can read it in 1 Kings 2:1-9. You have to respect a guy who takes one last moment to stick it to his enemies. Not that we would officially advocate what David does here, we often li...

As families go crazy getting back into the school schedule, I went crazy planning kick-off events for our church. And yesterday was the eye of the storm. We began our ministry year for just about every area of our church. I'd been preparing for a month and we had groups of people everywhere doing everything. The good news is that it all went well. So, after closing up my office and stopping by for a very delicious cookie, I went home. I had sent my wife and kids that way about an hour previous, so I was expecting that all would be calm. I'm a fool. My youngest was up...again. She was refusing to go to bed...again. She was using all her tricks and all her cute...again. After about ten minutes of my wife and I playing good cop, bad cop, I decided to try another tactic. I sat down in our hallway, spent and exhausted and asked my daughter if I could read her one more book. She accepted my proposal and decided to sit on my lap as I read. My children never seem to be as content than ...