As I write this, our nation faces a time of great social unrest and political division. We are challenged to state publicly with our words and our social media what matters; but for too many, a person’s hashtag has become the litmus test for determining the value of their perspective. It breaks my heart that family ties, long-standing friendships, and even church congregations are being frayed and divided over three words. For some, these words are “Black lives matter.” For... Read more
In its current season, the hit TV show This Is Us introduced a new storyline featuring Asante Blackk, who plays a black teen father. It’s a sympathetic and compelling portrayal that shows this young father doing the best that he can to care for his young child. I was pleased to see this because, years ago, just a few months after my 20th birthday, I was in that situation when I received the news that my nineteen-year-old girlfriend was pregnant... Read more
As a Christian, I am sure you’ve been told that you should be tolerant. You see, to some, especially those of older generations, tolerance means to “live and let live.” But today, tolerance means the exact opposite. Increasingly in our culture, those who adopt a tolerance worldview believe that if they disagree with your words, actions, or what they think you believe, they must fight to prevent you from even expressing your convictions, let alone live them out. Robin Phillips,... Read more
In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus was challenged with the question, “Who is my neighbor?” As was typical of Jesus, he responded to this question with a parable, which is commonly referred to as the parable of “The Good Samaritan.” Let me paraphrase essentially what Christ said. There was a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. He was on a dangerous road and, unfortunately, he was attacked by robbers and left for dead. Well, along came a priest, who, instead of... Read more
Each Christmas, I reflect on the story of Christ’s birth and the wonderful lessons it provides to those who want to work to protect the unborn and build strong families. I am particularly inspired by the courage that Mary and Joseph displayed through what must have been an incredibly stressful time for them. And as a father myself, who once faced an unplanned pregnancy with my girlfriend-now, my wife of 36 years, I certainly can relate to Joseph’s dilemma. But... Read more
With the recent confirmation of Justice Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, one of the most common questions I am getting in my work at Care Net is, “What is the goal of the pro-life movement?” This a critical question because pursuing the wrong goal can lead to dire consequences for any movement. The most common answer I’ve heard is to “overturn Roe v. Wade.” Others have said the goal should be to “defund Planned Parenthood” or to “save babies.” What... Read more
Several years ago, when I was president of National Fatherhood Initiative, I had the pleasure of working on a fantastic photography book project called, Choosing Fatherhood: America’s Second Chance. To create the piece, noted photographer Lewis Kostiner’s traveled the nation to meet with fathers from all walks of life, to hear their compelling and varied stories and, of course, take their pictures. As part of this project to be included in the book, I wrote the below essay, Want Good... Read more
Several months ago, I wrote a post titled, “What a Pro-Life Man Should Say When Told to Shut Up about Abortion.” The objective of the post was to address and debunk what I call the “no womb/no say” logic that is deployed to silence men in the abortion debate. Moreover, I wanted to expose and address the underlying principle of this logic, which is: unless one is impacted by an issue or action in the most direct way, one should... Read more
We all want to be effective communicators with our families, friends, and coworkers. However, we often miss the mark with sometimes dire consequences that can damage our relationships. So, why do we communicate so poorly so often? I submit that we get one or more of the 4Ms of Effective Communication wrong, which are: The Messenger – Who says the message The Message – What is said The Method – How the message is said The Moment – When the... Read more
When I was twenty years old, I did something that no Christian young man was supposed to do. I got my girlfriend pregnant. I can still remember, like it was yesterday, the moment I received the phone call from her to give me the news. She was crying. She was confused. And, she was terrified because she knew that she would have to tell her father, who had not quite embraced the idea of me dating his daughter. Plus, since... Read more
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