It is good to get advice from people who have traveled the road that you are going to travel. They can warn you of dangers. As the saying goes ‘hindsight is 20/20'. Here is an article from Phil Sanders who has adult children. He looks back at some of the things he wishes he had done better when they were young. You can find more helpful articles at focuspress. - jp

http://www.focuspress.org/files/Articles/July__08_think_pgs_12___13.doc

Here is an article on how we define success. What if you get to the top of the ladder only to find that it was leaning against the wrong wall? This article is worth our time and attention.  There are many more available at www.focuspress.org - jp

http://www.focuspress.org/files/Articles/July__08_think_pgs_22_23proofedjp_edit.doc

If you have a daughter you need to take 45 minutes and go listen to Dave Ramsey’s interview with Dr. Meg Meeker. She is a pediatrician who has studied the relationships between fathers and daughters for years. She authored a book Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters. She has two great messages for fathers: 1) Dads are more important to their children than they realize. And 2) Don’t parent out of fear. The book is also worth the $10 that they are charging for it on Dave’s site for a limited time.

The interview is on the first hour of the show from Wednesday, January 16, 2013. You can skip the commercials and it will be about 30 minutes long. Just go HERE and then select the January 16th show from the dropdown list. The show will only be available for about a week or two so go listen soon.

To see the difference a dad can make let me show you what happened in our family just this week. My wife has been exercising quite a bit since the twins were born. I decided about a week ago that I needed to lose some weight and exercise. It has been amazing to see the kids wanting to get on the Wii Fit and exercise the past few days when they never did one time since the twins were born before I started exercising. 

Fathers should give good gifts to their children, but that doesn’t mean they have to cost a lot of money or that you should go into debt to do it. The fact is that the best gifts really can’t be bought. In addition, the gift of teaching children the limits of money and how they should handle their finances in the future is a good gift. I often tell my children, "It’s good to want things, and better not to get them." If you got everything you ever thought you wanted in your life how miserable would you be?

Matthew 7:9-11 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? (10) Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? (11) If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Check out this video on the subject of Christmas spending:

http://www.daveramsey.com/christmas/blog/id/december-you-january-you  

jp

I thought I'd share this article with you today.  It is funny, yes, but it really points out the problem Christians have in their attitudes.  As Christians - the name means follower of Christ, by the way - should we so blatantly ignore a scripture and do as we will, instead of God's will?

Longwinded Shortcomings:  I have nothing to say about modesty...