Rock It Creations

When we had my middle son's first ceremony I used an online service to laser engrave a marble block for me.

For my youngest son, I went a different route and had a river stone engraved (I'm a firm believer that each child's ceremony should be tailored for their personality).

Here's the company I went with. They did a very good job and were easy to work with. The final product came out a little bigger (ie, heavier) than I intended, but I think the Lord worked it out so that I could really drive home the weight of the principles I'm imparting.

I'll try to post pictures of the finished product in the near future.

Rock It Creations

Planning for Manhood

I'm finally taking my youngest son away for his first manhood ceremony this weekend...one year late.

That's right, I'm a guy that eats and breaths this manhood stuff (teaching classes, running a blog, helping other guys with ceremony ideas, etc.) and still I let a whole year slip by on me!

I know from leading a Raising a Modern Day Knight class at my church that it can be hard for any man to stay on task with his plans in this area. We are generally good at coming up with the vision...but lacking in the execution.

Here's a Word doc I came up with last Fall to help you design a ceremony. Writing it out (with a date attached) helps the planning process start and provides a level of accountability. Give it a try.

ManhoodCeremonyPlan

Tony Dungy Retires

Tony Dungy announced he was retiring yesterday. While his achievements on the field have been substantial, in my opinion it is his achievements off the field that have had the greatest impact:

Dungy has been involved in a wide variety of charitable organizations, including the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Athletes in Action, Mentors for Life, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys & Girls Clubs, the Prison Crusade Ministry, and All Pro Dad. He also works with Basket of Hope, the Black Coaches Association National Convention, Indiana Black Expo, the United Way of Central Indiana, and the American Diabetes Association.

I've read his first book "Quiet Strength" and would definitely recommend it. Apparently he has a new book out as well I hope to review sometime in the future.

Tony Dungy Retires - International Herald Tribune

Over-committed and Under-connected

My wife and I have managed to get out for coffee and planning a couple of times over the last week, planning for the year. There is so much to do, and so little time to do it!

Here's a quick reminder from the latest All Pro Dad Play of the Day that really hit home. As leaders of our homes, we are the ones that have to be willing to set the tone for our families and have the courage to say "no" when there are too many things going on. And it may take courage...especially if your wife our kids don't agree with the assessment.

Read it, think about it, then make the change you need to make!

The two biggest issues modern families face are over-commitment and under-connection. Parents over-commit at work, at hobbies and even at church. Kids over-commit at school or piano lessons or athletics. What that means is less time as a family together and less relational connectedness.

To get better connected as a family, you have to spend more time together, which may mean reprioritizing current commitments. Strong families make their family time a top priority.

Tim Tebow is The Man

If you're not a Gator fan, you may not know the full scoop on quarterback Tim Tebow. He's definitely a great example of an athlete using his position to glorify God. Here's an overview:

• Timothy "Tim" Tebow (born August 14, 1987) is a college football quarterback for the Florida Gators.
• Tebow was born in the Philippines to Bob and Pam Tebow, who were serving as Christian missionaries at the time.
• While pregnant, Pam suffered infection with a pathogenic amoeba, and an abortion was recommended by her doctors. She refused, instead relying on her faith.
• All of the 5 Tebow children were homeschooled by their mother, who worked to instill the family's deep Christian beliefs along the way.
• In 1996, legislation was passed in Florida allowing homeschooled students to compete in local high school sporting events. With the rest of his family living on a farm in Duval County, Tim and his mother moved into an apartment in nearby St. Johns County, making him eligible to play for the football team at Nease High School.
• Tebow was considered one of the nation's top recruits and received a scholarship to Florida.
• He was the first college football player to both rush and pass for 20 touchdowns in a season and was the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy.
• Tebow spent the last three summers before enrolling at the University of Florida in the Philippines, assisting with his father's orphanage and missionary work and now spends his Spring Breaks continuing the work there (including performing circumcisions!)
• His contribution in the 2006 college football season was as a key reserve that helped the Gators win college football's national championship game for the first time since 1996.
• Tebow was featured prominently in an ESPN "Outside The Lines" feature on homeschooled athletes seeking equal access to high school athletics in other states. He argued in favor of extending the right to play for local teams to more states.
• Tebow's example inspired equal access supporters in Alabama to name their bill in the Alabama Legislature "The Tim Tebow Bill". http://www.timtebowbill.com/
• He is very vocal about his faith and has stated he wants to use football as a platform to reach others with the Gospel message. He always bears a testimony to Jesus Christ and gratitude and praise to God when interviewed on national television. He started a recent trend of putting Bible verses on the black strips under his eyes.
• He says his list of priorities, in descending order of importance, is faith, family, academics and football.
• He's playing in the College Football National Championship this Thursday 1/8/09. (I'll be at the game!!!)

Fathering Quotes

Let's start the year out with some great Fathering quotes:

"Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, and the meekness of true strength. Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, ‘I have not lived in vain.’"
— General Douglas MacArthur

"It is a wise father that knows his own child."
— William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), “The Merchant of Venice”, Act 2 scene 2

“Becoming Father the Nurturer rather than just Father the Provider enables a man to fully feel and express his humanity and his masculinity. Fathering is the most masculine thing a man can do.”
— Frank Pittman, U.S. psychiatrist and family therapist. Man Enough, ch. 12 (1993).

So often, as the septuagenarian reflects on life’s rewards, we hear that, “in the final analysis” of money, power, prestige, and marriage, fathering alone was what “mattered.”
— Kyle D. Pruett (20th century), professor, child psychiatrist.
The Nurturing Father, ch. 15 (1987).

“A father is a banker provided by nature.” — French Proverb

“A famous man is one whose children love him.” — Chinese Proverb

“Fathering is not a sprint. It’s a marathon.” — Paul Lewis, Founder, Family University

Q: When does a boy become a man? A: “When his father says he is!” —Burt Reynolds

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! I'm looking forward to a great 2009!

The Little Pink Card

Man, I wish I had known about this a week ago!

Here's some handy gift guidance for the husband who needs a little help when selecting a present for his wife...a camp I am firmly in!

This little card (found out about it on the Building Camelot blog) has all the essential info you need to make an informed purchase in the "heat of battle". Is it lame to have to consult a little card to know what perfume to buy your wife? Yes! But not as lame as not buying it all because of your own ignorance...

While I am not willing to pay $9 plus shipping to have a professional one made, I will be putting this little idea to good use with a DIY card for my wallet.

The Little Pink Card

Tabernacle Model Kit

While doing an online search for model kits to give the boys for Christmas, I stumbled on this cool kit. I doubt my boys would appreciate this under the tree, but I'm thinking this would make a great family project at some point, and a great way to teach the theology of the Tabernacle.

Tabernacle Model Kit

Imprint of a Godly Man

“An imprint of a godly man on the heart of a boy forms the contours and diagram of what he needs to become. This by the way explains the reason gangs are so prevalent in urban cultures. The numbers of fatherless boys far exceeds that in the suburbs…..and the pull toward violence/cruelty is amplified in these situations. Repeat teenage pregnancies and unmarried liaisons have produced streets filled with young boys desperate for a man’s guidance…..without nature to challenge; with limited places to release energy; without a father, grandfather, or positive male mentor, the boy views the streets as his proving ground….and the wretched cycle of violence, sexual conquest, abandonment of children, substance abuse, and irresponsibility repeats itself over & over again……and what has been the norm for fatherless children in the inner city is quickly becoming the norm in the heartland”

paraphrased from “Passed through Fire” by Rick Bundschuh