A Ritual of Hope For years on Christmas Eve at my home church, a ritual of hope took place. Near the end of the worship service, our Pastor stood at the Chancel with a single lighted candle. Two ushers came forward and lit their candles from his. As the congregation began singing the age-old lyrics…
In this season of “comfort and joy”, I wonder how discomfort can also bring joy. If one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result; then, I wonder if sanity must be doing things differently in order to achieve a desired result. No Pain, No Gain In…
The Answer is Up to Us At Be There Dad, we have always stressed the importance of role models. Part of our mission has been to have men present in schools and elsewhere, so children can see them and emulate their positive attributes. Rules for Success Last week I watched the funeral of General Colin…
Run to Daylight: What Can We Help? At Be There Dad, the vision embraced by all our dads is that every child will feel the power of presence. Individually, and collectively, we continually ask how we can best serve the children. How can we use our time, talent, and treasure so that the kids may…
Today, I re-visit an article we published in 2012. If you look past the names and location, like so many Be There Dad concepts, I believe the thoughts are as relevant today as they were back then. I Can Only Get Better Like many other Americans, in the past week or so, I have spent…
I stood on the sidelines and watched our twelve-year-old soccer team run up and down the field. I was pleased. It seemed they were executing what we had taught in practice earlier that week; and when I shouted instructions, they worked to respond accordingly. A coach’s dream. The leader of that orange and black clad…
Climbing the Mountain: A Reflection of Fatherhood I sat on the edge of Iceberg Lake – a majestic place some 6100 feet up in the mountains of Glacier National Park. My daughter and I congratulated each other on a successful hike; then we “feasted” on the turkey sandwiches we had carried for our lunch on…
Life is My Movie – Why Not? Another article from Coach Jeff. If you choose to read on, when you get to the end, you will have received another dose of faith and hope. That is why I write. As Father’s Day approaches, I think of the most important role in my life and why…
Have a Catch Some fifty years ago on a beautiful Pennsylvania summer evening, my dad and I were in the front yard of our tiny house having a catch. Back and forth. Back and forth. Throw and catch. For variety, my dad would slip in a ground ball that I would scoop up and fire…
What Have We Learned? I watched the local news today and saw how people were reacting to the gas shortage caused by the southern pipeline shutdown. Unfortunately, I was reminded of how some folks reacted to the toilet paper shortage not long ago. I saw people hoarding. Filling large gas cans with gallons and gallons,…