My Help Source

Recommended Read - "Benjamin Oliver Flanagan"

My longtime good friend, Dale Triplett, tweeted me just a few minutes ago to announce that he is offering his new children's book, Benjamin Oliver Flanagan, at zero cost--as in FREE--for just a couple days.

I immediately downloaded the book to my Amazon Kindle Cloud Reader and read it in a jiffy.

Benjamin Oliver Flanagan is a heartwarming story, delivered as a fun and rhythmic poem and accompanied by playful illustrations from Kevin Scott Collier, that tells us about a boy, his toys, his almost tragedy, his rescuer father, and his newfound trust. 

The father in me was touched by the words of Benjamin's dad...

"Just respect the things you love, And trust in your Father."

There's a lesson here for the child in each of us. 

Get your copy of Benjamin Oliver Flanagan by simply clicking HERE .

Enjoy! 

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Please take a moment to share your thoughts about Benjamin Oliver Flanagan below. 

Living the Dash - Big Rick's Legacy (1926-2011)

[Dear Reader: This is a repeat of a post I wrote last year to commemorate the passing of my step-father, who passed away on July 4, 2011. I still miss him and his impact on the world is no less important today than it was then, so I thought I would share my heart again. Thank you for your kind understanding. Remember those whom you love and love them while they're with you.] 

Big Rick passed into eternity on July 4, 2011. Although he wasn't famous, infamous, or even well-known, he was very special to me and played a major role in creating the guy who is sitting here typing this.

You see, Big Rick was my step-father for nearly half a century. I haven't lived under his roof since the late-70s when I joined the Air Force, and the miles between us as my wife and I have moved around the world have made our visits with him less frequent than I would have liked, but I still miss his presence more now than ever. Somehow, things just seem different knowing he is no longer there, at home and with my mother.

Now Is a Good Time to Live Up to the Hype, Dads

I've been a dad for quite a few Father's Days now and I've received many wonderful cards.

I am happy to say that I've never had any doubts that my kids loved me or that the words they wrote in the cards were sincere.

On the other hand, I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that there were times when I actually believed the messages that were preprinted in the cards.

I was the World's Best Dad!

The Best Dad in History!

One in a Billion.

My image appeared next to the "father" entry in the encyclopedia.

According to the cards, if you broke me down into my basic elements, I was fun, brilliant, supportive, playful, hip, cool, and kind.

I was a legend in my own mind.

It was all hype, and hype can be dangerous if you actually start believing it.

Leadership Begins at Home

"Why do some of the sharpest leaders step up in the workplace but flake out when they walk into their home? Is it fatigue? Work overload? Or are they just out of their element?" (Dave Stone, Southeast Christian Church)

Those are good questions, aren't they? We've all read or heard stories of brilliant CEOs, industrial giants, and civic leaders who've failed at their primary roles as husbands and fathers.

We also know the stories of Average Joes like you and me who get so busy "providing" that they forget to provide what their mates and kids really need and crave--a close relationship with their husbands and kids.

Dave Stone, author of Building Family Ties with Faith, Love, and Laughter and Raising Your Kids to Love the Lord, suggests three critical times when you can lead your family in Leadership Begins at Home, over at Michael Hyatt's blog:

Don't Forget to Play!

 

"Playing in the Sand" by Lisa McDonald (www.freedigitalphotos.net)

 

Do you remember being a little kid?

I do.

Other than my chores, I had not a care in the world.

I followed the space program closely and have fond memories of waking early on the West Coast to watch the televised--In "Living Color!"--launches of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions with my mother. These were exciting days as the nation responded to President Kennedy's urgent call to land a man on the moon within the decade, but the threats that prompted his call to action escaped my attention. Duck and Cover! was just a game.

Maybe I should have put more effort into my studies, but I generally didn't let school work interfere with my fun time at home.

Instead of worrying about the past, present, or future, I simply played. I played all the time, even when I was supposed to be engaged in serious work!