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How to offer bible lessons
I’ve been so intimidated at the prospect of teaching my children about Jesus and the Bible. There are so many facets to consider: age-relevant methods, following their interests, not overloading them with instruction, choosing a topic, where to learn together, etc. One of the resources I’ve borrowed from a friend (thanks Natalie!) called Godly Play: An Imaginative Approach to Religious Education by Jerome Berryman has been a useful tool to organize my priorities and envision how a lesson might play out.…
Questionnaire
1. How much poison are you willing to eat for the success of the free market and global trade? Please name your preferred poisons. 2. For the sake of goodness, how much evil are you willing to do? Fill in the following blanks with the names of your favorite evils and acts of hatred. 3. What sacrifices are you prepared to make for culture and civilization? Please list the monuments, shrines, and works of art you would most willingly destroy.…
The Risk of Birth
This is no time for a child to be born, With the earth betrayed by war & hate And a comet slashing the sky to warn That time runs out & the sun burns late. That was no time for a child to be born, In a land in the crushing grip of Rome; Honour & truth were trampled by scorn- Yet here did the Saviour make his home. When is the time for love to be born?…
A prayer for my children
If my boys live to old age, they will see the dawn of 2100. What will they need? Above all, they’ll need the same that I need - Jesus. But how can I transmit to them all the anguish, the rage, the weeping and groaning that has driven me towards the cloud of fire and smoke? Or the joy, the beauty, the longing and the passion that has beckoned me into the courts of Yahweh?…
Hilarious Bilson family quotes
This is a tear-inducing, hilarious list of quotes and circumstances with our boys Graham and Royal. Enjoy! Sept 25, 2021 Graham: "Sorry mama." (in regards to some very minor infraction). Amie: "It's ok Graham, I forgive you." Graham: "I forgive you too." Amie: "Oh, what do you forgive me for?" Graham: (turns and starts playing with his trucks, and quietly under his breath) "So much...so so much." Sept 26, 2021…
The verge of new parenthood
I’ve enjoyed reading Ben’s work for more than a year now, and his recent thoughts on the verge of parenthood have particularly resonated with me since it was only five years ago that I searched for answer to similar questions. As a means to reflect on my own experience and to give Ben another perspective, here are my responses to his ten questions. Do go read his own answers here, they’re enlightening.…
Advice for my children
Honestly, not sure whether this’ll take off or not, but it’s a fun idea I discovered from Kevin Kelly, 103 Bits of Advice.
Lack of trust is a wound as grievous as whatever caused it
Creative scientists and saints expect revelation and do not fear it. Neither do children. But as we grow up and we are hurt, we learn not to trust, and that lack of trust is a wound as grievous as whatever caused it.
Summer vacation
With the arrival of our second child, Amie and I began to consider whether Christmas is still the best time to visit family. Four plane tickets, crowded airports, and weather delays were a few reasons why summertime was beginning to be a more attractive option. So we purchased a cross-country-travel-friendly vehicle, packed up our bags and kids, and headed to South Dakota at the end of June. The Drive To Rapid City We spaced the 16-hour drive from Evanston, IL to Rapid City, SD over three days in hopes of surviving our children.…
A day in the life
Inspired by Colin Devroe’s post, here’s an average day. Any given Wednesday in fact. 5:45 - My phone alarm wakes me. I believe this to be true, though I have no recollection of the event. 6:00 - One of our children starts to scream, usually our ten-month-old Royal. Graham, our toddler, wakes and walks over to our bed to snuggle with Mama. This replaces my alarm clock as an effective, and memorable wake-up call.…
Obedience is not Jesus' first priority
This note was taken in exasperation with my children as I reflected on the passage, “Unless you become like this little child, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” When Jesus said the kingdom belongs to those who are like children, he didn’t mean obedience. I mean, have you tried to get a child to obey you? In fact, obedience seems low on God’s priority list.…
Baby food open letter
This is an open letter written to the Congressional Oversight Committee in response to their report on baby food published February 4th, 2021. The report is scandalous and included numbers which, taken at face value, suggest that the companies represented poison our children with astronomically high levels of inorganic arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury. Please, read the report for yourself, but here’s a little context. ℹ️ If you're frantic for practical steps, the Healthy Babies, Bright Futures' Baby Food Report, buried in the report's footnotes, is outstanding.…
Cabin vacation
For parents with small children, vacation has two distinct definitions: a parent vacation or a child vacation. These never mix, at least while the kids take all-consuming attention, so parents must decide which kind of vacation they want. The vacation can be restful and adventurous for the parents, or the children. I’ll let you decide which we chose. Before We Left Vacation preparation can be arduous, but ours isn’t so bad.…
Marriage covenant extends many generations
It was invaluable to learn six years ago that Amie and I would change so much it’d be like marrying a different person. But when I committed myself to Amie on July 12, 2014, I didn’t realize I was binding myself to her and also to all who come after. The marriage covenant is more like the LORD’s covenant with Abraham than I realized. It extends to all generations.
Return of the potty
This is the final installment in a series about potty training. To start from the beginning, go to potty training. We were less than one week from potty training graduation and the event gave me mixed feelings. I knew there might be temporary regressions, but I thought it’d happen at a later transition; perhaps the birth of his younger brother. Then one night, just before Graham’s bedtime routine was over, a traumatic incident set him back to the early days.…
Potty training aftermath
This is part two in a series about potty training. To start from the beginning, go to potty training. Two weeks have passed since we launched Graham’s potty training program. The first three days were horrific, but we’ve settled into a routine everyone can live with. Here are four discoveries we made along the way. The first three days are hell. By the end of day three, I was ready to give up.…
Infertility for men
Amie Bilson interviewed me about fears I’d experienced in our infertility journey. In the interview I explore three fears I’d faced when we began IVF and what helped me endure. Interview In my last blog, I shared about my experience with infertility and some of the things that helped me along the journey. I wanted to write a second blog for men. Much attention is directed towards women and infertility, but men have their own set of unique challenges when infertility gets in the way of a desire for children.…
Potty training
Today marks round five in a six-day potty training plan. It’s been rough. Little Ones saved our sanity when training Graham to nap, so we’re 100% on-board with their potty training program. Broken into three sets of two days, we’ve nearly completed the round. On days one and two, Graham went pantless and we follow him around, poised at any moment to catch him peeing. When he does, we immediately direct him to the nearby potty and celebrate like mad if the tiniest bit of pee lands in the pot.…
Why do I write
After nearly three years of writing business insights for my MBA program, I’ve developed the writing habit. I’ve also passed from my twenties to my thirties and feel, perhaps for the first time, that I may have something to contribute to “the world”. Writing to a global audience would paralyze me, so I’ve narrowed my purpose to a select few. If you find my posts helpful but aren’t my target audience, what an encouraging side benefit.…