Thursday,  May 8th, 1976 was a big day.  It was my 23rd birthday and the day my bride came walking down the aisle…40 years ago.  I have to stop and reflect on why I made a good choice.

Here are the reasons that came to my mind this week:

Everyone has read 1 Corinthians 13.  Most Christians know it as the love chapter.  I’ve read it a hundred times but struggle to DO IT.  The words seem to blend into a beautiful picture, like a work of art.  The problem, however, is if I just LOOK at it but can’t implement it. I looked at 1 Cor. 13 a different way the other day. 

Here is the way I read it this time:

We can put people on the moon but we can’t get cell phones to work everywhere.  Communication runs our world now.  From social media to digital cable, Internet, and (of course) smartphones, we all have to learn to communicate better.

Here are some communication skills I have had to sharpen:

Last Tuesday was a major event in my life:  my Dad of 97 years went to heaven.  We cared for him in our home for over six years after my mother died.  He was married for 63 years and in the ministry for 66 years.  This blog is about “generational leadership,” the passing of lessons from fathers to children.  

Here goes my best shot at five things I got from him:

Marriage has to have a foundation.  If it doesn’t, you will endlessly drift on the sea of culture, disappointment, and changes.  I have boiled down my seven most important lessons that give Melanie and I stability now in our 40th year of marriage.  

Check out how you are doing in these seven areas and see if one needs to be adjusted:

I’ve been really concerned about the lack of honor in our nation.

I have learned that honor is a part of God’s character: “Those who honor Me I will honor and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed” (1 Sam. 2: 30).

Here are a few practical ways honor works in my life:

Everyone is in a panic.  We operate more on adrenaline than anointing!  We have pressures, commitments, deadlines, obligations, possessions and relationships that require continual maintenance.

Here are some principles I have learned on how you spell “R.E.S.T.”: