Archive - January, 2011
nava

Daniel Nava and the Importance of Dad

Red Sox outfielder Daniel Nava knows adversity. He also knows what it means to overcome. After being cut from a small college team, Nava enrolled in junior college and joined the team at the behest of a friend. (more…)

monkey

Profile of a Mentor: Tom Reid

When I was six, my mom signed me up for “Big Brothers and Big Sisters,” in Little Rock.  My first “Big” was a guy named Tom. Tom had a crooked smile, busty moustache, and black hair slicked over to the side. And (to my six-year old eyes) he was really, really hairy. (more…)

narnia5

Narnia: There’s a Place for Us

I just went to see The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, a movie based on C.S. Lewis epic fantasy series. (I realize I was a little late to the party.) But I was pleasantly surprised and especially struck by the themes of identity and belonging woven throughout the movie. (more…)

teenmama

90 Teenage Moms at Memphis High School

At Fraser High School in Memphis, some 90 girls are pregnant or have already given birth. That is nearly 20% of the 508 girls at the school. But as I read the stories and news-clips, I have yet to find anyone talking about the shadow looming behind the problem: fatherlessness. (more…)

bill smith

Profile of a Mentor: Bill Smith

I hadn’t seen a picture of Bill since he passed away in 2003. But when I found this picture yesterday, I could hear his voice. Calling my name, proud of me. Yesterday, I sat on the couch with tears in my eyes, grateful and reflecting on his sacrificial investment in my life. (more…)

mlk2

MLK: Dreams of Reconciliation

There are few men that become generational men. Men who rise and shout from the rooftops, men who speak for a race, a people group, or a generation. Men whose voices rise into a roar, and they suddenly become lions.  (more…)

keith

Profile of a Mentor: Keith Kirk

In honor of National Mentoring Month, I want to talk about a few men who mentored me, men who made a real difference in my life. One of these guys was my Karate instructor named Keith. (more…)

chester1

Pop Culture, Prophets, and why we must Listen

As I write in Fatherless Generation, pop culture is a warped mirror of our lives. I saw this come to life in a crowded mosh of about 100,000 people in Los Angeles, watching the band Linkin Park…  (more…)