oday, as I sit down to write this article, I can’t help but think it’s on days like these I bask in the goodness of God in my life and thank Him for all He’s done.

When I walked past our bed and noticed the comforter crumpled and messy from kids who recently wrestled in it, I began to smile. Then I came to the kitchen counter that was covered in sticky sweetness from making our own lemonade with fresh lemons this morning, and my smile grew wider. I inhaled deeply and enjoyed the smell of butter still hanging in the air from having been cooked in a hot pan at breakfast.

ave you ever looked back and simply wanted to facepalm yourself? I use that emoji A LOT. And this one is for the love of LEGO.

Both of my boys tended toward a bit of obsession when it came to their favorite toys. My oldest wanted to play with anything history-related. We picked up more figurines at historical sites than what is probably normal.

For my youngest it was two things: wooden trains when he was little, and then LEGO—an obsession he continues with at age twenty-four. Yes, for Christmas this past year he got a LEGO version of Van Gogh’s Starry Night, his favorite painting.

s I look back on the experience of parenting my five children to adulthood (well, almost there with the last one, anyway) there are a handful of very clear snapshots that stand out to me as clear as if they had happened yesterday. We remember things such as pushing our baby girl in a swing when she was about six months old. The wind was in my face, and she had a pink hat on. We were the only ones at the park. She smiled at me with her eyes, and I remember thinking, “I will never ever be happier than I am in this perfect moment.” I’ve thought about that day many times over the years and other moments like it. I wonder how our brains pick the moments to hold up front and center? I think I remember that day because of the depth of emotions I felt as a new mother sharing a childhood connection with my child for the first time. I deeply bonded with her as I watched her rise and fall in the swing. I was introducing her to a world of playgrounds, bird songs, the wind in her face, and the feeling you get in your stomach when you do something brave and a little dangerous.

was convinced that I was going to be a fantastic mother. That was my plan. And right before we had our first child, I remember having this brief thought about how we were going to fill our days.

Most of my friends already had kids, and many of them scheduled their days. You know… eat, activity, sleep in two-hour time chunk increments. So I thought, “Oh, I can do this!” I had it all planned out.

ur bodies are remarkable creations of God. He has designed every part and function of our body for a purpose. As we look closer at what happens to our body when we exercise or play sports, we see the amazing features our Creator has given our bodies so we stay safe and healthy as we run, jump, swim, and enjoy physical activities.

Let’s uncover the incredible processes God has designed into our bodies that happen without us even noticing. Get ready to discover the hidden wonders of how your body keeps up with all your fun and games!

ears ago, when I was a younger dad, I was running errands with a couple of my children. I had to stop at a trophy shop to check on some ribbons that we were having made for an event at the church where I was pastoring. I remember being tired (which I often was in those days) and not feeling my cheerful self.

It was during the school day, and at some point the lady behind the counter asked, “So is there a school break today?” It was obvious that she was eyeing my children who should have been in school.

“No,” I said with a sigh, “we homeschool our kids, so we can run errands when we need to.”