Dave Burchett's Blog, page 62

3 Ways Dads Can Leave a Legacy-Part 3

Every dad leaves a legacy. I have learned a few things through trial and many errors about being a dad who is trying to leave a positive legacy. Previous installments detailed two ways to leave a good legacy. Love Your Wife Affirm Your Kids Today we will examine one more way to establish a positive legacy. And we are adding a very dangerous twist today. I polled my three sons about my strengths and (gasp) shortcomings as their father. Those knee-buckling results were both sobering and encouraging. First, the third way to leave a positive legacy as a dad. 3.  Enjoy every mile of the journey as you model being a man The best description I have heard about being a parent is this bit of wisdom:  “Parenting…the days are long and the years are short.” In his book, Being a Good Dad When You Didn’t Have One, Tim Wesemann gives his readers a two-word piece of advice: “Lighten up!”  He says that adults laugh an average

3 Ways Dads Can Leave a Legacy-Part 2

This week I am doing a brief series on leaving a legacy as an earthly father. Every dad leaves a legacy. The only question is what kind. The first step to leaving a positive legacy is to love your wife. For some readers that already has not worked out. That does not mean that you cannot leave a positive legacy. There are many ways to redeem the father/child relationship. The second part of leaving a legacy that endures is to be an encouragement to your kids. Paul wrote this simple instruction to the church at Colossae. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. The Message translates this verse  like this…. Parents, don’t come down too hard on your children or you’ll crush their spirits. I cannot remember hearing a lot of teaching on that verse over the years. It is really easy in this success mad culture to discourage your children. Nearly every dad wants his child to be

3 Ways Dads Can Leave a Legacy-Part 1

Occasionally people will observe our three wonderful sons and ask something like this. “What did you do to parent such great kids?” My response is simple. “I married Joni. The rest is a blur.” There is a little too much truth in that answer. She was and is remarkable. But we did partner in this grand adventure called parenting. Along the way I learned some things mostly by error and stumbling trial. Over the next two days I will share what I have figured out with the disclaimer that I do not claim to be an expert. It is with humility and grateful appreciation to God that He has given me the gift of this family. One thing I have learned in my journey is that every dad leaves a legacy. The only question is whether that legacy will be good, bad, or indifferent. Being a father is tough because we generally learn how to parent while on the job. Ken

Monday Musing – Do I Really Think I am a Bad Christian?

I am often blessed by really kind comments from you about my books or blogs. I truly appreciate the encouragement. But what I remind myself everyday is this simple truth. I would be impressed with me except for one thing. I know me. I know how often I am selfish. I know how often I judge. I know how often I have a bad attitude. The list goes on and on. I got a lot of feedback and some not so complimentary when my book “When Bad Christians Happen to Good People” hit the scene. Some where offended that I could suggest there are “bad Christians”. My answer probably didn’t help much. Bad Christians are all God has to work with. To be sure some are more productive than others. Some clean up better and some have whiter smiles. But when we measure our performance against God’s perfect law we are devastated. All of us fall short (from inches to

Pondering Jesus and the Doobie Brothers

A song from a career long, long ago and far, far away cued up on the iPod today. Right out of high school I worked as a disc jockey at a small radio station in Southern Ohio. Nice hair huh? And notice the amazing technology at my fingertips. I remember being so excited to play a song from The Doobie Brothers called “Jesus Is Just Alright”. Hearing The Doobie Brothers sing about Jesus was pretty amazing in my still young faith journey. I was sure they had to be believers to release a song like this. I know. I was incredibly naive. Apparently none of the group was particularly religious but the song became an anthem for the incredible Jesus Movement that swept the land. I remember one critical Christian (hard to imagine that) hearing the song and smugly declaring that Jesus was “much more than just alright”. In one fell swoop he revealed both his judgmentalism and stupidity. He

Give A Personalized Copy of Stay for Father’s Day!

Father’s Day is just around the corner. Many of you have told me you plan to give a copy of Stay: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace to your Dad or Grandfather. In my very biased world that is MUCH better than a tie! I have 100 Autograph plates ready to send out that you can place inside the book before you give it. Just send your address and how you want the plate inscribed to dave@daveburchett.com. I will sign it and return it to you. I pay the postage as my small thank you to you! However, this is a first come, first served offer so get your copy today and send me your request. You can get Stay at Barnes and Noble, Booksamillion, Mardels and online at Amazon, Christianbook.com, and Barnes and Noble. You can link to any of the online sellers at my website. I would love to help you celebrate your Dad

Musical Comfort Food For a Monday

Father’s Day is less than three weeks away and that day is always bittersweet. I am so grateful to be the father of three wonderful sons but the day also reminds me how much I miss my Dad. I thought of him as I watched the news today. The current debate in Washington and the selfish agendas of our “representatives” would have driven him nuts. I could almost hear him ranting about the politicians and how we just need someone with “some uneducated good old common sense” in our Nation’s Capital. He earned the right to rant. He was one of the incredible men and women who served our country during World War II. The flag from his military funeral is one of my proudest possessions. I find myself becoming my Dad more and more each day. I dialed up a couple of his favorite songs that I have on my iPod. It was the musical version of comfort food. The first

Confessing My Christian Agenda

One of my favorite comedians is Jim Gaffigan. You have to be truly funny to generate laughs and be “clean” in your act. And now the truth is coming out. Jim Gaffigan is a Christian! He is introducing a new TV show this summer called the Jim Gaffigan Show.  I promise you he is a more creative comic than TV show-namer. One of the issues he will address on the show is the challenge of being branded by his faith. One episode plot explores the risk when a popular entertainer comes out as religious. In the show Gaffigan is accidentally photographed carrying a massive Bible. There is subsequent comedic panic about public opinion about him after that career faux pas. Washington Post religion writer Michele Boorstein featured this snippet of dialogue from the show. ““I don’t want to get involved in the culture war. Religion is a very iffy business. As soon as you identify yourself as believing something, you

Are You Reluctant To Read Stay?

My new book Stay: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace has been available for about 3 months. Your response has been an encouragement and blessing. Today I wanted to address the elephant in the kennel. When I have done book signings or talked about the book on the radio I often get these responses. “Is this a sad book?” “Will it make me cry?” “Does the dog die?” Those are usually followed by something like this. “I can’t read it if it is (any of the above).” My honest answers to the above queries would be sometimes, maybe and yes. But Stay is not a book about dying. It is entirely a book about living! The sad moments are wrapped in the redemptive joy of life, relationship and grace. I am pretty sure you will laugh, relate often to the stories of friendship, and marvel at the gift God has given us with these furry friends.

Tragedy in Waco and the Heartbreaking Consequences of Sin

It is Monday. Enough said. And it has been raining pretty consistently here in Texas for weeks. That is the combo platter The Carpenter’s made famous when they sang Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down. The first stanza really captures my mood today. Talkin’ to myself and feelin’ old Sometimes I’d like to quit, nothin’ ever seems to fit That seems about right today as I contemplate the devastating and heartbreaking toll of sin. I know. That is not politically correct. But there is no other word that describes what I am seeing today. I see a beloved and effective pastor lose his ministry for the false hope of an inappropriate relationship. Sin says that there is more. Sin says that you deserve to be happier and that will only be true in a different relationship. Sin says that God does not really have your best interest at heart. I hate those lies from Satan that we continue