Daniel’s mom is preparing two new things for dinner – vegetable spaghetti and banana swirl. Poor Daniel isn’t sure whether or not he’ll like the entrée and dessert, but his mom reassures him, “We gotta try new foods, ’cause they might taste good.” Of course, Daniel tries both dishes and likes them both. His friend Continue reading

We all get made at times. Daniel and his friends have a hard time dealing with anger in an episode at the music store. They don’t always get a turn right when they want it, and the adults (who are always wonderfully on the same page with each other) advise the kids to “take a deep breath, Continue reading

Daniel’s dad is building him a playhouse, and Daniel wants to help. He’s not big enough to use some of the tools, though, but Dad points out that their are other ways in which Daniel can help. After all, everyone is big enough to do something. It seems so simple. Our family even sings it Continue reading

In another episode of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, the kids are playing house at preschool when Prince Wednesday storms in roaring. He wants to pretend to be a dinosaur, but the others are worried his roaring will wake the pretend baby. Katarina doesn’t want Wednesday to play with them at all, but Teacher Harriet encourages them Continue reading

I was reading a church bulletin lately that contained one of those stereotypical articles about a contentious point of doctrine, and it ended with a declaration: “Those who love the Lord will honor His Word!” And it’s one of those phrases that always leaves me a bit uncomfortable. It contains the same dangerous assumption as Continue reading

A couple days ago, I invited  you to concentrate on someone who has helped you in this life, someone who has made you feel special in some way. Didn’t it feel good to stop and think about that person? Well, now I’m going to ask you to go the other way: think about someone you Continue reading

We’ve all had people in our lives who we know care about us. They have helped us become who we are. They want us to do well in our lives, and they’ve had gone out of their way to be a positive force in our lives. Can you think of someone like that in your Continue reading

I see stuff like this all the time on Facebook: If you don’t like what I post, then it’s your problem. Just delete me if you don’t like what I write because I’m just being myself, and you should go away if you can’t handle it. Or I see and hear things like: If I Continue reading

I had to take the day off work to help take care of our daughter today because my wife is sick. When she asked this morning if I would stay home, I hesitated – not because I considered abandoning her, but because I was running through my head the various things I’d need to line Continue reading

One of the fun things about my daughter is that she has not yet developed anything resembling an inner dialogue. Every thought that runs through her head comes out as a sort of self-narration through the day. “Miss is eating grapes.” “Miss sees bunnies.” “Miss play in kitchen.” “Miss wash hands.” “Miss go upstairs now Continue reading