Thoughts and stories, by Pal

When we raised our children, they were all expected to go to Church except when they were ill.  As adults some are not active, and it is their choice, but as children we did not give them that choice.     Why I make my kids go to church By Jenny Evans For  Unremarkable Files Published: Saturday, Feb. 28 2015 12:39 a.m. MST View 2 photos » I understand not wanting to brainwash a child, but I worry that in the name of letting their kids choose, well-intentioned parents out there are really giving their kids no choice at all. Summary I understand not wanting to brainwash a child, but I worry that in the name of letting their kids choose, well-intentioned parents out there are really giving their kids no choice at all. “ Maybe my younger kids would rather stay home playing than attend church, but that doesn't mean they should. The benefit of church isn't in just the one church service, but in the entire pattern of gospel l...

LINE UPON LINE Why do things go wrong when we’re trying to do what’s right? By Richard Paul Evans  · February 25, 2015 The following article originally appeared on RichardPaulEvans.com.  Lately I’ve been pondering why it is that when we set out to do something good we face such difficult adversity. Sometimes it even feels like we’re being punished for doing the right thing. Last week I attended a board meeting for the Christmas Box International, a charitable organization I founded about fifteen years ago to help abused and neglected children. As our director read the list of the year’s accomplishments, my mind went back to one of our first board meetings–a painful, agonizing one. Back then, it seemed,  nothing  was going right. Community donations were a fraction of what we’d hoped for while our first shelter, which was still under construction, was a money pit–six months behind schedule and more than a half million dollars over...