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Key Bible Verse: You saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son Deuteronomy 1:31, NIV. Bonus Reading:Malachi 3:17

For three exhausting years I was a seminary student, rural church pastor, and bank employee for 30-plus hours a week. As I started to leave for an 8:00 a.m. class, our three preschool boys were still in their pajamas, watching an early-morning cartoon. "Look at Scooby Doo, Daddy!" one exclaimed in laughter, wanting me to join in on the hilarity. I told the boys in an irritable tone that I had to leave and they needed to hug me good-bye. The boys, into their cartoons, were oblivious to my demands. In a moment of anger, I left the campus apartment without my daily hugs. I got into the old Ford, made the usual U-turn that brought me right in front of the apartment. And there, standing on the little porch, were Sam and Art crying, motioning for me to return and hug them.

I felt like such a lowlife. I jumped out of the car, grabbed a son in each arm, took them back inside, hugged them repeatedly, threw off my coat, and sat on the floor and watched Scooby Doo. I missed my 8:00 class. I don't even remember which class it was. But I do remember my boys yelling with delight that Daddy had returned and joined the party of laughter.

—Thom Rainer in Raising Dad

My Response: What could I prune from my schedule to open up some kid time?

Thought to Apply: Children just don't fit into a to-do list very well. It takes time to introduce them to good books, to fly kites and play punch ball and put together jigsaw puzzles. It takes time to listen.—James Dobson

Adapted from Raising Dad (B&H Publishing, 2007) by permission.

Copyright © 2008 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Help me, Lord, to be a constant, consistent presence in the life of my children, nudging them toward a life that pleases You.

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