It’s sad to see your kids grow up…but it’s more sad if they don’t grow up. That’s the conclusion I’ve come to with my four children. It’s my job to prepare them for life without me.

But what exactly does this entail? I don’t plan on going away anytime soon, but I don’t want them calling me up at midnight to ask if they should book the morning or evening flight to Denver. They should be able to make most decisions by themselves. And if they can’t, then I have done them a great disservice.

Join us this week on A Time to Sharpen as we talk with two former residents who have returned to Whetstone as staff. They are many seasons removed from their experience here, but right in the middle of the process of adulting. I think you’ll agree, after listening, that they are both wise beyond their years.

We often get asked about our “success rate,” as if the boys who come here are games on a schedule. People want to know our win/loss record. Is it above .500? Did we make the playoffs? If not, what coaches are we going to fire? What off-season moves are we going to make?

And I get it. I can be very results-oriented. But what exactly does it mean to be ‘successful’? Is it something that can be measured? If so, how? Should success be the thing towards which we strive? Or are other things even more important?

These are questions that we can ask not just about Whetstone, but about our performance as parents, teachers, and counselors - as spouses, and friends, and employees, and bosses. But who among us wants our worth to be judged by our output - especially when that output is another human being? People aren’t products to be manufactured and marketed.

On the other hand, the Bible says that you can judge a tree by its fruit. And Whetstone has served close to 140 families over the last 12 years. That’s a lot of fruit. We should be able to demonstrate the program has been successful on some level.

Join us this week, as we talk about the definition of “success.” Or rather, the many different definitions of success.

Sports, sports, sports…and more sports. We can’t seem to get enough. We have 24 hour coverage of every athletic competition across the globe. Sports on television, the radio, the internet. Then there is the conversation before, during, and after each individual event.

I haven’t done the math, but it would probably take a lifetime to consume just one day’s coverage of sports around the globe.

For some, this fact is just an annoyance. But for many others, this obsession with sports creeps into our family life. Wins and losses can affect people’s moods. Over-involvement in youth sports can have a toxic effect on family life and household finances. Keeping up with the Jones’s and the fear of missing out can negatively influence a wide variety of important decisions.

On the other hand, there is much to love and to learn from competition and the requisite need for young people to train and to develop self-control, strength, and endurance. Sports can lay a foundation for healthy living that lasts a life-time.

Join us this week on A Time to Sharpen, as we discuss the need for balance in the wide world of sports. It’s not easy to find a middle ground in a culture that worships professional athletes.