Most families these days represent a cross section of culture. I was born and raised in Ontario, while my wife, Elsie, was born in Nova Scotia. We brought different things to our marriage.

When our kids grew up, our eldest married an American girl who was born in Germany, and has a Vietnamese-inspired name. She grew up mostly in Alaska and Kent, Washington. Their boys have grown up in the Atlanta area, in the US south. Two of their boys are adopted from Ethiopia.

Our next son married a girl who grew up in Tillamook, Oregon, and went to school in Baltimore. Their boys are growing up in Portland, Oregon.

Our daughter hasn't married, but was a missionary to the Republic of Georgia, and did short trips to Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. She adopted two girls from Saskatoon with aboriginal roots, and then a third from Alberta. They live in Burnaby, BC.

We also have a surrogate daughter in Tokyo, with her family.

We're not exactly a homogenous family, are we?

So, how do we get along when we have such different perspectives, experiences and attitudes?

That's easy. We love each other.

I'm sure you know this - the best way to accomplish anything is to be SMART about it.

Of course, I'm talking about Goals. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-based Goals.

If your Big Idea is worth striving for, be SMART. Or, really Any Idea!

Enjoy today's post. It may even make you SMARTer!

Y'all Come!

In our world, where there is a tendency to focus on external differences, it's good to know that the Lord looks on the heart. He is far more interested in WHO you are than in WHAT you are. The welcome, "Y'all Come!" was never more appropriate! And it's a much needed attitude for all to bring.

How would you described yourself?

The Apostle Paul knew who he was, what he was to do, and how he was to do it.

And that kept him on the track the Lord had laid out for him.

If you're ever tempted to give up, remember that Paul remained faithful.

"Go thou and do likewise."

If you don't know where you're going, you'll end up some place else.

Yogi Berra said, "When you come to the fork in the road, take it." Apparently, if you were driving to his house, there was a fork in the road. Whether you went left or right didn't matter - both would take you to his place.

Life is rarely like that. There are choices we make that will make a difference.

That's especially true with the big stuff - including your mission.

Hi, and welcome to FIVE Minutes with Phil Routly, as I say Happy 246th Birthday to the Good Ole USA!

You came into existence because you didn't believe you were being treated fairly by King George and the powers of the British Empire. You had no autonomy, but were forced to pay taxes to the Crown. So you rebelled.

It seems to me that fairness has always played a central role in the philosophy of the United States of America. Not that you always got it right, and seldom got it right the first time. The pendulum keeps swinging, because so often what is fair for one person or group is not fair to the other. But as a nation, I believe you are trying to get it right.

Are you Canadian? What is it you love about Canada?

"What are you doing here?"

That questions doesn't usually have anything to do with what you're doing. It's usually a "Why" question: "Why are YOU here?"

It's another way of asking, "Do you belong here?" And the answer is "Yes! Absolutely, I belong here!" I was created with a purpose, and I'm here to fulfill it!

So what do you do if you don't know why you're here? Shouldn't you know?

Check out my latest post, which is part of my "Got Ideas?" series. Or listen to it on my podcast. Or both!

God's timing is always perfect, but it seems it's seldom our perfect timing. We tend to want things now, on a certain date, or perhaps never. But we usually have a personal agenda. I remember a newly engaged couple praying for Jesus to return - but not until after their wedding! We have plans, and we'd appreciate it if God used our timetable. But for some reason, he rarely does. Maybe he knows something we don't.

I can't say I loved school when I was a kid. I actually saw it as a necessary evil. In lots of ways, once I got rolling, I found it rather easy most of the time, and I did well, but until I graduated, I can't say that I loved it. I think that's the reason I decided to become a teacher. I had some really good teachers - Miss Stenton and Mr. Dolan come to mind - but enough not-so-good ones who didn't make education lovable that I wanted to make school much better for the kids.

I Love Summer!

But I really loved the end of June when the school year ended and summer vacation began. It wasn't released until I was teaching, but Alice Cooper's "Schools Out For Summer" was a great anthem! What's bizarre is the two lines: "School's our forever. I'm bored to pieces."