Teaching Manners & Common Courtesy A common courtesy minor event caught me by surprise. My 9-year-old son, Aaron, rushed through the door of our local Community Center ahead of me. One of our good friends called out as she exited carrying an arm-full of packages, “Please hold the door open.” To my chagrin, he yelled […]
The Perfect Gift Dilemma by Stephen Bly & Podcast
The Keys To Finding A Perfect Gift Some people are really hard to pick any presents for. Never mind the perfect gift. You know the type? Well, that’s not me. Anytime I pick up a catalogue for sports, hunting and fishing, western wear or horse tack, I find dozens of great gifts. For myself, that […]
No Good Reason by Stephen Bly & Podcast
Bad Behavior Excuses Progress came to Idaho with the Lottery. Promoters presented their supposed good reason. “Folks travel across the state border to spend their money in other states’ lottery. Let’s keep that cash in Idaho.” I guess the logic convinced many. But I wondered if that was such a good way to make a […]
Bestseller Jealousy by Stephen Bly and Podcast
Confession of a Common Use Writer You never know when the stab of jealousy or envy will hit. I walked into a bookstore and followed my usual pattern. Did they display any of the books I’d written? I managed to find several of my titles crammed into a shelf. But right out front in a […]
Count The Cost by Stephen Bly and Podcast
Ask Yourself, Is It Worth It? My wife Janet and I drove down to the National Finals Rodeo. We had a great time. It’s the Super Bowl and World Series of the professional sport of rodeo. We enjoyed watching the skill and savvy of both man and animals. But did we count the cost ahead […]
Change Of Plans Challenge and Podcast
Don’t Mess with My Routine A change of plans can make good sense. For instance, I spent three days with a chain saw and a splitting maul to prepare my own firewood. The red fir took longer than I expected. In fact, the whole project interrupted my routine schedule. Here’s my ideal day. Get out […]
Accepting The Unchangeable and Podcast
Unchangeable Truth In A Mirror Reflection My 9-year-old son, Aaron, enjoyed playing with my recording equipment. He sat in front of the mic and made an assortment of noises. Every once in a while, he uttered a few words. Then I convinced him to read a few passages from the Bible. I taped it and […]
Prodigal Son Family Saga and Frontier Forgiveness Podcast
The Long Trail Home, by Christy Award winning western author Stephen Bly Book 3 in the Fortunes of the Black Hills western family saga novels is a prodigal son story of redemption, forgiveness and restoration. Sam Fortune discovers the only way to escape the consequences of the past. Face the people left behind. “I told you […]
Head Count by Stephen Bly & Podcast
Taking A Head Count Thought about the phrase head count recently. I hadn’t seen Leroy since he took the job of foreman of the Slash H Ranch on the other side of the Salmon River. At Christmas I found him picking out presents at the feed store for his wife. Now, before you laugh, I […]
Frontier Family Counsel by Stephen Bly and Podcast
One-Word Rules For a Modern Frontier Family Are you part of a frontier family? For those who live on the spiritual frontier, we’re all pilgrims and pioneers. We’re pushing through this life to get someplace else. I’m a simple man. Here’s a plain and practical approach for navigating a frontier family today. For Christian fathers, […]
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