Articles

This section contains articles written on various subjects. Following is a list and a snapshot of our current articles. The sidebar contains just a list of the Articles and the ability to go back to this main page. Click on a link and enjoy!

Warning: sometimes a subject burns so deep in our hearts, we tend to get a little wordy to get the fire out. :)

Current Articles

What Am I Wearing?

Imagine this scenario - one that is all too real... You and your 15 year old daughter are walking down the grocery aisle together. As you approach a man and his wife, you notice that this "husband" looks at your daughter's breasts which are protruding tantalizingly above her tight, midriff-showing, cleavage-enhancing, white shirt. Her tiny shorts reveal long legs that the "husband" next visits. Do you want your daughters to receive this kind of attention? Is this the attraction that would ensure a strong, loving, respectful relationship that would last a life-time? And is this the type of man you want your daughter to attract? Read More...

A Math Problem

Beware: today is a day for ranting. I am going to share a true story with you. One that might blow your mind away - or perhaps not.

Last week, I went to pick up a pair of shoes for Erin, my 14 year old daughter, at a well-known shoe store in the mall. The cute little girl behind the register rang up the shoes and let us know that the total came to $6.34. I handed her a ten dollar bill, she handed Erin back five dollars and some change.
Erin, with a perplexed look on her face, gave back the money and said, "Uh... I think you gave me back too much change. It was $6.34 and we gave you a ten." Can you guess the outcome? Read on and find out!

The Fruits of Labor

What are the fruits of all of our labor in radically changing our parenting style? Let me show you...

Late on a Sunday night, Jared (my 20 year old) was driving home from Youth. He saw a young man walking along the side of the road, and he felt a stirring in his soul, saying "Stop. Talk to him about Me. Tell him all about My Love."

Jared shook his head, thinking that it was just his mind playing tricks on him. He drove on. The feeling persisted; he shook his head again and continued driving. As he approached a construction site, there was a flashing sign saying 'Diversion. Turn around'. He finally got the message.

Old Yeller
The Fighting Man (Part 9)

Not the dog... Us! Do we yell? What is the effect of yelling or shouting in anger? Does it accomplish anything? Are we easily irritated? Do we get angry a little too often?

Let's take a look at it.

Explosive anger does accomplish some things. Supposedly it releases the pressure that has mounted up in you for some infraction committed. But in actuality, once you get going it seems to propel the emotion further until you are angrier than when you first started. It also helps your blood pressure to increase, which might not be a healthy physical reaction. The other thing it accomplishes is the closing of a door. And I don't mean the slamming of a door. What door? Join me for the journey into anger...

It's Not The End

My eldest children strayed. But it wasn't the end.
My middle child started to stray. But it wasn't the end.
We took decisive action. And that's not the end.
The Lord gave us a new beginning. And it's definitely not the end.

And Now I Must Forgive
The Fighting Man (Part 8)

Now that I had accepted His Redeeming Grace and developed a trusting relationship with the Lord, I opened myself up completely to God for his in-depth weeding. There were a lot of weeds, but as my Dear Friend Cindy Fernau teaches, you have to dig deep to get the roots out in order to stop those weeds from coming back. My weeds grew from a lot of damage done to me by the men in my life. They also grew from parents that were not perfect. And then many weeds were planted by my own seeds. I had to remove the weeds from the garden in order to enjoy the good planting that God had already begun in me. How to do it?

I had to forgive...

A Trust Issue
The Fighting Man (Part 7)

I had been writing the latest article and, as is the custom, whenever I have a subject that burns in my heart, God faithfully provides a trial to go along with it in order to be able to fully write about the experience. What is the latest article I've been writing? Trusting in God. No matter what. The trial? A 4:00AM wake-up call when I found a lump in my breast.

The Healing Touch
The Fighting Man (Part 6)

Karen Schatzline came to Utah to minister to the women at Christian Life Center during our Women's Retreat in Ogden, Utah. Karen's focus was to help us see ourselves the way that God, our Heavenly Father, sees us - with His eyes. A very hard task for me, as my definition of a father was not a very loving, open-armed, there-for-me and accepting person. In addition, I had seen myself in such a negative light for so long that I couldn't even imagine any other way of seeing myself. This retreat was a pivotal moment in my healing.

Do You Really Love Even Me??
The Fighting Man (Part 5)

I parked the car in the garage. It was dusk; that half light, half dark, surreal time of day where nothing seems quite what it is. I turned off the engine and checked the side view mirror. I don't know what prompted me to make that move, but I did, and something caught my eye.

The year 2005 was the year that God began showing me great Miracles - personal miracles, just between Him and me. Parking the Car was the beginning of one of the greatest of them!

A New Identity
The Fighting Man (Part 4)

As described in the previous article, The State of my Heart, I had developed a very strong hate for myself from all the choices, circumstances, and thought processes that had taken place during my lifetime. I needed a new identity and changing my name from Kathy to Kathryn to Kat, as I marked each time I tried to be a better person, wasn't doing much for me. About ten years ago, I found the Secret Ingredient, the first step to eliminating TFM, that helped me get that sense of self-worth and true identity I had been searching for all my life . It was a long process, not easy, but worth every moment of it. Read More...

The State of my Heart (or How I Became the Fighting *wo*Man)
The Fighting Man (Part 3)

This article will delve into my difficult past and show you why I developed all of the characteristics of The Fighting Man. It is not easy to share all of this with you and to be so open about it, but I was the classical example of a heart full of anger, bitterness and hate, so what better way to show you what The Fighting Man can really look like? How I overcame is part of a future article. Read more...

The State of our Hearts
The Fighting Man (Part 2)

The previous article describes who The Fighting Man (TFM) is and what he looks like. We now begin to delve into the reasons why he appears. When we are born, we have pure hearts. Period. Hearts unencumbered by pain, disappointment, abuses, humiliations, etc. What changes this state? The article is called the State of our Hearts because it is this changed state that often creates The Fighting Man with devastating results to our lives and to the lives of those around us. Read more...

The Fighting Man (Part 1)

This is the first in a series of articles on a subject that God has burned deeply into my heart. Over the last few weeks, the Lord has been showing me that "The Fighting Man" (TFM) is very much a part of this world, and is becoming less and less restrained. His presence is causing major problems in relationships with families, friends, acquaintances, fellow employees, and so on. What does The Fighting Man look like? I've drawn him out for you, or rather I've explained it and Pete (The Brilliant One) drew it for me. He has drawn a pretty good likeness!

The Turbulent Years

I'm talking about the puberty years. Phew! This is a challenging time for everyone involved, but the one who suffers most is the adolescent. Without having to go through an entire lesson on puberty, let's just say that in my home, hormones are often referred to as "horror-moans." Let me share a horror story with you about Melissa... Read More

A Renewing of the Mind

Jared made a very interesting comment the other night. He had just come back from California with the Weber State University Argument and Debate Team where he spent four full days immersed in the "real world." He had spent the previous six years renewing his mind, how did he handle this?...... Read More

The Safe Zone

We've all played the game. "It" chases you trying to tag you so that you become "It". As you run away from the danger, you head towards that one place where "It" cannot get you. Home Base, Safe Zone, The Place to Maintain Freedom. While there, "It" cannot touch you. You are free and relaxed. Yes, you'll jump back out into danger after you've recovered your breath. But you know you can always come back for that breather. Welcome to the Safe Zone.

I Hate You, Dad!!

I have a Little Friend (LF) who comes over to our house often and who struggles with her Dad. Sometimes it gets pretty volatile at her Dad's house and she ends up very angry with him, hate apparent in her heart. The fights between them have been getting uglier and uglier and threats now loom over her. I was at a loss - I didn't know how to help her. But someone else did...

A Touchy and Controversial Subject

I have truly been struggling with this article for a long time (since June of last year to be exact) because it can be a *really* long article or it can be short. Besides, it goes against all societal norms and therefore may be a shocking concept! It's a good thing that I have the experiences from three other families to back this one up! What is it?

Where is My Money?

Pastor Gerrod, of Alpine Church in Layton, related the following story to us one Friday evening. He, being in charge of the grocery shopping, came home and listened as his wife stated that there was nothing to drink in the house. Gerrod went to the refrigerator and noticed that they had filtered drinking water from the fridge, a bottle of Cranberry juice, and milk. What she meant was... Read More

Pray for Those Who Persecute You - Even Your Siblings!

While sitting at the kitchen table this morning and reading my scriptures, I heard the familiar voices of my two youngest children; not the happy cadence I'm used to; these voices were raised to a "contentious" pitch. One door slammed. They were having what my English husband would call a *row* (pronounced ra-ow) - it's what I call a fight. Who wins this one?

The Testimony of Pilar Delmo

Pilar is a very dear friend of mine who has walked what a lot of us have walked - a very broken road that leads to God's Healing Grace and Love. She is one powerful woman who unashamedly shares her love for Christ with everyone she meets. Read this great story of transformation.

A Response to A Response

A very dear friend of mine responded to my article, The Passing of Michael Jackson and Others, with some very thought provoking points. I have spent the last couple of days pondering, praying, studying and talking to godly mentors about her thoughts. She had truly tested a point that I thought I believed and that had caused an intense search for God's Wisdom and Revelation during the last couple of months.
Read more to find out what I discovered...

The Passing of Michael Jackson and Others...

The passing of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett sparked an interesting conversation with my 13 year old daughter Erin. We talked about celebrity status and its responsibilities. Where does our society stand on this issue?
Read More

The Ogden Rescue Mission Miracle

We needed something for this wonderful ministry and God provided the ways and the means to fulfill it. God is always on time and He listens when we pray. He is ready - even eager - to respond to our requests.
Check this out...

Who is With Your Children?

Think about this for a moment. Your children are awake anywhere from twelve to sixteen hours a day depending on their age and sleeping habits. Who is the most influential person during those waking moments? Who or what is forming their character?
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A Conflict

Monday was a tough day for the boys. I think boredom played a big part, a lack of sleep, and a rough weekend. The first part of the day began pretty good. But as the morning wore on, the grumpy atmosphere reared its ugly head and things got testy. After lunch, the boys went out to work on the Tree House. Things got even worse out there. By the time early afternoon had arrived, a full blown conflict had erupted with Preston angrily...
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Why Bond?

I love ionic and covalent bonds. They both have the same result, two atoms bonding to create a chemical compound; but they go about it in two very different ways. Find out what types of bonds these are and what they have to do with your children.
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Cyber Safe - Safety in Cyberspace

Many families buy new computers at Christmas, and within a few weeks wish they hadn't - it becomes full of viruses, spyware, popups, and trash software of all kinds. It also becomes a magnet for the children (and dad!), taking them away from the family. We'll deal with the family issues later, but this article is concerned with the basics of keeping the computer clean.
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The Classics in IQ or EQ

You have two choices here. You can read the IQ version written by Pete Connolly, the Brilliant, or you can choose the EQ version written by Kat Connolly. Or you can be balanced and read both! Either way, I think you will benefit from these articles.
Read the IQ Version
Read the EQ Version

A Bonding Moment

Last night I sinned... well, okay - I didn't actually sin but I allowed the kids to stay up past their bedtime. If they are in bed by 8:30PM, they are allowed to read in bed for 1/2 hour. My kids need their beauty sleep! So, what caused the disruption last night?...
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Lessons on Leadership

Pete spent some time this week with the kids discussing Leadership, and what are the attributes of the great leaders. By listing these attributes and making them known, the children know what is expected of them now, and in the future. The main points that came out of this are as follows...
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A Discipline Moment

It happened today - I had to discipline my son.

This is how it went. My son was tired and hungry - key words here. Behaviors are just not quite up to par when either of these conditions are present. So, I always look for this when he is acting out of line. However... and that is a big HOWEVER, there is no excuse for certain types of behavior. After all, God has said...
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Delight in Them

I love scriptures where God talks about delighting in us. It fills me with a warmth knowing that even if I'm not perfect and I make mistakes, He delights in me. My favorite scripture describes this beautifully in the New International Version...
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When They Stray

I received an email from a dear friend of mine which opened a door to my past and reminded me of when my daughter did stray.

She wrote (with her permission I share):

Oh my Heart, you are Kathryn (Olds). I have so missed you. I found your kids-faith site and it dawned on me who Kat is. I love your site. I too am losing my 2 oldest children to the way of the world and am in a panic. The more I remove outside forces the more I am hated. The more I testify and bring them to the Lord the more they resent it. My 2 youngest seem different but are greatly influenced...
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Three Little Words

It's been a long day at work, the clients especially difficult, the traffic horrendous. When you get home you still have another full time job to finish. Dinner, laundry, cleaning, homework with the kids, reading. And you know that tomorrow it just starts all over again. It's towards the end of the week and your sleep has suffered...
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The Antichrist in Our Living Room

I remember watching the Opening Ceremonies for the 2008 Olympic Games. This fare dominated our senses from a Sony 60: rear projection television. What a spectacular job the Chinese did with lights, fireworks, dancers, and effects! I was fascinated by the vision being offered. I was also reminded again as to why...
Curious? Read More!

The Soapbox

Okay, time for me to get on my soapbox and unload one of my pet peeves. I walked into a home once to fix a computer. A film was playing in the background. As I walked from the Living Room to the Kitchen, I caught a glimpse of just one...
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