re: South Carolina Pastor gives bizarre speech about wife’s "suicide" during sermon (UPDATES)

But--and I'm pro-religion and pro-organized religion for the most part (at least "real" Christianity that preaches the New Testament, especially what Jesus had to say about grace).

Grace is giving something to people that they don't deserve. And it's been a very valuable concept to me as a father to a teenage son. But it's tough to know the right times to give it. You have to be a father and correct your children when they mess up. But sometimes, the best thing to do is show them grace that they may not "deserve," but as the proxy for God in their lives, showing that grace as a Father helps them understand the concept of God's grace that they will hopefully pass on to their children and other people in their lives when appropriate.

But the appropriateness is hard to determine. You can't always be a pushover, a "friend," you have to be a father and can't let just everything go. That's one of the biggest things I've struggled with recently is knowing when to get mad and just saying "this behavior is unacceptable" and trying to understand where they're coming from and showing grace and demonstrating unconditional love. It's a tough balancing act. At least for me right now.