We share our joy and hope with you on this Christmas Day!
Archives for 2016
I Ran Out of Gas on the Highway on Monday
Last Monday, I step into the car to go to work. It’s chilly and dark. It’s drizzling. And I’m almost out of gas. It’s Monday morning all right. I feel like I have enough gas to get to work. It’s a bar gauge, so it’s hard to tell, but the last bar is only slowly […]
Christmas Gift-Giving Guide for Crappy Shoppers
With the coming of Christmas comes the giving of gifts. One great gift (Jesus) spawns a million little ones. I’m not much of a shopper. Nora loves it. The pleasure is two-fold, I believe: Snag a deal Find the perfect gift for everybody For Nora, gift-hunting season is a year-round sport, but the playoffs begin […]
Is Giving a Long Resignation Notice the Right Thing to Do?
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My best bud at work – Sebastian – was leaving. I knew he wasn’t happy, but I thought he just liked to grouse. Some people are like that – they aren’t happy unless they’re unhappy. “I’ve been thinking about the old Bible verse ‘God helps them who helps […]
A Minor Obsession: The Pursuit of Cheap Gas
Anyone worth their salt has at least one minor obsession. For me, it’s the need to see everyone finish all the food on their plate. For Nora, it’s fastidiously cataloging the loss of old growth trees in our neighborhood. For my Dad, it’s finding the cheapest gasoline. If you know my Dad, you know he’s […]
How Our Pastor Got a Great Deal on a Bus
Our pastor has a story he likes to tell about when he and his wife were in the early years of their church plant in Baltimore. If you’ve been involved with a church plant, you know how hard it is. It’s a movement of tremendous faith. There is little money. There is little support. You […]
How My Brother Gained & Lost a Small Fortune in a Weekend
My brother Grant was driving his son to soccer practice when he saw a beige canvas bag in the middle of the road. It looked like a large plain purse or a small overnight bag. It was a country road so he did a quick 180, no problem, and doubled back. Car still running, door […]
When Nora’s Car Died and I Rushed to Replace It
I was driving down the New Jersey Turnpike in our trusty PT Cruiser, straight off the plane at JFK airport. I’d come home early from a family vacation to return to work. I had drained my vacation leave. Nora, Pippa, and Grey and Nora’s college roommate Fiona were still in Hungary. Nora and Fiona both […]
How I Learned that Deficit Owls Rule the Roost
Last weekend, my niece had her Sweet Sixteen family birthday party. I was looking forward to celebrating with her, of course, but secretly equally excited to talk with Cole and Sienna before the election. I had a theory. The national annual deficit and growing accumulated debt aren’t much of an issue this election, despite their […]
Is the Parable of the Talents Wedding Appropriate?
Many years ago when Nora and I were engaged to be married, we hardly ever argued. When she spoke, bluebirds sang. When she walked by, roses floated under my nose. When she kissed me, my toes tingled. That’s the way I remember it anyway. Let’s call it the pre-honeymoon honeymoon period. Then we started to […]