Last week I asked you to give me your most-read blog posts from May. In the comments you left over thirty great posts, an all-star list of what’s out there. For the last week, I’ve enjoyed reading through each and every post – here are the highlights of my journey through the best of May: Continue reading “The Best of May”
I am not a huge fan of the summer. I prefer cooler temperatures, the smell of woodsmoke and the colors of autumn. But in an attempt to be thankful and, as Henri Nouwen says, to live in the Here and Now, here’s my list of the top ten things I like about summer:
1. Cooking food on the grill
2. Eating vegetables right out of the garden
3. Mowing the yard
4. Air conditioning
5. Long days of sunlight
Continue reading “Tuesday’s Top 10: Summer”
Control.
A controller dictates the actions of things on video games. We use remote controls to make tiny cars turn or watch what we want on television. Control towers dictate the movement of thousands of planes every day, all around the world.
So I guess in these instances, control is fun or challenging or makes our lives easier or travel safer. We try to maintain control in order to get a desired outcome.
No wonder I try to control people.
I control my kids with consequences or a raised voice. I control friends with affirmation or judgment. I try to control strangers with charity or fear.
Why the obsession? Why this need for control? Continue reading “Put Down the Remote Control, Church Leaders”
I was about 8 years old and felt very jittery about our first little league opponent: Weiler’s Garage. They wore green jerseys with yellow pinstripes on their baseball pants, and green was the color of many gigantic things, such as The Incredible Hulk and Jolly the Green Giant.
Most of the players on that team also lived up in the mountain, and we all heard rumors about what went on there. People shot each other. Criminals hid at the shadowy ends of sinister looking driveways. Some of the mountain inhabitants even smoked unfiltered cigarettes and drank Budweiser.
We pulled into the small park surrounded by woods. Our team emerged from various vehicles and walked toward the ball field – our orange jerseys and hats made us look like miniature flames darting through the grass, threatening to engulf the entire mountain. Continue reading “The Absurdity of Root Beer Barrels”
Bath time at our house is like bath time at the zoo. The boys take one bathroom, the girls take the other, and by the time everything is said and done you would think a tidal wave of suds had washed through the house. Seven-year-old Cade gets in the shower while two-year-old Sammy screams in the bath (not a big fan of getting clean). Lucy and Abra play peacefully in the other bathroom.
A few days ago I walked into the bathroom just after Cade had gotten out of the shower and was getting dressed.
“Dad,” he said, “there’s a stink bug!”
Continue reading “News Bulletin Regarding the Recent Stink Bug Attack in South America”
My 6-year-old daughter Lucy has a series of bumps on her skin that she doesn’t think about during the day, but at night they are painful, and they itch. The doctor gave us a name for them, something I can’t remember or pronounce.
“Nothing serious. They’ll go away, in time,” the doc said.
When we first noticed the bumps, it was maybe six months ago. Every night, when I tucked her into bed, she requested two things.
Continue reading “When My Daughter Asked “Why Doesn’t God Answer Our Prayers?””
